Catoctin clarion., 1919-05-22
Justice For The Foster
Parents Of Our Children.
From the Literary Digest, May 10th.

From the Literary Digest, May 10th.
1t is strange that the generous-hearted
American people, who poured opt their
riches so prodigally in response to every
patriotic. every charitable appeal, and
who accorded such enthusiastic and lib
eral support to every measure and to ev-
cry group that helped win the war, SHOULD
have neglected to properly encourage and
reward the services of one of the noblest
professions in the field of human activi-
ties-a profession that in lofty ideals, in
unselfsh principles, in sacred responsible
tiles, stands side by side with the minis
try of the Gospel itself.
We wish to bespeak, with whatever
power and authority we may have and
with such words as may be granted to US,
some measure of consideration for the
foster-fathers ar mothers of our children
the school-teachers of the United States
of America.
There is no class of workers of which
we demand 50 much. We commit into
their keeping the minds, the bodies, and
the very souls of our childre' in the ten
der and formative years of their lives,
and they, receiving these children, can
indeed be said to hold in the hollow of
their hands the future of America. We
expect these devoted men and women to
watch over and care for our sons and
daughters as tho they were their very
own, to drill them in the arts and sciences,
to train them for busines and for citizen
ship, to instruct them in manners and in
morals, to do for them those things which
we would do had we the training and the
leisure.
No class has assumed so heavy, so try
ing burden and responsibility with
such willingness as these consecrated
men and women. No class has perform
ed their Increasingly heavy tasks more
devotedly, more conscientiously, and with
less thought of self. No class served
their country more ole-heartedly, more
loyalty, during the trying and tempestu-
GUS times of war, day by day pursuing
their round of duty, day by day helping
the young people, and through the chill
dren the parents, to see the struggle In
its true light, thus securing the coopera-
tion of the community in every measure
undertaken by the Government to win the
war
Truly they have made the nation their
everlasting debtors. Truly had they not
done their work so we'll this republic
would not outlast the span of genera
tion.
What then have the teachers received
at our hands in return? They have re-
ceived little of honor and somewhat less
of pay. Other classes have prospered;
other classes through powerful organiza-
tions have secured generous wages. The
teachers have no spokesman, however, to
demand even the simple justice of liv-
ing wage, so to them we give their petty
prewar pittance, so meager, so pitifully
inadequate, that it places burning brand
of shame and disgrace upon this nation.
The men and women who are making
the Americans of tomorrow are being
treated with less, consideration than the
janitors who sweep out the buildings in
which they are employed; they are earn
ing on the average, less than the wages
given to the scrubwomen employed ir
the buildings of the United States Gov
ernment. Normal-school graduates re.
ceive less salary than street-sweepers
high school principals and superintendent
less than section foreman; country school
teachers less for instructing the farmer s
children than he pays his hired man te
feed his hogs.
In certain town of Illinois, for instance
the average wages of fifteen miners fol
one month was $217, while the average
monthly salary of fifteen teachers in the
miner, who, by the way, was an enemy
alien, drew more than $2,7OO last year
while the salary of the high school prin
cipal in the same town was $765. W.
welcome with all our hearts the long be-
lated recognition that is being given tt
the man who works with his hands. We
believe that this same workingman will
be the first to join with us in asking bet
ter pay for those who teach his children
No wonder there are fifty Thousand
vacancies IN the teaching forces of th'
schools. No wonder the ranks are being
filled with weak men and with immatur,
women who merely use the profession al
a stepping g-stone to something better
No wonder there are thirty Thousand
Catarrh Cannot Be Cured