The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1875-09-10
The Reduction Of Teachers, Salaries.
nARLIY GToN, SEPT. 4Tn, 1919


Mr.. EDITOR: The School Board announce,
that Sin consequence Of the limited amount of
fnnds, and their desire to liquidate their debt"
they have reduced the salaries Of teachers, In
plain language, Mr.. Editor, they force the teach.
ers to pay oil the school indebtedness. A dozen
or more line school houses have been built and
furnished in the last two or three years and the
teachers have to foot the bills. Well It is rather
hard that some eighty or ninety persons should
he compelled to pay for the school houses of
Hartford county, hnd those persons engaged in
occupations that don't come under the head of
lucrative. Don't you think it is impolilic as
Let US look at the matter. We got, last year,
not quite the daily pay of the common field
laborer This year we are to get still less, and
how can we keep up our dignity-our profess
ional dignity-on such pittance BY what
necromancy con we be so comfortable on such
pay as to feel kindly towards the SCHOOL Aoarl!
If through their desire to build school houses
and aaorn Hartford county with educational
fortresses which shall dislodge Ignorance and
called public spirit the School Board get into
debt we are the sufferers, la! Now, sir, think
poorly of that public spirit which is partial in
the distribution of its benefits.
People are clamoring for male teachers and
yet TIP salary is SO low that only under favora-
Bile circumstances can man devote lis time to
teaching. The people want cheap teachers
Why, sir, they imagine school teachers become
observation-disclosures In afew years, and like ohns
Hopkins ought to found educational institu-
tions.
No respectable man in this county will dare
to soy the teachers were paid too much Then
every respectable man should he ashamed that
the School Board is forged to cutps down to such
figures.
/ look forward to a lamcntable scene. Mr..
Henry will be ashamed to allow the School
Board to leave his salary at the old rate, and the
members of the Board will be ashamed to take
what the law allows them, and the carpenters
who built the school houses will be ashamed TO
exact full pay. Thus, you sec, the lugpbrious
mood will not be confined to the teachers
hope the School Board will reconsider their
action and trust to the generosity of the people
of Hartford The Board has nothing to fear
though ill.natured people hint that they should
be individually responsible for the debt, the PEG.
pie OF this county would not permit such q
thing.
The School Board may have been iniudicious
in their expenditure, but they acted surely for
what they deemed the best interest of Hartford
county in educational matters.
repeat 1t may be indiscreet to build houses
and provide expensive furniture, but building
school houses is not malfeasance, and indeed
may in a few years be applauded by those who
now condemn. But houses don't educate. No
combination of wood and stone can make a
teacher All the gable about good school hou.
ses, good text books and good school regula-
tions, and good school boards, county or State
is pure bosh. 1t should be the aim OF n School