Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1866-12-11
Scarcity of Teachers-Causes Therefor.

Under the Town Superintendent
system of school government, which
was enacted by the first State Legis-
latare and which prevailed till 1860
there We're always plenty of teachers
so plentiful thatfor every school there
We're generally several applicants, al
wages varying from Sl4 to S24 fol
males, and 81 to Sl4 for females.-
! But the teachers then were not quail
fed by learning as now, nor was
their moral character generally q
matter 'ct inquiry as at present.
CheapneEs was the prime object with
district Boards in the employment OF
teachers, and learning and moral con
duct were matters OF the least impor.
lance. AS to the Town Superintend-
ents, whose duty it was among other
things to examine applicants for the
schools, touching their learning and
ability to teach, and their moral char
acter, they were not themselves
elected on account Of any learning
or character possessed. The people
at their town meetings were aslikely
to run and elect for Superintendent
some one without learning and char
acter as with the like indeed it so
happened that certain sort of edu-
Gated pretcndcrs, men who had way
of seeming smart by a knowing look
and studied concealment of Ignorance,
4 got a patent monopoly for serving as
town Superintendent. The country
is full Of such and they are always
wanting to be town officers, usually
justices. Of the peace, since town Su-
! perintendents have been dispensed
with. Such kind of men are indeed
q great bother for wanting to be in
office, but Away above any position
for which their intellect and culture
qualities them. well, these pretend
ers Of school knowledge, ever oblig-
ing to people and teachers, hardly
ever failed, firstly to grant certfo
Gates to teach to all who applied
secondly, to grant certificates especi-
ally to all whom the district boards
wanted to employ on account ofvery
cheap wages. The following is q
sample Of letters usually carried by
applicants to teach from district
! boards:
Mr.. Souperintendt
dear Sur
we the districk bored OIL
districk number six desire the barel
Jack Lantern to teoch our skool. he
vii du for edkation as he will teech
fur foreten dollars. our childen Der
al backward an want no larned techeI
so let en- have a certific
Heinrich Ogle clark
In such cases perintendents felt
freed from responsibility and usually
granted certificates to teach only il
the districts where the board made
such special requests. Such teachers
as our imaginary man, "Jack Ian
term" were exceedingly numerou;
every fall season, and never hoped OF
asked above $14 per month and board
They generally gave good enough sat
isfaction to The "districk bord," anC
the children never secured sufficient
| intelligence to detect any imposition
But the effect was to drive all wei
qualified teachers to other employ
ments, or if teaching at all they APP
piled for schools where a high stand
ard Of learning and moral character
were required, owing to such advanc
ed intelligence among the people.
Since writing the above we have
read the same to Supt. Purman who
says there are other reasons why
teachers seem, perhaps are, scarce =
There are near 40 Grant County
Teachers attending the Plattevill,
Normal School, and who it is pre-
sumed will offer as teachers next yea
with qualifications of higher eflicien
ey. Though we offer this not very
flattering opinion that some of thos,
so educated at the expense of Nor
NAL fund will stray off from thei
pied ges to teach-very much as lot
of Beloit theological students have .
way Of doing when receiving free ed
ucation for the ministry.
Again, Mr.. Co. Supt.' Parman say
about "a of the lady teachers, many
of them the brightest and best, hav,
taken matrimonial engagements, anc
fail to longer report as teachers
Still another why, is, that some of tn,
teachers Of the current past year fail
ed to procure certificates.
"But," says Mr.. Purman, II hav,
given certificates to greatly NOR
teachers than there are districts ii
the county" Very we'll, but how
are teaohefs and School Dist. Clerk
to meet-as employee and employer
1t may be done by notice in the Q
papers, each party stating salary, SC.
or by the Co. Superintendent actin.
as . medium.
VTRTJyE IN STONFS TIN Haired,