Evening star., 1934-07-06
POLITICS IN SCHOOL
SYSTEM ATTACKED
N. E. A. Speaker Denounces
Elective Selection of
Superintendents.

The elective method Of choosing
education superintendents, which ex-
lists in a majority of the States, is one
of the greatest weaknesses of the
American public school system,
Thomas E. Benner, dean Of the Col
lege of Education, University of ILL
nois, declared this morning at the
closing session of the National Edu-
cation Associations seventy
annual convention.
He also came to the defense OF
teaching of new social and economic
tenets, which had been vigorously at
tackled by American Legion speakers
at the convention yesterday and last
night.
The principal burden Of his address,
however, was a plea Ito free these
important officers Estate superintend-
ents of education) from the shackles
Of politics"
State boards of education should
be set up and empowered to appoint
a State superintendent as their pro-
feSSional executive officer" Dean Ben
ner contended.
Welfare at Stake.
"The welfare of the entire school
system in States, whose expert. pro-
feSsional leadership must come out
Of the lottery Of public election, has
been at stake and will continue to be
at stake as long as this condition per-
sists." he said. Example after ex-
ample could be cited of acute school
problems of economic emergency
made more acute by this defective
provision for State leadership.
This is true in spite of the fact
that capable, public-spirited men and
women hold and have held these Of
fees in most instances. In spite of
their capacity and their public spirit,
they are handicapped in the profess
sional service they can render by the
fact that continuation in Office de-
mandS reelection"
He added it was ridiculous to as
sumo" in all cases competent far
sighted professional leadership can be
secured through popular election.
Defends New PHILOSOPHERS.
Regarding the much-discussed ques-
ton of teaching social PHILOSOPHERS In
the class room. he remarked:
We have said and have heard
much within the last few years of our
responsibility as teachers for a more
effective Interpretation of our social
economic and political order in the
class room. There can be no doubt
of the need for improvement in that
direction. One test of our prepared
ness for the assumption of this new
responsibility is our profession alert
ness to the defects of that branch of
Government to which We belong. II
our belief in sound principles is gen.
uine. one OF its first fruits will be Wig
orous and persistent efforts to correct
the inadequacies of our governmental
machinery which prevent the smooth
functioning of democratic government
In the field Of public education"
Last night Edward A. Hayes OF In
dianapolis. national commander of the
American Legion, aSsailed teachers of
strange and radical doctrines of gov
ernment.
He said advocates of communism
were throwing "a smoke screen of
peace propaganda" around their ac-
tivitieS.
Educators who cling to the patriot
ism Of the founders Of our Republic.
and who cast out the strange tenets
of radical groups that are subversive
to our system of Government, form
the backbone of our future American
ISM Hayes declared.
Cites Church Writer.
He said Winifred L. Chappel. sec
retary of the Methodist Federation OF
Social Service and author of a recent
Epworth League article suggesting
sabotage of munitions, was listed in
the Red Network" directory kept at
national headquarters of the Legion.
The schools, the universities and
the colleges are not the only objective
of the attack for this subyersive
movement" Hayes contended. "They
are creeping into our churches, too"
He emphatically denounced un-
patriotic teachers saying: "An edu-
Gator who uses the class room and
roStum to inStill disloyalty to our sys-
tenn of Government; who teaches that
the oath of allegiance is something
to be spurned, is infringing upon the
rights of others. Because of the
position he holds and the influence
he wields with the pupils, such a
teacher is doubly disloyal to the flag,
the parents and to the Government
that have made possible his liveli-
hood. He likewise is disloyal to his
own organization of the teaching pro-
fession, because he is tearing down
the very thing that makes his pro-
fession possible"
He urged the modernization of
"our obsolete" system of county and
local Government, in order to elm
mate the useless. superfiuous spoils-
men of politics, who take the taxes
that could be used on the schools to
pay the salaries of office holders"
Pacifist Students Attacked.
Students in land grant colleges who
refuse to take military training were
described as embracing the principle
of anarchy"
"A sure way of getting into a fu-
ture war would be to convince all the
children of the country they should
not support the Government in ma
tional emergency. Hayes argued.
Invariably, when We investigate
those who advocate extreme pacifiSm
and disarmament, the strings lead
us behind the smoke screen to
leadership that is advocating class
struggle and the overthrow Of our
Government by force" he continued.
He said Legionnaires were fighting
the influence of Communists in Cali