Montgomery County sentinel., 1955-05-05
The Letter Box
Montgomery County Sentinel


AS parent, a PTA member,
a native citizen of Rockville, a
graduate of tn public school
system of Rockville, a son of a
former PTA president, and a per-
son who does not hide behind
the shield of anonymity, I should
like to protest the insulting re-
ferences contained in your anony-
nous contributors submission to
The Letter Box of Apr. %, 1855,
identified as "transplanted
Northerner".
AS native of the border State
of Maryland, 1 have supported a
system of gradual integration,
designed to permit the Superin-
tendent of Schools and the School
Board to accomplish the matter
with due regard for the rights
of all our citizens regardless of
color or national origin.
Apparently, h o we ver, a
minority of "transplanted Nor
therners" who subscribe without
knowledge or concern for the
consequences, are so intent upon
the rigged program of instant
integration conceived and propa-
gandized by the Isaac-Guernsey-
Kramer-Smith axis that any local
resident who does not hail from
Brooklyn needs a special license
and engraved invitation to join
the PTA.
Along with a number of others,
I admit to being one of the most
recent and vocal members of the
West End and Richard Mont
gomery PTA Chapters. Addi-
tionally, 1 do not anticipate
either administrative or physical
expulsion, although 1 realize my
presence may be somewhat of
an annoyance to a small clique
of transplanted transients who
are anxious to run the PTA with
out question or comment.
Obviously, the vast majority of
Rockville'S new citizens have
made numerous contributions to
the community. Nevertheless, a
well organized and exceedingly
active minority are trying to in
woke the closed-shop approach in
some civic and community en-
deavors.
Additionally, I am compelled
to remind "transplanted Nor
therner" that the current book
and movie entitled Blackboard
Jungle" was based on the record
of juvenile delinquency in the
public schools of New York,
Chicago, and Los Angeles, with
out any differences or connota.
tons attaching to the Montgom-
cry County system. If this be
the type of Utopia that some of
our fellow citizens are trying to
bring to Montgomery County, I
shall refuse to remain muzzled
I wonder what caused them to
leave utopia" for transplant
ing" on our "unprogressive"
county?
AS far as the consensus of the
parents and teachers may go, it
is interesting to note that neither
the Board of Education nor the
County Council of PTAs has at
tempted to poll all parents and
teachers on the subject. 1t could
be done very simply by distribut-
ing a QUESTIONABLE to all stu
dents in all public schools to take
home to their parents, bring back
to teacher next day, and submit
to the Board of Education for
tabulation. Personally, I will
lay anybody 8 to 5 that if this
Is done the resolutions adopted
by the West End and Richard
Montgomery PTA Chapters
would win overwhelmingly on a
comparative vote with the Guern.
sey resolution adopted by the
PTA County Council.
In closing, 1 am struck by a
comment from a recent visitor
from France, Able Pierre, the
"Ragpicker Priest" who said
upon arrival in Washington "Do.
gooders may mean we'll, but too
often they don't know what
thy're talking about Obviously,
Able Pierre's comment is not re.
stricted to Frenchmen, and as a
skeptic 1 am still waiting for
my first favorable impression of
those who carry a torch for
social progress in one hand, with
a get-rich-quick scheme for max.
ing a fast buck in the other
hand, from the very same people
whose progress they are attempt,
ing to readjust.
]. S. Dawson.
Editor,
Montgomery County Sentinel.