The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-17
BY ARrAuR / rnanKa

me entire nation must be aroused 10
Lhe necessity OF paying teachers In the
pubic schools adequate salaries, IL they
are % ne expected to remain in educa-
tionai work.
Salaries nave been advanced I'm many
states and IN some Of the larger cities.
but as a rule the old scale or salaries
remains IN force In most Of the South =
ern states. with the result that thou
n Of teachers have either resigned,
or have declined re-election during the
past year, and are now employed in
more remunerative occupations.
Criticism Of the members OF boards
OF education is not well founded, IL the
taxpayers refuse To place IN the hands
OF such boards such revenues as will
enable them 10 pay the teachers Mt
live.
Some side lights upon the local situa-
ton are Furnished In n recent report OF
the educational committee Of the City
club, presented by the chairman Of that
committee. Col A. s. Frost. and
adopted by a unanimous vote. In that
report the following facts are set forth:
To the president and members OF the
City clue:
THE condition Of the educators of
mankind has been much the same in
all agea Nearly 2,400 years ago we
find that great educator. So rates, sac
rificing himself in his great mission.
aHAA aAh'AAA AAAA VI NNAN VI ~ HN1AN
est; summer n winter his coat was
the same; he was shoeless and shirt
lesa'
one thousand nine hundred and
twenty years 6 there appeared in
Galilee the greatest Teacher OF all who
had nowhere to lay His head.
over 300 years ~ Francis Bacon
referred to tho mean salaries of edu-
Gators and added; 1t Is idle to expect
that the ablest scholars will employ
their whole energy and time in such
functions unless the reward be answer
able to that competency which may be
expected from the practice Of a profess
sor,'
Sixty years ago, Herbert Spencer
pointed out that people paid more at
tention to the raising Of live stock than
they did to the raising Of their children
and his words sound 10 modern that
they might have been written today.
"A Memphis principal, under date OF
Jan. ~, wrote your committee as fol-
lows;
paid principals and teachers here are
much lower than are paid In any of the
Eastern, Northern or Western cities
which have made an effort to recognize
the advancing cost Of living, But in no
city Of the country will teachers sal
aries compare favorably with those paid
to other occupations,
ave arr face to face with such con-
ditions "a these: One OF the best Eng
lish teachers In the system says that
should a substantial increase In salary
be given, she will spend the summer
vacation in Teachers college. Columbia
university. Otherwise, the commercial
world Ia certain to take her from US.
Salaries Stationary.
I'VE are paying the head teachers
IN the elementary schools 500 per month.
During the past so days n OF them
IA has ,i had n two m o5feFs Of IN of he FP esrnory
class OF 1919. an so girl failed of pro-
motion and declined to return h fol-
lowing term. She obtained a position
on Main street al a salary from 80 to
s25 higher than those received by her
teachers
cit Is my opinion that unless a sub
stantial increase of salary be given b
principals, several Of them. especially
those with families. will be forced out
of the system ii
'FYour committee has made a careful
inquiry into local conditions and finds
them to be as follows:
''Since the outbreak of the world war.
the purchasing power of the dollar mas
decreased nearly two-thirds. During
that period common labor has advanced
from l5c per hour to 95c per o The
pay OF girl bag makers In the bag lac
LpttfS lhB 6AF@AtCEd ~ NiA@1
receive from SIS TO S26 per week. Help
ers In grocery stores now receive from
SIS to SIS per week. which Is more than
Is paid regular grade teachers who are
supposed to be high school graduates
with two years normal school credits.
Women stenographers are earning as
high as SITS per month, which is more
than Is paid any college graduate teach
ing In our city high schools.
las pointed out by Gov. Runyon, TINS
condition Is drawing many teachers
away from the teaching profession
throughout the United States. A press
dispatch Of Jan. q. 1920. stated that
over 1000 teachers were absent from
the Chicago public schools and that to
attract them back the board of educa.
ton had made an average increase OF
$50 per month In all salaries beginning
Feb, /. next.
AT the beginning of the present
school year New York city was COM