The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-03-24
THE ANNUAL SCHOOL NETTING

The time for this meeting is near at
hand, as it will take place on Monday,
the Sd of April. illegal voters" are
duly notified to assemble at the place
designated, for the purpose of electing
one school director to serve for three
years, and a clerk to serve for one year.
Now, while we do not find fault with
the present Board, they having done as
well as any body composed entirely of
men who frame rules and regulations
for men and women both could be ex-
pected to do, we yet would like to see, as
a matter of justice, an active and eff
cient woman placed thereon. In no case
does the injustice of counting women
out of the body polite appear more
glaring than in this same matter OF
school elections. If there is anything
in the world that they have particular
and peculiar interest in, it is certainly
in the education of their children, and
to be debarred by that phrase, illegal
voters" from participating in the de-
liberations of a school meeting, or ex-
pressing an opinion as to who shall con-
stitute School Board whose power is
absolute in these things, is injustice that
it were courtesy to call an outrage.
Again we see that Notwithstanding
the oft-repeated boast that men legis-
late justly and wisely for the interests
of women, financial and otherwise, does
not the action in the matter of wages paid
TO men and women teachers in our pub
lie schools show that women should
have voice upon this question? Does
any one believe-do the gentlemanly
members of the Board themselves imag-
inc for one moment that had there been
women, or even one woman in their
number, the wages of the women teach
ers would have suffered such shameful
and unjust reduction two years since,
while those of the men teachers re-
malned the same? Why is it, if it were
necessary to economic the school fund
of the city, that the retrenchment was
solely upon the wages of the women ?
Why, except that the men of the dis
trict only were illegal voters" and the
School Board elected by said illegal
voters" were all men.
We published two weeks since figures
compiled from the report of the clerk Of
the district, showing the gross injustice
x,,;fI, 1,Iiob fba f,nlo Of fba disfr;ot n 70
distributed according to the sex of the
teachers. We will republish a few Of
them: Number of male teachers en-
ployed, 8; number of female teachers
employed, 20; average amount of salary
paid male teachers per month during
the year, $1,1S5 As; average amount
paid female teachers per month during
the year, S1,312 90" Eight men re-
eeive nearly as much for services in
our public schools each month as
the twenty women teachers receive.
Your own figures, brethren, and we
beg of you to let US get through
counting them over before you tell us
with your blandest smile that men al
ways naturally give women the prefer
ence in all things.
If the women of our city would but
bestir themselves, these things would
speedily be righted, but we fear that the
majority of them are SO stepped in su-
pine Indifference and selfishness, the
result of years of servility, that they will
allow the new school year to come in
under the same one-sided rule and to GO
out with the same careless disregard Of
the rights of the women teachers who
so faithfully labor to cultivate the
minds of their children.