The Penn's Grove record., 1914-02-06

ray.
The school is and probably all.
ways will be the subject Of discussion
and criticism. The average man
thinks Of it as it was when he was
a boy aud views with suspicion and
prejudice any changes which have
taken place. 10 some the little red
school house is still the ideal and
they point to it as a place where many
men OF prominence received their
early training. They forget that the
majority of schools were such schools
in the early days of the republic and
that many OF those to whom with pride
they point as the product of such
schools were men of inherent ability
who would have attained eminence if
they had never attended any school.
During the past few years the most
frequent subject of criticism has been
the expense. In rural districts the
criticism has become 60 pronounced
that during the recent campaign some
candidates were required to express their
views about expenses and the d~esirability
of depriving State officials of any power
to prescribe standards in school matters.
Bitter resentment has been expressed in
some localities at all attempts to secure
safe and sanitary buildings for children
and a living wage for the teacher. 1t is
not only in the rural districts that the
charge is made that public education is
too costly, but such criticism at times
emanates from cities and occasionally
from those drawing from the public far
better salaries than teachers in return for
which they attempt work for which they
have never been trained, for which they
are in no way equipped and to the per-
formance of which many of them give but
a small fraction of their time. From
time to time it is suggested that taxes are
too high; that there are too many leeches
on the body politic; that too many sin
ecures exist: that those who receive sub
stantial salaries from the public should
devote their entire time to the perform
ance OF their duties; that men should not
be selected for public positions solely be-
cause OF political prominence or influence
and that all public servants should work
as long and zealously each day as those
of the business world do. What is the
effect of such suggestions? Invariably an
attempt is made to divert the attention OF
the public. At times attention is called
to the public school system. We are told
that its expenses are enormous; that they
are rapidly increasing and that some
thing must be done to reduce the annual
expense, or in any event to stop further
increase.
Nothing is said about the fact that the
population is rapidly increasing nor
about the demands for %tireproof school
buildings whenever there is a serious loss
OF life in any fire. No a~llusion is made
to the fact that daily more and more is
demanded from the schools. The public
no longer is satisfied with training suited
to a child with natural intellectual abili-
ty-the child who loves books. Demand
is made that those who dislike books aud
who take more naturally to hand pur-
suits should be given suitable training.
Silence is also maintained by those Who
say education is too expensive, about the
fact that the fact that the public de-
mands that schools shall be conducted SO
that the sight of health shall not be i'm
paired or by a disregard of the laws of
sanitation and hygiene.
Those who c~riticise the expense of
erecting buildings and compare such ex-
pense with that of ten or fifteen or
twenty years ago ignore the fact that
since 1900 the wages of carpenters,
painters, bricklayers and others have in
creased that during the same period the
increase i'll the wholesale cost of building
material has been about thirty-two per
cent. Aside from the fact that every year
there is an increasing demand for safe
and sanitary school buildings, it is a fact
that the cost OF erecting a school building
at the present time ranges from twenty
five to fifty per cent. more than the cost
OF erecting the very same kind OF a build
ing in 1900.
1t is, however, the annual general
expense of the schools which receive
the most criticism. This criticism
when closely analysed is a criticism of
teachers salaries. The chief item in
the annual expenditure is tile amount
paid TO superintendent, principals and
teachers. That fact permits of no argu.
ment and yet how many of those who
criticise the annual expense bear it in
mind. Excluding amounts spent for
building purposes the annual expendi-
ture for school purposes is now approx
imately SIS, 1000, 900 a year. T~wo-thirds
OF this amount, ]. e. $40, 000, 900. is paid
for teachers salaries.
Last year there were 1882 teachers
in the State, and this year there are
about $4,000. What does this mean {?
1t means that the annual salary paid
to superintendent, principals, and
teachers is materially less than $1,000
a year. 1t means that if we excluded
the cost of fuel, of text books, Of sup
plies, OF janitors' salaries, and of the
many miscellaneous items making up
the general school expense and devoted
the entire 5000, 600 to payment of
teachers salaries, the average would be
only about $1,000 a year. To police
men. to fremen, and to thousands Of
clerks and others engaged solely in the
protection of property $1,000 or more
per year is willingly paid. and the
charge is constantly heard that it is not
a living wage, while to teachers 3 a
ed i'll the development of the nation's