New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-10
MAXWELL DEFENDS SELF.
Superintendent UphoIds His
Age-Rating Policy.
TO TRY SCHOOL RALLIES
Board Members to Attend Pc.
litical Meetings and Report
on What Happens.

In a communication to the Board OF
| Education yesterday DR.. William II.
Maxwell, superintendent Of City Schools,
warned the public and the press to pay
little attention to statements derogatory
to the public schools that masqueraded
as parts of Professor Hanus's report OF
as supplementary thereto.
The superintendent's communication
was in answer to a report recently
brought out by DR.. Frank p Bachman.
of the Hanus- school inquiry committee.
DIR. Maxwell's letter to the board stated
| that an inquiry addressed to Professor
Hanus had ELECTED this reply.
I have not seen this report OF Bach
mans before, nor have / had anything
| to do with Il, consequently I have not
authorized its publication In the news
! papers. 1t Is no part OF the report which
| 1 am submitting to the committee on
/ school inquiry.
This statement by Professor Hanus, tie
City Superintendent declares. is sufficient
warning to beware Of statements purport-
| Ing to be part of the Hanus report. He
refers to DR.. Bachman in quotation marks
as educational expert" to the committee
on school inquiry.
! Continuing, DR.. Maxwell says:
| Inasmuch, however, as Dr.. Bachman
has assailed. indirectly, my honesty OF
purpose IN treating the subject OF over
age" feel constrained to notice some Of
| HIS statements.
The criterion of efficiency which DR..
Bachman sets up might be applicable
| though even that Is doubtful-to a homo
| geneous English speaking community In
| which children are sent to school at the
earliest legal age. 1t distinctly does not
apply to New York. where the foreign
constitute 10 per cent of the population,
and where the majority Of the foreign
1 children are not familiar with our lam
guage when they enter school.
BY a single illustration. DR.. Maxwell
said ne would expose the fallacy of the
Bachman argument. He pointed out that
the author of THE Promised Land" said
she was thirteen years old when she
came to this country from Russia In
little more than four years she passed
through the nine-year course In the Bos-
ton elementary schools.
Must Consider Conditions.
yet on any basis OF normal age yet
proposed" says DR.. Maxwell, "she would
have been rated as over age throughout
| the entire course. On DR.. Bachnan's n.y.
pothesis her presence In a Boston school
would have been adduced as evidence OF
lneflciency. So much for the everlasting
fallacy OF considering figures without
considering the conditions under which
| they arise.
Unless very much better reasons than
any advanced by DR.. Bachman are laid
before me shall adhere TO the standards
OF normal age which I adopted in 1904.
and which have been followed by the ma
| jority OF superintendents in other cities.
When the reading OF the communication
was finished members OF the board cius-
tered about DR.. Maxwell, and a resolution
was adopted TO print II and give II wide
spread circulation.
| The board also adopted a resolution Of
fered by Thomas W. Churchill, TO ap-
point a committee Of three to investigate
allegations Of dishonesty and of excessive
absence contained in reports submitted to
the superintendent by assistants.
At the last meeting OF the board the re-
ports OF associate superintendent and
others reviewing the work OF the last
school year were referred to Mr.. Church
Ill., In some reports, which Mr.. Churchill
said It was Imperative to investigate,
| were drastic allegations OF low ethical
standard in the teaching force. and there
| were other features of interest In re-
port submitted on The Operation OF the
Retirement law"
This board should not permit to pass
unouestloned these serious reproaohes
from an official Of high position" said
Mr.. Churchill.
II was alleged in ono report referred 70
that the greatest confusion imaginable
prevailed In the organization OF depart
mental teaching. and that too often the
supervisory work was such as could Do
performed by the clerk or janitor
Before the board voted favorably on
proposition OF Herman A Metz to permit
political gatherings Ut all parties in seven
city schools there was much lively dis
| cussion.
Commissioner Patrick II. MCGOWAN said
he was absolutely opposed to injecting