The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-12-01
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1898.
TEACHERS SALARIES.
Mems Pay Higher Than That Of Women, and
Both too Small.

The salaries OF teachers in COM
mon schools of the State have been
discussed time and again in news
papers, at institutes, and among
teachers generally, the points dis
cussed being that the salaries are too
low in many places. and nearly
everywhere the men receive higher
pay for the same work than women
get. 1t seems evident that a woman
who does the same work as a man,
and does it just as we'll, ought to
have as much compensation for her
services.
There is less inequality in salaries
in Columbia County than in many
other counties. In most of the dis
tricts the pay is the same, and
ranges from twenty to thirty-fve
dollars a month. Twenty dollars is
not enough pay for any teacher. By
the time board is paid and other
necessary expenses, there is nothing
left. Good teachers can seldom be
obtained at that price, and the
schools languish and parents conf
plain that their children are not
progressing. Schools are like every
thing else. If you want good ones
you must pay the price.
The matter of teachers salaries
is being discussed in Philadelphia
just now. The Times of recent date
contained the following article:
Situated scarcely block apart, at
Thirteenth and Spring Garden
streets and at Broad and Green,
stand Philadelphia two great train
ing schools of pedagogy for girls
and boys respectively. The curri-
culum in both schools is substanti-
ally the same, the requirements for
graduation equally severe, but when
the newly -fedged pedagogues stand
on the threshold of the world the
city bids for the girls yearly service
$40, for the boys $3.50. At sal
ary which more than doubles that
of his co-worker, the young man
slips into competency, while with
the remuneration allowed her the
girl can barely make both ends meet.
Side by side with the newly elected
male exponent of education, labor
ers for many years in the vineyard,
conscientious, hard working women
receive 1920 for the same grade of
work entrusted to his inexperience.
A woman supervisor receives but
$50 more year for the manage
1nent and clerical work of all entire
building than the boy fresh from
training school is paid for assistant
teaching.
Speaking on this subject a prom
inent teacher said: "To observe the
glamor of the business world and to
enlist male recruits in the army of
teachers the remuneration of the Of
fee for men was made attractively
high. No such provision was deem
ed necessary for women, for until
late years teaching has been the
only field open to them. In excuse
for the obviously unfair distinction,
due to the accident of birth, it is al
legged that men have families to sup
port. Women are not exempt from
like encumbrances. Frequently it
is to the young woman breadwinner
that the mother and younger child
rem look for support, while the
young man spends upon himself the
entire fruit of his toll. Comparisons
are always odious. A feeling of dis
satisfaction has gradually become
prevalent throughout the profession.
In the old days of the platform and
teachers high chair, when lessons
were learned by rote and the course
of study required less of both pupil
and teacher, the salary paid was i'll
proportion to value given. In these
later days, however, since the curri-
Culum of the elementary schools has
been amended and amplifed, entail
ing increased labor, and in view of
the fact that the City Treasury con-
tains high salaries for the men of the
profession, the pertinent question of
increase for the lower schools has
presented itself in educational circles
and like Banqbu's ghost it will not
down."