New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-09
TEACHERS ARGUE
OVER GARY PLAN
Lively Opposition Met at
Meeting in Boys High
School, Brooklyn.
MRS. FERNANDEZ LAYS
RELIGIOUS BUGABOO
Feature by No Means Essential,
She Says, Leaving Matter
to Parents Choice.

A free discussion OF the Gary system
proposed for the New York public
schools took place last evening at the
Boys High School Brooklyn. The
sentiments Of the audience, which was
composed largely Of teachers from the
schools, was plainly against adopting
the plan. The speakers were Mrs.
Alice Bsrrows Fernandez, Or. William
A. Grady, principal of Public School s.,
Manhattan; Mrs. Alice Ritter, principal
of Public School 80. Brooklyn, where
the Gary plan is being tried, and DR..
James Sullivan, principal Of the Boys
High School Mrs. August Dreyer,
president OF the Long Island Council OF
Womens Clubs, which arranged the
meeting. presided
The meeting closed with a number
OF arguments from members OF the
audience. The noisy opposition OF the
audience was somewhat quoted by one
man, who said he was neutral on the
question of adopting the plan, but con-
sidered it altogether wrong for an
audience which contained so many
teachers TO express its sntagonism TO
an educational measure before il had
received fair and thorough hearing.
Walter J. Parsons, the engineer in
charge of the construction of the He'll
Gate bridge, who lived for three years
in Gary, Ind, whence the system got
its name, spoke for it. lie based his
arguments on ths results observed IN
the education Of his own two children.
He denied that the parents in Gary are
opposed to the system.
Mrs. Fernandez said that neither de-
partmental nor religious instruction
was necessary in the schools. She
thought that the parents should choose
the manner in which the children would
use their playground hour under the
system, and said that she saw no sleepy
children in the schools Of Gary. They
were either too interested or too busy.
Plan "Panacea."
DR.. Grady discussed the defects OF
the system and said that its advocates
consider it panacea for all ills. lie
referred to letter from Mayor
Mitchell saying that the Mayor APP
proved of the system because the
school buildings could be altered in
three months 10 permit its adoption
and the system put into effect at the
end of five months al cost of only
$4,000, 900. He asserted that the argu
ments for the adoption of the system
in New York were based on an made
quate experiment in two schools. Re
ferring to the religious side of the
question, he said:
"The minute you connect the school
/ and the Church you stir up the foules.
/ dregs of human nature. The safety OF
our school system depends on com
plete divorce between it and tn,
+ Church"
Mrs. Ritter said her school was bet
ter than before the system was trieC
there Altogether we are doing 8
good, happy. useful kind Of work." sh'
said, land am glad that my schoU
was chosen as one for the experiment
The Gary plan would have small
chance of success. DR.. Sullivan said, i
the schools hadn't auditoriums, work
shops and Fairgrounds. He said the
plan was already in operation on 9
modified scale in the Boys High School
and had been tried in New York in
1899. DR.. Sullivan thought Mayor
Mitchell favored the plan because OF
its promise of economy.