Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-02-15


CUTTING DOWN THE SALARY OF THE sCHoO
MA AMS-JOHN MoRRISsEY : sILLNEss-''REv.
BOZ INsERSoLL-THE CHARITY BALL.
NEW YORK, Feb. 9th, 1878
To the Editor o: the Free Press ami Times
The weather has been even more thai
usually favorite subject of conversation.
long succession of mild, bright days, varied
occasionally by warm rains and single
snow storm, have given the lie to the al
manac. The buds on bushes and trees
which never riH learn wisdom by cxpe.
riencc-haye begun to swell and to show
traces OF the color Of spring, and everything
has indicated that Winter was so pre-occu.
pied watching the Eastern war and the pro-
grcss of the Silver bill that New York was
going to slip through his fingers almost un-
observed.
A resolution has passed the Board of Edu-
cation to cut down the salaries of the over
worked and poorly paid teachers in the pub
lie schools, ten per cent This measure of
Jealous economy Is particularly praisewOrthy
in view OF the fact that there are now on the
city pay roll l t officials, drawing salaries
OF :S2.O0l. or over, some as high ~ SIS 900
Tor doing loaing, more or less heavy according
to circumstances. A large proportion of
these self-sacrificing statesmen wear a rich
brogue, and know about as much about the
duties the positions whose salaries they draw
as might he expected under the circum-
stances. Feeling the popular pressure for
retrenchment, they have nobly determined
among themselves that the public demand
shall be satisfied even if it becomes necessary
to cut down to nothing the pay of these
bloated aristocrats-the school teachers
who now enjoy princely revenues of some
five or six hundred dollars a year. Of
course, it won't do to interfere with the
salary Of Pat this or Mike that, who, hav-
ing shown surprising talent as voter of
the .'sthrate tickit" and general election
worker. now holds his position as a reward
for his services, so they wreak their econc-
my on class who are of no value whatever
at polls or primaries
Mr.. John MorriSsey is still in Florida, his
condition being still too uncertain to admit
OF his removal North. His disorder is the
terrible Bright'S disease of the kidneys, which
of late years is becoming scourge in this
country, and therefore his recent improve
'''N - 4ihSi1 " bO
For two Sunday evenings Chickering Hall
has been filled to overflowing. the a.trac-
tion being the d" Rev." Bob Ingcrsoll, as the
illustrious iIfdel from Illinois has come to
be called. His lecture on q" IIell,'' as re-
ported in the papers, was blasphemous,
eloquent and shocking and in the police
governed countries OF Europe would have
been likely to have insured the reckless
speaker berth in the station house, or at
least a polite invitation from headquarters
to make himself scarce. After long TRADE
ridiculing the idea Of there being hell, the
orator concluded by vowing that he would
rather reason himself into the perdition
against whose existence he had been ar
guing than, giving up his reason, to get
into Paradise by blind faith.
The grand Charity Ball is matter of
annual recurrence at this time of tho year,
much anticipated by our Flora McFlimseys
and their gallant attendants, not to mention
a hundred or 50 Of our solid men and their
portly danes who regularly indulge in this
stately dissipation. This year it CHANGED to
fall upon that terrible Thursday night when
going out Of doors was next to martyrdom,
and 50 the attendance was greatly diminish
ed. The company was, however, intensely
select including the Governor. General Of
Canada, Lord Duifcrin and some thousands
Df dollars were made for the poor
Yours, DARK.