The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1909-11-25
The Abuse Of Those Who Mould the
Future Of Our Country.

The president of one OF our State
Colleges told the following incident
sometime ago, at an educational
gathering: He said that few davs
before nc had received the follow
ing lettCr-'Dear Dr.. We need q
teacher for our school. We want 4
man not less than thirty years uf
age, who is married, has had not
less than ten years experience a a
teacher and is a graduate. We will
be able to pay him forty dollars per
month for five months" " Five
times forty are two hundred dol
lars year for a man with fam
lily, experience and an education.
What negro who runs a share crop
doesn't make double this amount?
Then add to this fact that for the
other seven months during the
year he makes nothing, for as
everyone knows, any one who
gives his life to teaching is unsuit-
ed for anything else. No man
can do anything outside his voca-
ton. Now take into consideration
the fact that you intruSt to this
man the care of your children and
that on him depends the future
welfare OF your country and that
you arc paying him for this mesti-
mable service the miserable pit
tance of two hundred dollars a
year. This is case for the hui
manc society TO take in charge.
This Is not an extreme case ut
all, but is the rule, rather than an
exception, for in my report to the
State Superintendent of Eduya-
ton, the average salary for white
teachers in this county i .hrcc
hundred dollars, and if yuu leave
oil the town schools we will find
that it fails to two hundred dol
lars for the others. Now what do
you think Of the other schools i'll
the State when w stand up
among the first counties?
Any kind of teacher is worth
double the salary he gets and no
teacher falls short of his duty cx-
cept IN one particular and this is
that he is human being. The
One Grea: Teacher whom all
teachers are expected to emulate
was God. OF course no teacher
has ever yet been able to reach
the standard that Christ set for
him, but just think for moment
and see if really down in your
heart you do not expect your
teacher to be just as he was.
For instance, if your child is
dull and stupid, do you not expect
the teacher to take him and in
some miraculous manner make an
intelligent man of him? If he is
unruly and cannot be managed AZ
home do you not expect the teach
er to take him and make him
sweet tempered and law abidingo
If the teacher does take him and
punish him as he deserves: do YOU
not lndict him for cruelty? Then
what do you expect of vCur teach.
er! Remember that he is only a
human being and can not as Christ
did remove mountains nor cast
out devils. Often we hear peo-
pie say that the teacher is a good
one, but she is i'll natured. Is
your temper very sweet on rainy
days when all the children are in
the home? Just think of it then
when your teacher has from fifty
to sixty children in her room all
day. There are teachers in this
county that are wearing away their
lives at that for the benefit of your
children and for this they neither
receive credit nor remuneration to
the extent that they deserve.
When we have learned to look af
schools from the teachers point O
view and not till then will we have
good schools.
Very truly,