The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-12-03
WOMEN TEACHERS
/. NEED THE BALLOT
MISS ESTHER BoYNroN.
Would Place Them on Equality With
Men in Matter of Salary, Former
Pedagogue Declares.

The pay OF women teachers is no
toriously unfair" emphatically declar
ed Miss Esther Boynton, teacher In the
Central High school for a number o.
years, up 10 about year ago, before
the Detroit Equal Suffrage club, Fri
day afternoon, when she spoke on the
subject DO teachers need the bal
lot?"
1t is wellestablished fact that
women teachers get much smaller
salaries than do the men who do the
same work" continued Miss Boynton
Such discrimination should not exist
the women teachers assume the same
responsibilities as the men, and there
is no just reason why the women
should not be on al equal footing with
the men in regard to salaries. and. OF
course, in the mater OF the ballot, al
SO. AS a mater OF fact, would not con
ditions be different II the teachers
were able 10 vote? DO you think thai
the pay OF women teachers would be
much higher than they are now
certainly think the ballot in the hands
OF the women would bring about equal
ity between the women and men teach
ers on the question OF pay.
The teachers certainly need the
ballot for many reasons. They need
II for their own protection. for the
welfare OF their calling In life and
for the betterment OF conditions IL
the schools.
II am confident that II the women
had votes there would have been bet
ter chances of the teachers getting
the increase In pay which they asked
last spring. Their request was refus
ed and | think their lack OF the bal
lot was largely responsible for the
action taken. Another class OF citi'
zens, the Elks, who have votes, had
10 difficulty in getting an appropria
ton OF $4,000. And for what? For
come classic ornaments. which were
nuisance, generally
That is the way the city's money
is appropriated, in spite OF the fact
that women teachers are underpaid
and the schools are so crowded thai
il is necessary to let many pupils at
tend only halliday sessions, so as &c
accommodate all who want to attend
1t seems strange that money cannot
be appropriated In sufficient sums FOL
the VI thuaaNiOh -
Massachusetts the pay OF women
teachers is only one-third that OF the
men. In New York the conditions
are much the same; in fact, the stu
alton is 50 bad there that the board
OF education cannot get teachers FOL
the public schols.
The women don't vote IN these
states, but where they do, salaries
are better for them. In Wyoming
where there il woman suffrage, the
women teachers get the same sal
aries as the men. In Finland, where
the women also vote. the teachers
are on plane OF equality with the
men teachers in regard to pay. The
same, | feel certain, would be true
In Michigan II the women had the
ballot, and | sincerely hope that JUS
tee of that kind will soon come &c
the women OF this state. IL is only
justice We want; We ask nothing
more
Miss Boynton related a number OF
personal experiences in connection
with her teaching 10 show that wo
men teachers are not only obliged 70
accept salaries about half those paid
to men, but are constantly at the
mercy OF school boards, particularly
in the country districts, where sCme
inspectors show ignorance and lack
OF sympathy for women as teachers
In the discussion which followed
Miss Adeline Grelling the teacher
who led the fight for the increase In
teachers pay last spring, and who
said she was ION the fence in regard
Sfra - fnttn6 fault with tho ~
fragists for not coming to the aid OF
the teachers when they sought more
salary.
What could we do?" asked Mrs
Hinton f. Spalding, the president OF
the club. I'VE have no votes"
mo. you have no votes, but you
have husbands, and We teachers have
not" Miss Grelling replied. I'VE ex
pected 10 see the suffragists and wo
men OF other clubs come TO our aid
but none came Why were you
silent?"
Mrs. Spalding said she regretted
that the school teachers had not
shown an interest in the suffrage
club.
one teacher explained that II the
club were TO hold It's meetings on
Saturday afternoon. the teachers
would be better able 10 attend the
meetings.
For lS years we held our meet
ings on Saturday afternoon, in the
hope OF getting the teachers. but
none came Mrs. Spalding retorted
other addresses were given by
Mrs. Florence Brotherton, who talk
ed OF the success OF suffrage in the
state OF Washington. and by Mrs
Grace Ainsworth, of Detroit, and Mrs
w. G. n. Keough, who was mem
Der OF the Chicago board OF educa-
ton for three years. The latter I'm
plored the club members TO continue
their fight for suffrage.
The club adopted resolution pro-
testing against magazine article
which placed woman suffrage In Col
orado in bad light The motion re-
quested not only the members OF the
club to refrain from subscribing to
the publication, but also asked others
10 do likewise The resolution will
be forwarded 10 the editor OF the
DROPPED BOULDER ON GREEK.
KALAMAZOO. Mich, Dec. i3~-it
- - tN.srd aN