a professional plane. Certain, definite requirements should be fulfilled before anyone is permitted to teach school. That is, a standard of efficiency should be established and maintained. There should be distinct tests of personality, scholarship, and professional ability. A date should be set, far enough in the future to be just, at which time the requirements should go into effect. The general assembly can help the cause of education and materially hasten the day of larger efficiency by putting the dignity of the law back of these provisions. This is the first step to be taken. Provide for efficient work by eliminating the unprepared and the incompetent from the ranks of the profession.

(3) Competent Men and Women command Good Salaries

But at the same time the state sets up new standards of efficiency for teachers it must hold out larger inducements in the way of salaries. The compensation for teaching has always been inadequate; and while it is true that real teaching cannot be paid for in dollars and cents, we have come to a time when the public must more nearly recognize its worth. The laborer is worthy of his hire, and the teacher is no exception to the rule. Teachers have hitherto seemingly been afraid that the public would think that they were teaching for money, and the kind public has saved them from this humiliating reputation. With the demands made upon their purse in keeping awake and alive it has been almost impossible for men and women who have no other source of income to remain in the calling. Somehow the public has gone on demanding that teachers appear as well as other people, that they travel and keep up with the times, that they buy books and pictures and magazines, and at the same time the public has not concerned itself about the funds with which all this is to be done. It would probably be a revelation to many good people to know that the average teacher must stop to consider whether he can afford to spend five dollars for books which he really needs in his busi

ness.

It is possible that the public would consider it a great joke to talk about teachers living as well as other people. But why is not this the proper basis? Teaching is difficult work; it takes skill and brains and vitality. Why should it not bring as much as writing briefs, or dispensing medicine, or selling dry goods? Why, indeed! Simply because teachers have not demanded it. The remarkable thing about it all is that we have gone on all these years with such miserable pittances and have accepted them like so much charity. Teaching has, as Dr. Van Dyke said, been

the poorest paid and the best rewarded of all callings, but we have come to a time when more pay will not affect the reward. Let us say again that the question has come to be one of maintaining efficiency in our schools.

In addition to frequent changes, and consequently decreasing efficiency among teachers, the scarcity of men teachers may be mentioned as a great defect in our schools, growing out of our poor remuneration. This may be regarded as a national calamity. There has been no incentive for men to prepare for this calling, and they have left the field. And now it is difficult to keep the places filled with competent women. Professor Münsterberg says: There was never before a nation that gave the education of the young into the hands of the lowest bidder." In this statement he strikes the strongest reason for the absence of men in the calling. The efficiency of our schools is already in danger, for brains and energy are paid for in other callings and many competent women will no longer teach school.

(4) Good Salaries require Larger Funds than are at Present provided for in Indiana

Although Indiana is able under present conditions to pay much better salaries than she is paying now, she can never pay what teachers deserve till larger provision for funds is made. There are several ways to do this. The state tax could be increased to where it was some years ago, when a mistaken notion of economy reduced it. The local levy could be increased in many communities without any hardship.

We suggest that every taxpayer in the state make an estimate of just how much of his tax goes to education and how much goes to other purposes. Then, that he raise the question whether more given to education would not shortly reduce his taxes in other directions. We cannot discuss here in detail the ways in which the funds may be increased, but it must be borne in mind that increased efficiency, increased salaries, and increased funds must come together in the solution of this problem.

(5) To increase Salaries without raising the Standard of Efficiency would Commercialize the Calling

Another principle ought to be kept in mind in considering this whole question, and that is that this is not a fight for higher salaries on the part of the teachers. It is a struggle to maintain the present efficiency of the schools and a demand that the calling

be put upon a plane that will make larger efficiency possible. To this end teachers want conditions established which will make merit the sole measure of tenure and pay. At the same time that the pay is increased it ought to be made impossible for unprepared, incompetent teachers to profit by the increase. Otherwise the calling will be commercialized and cheapened. Competent teachers are not begging, they are simply asking for their own. This point cannot be made too strong. While good teaching cannot be paid for in dollars and cents, poor teaching is paid infinitely too much. Anybody who knows anything at all about schools knows that there are scores of teachers who earn less than nothing. These should be taken off the pay rolls and it ought to be made impossible for them ever to get back on. Any new provisions which would make it possible for them to continue and draw larger pay would put teaching on a lower plane than it now is. And so every teacher who has the right view is insisting that a new standard of qualifications and increased pay must come together. pay is not what we want, but larger efficiency and more pay. Two years ago when it was proposed to raise salaries for certain grades of efficiency in teaching it was found that teachers who knew they could not profit by the provision were opposed to it. The same thing will happen again, and legislators should not be deceived by such opposition.

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(6) To raise the Standard of Efficiency without increasing Salaries would make it impossible to secure Competent Men and Women

Finally, to impose a new standard of efficiency without increasing salaries is useless. That kind of a scheme cannot deceive teachers any longer. They have finally realized that they can't live on high ideals. With eggs at 25 cents and butter at 40 cents, this has come to be a simple bread and butter problem. Prosperity is hard on the salaried man or woman. And so raising the standard of qualifications without increasing wages would simply make it impossible to fill the places at all. We have probably said enough to show that it would be unwise to raise the standard and increase the salaries without providing means for paying the salaries. Our law makers will not make this mistake. In this campaign for better things teachers have had the sympathy of the people, the promises of candidates and politicians, and the earnest support of the newspapers. It rests wholly with the legislators at this juncture whether our portion shall consist of sympathy.

Partly in response to the foregoing paper the Indiana legislature enacted a minimum wage law, in which an attempt was made to adjust wages in part to experience, certificate held, and training. This we reproduce as a type of one of the best of the state laws on the subject of minimum wages for teachers.

II. THE INDIANA MINIMUM WAGE LAW

[Approved March 2, 1907.]

SEC. 1. Minimum wages. That the daily wages of teachers for teaching in the public schools of the state shall not be less, in the case of beginning teachers, than an amount determined by multiplying two and one-half cents by the general average given such teacher in his highest grade of license at the time of contracting. For teachers having had a successful experience for one school year of not less than six months, the daily wages shall not be less than an amount determined by multiplying three cents by the general average given such teacher on his highest grade of license at the time of contracting. For teachers having had a successful experience for three or more school years of not less than six months each, the daily wages shall be not less than an amount determined by multiplying three and one-half cents by the general average given such teacher on his highest grade of license at the time of contracting. All teachers now exempt or hereafter exempt from examination shall be paid, as daily wages for teaching in the public schools, not less than an amount determined by multiplying three and one-half cents by the general average of scholarship and success given such teachers: Provided, That the grade of scholarship accounted in each case be that given at the teacher's last examination, and that the grade of success accounted be that of the teacher's term last preceding the date contracting: And, provided further, That two per cent. shall be added to the teacher's general average of scholarship and success for attending the county institute the full number of days, and that said two per cent shall be added to the average scholarship of beginning teachers. (R. S. 1908, § 6599 as amended, 1911, p. 131.)

SEC. 2. Qualifications. The qualifications required for teaching for the different classes shall be as follows:

(a.) A teacher without experience: Shall be a graduate of a high school or its equivalent. Shall have had not less than one term of twelve weeks' work in a school maintaining a professional

course for the training of teachers. Shall have not less than a twelve months' license.

(b.) A teacher with one school year's experience: Shall be a graduate of a high school or its equivalent. Shall have had not less than two terms or twenty-four weeks' work in a school maintaining a professional course for the training of teachers or the equivalent of such work. Shall have not less than a two years' license. Shall have a success grade.

(c.) A teacher with three or more years' successful experience: Shall be a graduate of a high school or its equivalent. Shall be a graduate from a school maintaining a professional course for the training of teachers, or its equivalent. Shall have a three years' license or its equivalent. Shall have a success grade.

Provided, That for teachers already in the service, successful experience in teaching shall be accepted as an equivalent for high school and professional training, as required by all the above classifications. (R. S. 1908, § 6600.)

SEC. 3. Payment at less rate-Penalty. If any school officer shall pay to any teacher for school services at a rate less than that fixed by this act, he shall be fined in any amount not exceeding $100.00 and shall be liable in a civil action for wages to such teacher at the rate provided in this act, which may be recovered by such teacher, together with an attorney's fee of $25.00, in any court of justice of competent jurisdiction. (R. S. 1908, § 6601.)

SEC. 4. State board of education - Duties. It shall be the duty of the state board of education, from time to time, to provide regulations which shall define the words "high school" and

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equivalent" in this act, it being the intent hereof that only such schools be recognized as high schools as maintain a standard of scholarship and efficiency and course of study to the approval of the state board of education, and that the word "equivalent" as used in this act shall mean such a course of study or training or the ability to pass such an examination as in the judgment of the state board of education would as fully qualify the applicant for teaching as the qualification of high school or normal school work and the license respectively named above requires. (R. S. 1908, § 6602.)

III. A FEASIBLE PENSION SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL

TEACHERS

[Pritchett, Henry S., in the 7th An. Rept. Carnegie Foundation, 1912, pp. 70-77.]

While the work of the Carnegie Foundation has to do primarily with pensions to the teachers in a limited number of colleges and