Evening star., 1920-03-30
HERMAN BACK IN SCHOOLS;
PAY IS RAISED BY HOUSE
Discussion Brings Out Custom of "Old
Lad" Teacher Who Seeks Each Day to
Attack "Grafters In CONGRESS.

Public school affairs in the District
of Columbia came in for discussion
| and action in the House yesterday
afternoon during consideration of the
District appropriation bill. The &C
| tion consisted of adoption Of an
restoring the teaching Of the German
language In the public schools; in
crease OF the salaries Of the two as
| sistant superintendents from $500 to
| $4,000; raising from so per cent to so
per cent the allotment from the gen.
erai FUND for the payment Of secre-
| taries. teachers, orEanixers and clerks
in the organizing of community
| forums and civic centers.
Discussion Is Opened.
Mr.. Summers Of Washington started
the discussion over public school af-
fairs.
at seems to be definitely known
he said, that there is q teacher in
| the Central High School who repeat
edfy. day after day, teaches the chill
dren that this body and the body at
the other end Of the Capitol are made
second-cfass lawyers. I am not an
attorney, so I am not sensitive on
| that subject. That is taught to the
children, preached to- the children,
day after day; II they undertake. to
We win drop the subject, we will
not debate it 1t is dropped until the
next day. when she makes the same
sort of speech. and when they remon-
| strate she says, We will not debate
| 1t. we will drop the subject
That old lady has been there for
years, but whether or not she has
| been carrying out this program all
| these years L do not know. But that
she has been doing that sort of thing
during the fore part of this present
SCHOOL
would like to know, while you are
making exclusions, if you are not
going to exclude that sort of thing?"
Mr. Davis Hears Rumor.
II have heard indirectly a rumor of
what the gentleman has just now re-
cited. 1 would suggest to the gentle
man that perhaps the Congress is not
the place to come to remedy such a sit
uation,. said Mr.. Davis. in charge Of the
BILL
Congress is providing the money"
said Mr.. Summers.
1T is perhaps not the place to seek
a remedy" said Mr.. Davis. "At the
present time We have a school board of
the District Of Columbia, and they are
very active gentlemen. Furthermore.
we nave very active superintendent of
schools. Prof. Thurston. At the present
time also the school board and the
superintendent Of schools are having a
very active time before a committee of
investigation Of the United States Sem
ate. If the gentleman wants to take
my advice as a lawyer"
The gentleman was placed as a Soc
ond-class lawyer" interrupted Mr.. Sum-
mers
He would go over and make COM
plaint to this investigating committee
now investisat ting the school board and
the school superintendent continued
Mr.. Davis. If he is too modest along
that line, then I suggest that he go to
! the school board direct. or possibly to the
superintendent. As 1 say, 1 have heard
OF similar rumors. and I agree with the
gentleman that something ought to be
done. but l hardly think there should
be an exclusion clause of that kind put
into this appropriation bill"
Discusses Teachers Suspensian.
Mr.. Blahton of Texas, then took the
Aoof to saS:
The gentleman might have gone fur
ther and stated to this working COM
mittee aud It's working chairman that
during the past year the school board
here entered an order suspendinG one of
the hish-sShool teachers for one week, as
a penalty for teaching bolshevism in our
ESchools IN Washington. That penalty
was. in my judgment. as light as could
thaye heen imposed for such a charge
under the circumstances. Once before
| I expressed the opinion that she should
have been expelled. Instead Of this very
tcommcndabLe action of the board being
upheld by the people of Washington. a
move was Immediately started without
any very extensive investigation based
solely upon the fact that a teacher be-
longing to union affiliated with the
American Federation of Labor had been
suspended for a week for teaching boil
hNr r,Io noI
to censure the board that entered the
order. Through action taken by these
unions that board was censured and that
board was caused to back I'D on its
stand, eat everything 1t had done. place
| the teacher back in good standing, and
pay the teacher for the weeks salary for
which she had been suspended. and she
was exalted as a martyr Tho people
OF the District of Columbia, through the
press. were given to understand that a
teacher, protected by union organiza
tions here in Washington. could teach
with iwpunity anything from rank boil
shevisnf down. to the youth of the land
| in the nations Capital
From what 7 have learned of the
attack that has been made on this
splendid principal. whose name has
been mentioned, Mr.. Thurston, who
tried to stand for true Americanism,
commend him., 1 want to say that
"o otoutQ 6iNc the SCHOOL BOARD OF
Washington and the people of this
city to understand that wheneverssuch
a matter again comes to the atten-
tion OF Congress, having q voice in its
management. we are not. going to
permit bolshevism or anything else
but true. real Americanism to be
taught in the schools of Washington,
and that when a teacher is found
teaching bolshevism and the school
board enters an order to punish him
or her. tt ought TO enter q maximum
punishment, and that If 1t is neces-
| sary the Congress. as guardian Of the
District Of Columbia. will uphold them
in it. This is a question that we can
not afford to mince matters about
1t Is . question we canont afford to
be weakened upon"
Mr.. Campbell Alleges Prepaxanda.
Mr.. Campbell of Kansas declared
that general propaganda is going on
in the country against Congress. He
said:
"It was not an accident that this
| teacher every day called up the cues
tion Of the character of the American
Congress. There il q propaganda goins
throughout this country against the
American Congress. against its exist
ence. and the teacher in question is
| using one Of the methods of undermin-
4 L ~