Show Nation Is Deeply in Debt to Teachers but Accords Small Hoor land and Less Pay Jt It is is- is strange that the generous- generous hearted American people who poured poured pour pour- pour pour-I ed cd out their rIches so prodigally in I response to every patriotic every I charitable appeal and who ac accorded such enthusiastic and liberal support to every measure and to every group that helped win the war should have neglected to properly encourage and reward the services of oC one of the noblest noblest noblest no no- i blest professions proCessions in the field o of human activities a activities a profession proCession that in lofty ideals in unselfish principles ples in sacred responsibilities stands side b by side with the ministry of the Gospel itself says sas the Literary Digest We wish to bespeak with whatever power and authority we may have arid and with such words as may he ie granted grant grant- ed d to us us some measure of consideration tion for the foster-fathers foster and mothers mothers moth moUt- ers of our children the children the school teachers teachers teachers teach teach- ers of the United States of America There is no class of workers of which we demand so much We Ve commit commit com corn mit into their keeping the minds the bodies and the ver very souls souli of our children in the tender and formative years year of their lives and they receiving receiving I ing these children can indeed be said to hold in the hollow of their hands the the fut future re of America Vc We expect these these devoted men and women women to watch over and care for our sons and daughters as though they were their o own to drill them in the arts and sciences to train tram them for business and for citizenship to Instruct them In manners anners' and in morals to do for them those things which v we e would do had bad we the training and the leisure No class has assumed so heavy so trying a burden and a responsibility with such willingness as these consecrated consecrated conse conse- I crated men and women No class class has performed their increasingly heavy tasks more devotedly more I conscientiously and with less thought of self No class served their country country country coun coun- try more whole heartedly more loyally loyal loyal- ly during the trying and tempestuous ous times of war day by day pursuIng pursuing pursuing ing their round of duty day by day I helping the young people and I through the children the parents t to see 60 the struggle in its true light thus securing the co of the com corn community community 1 in every measure un undertaken by the government to win the war Truly the they have made the nation their everlasting debtor Truly had they not done their work so well this republic would not outlast the span of a generation What then have the teachers received received received re re- re- re at at- atour our hands in return They I have received little of honor and somewhat less of pay Other classes have classes through I powerful organizations have secured generous wages The teachers have no ho spokesman however to d demand mand even the simple justice of a ar living wage so to them we give their petty prewar pittance so meager so pitifully pitifully piti piti- fully y inadequate te that It places a burning brand o of shame and disgrace disgrace dis die grace upon this nation laUon The men and women who are making the Americans of tomorrow are being treated with less consideration consider consider- than than the janitors who sweep out the buildings in which th they y are employed they are earning on the average less than the wages given to the scrubwoman employed in the public buildings of the United government Normal school graduates ates atee receive less salary than street sweepers high school principals and su superintendents less than section foremen country school teachers less for instructing the farmers farmer's i children than he pays h his s hired man manto manto to feed his hogs Ir In a certain town of Illinois for Instance the average wages of fifteen fifteen fifteen W teen miners for one month was while the average monthly salary of fifteen teachers in the same town was 55 In another town a miner who c by bythe the way was an enemy alien dreV rew more than 2700 last year while the he salary of the high sc school ool principal In the same town was I We Vo welcome with all our hearts the thelong thelong thelong long belated recognition that Is being being being be- be ing given to the man who works with his hands We believe that this same working man will be the first first to join wl with h its us in asking better pay for those who teach his children No wonder there are fifty thousand vacancies in the teaching forces of th the schools No wonder Vender the ranks are being filled with weak men and with immature women who merely 7 f use the profession as a steppingstone I better No wonder to something there are thirty thousand teachers in the United States who have had no schooling beyond the eighth grammar gram gram- i. i h mar r grade Small wonder wonder indeed that seven million of our our our- school chilI children chil chil- I dren are being trained by t teachers i mere boys and girls themselves who t 4 I I III Ii i I III II III I have had n no professional education whatever I When we consider that the teachers of America are paid an average average average aver aver- age salary of or a year when moreover we consider the fact that living costs have actually advanced per cent since the of the war thereby cutting the buying power of these insignificant salaries in half hal we can easily determine that t only a fool Cool or a n martyr would choose teaching as a profession or would long remain in it unless these terrible conditions were swiftly remedied What a crime Is this What an in indictment indictment In- In What an unpardonable sin at the doors of an enlightened people people people peo peo- who vho now find themselves at the head bead and forefront of the democracies cies of the world How can we better better better bet bet- ter prepare for the ilie great undertakings undertakings kings k- k ings of reconstruction than by setting setting setting set set- ting ourselves immediately to remedying remedying reme reme- dying ding this perilous condition In these trying and chaotic times when the world is beset by unrest by anarchy anarchy anarchy an an- archy by revolution by the devils devil's brood of appalling evils that follow in the train of war we must make sure that the foundations of our republic republic republic re re- re- re public are set on a rock that It may stand against the flood The peace and security of the world of the future will be beIn In the safe keeping of the generation now in our schools These boys and girls must weave up the raveled sleeve of oC Their hands must minister of the wounds of the nations Their minds must meet and solve the difficult and crucial problems that will be their inheritance Their hearts must be so imbued with the horrors of war and with the poverty and anguish anguish an an- that inevitably follow in its wake that they in their time will ener enter enter en- en ter er upon it only as a last resort in national self-defense self or in support of some orne great principle of humanity I Never has there been a more ur- ur jent ent i need eed for minded high-minded great great- I I hearted splendidly trained per percent cent ent American instructors to drive home the vital lessons that these times imes hold Never has the future of the he nation been so clearly committed Into nto the hands of the teachers And yet et thousands of men and women of ability who would prefer to teach are reluctantly leaving their chosen calling ailing forced by the hard necessities of of- their very existence The teachers ask no largess at athe atthe the he hands of fortune They ent enter r their heir profession for service not notI riches iches But they invest years and money oney In preparation for their life lifework lifework work and the knowledge they gain gains is s shared with others who use it to i their own pronto prone Teachers then men oy DY every right and in all aTi justice expect to h return that will permit them and their heir dependents to live decently and andin andin in n comfort r In every community reached by the Digest there are readers of foresight of vision broadminded men and thoughtful women who will wUl see seena na nay nay perhaps have long since seen the the critical and compelling Importance Importance importance Import Import- ance ance of this problem We are directing directing direct direct- ing ng this appeal to them We Ve urge them to compare the salaries of their teachers with the wages of those who ar are are doing work of equal value There will be a challenge in th the facts that will stir sUr the community to action Let each community Invest in schools so that it may thereby Invest Invest In a trained manhood and womanhood womanhood woman woman- woman woman- hood that can play their part in the great period of rebuilding and reconstruction reconstruction reconstruction recon recon- that lies before us Let each community set for its goal as asfar asfar asfar far far as is is practicable a minimum um I wages of at least 1000 a year for forthe forthe forthe the teachers of America This would cost the nation perhaps as much as we spent so gloriously in but one week of the great war We Ve are not pl pleading merely for the welfare of soine some single profession we weare weare weare are not pleading for a special class we are pleading for America for her larger her ller brighter her richer future for the fulfilment of her glorious promise We are arc pleading for a coming coming com com- ing race of men and women who shall be qualified to make complete the work of our forefathers who founded this nation and dedicated it to liberty and who will bring to full to-full full fruition the new victories vi that we have won in freedoms freedom's cause We Weare Weare Weare are pleading for fora a wider teaching of the principles the purposes and the Ideals of at this nation that all aU men shall know her meaning and shall h have ve equal access to her opportunities ties that the light of Americanism will so shine that it will flood every every- home homo every heart in our great land THE FREE PRESS PRESS TAKES NO ORDERS FOR Foil BUTTER WRAPPERS LESS THAN |