The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1911-03-10


Baptist Church ON Jefferson street,
mass-meeting of citizens assembled to
protest against the reinstatement OF
Prof. Geo. Waters, as teacher in the
public school of the city. The meet
ing was well attended by the parents
of the children who attend Knowles
School, where Prof Waters is teach
ing, and they showed by their express
sions that they are deeply concerned
about the matter. In their express
sions it was clearly evident that no
malice is held towards Prof. Waters,
but it is a case in which a decision
must be made, between the hundreds
of children who are to be taught,
whether they must be taught high or
INV ideals; whether moral or immoral
influences shall prevail; or whether
Prof. Waters, who has been tried and
convicted by jury, but who was re-
leased by the higher court on a mere
error in the charge of lower court,
shall he, Waters, be allowed to main
tain his position as teacher when 1t
is evident that his influence cannot
be conducive to the uplift OF the chill
dren? The parents in mass-meeting
assembled decided that the, welfare OF
hundreds of children is paramount to
that of Prof. Waters.
The mass-meeting on Monday night
endorsed the following statement and
sent copy of the same to the Super
intendent of Public Schools, the pres
ident of the Board of Education and
the Mayor of the city with over a
hundred signatures on each.
To Prof j. j. Keyes, Superintendent
Public Schools, Nashville, Tenn:
AS touching the matter of Prof. Geo
Waters reinstatement as teacher IN
the Knowles Public School, we, the
patrons of said school, make the fol
lowing statement:
/. A teacher ought to be required
to maintain good reputation In the
community, because he stands for the
moral uplift of the community.
3. Whenever teacher, by his con
duct, has destroyed or weakened his
influence for this moral uplift his use
fulness as a molder of healthy mora
sentiment is at an end.
8. A legal acquittal does not al
ways acquit one from charge CT i1u
moral conduct, and that is true III th'
case in question, because tie opinio!
of the court does not hold that tn
defendant in the court below is limo
cent of any criminal knowledge OF tn
woman in question. and Tie acqultta
is not based on that point.
a. We stand for the purity of on
NJ n
our community, and in this we asl
the cooperation of the teachers of GU
children, both in precept and in eX
ample. Believing that such co-operd
ton cannot be had in the person o
Prof. George Waters, we respectfull,
and most earnestly protest against hi
reinstatement as teacher IN KnoWle
School, and ask his immediate suspen
sion pending consideration.
5. Grant for the sake of argumen
that Prof Waters is not guilty of haV
ing criminal knowledge with the Il
male in question still the very fac
that She upon her oath, in open court
declared that he was guilty; and tn
fact that a jury having heard the ties
timony of all the witnesses for an
against him, and the argument of tn
lawyers, brought in verdict Q
guilty; and the further fact that hi
arrest and Imprisonment and subst
uuent trial were all aiRed through tn
papers and thereby became the con
mon knowledge Of school children
parents and the public in general
these facts, in our Judgment, rendee
him utterly unfit to be a teacher
the public schools of Nashville.
6. We desire to emphasize tn
fact that,we, in our position set fort
above, are not influenced by any pc
sonal grudge or bias against Pro