The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1918-10-24

not merely TO the Ceacner, but TO
the citizens and the country.
Until local committees realize
the cituation and the imperative
need of actio nit may we'll be that
state authority must be invoked.
A perfectly practical suggestion
which is worthy Of careful con-
sideration is that the state should
enact q minimum wage law for
teachers, grading the salary on
the kind Of service rendered but
also If possible allowing room for
varying the salary according to
the individual ability of the teach
Ell" The Outlook.
I'VE are glad to see the growing
recognition of the fact that some
thing must be done to increase
teachers salaries, and yet not de-
crease school terms. As we have
frequently pointed out, in the av-
erage school district the tax as
sessments have not been increas-
ed since the present era of high
prices began. Consequently,
there are no more dollars than
formerly for the school fund,
whereas the purchasing power of
dollar has. decreased fifty per
cent. AS one high school teacher,
a college graduate with fourteen
years experience, writes Us:
my salary is $1,000 a year,
which is above tn; average for
the state. House rent is $50;
wood, coal and laundry bill over
500. Allow $50 for church and
charitable contributions and |
have only 800 left. | have five in
family, which gives to each S14G,
which is less than 1t cakes to feed
and clothe prisoner in the state
prison, or in tie chain gang. One
suit of clothes, l pal. of shoes. a
hat, an overcoat, and half of nv
share is gone at once. NV salary
last year lacked over 5000 Of
meeting my expenses. The fact is
that while tho country is enjoying
the greatest season Of prosperity
the state has ever seen, a teach
er's salary, Chat is, his purchas-
, ing power) is just half what it
was three years ago. A man with
no family may stem the tide, but
one with family mu &c seek other
work. There is shortage of suit.
able teachers now, and it will be
much worse next year ."--Iha Pro-
gressive Farmer.
Even before the war :vanced
prices;-it was stated on the author
lty OF so eminent student as Dr.
Charles w. Eliot tina. our nation
al drink bill amounted to $4,000
600 q yea, while for tobacco we
sepnt $1,000, 100000 a year. In
other words, the United States
spends for tobacco twice as much
as she spends for public schools.
Here in the South where we prob
ably spend as much for tobacco as
other sections, and only spend a.
bout half as much for public
schools as other sections spe nd,
schools as other sections spend. it
is probably safe enough to say
that we spend three or four times
as much for tobacco as we spend
for educating our boys and girls"
What's your average rural
school term in Kansas we asked
a progressive wide awake Kansas
farmer we met the other day. And
then he told us that every neigh
borhood in rural Kansas consid-
ers it it's duty to maintain an g.
months term for training the
brains of its boys and girls-the
best asset any community has, and
one for which it's citizens should
be willing to make the greatest
sacrifices"
"Then the Kansas farmer asked
us about the average school term
we give Southern boys and girls,
and we told him rather shame
facedly-only to have him fire the
point-blank question at us, "Why
don't you give your children long
er terms What we told him. we
don't now recall. Our rule in talk
ing to Northerners and Western
ers is to try to excuse the South's
shortcomings, and in talking to
Southerners to try to point out
these shortcomings. But certain
~ we couldn't answer that the
South is too poor to provide bet
ter schools. How could we plead
poverty, when we spend two or
four times as much for tobacco as
1--WE spend for Education ?"-Pro-
gressive Farmer.
Sylvester McLaurin is at home
from Marion Military Institute to-
spend a while.