Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-06

much care, not after a few DAYS, but
after a few weeks or a few months.
1t has been long time in the consid-
Grafton of that department at the head
of which, as the gentleman from Beth
ell chr. Bowler) said, we have a man
TO be proud of, a man who is recog-
nized throughout the country in edu-
cational circles as leader. And
wouldn't you rather entrust the GER
tifcation of teachers in your town. the
rural towns especially, to the guidance
of such a hand?
As it is now, in the rural towns they
get along as cheaply as they can.
Some child, who is a little brighter
than her school mates. is invited to
teach the school and she leaves her
classes and turns around and faces
the scholars and goes to teaching when
she should be at the desk as a pupil
for two years longer or four years long
er: and when she comes before these
rural boards for examination she gets
about as much of an examination as
she would if they had simply asked
her. How old is ANN" That is to say,
she gets no examination at all. The
gentleman from China (Mr Jones)
seems to think and tries, to make you
think that this is something against
the rural school. Why, bless YOU, the
whole inception of the thing is in ia
Vor of the rural schools. in favor of
the country towns rather than i'm favor
of the city schools. In the city schools
their teachers are sufficiently educated
and sufficiently examined. and it is
just simply to help out the country
towns.
Someone has introduced a bill for n
minimum wage, but | claim it is too
early now for a minimum wage. These
rural teachers are getting all they are
worth today; YOU don't want to raise
their salary because they are not worth
It, and they are not worth what they
are getting in many and many of these
country schools. For what reason do YOU
want 10 make a minimum wage for these
teachers who are not worth their salt ?
First get this bill through and let 1t be
in operation for a series. of wears until
we have gotten teachers who are worth
more pay, and then we will put in a bill
providing Tor minimum wage. Let us
not get the cart before the horse
This does not come on suddenly. as you
will see by the bill. upon the towns be-
fore they are prepared for it The bill
provides for future application of its
provisions so that We can get ready for
it. 1t provides that teachers already in
service can keep on. so that it shall nor
be hardship to these country towns.
Now, as has been said, the State of
Maine is pouring out money in vast
quantities to educate the children OF
these country schools. and will Won have
it wasted as it is being wasted now ar
will you put some kind of a test npon
it, 50 that it can be spent wisely and 50
that we can get value for the dollars we
are putting out You wouldn't have 10
come here to Augusta as the gentleman
from emma chr. jones' implies, You
wouldn't have to come TO the State SUI
perintendent 10 get your examination, Ia
get your state certificate. but you could
take those examinations in the rural
towns, and the examinations there will
be before the local boards. but they
should be examinations such as are ex-
aminations and not farce of an exam
ination such as We have been having.
(Applause1
Mr.. 0aCONNELL of Milford: Nj.
Speaker, ! merely wish to speak in re-
gard to section five of this biII4 Some OF
my constituents have mentioned ti.e mat
ter to me and have asked me 10 oppose
IT. This section mentions. cities. towns
and plantations in this state. : There is
a question whether a school In 4 speanf.a-
ton can be handled the same as a scnool
IN city In some of the plantations
they have schools with only four or sfve
pupils; it is a State school and they
draw state money. Where are you going
to get a teacher who has passed an ex-
animation and who has a State eertif-
cate. who win go into town or planta-
ton with just a few pupils and with a
school which is kept open for, only three
months of the year?
There are girls who have been tn High
school three Years and who during THEN
vacations go TO these plantations and
teach, and they are glad to get them in
the plantations. and they are recommends
ed by the principals of the High school.
and they are glad to get them from the
fact that they cannot get anybody else
Nobody knows better how to control the
schools in the small towns than the
school board of that town. There may he
some members of the school board who
are not qualified. but the voters have an
opportunity to discover that fact When
you stop and think of 600 cities. towns
and plantations in this State, the teacher
who passes an examination for State
certificate is not going in there to those
plantations for three, four or FIVE dol.
lars week, and the teacher is not going
to have a State certificate for four OF
five little children. j should almost IA.
for this bill being referred back to the
committee That word "plantations
does not belong in that bill You cannot
handle plantations and cities and handle
them alike. You already have a bill in.
troduced in this House that saws this
school mill tax shall be apportioned by
the attendance of your scholars and not
be the number of scholars in the town
1t is not an equalization of the school tax
and when you leave that word "planta.
tons in there it is an injustice I have
nothing to say in regard to the require.
ments of the school committee; have
nothing to say about our State superin.
tendent of schools, but there is no ont
man in this State who can control al
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