New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-13
Judge Hylan Stubs His Toe

Judge Hylan's endeavor to make Speclic
the loose charge that Mayor MitcheIs
administration has Surrendered TO the
misunderstanding presumably, the
Rockefeller Foundation-by attributing TO
the influence of that nefarious- organlza-
ton the adoption of the Gary school sys-
ten, is absurd, TO say the least. Just how
absurd it is Mr.. Wilcox, president of the
Board of Education, has shown.
If any one man more than another is
responsible for the decision to adapt the
Gary work-study- play scheme to this citys
schools it is Mr.. Thomas W. Churchill,
who was president of the Board OF Edu-
cation when the official trip of inspection
10 Gary was made which resulted in the
importation of Mr.. Writ and the begin
ming of experimentation with the Gary
schools in The Bronx. And Mr.. Churchill,
it will be remembered, was an active candl-
date for the favor of Tammany, which,
bestowed on Judge Hylan, will make HIM
the Democratic candidate for Mayor in
the primaries next week. If there was
any surrender to the foundations IT was
a good representative Of Tammany, then
considered a candidate for the nomination
for Mayor, who did the surrendering.
However. there was no surrender by
Mr. Churchill, Mayor Mitchell or any other
person, and Judge Hylan cannot possibly
torture semblance to one out Of the facts.
These are that two men have recently been
members of the Board of Education who
have had Rockefeller connections. DR..
Abraham FleXner is one Of the secretaries
Of the General Education Board. Mr..
Wilcox states that DR.. FleXner, we'll
known educational expert, who, by the
way, was not appointed by Mayor Mitchell,
took no active part in the administrative
work of the board while member, and
advocated chiefly the appointment of good
superintendents and teachers, who, he be-
lieved, should in the main settle educa-
tional policies.
Mr.. Raymond B. Fosdick, the other
Rockefeller man." had no connection with
the Rockefeller Foundation or the General
Education Board. He was secretary Of
the Bureau Of Social Hygiene, which was
backed by John ID. Rockefeller, jr. His
other business took so much time from his
attendance at meetings Of the Board of
h Education that he resigned last year.
This is the substance of the Rockefeller
.infuence in the Board of Education's af
fairs. Mayor Mitchels administration has
stood for the policy of adapting the Gary
plan to the schools of this city, and Of
making adequate appropriations for the
work of the experimental schools, not be-
cause Of political influence or financial
influence. but because the Mayor and those
who stood with him were convinced of
the merit of the scheme, just as Mr..
Churchill. of Tammany. was. They were
convinced that it offered the only hope, in
the city's present financial condition, of
offered opportunity for the intensive use
of school plants instead of requiring the
building OF a number of new schools
which the city hadn't the money to pay
for. They were convinced that it would
make possible a better education of the
children in school, permitting them to learn
from supervised work and train bodies
and minds in supervised play, as well as
presenting book education of the present
type.
On these phases of the subject there is
a legitimate difference of opinion. Judge
Hylan is entitled TO convince the parents
of the city that the "old red schoolhouse'
Of which he is an alumnus presented better
educational methods than the Gary plan
as this city is working it out-if he can.
But in decency and fairness he must also
show them how this city, with its obliga
tions, its existing taxable values and its
debt limit, can continue the old red school
house idea of seat for each pupil and
make due provision for the children of the
community. Men with more financial and
administrative experience than he have
not been able to work out that problem.
But Judge Hylan will 90 we'll to drop
the surrender to the foundations allie
cation. In making it he has only recalled
the fact that once before he stubbed his
toe and broke up all Tammany's team
work by advocating policy which fell
low candidate bitterly opposed lie cant