The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-10-26
A DRIVE Fol. EDUCATION

At meeting Of the Rotary Club in Miami
last Thursday. after listening to address on
the coming campaign for funds to push the work
among the young men Of this country by the
Y. M. c. A, leading busineeJ remarked:
IL would get together and insist paying
the teachers Of the public schools adequate sal
aries and would insist having the right kind
of men and women teachers in the schools. we
would not be called upon to give up
money for these special campaigns among the
boys
The Miami Herald which uses this as the basis
for editorial, says: His remark not made
In disparagement of the proposed campaign, in
the least, but he voiced rock bottom truth when
he animated that the most OF difficulties with
boys and young men come from the fact that we
have never employed in public schools just the
right kird of men and women that needed to
bring out the best in the growing young people,
and that have always refused to pay decent
salaries to those whom compelled to take
as teachers"
There is much truth in what The Herald has
to say.
Today the people of United States alive
they have been to educational needs of
the youth of this country. It is a fact, and may
be said to the shame of more than municipal
ity, that criminals in many instances are housed
better than are the boys and girls in the schools
President Eliot Of Harvard recently declared
that the scrub women of Boston were better paid
than many of the professors of Harvard. No w.;n-
der then that 1t becomes more apparent every DAY,
salaries that paid the teachers OF his
country frequently more inadequate to the
teachers. than teachers to the positions
they attempting to hold.
If it were question Of fitting the teacher to the
salary or the salary to the teacher the problem
would be difficult 1t is now. But. instead
question of fitting the teacher to the child
OF putting men and women OF education and high
ideals in schools to teach our children. ana
to pay these and women living wage
1t is pointed by The Herald. that many an
lied
weeks pay many school teachers receive IN
month.
1t is fact that must face, that neither sal
aries nor teachers, in many instances, are at ell
adequate to meet educational needs Men and wom-
en- who have spent years in preparation for their
life work. who have equipped themselves to meet
the highest demands that may be made upon them
will not work for less a living wage. For that
reason these men and women taking up other
avocations I'm order that they may nave at least d
fighting chance with other toilers
And so the places of those who are fitted to teach
who are men and of education, of ideals are
filled many instances by those who have not been
adequately trained for the work.
The men and who at the head OF our
schools with whom our boys and girls are most
closely associated and for long intervals of time
should be men and women Of the highest Ideals as
well as of broad culture.
To quote again from The Herald:
The unskiIled man has had to put in no time
and expend money in securing such educa-
ton as he may need handle shovel or to
carry a hod. The school teacher must fit him
self by years of training, at considerable COST
and he must be a constant student And yet
when he begins work in his profession he finds
that he could better living If he had
omitted education and depended solely upon his
muscles to get along
This is a continuing and a living disgrace 10
our system of education and is a reflection en-
the intelligence of people who seem to be-
lieve with old Pharaoh, that bricks can be made
without straw, that teachers can be educated
and continued in their work without ample
pay.
Now as speaker said, If we would put or
money into securing of the ablest minds to
teach the young folks, there would be much less
occasion to inaugurate these great campaigns
to secure funds do the work that ought 10
have been in the schools and when the boys
and girls are the most impressonable age
What we need is campaign an intensive
drive, to open the eyes of the people to the ac-
tual needs of public schools"