The age-herald., 1898-11-06

ment of the corporate limits of Birming- ham. The movement thus far has been viewed from the commercial, industrial, sanitary and governmental advantages Of
 Greater Birmingham" In the opinion Of the writer, the most important and far reaching phase of the subject-that winch is fundamental to all the other questions involved-is the educational. It will be ad- mitted that intelligence is essential to all commercial prosperity, inasmuch as 1t cre- ates wealth and constitutes the chief fac tor in production; that it promotes Industry by the development of mental power and manual skill, by means of which inven- tions are multiplied, manufactures are diversified and natural products are utll- ized; that it promotes public health by dis seminating a more general knowledge of hygienic laws and by dictating more whole some sanitary conditions for the individual and home life of the people; that it pro- notes better government by educating the decreasing crime and pauperism in the community and by lessening to the taxpay- CTS the cost of the maintenance of courts, police and other punitive agencies. That education accomplishes these results is 1N~'S.ANA eoNoS ohiy Dy ehOSC NhO oi V ignorant of the most obvious facts of our civilization, or who purposely close their eyes to the lessons taught by the statis- tics of the federal census.
 Admitting that education is the chief as- sociative factor in community progress, the effect of the proposed extension upon the educational agencies of the territory in- volved acquires a degree of importance far OFA flor fann hot ,f f
 feeting the problem. If it can be shown, then, that the educational facilities of this
 entire valley may be increased and inn proved by annexation without any propor-
 tional increase in expense, all the other
 claims for Greater Birmingham may be
 safely assumed without argument C.. all
 the questions, the most vital to the future
 of this community is the school question, because 1t embraces all other questions.
 How will the inclusion of our suburban towns and outlying districts in the pro- posed Greater Birmingham" affect their school privileges? Will they by annexa- tion derive any advantages not now en- proved school facilities be secured without proportionate increase in expenditure to these outlying districts? If favorable ans- wer can be given to these questions, and if 1t can be shown that the school facilities afforded by Greater Birmingham" will ex-f eel in efficiency and economy those now provided, this argument in itself will af-- ford sufficient Justification for the present movement. ~
 The suburb of East Lake, for example. while ii. has two excellent colleges, has no epublic school whatever at, present; sfre- aquent efforts have been made to establish one, but the result has invariably proven Ito be an inefficient and intermittent make q shift, too insignificant to make any dura- 'ble impression upon the youth of the com smunity Woodlawn and Avondale maintain excellent elementary schools, but tuition charges are usually imposed to eke out the small salaries paid to the teachers, which even then are not always paid in full. If the writer is not in error the town of Woodlawn still owes for salaries earned by some of its teachers several years ago. These suburbs cannot provide adequate high school privileges for their youth, and in consequence, those who have passed be- yond the elementary stage must enter pri- svate schools or come to the Birmingham high school. There are at this time twen- sty-fve nonresident pupils in the city high school, paying tuition at the rate of four dollars per month: six of these students come from East Lake, about ten from Woodlawn and Avondale and the remain der from other suburban towns. The peo- pie of East Birmingham and North Bir- mingham have made repeated efforts to concentrate their energies in building up one or two good schools, but these efforts have invariably failed, and as result there are number of small semi public schools, which divide the public money but fail to give general satisfaction to the people, either in discipline or instruction. Elyton and West End have passed through a simi- lar experience; futile efforts have been made for years to maintain their schools. Those interested today will readily concede shat these efforts can only meet with fail- ,lre under present circumstances. If the sschool facilities of the suburbs, as they are, could be made efficient, there would not be seen every morning scores of children
 coming on the street cars into the public schools of the city.
 There are at present in all the element ary schools of the city about one hundred and fifty nonresident pupils; about fifteen of these come from East Lake, bout forty from the district between Birmingham and East Lake, and about the same number from the district west of the city. including West End and Elyton. These pupils pay the nonresident rates and their car fare in addition, because they have no adequate school privileges nearer home. These are the conditions they now exist. How will tl.ey be modified under the proposed ex- tension? There will be one compact and efficient system for the entire territory; a we'll equipped school building with com- petent teachers would be within walking distance for every child in the district. Street cars would have to be used only by those prepared to attend the central high school. The included territory would have the benefit of systematic teaching. The present outlying districts would have their schools under the same supervision as those oI the city, would have the same class of teachers. the same methods of instruction and the same general regulations. One good school could be maintained more Aeconom- ically and more efficiently than half dozen small schools as now maintained in some parts of the district. Uniform text books would be used throughout the territory, in- suring economy to the parents in case of transfer. At present when child changes school he must buy an entirely new set of text books. Every removal from one part of the valley to another involves a heavy burden to those who have children to edu- cate. Under uniform system child would find in his new home the same text books in use, the same course of study, the same rules and regulations and the same method of discipline; the only change being that of teachers. The effect of such a system would naturally be economy of ef- nf lime mi alt