The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-10-09

else. When this is done then we can turn
our attention to higher schools. Perhaps
in making the change as indicated we
might obviate the necessity of county
high schools by raising the grade of teach
yers and investigating more closely the fit
ness of the applicant, for with proper
teachers the curriculum of the township
school could be made to cover that of tho
contemplated high school, provided, how
ever, that the school is kept open the full
nine months and competent teacher is
not subject to the whims and caprices of
the township trustees as to his or her ten
ure of position"
So here we are. The mass of the peop,e
want better township schools, and Profess
sor Rosser wants more high schools. The
latter wants all the counties treated alike
in the matter of high schools. He sees no
reason why nine counties should have high
schools at the expense of the public purse,
and fifty odd counties have none at al.
Neither does any one else. But the Selma
Times insists that high schools are rot
needed nearly so much as township
schools. 1.-The last general assembly, it
adds, topped the slender shaft of our
school system, with several agricultural
schools, with their Iype-WrlliIB, SlSHOB-
raphing, drawing and painting curriculum,
that is of as much to the people with
out a radius of ten miles around the To-
cation as a mahlstick would be in picking
cotton Let the next general assembly con-
fine itself to building up the township
schools and do it thoroughly, once for ALL"
The desire of the Times, speaking for the
masses, can be met and satisfied by adding
to the Rosser bill, amended as we have
suggested the Lauderdale bill, which pro-
vides for an annual tax of 25 cents on each
800 of assessed valuation for the beneht
of the township schools of the state such
a tax would of course supplement the APP
preparation of 100000 from the genera al
fund This would afford at least six
months terms in every township in the
state Professor Gilbert, of the Florence
public schools, who is aiding Superintend-
ent Ray, of Lauderdale, in pushing the bill
for a district school state tax, says in a
recent letter that the cream of the county
is signing the petition for the bill. The
signers are chiefly the best farmers of the
county, the well-to-do farmers of LAUDER
dale. "The good farmers of our state,'
says Professor Gilbert "are no longer will
ling to stand by and see their children
grow up without having the chance, as
Governor Johnston says, to acquire the one
thing that never can be taken away from
them-a capital that will make them bet
ter and more productive citizens. and that
will pay increasing dividends to the state
unto the third and fourth generations inc
country people are yearning and longing
! for better schools, even IL it does increase
the state tax We believe that Lauderdaie
but illustrates the general sentiment
throughout the state. If the chance were
given the state would vote by an over
whelming majority in favor of six months
terms in the country schools"
Let the Rosser bill, properly amended.
and the Lauderdale bill be hitched togein-
rThe Rosser bill as herein proposed.
would call for $142,5OO, which the state could
readily spare. The Lauderdale bill would
call for a slightly increased tax that. no
one would feel and that nine men out OF
ten would be glad to pay towards better
schools and lower rate OF illiteracy IN
the state. No tax is more popular than
school tax.