The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-03
wife" are not mentioned in t
mourning schedule.
Teachers Condemn the Rule.


The teachers, therefore, don't APP
prove the boards attempt to govern
sentiment by system. why" said one
sehoolma' am last night, things have
certainly got to pretty pass when we
teachers have to ask our employers
whether our sisters, our fathers, or our
mothers, were very dear to us or
whether they were just average rela-
tives. Here I am, girl with only one
real relative In the world, an aunt She
brought me up, she has always been
a mother to me, she's all that's left of
my family; yet, If she should die to-
morrow, I could stay away from school
two days only. I must feel quite able
to resume my daily duties after two
days; while another teacher In the
next roCm whose father might ha fe
deserted his family before she ever he
membered him, would be privileged to
stay away five days-which means
practically week-whenever she gets
the news that the derelict parent had
passed away.
Another feature Of this new regula-
ton is that it attempts to discipline us
poor women in our most sacred rela-
tons just because a very, very few
teachers have pretended grief they
did not feel This small minority-for
how many women are going to trif1e
with death?-this minority. may per-
haps have stayed away from school
longer than was necessary on account
of some family bereavement compare
lively unimportant; and therefore all
Of US, whatever our genuine griefs,
must go from the funeral to the school
room, must be deprived of the con-
solutions of religious seclusion, and
even the natural solace of our tears!
Surely the board doesn't expect us to
give way to our grief before our pupils.
With the sound of the burial service
in our ears we must join. hundred
curious, callous children in singing
jolly songs about The Merry, Merry
Springtime.'
"WelI, it's a cold FLOODED innovation,
in my judgment, that even the heather
Chinese would have too much natural
decency to propose. Our school sys-
tenn should not be sectarian, but 1t
certainly should be Christian"
Says Teachers View Is Wrong.
On the other hand, a school official
maintained that this teacher misjudged
the board. Our new rule" he said,
'is not mere bit of eommercialism.
We are not trying to save expense. But
we are acting in line with the spirit
of the time, the zietgeist and with that
spirit at its best. Our people nova
days are strenuous, optimistic. we
believe in making each other as happy
as possible and in reducing the worlds
troubles to the minimum.
'Now, family bereavement cannot be
cured by grief. neither can grief be
assuaged by idleness. AS for religion,
we have no intention Of preventing our
teachers from attending church or re-
ceiving spiritual consolation at any of
the usual sources. But we feel sure
that, after a few days to recover from
the first shock Of bereavement, occupa-
ton with her daily duties will go as
far as any secular remedy to lessen
the pain Of any woman's grief, teacher
or no teacher.
"Our rule may appear cast-iron and
mechanical; that's a defect of every
formal law. The proper latitude to
cover Individual necessities can be Sc
cured, and will be secured, no doubt,
through rational, sympathetic appli-
cation Of the rule"