The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-07
oUR POORLY pAID TEACHERS.
Views OF the Late New York state SUI
perlntendent OF Public instruction.


most important question. II ought 20
open the eyes OF everybody Interested in
tho work tho teachers OF the country are
doing to the meagre salaries they receive.
Considering the nature and value OF the
services they perform. our public school
teachers are the poorest paid Of any class
Of public servants.
The strength Of the school system, the
real progress made In our schools, are due
to the character of the teachers employed,
10 their loyalty and faithfulness in the
face Of the encouragement OF the absence
OF public appreciation and their inadequate
compensation. In what way does the pub
lie anywhere show an appreciation Of the
unseflsh work Of the teachers? Even kind
words are too often withheld. We simply
let our schools drift along caring little,
thinking little Of tho sacrifices made evory
day by the faithful army Of teachers who
are teaching our boys and girls how to be-
come good men and women.
We may boast Of our institutions az much
as we please. we may point with pride
TO our organized school systems. our mod
ern courses OF study, our great school build
ings. progressive boards OF education,
enormous expenditures for public schools;
but the influence which works for the
greatest good is the devoted and unselnsh
service of our teachers.
What are our public schools for1 Arc
they simply a we'll arranged maohine-for
the gathering of statlstcs2
Speaker Nixon on w ednesday, In his Sow
enth inaugural address to the Assembly at
Albany said:
our public school system, namely, training for
good citizenship. and providing far as possible.
that each generation may come TO manhood and
womanhood capable OF self support and able also
TO support Others who may DO dependent upon
them.
Can such a purpose be accomplished
through system of poorly paid teachers'
Az The Sun has remarked:
A policeman, lettoT carrier a stenog
rapher. even New York street cleaner,
Is a gided plutocrat compared with the
average school teacher.
There's no escape from your conclusions
that school teaching must be regarded
IA an unimportant matter, requiring small
talent and worthy Of small reward only.
or il would be better paid. Well may the
Indiana State Teachers Association reach
the conclusion in the report from which you
quote We regard teaching as lottery.
In Indiana. you tell us, 1855 teachers
ont Of 10. 256 receive less than $500 year,
and IL .O35 receive less than $500 In 1904
the average high school teacher received
the -princey wage" OF ses4.si; the average
common school teacher was passing
rich with si2o32.
Indiana is not the only State 'ful OF
-. - ~ 6 10 ~.I
ists and poets which is able to pay her
school teachers well but doesn't. The latest
published report shows that in New York
there we're 80 s25 teachers employed in the
State go. 453 for the legal term Of 100 days.,
and that Of this number only 900 we're men,
29.544 being women. The cities employed
% .037 about Y 600 in New York only and
the towns. including villages, employed
l7lss The average annual salary OF
teachers in cities was 1922 .0S in towns
93i5 2Gl The average for the whole State
was $685. 70 Until the Davis bill took
effect among the teachers Of Greater New
York the average salary OF city teachers
was only s77l. 81; in towns s3is35.
How do the salaries compare with the
wages Of bricklayers carpenters, hod
carriers aud window washers? No wonder
that some Of these professions are attract
ing the men teachers.
The number OF men teachers il steadily
diminishing From 6,02l in 1885 IL declined
to 5 1888 in 1900 and 1900 in 1904 Men will
not stay in the profession at the salaries
offered Women stay because they must.
We depend on women to teach our boys
how to become good citizens.
II is probably true that our high school
teachers are the best paid. If these were
not considered the average would be much
lower. OF the ,25G .s7i pupils registered
in our schools only 81 1903 attended high
schools. OF the 39.s25 teachers employed,
only 3 500 we're employed in high schools.
Therefore the common schools must ever
be our greatest care and concern.
We are told that women will remain in
the profession only until they marry. Who
can blame them? But have no sympathy
with the doctrine that AZ soon az woman
teacher marries she should no longer be
allowed 20 teach What better teacher Of
children than the woman who has children
Of her own Who will teach with more
heart more feeling or more sympathy?
As The Sun truly says: Women bear and
rear children and have an instructive fond
ness for and love and understanding Of
children. and have most to do with their
nurture and training The false prejudice
against married teachers viii keep the pro-
fession fun Of women who will not teach.
do not care 10 teach. have no attraction TO
teach after they can marry They are too
often glad to marry and get out of the pro-
fession. II doesn't pay
We are constantly raising the require
men;s FOR a teacher constantly making II
more difficult to enter the profession and
easier to leave It, The miserable salaries
We are paying are destroying tho effective
ness of our schools, keeping from them the
very people who would best teach our
schools. II is a constant experiment. an
endless chain Of chance.
The teachers OF the State deserve the
best we have in sympathy and in salary.
If we exact 30 much Of teacher to enter
the profession. why not do something TO
retain her? We can do this only by paying
teachers what they are worth.'
CHARLES r. SKINNER.
WArERTowN. Jan. 5.
Tariff Revision.
From me Washington POST
Representative Small lately received a letter