Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1901-05-31
TEACHERS vrcr1M1zED.
The ECONOMY" Prseticed at the
Exponse of Papil and

Teacher.
Not long ago the public school
teachers of New York City were
kept waiting many months for the
pay that was justly due them from
the city, and we're reduced to the
most painful and mortifying fiuan-
cial straits. The teachers of Oak
land, CAL, are now going through a
similar experience. When the
school board last year submitted it's
estimate of the sum necessary for
the public schools, the city council
deliberately cut the estimate down
to an inadequate amount. Two
months before the end of the school
year, the money was all gone and
now the school superintendent and
a committee are appealing for
voluntary contributions from the
parents and the general public, in
order that the schools may not be
closed and the young men and
women who were almost ready to
enter the University and the Nor
NAL School be obliged to wait
year. The San Francisco Gull says !:
"San Francisco and Oakland pres
ent view of municipal administra-
ton that should teach and exhort.
"For years in each city an annual
deficit has appeared at the end of
each year. It is sometimes partly
provided for by shutting off street
lights, but usually it is made up, or
partly made mp, by compelling the
school teachers to work month or
two without pay. We are not
aware that it is ever proposed that
any other city employees shall give
their services to the public. The
pay earned by the teachers is the
least for service rendered in any de-
partment of city administration. It
goes mostly to women, who have
the slightest means of defence
against imposition, and therefore
are not formidable in the eyes of the
practical politicians who run city
governments.
"In San Francisco it has been the
regular thing to meet deficits by
making teachers work for nothing.
There is a constantly accumulating
debt to the teachers which will
probably never be paid. The situa-
ton is disgraceful to both cities" "
For the sake of both pupils and
teachers, it is to be hoped that the
sum needed will be raised. But the
lesson ought not to pass unnoticed.
The money wrongfully withheld
"goes mostly to women, who have
the slightest means of defence
against imposition, and therefore
are not formidable in the eyes of
practical politicians who run the
governments. Is the denial of the
ballot a mere abstract grievance,
involving no practical hardship?
The Governor of Pennsylvania
lately cut a million dollars out of
the school appropriation, which was
already inadequate. A year or two
ago the city of Providence, R. l.,
was seized with spasm of economy
and did the same.
Such instances are common the
first place where the average city
government tries TO economize is on
the schools. But where women
have the ballot, the last thing on
which they are willing that the city
should economlze is the education OF
the children. Mothers of all nation
alities want their children educated
A year or two ago, IN the little town
of Holland, Mich. where the set
tiers are largely Dutch, an effort
was made to close the high school
through misplaced economy but on
election day one thousand Dutch
mothers went to the polls, schoo
ballot in hand, and the high schoo
was kept open.
If half the voters of every city
were mothers, would the ''praotica
politicians" care to offend themP
ALICE STONE BLACKWELL.