The age-herald., 1897-11-14
THE PRIDE OF ALABAMA Great Educational Work Still in
 Its Infancy. GIRLS INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS At MontevaIlo, Where 322 of Alabama's Falr Daughters Are Receiving Prac-
 ticaI Education.
Montevallo, N,v. 15, 1897.

lnOSb proud, IS me 1IWIS 4nQuStIldB school at Montevallo.
 Note the namel It is not ''The Young Ladies Finishing Academy of Monte vallo." No. fndeedl The institution Is exactly what its name implies, for It is a hive of industry from whea will emerge no graduates with a smattering of mus.c, fine arts and the ologies and a lofty contemptfor honest work. but carefully trained women equally at heme in the drawing-room and the kitchen, inc counting-house and the office.
 This school owes its legislative birth to Senator Sol. D. Bloch, If Camden. it's actual existence to Capt. IT. c. Rey- nolds, of Montevallo, its president.
 The objects and aims of the school are described as follows in tha act of the legislature which created it in 1892:
 "The board of trustees shall possess all the power necessary and proper for the accomplishment of the trust reposed dn them, viz:
 The establishment and maintenance Of a first-class industrial school for the educaition of white girs in the state of Alabama in industrial and scientific branches, at which said girls may ac quire thorough knowledge of kinder garten instruction and music; also a knowledge of telegraphy, stenograIhy, photography, photography, typcwriting, printing, bookkeep ping, indoor carpentry, electrical construction, clay mO1eling, architectural and mechanical drawing, sewing, dreSsmaking, millinery, cooking, laundering, house, sign and fresco paint dng, home nursing, and such other prac- tioal industries as from time to time to them may be suggested by experience or tend to promote the general object of a ting and preparing girls for the practical industries of the age.'
 To lthe trustees was left the selection of the best locat for the new insitu- fiOn, and thelr choice fell upon Monte- vallo partly because of Its proximity to the geographical center of the state, but mainly on account of the eXer'tionls made by Capt. H. c. Reynolds on behalf of the town. So recently as Jan. 1, 1896, their choice was announced. Yet heard from s. B. Gibson, professor of type ewrittng at the school that 322 pupils were enrolled. H'hat determined me to see the school, which did on Hast Friday.
 Monlte'vallo means a hill in a valley. And the place is aptly named. for just at the edge of the coal belt in Shelby county is @ valley some four square miles in area, in the middle of which ttands the southern slope nestles the little town; !; on the level plai.ea stands the buildings of the GfrEs' Industrial school, surround ed by Twenty-Five acres of sward and woodland, donated by the town to the institution.
 Like everything else in this world, Those buildings have a history The brick edifice which formed the nucleus was built by the father of Gen. Shelby shortly before 'Hhe war, and by him pre- sented to Shelby county for high school purposes. It was only 70x50 feet, with a court in tlhe center when Capl. Rey- molds was appointed president of the new schcad in 1908. and in t the real work of the school commenced. Since them President Reynolds has increased it's frontage to 160 feeh and made 1t a solid building, with two wings in the rear connected with it by covered gal Ieries.
 The other large building is entirely new, and is used for dormitory and dim ing room purposes. It has three sftJrles and % basement, aInd is constructed of pressed brick and stone Although com plete in itself, it is but a. part of the left wing of the mag lificent structure which has been planned as the college brIilding and which will be built els funds Will penn1it-
 Nh such a short article ft is imposyibIe to enter into a full detailed description Of the buildings, suffice it to say that they are hetata1 by Sl cam, plenltifully supplied with pure water and are hy- gienioally perfect. Small, Isolated cot tages ane scattered about the grounds to accommodate music pupils and save tihe nerves of thcse not going through the delights of one, two, three, four; one, two, three, four.
 Any school may have bur6Jngs. not every cne has such perfect system as the one in question "A separate cIa~s-voom f7 provided for ca oh course of study. but all must be in attendarloa at Bis a. n.. in the chapel which is in the oent,.s of the cla5S rooms pnd seats the whole number of pupils After r=rdgioqrs exercises. the pupils march off to their several claes-ro -ans and th-tein lbes the secret of the system.
 IrSte91 Of a class reraining in a rom bored to death bv their unvaryirlg en- vironrrent ard visited by tn various teachers of the several h-arkshes. each classroom is devoted to one branch ard the punirl7 go from room to room to be taught. T7heY select th=i- own bra nclaes ernd then are assigneid their lIours for visiting the differ rant teachers
 Fiaich lesson iasts from half an hour to an hour. and at the dose of each the school bell summons all to the chapel, where they take their sssHs and are checked off bv sixteen monitors. This ia done fd- two reasons. to see that nsne play tru9rlt and to avnii carfusfrn. Their pretty 1oses counted. of they rrs-c' aeadn to the naw+ cfsssroau1s on
 
 t m prevent rrrfps rn. '' .. roin-, ute anterfuee and fife scar.per from Classroom 10 chepeI and away again is f1eslthful fer the girls. Gf~ }
 In my HnlHted space cannat de e-scsbe fin extenso the work of the teerhsrs I would Hlpat I oou'ad- President Reym 1ias has entrusted the management of the educational work to Mrs. Navy c. Babb, the lady prinnips'. and tho un'form ex- cellence in all departments sresks vol umes for her fitress for the positien She has selected a most able c-l-ps of as- I spent the whnTe day going from one classroom to another, and in nome found the ant,quated system of cFlil6iren by vote like a lot of parrots. What the pupsss at MontevaIo are taneht they will ramember. for they are trained to tfhfnre. not to repeat
 All the young ladies are receiving fin the so-called polite branches in -truc- tion which will fit them for the b st so- ciety, but 'rany of them srn a'sn tak- ing practical tesscns in rtanagrarfy. dress-malzing ar1 cooking. which will make tfren useful members of the social system if necessary. Many of them make their own dresses. and also earn money bv doing work for otf,- e.