Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-17
SAYS BUILDING WAS
BECOMING CENTER
OF CHEAP DANCES
CONTINUED from First Page.)

testimony of other witnesses before
the committee.
He said that Moens first visited the
Dunbar School In the fall of 1916.
when he attended social functions and
presented the letter given him by DR..
Van Schaick. president of the board
OF education, authorizing him to in
spect types among the pupils Of the
colored schools. In January, 1917. Mr..
Wilkinson said. Moens telephoned him
asking him to send a girl pupil to his
studio to be photographed.
Parents Gave Consent.
L asked him if her parents had
given permission. He said they had
not. and | refused A week later he
came to the school and l found that
, the parents had consented. The pupil.
seveRteenyear-o girl, with Moens
set out for the Smithsonian Institu
ton. Two Of the teachers then came
to me and said that Moons had been
taking pictures Of colored students in
the nude. l Immediately went to the
Smithsonian I told Moens what l had
heard. He said that he only took such
pictures when he paid for them. l
asked him II he intended to take such
picture OF the girl he took from my
school. He said that he did not: that
he simply wanted to get picture of
! her back and shoulders
/ insisted that / be present when
the picture was taken. Moons re-
| fused this request, and then, in spite
OF the parents permission that the
picture be taken. ordered the pupil
to return to the school with me on
the ground that l had authority over
her during school hours
Mr.. wilkins said that he had called
this matter to the attention of Asst.
Supt: Bruce Immediately. and that
MI Bruce had taken 1t UP with Supt.
Ihurston and the president of the
board of education. who had issued
authority to Moens to visit the
schools DR.. Van schaick., the wit
ness said he understood, had made
some investigation of Moens' activi-
ties This was before a second letter
was given Moens by DR.. Van Schaick
authorizing him to visit the colored
! schools.
Closed Boxes as Precnution.
Mr.. Wilkinson said that Moens had
attempted to visit the Dunbar High
| School after that and had sat in one
| ment. He then ordered the boxes
| closed. so that Moons could not again
occupy one OF them.
II did not think that he was the
type OF man who should be in the
Schools" said Mr.. Wilkinson.
In June. 1918. when the commence
| ment exercises at Dunbar were about
! to be held letter from Mrs. Rhodes.
| a member of the board. asking for
platform seats for Moons was brought
to Mr.. Wilkinson. He said that a
young lad. who said that he was from
the Netherlands legation, had asked
| for the tickets.
Il said that I would communicate
with the legation direct and sent the
boy away. A little later workman
came in and asked for the tickets and
for the boy. l asked him who had
l cd OF
4th and NJ streets had sent him.
! asked II he. too. was from the Neither
| lands legation"
| The witness said he sent janitor
to follow this man to find out who
the lady was. In reply to question
the witness said that he had concluded
that the lady in question was Char
lotte Hunter. formerly q teacher in
the colored schools.
| Mr.. Wilkinson said that he told the
assistant superintendent that he
would not grant the request for
tickets for Moens. even IL he had to
stake his position on his refusal He
said that he called up Mrs. Rhodes
and explained the situation to her
and she had told him to use his own
judgment.
Tells of Property Destruction.
Mr.. Wilkinson was questioned par
ticularly regarding the activities of
by Senator Walsh. He told the COM
mittee that the janitors had COM
| planned to him of the long hours
they were compelled to remain on the
buildings on the nights the dances
were given. sometimes as late as IL,
l. 2 and 3 o'clock. A rule of the
board had been issued that entertain
ments should close at 1890. which was
being violated. Mr.. Wilkinson dis
tinguished between dances given on
| rad nj cph 70 h{nI
controlled and supervised by the Of
GERS of the community center. and
| those given by private organizations
under authority Of the community
| center.
He said that the Thursday night
dances were well supervised and con-
trolled. The other dances. he said,
were not He said that he himself
had Investigated. He said that he
found that the laboratory on one oc-
and delicate instruments had been re-
moved from their places on the
benches: that lavatories and dress
ing rooms had been used as smoking
rooms; that the property of the
schools had been used and injured and
left in insanitary condition.
The witness spoke particularly of
1.-The Crushers' Club" which frequent
ly used the schools and which issued
advertisements as the Crushers' Club
or dunbar.
| Believes 1t "MushroOm Club
as that one of those mushroom
clubs run by three or four persons
for private gain" asked Senator
Walsh
That Is my opinion" replied the
witness
He said that these outside organi.
cations had an arrangement with the
community center whereby they &c
"ffty-f1fty" on net receipts from en-
trance fees with the community cen
ter. He said that he found that these
private dances were being run mucf
; like the dances In the public dance
halls. with plenty Of jazz music Many
Of the school children, he said. were
attending these dances.
He said that his faculty found q
close relationship between poor schol'
arship and attendance at these dances
Mr.. Wilkinson also objected strongly
he said, to the so-called breakfast
dances, which started on holidays a.
, 8 or 10 o'clock in the morning ant
lasted during the day.
The witness said that he was IL
favor of the proper use Of the public
school buildings by tho community
, centers. and mentioned a number o.
, activities of which he approved. H.
aold that hA AfH nat Alaa q