The age-herald., 1899-09-19
An Increase of 670 Oyer the First
 Day Last Year. 2,231 WHITES; l,048 BLACKS Many Of the Buildings Are Already
 Crowded. WILL REACH 4,000 IN A WEEK Superintendent Phillips Points Out the Need for New Buildings to be Lo- cated in Jonesville and on
 the South Highlands

The Birmingham public schools opened
 most fattering circumstances, with the
 largest attendance in the history of the
 city. The total enrolment for the first
 day was S,27S, of which 2,231 were white
 and 1,04S black, with many pupils unplaced
 on account of the rush. This is an increase
 of SIS over the first day of the past term.
 It is estimated that by the end of the
 week more than 1000 pupils will be entered, which means that the several school build
 ings will be taxed to their full capacity. Some interesting figures are presented in comparison with the enrollments for the past several years, and indicate a healthy growth in the population of the city, es- peelaly among the whites, the percentage of increase of white pupils being much greater than colored.
 The total enrolment for the first day of
 the last session was 2,6OO, which was in- creased at the end of the first week to 2,939.
 On the opening day at the session of
 1S97-9S the enrolment was only 1,539 due to the tuition fee the board of education was compelled to charge, which kept many chi-
 dren away. The first weeks enrolment for
 1896 showed 5000, and for 1895 only 2,7S6. To Work After Vacation Superintendent Phillips and his able
 corps of principals and teachers were at their posts bright and early yesterday
 morning, and soon the different school buildings presented animated scenes Mer-
 " children with books and lunch baskets,
 in many instances accompanied by their mothers or fathers, were seen vending
 their way to the different schools, each anxious to get to work ater pleasant va
 cation, now at an end.
 There was some confusion on account of
 the large number of new pupils, and some trouble was experienced in classifying them. The principals and teachers were kept busy examining and assigning the ap- plicants, which work will be completed to- day.
 Superintendent Phillips was greatly pleased at the first days attendance. and said that the opening in the High School particularly emphasized the inadequacy of the present building to meet the demands of the schools. He stated that every available room in the white elementary schools was being pressed into use and that even then there was lack of room in some of the grades.
 Need for More Buildings He pointed out the necessity of school buildings in Jonesville and on the South Highlands, where many of the younger pupils are now unable to attend on account of the distance to the present buildings He is of the opinion that seven or eight hundred additional pupils will be enrolled during the month and that the session will be the most suspicious in the history of the schools.
 High School The High school opened with 259 students, which will probably be increased today to 275. A number of pupils from the gram
 mar schools were entered in addition to many new pupils from other schools. The High school is in charge of Prof. J. B. Cunningham who is assisted by the fol-
 lowing teachers:
 English, Miss w. NJ Allen; Mathematics,
 Miss B. A. Allen; Latin and Civics, Miss H. R. Thornton Latin and Greek, Samuel
 Adams; History and English, w. H. Den son; Commercial Branches, Miss Laura C. Spalding; German, Miss Ida Gelders. Special Teachers-Drawing and Penman-
 ship. Miss Elma LeTrace; Vocal Music,
 Miss Leta Kits; Physical Culture, A. h. Speidel. 4.. 44...4