The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-05-14
Letters from the People.
Teachers Wages Continued.


was rejoinder only in appellatlon,
inasmuch as he did not dispute but
one statement in the whole article,
but by his muteness acknowledged the
yeracity of our statements. The
point he saw fit to vie was that -
per cent. of Montana's adult whites
are unable to write, and that Vermont
had three times that number. That
statement did look somewhat shaky
and we avow that it was an error of
the tvpe-setter for which we are not
responsible. as it was correctly writ
ten on our manuscript, The facts
are as follows: AS we expressed it
before, Montana contains the small
est ratio of adult whites that cannot
write of any state in the Union, only
2.2 per cent. (not % per cent. as it
appeared in prinD /; viz, 523. Yer
mont had 1882 persons of the same
class that could not write, or 6.7 per
cent of the whole number-over three
times as many, according to her pop
ulation, as in Montana Gust as we
expressed it before). The average
amount paid monthly for teachers in
Montana was $63.21. As we stated
before Vermont only paid one third
as much OF S21.S1.
We wonder how man with "Dis-
trict Fathers" acuteness of vision
could notice a typographical error
which he could utilize in his attempt
to cast dscredit upon our article and
pass over a similar error in the same
article which would have strengthened
our side of the question. We refer
TO the place where we advocated hay
ing q county supervisor in lieu Of a
town superintendent, so that tax
payers would have only IA school
officers to pay instead Of 257 (not 1877
as it appeared in print.)
He says, "what is the use of pay
ing teachers for promising to do what
they never can do, and throw away
your money p There is no use, and
why do you do it by hiring those
teachers with especial" certificates
granted by the superintendent, who
generally issues such certificates to
his friends that cannot obtain one in
any other way, or else hiring your
cousin, uncle or aunt who has a little
book learning and certificate but a
small amount of "brains p He we'll
said that teacher with an IS per
cent or 80 per cent. certificate will
generally get good pay. We know
tilC VI uUlli uiuSoS vi tul0 otuJculSHt
from experience. We have GAG
per cent. State certificate, and have
always commanded as high wages as
the highest, and never applied for 8
school in our life; but am not teach
ing now simply for the reason that we
can command and am commanding at
an other occupation higher wages
than we have ever commanded teach.
ing school. or higher wages than any
teacher in this locality is now com
handing. He advocates good pay
for good work and then tries to show
that good teachers get good pay. We
acknowledge that they do get what is
called "good pay" in Vermont, bu
there is vast difference IN the mean
ing of that term in different localities
What would be called good pay il
Vermont would be poor pay in Mas
sachusetts where the average amour
paid monthly to teachers is S5S.49
When you are ready to advocate pay
ing and pay good wages for goot
work as the term is generally under
stood throughout New England, thel
you have granted our acquisitions il
full and not till then.
A good article will bring what it il
, worth, and a cheap article is dear a
any price, 1t is natural for mankint
to work where he can get the mos
money for his services. Allowin.
these proverbs to be true, it is obvi
Gus that teacher who is qualified t
teach school in Massachusetts, vii
not teach very long in Vermont TO
one-third the pay they could com
mand by merely stepping across tn
line, and if this grade of teacher
choose to step across the line, it ough
to be clear to anyone that they woul,
have to hire those "dear at any price
t teacher to instruct their children her
in Vermont.
p "District Father must had a yer
e bad case to present. If he had not
he would not have taken typograph
ical error for hypothesis, orattempt
+ ed to divert public attention iron
facts by "slinging mud" B. L.