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Show HYRUM PINGREE RESIGNS AND J. M. MILLS IS REQUESTED TO GO Discordant Elements in the School System of Ogden Are to be Eliminated by Board of Education Pingree, After His Resignation Is Accepted, Makes Bitter Attack, Slurring Slur-ring Judge Henderson and Praising Supt. Mills. In an. executive session, following the acceptance of the resignation of President Hyrum Pingree, the Ogden City board of education last night requested re-quested the resignation of Supt. J. M. Mills. The request was made by Director Di-rector H. H. Henderson, acting on behalf be-half of the remaining board members, in words making it plain that the differences dif-ferences between the board and Mr. Mills were such that they necessitated necessitat-ed the resignation of one or the other. Supt. .Mills answered with the statement state-ment that he had expected the board to make the request as soon as President Pres-ident Pingree had resigned and that he would present his reply at the next meeting. A special meeting was then ordered for next Wednesday night and it Is expected that the superintendent's reply will be ready by that time. He is under contract to the Ogden schools until next July but can be shelved It the board sees fit to do so. He has held the position of superintendent during the seven years Hyrum Pingree had control of the board. Military Drill. During the forepart of. the meeting last night, the former order of the board that high school students eligible elig-ible for military drill not appearing next Monday night with uniform and equipment for participation in the drill, be suspended, was countermanded. countermand-ed. This action was taken in. recognition recog-nition of requests that their boys be excused from the drill, from the following fol-lowing parents: W. J. Dermody, A. Whitteraore, C. C. Aadneson, O. A. Byrne, W. H. Bennett, Ben-nett, the Rev. George F. Lowe, Mr. and Mrs. B. Jansen, A. E. Thomas, J. M. Stone, Sydney James Brine, Mrs. A. J. Putnam, W. M. Wilson, Howard D. Harris, David Farr, Mrs. Enoch Farr, Jr., Mrs. B. Chadwick, Jr., W. N. Burt, W. A. Koldewyn, Mrs. A. M. Christen-son Christen-son and Mrs. W. E. Corey. With the countermanding) of the order or-der for compulsory drill, the school directors decided to reconsider the entire en-tire question next Wednesday night. All persons interested, it was said, would be welcome at the meeting. Moving Pictures. On motion of President Pingree, the board also decided to reconsider the question of the use of moving picture machines in the schools. This action was taken in response to a request of the Child Culture club for the return of $100 donated by the club for the purchase of one of the three machines owned by the schools. The machines could not be placed in the schools owing ow-ing to the fire insurance clause classing class-ing them as extra hazardous risks. Miss Viola Clancy, clerk of the board, was granted an increase of $5 a month In salary and was reappointed reappoint-ed for two years. W. D. Ellison was renamed treasurer, at the same salary, $1 per year. Plngree's Resignation. Other routine matters were disposed of, including the passing of several small expense bills, and the resignation resigna-tion of President Pingree was then presented and accepted. The wording of the resignation was as follows: "Board of Education, Ogden City, Utah. Gentlemen: On account of having changed my residence from Og-( den to Salt Lake City, it becomes necessary nec-essary for me to tender mjr resignation resigna-tion as a member and president of the Ogden City board of education to take effect at once. In thus presenting my resignation, I desire to express to you the feelings of pleasure and satisfaction satisfac-tion that have come to me through my long association with the members of the boaid and my deep appreciation for the universal courtesy and consideration consid-eration you have shown me while acting act-ing as president of the board. I shall always feel a keen interest in the public pub-lic schools of Ogden and of our state and shall ever hope for their continued Buccess. With renewed assurances of my high porsonal esteem, I remain, yours very truly, Hyrum Pingree." Pingree Makes Bitter Attack. Following Mr. Pingree's retirement from the meeting, the executive session ses-sion in which Mr. Mills' resignatian was asked, was called. In speaking of the board's action regarding re-garding Supt. Mills, Mr. Pingree said: "It is just what I expected. The present members of the board, dominated domi-nated completely by the newest member, mem-ber, H. H. Henderson, and servile to Mr. Henderson's every antagonistic view, have shown themselves at every meeting to be determined to thwart everj' effort of the superintendent to maintain a progressive school system in the Ogden schools. The attitudo of the board "has been, as directed by H. w -r-r 3AHr.A 4-Vint fVlA nnVlnnlc nVimilrl i. ienaertjun, iwui. mo bv-uuuio buuuiu tie subjected to the experimental, arrogant ar-rogant ideas of one member of the board, rather that the experienced, intelligent in-telligent leadership of a school superintendent super-intendent who is recognized throughout through-out the United States as one of the most progressive educators In the country a man, who, when, not antagonized, an-tagonized, by the board, made the Ogden Og-den schools noted for their efficiency and progress, "I have resigned only because I have moved, temporarily at least, my residence resi-dence to Salt Lake and could not, in Justice, remain on the iboard. I have tried tb save the Ogden schools from embarrassments, such as begin immediately imme-diately after my resignation had been accepted, In the request for Mills' resignation. res-ignation. I succeeded, partially, in holding the board into line, but I could not fight alone. "Mills is, in the judgment of every educator who has ever studied the Ogden Og-den school system, one of the best superintendents this or any other city could have. Ho is not the kind of educator who follows the policies of his grandfather. Ho is progressive, and time has proven that hlB progress is along the right lines toward the educating of a bettor class of future citizenship for Ogden. "On the othor hand there is not a member on the board who is familiar with school management They know only the ideas that were new or old, as the case may be, when they themselves them-selves went to school. And yet they seem to want to upset all the good work Mills has done for the Ogden schools Just ibecause of a spirit of petty Jealousy Just because they wish to submit to the domination of one' man. "Ogden needs, not a new superintendent, superin-tendent, but new blood In the school board. Men who are broad of mind and above petty jealousy of a capable superintendent, men who will put the good of the schools, the good of the children of the city first and above all else. Such men will work with and not against John M. Mills they will be his helpers, not his detractors. "I speak from seven years' experience expe-rience on the school board; from an intimate knowledge of the work John Mills has been trying to do; I have made my work on the school board paramount to all my othor interests, and I have taken pride in the growth of the school system. I feel as would a man who sees his lifework tumbling before him when I see the school system sys-tem I have helped, only In a small way, but helped nevertheless, to ibuild up, falling back into discredit. What I have done has only been in a helping way helping Superintendent Mills to prove his ideas and the new principles of school education. What the board now wishes to do Is to fight against these ideas, because they know they have a superintendent who will not be servile to them, who will fight first for the schools and, If need be, leave his case to ther public, just as he is doing now. It will be noted by the public, in looking over the issue, that practically prac-tically every Innovation the board has adopted over Mr. Mills' protest has been a failure and discarded." "I am speaking now as a former member of the board. But because my business affairs have made is necessary nec-essary for me to resign, does not prevent pre-vent me from remaining in my heart an Ogden citizen and one who is interested in-terested above all else in the growth and progress of the school system." Mr. Pingree further commented upon the practice of certain members of the board, Judge Henderson in particular, In allowing disgruntled teachers who had been disciplined by Mr. Mills, and others who seek to exert Influence against him come to them when "out of session" with tales they would not repeat to the iboard In person. "There is one principal," said Mr. Pingree, "who has gone to Judge Henderson Hen-derson with countless complaints which he knew the board would not listen to officially, and Henderson has preferred to listen to him than ask Mr. Mills for a report. D. H Adams, principal prin-cipal at Central Junior high, for instance, in-stance, is another who endorses the ideas of two generations ago and who continually seeks the ear of Judge Henderson with petty complaints and reactionary ideas and has the gratification grati-fication of seeing this member of the board place his knowledge of how to run a school system above those of I the superintendent. "I have taken a personal pride -in the growth and gradual development of the Ogden school system from a makeshift into an institution that has earned favorable comment from other cities and famous educators. I ha-ve helped only as It became possible for a school board member to help, but I have made it one of my fondest duties to seek always some way in which my capacity as a school director direc-tor I could do something that would ibenefit the school system. "I would not give up were It not that I have found It necessary to move temporarily at least to Salt Lake. But while I may be away most of the time, I shall always be present in spirit, and a participant in my heart, in whatever credits accrue to Ogden's schools." Henderson Out of Town. The Standard has been trying all day to get Judge Henderson in order that he might give his version of the trouble with Mr. Pingree and Mills, and only this afternoon we learn that Judge Henderson left on an early morning train for the Promontory mines. The only other members of the board of education that could be reached even by telephone state that It was unnecessary at this time to make a detailed statement; that the public was well aware of the present pres-ent demoralized condition of Ogden school affairs and the question was whether such condition should be continued con-tinued and whether Mr. Mills should dictate to the board and disregard the board in all school matters. oo |