The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-01-18
The Press and Banner
" ednesday, Jan. 1S. 1883.
The PAY of school Teachers.

The Pay of School Teachers.
though so level headed on most subjects, is
very wrong in his wish to reduce the salaries
Of teachers in the public schools. If person
wishes to obtain good article he must pay II
reasonable price for 1t. Get something that is
very cheap and 1t Is very apt TO be shoddy.
A man of average capacity cannot afford to
work for Is or 20 dollars per month. IL Is true
that we have good schools IN Aboeyilie is coun- GUN
pie OF the communities in which they are SIT
uated did not pay the larger portion of the
expenses themselves?
God is the proper education of our children.
Why then pay other officials ample salaries,
but dvocate the reduction of the pay of those
who are to train up the future generations
and implant in their minds the principles
that they will cling to through life? The
theory is wrong from beginning to end and
the sooner the people wake up 10 its danger
ous tendencies the better. A poor teacher is
worse than no teacher. Ignorance, some one
has said, Is blank page whereon we may
write, but the mind that has been Improperly
trained is scribbled sheet, and as such' IS
Pay good teacher good salary and you
will obtain satisfactory result, ana sucn n
result can be obtained in no other way.
We take pleasure in commenting on the
above editorial from last weeks Greenwood
Tribune.
The cause OF right will never suffer from
fair and Just criticism, and as we have no
pride of opinion, however strong we may be
In our convictions, we are ready to ventilate
the cause which we expouse.
Believing that there is more humbuggery to
the square in all this Juror about public
school education than in anything else on
this earth. and believing further, that there
are more abuses in this department than in
any other of this Government, the Press and
Banner will labor for the correction Of those
evils with whatever ability 1t may have at its
command. For this reason we thank our
friend and brother contemporary for calling
up the subject.
In the first place, we would state fact. In
Abbeville County, We have the requisite mum
ber of competent teachers, and have had them
ever since Democratic reconstruction. No
very great change in the list of teachers has
occurred in any year. and none, so far as we
know, on account of the salary. In that time
the salary OF first grade teachers has varied,
and ranged all the way from $50 to SlO a
month, and the school terms have been from
three to seven months. We have kept the
same teachers-no matter what the salary has
been.
There are differences in the value of teach
ers as there are differences in the value Of the
services OF other workers. But the same man
should not be paid more from the public
treasury than the sum for which the private
izen could hire him.
The Tribune says:
"a poor teacher Is worse than no teacher
As well say poor man is worse than no
man at all.
It Is not for every one to have o high sala-
ried teacher. Nor can all men have the lu1u-
rles and comforts of life, but poor people must
do the best they can. If they are not able
to eat cake, they must have corn bread.
II they cannot hire teacher to teach their
children Latin and Greek they should be al
lowed an opportunity to have them taught
the branches prescribed by law.
While we attribute no bad motive to any
body, yet we believe. through ignorance and
presumption together, that the school author
tiles Of the State of South Carolina, from
the State Board Of Education all the way
down to the local trustees of the School Dis
tricts or townships, have for ten years un-
blushingly and fearlessly violated the law In
many instances. AS evidence of this fact:
The County School Commissioner, in ex-
tending orders from the State Board Of Edu
cation at Columbia, gives notice that teachers
will be examined next year on Hygiene, and
books are prescribed for this study.
Now. this may be for the public welfare,
and 1t may be we'll to 60 further and study
medicine and surgery in the public schools,
but we do not believe there is q scintilla Of
law in the books for any such order, or the
payment of public money for any such study
The order in reference to Hygiene is, in our
opinion, an assumption of power-pure and
simple-for which there is no law. Where is
the sense, or the need, or the propriety Of re-
quiring teachers to stand an examination on
"Rygiene" to teach the branches named in
the law which is quoted below?
The school law says:
TT shall be the duty of the County Board of
Examiners, and of the Boards of Trustees
hereinafter provided for. to see that in every
school under their care there shall be taught,
writing, arithmetic, geography, English gram
mar, history Of the United States and OF this
State, the principles of the Constitution and
laws OF the United States and of this State.
morals and good behavior"
Now. where Is the lawful authority for APP
propriating the public funds for teaching AL
zebra, Latin, Greek, or other "higher branch
es7"
The fact is, there is no law for it, so far as
we are informed.
II the reading Of plain English is clear to us,
IL is nothing more nor less than a misappro-
prlation Of the poor peoples money to pay
1t out for teaching Greek, Latin and Hygiene.
It was paid into the treasury for the specific
purpose Of teaching the branches mentioned
In the law.
To oite an evidence Of the open manner in
which the law is disregarded we copy the fol-
lowing paragraph from the LaurensriNe Her.
aid OF last week:
I'VE are requested by President McCasan,
OF the Laurensville Female College, to say
that the public school funds are now availa-
BILE. All pupils In the primary department of
that institution will receive their pro rata of
said funds"
The public school fund is for the benefit of
the public schools and to pay in full the tut
ton ice Of every child who may 30 to that
school
There is no law In the books to appropriate
money for any private college or institution
Of learning. In proof Of this, We quote from
the Constitution:
"All the public schools, colleges and univer-
stiles of this State, supported in uhoic- or in
part by the public funds. shall be free and
open to all the children and youths Of the
State"
The advertisement which we have copied, in
effect states that the Laurensville Female Col
lege is q private Institution where tuition
fees are demanded, and without word o.
apology in behalf Of the public officers in
disappointing the money, the President OF
the Laurensville Female College and the
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