The Abbeville Press And Banner

REQUIRES GRADES TO TEACH SCHOOL

EACH GRADUATE OF WINTHROP SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO TEACH FOR A PERIOD OF TWO YEARS, SAYS JOHNSON.

MAY MEAN SACRIFICE.

Columbia, Dec. 31.--Among the interesting matters that will come before the general assembly at the next regular session which will be called to order Tuesday, January 9, will be a bill introduced by a representative from the Piedmont section of the state requiring all graduates of Winthrop College who were possessors of scholarships to teach in the schools of the state for a period of two years. According to the author of the bill, its enactment by the general assembly will serve to prevent the serious inroads made by adjoining states upon the teaching force of South Carolina and at the same time will encourage trustees of schools in the state to make the remuneration of teachers more equal compared with the standard set by North Carolina.

Dr. D. B. Johnson, president of Winthrop, asked today what he thought of the proposed measure said that if it were made applicable to all state aided institutions he could offer no objections other than that the measure does not offer a guarantee of a position to graduates who received assistance from the state.

"Last year," said Dr. Johnson, "the graduating class numbered approximately 200. Before the college closed for the year, 120 of the graduating class had accepted positions in the state for 1923-1924, 40 had made contracts in other states, and 40 left college after commencement with little or no prospects. The annual quota of scholarship students is 126, proportioned from all counties of the state.

"Personally I would like to think that any portion of this number included in the graduating class from year to year, would be forced to make a sacrifice by teaching in South Carolina for a salary less than they could possibly receive in other states. We offer every encouragement to graduates to teach in South Carolina, and would prefer that they do so, but the reputation of Winthrop graduates as teachers has spread beyond the borders of the state, they are offered larger salaries on account of their thorough training, and we would not if we could, compel them to make this sacrifice."