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Show ROMPERS LAUDS THE UNION IDEA FDR JTAGHERS Labor Leader Also Warns Educators to Beware, of Philanthropic Organizations Organiza-tions and 'Foundations.' LABOR MOVEMENT NOT UNDIGNIFIED Education Association Goes on Record as Assenting to Military Training in Schools. NEW YORK, July 7. School teach-f teach-f ers, who have organized unions, were lauded by Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, iu an address here tonight before the National Na-tional Education association. He declared de-clared organized labor has nothing to offer teachers except "opportunities for freedom. ' ' The labor leader warned educators ed-ucators to beware of philanthropic or-ganizations or-ganizations and "foundations" which seek to dominate the educational field. "The wage-earners are more vitally interested in securing the right kind of instruction in public schools than any other group of citizens," Mr. Gompers said. "The public schools are the only educational institutions available for their children and for them. "You know what the organized labor movement has done in this country to inject real life problems among the problems that must be solved by the public schools. You know what the movement has done to call attention to the necessity for industrial education and vocational training. You know how the organized labor movement has stood like adamant against all efforts to pervert industrial education and vocational vo-cational training along lines anil ten-dene ten-dene ies that would make education of 4k this nature only another opportunity to exploit the workers. Question of Dignity. "Some among you have turned to the labor movemeut tor help and protection in your work as teachers. There are some who would make you think that by casting your lot with the labor movement move-ment and solving your economic problems prob-lems through economic agencies vou are L . losing dignity and that you will lose your standing as a profession. Quite the opposite is true. "By recognizing that you have economic eco-nomic problems and by trying to secure ' remuneration that is in keeping with the character and importance of the work that you perform, you will be placing yourselves in a position whereby you can maintain your dignity, for it is 'idle to denv that wages salaries enable the individual to securo independence and i opportunities for freedom. The organ-' organ-' ized labor movement does not seek to make any profession less exalted than its character justifies, but it endeavors to lift every vocation into the spirit, the purpose and the understanding of a true profession. Efforts to Dominate. "Because of the great powor which has been entrusted to educational institutes, in-stitutes, there nre necessarily many efforts ef-forts made to dominate educational institutions. in-stitutions. Your organization has officially of-ficially gone on record as opposed to all such efforts to dominate the public schools in the" country, whether exercised exer-cised by so-called philanthropic organizations, organ-izations, foundations or any other agencv. The organized labor movement is with you in that purpose. Our experiences experi-ences with the exploiting forces in the industrial and commercial field make us keen to detect them when exercised in other relations of life. We have opposed op-posed from the beginning efforts of these 'foundations' to secure legislation granting them the right to incorporate under federal laws and thus dominate our whole educational system. "If you wish to be free, if you wish to be independent to perform the great work entrusted to you nobly and for the best interests of the citizenship of this country, join with us for your and our common protection and betterment." Eulogizes Gary Plan. William A. Wirt, superintendent of schools of Gary, Jint., described the advantages ad-vantages of the Gary plan of duplicate schools. He said boys growing up m Gary under the influence of the Gary schools have fewer vices than other city boys. "They do not even smoke cigarettes cigar-ettes so much," he said. The Gary plan makes it possible, said Mr. Wirt, to use all the playgrounds, auditoriums and other child agencies all the time instead of only at certain hours. Congressman Simeon D. Fess of Ohio spoke on ' 1 The Possibility of a National Na-tional "University at the Capital." Military Training. The National Education association went on record here today as asenting to military training in schools, providing provid-ing that "military ends should not be permitted to pervert the educational purposes and practices of the school. ' ' This is a change of attitude. Last year the convention came out flat-f ootedly against such training. The resolution on military training 4 ' recognizes that the community or state may introduce such elements of military training into the school as may seem wise and prudent, yet the association asso-ciation believes that such training sjiould be strictly educational in its aim and organization and that military ends should not be permitted to pervert the educational purposes and practices of the school." The resolution was adopted after a half hour's debate, in which the opposition oppo-sition offered an, amendment eliminating all reference to military training, but this amendment was decisively beaten. The resolution says the association, while recognising that the "community of the state may introduce such elements of military training into the schools as may seem wise and prudent, believes be-lieves that such training Should be strict-Iv strict-Iv educational in its- aim and organization organiza-tion anil that military ends should not bo permitted to pervert the educational purposes and practices of the school. Aley Elected President. Dr. Robert J. Aley, president of the University of Maine-, nominated yestor-dav yestor-dav for president of the association, was today unanimously elected, as were the other officers nominated. The convention again went on record in favor of woman suffrage. It also adopted a resolution recommending that the powers and duties of superintendents of schools should receive definition by legislative enactment. Salaries sufficient to insure teachers a standard of living in keeping with their profession, pensions and provision against removal except for inefficiency, immorality or neglect of duty were also favored. Resolutions adopted requested President Presi-dent Wilson to appoint a commission to investigate and report upon conditions nf women on the farm and of the rural home. Another resolution committed the association to a reform in simplified spelling. It was voted to use in the reports of the association the spelling ' ' t ' ' in the past, tenses of English verbs 1 ending in " ed " ' and pronounced " t, ' ' j where the chance would not suggest a ' wrong pronunciation. |