The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-06-30
THE CITY SCHOOLS
NOT SWEATSHOPS
The N. G. Christian Advocate
in Error.
DOING A GOOD WORK
Ali Money Utilized and the Small Amounts
Paid 10 Beginners Who are Re-
ceiving Training as
Teachers.

The city schools OF 1tdlelSn are Hot
sweatshops."
That is what the gentleman in charge
OF these say in response to an editorial III
the North Carolina Christian Advocate of
Greensboro.
The editorial in the Advocate has for
It's heading, "A New order of Sweatshop."
and it reads as follows:
eve 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 $50, $40 to $25, and SIS to $40, SO TO
$40 and SIS to $40 is p~ublished)
The article continues:
1--WE confess that it is a revelation to
Us. and doubtless will be to many of our
readers. that a school board III the capital
Of our State. should be working poor wo-
men at $40 to $50 per month. Can it be
possible that such a 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 lie.
One or two things must be true where
such Il 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 lets
out the service in the public schools, as
IL
the poor-house, to the lowest bidder, re-
CARELESS of fitness or qualifications.
Are our public schools to be made
sweat shops? II 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 a scale of wage prevails
An interview was had with a 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
a 10 NJ III Z liz lIull II IIdU TIE
schools here are doing a great work, not
alone in teaching young children, but in
teaching women to become teachers
1.-The $40 a month for which some of the
ladies named have been teaching is a sum
gwen them merely as a slight aid, and the
positions they hold are eagerly sought af-
ter, and would be even if not one cent
was paid. These teachers are assistants
and OnIV teach n mart of n class hainr al
rectly under the supervision of a 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 regl.
lated Normal has a department of this
KIND and Is anxious to nave children
TO teach. This | 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
IN practice their theory. This is the
right thing to do and I do not believe
that the young women who teach in this
way get a cent for it.
In the Raleigh schools these assistant
teachers, doing a small amount of work,
are beng trained as teachers. For the
hfst year they are paid $40 to SIS and
lilen as positions are open and the teach
ers become more than tyros the salaries
are increased. The salaries for regular
6,achers in the Raleigh schools vary
from $50 to $45 a month, and we believe
that this IS doing as we'll as is done in
ut hnt ,NIonnr 4o-+,
can do with our financial support for the
schools
Ours Is no sweat shop system. TIL
teachers who teach in the schools here
after the practical training they receive
as assistants are in demand in othel
places, or go to higher positions with in
creased salaries here. These increases are
given by the trustees without any sugges
ton or requests from the teachers and arr
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 whc
received an increase. We feel that W,
are doing a splendid work for young wo.
men here who deserve to be teachers, bu
who lack the means to go to Norma
%tralnlng schools to be taught how t
teach.''
An interview was had yesterday witt
Mr.. G. Rosenthal, secretary of the Boar'
of Trustees of the public schools and tn
following information concerning Their
was obtained:
THE Raleigh Graded schools are no
city, but township schools. There are fou
for whites and five for colored. Whit
teachers 43; colored 80. Salaries rang
from $500 a month down to $1,000, tn
smaller ones being paid to assistants VIII
are. as a rule, without previous experienc
and who are being trained while teachine
AT a recent meeting the Board electe
three principals for white schools at
salary of $500 a month; fifteen teacher
at $3.50 a month; three at $40; five a
$500; eight at $500; eight at 5000
one at $50 and one at $1,000. Fiv
principals of c~olored schools at salario
of one at $4,000; two at $4,000; one q