Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-04-12
For The Pomeroy Weekly Telegraph.
TO SCHOOL DIRECT ORS.

M1DDLEpoRT, o., March 30th, '61.
Public instruction, at the present time,
in Ohio, is attracting more attention
probably than any other subject
Teachers are soon to make gements
for summer schools in our county. I
,, wish to express thought or two in
reference to this subject. | wish to say
to School Directors, in choosing a
teacher:
1st Choose teacher that you have
good reason to believe is we'll qualified
to teach and govern.
I'd. Get this kind of a teacher as
cheaply or at as low wages as you can.
Directors should never allow favor to
a friend on the prospect of receiving a
little money for a certain person S
boarding, or any other such miserable
influence to rule them in selecting
teacher. A poor teacher uses your
money and the people receive little or
no value. AS to the second proposition
need say but little afirmatively; shall
say more negatively. 1t is right to be
economical in the expenditure of the
public money. Even if we have, an
abundance, we should not spend one
cent more than is necessary; but Direct
ors should never set a price and take
any teacher at that price. On the con-
trary, they should get the suitable
teacher and then make the wages as low
as they can. ---..
There is an abundance Of teachers at
present, but out of all this great number
there are no more good teachers than
the people need Teaching is trade,
and it is only few who have natural
talents and scientific requirements for it.
Now, a teacher can hardly go to district
/ to look for school, but what he is be-
rated for asking high wages, and some
times insulted, and frequently when he
goes to the treasury for his money he is
told he gets his money mighty easy, and
the Treasurers pinch the Eagle on half
dollar as they hand it over, till it squeals.
Now / wish to give Directors, Treasur-
ers, &C., a few reasons why teacher
should bave good wages.
They doubtless have all the reasons
Thy Teachers should not have good
wages. High and low wages are regu-
lated by the amount of mental power
and exertion required of the laborer,
and not according to muscular exertion
required. The horse has more muscu-
lar labor than his driver, yet the driver
receives one dollar for his own, and
fifty cents for his horses labor. Why?
Because the power of the man S mind is
hired to direct the labor. A day la
borer, for chopping wood or any other
hard work, receives Is cents, the Ma
chinest, Carpenter, or Stone Mason S1.50
or $500 per day. Here the day laborer
does great deal the hardest work, yet
the mechanic gets the biggest pay
| Why? Because more mental skill and
power is required. Now good teacher
has studied for years, spent money, and
now when he teaches, must exert his
mind to the utmost, must have talents
to govern and teach, which are not com
mon to everybody, must be skillful in
managing and learning scholars, must
exercise his mind and muscles day and
, night, must take 40 or so rough, noisy,
dirty faced children, clean 'em up, keep
'em still, learn 'em TO read, learn 'em
good manners, &C., female, for S1.O0
per week and a male for SO cents per day
or S13 or $14 per month and board
round; or in other words, a teacher, who
perhaps graduated long ago at wood
chopping or washing and cooking,
and then has gone and spent money and
time to prepare himself or herself for
teaching, and now comes and. performs
hard labor for the public, must take the
same wages as railsplitter or kitchen
maid.
Now think that our friends in the
country, if they look at the matter rightly
can easily see that this thing of hiring
any popinjay for very low wages and
trying to beat down every good teacher
SO as to make them take low wages, &c,
is grand humbug!
Hoping that this article may throw a
few rays of light iu that direction, l SUBJ
scribe myself, J. G. JONES.