Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1963-09-19
Mrs. Burton
Terms Some
SOcialistic
By ELY Bradley
Sentinel Reporter

@Aii VI 6oAAlLCA III CANO OOihii
Birch Society here got a non
committal reception from
the School Board this week
to her vehement charges
that negative" subversive
and un-American textbooks
are used in county schools.
Mrs. John C. Burton, a house
wife who lives at SOLO Del Ray
Ave-, Bethesda, came armed
with a six-page, single-spaced
typewriter assault on current
textbooks and other instruc-
tional materials, as well as the
school systems program of cur
riculum development, which she
feels is leading county students
along "the road to socialism"
Her 25-minute attack was de-
livered with staccato terseness
from text built principally on
excerpts from half-dozen
social studies and curriculum
development guides she said are
in use here today.
A check with school authOri-
ties later revealed that only
three Of the books cited are
standard textbooks here.
Mrs. Burton, who has been
sharply critical of the school
syste ms experimental ap-
proach to education" since 1858,
once removed her daughter
from a seventh-grade history
course because a textbook in
cluded material on personal and
life adjustment in the American
society, which she found offfn-
sive. sA
Targets Of her attack this
week ranged from President
John F. Kennedy for his
statement that military disarm-
ament is designed to take place
by stages, permitting parallel
political development to build
the new institutions of peace
which would take the place of
arms" - to Thomas G.. Pullen,
Maryland Superintendent of
Schools, who, she said, is treas
urer of the Council for Ad-
vancement of Secondary Educa-
ton which sponsored a text,
American Capitalism, An In.
PRODUCTION for Young Citizens"
that includes this passage:
"One point should be made
clear. 1t is not the purpose Of
this booklet to convince you
either that the governments
role in our economy should re-
main as IL Is, or that 1t should
be increased or decreased. A
function of the booklet Is to
show you your choice as a citi-
zen."
School officials n o tie d this
text is not on the standard sec
ondary school list in this coun-
ty.
AS the School Board listened
impassively, Mrs. Burton warn
ed that the present stretching
of classroom philosophy" has
been progressively expanded
for the announced purpose of
promoting social revolution"
and she questioned whether
President Kennedy's reference
to parallel political develop
ments to build the new institu-
tons of peace" are to be chan
neled through the nations
classrooms.
In contrast with traditional
training In the concepts Of the
Constitution and democratic
principles, Mrs. Burton argued,
tOday's textbook emphasis Is on
"sclentism, aItruIsm, experiment.
talism, behaviOrism, dynamics,
and moral fervOr."
This, she said, leads to re.
pudiation Of the belief that
students can learn life vicari.
ously within the classroom"
1T is, therefore, consistent
with the view that the four
walls of the school must be
stretched to include numerous
and varied experiences in or
with factories, farms, slums,
picket lines, libraries, commun.
ity planning groups, welfare
agencies, recreation centers,
shops, newspapers, stores, pres
sure groups, legislative bodies,
ETC."
She sharply criticized topics
suggested for student discussion
in two current county text.
books, Economics and You"
and Economics for Our Times"