The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1922-05-20
VT. SCHOOL CHILDREN IN DANGER
(By Ide G. Sergeant, Principal, Pub
lie School No. 10, Paterson, N. j.

Vermont is my native state. | have
confidence enough IN her future to in
vest in her real estate. ! spend por
ton of each year within her borders.
| sent my sons to one of her colleges.
These facts, together with the other
that | am considerable taxpayer in
one of her smaller towns, entities me
to voice in relation to her school af-
fairs.
At Easter time | was back in my
home town and visited several others.
To say | was surprised and panied to
hear school directors talk Of lower
wages for teachers is putting il mildly.
What are these men and women think
ing of Several of them are parents
with little children Of school age. In a
majority of instances all they will ever
be able to do for their children in the
way of helping them get start in life
is what education they can give them,
Yet they are advocating a policy that
win drive the best teachers from their
communities and the state. Any farm
er with grain of common sense knows
he is an ass to breed to scrub bull or
scrub boar and yet some Of these
same farmers are advocating a lower
ing Of wages that will put. scrub teach.
ers in their sehoolhouses and hamper
their children for life Don't these peo-
pie know they are bringing curse
upon their children in giving them
cheap teachers? | am using my words
advisedly After more than rs years %
41a oe.A f1fp l hat "a.
cheap teacher Ii curse to the com
munity Hire d teacher of good abii-
ity, properly educated and properly
paid or nail up the schooihouses and
let the farms become forest again. 1t
would be better for the fame and well
being Of Vermont. If stingyness and
littleness of soul has So reduced Yer
mont manhood that we can only breed
the ignorant and the renegade lets give
back the fields to the wilderness and
the storm. Cutting teachers wages will
give us low type OF teachers that
can only mean ignorance and lawless.
ness The shortsightedness of some
we'll TODD people il hard to understand
u have seen such men deplore the
growth of rowdyism and disrespect for
law and right and in the same breath
advocate lower pay for teachers. Fools,
don't these men know that we'll
trained teacher of high ideals can do
more TO bring about a respect for law,
decency and protection of property
than any other agency. o, the trag-
edy Of some of these things. In my
weeks vacation | found one of my
friends. the father Of some beautiful
children. mortgaging HE farm to buy
an automobile and then urging cat IN
the teachers pay. In a word, by this
act planning TO cripple the outlook OF
his dear ones. long after the pleasure
machine would lie in the junk pile.
1t i a critical time in education. A
time when the best men and the best
women OF the Green Mountain state
should say. Hands off the schools.
Have Injuries. If you can afford them.
Economic il YOU must but not at the
expense Of public EDUCATION. No lower
ing OF the teachers wages as with II
will go a lowering of the school stand
ard have spoken plainly but II IS
time for plain speaking.
Nv children are above school age.
Like many Others | have no money or
property to waste but If | am ever
heard to advocate a lower wage for the
teacher because il will keep taxes down
hope my fellow townsmen will brand
me As a Judas to American institutions
a. | would deserve to be branded, and
az any other who advocates such a
thing deserves to be branded. Vermont
children are as beautiful and talented
as any in the world. They deserve the
hest teachers in the world, which means
higher not. lower pay.
shame on the father with children
Ia educate who would lower the teach
ers' pay.