Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-11-17
coHDEMHrNa TEACHERS AND
PATRONS.


The subject of teachers and their
boarding places is one that has been 4
problem ever since there has been a pub
. lie school and / suspect IT Will always
. be one as long as the eachers are 50
poorly paid. one reason that more mea
are not In this noble profession is that
they cannot make the living for them
selves and their families that their edu-
cation and talents demand-they come
out OF college full of enthusiasm and go
/ into their first school determined TO do
great work But they must dress as well
as their patrons or the school will be
ashamed OF them. they must give to the
various enterprises connected with the
school and the churches about them, they
also have obligations in connection VITA
the church that they belong 10, and In
many cases there Is some loved one TO
assist. II the salary was a steady one
no vacation TO be provided for, there
would be more chances for the teacher
The merchant OF farmer would think a
man crazy to shut up his store three
months in the year. but that is what Is
expected Of teachers. Yes, l often hear
people say that they may walk right out
Of one school into another, but II can't
be done. There are few schools that DO
not start in September or October and
run at least six months, and the better
class OF observation-disclosures "AhN ONCh AOhSSA
terms than that. and II teacher should
finish a school and walks right into an
other there is expense attached I" the
move.
A teachers education costs years OF
time and hundreds Of dollars. yet there
are some people so narrow. and generally
so ignorant as to think their time should
be paid for on the same basis as the day
laborer. and labor unions see that their
members have better wages than the
best paid teacher In the average public
school.
Men getting four, ave and six dollars
day would give one gasp and drop
dead at the suggestion that the teachers
salary should equal the stone mason,
he engineer or the men In the black
smith shops not to mention the owner Of
farms and stores. Brains and their cul-
tivation count for nothing with some
people whose children are going 10
school Such parents seem to think that
the teacher. OF any one doing menta!
work. has an easy place. Manual labor
s their only idea Of real work, and
am in a position to tell you that
| wouldn't be in the place or any teacher In
these United States. man or woman
/ In an office has one person. as rule TO
nlease so far as the rules are concerned.
farmer has nobody ignores the city
sometimesl and the merchant puts a
price on his goods and you take them or
leave them. he'd rather you'd leave them
/ II you are poor pay, but every child has
| the privilege of going home and telling
| tales" sometimes even the teachers
| good name suffers. The parents criticise
the teacher in the pupils presence and
:har lowers the teachers influence for
ever after that.
II makes me sick to hear men and
women who had about three months In
school crIticizing. nnding faults with
methods that have been worked out for
| all concerned by men and women who
have given their lives to the problems
Iof education. Book learning" and
book farming go hand In hand with
progress, and 20 neglect either one 10
| 20 stamp oneself as q lump OF raw ma
| terial I heard a little boy say that
/ every week he sold seven hve-cent story
papers. the most lurid sort. In fact the
sort that could not find a place In my
home as a gift. and sold one farm paper
| for two cents. Those papers constitute
the sole reading matter for those homes.
How can one expect much Of the chill
| dren that 60 from such homes7 A
| teacher knows in a weeks time just
| exactly the influences in the homes OF
every one OF the pupils and farmers
that sneer at agricultural papers and
! scorn the help Of county agents are
the sort that run on a credit and are
literally owned by the man that sup
plies them.
This Is a plain talk, and one that is
delivered with nothing but facts back
OF IL. I've gone through this life with
my eyes and ears open. and one OF the
strongest factors in my mental make up
mas been, as the phrenologist call II.
''eventuality"-to look for the cause of
every overland the thoughts / am
giving you today I've seen worked out
hundreds Of times.
This chat is getting over long. but
must pay tribute to Darlina Bells fair
statement of facts about the woman In
the house as well as the teachers side
of boarding. Girls are a Joy to me.
have had some In my home ever since
I've had one Of my own. and my mother
generally had some one to mother be-
side her own children. don't think
that more than two OF all who have been
under my roof have betrayed the trust,
or in other words failed to appreciate
the fact that / did every thing pos
sible TO make them comfortable and
charged them as little as possible.
owned my home IN Atlanta and a pro
rata OF the actual expenses were all
expected OF them. The two exceptions
were two who 1 took at greatly re-
duced rates and tried to lift up into
better positions.
II / have been told OF cases very diff
ferent. and / know . case where .
! woman was asked to deduct every meal
taken elsewhere. yet that boarder often
brought In company that required more
attention than the lady of the house
could really give.
Not only are many farm houses small
and inconvenient. but the most pleasant
person on earth has q longing some time
to be alone. and II 10 hard for the
teacher TO have little children demand
ing attention when mind and body cries
for relaxation. Many mothers get the
idea that theirs are the sweetest and
most entertaining children on earth,
and would resent q teachers going into
her room and locking the door. she
shouldn't have TO do such q thing for
her room should be hers IT least one
hour after she comes In no matter who