New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-03-17
EQUAL PAY KILLED
BOARD or EDUCATION
DOH'NS RESOLUTION.
Big Gallery of Women Clasps
as Three of T'hsir O1cn Ser
g'Otc NO.

petitions like leaves before the NoVeh-
ber winds. met staggering blow in the
hall Of the Board OF Education yester-
day, when the board. by vote of is to
23. rejected a resolution which was pre-
sented by Arthur s Somers. the cham
piOn of the women teachers. and then by
a viva vOce vote discharged the bylaws
committee from further consideration Of
the subject Both sides look upon the
decision as wellnigh final. for both had
urged that the problem be settled once
for all at yesterdays meeting. which
was a special one called to discuss the
subject Of the four women members of
the board three voted against the cause
Of the women teachers.
The session was a lively one A fiut-
teTing gallery betrayed its interest in the
dOings Of the men on the floor. often
breaking into comment loud enough to-
bring the chairmsn's gavel into play.
Three men held three places Of complete
isolation in the gallery; for the rest. it
was filled 10 the doors with keen faced
women. hundred more women filled
the standing room on the floor at the
rear of the hall. Nearly every member
Of the board was in his place.
A. S, sonners Raises Question.
A plump. Official looking pamphlet in
green covers introduced the question
From an imposing bulk of schedules.
bills. letters. veto messages and the like,
an industrious observer was to gather
that a committee OF the board had re-
ported unfavorably to the petition Of the
InterbOrOugh Association Of Women
Teachers. who ask that a given post and
time of service call for a given salary.
regardless Of the sex Of the incumbent
Arthur 5. SOmers had opposed this re-
port. and offered a substitute directing
the committee To reconsider. to prepare
schedule for paying men and women
alike, and declaring the board as a whole
in favor of the teachers contention A
vote had already been postponed from
an earlier meeting 20 allow Mr. SOmers
10 attend in person.
There was a rustic in the gallery when
Mr. SOmers rose To- speak. and now and
then whisper Of applause would greet
an especially telling point. His argu-
ment was that which has been rehearsed
on other occasions. II was not expected.
indeed, that the debate would develop
any novelties Of logic.
In very different temper the gallery
greeted Abraham Stern. whom the teach
ers regard as their arch foe. When he
said. 1t has been mistakenly charged
that this board don't like women girl
with a trailing green feather in her hat
leaned over the gallery rail TO shake a
slender gloved fist at him The laugh
that ran over the crowd was not more
than half laugh of amusement.
\ Il agree" said Mr. stern. that there
are crying injustices in the salary sched-
ule as il is now arranged. We are going
JefOre the Board of Estimate and Appor-
tiOnment to ask for S}.OOO,OOO or 81. .OOO. =
OOO TO de- away with these discrepancies.
\ The cost OF equalizing the pay Of men
and women would not be less than S7.-
OOOOO0 if justice We're done 10 every one.
And that charge will grow with every
year, as the system grew
Frederic X. Coudert believed il was
a question Of principle only. and that
the answer depended on whether the
classification of men teachers as diff
ferent from women teachers were oT
: were not just distinction. lie drew
the conclusion that it was. and SO de-
clared against the resolution. Ex-Con-
trOller Metz said explicitly that the
board was not discussing principles OF
sentiment or anything else hat how to do
the city's business" His voice, too. was
against the resolution.
). No Applause for Junior Member.
The junior member of the board. John
/ Martin. made his maiden speech. and
/ drew down on himself the concerted
wrath of the gallery.
> Equal pay for equal work. forsooth'
, Equal pay for equal work. indeed" he
, said. Nothing could be further from
giving equal pay for equal work than
the proposed pay schedules of the Inter
borough Teachers Association. Instead
they provide equal pay for equal age
That is preposterous. one teacher NAV
be young, energetic. hopeful Another
may be old. morose. pestered with bad
husband. Yet the younger woman. who
may be doing the better work. is com
PEELED 10 receive the smaller paw. In
any such system there would surely be q
number Of old derelicts who would be OF
inferior ability and high salary"
Mr.. SOmeTs called at last for an ave
and no vote on his resolution. after he
had urged his hearers again to disregard
the money the plan would cost as "A
mere drop i'm the bucket" considering
that the city budget is SlGO.OoO.O0O The
first three votes east were negative. and
AZ no time did il seem al all likely that
the wOmens cause could win.
When the name Of Miss Leventritt. the
first of the four women members, was
read from the desk there was a notice
able stiffness i'm the room Miss Leven-
tritt. taking her time. repSed firmly
No" A sound. between "A gasp and a
sob. went up from the back Of the room
, 4 like sigh was hcaved for Mrs. Alice
Lee Post and another for Mrs Helen e.
j Robbins When Mrs Christine Towns
responded with "A quiet Yes there wa.
y q sound of surprised breath taking and
y a rattle of applause. which the chairman
u stopped with his gaveL once the result
had been announced il was quickly vote6
20 accept the report for which Mr. Som
d ers's resolution had been offered as q
n substitut'.