New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-20
3 Teachers
Charged With
Disloyalty
Complaint Against Sus-
pended High School
Men Is Filed
Board to Hear Their
Defence Thursday
Men Turn on Accuser and
Will Try to Have
Him Tried

Failure to repress discussion Of "the
relative merits Of anarchism' in class
rooms, countenancing open disloyalty
by pupils and the circulation of lit
erature improper for students, arc
some of the accusations made by AS
sistant Superintendent Of Schools John
L. Tildsley in formal charges filed
yesterday against the three teachers
who were suspended last week from the
De Witt Clinton High School.
The charges were drawn by Assist
ant Corporation Counsel Charles Nc
Intyre and were signed by DR.. Tildsley.
They form the basis for a hearing
which will be held before the Board of
Education next Thursday afternoon.
Mr.. Mcintyre will act as prosecutor"
The teachers will be defended by at
torneys furnished by the Teachers
Union and by the American Federation
of Labor.
Teachers Specifically Accused
The three teachers-Thomas Mufson,
A. Henry Schneer and Samuel ID.
Schmalhausen-who were suspended for
"holding views which are subversive
Of discipline in the schools and which
tend to undermine good citizenship"
are each accused specifically by DR..
Tildsley.
Against Mr.. Mufson this charge is
made:
"That the said Mufson, as teacher OF
English in the De Witt Clinton Hlga
School, fails to live up to his duty as
teacher, inasmuch as he conceives
it proper to maintain. before his
classes an attitude of strict neutrality
in class discussions dealing with:
ga The relative merits of snarchism
as compared with the present govern
ment of the United States:
"(b) The duty of every one to sup
port the government of the United
States in all measures taken by the
Federal government to insure the prop
er conduct of the present war"
The charges against Mr.. Schneer are:
THAT the said Schneer stated that
patriotism should not be discussed in
the De Witt Clinton High School. That
the said Schneer stated that persons
wearing the uniform of a soldier Of the
United States should not be permitted
to address the student body in the as
semblies of the school.
THAT the said Schneer stated that
the Board of Education has no right to
institute military training in the
schools.
"That in or about the year 1917 the
said Schneer wrote a photography Of
contemporary literature. copies of
which he caused 70 be placed on sale in
the store Of the school, which contained
references to works which should no.
have been called to the attention of the
students Of the school.
The Schmalhausen Charges
Mr.. Schmalhausen is accused thus:
THAT the said Schmalhausen consid
ers it not to be his duty TO develop
in the students under his control in
stinctive respect for the President of
the United States as such, the Gov
ernor of the State of New York as
such, and other Federal, state and mu-
nicipal officers as such.
"That in making written criticisms
of a certain letter dated October %,
1917, addressed TO the President of the
United States. written by II. Herman,
pupil under his instruction, the said
Schmalhausen failed to make such crit
icisms of the contents OF the said
letter as would lead the RIpil to per-
ceive the gross disloyalty involved in
his point Of view as expressed in the
said letter.
"That the said Schmalhausen stated
that as an instructor of the said pupil
he would consider it proper to allow the
said pupil to write and to read aloud
to his classmates similar seditious let
ters addressed TO the President of the
United States.
"That the said Schmalhausen, as evil
denced by newspaper articles printed
over his signature, has a concept of
his function as teacher that renders
him unfit to be an instructor of high
school students"
Steps toward filing counter charges
against DR.. Tildsley were taken at a
meeting of the executive board Of the
Teachers Union, held last night at the
Washington Irving High School. Mr..
Linville said that evidence had been
given to John +. 0'Brien. attorney for
the union, who had been authorized to
file charges Of distortion of facts"
with the Board Of Education or State
Commissioner Of Education John II.
Finley. j. Edward Mayman was in
structed to start campaign for the
raising of q teachers defence fund