New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-06-24
Mrs. Hodgdon
r1lnnasl1s Hylan
School Laxity
Attempt To Divert Issue by
Mayor Is Denounced as
Trick by the President
of Women's League
Pupils Eyes in Peril
Poor Lighting for Evening
Classes Reported, but Not
Remedied, 2 Years Ago

The attempt Of Mayor Hylan to cover
up the inetficiency Of his admlnistra
ton by attacking the personnel of the
organizations which have disclosed the
shocking conditions existing in the
public schools brought a strong indict-
ment from Mrs. Frederick G. Hodgdon,
president of the Woman's Municipal
League, yesterday.
Mrs. Hodgdon shows that more than
two years ago the Woman's Municipal
League directed attention to the poor
lighting conditions in the evening class
rooms of the city's schools. 1t was
pointed out that these conditions were
seriously menacing the eyesight Of
pupils, but apparently no more atten-
ton was paid to this threatening situa-
ton than was paid to the insanitary
conditions that have become a serious
menace to the school children's health.
Mrs. Hodgdon's Letter
Mrs. Hodgdon, in her letter to Mayor
lowing terms: "The recent survey has
presented facts regarding the physical
conditions of many of our school build
lngs. Nothing can be gained by at
tempting to befog the issue by claiming
that it was undertaken by pro- Garyites
Or for political reasons.
Facts speak for themselves"
The text OF the letter follows.
The newspapers have quoted mem
bers of the present city administration
as saying that the survey recently made
of the school buildings in this city by
several Women's organizations was I'M
dertaken by persons who favored the
so-called Gary SYSTEM and were ami
mated by political reasons.
May | call your attention to state
ments published by the Woman's MUM
cipal League in its weekly bulletin of
April %, 1919, and May 20, 1919, and
add that these bulletins were prepared
ana ISSUED by members of our organ
l77ation who had scant sympathy with
the methods used in imposing the Gary
system on the schools of our city with
out longer experimentation Our bull
letlns referred to show that for more
than two years the Woman's Municipal
League has endeavored to have the
lighting of our public schools improved
not for political reasons, but for the
good of our future citizens.
Warning Not Needed
From our Bulletin of April %, 1919:
The evening schools suffer with the
day schools for long needed repairs
and frequently from delay in getting
supplies From Bulletin of May 20,
1919: Early in March OF this year an
investigation of the system of light
ing in the evening school class rooms
OF the city was undertaken by the Wo-
mans Municipal League, following the
receipt of reports from various sources
that the light furnished at night in the
public schools was not sufficient
After mentioning the schools visited
the paragraph concludes: THE light
ing was absolutely inadequate. In some
OF the class rooms the pupils were
working in semi-twilight. Both prin-
cpals and janitors tell us that when
lamps are burned out it is sometimes
two or three weeks before they are
replaced
"This Bulletin quotes from the Sec
rotary of the National Committee for
the Prevention of Blindness: In the
first draft thirty-five men out of every
hundred rejected were considered unfit
for service because of some defect or
disease of the eyes. If it were possible
to compute the percentage of those
whose sight chad been affected by poor
lighting conditions the case of the prop
er lighting of school buildings would
doubtless be won; no further brief
would be necessary
For a quarter of a century the
Womans Municipal League, the oldest
woman's civic organization in the city,
has been concerned to work with, not
against, succeeding city administra-
tons, not for political reasons but for
the benefit of the community at large"