The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1885-11-11
To the Common school Teachers Of
Ohio County.

FELLOW TEACHERS The status of
Kentucky teachers needs aud should
receive some attention at our hands
The adage that "The gods help those
who help themselves" loses none of
ITS pthiness in its application to com
mon school teachers in general, nor To
those Of Kentucky in particular.
The present method of paying the
teacher should he denominated II legal
outrage II is true that there is a
/ legend somewhere in Kentucky law
! which intimates that when school is
| taught half out the teacher receives
/ forty per cent. of his beggarly stipend
and the remainder, or sixty per cent,
at the close of the session. Were this
aught but legend-a quotation from
the Arabian Knights enterta ment-
We might take heart of grace and bridge
beginning on the first Monday of Sep
TENDER, is half out at the expiration of
| fifty school days therefrom, and the
teacher is supposed to receive forty pc:
cent. of the Public money due his dis
trict at that time. This would be IA
contamination devoutly to he wished, :"
but, alas, il never happens. On the
contrary he receives the first portion of
his salary on or about the middle of
| February or March of the next year,
and the second portion in July or
| August.
No candid man will regard this NJ
fair dealing What am anomaly il pre-
seuIs To the thoughtful citizen. A
| prosperous, AN efficient and proud
old Commonwealth requires her teach
ers, IA majority of whom are more or
less impecunious, To work on a credit of
from five to ten months each year.
Surely it is time to present remon-
strance-tO seek "a redress of grievances
to call the attention of fair-minded
citizens to the gross injustice with which
the teacher is treated. We must ap-
peal from phillip drunk to Phillip
sober" We must go to the Legislature
ourselves, present the case and suggest
the remedy.
The law regulating the distribution of
the public funds and the payment of
teachers is in utter disregard of the
teachers rights and interests, since it
makes il obligatory on him TO be at his
post and labor a specified number of
hours per day without having made
the necessary provisions to pay him
promptly, and by this neglect he is not
infrequertly compelled to hypothecate
his claim at loss of from fifteen to
twenty per cent.
The Governor and other State Off
cials, and also the members of the Leg
islature are promptly paid, and fire.
quently large sums of money are
borrowed of the State to pay them.
Their labor is no more eXhalted, and
certainly no more profitable than ours.
\ code of laws which makes such I'M
just discrimination should be entirely
abrogated or so amended as to approach
the scope of fairness.
The relation of the teacher to the
body polite, in the aggregate, would
indicate more equitable method of
payment than the present one, and his
necessities clearly demonstrate that his
salary should be paid in monthly in
stallments, thereby saving to him the
large discount he is forced to make in
order to realize on his school claim.
Believing that this is a matter in
which each public school teacher has
an equal interest, and that il is a mat
ter in which we should take immedi-
ate and positive action, respectfully re-
quest that the teachers of Ohio county
meet in Hartford on Saturday, the 2Sth
instant, for the purpose of memorial
izing the Legislature to make the
change in the time of payment referred
to. Senator Hill and Representative
Williams are respectfully invited to be
present.
have the honor to be your Obedient
servant, JOHN O'FLAHERTY.