™ AMERICAN 
TEACHER 


JUNE, 1920 


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What is the Matter with 
Our Schools? 


The Coming Price Level 
Decline 


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At the Goal Posts 








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Democracy in Education Education for Democracy 





The American Teacher 





Conditions, Not Words, Create Unrest 


OW we have unrest in this 

country. We have a great 

deal of economic and indus- 

triai unrest. We have very little 

political unrest. But this industrial 

and economic unrest may be con- 

verted into political unrest by polit- 

ical measures which make men feel 
that they are being persecuted. 

I have not the 


bor. It is those who make the men 
who work feel that they are being 
treated with injustice. 

And I want to say again in my 
modest and apologetic way that the 
head of the Steel Corporation, in my 
judgment, did more to provoke dis- 
content in the United States than all 
the agitators put together could pos- 

sibly do when 








time now to say 
more than this: 
Communists are 
not made by 
words. They 
are made by 
the over-power- 
ing eloquence of 
situations, of in- 
justice, and of 
persecution. 

No doubt the 
great employing 
interests of this 
country think 
they are doing 
the right thing. 
They think that 
to strong-arm 
the workingman 


EDITORIALS 


ScHOOLS? 


FERENCE II 


CoLsy 


BRIEF ON 





CONTENTS 


Wuart Is THE MATTER WITH OuR 


THE ComInc Price LEvet DECLINE 
AND Its SIGNIFICANCE 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE EASTERN COoN- 


THE JUNE MESSAGE 
From AssociATE FiELp SECRETARY 


UNIONISM 
DIscUSSION ON THE CopE 


At tHE Goat Posts 


he stood in the 
President's in- 
dustrial confer- 
ence and re- 
fused to agree 
to a measure 
which would 
have made for 
peace and har- 
mony between 
the workers and 
their employers. 

The law of 
compensation is 
immutable — 
Men give in 
proportion to 
what they re- 
ceive — Labor 
returns in ser- 











and drive him 

into his corner will make him sub- 
mit, and that he will go back to 
be just as docile as he used to be 
in the old times before he got so 
enlightened. But I would like to 
express in my modest, apologetic 
way the thought that the people 
who are making Bolsheviks in this 
country are thosc who oppress others. 
It is the profiteers, it is the exploiters, 
it is those who grind the face of la- 


vice in fair pro- 
portion to the justice which is meted 
out to it—Deal with labor unjustly 
and you have either a total failure or 
a decrease in production—Force up- 
on labor unjust wages and unfair 
conditions and you will have your 
strikes, either off the job or on the 
job. 
—From Address by Congressman George 
Huddleston, of Alabama, in the House of 
Representatives, April 23, 1920. 











Volume IX, No. 5, 





The American Teacher 


Entered as second-class matter, Feb 21, 1912, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March 3, 1879. 
Published at 70 Fifth Avenue, New York, monthly, except July and August. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of 
postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized September 27, 1919. 





Volume IX, No. 5. 


JUNE, 1920 


One Dollar a Year 








ST. LOUIS 

For several weeks the St. Louis local and the Am- 
erican Federation of Teachers have been threatened 
with destruction by the Board of Education of that 
city. A resolution of the Board required the resig- 
nation of teachers from the union, or from the school 
system. Altho the membership of the union com- 
prised two hundred fifty of the three hundred fifty 
high school teachers in the city, it was not deemed 
possible to withstand the pressure from the Board 
of Education. A vote taken recently by the teachers 
enabled the Board to score a.victory, at least for the 
present. 

The teachers in their last meeting adopted reso- 
lutions in which they said they would “continue 
as a local organization to work for the best interests 
of the St. Louis schools, and for those principles of 
a democracy on which American Education must be 
based.” 

All teachers were notified on June 9 of reap- 
pointment. The letters of notification contained 
a blank to be signed and returned to the Board 
stating that the teacher does not belong to a labor 
union or to an organization affliated with a union 
organization. 

Suit against the St. Louis Board is being brought 
for the restoration of the rights of teachers. Funds 
have been collected at the Montreal Convention of 
the American Federation of Labor for this purpose. 


GOVERNOR SMITH 

Once in a while out of the ruck of politics there 
develops aman. That Alfred E Smith, Governor of 
the State of New York, should have grown out of 
the environment of Tammany Hall politics makes 
the outcome all the more wonderful. To show what 
may happen in spite of the tutelage of that school, 
we invite the attention of readers to the message 
printed on the last page of this issue. 

That message is the veto of the bill that was con- 


ceived by its authors as a model of anti-teacher legis- 
lation for the remaining states of the Union. A de- 
scription of the bill was given in the April issue of 
the AMERICAN TEACHER, and its more detailed 
provisions may be inferred from what Governor 
Smith says of it. The bill was passed in both houses 
of the State Legislature by heavy majorities. Altho 
it threatened the tenure of teachers and made re- 
quirements insulting to the sixty-five thousand teach- 
ers of the State, only one public school teachers’ 
organization, Local 5, New York, opposed the bill 
openly. Others were deterred from doing so by the 
fact that the salary bill was being considered by 
the Legislature at the same time. Thus, the defense 
of the self-respect of teachers was left to other public 
bodies, of whom there were many in opposition, and 
to the understanding and courage of the Governor, 
a man who no more than three years before was 
classed as a politician, and a Tammany politician 
at that. 
LANCASTER 


“Resolved, That all the teachers affiliated with 
the Lancaster Teachers’ Association of the Amer- 
ican Federation of Teachers be advised by the Com- 
mittee, supported by a majority of the Board that 
it is the conviction of the Committee that such affil- 
iation is not for the best interest of our schools, 
and that all teachers so affiliated be respectfully 
requested, if they will, to abandon such affiliation 
and that each teacher indicate in writing to the 
Secretary of the Board on or before Thursday, June 
3, 1920, whether or not he or she is willing to com- 
ply with this request. 

R M BOLENIUS, 
Secretary, Lancaster (Pa.) School Board 


A curious document, withal. Strange mingling 
of cunning obsequiousness and cruel power, not to 
say concern for “the best interest of our schools.” 
What does it all mean? Simply that the Lancaster 
Board of Education has been caught red-handed, 
not only by the teachers who are standing shoulder 
to shoulder, but also by labor and other strong 
bodies of citizens in the Pennsylvania city of 65,000 
inhabitants. 





100 


Early in the year a committee of Lancaster teach- 
ers approached the school board with a request for 
an increase in salary. ‘They were unable to get 
satisfaction even after numerous trials. Their next 
step was to appeal to the citizens thru the medium 
of window cards, etc. This method also failed, 
and as a last resort over one-half the teachers in 
the city applied for a charter in the American Fed- 
eration of Teachers. 

Lancaster is not a large town, and it happened 
that a member of the Board heard of the intention 
of the teachers to join with labor. This member 
“called up” the president of the teachers’ union, 
and advised him to hinder such action if possible, 
and stated that he would oppose the re-election of 
teachers who joined the organization. Other mem- 
bers of the Board immediately opened a campaign 
of intimidation directed against such teachers as 
could be reached in that way. On May 18, 1920, 
without a hearing and without previous official no- 
tice, the School Board dropped eighty-two members 
of the union. Immediately the announcement of 


the dropping of the eighty-two was made, resigna- 


tions {rom their organization ceased, and not a single 
one has been sent to the officers since. 
ing of citizens was called to meet in the Court 
House, and a big parade was held at night as pro- 
tests against the action of the school board. Thus, 
the window cards must have had their effect at 
last. The Lancaster Ministerial Association met 
in the Y M C A building, and passed resolutions 
asking the school board to re-elect the teachers. The 
Association heard representatives from both sides 
before coming to a decision. 

Leading citizens met at the Chamber of Com- 
merce to investigate the merits and demerits of the 
union. After examining all the data bearing on 
the affiliation of the teachers with labor, the citizens 
found that the A F of T is in every sense “a legal, 
logical and orderly association.” They said also 
that “The Lancaster teachers had urgent need and 
a perfect right to organize a local branch of the 
Teachers’ Federation. To deny any of them re- 
election for that sole reason is arbitrary and unjust, 
and a wrong not merely to the individuals affected 
but also to the schools of our city. We, therefore, 
appeal to all our fellow citizens to insist upon the 


A mass meet- 


The American Teacher 


Volume IX, No. 5, 


re-election of all former teachers against whom no 
charges of inefficiency or incompetence have bven 
brought.” 

Strange that this statement of the leading citizens 
should have so wholesome a sound, when the School 
Board is sure that “affiliation is not for the best in- 
terests of the schools.” But the pounding of the 
ministers, the business men, and of other groups in 
the city had its effect, and the resolution signed by 
one Bolenius became public. For the School Board 
it was a considerable concession to “respectfully re- 
quest” the teachers who were no longer members 
of the school system “to abandon such affiliation,” 
or it might be regarded as merely impudence to 
speak to citizens in that fashion. 

To an outsider it would appear suicidal for the 
Board to continue opposition to the outspoken will 
of the people. But not so. It should be under- 
stood that the School Board is for the most part a 
man whose name is Greist. He is the political 
boss, as well as some sort of a “Congressman.” 
That being the case, the offer to reemploy the 
eighty-two teachers if they will disavow their union 
affiliations, even if the whole town supports the 
teachers, is about all that could be expected. 

But the most vital thing of all is the fact that the 
eighty-two have stuck. It is too early yet to win. 
SHORTAGES 

Owing to shortages, one of which is print paper, 
the April issue of the American Teacher is followed 
by the June issue, with the consent of the Post 
Office. This issue is No. 5, being next in the series 


after No. 4, the April issue. The next issue will 
appear in September, as usual. 


~ The American Teacher 


Democrac, 'n Education Education for Democracy 
Publis ed monthly, except July and August, by 
THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS 
at 70 Fifth Avenue, New York City 
Henry R Liyviite, Editor 
Associate. Editors 
AvucusTINE AURIANNE Samuet G McLean 
Harry GuNNISON Brown Auice L Woop 

Max Rosennaus, Business Manager 











At the time of expiration, a bill will be found in the 
copy. Subscribers are requested to give prompt notice 
of changes in address. 


Remittances should be made in postal money-order, 
express order, stamps or check (New York 
exchange). 


SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR FOR THE 
YEAR— FOREIGN, $1.10 














What is the Matter With Our Schools? 


ay a 
Grade Teachers’ Union of Washington, D C. 


The Great War is over—the world rudely awak- 
ened from a self-indulgent, self-satisfied, pleasure- 
seeking complacency, has begun to realize as never 
before, how near the breakers we have drifted. No 
phase of our nation’s life seems to have escaped, and 
keen attention is turned to the training of the chil- 
dren of the land, as if there lay the cause of our 
failures and shortcomings, the burden of the cry 
being, “What is the matter with our schools?” until 
a layman might get the impression that everything 
educational has gone awry, and that our schools 
have failed in their mission. 

Some ask the question despairingly as if the 
trouble is past finding out, and therefore beyond 
remedy, the only thing left to do being to swing 
on with the impetus the Past has given, until the 
“old cat dies,” as the swing game expressed it, and 
then, perhaps, start again. Some refuse to believe 
that there is anything wanting in our scheme and 
are content to move along the beaten path without 
a thought of new conditions that are constantly 
arising. Others, however, more wise, look upon the 
unrest as a hopeful sign, since it proves that we are 
not in the rut of decadence, for not until there is a 
realization of a need for something greater, broader 
and finer, can progress take place. 

The public schools of America have accomplished 
much and the nation may well be proud of their 
achievement, but how soon will that prestige be lost 
if we are satisfied with the laurels already won and 
fail to have a vision for the future. In the light 
of present-day conditions even the most indifferent 
should be aroused to the needs of the hour. What 
a calamity it would be indeed had the ultimate goal 
in education been reached; for, since nothing liv- 
ing remains static it would mean the beginning of 
that decay which invariably follows a supine wil- 
lingness to let well enough alone. 

So much is being said about the financial, eco- 
nomic and administrative betterment, that we may 
well pass them by and turn our attention to an- 
other, indeed, the greatest requirement of our 
schools—the teacher herself—for nothing tran- 
scends the personality of the teacher. What is to 
be her goal in all this reconstruction? May it not 


well be a right about face in her attitude toward 
the profession? Heretofore, all too often her aim 
has been to use the schoolroom as a respectable way 
of earning a living, and while there to work only 
for her own glory, to outshine her fellow-workers. 
When such is her goal she may sometimes be tempted 
to stoop to the ignoble and there will follow the 
loss of a fineness in the atmosphere about her which 
will be reflected tho perhaps not analyzed. Then, 
indeed, there is “something the matter with our 
schools.” 

In the new education her vision is to be so broad, 
so high, so true, that she will forget herself in her 
eagerness to bring her pupils to a realization of 
what they may become by keeping high ideals ever 
before them. They will be taught that all must 
work for each, and each for all, if the world is to 
move onward and upward, away from selfishness 
and greed; that “liberty, equality, fraternity” must 
be lived not merely preached. The teacher must be 
what she wishes her pupils to become, otherwise her 
words are but a tinkling cymbal or sounding brass. 
She must play fair with her pupils and with her 
fellow-teachers or the impressionable mind of youth 
will detect the fraud and her words will lose force. 
The teacher must be actuated by the highest in- 
centives and her pupils, absorbing the spirit, will, 
eventually, be moved by their power. In the school- 
room there are many opportunities for little acts 
of kindness and thoughtfulness which, if fostered by 
a sympathetic teacher, lead to an atmosphere of lov- 
ing service to others, and, if continued, will become 
the habit of their lives. Let her by example and 
precept insti] in the growing mind “that generosity 
which enables us to admire our competitors even 
when they are more successful than ourselves.” 

In the past all too many teachers have been con- 
tent to teach the “three R’s” and consider their 
duty done, but we have learned better in these stress- 
ful times when selfishness and a worshiping at the 
shrine of wealth have plunged the world into the 
surging tide of an unrest never before dreamed of. 
Now we see (it may be thru a glass darkly) that 
what this world needs, if real civilization is to live, 
is a keener sense of justice, to be willing to take no 


101 





102 


more than we give ; to judge others so far as we dare 
pass judgment at all, on what they really are in 
themselves not thru prejudice and biased knowl- 
edge which always bear the taint of ignorance; to 
respect the rights of others, not only property rights, 
but the right to freedom of opinion without perse- 
cution to follow, the right to live true to their own 
best personalities without their lives being miade 
miserable. These are some of the things the new 
education is to include in its unwritten curriculum. 

The teacher’s materials are not those which en- 
dure for a season and then crumble to dust to be 
known no more, but her task is to mold that which 
is immortal, to find and then nourish that spark of 
divinity which God has implanted in all that is hu- 
man. “She must view her work, not for to-day or 
to-morrow, but for Eternity.”” With what rever- 
ence then should she enter upon her responsibili- 
ties! 

Teaching is indeed the 
in this more than in any other. must there be loy- 
alty among its members; no belittling of one teacher 
by another; no subtle attempt to impair her stand- 
ing; no destructive criticism of her work. Let all 
be worthy of this loyalty by aiming to be a help to 
one another—the strong to the weak, the older to 
the younger. Thus only can the profession inspire 
pupils and patrons.with that confidence and respect 
which are its due—then only can its influence go 
forth to bless and advance this great Humanity of 
which each is a part and which is to be uplifted or 
debased according to the motives each obeys in do- 
ing his task. When teachers thru the land set these 
ideals before them there will be less cause for com- 
plaint in our schools and we shall have taken a great 
step in the direction of that “peace on earth, good- 
will to men.” Upon our schools in great part, rests 
the responsibility of developing a better, nobler gen- 
eration than our own. 


“ee 


altruistic profession” and 


LABOR SUPPORT IN CALIFORNIA 


To Guarantee Freedom 


Whereas, The public schools are among the most 
potential factors in this country in developing a 
citizenship imbued with the ideals of a free govern- 
ment, with the result that they have become among 
the most prized institutions of democracy ; and 


The American Teacher 


Volume IX, No. 5. 


Whereas, The independence, the intellectual 
quality and ability as well as the personal comfort 
and well being of the teachers in the public schools 
are all dependent almost wholly upon the way in 
which the material needs of the teachers are met jn 
compensation for their services; and 


Whereas, It is a notorious fact that the salaries 
of public school teachers and the conditions under 
which they labor are very generally inadequate and 
incompatible with the present day costs and stand- 
ards of living ; and 


Whereas, Those teachers who have sought to 
organize into economic unions for the purpose of 
promoting the material welfare of teachers are be- 
ing discriminated against and intimidated 
crowded out by certain school boards dominated by 
the Commercial Federation of California, the at- 
titude of which organization towards the teachers’ 
union has been unmistakably shown in paid adver- 
tisements of that organization wherein it has been 
asserted that teachers affiliated with organized 
labor “will certainly be dismissed to make room for 


and 


others who are faithful to the traditions of their 
profession ;”’ therefore be it 


Resolved, By the State Building Trades Council 
of California in twentieth annual convention as- 
sembled, that we commend the economic union of 
teachers into the organization affiliated with the Am- 
erican Federation of Labor and pledge the support 
of our state and local organizations to all such unions 
of public school teachers and that we call upon the 
membership or organized labor generally to take 
a renewed interest in the selection of local school 
boards to the end that those inspired by the un- 
American ideals of the Commercial Federation be 
not allowed to dominate the policies of our public 
schools, to enslave the lives of the teachers and to 
intimidate and pervert their independence as in- 
structors of the youth of the nation. 


Cuas. ‘PItcrim 
S STINGLEY 

O D Tucker 
C C JARMAN 

J L O’Brien 
Ep WASHBURN 





The Coming Price Level Decline and its Significance 
for the A F of T 


Harry GuNNISON Brown 
University of Missouri, Local 126, A F of T 


Prices are probably about to begin their swing 
downward. The fact is not yet, to be sure, obvious 
to the average citizen; and the reasoning on which 
such a conclusion is based involves a field of eco- 
nomic science of which the average citizen has but 
the vaguest notion. The man in the street may 
think that prices will fall. But his reason for so 
thinking is likely to be that of the small boy who 
asserts that “what goes up must come down.” 
“What goes up” may, however, find a resting place 
on a ledge, and not come down. Sometimes the 
common man simply feels that the existing situa- 
tion cannot last because it is so utterly different 
from anything in his previous experience. Pre-war 
prices are, in his view, “normal.” Present prices 
are “abnormal.” Therefore, present prices must 
fall. In fact, they probably will not for decades, 
if ever, return to their pre-war level; yet that they 
will fall somewhat, and perhaps a good deal, if 
fairly certain. We shall inquire, briefly, why this 
is the case. 

To begin with, let us ask why prices rose during 
We can hardly say that they rose because 
of “profiteering.” The man who tries to make 
money by business chicanery, by unfafr competition 
and by monopolistic conspiracy we have always with 
us. Such men were probably not appreciably more 
numerous than before. If, during the war and 
since, there has seemed to be more of what we call 
profiteering than in pre-war days, this is because 
conditions have been substantially favorable for such 
activities. And just why conditions have been fa- 
vorable is the very thing we need to expiain. 

Most readers of the American Teacher probably 
understand that the principal underlying cause of 
the price rises has been currency inflation. If, with- 
out appreciably increasing our ability to produce 
goods, we get possession of a doubled amount of 
money and money substitutes (bank deposit accounts 
subject to check), prices will rise as inevitably as 
a canal boat rises when water is poured into a closed 
lock. 


the war. 


103 


This conclusion we can make obvious by a method 
of reasoning familiar in mathematics, viz., the re- 
duction to absurdity of its opposite. Suppose prices 
do not rise! Then if, as we have assumed, there is 
a doubling of the amount of money and money 
substitutes, those who have this additional purchas- 
ing power will seek to buy more goods than they 
would buy if their means of purchase were less. 
Even saved money, deposited in savings banks, is 
loaned by these banks and spent by the borrowers. 
A doubled volume of money and credit, with prices 
unchanged, will inevitably lead to an attempt to 
purchase a doubled volume of goods. But these 
additional goods are not in the market and cannot be 
produced. Men cannot work twenty-four hours out 
of twenty-four. To purchase a doubled volume of 


goods is to purchased goods that have and can have 


no existence. At the old prices, there is necessarily 
a short supply of goods relative to demand. This 
shortage may of course be accentuated when, as in 
war times, productive power is actually curtailed. 
Demand will inevitably exceed supply until prices 
rise in proportion to the increase of money and 
credit and the decrease of goods. During the rise, 
bond holders, recipients of salaries, wage earners in 
some degree, and others whose incomes rise less 
rapidly than prices, suffer. Active business men 
gain at their expense. Thus, if a manufacturing 
concern, because of doubled money and credit, sells 
its goods for a doubled price and pays a doubled 
price for its raw material but (as will be the case) 
pays the same return as before to its bondholders, 
the profits of the stockholders will more than double. 
This may be “profiteering”; but it is as useless to 
blame the persons who profit by it, while we brirg 
into existence, by our method of war financing, its 
effective cause, as it is to blame the incoming tides 
for following the moon. 

What was it, then, in war financiering, that made 
prices rise? It was the issue of paper money (largely 
bank notes) and the expansion of bank credit, first 
in Europe and later in the United States. Bank 





104 


credit acts like money. A person or a government 
may go to a bank, offer whatever security is re- 
quired, and get a deposit account, which means a 
privilege of writing checks up to the limit of such 
account. Since, in our society, the persons to whom 
checks are paid for goods commonly redeposit the 
checks in banks so that they in turn can write checks, 
and do not draw out the money, banks can lend in 
the form of deposit accounts several times as much 
as they actually have in money. Where, as in the 
United States, a money reserve of a fixed per cent 
of deposits is required, there is a limit to credit 
expansion, although that limit, when the United 
States entered the war, had not been nearly reached. 
But where, as in some European countries, the per 
cent reserve kept by banks was merely a matter of 
policy, government pressure for funds could, and 
did, modify that policy and lead to tremendous ex- 
pansion. 

What happened is familiar. Prices rose in Eu- 
rope. European governments bought goods here. 
America received payment for these goods in securi- 
ties and (before 1917) in nearly a billion dollars’ 
worth of gold. American banks thus secured tre- 
mendous reserves. From the banks the government, 
in 1917 and 1918, borrowed heavily, causing bank 
credit to expand and using freely, in the purchase of 
goods, checks on this credit. Individuals were aided 
to borrow from banks because they had liberty bonds 
as security. Sometimes they borrowed in order to 
buy the bonds. All this meant larger checking ac- 
counts, increased demand for goods and, inevitably, 
higher prices. If you had, in 1917, $1,000 and, 
instead of spending it for goods, gave it to the gov- 
ernment to spend in return for a liberty bond, the 
government’s increased demand for goods was offset 
by your decreased demand. But if you let the gov- 
ernment have the $1000 and borrowed $800 more 
in bank credit on your liberty bond as security, then 
both you and the government were in the market 
for goods and there were more dollars offered for 
goods. And since there was no larger supply of 
goods, prices rose. 

We all know these things in a general way. 
We know that government price regulation did not 
prevent price increases, except, perhaps in special 
cases where the goods were rationed; and govern- 
ment regulation could not prevent them unless by 


The American Teacher 


Volume IX, No. 5 


making the surplus dollars useless thru rationing 
or thru making it dangerous to try to spend them, 

What, now, of the present situation? Why are 
prices to fall? The reasons are: that our bank re- 
serves are close to their legal minimum; that gold 
has been going out instead of coming in; and thar, 
with the war over, the pressure on the banks to 
expand their loans is in large part removed. ‘The 
percentage of bank reserves to bank deposits sub- 
ject to check is low largely because deposits have 
been so greatly inflated. The limit on available re- 
serves is nearly reached. But the reserves have of 
late been actually flowing away from us. During 
1919 nearly $300,000,000 of gold flowed out of 
the United States in excess of what flowed in. Dur- 
ing the first two months of 1920, there was a net 
outflow of about $75,000,000. The banks will try 
to keep the legally required per cent of reserves, or 
They cannot do this except by decreasing 
To decrease these loans 


more. 
loans of cash and credit. 


they charge higher interest or discount rates. If 
gold continues to flow out the banks must curtail 
credit in like degree. And it is highly probable that 
gold will continue to flow out. 


For the full effect 
of occidental inflation seems not to have been reached 
in India and China, and perhaps in South America. 
So long as gold will buy more there than here it 
is likely to be exported. Meanwhile, our bank re- 
serves will decrease ; our bank loans will presumably 
decrease; the amount of money and credit in cir- 
culation will therefore decrease; and the importa- 
tion of goods from abroad will tend to increase. 

If these things happen, prices must fall. Or 
rather, with a decrease in the supply of the media 
of exchange with which to make purchases, we can- 
not buy so many goods as now, unless prices do fall. 
A refusal of sellers to lower their prices, when pur- 
chasers have and can get less money or credit to 
buy with, inevitably means decreased purchases. 
There will be, of necessity, either lower prices or 
dull business, or some of both. Indeed, any large 
and rapid outflow of gold must inevitably reduce 
wages also, where they have risen proportionately 
to the previous rise of prices; or else, if the same 
high wages are insisted upon such a gold outflow 
must cause unemployment. I do not mean that 
wages in terms of dollars are likely to do so if prices 
fall fast and far. 





June, 1920 


A period when bank credit is decreasing tends 
to be a period of business depression because both 
business men and laborers have acquired, during the 
high prices preceding, ideas of what prices and wages 
are fair, ideas which are unrealizable when the vol- 
ume of money and credit have greatly decreased. 
In a period of expanding credit, demand tends to 
exceed supply until prices rise; meanwhile business 
is active, lenders and persons on fixed salaries lose, 
and business men gain. In a period of diminish- 
ing credit, supply tends to exceed demand until 
prices fall; meanwhile business is dull and unem- 
ployment common, lenders and persons on fixed sal- 
aries gain (if employed), and business men as such 
suffer relative loss. If all persons who were desir- 
ous of selling goods, working for wages, lending 
capital or leasing real estate, would voluntarily re- 
duce their charges as rapidly as money and credit 
decreased, business might remain active. But with 
less of the media of exchange in circulation, i. e., 
with less money and credit offered for labor and 
goods, it is mathematically impossible that there 
should be both as many and large transactions as 
otherwise and as high prices. Any hesitancy to re- 
duce prices under such conditions, any widespread 
holding out for the prices that have become cus- 
tomary, will inevitably mean business depression. 

Such business depression—unless credit quickly 
expands again, as it will hardly do with gold re- 
serves decreasing—will eventually lead to reduced 
prices and, probably, wages. Failure to sell goods 
forces down prices. Failure to find employment 
forces down wages. A period of business depres- 
sion is a period when men’s spirit is broken. And 
the depression is not unlikely to last until men’s 
spirit is far enough broken to bring the lower prices 
and wages which at first were hardly thought of. 

Our chief present concern is with the bearing of 
different stages in the business cycle upon the power 
of labor to secure reasonable conditions of work 
and, in particular, upon the ability of teachers to 
face successfully the opposition which would for- 
bid them to organize or affiliate with labor and 
which would dismiss them for criticism of the es- 
tablished economic order. The period of rising 
prices before salaries have risen proportionately may 
be economically worse for most teachers than a pe- 
riod of business depression. But it has at least 


The American Teacher 


105 


this advantage: that the places of dismissed teachers 
are almost impossible to fill. When, on the other 
hand, business is depressed and prices are falling, 
there is not an equivalent deterrent on boards of 
education and other administrators resulting from 
the fear that places of dismissed teachers cannot be 
filled. 

Consider now the effect of the business situation 
on the teacher. During business activity the dis- 
missed teacher can be fairly sure of getting other 
work at, often, increased pay. He has, therefore, 
relatively little occasion to fear the wrath of a des- 
potically minded board, in case he joins a union. 
But during depression, when many men are idle and 
other work is hard to get, he has more reason to be 
afraid of the consequences of joining a union and is 
likely to be less willing to join. 

If, therefore, as seems probable, business depres- 
sion is on the way and is likely soon to overtake us, 
teachers must make haste now to organize and to 
establish the tradition that it is their right to or- 
ganize and to have freedom in their expressions of 
opinion on economic and social problems. The 
A F of T must do its best to reach the maximum 
size and strength while the tide still flows in. An- 
other year, perhaps, will see conditions changed to 
our disadvantage. For if depression does come, we 
shall be lucky to maintain anything like our present 
rate of growth. Opportunity beckons now. It may 
never, in our generation, beckon quite so hopefully 
again. 


A REASON FOR DEMOCRACY 


The strongest reason for democratic administration in 
universities is that it is necessary to the self-respect of 
the instructor. This reason applies as strongly to workers 
in secondary schools as to professors in universities. The 
startling fact in the educational world today is the whole- 
sale desertion of the teaching profession by teachers of 
all grades. This is attributed, and is chiefly due, to low 
salaries. But this is only a part of the explanation. Even 
if salaries could be made adequate it would not meet the 
situation. Inquiries made with a view of filling vacan- 
cies in the University faculty disclose the fact that com- 
petent men cannot be had at any price. The tide can- 
not be turned until there is an improvement in the posi- 
tion of the teacher, until he ceases_to be regarded as hired 
help, and is given a voice in the conduct of the enterprise 
to which he devotes his life. In this way and in no other 
can the type of men and women who formerly entered 
the teaching profession be called back to it—Pror F H 
Hopper, in The Graduate Magazine (Univ. of Kansas) for 
May, 1920. 





Proceedings of The Eastern Conference of The 
American Federation of Teachers 


II 


RutH G Harpy 
Secretary, The Eastern Conference 


RESOLUTIONS CONCERNING A SABBATICAL YEAR 
FOR TEACHERS 

Whereas: It is recognized that teachers need pe- 
riods of absence from their regular duties to travel, 
to take courses, and to engage in other than gain- 
ful occupations, to be better fitted for their tasks, 
and 

Whereas: It has been found beneficial to grant 
leave of absence to teachers in some universities for 
such purposes, and 

Whereas: It has been Sond beneficial to en- 
courage such travel and study during such periods 
of absence. 

Be It Resolved, by the Eastern Locals of the Am- 
erican Federation of Teachers, in convention as- 
sembled at Philadelphia on April 3, 1920, 

1—That boards of education be urged to grant 
one year’s leave of absence with pay to all teachers 
after every six years of service, and 

2—That all labor bodies be requested to urge 
such action upon Boards of Education and 

3—That all locals of the American Federation 
of Teachers be asked to take steps to secure action 
by State Legislatures, and local education boards 
to provide for such leaves of absence from duty 
with full pay. E 
RESOLUTIONS REGARDING QUALIFICATION FOR 

PRINCIPALSHIP OF VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS, 
AND SUPERVISION OF TEACHERS OF 
TRADE SUBJECTS 

Resolved: That in addition to academic require- 
ments satisfactory to the board of examiners, five 
years of practical experience at a trade taught in 
a vocational school be among the qualifications for 
principals of vocational schools and supervisors of 
teachers of trade subjects. 

ExCHANGE OF TEACHERS 

Whereas, A country as large as the United States, 
in which the educational systems are entirely under 
state or local control, offers many diversities of ex- 
cellence in teaching of which it is almost impossible 
to have complete appreciation, and 

Whereas, The true way to learn more of’ one’s 


profession and to criticise oneself is to come into 
first-hand contact with these diverse systems rather 
than to learn of them either thru print or thru 
addresses, 

Be It Resolved, That the members of the Ameri- 
can Federation of Teachers work to secure an ade- 
quate interstate exchange of teachers, whereby any- 
one desiring such an experience may be released 
from his own school for a year every fifth year or 
less frequently with full pay, to serve in a school of 
the same grade in another section where another 
teacher will be released to take his place, 

And Be It Further Resolved, That the United 
States Bureau of Education be asked to consider 
this matter, and advise the states on the value of 
such experience. 


TEACHER PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL ORGANIzA- 
TION 

Resolved, That teachers be granted by proper 
legislative enactment in the various states, the right 
to nominate superintendents, supervisors, principals 
and heads of departments and, 

Resolved, That the terms of such officials be 
limited to three years, no official te serve more than 
two consecutive terms. 

Resolved, That the present Commitee on School 
Organization be constituted a standing committee 
of the Conference on Democratic Administration of 
Schools. 

Members of Committee: 

Miss M Agnes Boles, Local 95, Providence, R | 

Mr. Louis Goldman, Local 5, New York 

Miss Clara K Stutz, Local 16, Washington, D C 

Miss Cora McCarthy, Local 16, Washington 
DC 

Mrs. Elizabeth Draper, Local 16, Washington, 
DC 

Miss Amy F Dilcher, Local 45, Mahonoy City, 
Pa 

Miss Florence Salzberg, Local 5, Washington, 
DC 

Mr. T W Turner, Local 33, Washington, D C 


106 





June, 1920 


Miss Henrietta Rodman, Local 5, New York, 
Chairman. 

It was moved to consider the Report on Per- 
manent Organization of Eastern Convention of 
American Federation of Teachers at 11 o’clock. 

The report was adopted as a whole. It recom- 
mended that: 

1—The Convention be permanent but unofficial. 
That it hold two meetings: (1) in the Spring va- 
cation, Friday and Saturday of Easter week; (2) 
in the Autumn, Friday and Saturday after Thanks- 
giving. 

2—A permanent Executive Council to carry out 
the work: (1) Assist and strengthen small and new 
locals in Eastern District; (2) co-operate with 
field secretaries on organization of new locals; (3) 
give effect to proceedings of conference; (4) make 
provisions for two meetings. 

3—Officers to be one president, eight vice-presi- 
dents; proportionally represented council to elect its 
own chairman and secretary and treasurer. 
ExecuTivE CouNncit OF PERMANENT EASTERN 

CONFERENCE, AMERICAN FEDERATION 

OF ‘TEACHERS 
Henry R Linville, Local 5, President 
Herman Defrem, Local 71, Ist Vice-President 
Cora McCarthy, Local 16, 2nd Vice-President 
Henrietta Rodman, Local 5, 3rd Vice-President 
Helene Cummings, Local 87, 4th Vice-President 
John A Marsh, Local 100, 5th Vice-President 
Mrs G Ryan, Local 56, 6th Vice-President 
A O’Mara, Local 98, 7th Vice-President 
B. Ryan, Local 45, 8th Vice-President 
Ruth G Hardy, Local 5, Secretary 
Literature Committee 

Florence Salzberg, Local 5 
Henrietta Rodman, Local 5 
Cora McCarthy, Local 16 
RESOLUTIONS CONCERNING LaBor EDUCATION 

1. Be It Resolved, by the Convention of Eastern 
Locals held at Philadelphia, on April 2, 1920, that 
all locals of the American Federation of Teachers 
be urged to foster the movement toward the estab- 
lishment of trade union schools and colleges ; 

Be It Further Resolved, That wherever possible 
members of teachers’ unions give and take courses 
in such schools and colleges; 

Be It Further Resolved, That whenever feasible, 


The American Teacher 


107 


only members of teachers’ unions be on the staffs of 
such schools and colleges. 

2. Whereas, Labor has found it unfeasible and 
impracticable to leave entirely to the established 
school systems the important matter of adult educa- 
tion; and 

W hereas, Organized labor has begun to establish 
schools of its own which experience thus far has 
shown to be more effective in meeting its needs; 
and 

Whereas, This experiment of organized labor 
gives promise of great good to adult and child edu- 
cation generally, 

Be It Resolved, by the Convention of Eastern 
Locals of the American Federation of Teachers at 
Philadelphia on April 2, 1920, that it disapproves 
most emphatically attempts which are being made 
in some localities to hamper the work of labor self- 
education, and 

Be lt Further Resolved, That the American Fed- 
eration of Labor and all state and central labor 
bodies be urged to oppose vigorously every attempt 
made by reactionary forces to hamper this work of 
trade union schools thru the enactment of laws cal- 
ling for the licensing of such schools, and 

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of these res- 
olutions be sent to the American Federation of La- 
bor, the New York State Federation of Labor and 
to appropriate committees of the New York Legis- 
lature. 

Be It Resolved, by the Convention of Eastern 
Locals held at Philadelphia April 2, 1920, 

That copies of the above resolutions (sets one 
and two) be transmitted to Trade Union Colleges 
and similar organizations thruout the United States. 

Be It Resolved, That the American Federation 
of Labor be requested to re-affirm its endorsemnet 
of schools conducted under union auspices; 

Be It Resolved, That this body recommend that 
Workers’ Colleges and similar organizations cooper- 
ate in the formation of a national association for 
the promotion and extension of the Workers Educa- 
tional movement. 

Be It Resolved, That this body recommends the 
early establishment, under control of organized la- 
bor, of a bureau of labor research and reference. 

Be It Resolved, That the trade union colleges 
and similar institutions cooperate in the preparation 





108 


of a series of text books dealing with economic, 
civic and historical questions from the workers’ point 
of view. 

Be It Resolved, Vhat this body stand for the in- 
corporation of industrial history in the course of 
study of all schools. 

Lasor EDUCATION 

At the morning session on April 3, an address was 
delivered by Miss Fannia Cohen of the Ladies Gar- 
ment Workers’ Union of the educational activities 
of that union. She said that the union felt the 
need of education among those who had gone into 
industry at an early age. The union began propa- 
.gandizing among workers for labor education and 
found them receptive. At the unity centers mem- 
bers assemble four or five evenings a week to attend 
lectures. The Board of Education supplies some 
school buildings and teachers subject to the approval 
of the union, but allows the unions to choose their 
curriculum and their methods of instruction. Some 
of the courses are English, Economics, History, Lit- 
erature, Music and Art. ‘The students can make 
recommendations as to the subjects they would like 
to have given, and in the method of instruction to 
be followed. If these recommendations are con- 
sidered practicable, the teachers and students try 
to carry them out. 

The teachers are chosen for their sympathy with 
widely divergent views and for their ability to co- 
operate with students under their charge. The 
teachers are asked not to follow the usual method 
of instruction obtaining in universities, but to take 
into account the practical experience of these stu- 
dents and their desire to participate in the lessons. 
So they are asked to make out special outlines and 
questions which would call into play the initiative 
and desire for expression of the students. 

All Union teachers can help this labor education 
work by qualifying to take positions as teachers in 
such institutions as are under the charge of trade 
unions. 

The Educational Committee of the International 
Ladies’ Garment Workers Union has also fostered 
the new School for Social Research. They finance 
a special class for trade union teachers in order to 
prepare them for trade union colleges. 

The students in these institutions feel that the 
trade unions not only care for their economic inter- 


The American Teacher 


Volume IX, No. 5. 


ests, but for their spiritual welfare; so there is a 
spirit of good fellowship among the trade union 
members and between teachers and students. 
MEMORANDA FOR BuitpING Up THE UNion 
MovEeMENT AND Keepine It Buitt Up 
Submitted by Henry R Linville, President, and ap- 
proved by the Eastern Conference 

1—It may serve as a test of the effectiveness and 
penetrating power of our propaganda to observe 
whether or not we hear of the work of the Amer- 
ican Federation of Teachers thru the great mediums 
of publicity, reaching us as if we who are already 
members were hearing the great news for the first, 
second or third time. If the publicity does not 
reach us, does it reach others who should hear of it 
thru the press or thru the talk of newly interested 
teachers ? 

2—The union movement should proceed with 
vastly more acelerated speed than is possible with 
our present insufficient equipment and funds. 

3—The hard and able work of our four organ- 
izers should be supplemented by « publicity bureau 
organized on a national scale. 

4—The publicity bureau could with some in- 
crease of facilities be caried on in connection with 
the office of the AMERICAN TEACHER. 

5—The staff could then organize an effort to cir- 
culate information about the union movement among 
teachers thruout the United States, to teachers or- 
ganizations already in existence, to summer nor- 
mals, to Chatauqua schools, to schools and educa- 
tional institutions of every kind. 

6—Most important of all it could make arrange- 
ments to gain publicity thru the newspaper and 
the magazine press. 

7—A correspondence section of the work has al- 
ready developed, but can not yet be made efficient 
for following up inquiries from indivduals in 
schools, and also students in colleges who are inter- 
ested in the polemic features of the movements as 
a subject for debates. 

8—In order to make the publicity take, the stand- 
ard literature published by us should be entirely 
revised and made more penetrating with the help 
of a specially equipped, professional publicity worker, 
a person who can get publicity where all others 
would fail, a well-trained newspaper man or woman. 
Much of our publicity at present is carried on with- 





June, 1920 


out this necessary penetrating power. It does not 
go thru and reach its proper destination in the minds 
of the public, including the teachers. 

9—A second and equally important feature of 
our work should be an entirely new effort. We 
have at present no economical and efficient method 
of getting new locals immediately and interestedly 
at work on their problems. During the early weeks 
of the existence of these new locals, they frequently 
lose heart because of opposition which they do not 
know, from lack of experience, how to meet. Fur- 

_ thermore, many new locals after the effort of get- 

ting organized is spent, do not know what to do. 

10—In order that the infant mortality of the 
American Federation of Teachers may be satisfac- 
torily reduced, the Eastern Conference strongly 
urges upon the Executive Council of the A F of T 
that plans be worked out at once to look after the 
new locals more effectively. 

11—The organization as a national body could 
extend the hand of fellowship to welcome the new 
locals. This could be followed up with a brief 
summary of the best of the experience of the older 
locals, as a means of saving the great amount of time 
required by new locals in learning over again the 
experience which is comon to us all. 

12—Then could follow a series of letters giv- 
ing the history of other locals whose experience and 
success in meeting problems and finding work to 
do have been marked. 

13—The influence of well-known men and women 
who believe in our cause could be made effective 
in certain regions far distant from large bodies of 
union fighters, and this influence would be avail- 
able to the smallest locals. 

14—Advice could be offered to affiliate with local 
labor bodies, and to get into the real labor move- 
ment by offering to help labor itself. 

15—Methods of starting to work on finding 
work for the members for the purpose of keeping 
up interest and developing leaders could also be 
sent out. 

16—So important do the possibilities of this work 
of preventing waste on the part of the national or- 
ganization appear to the Eastern Conference that 
it urgently recommends a shifting of the emphasis 
of effort from the present major effort of organiz- 
ing new locals to the effort of saving locals from 
dying for lack of care and proper teaching. 


The American Teacher 


DELEGATES 


to the Eastern Conference of Teachers’ Unions, 
Held at Philadelphia, April 1-2-3, 1920 

Frank V Adamthwaite, Local 87, 812 Ocean 
Ave., Jersey City, N J 

Elizabeth D Burrell, Local 143, 1711 11th St, 
N W Washington, D C 

M Agnes Boles, Local 95, 139 Rochambeau Ave, 
Providence, R I 

Llizabeth Bellis, Local 32, Shenandoah, Pa 

Margaret Brown, Local 87, 38 East 37th St, 
Bayonne, N J 

Mr J V Crowne, Local 71, 607 W 138th St, 
N Y City 

Mary E Cox, Local 95, 40 Sterry St, Pawtucket, 
RI 

Mary Costello, Local 87, 337 Bovoma Ave, Jer- 
sey City, N J 

Helene Cummings, Local 87, 2128 Hudson Blvd, 
Jersey City, N J 

Mr H Defrem, Local 71, 2875 Broadway, N 
Y City 

Amy F Dilcher, Local +5, Farney Apt, Mahonoy 
City, Pa 

Mrs Elizabeth Draper, Local 16, 1453 Fairmont 
St, N W, Washington, D C 

Mary C Dent, Local 16, 3009 P St, N W, 
Washington, D C 

Marie A Depew, Local 58, The Normandie, 
36th & Chestnut, Philadelphia, Pa 

John J Donohue, Local 5, 1137 Longfellow Ave, 
Bronx, N Y City 

John A Frenzel, Local 24, 2152 Webster Ave, 
N Y City 

Louis A Goldman, Local 5, 674 Hendrix St, 
Brooklyn, N Y 

Sara Golden, Local 5, 1880 Belmont Ave, N 
Y City 

Anna J Garland, Local 95, 472 East Ave, Paw- 
tucket, R I 

Edna E Hauke, Local 56, 605 Mass Ave, N E, 
Washington, D C 

Ruth G Hardy, Local 5, 228 Henry St, Brook- 
lyn, N Y 

Jos Jablonower, Local 5, 2380 Creston Ave, 
N Y City 

Henry R Linville, Local 5, 36 Terrace Ave, Ja- 
maica, N Y 





110 


Mrs F Martinez, Local 24, 176 W 89th St, N 
Y City 

Cora McCarty, Local 16, 1729 H St, N W, 
Washington, D C 

John A Marsh, Local 100, 56 Peter Parley Rd, 
Boston, Mass 

Mr A O’Mara, Local 98, 11 Columbia Ave., 
Trenton, N J 

Augusta Orlinger, Local 5, 599 Van Siclen Ave, 
Brooklyn, N Y 

Mrs Grace L Ryan, Local 56, Kensington, Md 

Henrietta Rodman, Local 5, 174 25th St, Elm- 
hurst, N Y 

Mrs Bina Ryan, Local 45, 111 W Pine St, Ma- 
hanoy City, Pa 

Rose Stutz, Local 8, 1628 Swann St, N W, 
Washington, D C 

Miss Florence Salzberg, Local 5, 1107 Forest 
Ave, Bronx, N Y City 

Mr T W Turner, Local 33, Howard University, 
Washington, D C 

Anna D Hershman, Local 58, 514 Tasker St, 


Philadelphia, Pa 
Clara K Stutz, Local 16, 1628 Swann St, N W, 


Washington, D C 


BUT ALWAYS THE SCHOOLS FOR PROPAGANDA 
A high school student from Clinton, Iowa, has won 
first prize in the War Department’s prize essay contest. 
Chillicothe, Missouri, takes second prize, and Olive Branch, 
Mississippi, third, on the benefits of an enlistment in the 


army. ‘This is an ingenious method of inspiring proper 
politics and patriotism in the younger generation of Clin- 
ton, Chillicothe, and Olive Branch. In some schools of 
the West, and perhaps of the East and South, too, this 
prize essay writing was made compulsory for high school 
students. (A few pusillanimous school boards, awed by 
the protests of labor councils, let the contest be purely 
voluntary.) Of course the contest is no debate—the 
students are to argue the side that will win the prize; 
and the prize winners, in addition to their gold and silver 
and bronze medals, get a free trip to Washington at the 
taxpayers’ expense. It must be said that the War Depart- 
ment has been rather amateurish in applying the method. 
It might have had the nation’s school children argue the 
benefits of universal military training or of compulsory 
military service. Then Mitchell Palmer might start a 
national school essay contest on The Menace of Free 
Speech and the Superiority of Suppression, with Albert 
Sidney Burleson, Thaddeus Sweet, and Ole Hanson as 
judges; Josephus Daniels might start another on Ameri- 
ca’s Need for Incomparably the Greatest Navy in the 
World; in fact, the method, carried to its logical con- 
clusion, might include a compulsory prize essay contest 
on.The Necessity for a Third Term. Why not?—From 
The Nation, of May 1, 1920. ‘ 


The American Teacher 


Volume IX, No. 5. 


NON-PARTISAN POLICY A F OF L ENDORSED 

New York, May 29.—The Central Federated union at 
a largely attended meeting decisively repudiated its former 
action in endorsing the so-called Labor party by a vote 
that leaves no doubt in the minds of thinking trade union- 
ists as to where it stands. The vote was 122 to 18. Much 
political capital has been made out of the fact that the 
Central Federal union of this city had repudiated the 
plan of the A F of L to adhere to its non-partisan political 
Policy. The radicals were successful as result of the con- 
servative members failing to attend meetings since the en- 
dorsement of the Labor pariy. Realizing that they were 
being misrepresented, a determination was reached to cor- 
rect the misleading reports that had been spread broad- 
cast over the country, and the action of the conservative 
members at the last meeting makes that so clear that 
there can no longer be any misconstruction put upon it. 
It is the most staggering defeat that element in our cen- 
tral bodies has met with and will no doubt have a sober- 
ing effect in other sections where similar action has been 
taken or contemplated by central bodies—From the 
Weekly Newsletter of the American Federation of Labor. 

The facts are not completely disclosed by the ac- 
counts as printed in the Weekly Newsletter. The 
Labor Party was launched by a referendum vote 
of the locals, and not because the conservatives 
failed to attend the meetings. 

On May 21, 1920, Peter J Brady, a member of 
the Allied Printing Trades and James P Holland, 
President of the New York State Federation of 
Labor, accompanied by about one hundred long- 
shoremen, teamsters and others, most of whom 
were not delegates to the Central Federated Union 
of New York City, raided that body. They forced 
the sergeant-at-arms to one side, intimidated the 
members with threats of violence, howled down all 
opposition, forced the chairman out of the chair, 
which was then seized by Peter J Brady for a time. 
Then the former chairman was forced to take the 
chair again. Mr Hugh Frayne, the New York 
Representative of the American Federation of 
Labor was present, and seemed to approve the 
action taken. 

The real Central Federated Union did not re- 
pudiate the Labor Party. 
by the thugs, forced thru a resolution stating that 
it was the consensus of opinion of those present that 
the delegates to the C F U endorse the nonpartisan 
policy of the A F of L. Endorsing gun-man 
tactics reflects no credit on labor, or on leadership 
of that kind.—Editor, THrz AMERICAN TEACHER. 


The conservatives, aided 





The June 


Message 


F G Strecker 
Secretary-Treasurer, The American Federation of 
Teachers 


We have now passed the fourth anniversary 
ot the American Federation of Teachers. Such has 
been its development that many among both mem- 
bers and non-members are in the habit of thinking 
of this organization as being much older. Its or- 
ganization took place at the City Club in Chicago, 
April 15, 1916. The eight pioneer locals which 
had previously been chartered by the American Fed- 
eration of Labor paid their last A F L per capita in 
April and the May per capita opened the treasury 
of the new national union. The fiscal year there- 
fore, begins with May Ist. In the first year one 
charter was granted; in the second year, ten; in 
the third year, fifty-five; in the fourth year, one 
hundred five. Total, one hundred seventy-nine. 

It would be misleading to infer that every group 
included in the numbers just given, has proved a 


success. An examination of the reasons for the 


failures not only reflects seriously upon school con- 
ditions, but also adds greater credit to the groups 


which have won out over these obstacles. The ma- 
jority of failures have been due to the habitual 
transiency of teachers. Groups which had been or- 
ganized late in the school year have in many in-. 
stances lost their entire leadership, if not the entire 
membership, through acceptance of better positions 
elsewhere before the organization had become a 
fixed institution in the life of the school. A few 
cases may be attributed to lack of understanding on 
the part .of the teachers as to what organization 
means. These were teachers looking for a panacea 
for their troubles. Upon discovery that school 
problems, like all others, must be solved by those 
most concerned, and that organization is intended 
at best to provide the means, encouragement, good 
counsel and support in the efforts to bring about 
a solution, their courage failed them. They 
theught it easier to suffer their present evils than 
to venture on new paths. A truthful presentation 
of the failures of the American Federation of Teach- 
ers can give little comfort to those who wish to 
build thereon an argument against affiliation. 
Indeed, it is a matter of gratification to those 
who have watched with interest the growth in mem- 


111 


bership, influence and effectiveness of the American 
Federation of Teachers, to see more than ten thou- 
sand teachers standing firm in their convictions. 
The past year has been one of splendid achieve- 
ments. Enthusiastic returns from scores of presi- 
dents of locals indicate that the adoption of better 
salary schedules will serve to retain the present 
teachers and attract high grade talent among high 
school and college students about to choose a voca- 
tion. But, what is more important, the teachers 
are winning a new position of respect on the part of 
the public. As teachers assume their places in the 
civic and social life of the community, there will 
be less dissatisfaction, less loss of good material and 
a greatly strengthened morale. A year ago some of 
us may have expected a more rapid growth during 
the present school year. It is easy to see in retro- 
spect that a growth of one hundred per cent in 
membership is a remarkable attainment. So much 
must be done. Teachers have done so little thru 
and for themselves. So much must be learned 
about organization and business procedure. It takes 
time to grasp fully the civic responsibilities of a 
group of teachers and to come in touch with the 
important civic institutions of the community. Self 
confidence and initiative must be developed and 
leadership must be selected and tested. Discourag- 
ing obstacles must be overcome. The history of 
any one of these groups during the past year con- 
firms the statement that the present status of the 
American Federation of Teachers is one of which- 
its members may well be proud. 

We must not forget the fact that salary schedules 
are not all important. The present danger lies in 
the premature assumption by the public that all is 
well in the schools because the board of education 
has granted an increase. The newspapers are pro- 
moting this sentiment. Little is to be gained from 
salary adjustments unless there be an accompanying 
improvement in other phases of working conditions. 
Education must be in the hands of teachers and 
and administrators of the highest quality, properly 
trained and professionally minded. The work must 
be such as to call forth from them the best that is 





112 


in them. Conditions must not be such as to kill 
initiative, ambition and personality. Advanced 
salary schedules in themselves may have a tendency 
to hold or attract those who have come well quali- 
fied but whose nobler nature is dwarfed by un- 
democratic conditions. Few members of any com- 
munity appreciate the real values in education. It 
is easy for newspapers, politicians and those in pub- 
lic life not really interested in the schools, to de- 
ceive the public. The present practice is to anounce 
boldly that having adjusted the salaries all is well. 
Eternal vigilance on the part of teachers will be 
the price of good educational conditions. Cam- 
paigns to interest and instruct the public on other 
topics than salary will also be’ necessary. 

It must also be kept in mind that in many quar- 
ters there is no desire to have a high grade of teach- 
ers. The poorer the grade of teachers, the more 
easily they will be har tie’, chy more easily they 
can be intimidated and the les : will seek to 
assert themselves. In this way the secrets of mis- 
management, inefficiency and low e:lucational stand- 
ards will be safe. Often, it is found, the entire 


community feels that education is safe because it 


has confidence in the members of its board of edu- 
cation. It never stops to consider whether these 
members are qualified for their positions on the basis 
of knowledge of, and interest in, educational af- 
fairs. How often a community is satisfied to per- 
mit men to sit as members of a board of education 
and entrust them with complete charge of the 
destiny of the children when those same men would 
not be permitted to sit in other public bodies in 
whose duties the community feels a more direct in- 
terest. Even tho the members of the board of 
education be highly qualified, honest, and faithful, 
how stupid it is that the community should feel 
that the education of the children requires no fur- 
ther consideration. 

A meeting of the California State Federation of 
Teachers was held in Fresno May 15th. The pro- 
gram was a very heavy one for a one day meeting. 
It outlined plans for state federation organization ; 
finance; detailed scheme of trade union education 
including Americanization ; teachers’ union policies ; 
legislation and resolutions. As the entire program 
cannot be reproduced here a few items will be men- 
tioned. Under organization these questions were 


The American Teacher 


Volume IX, No. 5. 


raised: “Shall all locals affiliate with state labor 
federation thru state teachers’ federation?” and 
“Shall an official lawyer be chosen?” Under 
finance: “Shall state bear all the expense of or- 
ganizing new locals?” “Shall state print all its own 
literature?” “Shall convention recommend assess- 
ments on all members of National with a view to 
liquidation of National debt, including American 
Teacher deficit?” “Shall state federation institute 
(a) death or sick benefit fund? (b) summer rest 
camp?” Under the third topic came—“Study work 
of Boston Trade Union College, N Y Garment 
Workers’ Educational committee and Seattle Work- 
ers’ College.” As to the teachers’ union policies 
more than a dozen topics appear some of which are 
“education among trade unionists; community acti- 
vity; club for union teachers; publicity as to school 
problems ; local problems (to be presented in writing 
by delegates) ; reorganization of literature; advisa- 
bility of persistent activity at present.” The topics 
under legislature were of wide range and included 
several California tax questions; several questions 
of administration; the protection of the teacher as 
to minimum salary law; retirement salary law; 
married women; dismissed teachers; tenure; sab- 
batical year; size of classes; equal pay for all teach- 
ers having same qualifications. The proposed reso- 
lutions were to deal with the demand for educa- 
tional plank in the national party platforms; the 
school crisis—teacher shortage—financial shortage— 
support of normal schools; A F L and trade union 
schoo!s and the establishment of a high class labor 
paper at Washington, D C. This is but a brief 
sketch and does not do justice to the program as 
announced. The California State Federation of 
Teachers has manifested a great deal of initiative 
and energy in leading the way to the position which 
teachers and teachers’ organizations should occupy. 

The following is quoted from a San Francisco 
correspondent: 

“Last Sunday evening two of the prominent 
clergymen in San Francisco spoke on teachers’ 
uniois. I happened to see on Saturday evening that 
Dr Gordon of the First Congregational Church was 
going; to answer the question: “Should the teachers 
of San Francisco organize themselves into labor 
unions?” Dr Gordon’s church is one of the fash- 
io-able churches in San Francisco—near the hotel 





June, 1920 


district—and somehow I took it for granted that he 
would give a negative reply. I drew this conclu- 
sion as I knew his salary was paid by people who 
are opposed to all forms of unionism but that of 
capital. I expected to go to hear him so decided 
that I would write him a letter stating our point 
of view explaining a few of the “bogeys” and en- 
closing some of our literature. I also sent him the 
March AMERICAN TEACHER with Prof Overstreet’s 
article. In all I gave him about ten pieces of litera- 
ture—our own constitution, the American Federa- 
tion of Teachers’ constiution, Call to Action, Right 
to affiliate, John Dewey’s letter, etc. I wanted the 
satisfaction of knowing that he had our viewpoint 
and if he spoke against the unions it could not have 
been helped. To my great surprise and delight he 
answered “yes” and he started in to explain that 
there was a teachers’ union in San Francisco known 
as San Francisco Federation of Teachers No. 61 
and that he had its constitution before him and he 
then read Article III, Section 1, on strikes. He 
spoke of the Prussian system of education in the 
U S—that all the orders came from the top down, 
that the teachers had no voice in the conduct of 
the schools, etc. He said the union teachers were 
the bridge between the two forces and concluded 
with a repetition of his answer, “Yes, despite what 
the press has said in the past few days.” 

I could hardly contain myself while he was 
talking. 

The other clergyman, Dr Reed, also spoke in 
favor of the unions after Mr Mohr had spoken 
with him for two hours on Saturday and convinced 
him of our aims and purposes. He seemed to 
be opposed to teachers aligning themselves with a 
class but Mr Mohr gave him Professor Overstreet’s 
article so he was finally won over to our cause.” 

The Executive Council has authorized the crea- 
tion of a new activity to be known as “School Bet- 
terment Service of the American Federation of 
Teachers.” It will be in charge of Mr W T 
McCoy as director and Mr Geo W Tanner as 
assistant director. Mr McCoy is president of the 
Chicago Federation of Men Teachers No 2. He 
is also chairman of the Chicago High School Teach- 
ers’ Publicity Committee. Mr Tanner is an im- 
portant worker in the same local and treasurer of 


the Chicago High School Teachers’ Publicity Com- 


The American Teacher 


113 


mittee. The work of this Chicago committee con- 
ducted a victorious campaign a few months ago. 
For some time it has been apparent that the methods 
of this campaign would be extended on a national 
scale and the Chicago members have been anxious 
to make it a federation activity. In the Chicago 
and Illinois campaign the services of the Mc- 
Cutcheon-Gerson Publicity Agency have been found 
invaluable and the gentlemen connected with this 
agency have become deeply interested in the educa- 
tional situation. For the present the School Bet- 
terment Service will be located in their office 1024 
Garrick Bldg, Chicago, Ill. Mr McCoy and Mr 
Tanner will devote to this work their time outside 
of schoo] hours. It is evident that in this school 
crisis the opposition is succeeding in preventing A 
F T from making its due infiuence felt in a way 
that is recognized by the teachers at large and the 
public. The country is pretty well covered with 
isolated school betterment campaigns many of them 
state-wide. Many of these are almost a unit in 
their concentrated and coordinated hostility to any 
movement toward organization of teachers or thr 
raising of the teachers’ professional status. Under 
these conditions our 150 locals do not offer a suffi- 
cient fighting front to make much impression on the 
country. The protection of our present membership 
makes it essential to offer our service to the great 
mass of unaffiliated teachers and thus extend our in- 
fluence among them and the general public. If we 
do not successfully compete with the agencies we dis- 
trust in this matter, we will find that they have 
seized the opportunity and strengthened their hold 
on the schools. The unusual national publicity the 
Chicago drive secured has brought Mr McCoy 
scores of inquiries and requests for advice from all 
parts of the country. Mr McCoy has emphasized in 
his replies, the value of close-knit organization and 
labor affiliation. The School Bettement Service is a 
natural outgrowth. Mr McCoy and Mr Tanner 
have been living with the School Betterment cam- 
paign proposition for many months and will con- 
tinue to do so for many years as the Chicago ac- 
tivity has not been discontinued. They are well 
informed in the methods of arousing favorable 
public opinion. They have learned much regard- 
ing the methods of publicity. They know what in- 
formation to ask for and how to compile the results, 





114 


They will coliate the experiences of various com- 
munities and become a clearing house ior informa- 
tion, advice and direction when desired on the most 
efiective means of conducting school campaigns. 
They believe it will not be long before fees re- 
zeived trom groups of teachers who benefit from the 
service will make it self-supporting. It is the plan 
to extend this service to non-union as well as union 
teachers on the basis of suitable remuneration. No 
doubt you have received a communication from them 
in advance of this letter. Please give careful at- 
tention to the items asked for and be assured that 
ail assistance and cooperation extended to them all 
will help greatly in developing one of the best ac- 
tivities the American Federation of Teachers could 
undertake. Mr McCoy became engaged in work 
oi this nature several years ago when he was chair- 
man of a Chicago High School committee gather- 
ing information for a salary drive in Chicago. The 
report of that comittee published under date of 
January, 1914, is enclosed herewith as it has much 
material still of value in spite of time and change. 


FROM ASSOCIATE FIELD .SECRETARY, 


JOSEPHINE COLBY 
En Route Corpus Christi to 
San Antonio 
May 11, 1920. 
To the California State Federation of Teachers: 

Greetings! 

It was with the greatest regret that I gave up 
the idea of attending my state convention. At the 
last meeting of the Executive Council I was sure 
that I could be of no real service as Secretary so 
long as my work in the Field continues, and I 
should then have insisted upon the acceptance of 
my resignation. Since that time ‘the possibilities 
of working more intensively as well as more ex- 
tensively have increased. If I were twenty selves, 
all of them could be busy. I, therefore, ask that 
you accept my resignation as Secretary of the State 
Federation. 

I believe that it will be interesting to you to have 
an account of my work. If it is somewhat in- 
formal it is because I think of you more as a group 
of friends than as a State Federation. 

I have planned notes on Southern California, 


The American Teacher 


Volume IX, No. 5, 


Arizona, Texas, and an interview an hour in 


length, I had with the Premier of Queensland, 


‘ You will probably not have time for the whole 


letter. 

In Southern California I found a very careful], 
misinformed community at large. In three of the 
largest centers, Los Angeles, Bakersfield, and San 
Diego, I think we may yet look for organiza- 
tion. There is nothing to foster a good union 
spirit like denial of the right to organize. By next 
fall the independence of teachers will be established 
on the basis of the Teacher Shortage, if on no bet- 
ter basis. In Imperial Valley I found two ebstacles 
to reorganization: (1) The fact so many teachers 
were going to leave, and (2) the excellent salaries. 
In Holtville, I found one school of 500 pupils where 
every teacher handed in a resignation. At Brawley, 
the minimum High School next year is to be $2,000. 
I found the idea that teachers are the “wards of 
the state” flourishing in Southern California. li 
organization is to occur, the idea should originate 
with County Superintendents. They failing to 
take the initiative, etiquette demands that fhe prin- 
cipals lead off. Whether there is any third alterna- 
tive doth not appear. The Commercial Federation, 
with headquarters at Los Angeles, is undertaking 
not only to see that teachers with a proper regard 
for tradition are placed and maintained in the 
schools, but that they are paid without any activity 
in their own behalf. 

Similar sentiments prevail in Arizona. The con- 
trol of Arizona is vested in the copper mining 
interests. I attended sessions of the Arizona State 
Teachers’ Association. I am sure every adminis- 
trator in the school system of Arizona was there, 
and possibly 30 classroom teachers. I was present 
when reports were given on salaries to be paid next 
year. The Bisbee schedule is fairly representative: 
Elementary 

Min. $1500 
High School 
Min. $1750 Max. $2600 


There is a definite schedule in most cases, and in 


Max. $2000 


one town 8 different ways of bestowing rewards of 
merit in addition to place in the schedule. One 
school system gives a bonus of $300 for attendance 





June, 1920 


on summer school. Encouragement of teacher 


training is certainly needed in Arizona. I was 
glad to see a uniform elevation of the lower end 
of the salary scale. Not one word of anything con- 
structive did I hear from any classroom teacher 
during the two sessions I attended. It was dis- 
tinctively a conference of superintendence. A note 
of democracy was struck at the debate where Ariz- 
ona defeated Los Angeles on the teachers’ union 
question. Nor was this the only rivalry between 
the two states: one statistician cited a little too glee- 
fully, it seemed to me, the fact that California now 
ranks 17th in the salaries she pays her teachers. 

But Texas is 44th, according to her own State 
Superintendent. In Fort Worth, with consider- 
ably more than 100,000 population, the minimum 
salary is $648.00. In Cleburne, $55 per month. 
In both Cleburne and Fort Worth the buildings 
are adequate and beautiful. The highest per cent 
increase I have encountered was in Houston, where 
our local raised the minimum from $450.00 to 
$800.00. Houston and Denison were the only 
locals that had representatives at the state conven- 
tion. The Houston delegate, Miss Bessie Palmer- 
ton, was the cynosure of every eye, as she is 5 
feet, 2 inches tall, weighs 95 lbs and is very pretty. 
She is wildly enthusiastic about her first State La- 
bor Convention. She was made secretary of the 
Legislative Committee and sat gravely on the plat- 
form among an assortment of very large men. She 
introduced some valuable legislation (resolutions) 
in behalf of schools, the most important being the 
proposed removal of the 5-mile limitation, the sky 
to be the limit hereafter. 

| was equally impressed with the character of 
the State Labor Convention. As Miss Palmerton 
said: “Where could you find a Teachers’ Institute 
where educators could or would get up and talk so 
intelligently on such vital subjects?” Then, too, 
imagine if you can, a convention composed mostly 
of men where there was no smoking—the rostrom 
adorned with Bermuda lilies and ferns, not any of 
the movable furniture that we always fall over at 
the Labor Temple! Then when the resolution 
proposing the re-introduction ofi beer and light 
Wines was introduced, it was voted DOWN BY A 
VOTE OF 400 TO 200. We were mighty 


The American Teacher 


115 


proud! And you could never describe a Texan as 
effeminate! I have just come from another State 
Labor Convention—Carpenter. There was just as 
much “class” there, and I never before realized 
how nice it was that a lot of men could live so 
long without smoking! I organized an educational 
committee in the Ladies’ Auxiliary to the Carpen- 
ters’ to help with extension work. Open Shop is 
making a strong fight against Teachers’ Unions. 
The Rotary Club of Texas has gone on record 
against teachers’ unions. The president of the 
State University has said that affiliation of teachers 
with labor would be a “national calamity.” Well, 
of course, he may have his choice of calamities. 

School boards nearly everywhere in Texas seem 
to have been hastening the departure of teachers 
from the profession. They are of that old vintage 
that deems its function to be that of furnishing the 
community with bargain counter teachers. In 
many a community the school board has been serv- 
ing for twenty or thirty years. By that time they 
must function almost involuntarily. I enclose a 
slip of salaries of principals of high schools just 
as they occur on the pages of the State Directory. 
Do you wonder that there is a teacher shortage of 
over 2000 teachers in Texas? And President 
Vinson thinks that “affiliation would be a national 
calamity.” 

I note a strong tendency towards equalization by 
means of heavier State taxes. In Arizona the lift is 
only partly due to State aid. In the rural com- 
munities the conditions are bad. One of the labor 
candidates said that Bisbee, with an assessed valua- 
tion of $125,000,000 ought to support other school 
systems besides its own. It would seem so! The 
Lockwood-Donohue Bill (which was passed largely 
by the efforts of No 5 of New York) provides that 
the state shall bear half the cost of teachers’ sal- 
aries. In Queensland, so the Premier told me, 
salaries are so standardized that a teacher going 
from one position to another, would under the 
same conditions, receive the same salary. There 
are five steps in the salary scale, and a maximum 
and a minimum at each step. Rural teachers are 
not twice penalized as they are in the United 
States. They receive extra compensation because 
of the undesirable conditions of their teaching. A 





116 


teacher at the highest degree in the salary scale 
would, in Brisbane, receive a salary with a purchas- 
ing power of $3000. A teacher in the outmost 
zone in the rural system would receive for similar 
work performed a salary with a purchasing power 
of $4000. Thus the country child is valued as 
highly as the city child. Equality of opportunity 
is one of the essentials of democracy. The Queens- 
land teachers are unionized. There is no teacher 
shortage even of men. That is how a Labor Gov- 
ernment cares for its teachers. 

Here we are threatened with the subsidizing of 
our teachers. In the copper towns of Arizona, the 
mining companies pay a bonus over and above what 
the school board pays. In San Antonio, Texas, the 
leading capitalist offered to donate $50,000 to- 
wards teachers’ salaries, and withdrew that offer 
because the teachers are unionized. Are our schools 
to be PUBLIC schools, or the agents of selfish in- 
terests? Those interests already control a vast 
majority of our school boards. Under these “watch 
dogs of the treasuries” our school system has broken 
down. Opportunities for democratization, for 
Americanization, for unifying our nation—all these 
have been let to slip from our hands into private 
or denominational control or no control at all! 
Let us not remain asleep! 

Fraternally, 
JOSEPHINE COLBY. 


TEXAS PRINCIPALS’ SALARIES 


Taken from State Directory in exact order of oc- 


currence on page 


Mercedes 
Meridian 
Merkel 


Miami . 
Midland 
Midclothian 
Milford 
Minden .. 
Mineola 


ALL HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALS! . 


The American Teacher 


Volume IX, No. 5. 


BRIEF ON UNIONISM 
Prepared by Mr Hess Seaman, University of 

Arizona, Tucson, one of the winners of the Inter- 

collegiate Debate with the University of Southern 

California on the question, Resolved, That Teach- 

ers Should Affiliate with the American Federation 

of Labor 

Introduction. 

I. Statement of the Situation. 

A. Vital importance of the Educational Sys- 
tem. 
B. Impending breakdown of American School 
System. 
1. Shortage of Teachers. 
2. Number of children out of school. 
3. Conditions, economic, general—cause 
of collapse. 
a. Low salaries. 
b. Uncertain tenure of position. 
c. Autocracy—nothing to say as to 
working conditions. 
1. School boards. 
2. Superintendents. 
C. Failure of individual effort and ‘existing 
organizations to save the situation. 
1. Publicity efforts of the N E A Bulle- 
tin Spring 1919. 
2. Newspaper and magazine publicity. 
3. Advertising campaign by teachers. 
a. Los Angeles. 

Il. Proposal—organization and <ffiliation with the 
A F of L. 

1. Outline of plan. 

THE ISSUE: Is affiliation the surest and most de- 
sirable remedy for the evils that have 
caused the present breakdown of our 
school system; for low salaries, un- 
certain tenure, autocracy and attend- 
ant unsatisfactory conditions. 

We believe that affiliation is the surest and most 
desirable remedy, for it will furnish a means of 
effective organization, as opposed to the present 
ineffective system, for carrying out progressive 
ideas. 

1. Only from effective organized effort from 
within will any marked changes be brought 
about. 





June, 1920 


a. History of labor advancement. 
b. Slowness of public to recognize and re- 
ward services. 
1. Boston Police, 2. Postal 
ployees, 3. Teachers Inadequate sal- 
ary increases. 

2. Labor is the strongest democratic and pro- 
gressive body that offers opportunity for 
affiliation. 

a. Labor takes a strong stand on matters 
of democratic educational legislation. 
b. Labor has strong voting power. 
c. Labor is able to exercise a powerful 
moral influence. 
Il. Affiliation has proved effective in the past. 

1. The schools of Chicago, St. Paul, New 

York and other cities have benefited by it. 
III. Affiliation will result in permanent benefit to 
the schools, to society, and to the workmen. 

1. It will improve the quality of our teachers, 
for 
a. An increase of salary along with better 

working conditions will attract into the 
schools the right kind of men and women, 
—men and women capable of turning out 
leaders for true democracy. 

. It will result in the retaining of teachers 
of experience and maturity of judgment in 
the place of the boys and girls who now 
make up 50 per cent of our teaching force. 

. Given economic freedom and rights of 
representation teachers will develop in- 
dependence of spirit and thought sadly 
lacking in the schools today, while initia- 
tive, responsibility, independence, breed 
like qualities. 

2. Society as a whole will be benefited, for 
a. Better schools mean a more educated and 

efficient citizenship. 

3. It will work toward improved industrial 
relationships. 

a. Affiliation will mean better understanding 
between labor and education. 
1. Industry (labor) at present suspects 
education (the schools). _ 
b. The secret of industrial peace lies in a 
broad, democratic education that fits men 
to see both sides of a question. 


em- 


The American 


Teacher 117 
1. This means broad-minded, mature men 
and women teachers. 
c. It will work toward industrial peace, for 
1. Teachers stand for gaining their ends 
only thru moral influence and the ballot. 
2. Teachers will furnish sane and con- 
servative leadership, for 
a. It will dignify manual labor, and 
so save our nation from the eco- 
nomic disaster sure to come if the 
laborer is look down upon. 
Conclusion. 


CONDITIONS IN ARIZONA 


C O Case, Supt Public Instruction, Arizona, said 

in an interview published February 2, 1920 

“There is a considerable shortage of teachers in 
this state. The number of temporary certificates we 
have issued shows this shortage. Between the 
August and December teachers’ examinations we 
issued seventy-seven temporary certificates to teach- 
ers not regularly qualified. Since the December 
examinations we have granted forty-three temporary 
certificates, making a total of a hundred and twenty. 

“Vacancies are constantly occurring which cannot 
be replaced by regularly qualified teachers. There 
is an increasing shortage. Unless something is 
done in allowing teachers decent remuneration, in 
my opinion there will be a still greater shortage 
next year. 

“On the average fifty per cent of the candidates 
pass the teachers’ examination. But only forty per 
cent passed the last teachers’ examination. This 
was due to the fact that a good many of the can- 
didates were on temporary certificates and were not 
qualified to pass the examinations. In the last ex- 
amination more than two-thirds or in fact almost 
all of those holding temporary certificates did not 
pass. 

“The final result is that the educational standard 
is being lowered greatly. In this time when we 
need the very best of teachers, we are getting im- 
mature, underpaid teachers not qualified for the 
work, 

“To remedy the situation each teacher should 
have a raise in yearly salary of a thousand dollars 
or more,” 





118 


DISCUSSION ON THE CODE OF ETHICS 


ETHICS WITHOUT GOD 


To the Editor of AMERICA: 

Mr John J Donohue in America for May 8, tells us 
in defense of the code of ethics of the American Fedrea- 
tion of Teachers that “in our ranks are found support- 
ers of all religious denominations, as well as several who 
belong to none whatsoever. The code of ethics adopted 
must be one to which all can subscribe. It must set 
forth clearly the high aims of a community of various 
creeds, and not what is matter for theological discus- 
sion or dispute.” Does Mr Donohue mean by this that 
the American Federation of Teachers includes in its 
ranks supporters of the doctrine that God can be excluded 
from a code of ethics? [ did not claim that a code of 
Catholic ethics should have been drawn up. What I 
claimed was that the code of ethics drawn up and ap- 
proved by the American Federation of Teachers did not 
mention the responsibility to God for the charges en- 
trusted to the care of the teachers. No matter what 
may be the creed of the teacher, he should admit that 
true morality rests first upon his duty to God. Even 
the pagans realized this. If Mr Donohue will read the 
pages of the ethics written by the men who lived before 
the Light of the World came to enlighten mankind, he 
will find that these pagan authors insist that full duty 
to the gods is the first essential in any system of ethics. 
And yet Mr Donohue tells us that the duty a teacher 
owes to God was omitted because the code of ethics 
had to be one to which all can subscribe. 

He would have me say that the effectiveness of ethical 
teaching is to be judged by the number of times a 
teacher mentions God. This I did not say. The greatest 
ethical teaching can be accomplished without ever men- 
tioning God, but ethical teaching is impossible if the 
teacher is not guided in his work by a sense of his duty 
to the Creator. I do not care if the teacher is a Christian, 
Jew or Morammedan, if he leaves his sense of duty to 
God out of his daily life, he is not a fit teacher for our 
schools. For how can such a teacher inspire obedience 
to authority when he has excluded the author of all au- 
thority? The proposition I laid down is not “The matter 
for theological discussion or dispute.’ I simply stated 
that a code of ethics which does not include our obliga- 
tion to God is a misnomer. 

The citation of the ex-Kaiser is rather out of place, as 
William Hohenzollern’s idea of “Gott” was a rather per- 
verted one built upon the philosophy of Kant, who made 
the same mistake as the American Federation of Teachers 
made; he, too, endeavored to find a norm of morality, 
which would exclude the duty man owes to God. 

Granite, Md. Joun P GALLAGHER. 


ETHICS WITHOUT GOD 


To the Editor of AMERICA: 

Mr John P Gallagher in America for May 22, asks me 
if I mean that the “American Federation of Teachers” in- 
cludes within its ranks supporters of the doctrine that 
God can be excluded from a code of ethics. That is 
precisely what I do mean. He has phrased my thought 
much more clearly than I was able to phrase it myself; 
but there are some points about his last letter on which 
I should like to be enlightened. 

The words, “No matter what the creed of a teacher, 
he should admit that true morality rests upon his duty 
to God,” and, “if he leaves his sense of duty to God out 
of his daily life he is not a fit teacher for our schools,” 


The American Teacher 


Volume IX, No. 5. 


mean to my mind that the individual who does not be- 
lieve in God should not be permitted to teach in the 
schools of the State. To exclude a teacher on such grounds 
as these, would be applying a religious test for a public 
office, which test would be contrary to American prin- 
ciples and ideals of democracy and freedom. Is there 
any difference between the authority that would exclude 
a candidate for a teaching position because he does not 
believe in God, and the bigoted board of education in 
Florida that deprived a young woman of her right to 
teach because she happened to be a Catholic? The code 
of ethics that does not mention responsibility to God 
certainly cannot be all that a Catholic would like, but it 
is a thousand times better than the code that mentions 
that Holy Name in order to establish bigoted oppression. 

Mr Gallagher refers to the pagans to show they recog- 
nized their full duty to the gods. This recognition was 
the cause of the most violent persecution the pages of 
history anywhere record. We need not read the works 
suggested by Mr. Gallagher to recall the inhuman cruelties 
exercised upon those who believed in the one and only 
God. I ask Mr Gallagher, then, would one who owed 
responsibility to these destructive, vicious deities be “a 
fit teacher for our schools?” It would appear so, for Mr 
Gallagher does not care if the teacher be a Mohammedan, 
provided he keep his sense of duty to God. But Moham- 
med believed in spreading the doctrine of duty to God 
by the force of the sword. Wherever he went he left 
behind a trail of blood and death. Would the teacher 
who felt his sense of duty as strongly as all this be “a 
fit teacher for our schools?” 

I learn that my citation of the ex-Kaiser was out of 
place as the Hohenzollern’s idea of “Gott” was a_per- 
verted one. That was my purpose in mentioning Wil- 
helm. Did the pagans or Mohammedans have 4 less per- 
verted one? Mr Gallagher cites the latter to prove his 
point. The very thing I am trying to show is the futility 
of judging a code of ethics according to whether duty to 
God is expressed or not. What guarantee have we that 
any idea of God existing outside the Holy Catholic 
Church may not be just as perverted as that of the 
Kaiser? _ Where is the assurance that the authority re- 
ferred to may not be built upon the philosophy of Kant, 
or some other mistaken sage? 

We Catholics cannot force our code of ethics upon non- 
Catholics in associations to which we happen to belong. 
We can, however, in the interest of tolerance and progress, 
agree to certain principles common to all well-intentioned 
people. The code taught me by the good sisters in the 
parochial schools was a very simple one—“Love thy 
neighbor as thyself.” My neighbor was then defined as 
“Everybody in the world.” But I cannot love him if I 
am to deny him his right in the school system, or his 
right to believe or not according to his light. He may 
deserve my sympathy, but surely not my censure. This 
compromise we Catholics must make in order to hasten 
that glorious day, “When there shall be one fold and 
one Shepherd.” 

Since Mr Gallagher admits that “the greatest ethical 
teaching can be accomplished without ever mentioning 
God,” it seems strange that he should criticize the “Ameri- 
can Federation of Teachers.” Ethical teaching is what 
this organization is accomplishing daily. It has spread the 
bonds of brotherhood among some 12,000 teachers from 
New York to California. It is the only organization of 
teachers, always excluding the religious orders of course, 
which realizes that the teacher’s work is not confined to 
the classroom, but extends to the community, even to the 
humblest and lowliest toiler. In this, as in its other 








June, 1920 The American Teacher 





SPEND YOUR VACATION THIS YEAR 
In the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania 


“The Switzerland of America.” Easy of access, high altitude, mag- 
nificent scenery, unsurpassed atmosphere, where hot nights, mos- 
quitoes and malaria are unknown. 4 For free road map, booklets and 
information call at office of 


POCONO MOUNTAIN RESORT AGENCY 
Room 607, 280 MADISON AVE, N. Y. City, Cor. 40th St. Phone Vanderbilt 4390 


A few Bungalows and Cottages still for sale or rent; furnished; in the 
mountains, $75.00 per season and up. 














a= = This is the Official Organ 


Contracts awaiting teachers for all classes of school 
work. No fee unless appointed. Select service, prompt of the 
and efficient. Write us fully today, we can assist in 


your promotion. American Federation 
OSWEGO TEACHERS’ AGENCY 


Box C, Oswego, N. Y. ' of Teachers 


ORGANIZED APRIL 15, 1916 

aims, it follows in the footsteps of the Greatest of all Affiliated with the American Federation of Labor 
Teachers. It has fought consistently for justice for all f 5 . , 
workers and for the children of the workers; it has Executive Council of the American Federation of Teachers 
fought for truth often against the most powerful busi- President, Cuartes B Striman, Chicago 
ness interests, in their attempt to gain control of public 1620 Lake Avenue, Wilmette, Ill. 
education and their bold efforts to turn the schools into First Vice-President and Editor American Teacher, 
media for the propaganda of their own special class. Henry R Linvittz, New York City, 

When we have all said our say about ethics, it will be 36 Terrace Avenue, Jamaica 

by their acts ye shall know them. The American wena. Second Vice-Presi and Field Secretery, 
ation of Teachers stands by its acts as the only teachers A 

a ‘ : L V Lampson, Washington, D C 

organization fighting this great battle for humanity. Can 
a Catholic who by his very faith must have these ideals 1336 Otis Place, N W 
at heart, can a Catholic stand by and remain neutral? Third Vice-President, JoserpHine Corsy, Fresno, Cal., 


I know that he cannot; so, I have an application blank _ 184 N Van Ness Blvd. ; 
ready for Mr Gallagher. Fourth Vice-President, Herman Derrem, New York City, 


2875 Broadway 
Fifth Vice-President, Isanex. Wii11aMs, St. Paul, Minn., 
554 Holly Avenue 
THE AMALGAMATED Sixth Vice-President, Jennie A Wrox, Chicago, Il. 
212 North Grove Avenue, Oak Park, Ill. 
Seventh Vice-President, Asranam Lerxow17z, 
New York City, Grand Avenue, East Elmhurst 





New York. Joun J Dononuve. 


One of the most significant conventicns of labor 
unions probably ever held in this country was the 
Fourth Biennial Convention of the Amaigamated : ’ , 
Clothing Wonkers of America held in May in the Eighth Vice-President, C E Puiu, Atlanta, Ga., 
City of Boston. For the inspiration of this won- 94 Brookline Street 
derful convention read the accounts of William L. ith Vice-President, Ciara K Stutz, Washington, D C 
Chenery, “The Vanguard of Labor” in the Survey 1628 Swann Street 
of May 22, and William Hard, “Hillman and the Secretary-Treasurer, F G Strecker, Chicago, Il. 
Amalgamated” in the New Republic, of June 2, 1920, 1618 Lake Avenue, Wilmette, Ill. 











AT THE GOAL POSTS 


How a Governor Downed a Bill that was Getting by Others (Including a 
State Department of Educa*ion) 
STATE OF NEW YORK 
Executive Chamber 


Memorandum filed with Senate Bill, Introductory Number 1121, Printed 
Number 1275 (Assembly Reprint Number 2165), entitled: 
‘‘An Act to amend the education law, in relation to the qualifications 
of teachers, and making an appropriation for expenses.’’ 
NOT APPROVED: ; 

This bill provides that every public school teacher in the State shall ob- 
tain a certificate from the Commissioner of Education to the effect that he or 
she is-of good moral character, and has shown satisfactorily that he or she 
will support the State and Federal constitutions and is loyal ‘‘to the institu- 
tions and laws thereof.’’ The certificate may be revoked without hearing on 
the ground that the Commissioner may find that the teacher is not ‘‘loyal to 
the institutions of the United States and of the State of New York and the 
laws thereof.’’ The test established is not what the teacher teaches but what 
the teacher believes, and the effect of the bill would be to make the Commis- 
sioner of Education the sole and arbitrary dictator of the personnel of the 
teaching force of the State in its public schools. 

This bill must be judged by what can be done under its provisions. It 
permits one man to place upon any teacher the stigma of disloyalty and this 
even without hearing or trial. No man is so omniscient or wise as to have 
entrusted to him such arbitrary and complete power not only to condemn any 
individual teacher but to decree what belief or opinion is opposed to what he 
deems to be the institutions of the country. 

No teacher could continue to teach if he or she entertained any objection, 
however conscientious, to any existing institution. If this law had been in 
force prior to the abolition of slavery, opposition to that institution which 
was protected by the Constitution and its laws, would have been just cause 
for the disqualification of a teacher. There is required of the teacher not only 
loyalty to the Constitution and laws of the State but also loyalty to what is 
described as the institutions of the United States and of the State of New York. 

Opposition to any presently established institution, no matter how intelli- 
gent, conscientous or disinterested this opposition might be, would be suffi- 
cient to disqualify the teacher. Every teacher would be at the mercy of his 
colleagues, his pupils and their parents, and any word or act of the teacher 
might be held by the Commissioner to indicate an attitude hostile to some 
of ‘‘the institutions of the United States or of the State.” 

The bill unjustly discriminates against teachers as a class. It deprives 
teachers of their right to freedom of thought, it limits the teaching staff of 
the public schools to those only who lack the courage or the mind to exercise 
their legal right to just criticism of existing institutions. The bill confers 
upon the Commissioner of Education a power of interference with freedom 
of opinion, which strikes at the foundations of democratic education. 

The bill is, therefore, disapproved. 

(Signed) ALFRED E SMITH 





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