The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-06-16

A. friend has called our attention to
and we have read with considerable in
terest an article in the Pictorial Re-
view, headed "Must We Have Fool
Proof Text Books" and dealing with
the scarcity and inferior quality of
teachers, caused by low wages paid
them. We have sorrowed with the
teachers about their low wages, but
because we don't advocate the quack
remedy they banker after, they con-
denim US. The teachers have two
great faults-one is that they work
for low wages instead of taking up
other is, they are envious of people
in other callings who make more mon
ey. What is the reason that miners,
railroad brakemer and roustabouts
make more money than teachers?
Simply, because they won't work for
less. Let all the teachers quit and
go to work at something else; let the
country go without schools a year or
so and the state will find ways and
means to pay them more. If the gov
eminent, national and state, would
quit spending so much on things and
people not needed, it would have
enough for what is needed. In Wash
ington, the departments are so full of
clerks they are in each others way,
and probably a third of them could do
the work-turn the superfiuous ones
off. Here in Florida, we have
Jerry-on-the-job, going around look
ing under the hotel beds; a fish COM
missioner housing his family on a
state-owned vessel and not doing any
more for the fish or the people than a
pelican; an adjutant general with no
soldiers; "fiying squadron" of
teachers and a bunch of rural inspec-
tors travelling round the state at pub
lie expense to do work every county
could do for itself-any many more
superhuities. The other day. a lady
appurtenance to the state government
coolly proposed to our county boards
that they pay sixteen hundred dollars
year (the state paying $500 more)
to couple of females TO go around
the county and teach the women to
cook, tho there are plenty of women
in every precinct who are better cooks
than they; and the worst of it is that
the boards will probably employ these
women and give them the money that
would pay two badly needed school
teachers. The high muckymucks who
direct the state educational system
have forced on the people a line of
study that is fourth superf1uous and
another fourth but little needed, in
creasing the number of teachers to be-
paid and books to be bought. And so
it goes. Extravaganza for super
f1uities and stinginess for necessaries.
The teachers ask the state for more
money and the state asks the people
for more taxes, tho all the taxes they
could pay wouldn't be enough. Let
the teachers adopt the tactics of some
of the better paid people they envy.
Let them hunt up paying jobs. All
over the country there is a scarcity of
good cooks. The Lord intended a lot
of women who are teaching school to
be cooks, and it's only false pride and
dislike of putting their hands in dish
water that keeps them out of the kit
chen. If the teachers will depend OH
themselves and not on the state, if the
people will vote none but honest and
| intelligent men into office, this and
many other evils will be alleviated if
not cured. If the present policy is
adhered to, matters will go from bad
| to worse.