‘Young Workers League Take Action Against Brutal Chicago Teachers’ by Nat Kaplan from The Daily Worker. Vol. 2 No. 33. April 1, 1924.

Taking Charge of Drive On Miss Toben

Besides the fire hazards, shortage, unsanitary conditions and the general corruption of Chicago’s Public Schools we have to add another feature: Corporal punishment under various pretenses is still in vogue in our elementary educational institutions.

One hundred and fifty parents of children who attend the Cregier School gathered with the intention of immediately declaring a school strike. The meeting was called jointly by the Temporary Parents’ Committee and the Junior Section of the Young Workers League.

School Board Ignored Issue.

Mr. Bernard Weil, chairman the Parents’ Committee, opened the meeting. He pointed out that for weeks they had endeavored to take action against Miss Mary E. Toben, principal of the Cregier School, whose brutal treatment of the children and parents was the case of the present revolt. He had endeavored to stay “within the bounds of legality” and had secured an interview with an individual in the local school board, who had passed as McAndrews, superintendent the Chicago schools. This imposter attempted to appease him with the general hot air spiel of: “We will see what we can do about it.” Knocked about, and refused a hearing by bona fide school officials, Mr. Weil declared he was now ready to test his constitutional rights and determine whether he had as much say over the method of raising his children as the corrupt school officials. At this point the general sentiment was for the immediate walkout of the children.

Young Workers League Steps In.

Nat Kaplan, representing the Junior Section of the Young Workers League, pointed out that the present situation in the Cregier School was not a phenomena peculiar only to the Cregier School but was rather one incident typical of the general state of affairs in the schools thruout the country. The arrangement of a school strike was not such a small thing. It differed from an economic strike insofar as it struck a direct blow at the city administration. Were we to decide for a strike at this meeting and have 150 or so children walk out, it would be the easiest thing in the world for the city administration to muster the full force of the Police Department and break the strike up in 15 minutes. We are not opposed to the strike, we can bide our time and organize for a greater victory later. The first thing to be done at this meeting is definitely to organize ourselves into a parents’ organization of the Cregier School to elect a permanent executive committee and instruct that executive committee to make plans for the raising of finances, the printing of leaflets, the arranging of further mass meetings and the sending of a representative to the next meeting of the Teachers’ Federation of Chicago to secure their support in this battle.

Recite Brutalities.

The floor was then thrown open for a general discussion by the parents and children. Many of the parents cried as the children recited the treatment they had received at the hands of the autocratic Miss Toben. Among the many cases mentioned, the following were of special interest:

(1) Harry Tatlebaum was forced to stand in the hall almost daily by his teachers while they marked him absent. Then on the pretense of poor attendance he was taken to court and railroaded to the parental school. Both his mother and the truant officer testified at the trial that the boy at- tended the school. But Miss Mary E. Toben, principal of the school, insisted that the judge should send him to the parental school. The judge requested Miss Toben to transfer the lad to another school and give him a chance to make good, but she absolutely refused to do this.

Use Janitor as Thug.

(2) Sidney Chaplick was suspended for whispering. His father went to inquire about it. He was ordered out by Miss Toben. Upon his refusal to leave, the janitor of the building was called in and threw him out. (The same treatment was given to Mr. Arien Weiner)

A few days later Mrs. Chaplick, the mother of the boy, went to interview Miss Toben. Miss Toben refused to listen to the mother and told her “to go bury herself.”

(3) On Monday, February 11, four girls were late for their sewing class. They were all made to stand during the entire period for one and one-half hours without removing their heavy winter wraps and were not given their lesson. These girls were: Bernice Weil, Eather Greenberg, Pauline Seitz and Esther Waxlander. Bernice Weil, the first girl, upon her arrival home, collapsed. Upon her revival her mother sent her with a complaint to Miss Toben. She returned this message: “That it was none of the mother’s business what the teachers did.”

Parents Want Strike.

The fact that ordinarily conservative parents were ready to leap into such a drastic act while revolutionary youngsters were pleading for caution put a peculiar light on the entire proceedings. John Williamson of the Young Workers League then took the floor. He pointed out that the sentiments prevailing for an immediate strike would only lead to defeat of our entire purpose.

The main thing which we are out for is the ousting of Mrs. Mary E. Toben. We must unite on a purely working class basis to secure this aim. We must especially get the Teachers’ Federation of Chicago to line up with us and thru them we will endeavor to secure the support of the Chicago Federation of Labor.

Youths Systematize Fight.

“Elect your committee now and put some system in this fight and you will surely win,” said Williamson, Max Salzman also took the floor and helped to swing the final decision into the proper channel. At last the final action was taken.

The immediate calling of a strike was voted down by an overwhelming majority and a committee of nine was elected. The committee consists of the following: Mr. Bernard Weil, Mrs. B. Weil, Mrs. Rheur, Mr. Ameiser, Mrs. Goodman, John Harvey, Mrs Weiner, Mrs. Spersuman, Lurie and Nat Kaplan.

Mass Meeting Tomorrow.

The committee held an immediate session after the meeting and decided to convene the following day and make preparation for the big mass meeting of all Cregier School Parents to be held on Wednesday, April 2, at 1103 S. Loomis street.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924. National and City (New York and environs) editions exist.

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