The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-06-28
The CITY SCHOOLS
NOT SWEATSHOPS
The N. c. Christian Advocate
in Error.
DOING A GOOD WORK
All Money Utilized and the Small Amounts
Paid TO Beginners Who are Re-
ceiying Training as
Teachers.
DOING A GOOD WORK

sWeatshODs.
That is what the gentleman in charge
of these say in response to an editorial in
the North Carolina Christian Advocate of
Greensboro.
The editorial in the Advocate has for
its heading, "A New Order of Sweatshop,"
and it reads as follows:
I'VE were amazed last week at an an
nouncement of the advance of wages in
the city graded schools of Raleigh. On
Saturday morning the News and Obser-
yer said: (Here the list giving advances
in teachers salaries from $35 to $40 to $50
to $S5. $40 to $25, and SIS to $40, $40 to
$40 and SIS to $40 is published.)
The article continues:
1--WE confess that it is revelation to
us. and doubtless will be to many of our
readers. that school board in the capital
of our State, should be working poor wo-
men at $40 to $40 per month Can it be
possible that such state of things exists?
And the question very naturally suggests
itself as to whether other city boards do
the same thing. If so, we feel that it is
time to enter a strong protest against
such practice. Ten dollars per month in
the city of Greensboro would not furnish
decent board, to say nothing Of other ne
cesSaries of life.
lone or two things must be true where
such a state of things exists: either faith
full and competent women are being sub
jected to a species of slavery, or the work
is being abused and the public defrauded
by the false system of economy which let's
ont floa ba Ia
some counties let the contract for keeping
The poor-hotIse, to the lowest bidder, re-
gardless of fitness or qualifications.
"Are our public schools to be made
sweat shops? If so, then we beg that the
man who is investigating the crime of
child labor in the cotton mills be sent af-
ter the men who enslaves the women who
teach in our schools. 1t is not to be ex-
pected that the profession of the teacher
can be elevated, or our schools safeguarded
against the crime of incompetency while
such scale of wages prevails
An interview was had with member of
the board of trustees of the Raleigh pub
lie schools in regard to this article and he
said:
THE Greensboro paper is under a mis-
apprehension. and in its reference to our
schools is writing about that upon which
1t is not informed The truth is that the
schools here are doing a great work, not
alone IN teaching young children, but in
teaching women to become teachers"
THE SO month for which some of the
ladies named have been teaching is sum
given them merely as a slight aid, and the
positions they hold are eagerly sought af-
(nV. Il
Was paid. These teachers are assistants
and only teach a part of a class being di-.
rectly under the supervision of trained
teacher, and receiving from the superin-
tendent instruction in teaching
A young woman goes to a teachers
Normal school and pays her tuition in
order to learn how to teach / under
stand that in the Normal schools these
student teachers are required to teach
classes of little folks in order to learn
how to teach, and that every well regu
lated Normal has a department of this
kind and is anxious to have children
to teach This l understand is the case
at the State Normal in Greensboro, where
a branch of the city schools is conducted
and where students preparing to teach
are glad to have an opportunity to put
right thing to do and | do not believe
that the young women who teach in this
way get cent for it.
I'm the Raleigh schools these assistant
teachers. doing a small amount of work
are being trained as teachers. For the
hrst year they are paid SO to SIS and
then as positions are open and the teach
ers become more than tyros the salaries
Pn he II,
A,achers in the Raleigh schools vary
from $50 to $45 month, and we believe
that this is doing as we'll as is done in
other places, certainly it is as well as we
can do with our financial support for the
schools"
ours is no sweat shop system. The
teachers who teach in the schools here
after the practical training they receive
as assistants are in demand in other
places, or go to higher positions with in
creased salaries here These increases are
given by the trustees without any sugges-
tion or requests from the teachers and are
based on meritorious work We believe
that one young lady, who taught here as
an assistant is now teaching, and teach
ing well in the Greensboro Graded schools |
The entire list of teachers and their sal
aries was not published, simply lose who
received an increase. We feel that We
are doing a splendid work for young wo-
men here who deserve to be teachers, but
who lack the means to go to Normal
training schools to be taught how to
teach"
An interview was had yesterday with |
Mr. G. Rosenthal, secretary of the Board
of Trustees of the public schools and the
following information concerning them
was obtained
THE Raleigh Graded schools are not |
city, but township schools There are four
for whites and five for colored. White /