The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1879-02-05
school Teachers Wages.

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buckle, in which the writer mani
tests considerable, venom against we
pedagogues, and says we are the only
privileged persons in the State and
indorses the declaration that we are
all getting SIS too much wages per
month for teaching. Why2 only be-
cause the law gives us one fast day,
Christmas and New Years and the
4th of July Now who is to blame
for this? certainly not the teachers,
They had nothing TO do in making
this law and we claim that as long as
the law compels them to suspend
their schools on those days, they
ought to be paid for it, and if Mr.. A.
were teacher he would be the very
first man to exact it. 1t is a truism
written upon the pages of history
that an individual who would rob
others of their just dues, is uniyer.
sally the most penurious and exact.
ing of whatever rights he may claim
for himself. Now let us look at this
question a little, stripped of preju.
dice, and see what there is in it,
There is in West Virginia, say 5000
teachers, their average salary per
month, | think is put at s35, deduct
board, $40 per month and he has $25
left, which at a months teaching
per year, amounts to the enormous
sum of sl124. Now according to Mr.
A, he gets IS per month too much;
this would reduce it 1921, leaving
$50 for his years services, For be it
remembered that Mr.. A. and such as
he would object to the teacher doing
any other business during his alb.
sence from the school room, during
the y months he is idle, he must be
frightening himself up for the com
ing contest, which is to last for only
d months. Now ask Mr.. A. to
point out any other class of our citi-
zens who are 50 poorly paid. If the
teacher got employment all the time
it would be better, but he don't; and
here is where the hardship comes in.
Give us constant employment and
we will try to be content.
Then again this penurious A.
would put us down on par with the
common day laborer, just as though
it required no more effort, nor quail
fcation to teach school than to hold
the pillow, or drive oxen. That man
don't know what he is talkingabout
Every year these teachers have to
undergo q rigid examination and
prove their qualifications for their
work. What other class of persons
have to do this that get so little pay
for their work? We know lawyers,
doctors and ministers, who if exam
ined could not get Il No. S certificate
as teachers and yet they make from
one to five thousand dollars year
Aud we claim and conscientiously
too, society owes more to the intelli-
gent, faithful work of the teacher,
than any one Of the above profes-
sions. But the man that would
starve the teacher, would starve the
minister, doctor, or lawyer, and com.
pei the day laborer to work for his
board and then feed him upon dried
beans and old beef bones.
But Mr.. A. we are satisfied you are
no school teacher, neither are you an
ardent friend of free schools, or you
would not inaugurate proceedings
that would be death 10 its vitality
and ultimate in its final overthrow.
TEACHER.
The new pension bill which has
become a law, says that arrearages
shall be paid at the rate of which sol
diors were originally pcnsioned. The
rates having been altered several
times, the question is, whether the
word applies to the first or last rate
received.