Evening star., 1918-02-19
OUTLINES EFFORTS
: FOR HIGHER WAGES
Board of Education Meets
Early to Discuss Increases
for Teachers.
BILL TO BE UP TOMORROW


The board of education will throw
its full support into the fight for in
creased pay for teachers in the public
schools of the District Of Columbia
This was indicated by the fact that
yesterdays special meeting of the
board in the Franklin School was call
ed two days in advance of the regular
date to talk over present wage scale
increases and those urged in the reg
ular District appropriation bill.
The bill will come up before the
House appropriations committee again
tomorrow George F. Hamilton. acting
president of the board, DIR. II. Barnett
Learned and supt Thurston probably
will appear TO speak for increased
salaries for teachers.
That the board is sQuarely behind the
teachers in their fight for living wage
is indicated by the statement of one of
the members. who said:
Present salaries paid teachers in the
public schools are entirely too low.
We cannot expect to keep highly train
ed. competent women in the schools at
salaries of $3.50 to $500 per annum. when
thousands of inexperienced. unframed
girls are coming here at government
expense to accept positions at $1,000 to
S1.Soo.
Living conditions have risen enor-
mously within the past three years. and
have hit no class of workers harder
than the school teachers. 1t is our duty
to help them in their fight for wage in
~
Appeal From DR.. Van schaick.
Appeal for the board to aid the
in their fight for higher salaries is
contained in a letter received yester-
day from Rev. John p. Van Schaick jr..
president of the board. to Acting Presi-
dent Hamilton. Or. Van Schaick is act
ing Red Cross commissioner for Bel
gium and has been with the Red Cross
in that country since early in 1917. DIR.
Van Schaick says:
What I have seen over here has
deepened my conviction that we must
magnify the human element in educa-
ton and pay less attention to the
physical or building side of it. We
must drive harder for a better paid
teaching force, SO that Indianapolis
and Minneapolis. New York and Bos-
ton cannot draw away the people whom
we need the most.
"In fact, some of the teaching blood
and idealism of every part of our coun-
try ought to be drawn into the schools
of Washington. For the sake of the
children we must get away from the
idea that these places in the public
schools are jobs to which everybody
once appointed has an inalienable right.
We must tackle this problem from the
two sides of paying our people enough.
so we get the best and keep the best,
nut a the same time fearlessly put out
the mediocre as well as the incompe-
tent. 1t means pain and turmoil to do
il. but when the people understand that
we have neither axes to grind nor any
grudges to pay and that we are in
spired by the love of the thing which is
all compelling. then they will be with
US.
Thinks of One Little School.
II think of one little school in bar
racks and sheds situated within four
miles of the German guns. The shells
go over 1T every day and one of the
to jeer at German aeroplanes They
seem absolutely devoid of fear. In
these rough, dangerous, surroundings,
a splendid work is being done because
they have a group of devoted teachers
who believe the thing and are willing
to endure hardships for the cause.
believe that our teachers in Washing
ton as a whole are of this caliber.
Il hope that we will keep up German
and push hard on the study of French
italian and Spanish and get some of our
boys and girls to take up Russian, Chi
nese and Japanese.
Il want to get all the modern ap-
paratus and helps and buildings that
we need. but / want first of all to in
sist that our way of advance lies along
the way of cheering and Strengthening
the personnel.
My dear colleagues. you know these
IN MAJ r to1y
convictions are not mine as much as
they are yours. / also know something
about the enormous practical difficult
ties which you are facing You are
wondering how to make new schools
without teachers, and 1 am wondering
now to make new barracks without
wood We are all up against it in this
war and We have just got to push on
That the United States never went
to war in a more just or righteous
cause is the statement of Dr. Van
Schaick in his letter
Just and Righteous Cause.
"Just as strongly do I put it to the
boys and girls that never was a time
when the United States went to war in
a more just and righteous cause The
addresses of our President on this
subject put the thing on plane where
IT ought to be put. / believe that
theSe addresses should be studied in
our classes of civics and literature.
I do not believe that anybody will OBJ
ject on partisan grounds because the
President happens to be a member of
the democratic party. He is the Presi-
dent and not a party man in this war
II is holy war and calls for the best
we can offer
The other thing is that we ought to
be very careful about the lies circulated
concerning nations and races. Gener-
ally such lies are born in ignorance
and fear In Washington we have a
better chance than anywhere else to
train our boys and girls in respect for
national customs and characteristics
different than our own. We do not have
to hate the French with their mar
velous spirit because we love the Eng
1ish with their bulldog determination.
We need both things
Yesterdays public session of the board
was one of the shortest on record. The
secretary read the report of the super
intendent asking the use of the Central
High School auditorium for three meet
ings and motion to adjourn was i'm
mediately carried. The executive ses-
sion behind closed doors lasted two
hours and forty minutes.
Permission was granted by the board
to the trustees of George Washington
University to hold its June commence
ment exercises in the auditorium of
Central High School and to the United
4-t 49,