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

Spirited defense of the National
Education Association against
charges insinuating relationship
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 a di-
rect answer to the accusation made
by Dean W. T. 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-
ton. organized in 1857, has from it's
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 its
increasing activity for the recog-
milton of education which its funda-
mental
mands. No one denies that. Educ3-
tion affects 25,000.000 children each
year. 1t is of vital concern to all Of
our 110.000.000 people.
many communities in the nation can
not be denied. The confession in 1920
of 100000 illiterates, over $1,000 900
| of whom were native born, that they
] this fact. Twenty-Five per cent of
, the men of the Army draft could not
write a letter home or read a news
paper.
| Children Denied Opportunity.
Millions of children are being de-
| MED 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
Il
have the aid and cooperation of the
| federal government in correcting
! these educational weaknesses that
| are of such vital national concern. 1t
! 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-
! ton dedicated to the preservation of
| American institutions, has, for more
| than a quarter of a century, urged
| the creation Of such a department.
! Great national organizations of men
| and women have reaffirmed again
| and again their allegiance to this
principle.
| 1.-THE outlook for the passage of
J the bill has never been so favorable
| 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 its 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"