Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-15
LOW PAY DRIVES TEACHERS
INTO LOAN-SHARK HANDS
Doctor Wilson Declares Situation Here Is Forcing Them
Work in Vacation or to Borro,U at Usry

Many school teachers in this city have
fallen into the clutches Of loan sharks
in an endeavor to exc out their made
quate salaries and make ends meet, de-
clares DR.. Lucy L. W. Wilson, prin-
cipal of the South Philadelphia High
School for Girls.
Doctor Wilson, who is also president
of the Philadelphia Teachers Associa =
ton and the Teachers Allied Council,
says the slow progress being made to-
ward salary increases is undermining
the morale of the teaching force Of the
city.
1.-The teachers are bitterly disap-
pointed, of course, at the delay in OBJ
tanning increased salaries" she said.
Large numbers Of them will be Obliged
to borrow money, as well as to work at
whatever they can get in the way Of
temporary employment, for tia entire
summer. Evidently the sltudtior was
better understood by the loan sharks
than by either the Board Of Education
or by the teachers. For, during May
and June, the schools were iloodcl with
their circulars, offering money to teach
ers, freely, but at very high rates Of
interest. I am afraid that many teach
ers have been driven into their clutches.
Other Cities Lead This One
"It is no fault Of the teachers that
they are now unable to finance them
selves. Owing to the increased cost Of
living most of them are not now re-
ceiving even subsistence wage. When
suddenly, they realized this, instead OF
Stacking, they carried on their work
whole heartcdly, with courage and with
skill.
"They were confident that our board
would do for them just what the Pitts
burgh board, operating under the same
school code, had done for their teachers,
that is, giving to each a fiat increase
Of over S400. Moreover, nearly every
week, they heard of other increases. I
have not anything like complete list,
but all of the following towns have not
only larger minimum salary than
Philadelphia, usually $1,000 to $500 VS..
our 1920, but they have given large fiat
increases, from $250-S 500, during 1920,
many of them promising additional in
creases for 1921:
adrian, Mich; Aberdeen, Wash. !;
Albuquerque, n. NJ, and every other
little hamlet in this sparsely settled
state; Bayonne, n. j., Berkeley, Calf ;
Boise, Idaho; Boston. Mass. Bridge
port, Conn; Butte, Mont. Cheyenne
Wyo.; Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus
and Dayton, O.; Durham, \. c.; Des
Moines, Ia; Fitchburg, Mass; Ho-
boken, n. j.. Holland, Mich, Jackson,
Mich. Lincoln, Neb. Madison, Wis !;
Middleton, Conn, Montclair, \, j.;
New Bedford, Mass. Newark, N. ]. {;
New York; Newport News, Va; New
Rochelle, n. Y: Newtonville, Mass, ;
Oakland, Calf; Paterson, N. j..
Portland, Ore. San Jose, Calf. Sioux
City, Ia. Springfield, Mass. st. Louis,
No. Trinidad, Colo; Tucson, Ariz. ;
Tulsa, Okla. Wheeling, w. Va. ;
White Plains y. Y; Wichita, Kan. ;
Wilimantic, Conn.
"Just this last month Louisville, KY,
gave each teacher an increase of $500,
making the minimum $1,000; Maiden,
Mass, an additional $400, and Wal
pole, Mass, an additional $500, max :
ing an increase Of 5000 this year.
Teachers Proved Heroism
"I know few things more heroic than
the attitude of most Of the teachers last
winter. Owing to the recurrence Of the
influenza, the absence Of teachers was
appalling. There were very few sub
stitutes of any kind. Many of the
teachers, however, who were able to
keep on their feet were willing to help
out, to the breaking point, by taking
charge of extra classes and children.
1.-THE public, In consequence, never
really realized how great was the actual
shortage of teachers, and a minimum
pumber of children were on the streets.
These results were secured at heavy
cost.
"Who paid the bill? The children
Of course, and, to smaller extent, the
teachers.
"If it were desirable, would 1t be
possible to continue these makeshift
policies another year? am afraid
not. The constant struggle Of last year,
the almost microscopic salary increases
so far as the mass of the teachers was
concerned, granted last March; the
tragic disappointments of June and July
have undermined not only the physical
strength Of the teachers, but a'so their
niQrale. Rightly or wrongly, they feel
that they are psrishing from the lack