Birmingham state herald., 1897-05-04
OUR LETTER BOX.
No communications will be published un- Ger this head unless signed by the author.- Editor.
UNIVERSITY REFQRAf.
To the State Herald:

To the State Herald:
 A moa. powerful reason for the exer- else of peitl nee iowa rihs the trustees of the university is thaa the adjustment of ita relations to The ether higher ir5ti- tutions of the srsta sS a. most difficult end delicate ask. Friends of the South eIn university, at Greensboro, Of Hew- ard college, al. East Lake and Of Au- burn are not too friendly llo the urtvsr saty. Ii is entirely probable that if the University sEalf put on new ard Vigor- GUS Elss tho unsettled differences be we n church and stage education will come for ward for debate. A0vGcsi.es of deTomi- rational education are not talking much now becaUele the university is scarcely counted as a vigorous compe ftor.
 Illsn, there is 'rye all-imrEraaln.t maj ter, never yet fully 6Lscussed, the proper relations of the university to the public school system of ths slate. What direct aid and inpeI us does the university give rl5w to the pcter schools? Now is the lime when help is needed By and by, when there is plenty of nnccrey, the sctiools will take care of themselves. Our stat e sys- tenn of education is very p-Orly organ ized. IL lacks unity and correlation. WITH anybody give a sound reason why jealousy exists to greater or less de- gree between TuSc2 iocea and Auburn? Then there is I'D doubt thal the univer- sly and high school teachers over the St2te are not in harmony a all. These al = QQt.BlJlIS tL t1e BTHE6St lIItpCA- -SslfCe. Will 1t ssj tie them to icin in the popular dastriis: and abuse of the trust5 es? Far from fii They are TOW sore from a buEe. Ii has gone far enough. What they nasd now is sugges stion. help inspiration. Some cf them do net take !. kindly, but that makes nfo differe,ce. The univ5 rslty does ra6 belong to them at all. It is ours! We who live and ray taxes in Alabama cwn it. And the trustees @ re ours. They must gave he university. Who doubts
 
 fafthnuMy consider it's present condi- 'don. Nobody doutts that there are changes needed in the faculty. Every tody knows thal.! Let the trustees cut eff iroompeterf lnen, whether that in- competency arises from physical imper- feeiion or mental inability, CT profess.on- al short-comirgs, or The infrmities of old age This ia the first ss, ep towards reform 1t must. be taken.
 Then let the work of construction be b=gun in good earnest.
 The nexs step Is to get a good pq'asi- d.nt. When bank direci ors are To king for good president they do not employ man who has been all his life farm CT. They get an experienced financier. known for lis conservatism and wisdom and success, strong enough to hold fast 10 what is g-2d in old methods. and brave enough to kesp up with The times. The very first qualification for a presi- dent is that he be an educetor
 We have enough men who have been everything else but educators. Here is the very found9'sion of all fitness. The r1ls,ses are lCoking for a man now IL does rot seem p-t1slt,e that in this age of progress and enlightenment we storld have to vitbmrt to the selection of ary other than an educator We warl: no p,'7eender. who is a.n educstor orly for what thsre Is in fl. or because he wants a good job, but n-ran who was born and trained for this work who loves it. who feels a deep love and responsibility for the bows under his care. We warl g. ma who knows the drift of efJcaltinra though who knows the needs of our boys in Alabama.
 Whether we shall get him rnt we shall see. A. l.. PHILLIPS.