The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-11-29
STEARNES RESENTS
Williams ATTACK
ON NORMAL SCHOOLS
Says the AttorneylGe Who
Aided in Auditing Books
Should Know What Was
Done With Money.
Loath to Believe He Mis-
quoted Correctly---Legislative
Appropriation Entirely Too
Small For Conduct of Five
Normal Schools.

Especial to The Richmond Virginian.)
LYNCHBURG, VA, Nov. 2s.--An
interview with Attorney-GeneFal
Samuel w, Williams, which appeared
in the Richmond Evening journal on
November 27th, was shown to state
Superintendent X. G. Stearnes TO-DAY
and he was asked to make "a statement
concerning the implied charges con-
tanned IN tina publication.
MIR. Stearnes reply was clear ana
TO the point. 1T Is true. said ne,
THAT The legislature of Virginia APP
propriated only $4,000 Ter summer
schools. The legislature did this,
however. with a full knowledge Of the
fact that such an amount Was insult
ficient to conduct these nineteen or
twenty summer schools and meet AL
necessary expenses without Charging
tuition Eighteen thousand dollars
will not provide adequate summer
school facilities for 4.soo feac heFs-
Contributions Helped
ITO make The burden on the teach
ers as light as possible. inoiviauai
towns, counties and even sfe schools
at which the summer sessions were
held. were asked to contribute. Anu
thi was done most generously.
The University OF Virginia in par
ticular contributed literally ana al
lowed tho use of Its buildings ana
grounds without cost This institution
decided even 10 open It's 3ormitorles,
which had 10 be prepared for oc~
ctIpancy by the ladies. Such prepar-
alton entailed considerable expense
and although the University received
no benefit from the use or the DOR
uitortes II generously turned over 10
tha summer school all of The net pro-
,,eeds az the small rental charged
NJ benefited TIA t1a1Aa1a
IT, ,va WAYS They secured cheaper
lodging than could have teen obtain
ed m rrivate boarding houses and the
contribution to general expenses
s.rvet, 10 lower the rate OF tuition
None required To Attend.
"Ne teacher In Virginia. continued
Ng. S,earnes. lis required 10 atena
!, a.yu,ner school, and how member
Of the State board or edacaeloh S"a .Is
make such statement passes my
t.ntn urehens.on The State does pro-
vide courses of most valuable train
ing y. n minimum Of cost and teach
.rs may take advantage or these
eoursrs without having 70 incur the
hardship OF going To scnooi ourlhg
their regular months OF service hut
~ 10 having ar absolute reQo1feti1en1
hat a teacher must attend summer
s. xrsanI .here Ia nothing of the kind
in our school laws.
Virginia also gives more Hnera1
recognition Of summer schoo1 "oEn
probably than any other state IN the
Union. he who pictures a Virginia
teacher as spending under the pfeset'
wNeulations one-fourth OF ner salary
fa~ summer school attendance pre-
GENTS All extreme case 81 ah1ehSi's 'i'
the use of figures.
IAN of the educational forces or
the state are united in demanding
better pay for teachers, but those
best advised will not counsel the
teachers to sell their birthright fof
a mess Of pottage. Instead VI having
s. remission OF the So or IS summer
school fees, which are paid every nFe
or ten years by the teachers. what
Inc teachers actually need is to have
81. $40, SEQ. $50. or even sluo. a
month added to their salaries
Il am loath to believe that the
encouragement is correctly quoted
Ia the following paragraph.
by this time 1t will be seen that
at least one-fourth the sum received
by teachers is paid out for the sum
rner schools why and who gets IT.
and for what. The people want to
know. I want to know. and am
going to find out IL / live long
enough
Williams should Know.
The Encouragement was appoint-
cd one OF a committee of three to
audit the accounts of the summer
schools. These accounts were care
fully and fully itemtzed and every
item is sustained by a proper voucher.
they show where every dollar OF
money went and for what 1t was paid
They are public records In the de
partment of public instruction.
las to the salaries paid / know OF
no principle of law that won force
teacher to spend part of his sum
ner vacation as instructor in sum-
mer school without remuneration
II fancy that my associates on tho
committee, as well as myself, resoils
the insinuation that the accounts OF
lac summer schools are superficial in
their character and that they are
handled carelessly in the department
If public instruction. And | lament
he fact that such an interview should
have been printed at time when
practically the entire educational
forces of Virginia were conferrang IN
harmony and uniting In their noble
,ndeayors for good of our schools. :
Acknowledgement Williams is out OF
he city and cannot be found for the
purpose of learning Ii he has been
correctly quoted.
Figures given in the alleged inter-
view show an aggregate or So1, 53.o
collected from teachers for tuitIot and
for board, collected from contributors
ind contributed by the State.
This Is what the report for the
years work shows An analysis OF
s.lat report. including the item of ex-
oenditures, is now being made by At
.orney-General Williams. The attor.
general takes the ground that Il
Is wrong to make the poorly paid
teachers OF Virginia pay for theil
tuition and board.
Attorney-General, Williams is quot
I'd as saying:
..But the fact is that this does mo-
represent more than half which i