Evening star., 1923-10-20
RESENTS CHARGES
AIMED At n. T. A.
Head of Association Denies
1t Has Relations With Sc
cret Organization.

Spirited defense of the National
Education Association against
charges insinuating a relationship
between it and a powerful secret
organization with large financial re-
sources" was made today by it's
president, Miss Olive NJ. Jones. In a
formal statement Miss Jones named
more than a dozen national organi
cations of high standing that are ac-
lively supporting the association in
its program Of service to the well
fare of childhood"
While the statement was not di-
rect answer to the accusation made
by Dean W. P. Burris of the College
for Teachers of the University of
Cincinnati, in an address before the
National Council of Catholic Men last
Thursday, it was inspired by his as
sertion connecting 1t with power
full secret organization" Mr.. Bur
ris' failure to name the secret or
ganization. resulted in the general
impression that he referred to the
Ku Klux Klan, whereas teachers here
pointed out that he meant the Scot
tish Rite Masons.
Association's Definite Policy.
"The National Education Associa-
tion, organized in 1857, has from its
very beginning dedicated itself to a
program of service to the teachers,
to the profession, to the nation" Miss
Jones said. ''Its supreme purpose is
the welfare of the childhood of Amer
ica. One phase of it's comprehensive
program looking to this end is it's
increasing activity for the recog-
milton of education which its funda-
~ Il Il
mands. No one denies that. Educ2-
tion affects 25,000,000 children each
year. 1t is of vital concern to all of
our 110,000,000 people.
THAT education is ineffective in
many communities in the nation can :
not be denied. The confession in 1920
of 100000 illiterates, over 100000
of whom were native born, that they
had no schooling whatsoever proves
this fact. Twenty-Five per cent of
. tie men of the Army draft could not
write letter home or read news
paper.
Children Denied Opportunity.
Millions of children are being de-
MED a fair opportunity. The 1920
census lists 100000 children between
the ages of seven and fourteen years
who were not attending school at all.
Such conditions should no longer pre-
vail. The state and local school
boards should continue to direct and
control their schools, but they should
have the aid and cooperation of the
federal government in correcting
these educational weaknesses that
are of such vital national concern. II
is to accomplish these purposes that
the education bill was drafted
For more than fifty years the Ma
tional Education Association has
gone on record favoring a national
department of education, with a
secretary in the cabinet of the Presi-
dent. The Daughters of the Ameri-
| can Revolution, a patriotic organiza-
tion dedicated to the preservation of
! American institutions, has, for more
than a quarter of a century, urged
the creation of such a depa artment.
; Great national organizations of men
and women have reaffirmed again
and again their allegiance to this
principle.
1.-THE outlook for the passage of
! the bill has never. been so favora BILE
as at the present time. The friends
of public education in this country
! will never cease their activities until
education is given the recognition
| which it's dignity and Importance de-
mand, and until the facilities are
| provided for securing to every child
| in this great democracy an educa-
| tional opportunity equal to that of
every other child"