Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-12-31
BELIEVE TEACHERS.
WOULD GET RAISE
Many Educators Think Con-
gress Ready to Grant In
crease in Salaries.


lieve that when a request for an in.
crease in the salaries of teachers Of the
public schools of the District of Colum.
bia Is laid before Congress. a large
number of members will support 1t
They say that teachers of Washington
have numerous friends in Congress. q
large number of whom are favorably
disposed toward them. Considerable
pleasure has been aroused through the
expressions of opinion from members
gressional debates.
Interest has conferred particularly
around Representative Cooper of Wis
consin and Representative Heating OF
Colorado who in a recent debate on the
proposition of raising the pay OF en-
ployes of the District government, ad-
vocated that the salaries OF teachers
in the public schools also should be In
creased.
Speaking Of the salaries Of the teach
ers following an explanation by Rep
resentative Page of North Carolina
that the teachers receive certain sum
for each additional year of service In
their respective class in addition to the
basic salary of that class. Representa-
tive Cooper said, in part:
IF the teacher be appointed into the
public school system of the District of
Columbia at a salary of $500-and there
are some In the service at that rate
they have to work one year before re-
ceiving the increase of SIS tper an
num). What are they to do on $500 a
year in Washington in order to live as
teachers ought to live when prices are
as high as they are? Government en-
ployes getting $3.50 or $500 in this city
But school teachers working for only
$500 year are to receive no increase
during the year. because during the
next year they will get SIS more. The
AA> AA~A l. ~ i
receive during the first year is only
$500. while other employees receiving
$3.50 will receive an increase Of 10 per
cent. or SIS.
Perhaps all the district school teach
ers In my district do not receive wages
as large as that; but you know, you
that have investigated the educational
problem within recent years-you know
some portions of New England. people
are as rapidly as possible giving up the
district schools with their poorly paid
teachers-poorly paid because the tax
payers OF the little school districts
and replacing them by larger, better
schools. grade schools, having better
courses Of instruction and better paid
teachers-better paid because the money
to pay them comes from the taxpayers
Of new districts. each made by combin-
ing a number OF smaller ones. And
they are buying automobiles and carry
ing the children over these enlarged
districts to these fine grade schools
which have taken the place of the little
district schools
ITO show that my estimate of the i'm
portance Of the business of the teacher
In this country is not too high, I call
attention to what was said on this sub
ject years ago by William Ellery Chan
ming:
Importance Of Child TrGninE.
The dignity of the vocation of a
teacher IL beginning to be understood;
the idea Is dawning on US that no office
can compare In solemnity and import
ance with that of training the child
that skill to form the young to energy,
knowledge of all other arts and
sciences: and that. of consequence, the
encouragement Of excellent teachers is
the nrst duty which community owes
and must make its way. The
whole worth of a school lies in the
teacher. You may accumulate the most
expensive apparatus for instruction, but
without an intellectual, gifted teacher
1t 10 little better than rubbish, and such
q teacher without apparatus may effect
the happiest results.
"what we want is a race of teach
ers acquainted with the philosophy of
shall respect human nature in the child
and strive to touch and gently bring
out its best powers and sympathies. and
who shall devote themselves to this as
the great end Of life. This good, trust,
10 to come, but it come slowly.
This good requires that education shall
be recognised by the community as its
highest interest and duty. II requires
that the instructors Of youth shall take
precedence of the money-getting class.
and that the woman of fashion shall
fall behind the female teacher
"strong Words and True"
Those are strong words and true.
I'VE should measure the importance
Of the vocation of teacher in our
public schools not by the amount
wages which little school districts in
some of the rural portions OF the coun-
try are able to pay. but solely by the
nature Of the calling: by the fact that
teachers take children when they are
In the impressionable. habit-forEaing
age. And nothing Is truer than the
saying that habit is cable. We
weave a strand a day and at last 1t be-
comes 80 strong that we cannot break
it.
'Teching school Is a noble profession.
Teachers ought to be persons of high
character. of education. OF intelligence,
OF soul. who realize the nature OF their
exalted calling, and to require those
competent to do work of such ire
nenduous Importance to US as a nation
to receive wages that AFFORD only q
bare livelihood is to me indefensibles"
Representative Heating declared
that the teachers of Washington are
mot even paid the standard wages"
He said this IN answer to q statement
to the effect that Washington teachers
are the best paid in the country.
The abatement that teachers e
District are better paid than teachers
anywhere else in the country cannot
be sustained by an examination of the
facts" he said. IF given the oppor-
tunity here of discussing the matter
we will present all kinds of testimony
to show they are not the best paid
teachers in the country, that they are