Evening star., 1926-11-07
PRINCIPALS GUARD
ASSEMBLY HOURS
High School Officials Must Be
Constantly on Watch to
Prevent Propaganda.

Strict policies, rigidlH upheld by
Washington seven high school prln-
cipals slowly but surely are cutting
down the ardor of the propagandists
who are ambitious TO employ the
assembly halls of the high schools as
arenas for driving home either propa,,
ganda or out-and-out commercial
messages.
This is the conviction of Asst. Supt.
of Schools Stephen f.. Kramer, as
voiced at the Franklin School yester-
day afternoon.
Use of high school assembly
periods for advertising purposes. how
ever. is something we always must
he on our guard against. 1t Is con
stant battle, and I intend this week
to caution again the high school prln-
cipals to investigate Thoroughly every
request for speaking time at the as
senbiies. that our good record of the
past may not be marred in the
future"
Assemblies Held Important.
Asst. Supt Kramer. in general
discussion Of the use of assembly
halls during school hours. as is the
custom at each high school for -
minutes each week, declared that he
would never recommend that the as
sen1bly periods be cut out or short
ened.
1T is during the assembly period.
MIR Kramer declared. that the prln-
cipal has his only chance to get in
contact with the pupils in his charge.
II is his opportunity to put over mes
sages. 1t is the only opportunity the
school has to create the soul or the
school. 1t is the assemblies Whlch
ensender the school spirit.
agency. good, bad and Indifferent, at
tempts at some time or other to gain
audience among high school children
But il is up to the principals to act
as the buffers between these agencies
and the pupils.
''On several occasions principals
have made mistakes. II they do. how
ever. it is done unwittingly. 1t is the
speaker who puts something over ne
did not confide when he requested foE
permission to speak.
Recalls Pacifist Lecture
IL call to mind certain instance
Nhere a member of the Board Of Edu
cation importuned high school prin
cipal TO have an ultra -pacifist address
an assembly The fact provoked the
Ire of the American Legion and was
threshed out at length at meeting OF
the Board Of Education
High school principals. Mr.. Kramer
asserts. and he is an authorit", mas
much as he was principal of Central
High School himself before he was as
signed as the assistant superintendent
I'm charge of senior and junior high
schools. are Scrupulous to keep the
assembly periods within the stated
~ minutes.
Mr.. Kramer pointed out that besides
"sidestepping" men and women who
desire to put something over" at
school assemblies they have to dis
courage groups of persons who are
interested in a special assembly in OBJ
scrvance of special weeks.
Speeches Are Limited. y
TO illustrate" continued Mr..
Kramer. "A principal only a short
time ago in lamenting the demands
TO have an assembly for the different
week observations. said he would
approve a teach -the-children week.
Assembly speakers, according to Mr.
Kramer, are frankly told that the stu
dents must go to their classes a: the
gong of the electrically set clocks and
when il rings they must swing into
their concluding paragraph.
Interviews with the high school
principals shows d unanilnity of feel
ing that the assembly period time is
wisely spent time. They point out
that most of the assembly periods are
taken up by appropriate talks and con-
tfibutions by the students themselves
An estimate based on assemblies
held this year and in former school
years shows that never more than SO
per cent OF the school time is spent
In them.