The age-herald., 1898-05-21
BOOKS HAVE
 BEEN PUT ASIDE The Public Schools Nov Enter Upon a
 Vacation AFTER A SUCCESSFUL TERM Study Will Be Succeeded by Months Of
 Recreation. CLOSING OF THE c0LORED SCHOOLS Exercises at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Last Night Reyelation-a Glass of Thirteen Complete Course and
 Receive Certificates.
AFTER A SUCCESSFUL TERM
CLOSING OF THE coLoRED SCHOOLS

The pupils of the Birmingham public schools have put aside their books to en- joy well-earned vacation. The session of 1s97-9S was brought to a successful close yesterday after a term of earnest work on the part of both pupils and teachers.
 Under the guidance of the board of edu- cation and the direction of Superintendent J. H. Phillips the session has been marked by steady progress and advancement, fully maintaining the high standard of excellence which the school system of Birmingham has enjoyed fSr number of years.
 The work has been somewhat hampered by the practice of strict economy, which was necessitated by the financial condition of the city, and which it is hoped will be obviated before the opening of the next session by the adoption of the Birming- ham amendment at the next general. eiec- ton in August
 Birmingham Amendment
 This amendment will allow the city to levy a special tax for school purposes, and is being urged by the leading men of the state regardless of political faith.
 At the beginning of the session the board of education was confronted with large deficit in the budget which necessitated the charging of nominal tuition fee in all grades of the schools, but through the earn est efforts of Mayor Evans the board of aldermen came to the rescue on Jan. with sufficient appropriations to carry on the schools through the remainder of the session, without tuition, except in the High n1nn1 Ia
 The closing of the schools Is always at tended with much interest by the pupils who patiently await the final report of their teachers to ascertain whether or not they have been promoted to the next higher grade.
 The pupils from the seventh grades of the grammar school enter the High school and yesterday the successful pupils of these grades, 12O in number, assembled at the High school building where they were given their certificates of promotion. This number will probably be increased by few others.
 The enrolment at the High school during the past session has been about 225, of which thirtyfour were graduates, which. with the new pupils. will increase the number of pupils to more than 300, which will require additional teacher in this school.
 The School System
 The entire school system is under the personal supervision of Dr. J. H. Phillips. who ranks among the best educators of the country.
 The High school is in charge of the following corps of teachers: Prof. A. c. Moore, principal; Miss w. M. Allen, Miss B. A. A1len Miss H. R. Thornton, Miss A. Ria Klos, Miss R. c. Hamilton and Miss Bertha H. Gelders.
 The Henley school, situated on the cor ner of Sixth avenue and Seventeenth street, perhaps is the most popular of the gram mar schools, and is attended by the chill dren residing west of Nineteenth street, and Is in charge of the following teach CTS: Prof. c. A. Brown, principal; Miss Mamie D. Davis. Miss F. H. Meade, Miss Amy Braun. Miss Rochelle Williams, Miss Mary Morton, Miss Jessie Roberts, Miss Anna Greene, Miss Jessie Ruter, Miss Theresa Evans, Miss Elberta Taylor, Miss Nina Strother Miss Hattie Pulaski, Mrs. Alice Nicely and Miss Helen Hudson.
 For East End Pupils
 The Powell school situated on the cor ner of Twenty-fourth street and Sixth ave- in charge of Miss Mary A. Cahalan as prin- cipal, assisted by the following teachers: Misses Cora P. Palmer, Floribel Brown, Mary E. Bastic, Margaret Donelson, Kae A. Smith. Emma Welman, Daisy Car penter, Alma Lane, Jamie Greene. Fannie Randolph, Mary G. Linn, Lula Bradford and Nellie Castleman.
 The Paul Hayne school, corner of Avenue F and Twentieth street, is the only white public school on the Southside and Is large ly attended. This school is in charge of Professor J. B. Cunningham, principal, who is assisted by Mrs. Mary N. Dabney and Misses Rose G. Lewis, Lottie Greene, Alice Stafford, Mary Rittenberry, Mamie Palmer. Aileen Gotten, Carrie Jernigan, Annie Bradford, Mamie Cleary, Mattie Brown and Kettle Anderson.
 The enrolment in the public schools for the session just passed was about 5000 pu- pills, a slight decrease from the previous year, caused by the tuition charge under which the session was inaugurated.
 A meeting of the teachers will be held at the high school building this morning and tomorrow many of these faithful serv- ants will begin to leave the city to spend their vacations with relatives and friends fin other places.
 Dr. Phillips will probably not leave the city before the first part of July, when he will attend the meeting of the National Educational association at Washington.
 The Colored Schools
 The closing exercises of the colored pub- lie schools were held last night at the Six teenth street Baptist church, where these exercises are annually held.
 c. V. Auguste, principal of the Slater school, was in charge of the exercises. Professor Auguste Is a native of Jamaica, having been born near Kingston, and com- pleted the High school course in that city, after which he came to this country and completed a collegiate course. When he applied for position in the schools sev- eral years ago, he stood very high ex- animation, and enjoys the full confidence of the board of education.
 The course in the coiored schools ends with the seventh grade, which is taught by Professor Auguste, the other schools only going through the sixth grades.