New-York tribune., 1921-11-07
Women Vision
Hylan Defeat i'm
Mothers Vote
Lan,entable Plight of City
Schools Chief Indictment
of Tammany's Misrule,
Feminine Leaders, believe
Power Is in Their Hands
Children's Future Is Stake
for Which They Fight at
Polls, Miss Boswell Says

Miss Helen Varick Boswell, coalition
candidate for County Register, and
Republican women leaders in the coali-
ton campaign joined the chorus of
NV York mothers yesterday in denun-
citation of public school administration
under the Hylan regime. Miss Boswell
said in a public statement that moth
condemnation of conditions in the
schools, which were deterorating daily
under the system Of neglect.
Conditions are causing despair
among parents of foreign birth who
brought their children to the United
States to give them superior educa
t;onal advantages" said Miss Boswell.
"Our laws are adequate, and they
provide for proper eduction Of the
children, but the laws axe MT properly
administered under our city govern
ment. On the contrary. they are so
mal-administered that foreign-born
parents are disillusoned with regard
to our supposed educational advan-
tages.
''The figures are sufficiently illumi-
mating. There are 2S1, ,l21 persons ten
years old and above in New York City
who are unable to read and write Eng
lish or any other language. Of that
number 270,77S are foreign born. This
means that the percentage of illiteracy
In total population ten years. old
and above is 6.2.
"There are 100000 children in the
public schools of New York being
taught in crowded and over sized
classes. These figures are outside the
129,105 children on part-time education
In the day schools.
'Next Tuesday the electorate Of New
York City is to make a choice, not
alone of candidates, but of whether
representative government shall endure
or fail here. We are to decide whether
we will permit the Boss in Fourteenth
Street to control or whether he shall
be deposed.
'"This election is being watched not
only all over the United States. 1t is
being watched all over the world, be-
cause the great folk of other countries
the last few years lhan they previously
did, and it interests them to know
whether we shall place at the head of
cur city administration a man who is
worthy to be there. Let every woman
who votes bear this in mind next Tues
day"
Mrs. Mary Hatch Willard, president
of the Republican Committee of One
Hundred, said she found it impossible to
believe that the mothers of New York
will neglect their opportunity to clean
up the schools and to drive Tammany
from their control.
cit seems to me-" said Mrs. Hatch,
shat we owe special responsibility to
those mothers who are devoting their
lives to the education of their children.
It should be the task of the adminisJra-
ton to lift the heavy burden that is
being placed on the homes of hundreds
of thousands. Instead of this, the po4-
icy of the Hylan administration is to
make mothers of school children adapt
themselves to the Hylan scheme of
things.
"If the mothers understand how &his
great wrong has been brought about,
and | hope they do understand it, let
us also hope they will realize their
power to make an end Of Tammany and
use that power"
Mrs. James G. Wentz, president of
the Women's Republican Club, said
she believed the women of New York
were thoroughly aroused to the evils
of the present municipal government
and that they would rally to the sup
port of Mr.. Curran for Mayor. She
added:
"The most vital necessity in citizen
ship is education-mental and moral
development. | say the women of New
York will insist that these rights of
. the children shall be preserved"
Mrs. James Russell Parsons, presi-