Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1909-12-23
DOES THE HIGH
SCHOOL PAY?
State Board OF Education OF
Massachusetts Makes an
Examination.

Massachusetts has recently made an in
vestigation and prepared table show
ing the average weekly earnings of
bows and men who have left school at
IA years old and those who have left
after finishing the high school course.
{ both cases the investigation closes
with the twenty fifth year
According to this table, the average
boy who leaves school at IA, the end of
the grammar school period, begins
work at "a week, and by the end Of
his twenty-ffth year is averaging
Si2. 70 a week The boy who leaves at
the end of the high school course be-
gins work at $40 week, and at the
end of his twenty fifth year is earning
$31 week When he is % years old
the boy who has left school to begin
work at fourteen has earned $5, 722. so.
The high-school boy who began work
four years later has earned, when
twenty-five years old, 81, ,775. 30, or
RI, 1855 more than the grammar-sc
boy who has been at work four years
longer At this rate, thousand boys
who 60 through good high school
would have earned 81, 655, 900 more by
the time they are twenty-five years old
than the same number of boys who
leave the grammar school to go to
work at fourteen instead Of going
through the high school. At twenty
five the high-school boy is earning
$1S. 25 a week, or $94S year more
than the grammar school boy. All
careful observers know that this differ
ence becomes greater as the years go
by, but if it remained the same, max
ing no increase after the twenty fifth
year, still the high-school boy would
have earned at forty years old, $t5, ,875
more than the grammar school boy. A
thousand highschool boys would have
earned $t5, s75, 600 more than the same
number who left the grammar school
and began work at fourteen.
To give boy full course in a good
Tennessee public high school costs
from $40 to $75 year. At the highest
figure the four years course costs $500.
The high school boy will, therefore, 81
forty years old, return net profit tC
.the community of $15, 375 The nei
profit Oh thousand highs school boys
at this age will be $t5, 375, 000 Car
the public afford to invest $500 for the
high school education of a boy for tho
sake Of SIS, 375 profit on the invest
ment within the next twenty-five
years after his graduation
But the earnings of a man do no
measure fully his productive capacity
The higher the grade of work one does
the greater the margin of profit to tn,
employer, whether the employer be al
individual, community, or the pub
lie at large. Recently a friend o
mine, college man and publ
school teacher, was employed by
well-known business firm in the Soutl
at salary of 50, 600 year. The frs
year, by his higher intelligence, h
saved the firm $50, 900, and they wer
glad to increase his salary to 1850
the next year in order to retain him
When man becomes an independen
worker. an intelligent director of busi
ness, an inventor, or wise leader c
public opinion, thereby increasing th
productive capacity of large number
of people, the margin of profit to th
employer becomes very large. Th
proportion of high school boys VIII
srise to this higher stage of productive
ness is many times greater than th
proportion of those who have not ha
the advantages of the high school; an
one may safely say double or quad
ruple the figures given above. Agail
does it pay community to invest i
money in the high-school education I
its boys2 Every community that hi
ever tried it has answered in til
affirmative. Will not the .same la
hold for the fifty-fve Tennessee coul
ties that have not vet made provisiC
for the high school education of Il
boys and girls who live in the couI
try. Nashville Banner.