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Show lo k 'tie "imT4ti lie School Teacta-They fill Be the Last Ones lo Strike. The Big Question Before the People is th'e Training pi the Boys and Girls , . the Real Asset of the Nation " In a recent public addres3 tho editor ed-itor of this pnpei compaied the na tlonnl wealth of this country witn the wealth of our allies In tho great war, also showed the pciccntagu of debt in each Instance presenting nomo figures that wero astounding, and showing conclusively that the United States Is not only tho bauKcr natlon of tho world, but tho""ownor of tho trcasuro vaults of tho world. Tlio statement was also made thai notwithstanding this groat wealtlv tilts tremendous showing of unset s, they wore but a diop In tho bucket when compaied to tho real ussbls of t'10 nation, tho boys and glrla. Tl o fuilhui utalemcnt was made that the training or theso leal assets, tho boys and gills, was in a groat many Instances In-stances lots Bight or In the mad run to caro for tho worldlyassets, Iho monoy wealth of tho country. In tho course of that address the stai-mout stai-mout was mado thn uuless son -thing was dono anfl that tpecdlly, tho United States would flnl ilfaolt without capablo school tiiacli-rs, In fact in tho hands of tho "scum of tho .ll., t. . ,!.. -., 41.. ,1. 1 earth" fioni th fact that tlio good teachers of toilay under pvosjnt m-dlttous m-dlttous canurtt stay In Win prnffs-slon, prnffs-slon, but niiistTook nftor ollnr llua of work. Tho statement was f-.aiher mado that' tho "echool teacher .ill be tho laBt to otilke," and slnco 'Nit tlmo wo uotiue that tho distinguished editor and scholarly Goorfo llanty in his weekly ha3 wrlttou a vc-y tlmoly (utlclo undor tho hoa-iin-; "Who Aro tho Quitter?" which we Havo pleasuio to herowith pi tut: "Scht)ol teachers In Kansas und elsowhcro havo rcfusod to organize, into utilona, with America i Vcdma- tlon of Labor nffilialluns, on the ground thnt tholr duties o parcels, to purllls and to tho pu'jllo aro Inconsistent In-consistent with coorcivo action by strikes' They rcfuso to surrender thulr Individual freedom of action In posslbiu lusiunces whoro ' obodlonco to a strlVo command would conflict with thoir consclcntlousTonvlctlous conoornlngi their duties no citizens. All of whch Is Highly commcndnblo as if' principle It 6houl,d Havo Us .. I lewaid In full public appieclatlori. That appiecl.itlon should take u nioro Biibntantlul foint than" moro vorbut eulogies It should take the fori of payment for mm vices tendered in genoiouH pioporllou to thb value or those services. Ami what seivlco Is moro valuable to tho country, muro italto tho enduring wolfnro of thu AinerlcaiTpebplo, than tho proper education ed-ucation of our American children? fo.-ly the men nnd women on whom falls this grave responsibility, "and who, in tho instance cited, havo chowu so patriotic an appreciation of those responslbTRtTes, nro entitled to such- payment for services ns will enable them to live ns well as those In tho country's industrial mpchai-Ism. mpchai-Ism. Suiely, If thcro is any group of workers whoso pny should pormlt them to llvo with bohio npproach to comfort and personal dignity In these days of sovoro Btrcsi, tho'leachors on whom rests the responsibility for tho light mental guidance and direction di-rection of tho oncoming generations nro foremost. But this standard ot payment n picclsoly what yio teachers aro not getting. In many cases Iholr pay Is so low that they simply cannot llvo on It. Tor such as those, tho matter' rcsolvos Into thu plain' quostton of giving up toaciiljig or dragglnc out an cclslonco ofjitut sKirvod squr. So, It Is not surpTlsing'to learn that many hundreds of toachors aro iioj-werlng iioj-werlng thlo question by throwing up tholr woik. HTtlio last thrco years, according to a recent survoy or Chicago Chi-cago trade conditions, 40 per tout of tho toahers havo abandoned tho profession pro-fession solely on account of the im possibility ot living decently on tho salaries paid. Theso teachers' salaries are such as washerwomen, Janitors nnd teamsters team-sters would scorn." A brlckluyor, whoso craft demands an obviously low order of skill and intelligence, may earn noarly na much In a wook ns a teacher Is paid In n month. The average school tcAch'or, uayH tho Chicago Chi-cago trndo survey roporf, is under a twenty-fivo year Handloup on tho has- is of llfotlmo earnings. Tho averr.so teacher will havo to live to bo 70 be-toro be-toro her total earnings aro us much as a plumber can mako by tho tlmo ho is 40. Blacksmiths, shoo store clerks, soda fountain clorks, under present wago scales, will have earnod a.1 much at 40 years of age ns a school teacher would at C2. Tho teachers will not form unions. They will not strike. They regard such action Incompatible with their Ideas of self-respect, personal Independence Inde-pendence and tho duties they owo to tho American public. Hut living lives of half starvod pauperism is also at vailanco with tholr Ideas of self reaped. re-aped. So they resign .and take to occupations by which they can mako enough to llvo on In the way they should llvo. They recognize their duties du-ties to tho public, but they do not' recognize staivlng to death as among those duties. The ease oO Clilco ta.byno means singular. Teaehers In many other localities lo-calities aro being oonstrulnecl. to abandon ab-andon tholr tasks. Chiago happens to havo furnished us with the latest statistics sta-tistics on tho subject; that is all. I'oss'bly tho glaring evidence ot vacant va-cant school rooniB and thousands of teachorlcss school chlld-en may some day nrouso us to tho fact that If tho teachers tccognlro tholr dutlou to the public, K.mny bo tlmo for tho public to recogiilzb its duties to tho ttuali-ors. ttuali-ors. The school teachers nro quitting. That Is undonlablo. Hut.'lu present conditions, Is it thoy who nry tho "contomptiblo quliterB," or is It tho public which will not pay them enough en-ough to provldo ft decent living?" |