The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-03-26
schooi-reaohers' Salaries,
[From the New York Tribune,

The proposition to increase the sala- res of school teachers is to be heartily commended, though it's proper execu- ton will require the application of much tact and judgment. There is no fact connected with the public school system more obvious than that the teachers are, as a rule, much under paid. It is nothing short of scandalous that teacher, charged with the men tai and moral development of scores of youths, and thus the moulder and fash toner of goodly part of the commu- nity in the next generation, should be ranked lower than an elevator-boy or a janitor'S assistant It is disgraceful that men should pay less for the train ing and culture of boys and girls than for the grooming of horses. Yet ex- actly that is the fact. The highest possible qualifications are required, such abilities as would command sue cess and profit in business or in any other profession, and the pay given is less than that of unskilled manual la Dor. Nor is that all. There has been a certain social discrimination against the profession, almost an odium rest
  garded as a sort of necessary evil, most inferior person who is to be mere ly tolerated and who is a fair target for all manner of ridicule and abuse. The lawyer, the preacher, the doctor, are dignified and respected figures in society, but the pedagogue or school marm is nothing but a butt for scorn. This detestable sentiment arose, doubt less, from the very fact that the teach CT is ill-paid, and therefore compelled to go somewhat seedy in appearance. l Perhaps it is also due to the fact that the small salary has not always com manded the best grade of talent or of social worth and the teacher has there | fore often been really the inferior per- son represented. There has, indeed been widespread feeling that any | body can teach school. The dunce of the family, not bright enough for any thing else, can be a teacher. Or the young man working his way through I college, or just out of college, can take up teaching as stop-gap occupation. Or the young woman of no especial abilities can teach for a year or so to make money for her wedding outfit. Of such, very largely, has been the teaching profession throughout a great part of the land.
 In late years there has been, espe- cially in the large cities, a salutary re- form. High abilities and ample equip- ment have been required of the teach CTS, and also a much larger amount of work. That is we'll. But, unfortunate ly, there has been no corresponding in- {, crease in remuneration. The reason is not hard to discover. Such matters are controlled by politicians. The ma jority of ol-teachers are women, I who have no votes and who have, therefore, no influence with politicians, and the men in the profession are not given to working primaries and run- ming with the machine, and so they, l too. are ignored. The street-sweeper has a vote, and is in his small way working politician. Therefore he must be placated and favored. The teacher | is of no political value to the Boss; he | does not interfere with the votes of his fellows, and his own vote is not to be purchased, and therefore he is to be ig- nored. That, to very large degree, is the reason why the salaries of teach CTS have been kept at a lower mark than those of other public servants who do less and less important work. That in some way legislators are being brought to take a more just view of the case and to pay teachers according to their deserts, and not according to their political usefulness, Is one of the most hopeful signs of the times.
 The increase of payment should, as have S9i6 hn wit nation. A general increase all around would be unfair and detrimental to the service. There is no need of paying very large salaries to the principals certainly not at the expense of keeping the subordinate teachers on starvation pay. There should certainly be slid ing scale, the salaries beginning at a comparatively low figure, and increas- ing with length of service up to max imum which will assure a comfortable competency for the remainder of the teachers lives. In that way people will be discouraged from entering the profession as a mere temporary stop gap and encouraged to regard it as a life-work for which most thorough preparation is to be made and to which the best energies of life are to be ex- clusively given. The raising of the standard of requirements, the estab- lishment of colleges of pedagogy in the universities and various other circum- stances are contributing to make the teachers profession the honorable and honored one it should be. What is most of all needed now to complete it's mobilization is the giving of an ade- quate remuneration to it's members, so that they will be freed from the ham, dicap of poverty and enabled to give their full attention to their work with out anxiety for their material support. The laborer in the school has long been more than worthy of his hire. It is the hire that needs to be made worthy of the lahorer.
 PERMANENT PAVEMENT ASSESS