The Washington times., 1918-12-11
Give the Teachers Fair Pay,
They have charge of the brains of your childrenpay
them much you pay the man who has
charge of your automobile.

SStH4SASN
the superintendent Washngons schools made appeal
for decent scale of wages for the teachers of this city
MIR. Thurston pointed out that present conditions
continue certain schools will have to be closed because of
q lack of instructors.
There is no class of public servants not only in Wash
ngton but all the country who grossly under
paid as the teachers of public schools.
We commit to their the minds of tse country s
children the nations most precious possession and refuse
to pay them much pay chaueurs our cooks
The public school teacher is the Christopher Columbus
of the intellect In the millions of unexpored brains among
the school children of this country there is wealth far
ceedng the material wealth Of the continent that Columbus
The teachers themselves scarcely appreciate the great
opportunity, the overwhelming Importance of their work
Their minds are on results not on sef-appreciation
This is the first century of universal reading; the first
time all the centuries of human life that the use of the
brain has become universal through education
In the generations past men have learned to their
fingers their bows and arrows spears oxcar locomotives
bicycles wireless telegraph etc. They have conquered
Of the powers Of Nature.
But among the great mass of the people the greatest
natural force Of ALL the force of the BRAIN has been
lected.
Those electricians and mechanics who harnessed
Niagara were like children playing with paper wndmis
when compared the American public school teacher who
is Harvesting the brain of this nation.
In that brain lies the power that is going to do the
great work. the work for which the world has been waiting
through the centurieshe work of emancipation from
poverty from industrial slavery and all the other
that follow in the wake of ignorance.
The editor who can talk to thousands or millions of
men is inclined to think himself important.
But the editor Is small In influence compared with the
school teaching force.
Editors write for the grown up today that
passing from the they themselves passing
The teacher talks to the generation of the future
forms that generation A NEW TREE.
The editor only trims the branches of old treethat
has seen its best days
Behind each of the teachers of America ones magna
ton stretching out long line of hundreds, and even
thousands of children That long and mighty line of the
future the real hope of the present For who would
to i've or feel his living earned if he were not trying
make the future days better for future men, those behind
him struggled to make THIS day better for US?
The American school teacher is the great American
thought manufacturer Into his her hands the
thousands of young minds that need direction and guild
ance that by proper teaching capable of almost
limited development.
The school teachers calls for great unsefsh
ness REAL devotion to duty
The world has not realized yet what due to children
and what is due to those who teach children.
The man at the head of court is gladly paid thou
sands OF dollars year for ning and mprisoning unfor
REFUSE OF THE WORLD.
The in the court Of education the man who is
fighting drunkenness IN THE FUTURE, fighting crime
and building the nation of the future is grudgngy paid
fifth tenth of the reward that goes cheerfuy to men
doing work infinitely less worthy.
The teacher is unselsh those coral insects that
work deep in the deep blue sea- slowly patiently raising
an island glorious addition to the world they
:. The teachers are patiently building up better state
EXCEPT sSsy 1R Rs19 ReGp IS NO
The school teacher is the enemy of superstition of
ignorance, OF ALL THE SPIRITUAL FOES OF MAN
KIND.
We speak patrOnizngly of the dark ages, BUT
THESE ARE THE DARK AGES. And the teachers are
the light bearers the ucrs FREE from pride doing their
great work OF the future In self f-abnegation.
Teachers not only important in America because
they educate the children, BUT ALSO IMPORTANT BE
CAUSE THEY EDUCATE THE PARENTS OF THE
CHILDREN
When the public school shall have existed for can
tury all the parents of the country will be TEACH
ERS and the labor of the school teacher will be greatly
lghtened
But today, in many homes where poverty spells
ignorance, IT Is THE CHILDREN THAT TEACH THE
FATHER AND THE MOTHER THE AMERICAN IDEA
THE SCIENTIFIC FACT. THE SIMPLE ARITHMET.
ICAL PROCESS, OR EVEN THE FUNDAMENTAL
ART OF READING. The children the teachers of the