Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1878-05-24

sunday Morning. May 10, 1873.
re PubEfe Behosls-ELcsllene
Mmgalaue1omS Win SBP@l~
Teachers

TAa PuhEae 8ehooIs-Excsllent
HmgaEauG1oms with UBP0la
Teachers.
Mr. Editor: In reading your &C
eous Of the delight and admiration ex'
pressed by those knights Templars
Tho Visited your public schools last
weak. wondered If their plaudits
would not 10 louder II they should
learn he economical methods by which
he cl,y Of Vicksburg achieved those
beautiful results, hearing that those
teacher, 90 compllmented had been
paId for but three and . half months OF
he seven and Q half Of hard WORK
which had brought their classes to such
p~eEfection, and that ell which had been
heard from the city fathers during that
lime, In relation 10 pay, was the pro.
uosai 10 deduct ten per cent. Qnstead
Of paying iniereSi) from the amount
due whenever Il should be paid, which
deduction was only prevented by-not
by any kind consideration for faithful
services rendered.
Surely such economy is worthy the
highest praite. FTugality can 60 no
farther in that direction. Every de-
msud for retrencbmeDt BY an over.
faxed community causes the heart Of
The poorly paid teachers 10 sink, and
calls forth, In the Board Of Aldermen,
anew discussion ss 10 what further
reduction should be made In school
salaries2 A tavOrite argument 10 that
teachers will retain their situations on
any terms, because they, who have
spent 90 much time and labor in hitting
themselves for those places cannot do
anything else, and ere obliged to take
any compensation offered. This is, In
many cases, true, and mainly because
your teachers are, with scarcely any
exceptions, linked to your city by tiei
Ofbirth and kindred, but, surely, 1t Il
mean, pitiful spirit which takes ad'
vantage Of necessity and love OF birth
place. 49,,
Teachers should be models 10 theiI
pupils, in ell respects, and, in order tc
WELD The necessary influence, they
should be, furnished with sufficienI
means to maintain, at least e
some extent, position IL
society. In order 10 keep up with tht
improvements in their profession, and
The scientific literature Of the day, they
need money for books and periodicals
Most Of the Public School pupils re-
ceive no instruction at home, and on
the intelligence and culture OF those
teachers rests all hope for intelligence
and culture in the rising generation
In order 10 properly head q whole
school which Is constantly visited, and
frequently by distinguished guests
from abroad, your teachers should be
well dressed, and not alone for the eff.
feet upon strangers. A shabby, poor
ly.clad teacher has but little influence
with pupils in their teens, and is at q
disadvantage with children Of wealthy
parents, many Of whom attend your
Public Schools.
Another argument is, that teachers
are employed but q small part OF the
twenty. -four hours. In that portion o
tine the very life and soul of Thu
teacher IL poured forth. Life stats
lies place tho average duration Of thei
lives below eli except factory hands
Mere instruction is the smallest par
The exhaustion consequent upon th
regulation and discipline o thfty youn
immortals, land atty 10 q teacher is ID
usual average.) adjusted so as to moul
without crushing, is such that few 81
al for any other txertion aside frol
Ibe extra work which is indispeuSabI
in q profession so constantly impro'
ing.
Do the public think that those ma
Vellous exercises, so improving to u
physiuue of your children, and whic
are the admiration OF all beholder
whico combine music, song, calisthel
ics and gymnastics with the psrfecuC
Of ballet and military drill, are taugI
ont Of q book, like spelling,and cost u
teachers no more time than is tax!
from the school hoursr They tai
months OF outside work; spent q
duously in inventing, trying, arranI
ing and fitting 10 music and songs
Vicksburs pays for teachers who tea
Greek, Latin, the higher mathematiC
ali the 'Olegies-in short everythll
taught In high schools, and who wou
receive not less than two thousand de
lars In the Northern cities, no mo
than those same cities pay for prima
instruction, and yet che vas so ARA
that she might, by some chance, get
appreciative Board OF Aldermen at
next election, that she forced the IL
islature to pass o law making oblil
tory a not less than ten per cent. red
ton Of salaries for the future. Sur
such economy is highly laudaole!
But, leaving the future to take c
ofitselL certainly q community WI
meets al! other obligations should 9
not The least deserving Of its enc
the money fairly earned, and ena
them 10 discharge their debts to a
chants without whose kindness u
families would have suffered dur
the past four months.
-<-
An Orange county, Va, disps
says; "JeFry HuCkstep, an elderly
- af-G.a unua ehfn niaHn ma