Evening star., 1938-09-11
LEG|ON'S CRITIC
DEFENDS THESIS
Prof. GeI|ermann Contends
Name Callers Fail to
Refute Evidence.
~ the Associated Press,

btSbNNV @VtuVIJVVs
~ the Associated Press.
EVANSTON. ILL.,, Sept. 1o.-Prof.
william 0ellermann Of Northwestern
University selected the American L.
gion ~ the subject for his doctors
thesis and thereby brought . noun
tain Of criticism tumbling about his
ears.
He estimated today that since the
thesis 2S0-page book entitled '"The
American Legion as Educator"-was
published June rs by teachers' COL
lege Of Columbia University, which
awarded him the doctor Of philosophy
degree. 400 newspapers wrote editor.
tals criticizing 1t.
Its publication came during the
New York convention Of the National
Education Association, by coincidence.
he said. But the association for sew
eral years has had friendly relations
with the Legion.
Hence when the book came to public
notice the Legion national command.
er, Daniel Doherty, arranged to speak
before the N. E. A., and condemned
DR.. Gellermann. Other Legion lead
ers did likewise.
Author = Legionnaire.
DR.. Gellermann, who is 40, single. 4
Legionnaire and an associate professor
OF education, protested that his Legion
and editorial critics took whacks at
him simply because his book criticised
the Legion. He declared they either
had not read the book or had failed
to evaluate fairly the evidence on
which he said his conclusions were
based.
1 welcome criticism Of my study
based on = consideration Of the evil
oence." he said, but DO not like
name calling"
He described the book a . "piece
Of scholarship upon which nv stand
ing as = scholar depends" and said
ne would stake his yesrs Of research
and thorough Recommendation against
any challenge Of his factual evidence.
He said the research included months
OF poring over the American Legion
Monthly. other Legion publications.
speeches and ofhcial statements by
Legion national commanders, of,cial
Legion convention proceedings, news.
papers and books.
II there was misapprehension that
the book struck at the Legion rank
and file 1t was unfounded, he declared.
because 1t was a serious study of the
national leadership and in no sense
criticism of the rank and file."
Tries to Nail Down" Notes.
The book was stippled with foot
notes, by which he sought to mail
down., sentence by sentence or para
graph by paragraph, the statements
he made to the authorities and docu-
ments he used, tying them all in with
an extensive photography.
Thus, he said, he believed his evil
dence justified his verdict that. in
brief. the American Legion is run by
a small group to serve the interests
OF privileged class, and that it does
this by operating As 4 pressure group
and propaganda agency to fool its own
members and the American people
generally"
He said records showed that the
source Of $257,00O borrowed bv the
Legion founders to finance it In its
infancy had never been made public
that the founders were military men
who IN civilian life were bankers and
business men, that national com.
manders came from the same section
Of society.
The American Legion is not. and
never has been, representative of ex-
service men as group" he wrote. be-
cause 1t had as a rule only one-fifth
Of the ex-service men elirible for
membership.
Or. Gellermann contended the evi-
dence proved Legion national policies
came from the top down, rather than
from the bottom up." and that "the
national leadership has met criticism
"1tnln the organization by SUPPRESS
ing it. and has met criticism from ont
SIDE the organization by belittlins the
critic rather than attempting to an
swer his argument"
Claims Blanket Indictments.
The author said he based on L.
glon pronouncements themselves his
conclusion that the American Legion
leadership considers those who favor
fundamental changes in our present
system of private property ownership
radical and 'subversive,' regardless
OF how constitutional may be the
means by which it is proposed to bring
these fundamental changes about"
He wrote that "the essential Diff
ferences between the type of instruc-
tlon which the school seeks to pro-
mote and that recommended by the
American Legion is that the fromer
oased upon scientific inquiry and
broad social values, whereas the latter
Is based upon arbitrary authority and
limited class interest"
He concluded that the Leeion's "in-
tolerance and persecution of those
who advocate change, in the name OF
those very rights which the American
Legion substantially destroys. IA
Fascism In fact, and should be on
posed with all the vigor at the dis.
posal Of American educators.
DR.. Gellermann, at Northwestern
since 1894. enlisted in the Navv in
1913 and was graduated from the UNI