The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-14

that in Pennsylvania many
school teachers, especially in the
sparsely settled country districts. are
i'll paid. The basis of its argument Is
a paragraph in the last report of the
superintendent Of public instruction.
Dr. Schaeffer, which asserts that by
comparison of teachers wages with the
figures of the state board of charity
il is found that in more than dozen
counties, in the school year 1885,, there
were teachers VINO received less per
year than the average cost of main
tanning a pauper, which IS estimated
by the charities board at S1&S32 per
annum.
IN order to throw light upon this
painful subject we should" says the
Record, " see how we stand in COM
parison with other states in the mat
ter of average salaries paid to teach
ers of the public schools. The report
of the Superintendent Of Public In
struction of Pennsylvania for tie year
ended June 6. 1885, shows that there
were during the year 2S,0S0 teachers in
all male and female), and that the
total salaries amounted to $l0,332, 1897.
The average salary, therefore, was
about equal to 81 per diem for the
whole year. The report of the Com
missioner of Education in Washington
shows that in Massachusetts in 1895
there were 1878 public school teachers,
and the total salaries amounted to &c.
- ~
annum. or S1.56 a day for the whole
year. In New Jersey there were 5,62O
teachers, who received SO 05? 0-an
average of $561.9C per annum, or Sl.5t
each day in the year. For Connecticut
approximate fgures are given as fol-
lows: 3 962 teachers; salaries, $l,74S,~
475-maliing an average of SAL. sal
airy for each instructor, or S.20 per
diem for the entire year"
There cannot be denial of the fact
that Pennsylvania does not show to
advantage in this comparison, nor will
any intelligent man try to defend a
rate Of payment to school teachers so
manifestly below the real value OF
their work to the community. 1t needs
no proof to secure acceptance among
sensible persons of the proposition
that the good teacher is deserving of
generous recompense and that money
expended in paying the capable in
structor liberal compensation for his
services is money prudently invested,
upon which the returns are sure. But
this presents no warrant for the Phil
adelphia Records partisan attack upon
the governor of Pennsylvania for his
recent veto cut in the state school APP
preparation. That cut was a tempor-
AIRY necessity OF which the legislature
and public had fair warning; and il
offers no obstacle for levying in tha
various communities of a local tax for
school purposes sufficiently increased
to make up the difference. The Phila-
delphia Record shows that low salaries
prevail in Pennsylvania for school
teachers but it does not show that the
states gift to public schools in Penn
sylvania, even after the governors cut
has been allowed for, is larger almost
twice over than the school appropria.
tion in any other state In the Union
II salaries are low it must be because
the various communities are not, in
their local contributions for schoo
purposes, initiating the splendid gen
erosity of the commonwealth at large
In addition. TO other cares it lookl
as though new trials were in store fol
General Otis in the work of keeping
o.