Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-12-10
WOULD SHOOT
-VACCInATORS
Prince Bay Man Defies
the School Board.

Pleasant Plains, 8. l., Dec. TO-
III will shoot dead anyone who at
tempts to vaccinate any of my chill
dren." Such is the sum and sub
stance of a letter received by the
Board of Education having super
vision w the public schools of this
place, from Herbert A. Thorpe, of
Prince Bay, 8. l., an employe OF the
United States Customs service.
Thorpe has two children, Jessie,
a daughter, aged eight, and Elmer
son, a son, who is six. They were
sent TO the Pleasant Plains school
early last September and were sent
home by the principal. Mr.. Thorpe
gives the reasons for his action in
the following letter:
Prince Bay, Sept. ., 1910.
&c. J. Jennings, Principal Public
School, Pleasant Plains, S. I.
Dear Mr.. Jennings: This letter
will be handed to you by my daugh-
ter, Jessie, who. with her brother,
Emerson, wishes to begin schooling
with wour supervision.
II send them to you, however,
with the express stipulation that
they be not vaccinated. They are
now in perfect health and I do not
care to jeopardize that health with
vaccination, in view of the fact that
a healthy child cannot possibly be a
menace to the health of others; also
that the chance of their developing
smallpox ia tor remote, judging
from statistics, to deserve consider
alton. The conditions In my home
are as perfect as sunlight, whole
someness and cleanliness can make
them, so / think there Is little pos
ing others IN any way.
81 shall rot discuss the supposed
virtues OF vaccination at this time,
but will merely state the practice is
one Of the most atrocious and alb
surd cver practiced upon ignorant
humanity; also that / will shoot dead
any one who attempts to vaccinate
any of my children.
write this ~advfsedly, and with
1.-THE fullest intention Of dolrg what
l state above. and will hold you re-
slonsible in the matter.
81 state this as I know children
have been vaecinateds unknown to
their parents, and this must not
happen. If you cannot receive them
lin school unvaccinated, please send
them home, and ] shall adopt other
means for their education. Yours
sincerely,
"HERBERF A. THORPE"
Education Board Complains.
Principal Jennlng turned the
| nNfo--- infHAp nUnp 70 khA pnny4 nf
Education. On October II last the
board wrote to M. Thorpe and in
quired II he was educating his chill
dren at home according to the fol-
lowing curriculum: English, seven
and q half hours q week. penman-
ship, two hours; number work,
two hours; nature study, one hour;
drawing and construction work, one-
half hour; sewing. one-half hour;
music. one hour; cord and raffia,
! one-half hour.
The next day Mr.. Thorpe notified
1.-THE Board of Education that he was
| not following this schedule of stud
| les. but that the course of private
instruction he was giving his chill
dren contained "the essentials OF
vour curriculum" He explained
that the children were being taught
reading, spelling, writing, arithme-
tic, two hours a day for FIVE days Of
each week. The girl. he said. was
being taught to sing, and both OF
the children got their nature study
from living in the country.
The Board of Education respond
ed by issuing a summons against
Mr.. Thorpe, charging him with vio-
I~Iating the compulsory education law
in not compelling his children to at
tend the school. The case came up
Thursday in the Magistrates Court
at Stapleton, and the court dis
missed the complaint upon motion
of Attorney Harry W~einberger, of
No. 261 Broadway, Manhattan,
counsel for Thorpe. Weinberger
| eontended that the complaint did not
allege facts sufficient to constitute
a cause OF action.
VIII Make the Case - Test.
Attorney Weinberger asked the
court to assume that the complaint
was not defective, and state what
would be the ruling in this case:
Assuming that the complaint was
All rlSnt, lQSn tu5t0 WAN 40 SHA
dilemma the lawyer said; The
law says that a child must be
healthy to attend school. Now ii
an unvaccinated child is not healthy
my client cannot allow his children
to go TO school"
ION the other hand, II you say
an unyaccinsted child is healthy, II
otherwise sound, then my client can
not be forced to have his children
vaceinated,"
Mr.. Weinberger pointed out that
the compulsory vaccination law Is
not enforced in many cities OF New
! York stats. In California, Illinois
and West Virginia, he said. the
courts have held that such : law ts
invalid.
Upon agreement OF sl parties 1t
was decided that the Thorpe pro-
ceeding should be postponed until
lnext Thursday, to permit the board
to draw up a new complaint.
Attorney wefnbsrger declares that
the Anti-yaecination Society OF Ana
erica may make the Thorps case a
3s~e case and carry it to the highest
court, II necessary. 20 have a Anal
rasins.