Quiet, Please

In carrying out the U.S. Supreme Court's decision against segregation in the public schools, the nation's capital was supposed to be the nation's model. But last week it seemed for a while as if the model had fallen apart. At school after school, ugly demonstrations erupted.

Anacostia High School staged the biggest ruckus. There, 300 white students stayed away from their classes, while 300 more gathered outside the building to boo the Negroes who had recently been transferred to the school. Meanwhile, at Mc-Kinley High School, 150 students began a similar demonstration. Next day, the trouble spread to six junior high schools. Finally, Superintendent of Schools Hobart Corning warned the 2,800 strikers that unless they came back to school, they would disqualify themselves for all school privileges, would be denied the right to play on teams or to run for club offices. Just as quickly as the trouble began, it came to an end.

In Baltimore, 2,000 white students also tried to keep their school system in turmoil. They marched on City Hall crying "We want the mayor," challenged policemen to "come and get us." But at week's end, Baltimore reported that almost everyone was back in class.

Why had all the nonsense ceased so abruptly? Part of the reason seemed to be that responsible officials showed impatience with adults who were egging their children on. Delaware's Attorney General Albert Young announced that he would bring court action to revoke the charter of the race-baiting National Association for the Advancement of White People (TIME. Oct. 11). In Baltimore, Police Commissioner Beverly Ober declared on TV that he would henceforth enforce all regulations making it illegal to persuade children to stay out of school. U.S. Attorney General Herbert Brownell said that the Justice Department was also watching the fomenters of strikes and riots. For the moment, at least, such words spoke a good deal louder than the troublemakers' harangues.

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