Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-09-06
NOT BETTER sCHooLsY

WHY NOT BETTER SCH00LS7
1T is good to be zealously affected
always in good thing.n The years
pass and few, very few of our people
appreciate the opportunities they have
to educate the unedueated and the
lack of this appreciation for greater
intelligence seems to predict, that
there is something wrong with our
schools. Parents as well as teachers
seem to be continually complaining.
Parents because of poor teachers, and
teachers on account of poor salary.
The work of educating the children as
they ought to be is no play work.
What they can be is not what they
will be under bad system oftraining.
Thus in speaking of the Importance
Of training of the young, we must take
as basis what they are and what
they can be under better system. If
children are worth educating at all,
are they not worth educating right /;
and if better discipline is within
the grasp of the people, why not try
and obtain 1t. 1t seems to me in
every other State the educational
work is carried on with a great deal
more alacrity than in West Va, and
the result is just what men who were
qualified for the work hold up TO us
to-day for an example to follow.
When other States look after the in
terest of their children and make it
the first thing of importance, why
should we not? lfthey are able 10
adorn their mind why are we not.
Now i know that there is not a man
in this county who wishes to be be-
hind in regard to this matter ofbetter
schools. You want your children to
obtain as much as our. schools can
possibly give, but you must remem-
Der you fix the standard yourself !;
when you say $50 per month for a
teacher is enough, you make low
standard and you will get no more
and no better teacher than the county
now possesses, which are second rate
teachers and some not that. Are not
your children worth more to you and
the world in point ofintelligence, than
few dollars. You would probably
answer this by saying, yes, but we
would have the same teachers if we
would even pay more wages. This is
a mistake. The great number of our
teachers know that they are not quail
fed well enough TO teach our common
schools, and unless the standard is
raised, which can only be done by
raising the salary, the teachers will
not feel justified to prepare themselves
any better for the profession. 1 pity
the parents, and children more, when
trustees employ a teacher because his
Or his parents are unable to sustain
themselves otherwise, when the in
structor is incapable of imparting
knowledge to children above fifteen
and sixteen years. II such people
want to live at the expense of the
county why don't they apply for aid
and not act so unjustly with the child
rem. 1t will depend altogether on the
teachers what your children and mine
will become intellectually and great
part morally. He must be a good
man so as to set good example for
the children and ought to be intellec-
tually equipped so that young ladies
and gentlemen could go to school long
enough to get fair and full knowl- |
edge of the common branches, which |
is such an inexplicablc evil at this age
when SO many go out into the world
and are not able to carry any mark of
intelligence with them. What is
their life 10 them and the world?
Who Is to be blamed for it? Shall
we attribute ii to wasted time? But
whose fault is it that so much precious
time has been wasted? But must the
teacher bear everything that has not
tended to make our common schools
a success. say emphatically no.
Few are the schools that parents visit
during the year to encourage their
teachers and children, but many to
criticise and that severely unjust.
We want good schools in which no
time is lost and where we can send
our children to improve themselves in
such a way that knowledge may
prove to be "a power" / speak
through this organ TO the people Of
Berkeley County, in order to stir up
a greater interest in the school work.
/ may seem to be somewhat severe in
respect to the present state of affairs,
but all and even more should be said
concerning this matter. Pay better
wages, and have better teachers, raise
the standard and the children will be-
come more intelligent. OPEQUoN.
Put on The Brakes