The Delta independent., 1907-06-14
TWO TEACHERS TALK.
By PHRONSIE.
CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR
Lets leave our books here and go
up on the mesa" said Hortensia, as
dusty school corridor and out into the
spring sunshine, where the yells of a
victorious ball nine were rending the
air. "All right" said Sophronia, "but
would you mind going to the post office
first? haven't had my mail today: "
GOOD. you have a new 'Outlook'!'
said Hortensia. ten minutes later, as
the two fell into a slow walk up the
long grade, and Sophronia began to
look over her handful of mail. "See if
it says anything about the New York
Teachers Salary Bill, for equalizing
the wages of men and women. You
know it passed in the Legislature once,
but The Outlook has expressed the
hope that it will be vetoed by the Mayor.
or if not by him, then by the Governor.
reading their editorial. Shall we dis
courage manliness in the schools?' The
argument seemed to be:-The proper
tion of men teachers employed is already
too small; if, as the White Bill demands,
the salaries of men and women are
equaliZed, fewer men than ever Will
teach, and our boys will be subjected
to over much petticoat rule.
What nonsensen said Hortensia,
its women who teach man to be
chivalrous. Aren't widows sons
nearly always more than ordinarily
manly"
That might be due to special causes,
said Sophronia II think, myself, that
we ought to have a larger proportion
of men teachers, but | don't believe it
is the right, or just. way to get them,
to pay them higher wages than women
would receive for the same grade of
work. "
Neither do |. said Hortensia, paus-
ing to look back over the pleasant
valley, they were leaving behind them
as they took the road straight east,
across the mesa. why. In my ex.
perience it works just the other way!
When applied for the Latin work at
Lake. two years ago, the agency was
in. told me the Lake board preferred a
man for the position, on account of
athletics, but that they might employ
woman if they could get one cheaper.
| know Will Marks applied for the
place before | did, but he hadn Il taken
his degree then, and he wanted hun
dred. l said would take eighty and
they elected me. Now if that board
had had to pay me as much as they
would have had to pay Will Marks, he
would have been the one elected and
the Lake boys would not have missed
the opportunity to learn manliness by
example. The real question is:-Why
are there not more men teaching? And
the answer is simply, that the whole
scale of wages is too low to attract
many men to the teachers chair. The
Outlook has been contending for years,
that the pay of teachers everywhere
ought to be higher; and that is what is
needed now"
Il am glad the Denver teachers are
going to have better wages next year, y
said Sophronia heartily.
80 am l." said Hortensia, but
they aren't the only ones who need it.
Do you remember our reading last
winter about those teachers IN Iowa
who asked for better pay and called
attention to the fact that janitors, do
ing unskilled labor in the school build
ings, were actually receiving more
wages than the teachers themselves
II suppose, said Sophronia, turning
the pages of The Outlook thoughtfully
that the reason why some of these
New York school-men are making such
furor about equalization is that they
think it would end, after a little. in
reducing all instead Of raising all. If it
should result that way. it would mean
that school boards are willing to hire
work done for less than it is worth.
merely because the. power is in their
hands; and in that case, the only way
for teachers to meet the injustice would
be by combining
Anyhow" said Hortensia. mo
matter what the New York school-men
thought, some of them have put them
selves in a most undignitied position by
speaking against the measure"
II should think SOL" said Sophronia.
smiling. did you notice what The
Bookman' said about it? One of the
school men made a ranting speech be-
fore the New York legislature, you
know, in which he said that he consid-
cred himself. infinitely superior to a
lot of sour old maids and The Book
man remarks, 1t would seem that if
many more such men went up to AL
bany. the Legislature would seriously
consider the abolition of male teachers
altogether Well. the latest on the
subject is this:-the Mayor has vetoed
the bill; the Legislature has passed it
again over his veto, and it remains to
be seen what the Governor will do.
Mayor Mcclellan seems to take very
much the attitude that The Outlook
does: namely, that there is much injus-
tice, but that the White Bill is not the
proper corrective measure
Whether it passes or not, said