The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-11-29
In Service of Elementary Schools
Thousands Of Others In Col
leees and High
Schools.
NATIONS NECESSITIES
They Are Doing the Work That Men
Used to do-Have to Han
die All Sorts OF
Problems.

More than half a million women
are enrolled this month in the service
Of the elementary public schools OF
the United States. Thousands OF 9th
ers are connected with high schools
private schools, colleges and univer
stiles, in addition to the increasingly
large number who are acting as
state, county or city superintendent
or supervisors of some particular
branch of study.
The schoolma'am is no longer re.
stricted to the lower grades; she has
taken her place in the highest execu'
tive and university circles. She is
doing efficiently much Of the work
that was done by men a few years
ago. Each year increases her num-
bers. and despite her low average
earnings the two highest public
school salaries paid in the United
States go to women.
Women in most states have few
civic rights. but they are everywhere
invested with the sacred responsible
ity of training men to meet their civic
duties. More than 80 percent of the
school children of this country re-
ceiye all their education from women
In New York 90 percent Of the boys
never come in contact with man
teacher. Frequently whatever prin
ciples of manhood, patriotism and
honor they possess have been given
them by the woman teachers of the
lower grades.
The percentage Of children in g
closely populated city who advance
to high school. or even complete the
gram mar grades, is relatively small
1t is smaller for boys than 1t is fol
girls. One reason for the increasing
preponderance of woman teachers is
the larger number of girls who re
main In school long enough to re
ceive the qualifying education. 1t Is
typical of American chivalry that
when father is unable to educate
all of his children he keeps his girls
in school. The boys go to work. Al
opposite course is likely to be pur
sued in Europe.
The New York high school gradu
ates five girls for every. three boys
In Chicago two girls graduate fo
each boy. In Philadelphia The pro
portion is even greater because VI tn
great commercial high school. exclu
siyely for girls, viii IN turns OH
yearly 400 graduates.
The Philadelphia board Of cduca
ton established a school Of redagos,
for boys as a rival to IT'S magnificent
normal school for girls in the hny.e
that 1t would attract more young
men to the teachers profession. Rot
withstanding the fact that The vounf
pedagogues start with 4 considerably
higher salary than The girls from The
normal salary, the scho una ANS IN
the Quaker city ar, still increasing
and few of them a"e receiving saba
ries closely approaching thuee patti Il
men.
The charm of infinite variety at
taches itself to the school ma'am tt
a greater degree than my Other
class OF women. AS whuie. she is
attractive. wholesome and well bred
The antiquated female of the ole
fashioned school, with her bunch OF
switches and general ignorance, has
nothing in common with the woman
teacher of today, who has beer
trained scientifically for her work
She has finished course of study
that is broad and far reaching. II
covers ethics and economics as vel
as the regular grade studies.