The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-04-30
COUNTY SCHOOL NOTES

The following is a copy of letter
recently written to the Bismarck
Board of Education by the State Sup
erintendent of Schools:
III have examined the report of the
high school inspector and am contin-
uing your school on the list of first
class high schools with seventeen
units approved.
In order to maintain the desired
standard in your school, it will be nee
essary for you to:
| /. Increase your high school IL
brary especially in the English depart
ment.
2. Purchase additional laboratory
equipment and maps for the course in
Physical Geography.
| 3. Supply more maps for the cours-
es in M & M History and Ancient His
tory.
| 4. Secure additional equipment for
the course in Home Economics.
5. Increase the supply Of supple
mentary books for the grade librar-
les. You should also complete the I'M
finished grade room and employ an
other teacher to relieve the crowded
condition in the grades.
You are to be commended for begin
ming to keep records in outside read
| ing in the English classes. While
the inspector did not seen any class
work on account of the quarterly ex-
aminations, he is of the opinion that
your teachers are doing good work.
trust that the above requirements
hn sAl .xrtth h., hA
of the next school year."
During the last year or two prac-
tically all of the organized agencies
have been giving large publicity to
the fact that the school teachers of the
country are woefully under-paid. These
facts have been presented in various
ways by the educational journals, the
more important magazines, and Just
now the metropolitan papers all over
the country are giving large space to
the various facts concerning the pro-
blem. Indeed, just now the problem
has reached the cartoon stage. I'm
doubtedly this is one of the most eff
fective ways to present an issue, but
at the same time it is fraught with
many grave dangers. The hideous
cartoon which was recently published
in two of our great metropolitan pa
pers is being reproduced in every
weekly and daily journal of impor-
lance. Only recently it appeared in
the Literary Digest in all of it's hid
eousness. Any man OR woman who
knows little about social psychology
can very readily discern the far
reaching results of such a piece of
propaganda.
In recent speech to assist the
teachers of New Jersey in salary
campaign, Secretary Lane, in whose
department the Bureau of Education
is located, made a statement which is
somewhat typical. Indeed, practically
the same general philosophy has been
stated by hundreds of wide awake
public men in recent weeks. Secre-
tary Lane said, "At time when de-
mocracy must meet the challenge Of
eastern autocracy and when the pub
lie schools stand in need of ablest men
and women, we are not only losing
thousands of our best teachers year
ly, but other young men and women
are no longer preparing to enter the
service because they cannot exist on
the disgracefully low salaries. The
public school is the strongest weapon
we possess against the enemy of our
liberty. The temper of that weapon
will depend upon the character of our
teachers. These teachers have al
ways been disgracefully under-paid."
j. CLYDE AKERS,
IN Cuneriptandnn+ If Schools