New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-14
TEACHERS HISS
GRACE STRACHAN
Ire Aroused at Her Attack
on Wives in Schools at
Mass Meeting.
ANTS SHAKE FISTS
AT DIR. VILE
Miss Davis Scores School Board
for Opposition to Mother.
hood Among Educators.

nOOu Among educators.
Miss Grace Strachan was Kissed and
Or. Ira Vile had fists shaken in his
face at the teacher-mother mass meet
ing at the Washington Irving High
School last night. The radicals who
Kissed and laughed at Miss Strachan
were much more numerous than the
opponents of the teacher-mother who
objected to DR.. Wile's remarks, but
the latter were equally determined.
The commotion was so great during
bliss Strachan's speech that the chair
man, Howard Woolston, had to come
to her rescue by saying such conduct
was out of order and improper and
that they should confine their manifes-
tations of approval to applause.
Miss Strachan's statement was:
at is an unwise and immoral thing
for a woman to teach school and man
age home. too. II is immoral be-
cause it is serving two masters. They
must cheat either their pupils or their
husbands"
Miss Strachan said that as Superin-
tcndent of Schools in Brooklyn she
knew that the great majority of the
teachers did not sympathize with the
teacher-mother idea. II il came to a
vote, she said, 50 per cent would vote
to stand by the board.
John Martin, also of the opposition,
came in for large amount of derisive
applause.
where women work." he said, "the
habits of their husbands are worse
than where the wives stay at home"
He classified the Board of Education
as humanists, as opposed to the
feminists, who wanted TO make every
woman n wage Garner all the days Of
her life"
There were many speakers for the
teacher-mOthers. among them DR.. Vile,
Miss Henrietta Rodman, Mrs. Charlotte
Perkins Gilman, Professor w. p.
Montague, Burdette Lewis, Mrs. Marion
B. Cothren, Professor II. A. Overstreet
and Miss Rose Young.
Letters denouncing the Board of
Education were cad from Miss Kath-
arine B. Davis, Mrs. Mary Simkhovitch,
Frederick c. Howe, Mrs. Frederick
Nathan and Henry Moskowitz.
Please let me saw tina, II IS impossible
for me to understand the attitude OF
those who refuse 20 grant leaves Of alb
scnce to mothers. lnasmuch az married
women are allowed 10 teach It IS illogi-
cal 70 pcaalize them for fulfilling the
natural consequences Of wIfchoOd. The
fitness TO be teacher should rest on
individual cases. II there Is any dis
elimination. IL Should be on other grounds
than that Of motherhood.
a woman should be trusted 70 know
whether she can leave her baby or not.
and school physicians can pass on the
question OF her hysical fitness.
II seems TO me that IN school work as
in all other kinds OF work. there should
be no discrimination against any race
sex or class Of persons. but that indlNld-
ual fitness should be the test. IL. as ne
tween two persons Of equal ability one
has children 10 support. she should he
given the preference. inasmuch as II Is
for the public interest that children
should be cared for by their own parents.
I should not however advocate putting
n a mother who was inferior a teacher.
because | do not think We have the right
10 sacrifice the interests OF other people
Miss Henrietta Rodman, the Wad-
leigh High School English teacher, is
to be suspended after all, according TO
Dr. Maxwel's original plan, as he told
her after the meeting of the Board OF
Education on Tuesday. The hopes OF
Miss Rodman's friends, reused by DIT.
Maxwell's order Of Thursday that she
be not suspended at present, were
dashed to the ground yesterday after
noon when it became evident that no
mercy was to be shown to the woman
who laughed at the Board of Educa-
ton. o.,
DR.. Maxwell, after a conference with
Arthur S. Somers, chairman OF the
high school committee of the board,
~ n a
we'll TO suspend Mrs. Henrietta de
Fremery' pending her trial on charges
of insubordination and gross miscon-
duet The immediate cause of this act
was the mother batting" letter writ
ten by Miss Rodman to F. T. A. IN
Tuesdays Tribune.
DR.. Ira S. Vile, a member OF the
high school committee, before which
Miss Rodman is to be tried, said last
night that he thought it would be q
great mistake to discharge Miss Rod
man for what, after all, was at most
only an example of bad taste.
1.-THE majority Of the high school
committee has been in favor OF the
teacher-mother proposition" DR.. Wile
said. "and | doubt if they will hnd
grounds for Miss Rodman's dismissal.
However, there are other members VINO
regard her as dangerous character
ard who have been trying to get her
scalp for a long time"
The attitude of the members OF the
high school committee, as indicated IN
Tuesdays vote on the mother-teaeher
issue. was as follows: For the mother
teacher. Commissioners Green, Hark-
ness, Levintritt. Vile and Winthrop;
against Der, Chairman Somers and
Commissioners Ebert, Man and Wilsey.
Miss Rodman last night had not re-
ceiyed notice Of her suspension, but
said she was prepared to consult a
LAWYER this morning should the letter
arrive in the morning mail. She VIII
report for duty Monday morning.
The same attitude was maintained
Yesterday by Mrs. Lora NJ. Wagner,
the Tottenville teacher-mother. Mr.
Wagner announced for his. wife that
she was ready to teach and would go
10 the school building to prove it. II
she were refused admission. then. she
would come home again and take legal
steps to defend her position.