New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-18
Bad Faith of
Prall Is Shown
By Mrs. Bacon
Head of Women's Committee
ON Schools Resents Charge
Civic Club Reporting Bad
Conditions Played Politics
Discourtesy Is Alleged
Education Boards Presi-
dent Accused of Hurry
ing Statement Into Print


Mrs. Rogers II. Bacon, chairman of
the plan and program committee, made
W Of representatives Of nine women's
civic clubs, severely criticizes Aiming
S. Prall, president of the Board of
Education for publishing his report
addressed to her before sending it.
The criticism is contained In q letter
written from Clayton, N. Y, July Ia, a
copy Of which was released for publica-
ton By Miss Olive Wade, secretary of
the plan and program committee
which made survey Of forty public
schools this spring.
Mrs, Bacon denies the charge made
by Prall, Mayor Hylan and other men,
bers of the Hearst ylan-T ammany ad-
ministration that the women's report
was MADE Tor political purposes. She
shows the bad faith of the Board of
Education president by pointing out
that the survey was made after officials
Of the Board of Education had desig-
mated which schools the women should
visit.
prall's Attitude Resented
Her letter follows:
"My Dear Mr.. Prall:
'In reply to your letter Of July 5,
forwarded to me on the ST. Lawrence.
which was received in my office by
hand on July IL after it had appeared
fully in the press of Sunday, the 10th,
SIS being duly authorized to represent
the plan and program committee IN
any attack upon its integrity and good
faith, we deny and resent the state
ment issued by you that the report in
question was made for political pur-
poses in 3 campaign year The sigma
tories of this report stand and have
TODD for years before the citizens of
New York, as non-partisan, disinter-
asted and public spirited groups of
women whose sole purpose is the bet
telment of the social condition of the
IT, and whose accomp lishments entitle
them to be heard. We call your atten-
..vn particularly to the following ex-
corpt from our letter:
II am enclosing herewith copy of
4 study of forty school buildings in
New York City which has just been COM
,pieted by several civic and nonpoliti-
cal organizatit ms. AS we point out in
lie body Of the report, we are not seek
ing to criticize destructively, but are
laterested solely in stimulating public
opinion to a realization Of the physical
needs Of the public schools, for it is
only through enlightened public sup
merit that the schools can be adequately
financed.
No one is more conscious of these
needs than the school authorities who
lave repeatedly called attention to
them. 1t is our hope that this study
Viii help to rally the public support
YOU need to the steps you deem nee
h ly,rra 9
therefore, trust that the Board of
Education will include in its budget
Tor next year request for sufficient
finds to put all the school buildings
into proper physical condition at the
o4rliest possible date, and will also de-
sarmne as accurately as possible and
et upon receiving the full sum
needed to keep them in fit condition
hereafter. The welfare of the chill
ren and teachers which is in your
lands makes this imperative and we
ledge our support to the steps you
nav take to make the schools whole
solae places for pupils and teachers to
work in
Position Maintained
1--WE still maintain that position.
Whatever political trend the public dis
cussion of this report may have taken,
this committee.
ut would seem obvious, owing to the
nature and purpose of the investigation
as stated in our letter, that the report
should be formulated and presented TOR
action by your board before the pre-
limnary budget hearings now under
way in the Department of Education,
and from the findings of which through
adequate appropriations in the fall
from the Board of Estimate and APP
portionment the only relief from
these intolerable conditions can be ob-
tanned. The implication that the pres
entation Of this report at this time in
any way relates to the existing polltl-
cal situation would seem to any fair
minded person distortion of the OBJ
vious purpose of the entire survey.
an order that there may be no
doubt as to the source of the data pre-
sented in our report or as to the time
when the visits to the schools were
made we beg leave to inform you that
tho list of schools and the written per-
mits to visit them were furnished dl-
c.ly from tae Office Of the City So
riol' # Schools, the latter
March II, 1921, and not through the
81. nDucauon Association or any
other group. Practically all of these
schools we're visited by the end OF
April last, little more than two
months ago. 1t so happened that while
the Public Education Association was
one of the cooperating organizations, It
did not, at its own request, visit any or
the schools included in this report. The
hndlngs of our committee were thus
based on independent, first hand visits
by members of the women's organiza-
lions themselves, who were in no way
influenced, as has been alleged, and had
no connection with the findings of the
Public Education Association over two
years ago, which were then widely pub
hshed in the press.
We note with satisfaction that
steps are under way to remedy many
OF the evils pointed out in the survey.
and that some of the much needed re-
pairs have already been made since the
dates OF our visits, which visits have
oeen we'll known to your department
from the very beginning. That there
mas been no secrecy about our investi-
CATION the source of it's authorization
gives ample testimony.
we wish to assure you that we are
not concerned with the record of past
even future administrations, but
sosely with the fact that as citizens we
must naturally look to our present Off
''ais Tor the correction of intolerable
sohditlons, whatever their cause may
oe. In shirt s11hrniffad Orr