Evening star., 1920-03-18
MISS WOODS TALK
ONLY INDISCREET,
MRS. GERRY'S VIEW
tCoptinued from First Page.)

ment, and finally said that the divi
sion between the two factions wa
! only Il question of emphasis.
Asked who she considered the con
servative members of the board a
that time. MIS-. Gerry replied, Geo. E
Hamilton and John B. l.arner.
! How did YOU regard Mr.. Galliher!
! asked Senator Harrison.
/ Mrs. Gerry said she did not know
! Mr. Gail,her so well. bat that . ha'
| been pros r-Ssiye in dealing with TIN
, hiSh school societies.
| II reply 10 Il question as to how sh
! had found Ernest Ill. Daniel. Mrs
/ Gerry said that she had considered
! him much Interested in the schools
! ana progressive.
Tells OF Progressive Move.
! Mrs. Gerry sai.. that Mr. Hamilton
( had been responsible fer one of The
most progressive moves made by tbs
h'ata w.ile he was pres dcnt--the es'
ttni &ni'ea; Of tvGci'rs councils
through v hich ,ho board GnJ take
/ COUNSEL WITH the teachers and have
the a"Eantage OF their technical in
How did the conservative mem
hers of the board throw obstacles ir
ti'r ;'H-h OF pro4sress?i asked Senator
. I'arri&on.
/ MS. Gerry said that they had
thro" Il no ,1StacicS in the way o'
p."gress and insisted :hat the differ
enCr between the conservatives and
the proSressives was more matter
of the way of thinking than any
thin: else
All OF US can be divided into
classes because of our attitude o!
thought said Mrs. Gerry. We are
( either conservatives or progreSSlves
Then the coEservat!N - on tHe
board were Just as progressive az the
others" suggested Senator Harrison
Disagree. With Others.
! But to this Mrs. Gerry would not
agree. When asked over what matters
sh. had disagreed with the conserva-
tives, Mrs. Gerry said she disagreed
with Mr.. Hamilton and Mr. Larner IN
the case of Miss Wood.
| Il fait that the primary assumption
on which the board acted in Miss Wood S
case was erroneous. said Mrs. Gerry
"Thc action taken was punitive. l did
not think the case called for disciplinary
measures. If she had been teaching bo!-
shevsm she should have been dismissed
If not she should have been tod to be
more careful in discussing such matters
with her pupils whose immature minds
We're not capable Of dealing with them
Il concluded that Miss Wood had beer
engaging merely in a discussion OF Dol.
shevsm such as might have been heard
anywhere in those days.
What should have been done in hel
case?" Senator Harrison asked.
Mrs Gerry repeated she though,
Miss Wood should have been told te
consider the immature minds Of hel
! pupils.
| Was she really teaching Eolshe.
| vism?" asked Senator Harrison.
Miss Wood was asked about Dol
sh"vism by her pupils" replied tht
witness She did not volunteer the
| information. I think she was trying
/ to make the pupils see both sides OF
the question. perhaps pitting some Of
the pupils against others in the dis
| cussion."
; Senator Harrison asked if there
| were other teachers accused of teach
/ ing bolshevism. She said she knew
| of none.
Mrs. Gerry ON Miss Wood.
! Discussing Miss Wor,.'s attitude
Mrs Gerry said that she thought thai
Miss Wood felt like others. that the
present system should be changed anc
i that she was anxious to see if there
was any benefit to be derived from
the new form of government in Rus
/ sia.
WAS she in sympathy with bolshe'
! vism?" asked Senator HaKrlson: o,,
81 think she was anxious to see no"
was she willing to have it tried il
! the United States?
! II know nothing to make me believe
! that" said the witness. She addec
! that Dr. Learned and herself, mem
! bers of a committee with Supt Thurs
! reached the conclusion that Mis-:
! Wood had committed a slight indis
| creton
.Were you convinced that Miss
Wood was not in sympathy with Dol
shevism?"
| bolsheyism as an intellectual PROPOSE
| ton" was the reply. "At that time
comparatively little was known about
| bolshevism. Miss Wood had a dlspas'
sionate mind.
.sDo YOU believe that a teacher who
! believes in and teaches poisheVlsn
| should be retained?" asked Senator
! Harrison.
/ No"
Miss Wood Not An Advocate.
Miss Gerry said that she though
Miss Wood was not an advocate o.
/ botshevisn. in this country, though
/ she did not know whether the teacher
was opposed to bolshevism in Russia
that she was merely suspendins
| Judgment. In reply 20 a question
| Mrs. Gerry said that she did not sym
I
| she did not consider II democratic
form of government.
T, Mrs. Gerry said that the committed
had found that Miss Wood had merel,
been guilty Of an indiscretion and hat
! not realized that she was doing any
thing wrong in discussing the suojsc
! of bolshevism with the pupils. DR.
Learned and herself reached this con
! clusion. She did not remember wha
! Mr. Thurston had said or though
about it..
| II was not at the meeting Of the
board when the report was made.
had an engagement of several months
standing to speak elsewhere. l hav,
I never been so sorry about anything
as that l was not there. 1 had M
idea that the board would do anything
not in accord. with the committed
finding Had 1 gone l would have
been able to reinforce the argumen
of DR.. Learned"
Asks of Thurston's Position.
Senator Harrison asked what hat
been Mr. Thurston's position in th'
Wood case. The witness replied tina
lin calling the matter to the atten
1ion Of the board Mr.. Thurston ha,
said that Miss wood was popula
with the pupils, that she had radica
Tendencies, that. in other words, MI
IThurston had said Much might b.
said on both sides"
"Did Mr.. Thurston make reques
for an Investigation of the Woo,
case?" asked Senator Harrison.
The witness said she believed h
lbad not. though he stated there ha,
been complaints made against Mis-
Wood.
"Mr. Thurston threw the subject O
the board" said Mrs. Gerry.
Senator Harrison called attention t
the fact that the board would hav
TO act in any question of dismissin
q teacher.
"Dd you hear that Miss Wood at
tended meeting at Polls Theate
here at which bolshevism was dis