New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-12-20
DISMISS TEACHERS
after HOT DEBATE
Three Found Guilty Of Undermin-
ing Good Citizenship

New York. Dec. 20.-After four
hours of bitter debate on the floor of
the Board of Education, in the course
of which the trial of the three De Witt
Clinton High school teachers was
called "a lynching on unsupported
charges" the Board yesterday sus-
tanned the High school committees
verdict OF guilty against Samuel
Schmaihausen, Thomas Mufson, and
A. Henry Schneer, and dismissed them
from the service The men were found
guilty Of holding views subversive of
| discipline and of undermining good
| citizenship"
1t takes twenty-four votes to dis
miss a teacher, and twenty hve were
! mustered against Schmalhausen. twen-
ty-six against Mufson and thirty
against Schneer The teachers were
defended by Thomas w. Churchill, DR..
Ira S. Vile, I. Montef1ore Levy, John
Martin, and Joseph Barondess. Those
who urged the dismissal were Chair
man Whalen of the High school COM
mittee, Professor Franklin H. Cid
dings Arthur S. Somers and General
George w. Wingate.
Decision on the three, cases were
xA6O0 Q0Sp1CC Inc 1CANOoe Ava NOA"J
made by eleven instructors in Column
bia~ University and other institutions,
including John Dewey, James Harvey
Robinson, David Snedden, Carlton H.
Hayes, w. p. Montague, Thomas Reed
Powell, II. A. Overstreet, w. T. Bush,
N. p. Mead, NJ. r.. Cohen, A. J. Gold
farb and j. F. Turner.
Mr.. Whalen's report to the board
was to the effect that the charges
against the teachers had been proved
ut the trial. Mr.. Churchill, in behalf
Of the teachers, said he was con-
WINGED of the sincerity of each of them
in relation to the carrying on OF the
war; the Liberty Lean, and other mat
ters on which they were questioned.
Mr.. Churchill alleged that the mo-
tive for the "inquisition" of the teach
ers at the De Witt Clinton High school
could be found in the resolution passed
nv 105 teachers at that school CRITICS.
ing Chairman Whalen as "autocratlc'
for his calling the teachers to account
after they had protested against the
longer school day. This motive was
denied by Mr.. Somers and the other
speakers who favored dismissal.
Mr.. Churchill read from the test1-
mony taken at the trial in which Ellen
e. Garrigues, head of the English De-
partment, quoted Principal F. H. J.
Paul of the school as saying, "Now
I've got him. when he read paper
written by a pupil in Schmalhausen's
class attacking President Wilson.
why, gentlemen, it was the most
pitiable travesty on a trial that have
ever witnessed in my long career"
declared Mr.. Churchill. I'm the name
of God, would you send dog to his
doom on such testimony as that?
The foundation of the charges against
the teachers was lese-majest against
MIR. Whalen. And the. people who
brought the charges are the kind who
would teach patriotism to all the
world. That's the patriotism Of
Prussia
Professor Giddings, as we'll as the
other speakers. including Chairman
Wilcox, said there was no charge of
disloyalty against the teachers. In
the case Of Schmalhausen, he said his
penciled marginal notes on the let
ter written by the boy attacking the
president showed mot the slightest
reaction indicating outraged honor.
tending to show that the government
had been assaulted in a critical time"
Mr. Levy disagreed with this asser-
ton, and read the teachers COM
ments, some of which we're recorded as
exaggerated, excessive emotional
ISM" Irrational" mot sane"
Schneer was attacked by Mr.. Gid
dings for a photography of literature
he wrote. copies of which were sold
in the school book store. Under each
book Schneer wrote a line Of poetry,
and some OF these lines aroused the
ire of the professor. DR.. VILE, in de-
Tense of Schneer, asserted that the
photography was placed on sale with
the approval of the school authorities,
and that the entire faculty of the
school might we'll be brought up on
similar charges.
Because Munson at the trial refused
to answer certain questions concern
ing the government and the war, Pro-
lessor Giddings said he would vote
against him as he would vote "for the
discharge of any man capable Of such
rnulish conduct
Mr.. Barondess objected to cutting \
short the discussion when Mr.. Whalen
wanted to limit it to about an hour.
"Of course you would object" snap
ped Mr.. Whalen.
YES, I do object, because I am OPP
posed to railroading any person I'M
less he is guilty" declared Mr.. Bar
ondess.
WORK FOR STENOGRAPHERS.