Evening star., 1948-01-15
Textbook Issue
Transforming
Fails toAppear
SchooIsSuperintendent
AssoiIed by Miller,
Summoned Tomorrow

Summoned omorroW
4 The controversy over a public
!, school civics textbook Building
j Citizenship" fared again today be-
fore a House District subcommittee
and the lively session broke up over
] the failure of DR.. Hobart M. Cor
ming, superintendent Of schools, to
appear as witness.
\ Chairman Miller sharply criti-
cized DR.. Corning and curtly told
his committee staff to inform DR..
Corning to be here at 10 am. to-
morrow"
The Subcommittee on Health and
Education was resuming its inquiry
into the textbook and had called
representatives of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, school officials, the
books author to inquire into the
VFW charges against the volume.
VFW Opposes Book.
The VFW has charged the book is
Communist tainted and demanded
that 1T be banned from the school
system. The school authorities have
stoutly defended the book.
DR.. Corning's absence was ex-
planned by a DR.. Garnet c. Wilkin-
son. assistant superintendent Of
schools, as due to sudden call to
confer this morning with the Dis
trict Commissioners on an "emer-
gency" matter regarding veterans.
"Dr. Corning is the key man"
retorted Representative Miller. "It
is necessary that he be here. He
hasn't notified the chairman of
his absence. He was notified a long
time ago.
DR.. Wilkinson left the hearing
room to notify DR.. Corning that
he was wanted this morning. But
as soon as he had gone, three
other members of the subcommit-
tee agreed with the chairman that
DR.. Corning's presence was neces-
sary and the committee adjourned
until 10 am. tomorrow.
Jones Called on Letter.
Witnesses present at today's ses-
sion to 60 into the controversy
over the book will return tomor-
row. They include DR.. R. O..
Hughes of Pittsburgh the author;
Charles S. Sullivan, jr., of Veterans
of Foreign Wars and George j.
Jones, head of the department of
history in the white public schools
here.
Mr.. Jones was called as witness
this morning by the committee be-
cause of letter he had written to
the committee criticizing its inquiry
into the book.
Representative Miller said Mr..
Jones letter was one of several
criticisms against the committees
inquiry, and read briefly from it.
Any desirable changes in the book,
MIR. Jones told the committee could
have been just as effectively secured
by simple letter of criticisms and
suggestions to the author, without
raising such a heated public con-
troversy, unfairly damaging reputa-
tions and taking up much valuable
time of members of the school staff
and even of the Congress of the
United States. To guard against a
rash of such troubles in the future
it should be made clear that critics
have no real right to adopt such
tactics unless they have first failed
to get a reasonable response through
the normal channels which text
book writers and publishers leave
open for the progressive improve
ment of their books"
i Sullivan Has No Comment.
After the committee adjourned,
Mr.. Jones told the press that by
critics he meant the VFW. He
charged they had never taken up
with him directly or with the author
of the text their charges, but had
gone to congressional committee
To this remark, Mr.. Sullivan of
the VFW had no comment as he
stood nearby in the committee room.
Mr.. Miller upheld the right of the
committee to make it's investigation
despite what he said were many
letters of criticism. He made this
clear in the formal statement he
read to the committee in executive
! session and later released to the
press.
II have received many letters and
some of them indulge in bad-tem-
pered denunciation of this commit
tee and the critics who questioned
the use of certain text books in the
public schools" he said. Indeed,
it is hard to distinguish sincere lib
erals, however confused they may
be, from the cynical fomenter of
hate and disunity."
MY own personal feeling" Mr..
Miller continued, "is that laws could
and should drive from all schools
teachers who belong to or give aid
and comfort to agencies or organi-
cations which are committed to the
destruction of constitutional gov
ernment in America"