Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-06

with only a small pittance in salary, have
had to work hard in the school all day and
occupy themselves at night in preparing
for their annual examinations. Thus, the
normal process by which an English school
teacher is manufactured involves prepare
tory course of training, beyond the usual
| school period, of something like six full
years.
In approaching the question of salary,
am fatn to let others speak rather than my
self The last Parliamen. was petitioned
for Select Committee to inquire into the
need for q approximation fund for these
English pedagogues. Such a committee
was appointed and has made its report.
Naturally, the question of wages came
within its perview, aud what it SAYS upon
this subject is, in substance, that at their
present rate of pay it is utterly impossible
for teachers as class to do anything but
exc out bare subsistence. They can lay
by nothing for old age or for the ordinary
emergencies OF active life.
To Be Saved From Beggary.
Therefore, says this report, to save them
from beggary aud the workhouse, the State,
as it commissions them, ought to provide
some pension scheme for their benefit. 1t
is quite expected that before many years
some scheme of this kind will be formulated
into law. Strange to say, what the teach
ers themselves ask is that system shall be
created under which, after all, most of the
cost of their superannuation shall come out
of their own pockets. Most of them, they
think, might at least contribute SIS a year
to such fund, and if at the end the Gov
ernment would disburse to them what had
been laid by, with the addition of S5 or so
per annum for every year OF active service
they had re endered, they seem to think that,
as things 60 over here, the time OF old age
and disability would find them in fairly
good condition.
What their situation is at present they
shall tell us in their own words. We may
surely accept as proper representative of
these teachers the President OF their Nc
tional Union, and this gentleman, Mr.. j.
H. Yoxall, of Sheffield in comprehen sive
and able address, delivered at their last
annual meeting in April of this year, said
in reference to England's elementary school
teachers:
. An Average of 1875 Year.
'They are the only body of teachers in
the country specially trained and taught to
teach. Their moral and econ omic value to the
country can hardly be over estimated. They
each receive Oh an average about 29 shillings
per week. or G75 pounds per year (S375).
CudTlkf anu Vic ,pOOE INV pIaCtiCdlly
the only provision for them in the days
when all the weary wheels stand STILL
There are ,415 of them certifcated, hold
ing the States guarantee of complete effic-
iency to teach"
Then he gives the subjoined table. The
only change have made in it is the substi-
tuition of the value in dollars for the
amount given in pounds 1t will be noted
that Mr.. YoxalPs statement of the number
of certificated teachers is lower than mine.
This is because have hal the advantage
of the educational returns just published,
whereas in April last, when this table was
made, the latest figures available were those
OF the year before.
SALARIES OF CEsTIFIcATED TEACHERS IN THE
PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS OF ENGLAND
AND WALES.