The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1919-05-14
RETFER PAYaFoR TEACHERS

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The most poorly paid people in Mississippi, for
the work they do and for the training they have
to make before they can work at all, are the tea
cheers.
The day laborers at the sawmills, the section
hands on the railroads., the men doing construc-7
ton work on the public highways ETC., are getting
better wages than the teachers in our high
schools. The skilled laborers, such as bricklayers,
carpenters, mechanics, engineers, ETC., are draw
ing salaries that would run an ordinary high
school teacher crazy.
A negro boy, Ii years old, who has never been
inside of a school house, can come right out of the
field, or from any other place, and start in at any
of the sawmills in the state at a salary which is
higher than the average college graduate is
drawing as teacher in any of the high schools in
the country. If the negro boy happens to know
how to smear mortar on brick or can drive a 10
penny nail so that he can get by as a bricklayer
or carpenter his salary exceeds that of the high
school principals.
The negro's expenses are nothing as compared
to those engaged in teaching. If he has a pair of
"overalls," brogan shoes and a five-yeaf-old hat,
thrown away by some white man, he is styllshly
and comfortably dressed for his profession. He
eats whatever he can get, always boarding at the
cheapest houses, while the teacher must spend a
lot of money for clothing and from $40 to $50 per
month for board in order to command respect.
They have to attend the nor1nals in summer or be
classed as "has beens," and there are a lot Of 9TH
er expenses too numerous to mention.
And then we wonder why we can't get better
teachers. We don't understand why so few men
are engaged in teaching and some school boards
actually feel that the salaries of their teachers
are high enough. Think of it. The men and wo-
men who have the destinies of our children in
their keeping, those who are to mold the lives of
coming generations so that the future of our
great country shall be safe, being paid such a
meagre salary that they are of necessity ash
AIMED of their profession, that they are forced to
stint themselves, to undergo all sorts of hardships,
etc., while others who have spent nothing for edu-
cation and training, and who live with the min
imum expenses draw salaries far in excess of
theirs. ~
Yes, the teachers must have a better salary
and then they must equip themselves better for
their work. Every child in Mississippi, especially
every white child, should have the advantage OF
a good eight or nine months properly graded
school and these schools should be taught by eff.
fcient and properly paid teachers. This means
that we shall have to have consolidated schools in
all the rural communities, because in no Other
way can we give the children in the country the
same schools that town people already have. Ano
when we have such schools in every community
and when our teachers are paid the proper sal
aries we will be able to get our best young mer
and young women to engage in the profession
and they will not use teaching as a stepping-stont
to some other profession in which they can make
a living and of which they are not ashamed
Forest News-Register.