The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-25
SENTIMENT IN SCHOOL AFFAIRS.
1t Should Not Prevail Either as to
Teachers or Commissioners.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
With the return of the seasons comes
the perennial question shall married women
be employed in public schools? There
Is never raised the corresponding question
shall married men be so employed? but on
the contrary, other things being equal. the
married man. for obvious reasons, is pre-
ferred. OF course sane person will at
tempt to settle this question at once and
forever. because there will be the same
occasion to raise it next year and every
succeeding year while the world lasts; but
that is no reason why it should not be
met for the present. The argument, as !
understand 1t, is that a married woman has
a husband to support her. But happily in
our school department We are not playing
the role of benefactors- We have class
of work to be done. and business wisdom
prompts us to employ those who can do
that work to the best advantage. Ex-
perience has taught that in some depart
ments of school work women can do bet
ter than men. and hence our teaching
force consists largely of women. But there
are departments in which women are not
and cannot be the most efficient 1t would
be folly, therefore, to employ them in those
departments as a matter of sentiment and
the woman or the women who ask il or
the men who concede it are unwise.
The sentiment which would exclude mar
ried women because their husbands can
support them, and ought to, applies with
equal force to unmarried women who have
parents or brothers who can and who ought
to support them. Every one who knows
the history of the personnel of our pres
ent efficient corps of teachers will easily
locate instances in which that rule would
nave deprived us of some of the best teach
eTs we have now ever have had. some
of whom have attained almost a national
fame The question whether a given wom-
brother who can and ought to support her
should never find a place in our school
economy. Is she competent and will she
render efficient service are the only proper
questions. Neither her politics nor her re-
iigion nor her domestic relations should
ton than like questions. including SEX
should have 10 do with the selection of
by-pamby sentiment in our school manage
ment. If any given womans In any given
district has the most OF the .aualfica-
safe school commissioner, by ali means
elect her. but not because she is a woman
nor yet because some other women desire
to have IL so. On the same principle elect
teachers Choose the best available per-
son. whether male or female, married or
married women because. presumably. they
do not need the teachers income for q sup
port, We viii soon be called upon TO dis
tinglish against some of the best teaching
talent we now have ever have had. as
well as against some of the most promising
now in process of preparation. To their
praise be II said that many of our best
teachers have so husbanded their in
comes, whether they have husbanded them
selves or not, that they are not objects of
charity by great deal, being bloated
bondholders and owners of valuable real
estate. while many of the pupils OF our
training schools ard normal schools are
from homes of aff1uence and refinement.
On precisely the same principle should
elect school commissioners. We should not
choose or reject on account of sex, or pol
itics religion. There is no good reason
why female man having superior qualif-
tons should not take the place of a male
man with less fitness for the office as there
Is no good reason why a woman should be
elected over q man, equally qualified mere
ly because she is woman and other won-
en- desire to have 1t So We want 10 be con-
trolled neither by sentiment politics. re-
ligion. race. nationality nor sex nor domes-
tic conditions in school work.
Indianapolis, Nav o. U. L. SEE.