Evening star., 1920-03-27
ATTITUDE TOWARD
WOOD CASE STATED
BY MR.. THURSTON
Superintendent Would Have
Acted, But Complaint
Went to Board.


Western High School. who was al
legged TO have made indiscreet refer
ences to bolshevism in the classroom,
come TO him through a parent or a
! teacher 1t probably never would have
gone to the board of education for
action. said Superintendent of Schools
Ernest l.. Thurston in, his testimony
today before the Senate special COM
mittee investigating the local schools.
The witness said he first heard of
the complaint through John b. Larner.
member of the board, who asked the
superintendent to investigate the al
iegations against the teacher and TO
make report at the next board meet
ing. Mr.. Thurston said he did SO and
that the case thereafter was in the
hands of the board. which was within
| ITS rights in taking action il il cared
to do SO. He added that IL the board
had desired him to take the respon-
sibility IL could very properly have
referred the case to him for action.
Before taking up the Wood case.
/ Mr.. Thurston told the committee he
considered he had acted as promptly
I as he could in the Moens case. and in
the case of Miss Charlotte Hunter.
( former teacher, who was involved
/ in the Moens case. He referred to the
stop order issued by him refusing
! Moens admittance to the schools. He
referred also to the fact that he had
not pressed for the dismissal of Miss
/ Hunter earlier because DIR. Learned.
I member of the board. but also
/ connected with the Department Of
Justice. had suggested il would be
| unwise to do so at that time. since
Miss Hunter would be an important
witness in the Moens case.
The superintendent discussed In de-
! tail also charges made against him
! that he offered no recomme ndation to
the board regarding the Miner School
principa lship dispute, in which Miss
Moten, the principal, and also Miss
Hunter were involved. He said that
he had recommended the retention OF
I Miss Moten, although a majority OF
| the board opposed il
/ THE board could not act without my
recommendation. said Mr.. Thurston-
ut could, of course. have removed me
and appointed another superintendent"
As some of the Senate committee MEM
bers will be out Of town Monday. the
hearing was adjourned today until 10
o'clock Tuesday morning. when Dr.
Learned. who has come to Washington
| from California to testify, will be heard.
Mr. Thurston has not yet completed his
testimony. but he will give place to DR..
Learned who wished to leave for CALI
fornia next Thursday to continue his
lectures at Leland Stanford University.
DR. Learned was not present at the hear
ing today. though his wife was there.
Oners Letter and Statement.
Supt. Thurston submitted to the
| committee a letter sent by him to DR..
! Learned a member of the board and
also connected with the Department
of Justice and a statement prepared
| by Assistant Supt. Bruce. at MI.
| Thurston's request. regarding Moens.
This is under date or November 4.
/ 1918. Mr.. Rruce's statement was TO
the effect that the principals OF the
! Dunbar and Armstrong schools had
protested against Moens visiting the
schools and reported it had been
charged that Moens was taking pho
tographs of girl students and that
they were taken at places far removed
| from the schools. The statement said
that apparently the president of the
board of education had sustained
Moens and that later the superintend-
ent had issued an order that Moens
should not be admitted to the public
schools.
Mr.. Thurston said that this state
ment was in the confidential files OF
the Department of Justice. He said
that a copy of the statement sent him
by Mr.. Bruce also stated that Moens
had impressed me as a scholarly ana
delightful gentleman"
Mr. Thurston said that last night
Mr. Bruce had given him two COM
munications regarding the Moens
case which he had not seen before.
senator Harrfson's Questions.
Senator Harrison interrupted at
this point to ask if Mr.. Thurston had
discussed with Mr.. Bruce the memo
randum sent to Dr.. Learned.
Il don't recall" replied Mr.. Thurs
ton. '.Sonehc% i gained the impress
sion that Mr.. Bruce knew a little
more about Moens. The charge
af N
was the matter still uppermost in my
, nina.
Senator Harrison suggested that the
statement of Mr.. Bruce saic that the
president of the board had Sustained
Moens. apparently after due inquiry
Mr. Tnurston said that Brace had
apparently referred &c the second
letter Of admission 10 The schools
given MoenS by DIR. Van Scha.ck.
DIR. Van Schaick was abroad at that
time" said Senator Harrison, "but ao-
parently Bruce was impressed with
the understanding that he had IN
veStigated Moens.
The witness said that ne did not
know that his connection with the
case had ended when he had issued
his order excluding Moens from the
schools.
one of the letters which Mr.. Thurs
ton said he received from the assist
ant superintendent last night was
dated January s. 1917. addressed TO Mr..
Bruce by the principal of one Of the
colored schools. saying that IL had
come to his attention that MoeEs was
taking photographs of girl students in
his studio and that the principal had
ordered that no more such engage
ments should be made Memoranda
from two of the girl pupils accom-
panied the letter.
Pointing out that the matter had
come to the attention OF Mr.. Bruce In
January. 1917, Senator Harrison asked.
What did Bruce do?'
II do not KNOW" replied Mr.. Thurs
ton.
In reply to questions. M. Thurston
said that his stop order against Moens
had been issued some time between
June and October: that IL probably
was after DR.. Van Schaick .zene
abroad, since he would have been un-
likely TO issue such an order without
discussing il with the prosiden: OF tho
board, H. view OF the letter given
Moens by DIR Van Schatck.
When Bruce approached You IN re-
gard to the matter" asked Senator
Harrison. did he suggest that stop
order be issued?"
I'm substance he did" said ar
Thurston.
Action Earlier, II He Had KNOWN
The superintendent insisted that ff
a situation like that said TO nave ex-
listed in regard to Moens had bees
! rough: to his ATTENTION carrie ne
felt sure that he wouic have had sense
enough as superintendent to- have
stopped Moens visiting the schools.
"Do you think that Bruce attempted
to defend Moens?'
~ do not believe So" was tie reply.
4We-e YOU told that Charlotte Hur-
ter was teaching -Gernauism? :?
asked Senator Harrison.
NO. I recall. however. hearing of
one instance where Miss Hunter d,c
not stand when The Star SpangieS
r,larad 4 thu