The age-herald., 1900-08-05
SPLENDID SYSTEM
 OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Important Factor in Development
 of the City.
1R. JOHN H. PHILLIPS WORK
Enjoys National Reputation as an Edu- cator-His Long Servics-Board of Education Rural Schools and
 the State System

The pride of Birmingham Is her public schools. No city in the union is blessed with better educational facilities, fac- tor as important in the development and growth of a city as its water supply, sani- tary system and other public and quasi- public utilities.
 The splendid school system of Birming- ham has been the means of inducing many of her best citizens to locate here, where their children could be properly and thor oughly educated.
 l The management of the public schools is vested in a board of education, elected by the Mayor and Board Of Aldermen, the Mayor being ex-officio member and vice. president of the board.
 Although hampered by the strengthened conditions of the cty's finances. the school board owns property to the value of $3O0, | 00O, consisting of three magnificent brick and several adequate and substantial frame structures. These buildings. which the | homes of the district primary schools, are constructed upon the latest approved plans and are up-to-date, with large and spacious study rooms and halls, dry air sanitary systems, hot air furnaces and everything conducive to the comfort of the scholars and teachers.
 Besides these plans have been approved and arrangements completed for construct Ing three new buildings in the outlying dis trict5, made necessary by the city's growth. pr John H. Phillips the superintendent or the schools, Is an educator of national reputation and under his management the schools have gained a wide reputation the system having attracted wide attention through the splendid results which have been attained. pr. Phillips has been in charge of the schools for the past sixteen years, during which time he has devoted his best energies to the development of the system which stands as a monument to his ability and sagaciousness. Dr. Phil.ips has been assisted by a corps of able prin- l cipais and teachers, who have carefully guarded the interests entrusted to them under the guiding influence of the master hand.
 Board of Education The Board of Education Is made up of representative and patriotic citizens, who 1 without compensation give their time and energy to the management of the schools having only the interest of the city at 1 heart. Hon. Samuel Ullman, the president l of the board, has occupied that high posi- | tion uninterruptedly for the past fifteen years, having been reelected by every sue ceeding administration. The board is made up as follows:
 President-Hon. Samuel U1lman. Vice-President-Hoh William Drennen. mayor.
 l Secretary-M. J. Gregg | Treasurer-Henry B. Gray Associate members-Frank P O'Brien, B. Steiner and A. O. Lane. The enrollment for the last scholastic term reached a total of almost 4OOO be- | ing divided as follows: Whites 2,5a3; col ored, 1,265. The school census of the city shows total of 9,543, nearly 50 per cent l of which attend the public schools The High School. of which Prof. J. B. Cunningham Is principal is located at the corner of Twenty-first street and Park avenue. full corps of teachers in the I higher branches instruct the pupils who l have completed the course in the primary l schools. high school diploma is looked l upon as a valuable possession. l The Powell School, of which Miss Mary 1 Cahalan is principal. is located at the cor ner of Twenty-fourth street and Sixth ave- l nue, and represents or provides facilities l for the northeastern section of the city. The Henley School at the corner of Sixth and Seventeenth streets. of which Prof. l Charles A. Brown is principal covers the northwest section of the city, while the Powell School in charge of Prof. Charles B. Glenn at the corner of Avenue F and Twentieth street covers the entire south side.
 The colored schools are the Slater, in 1 charge of W. J. Echols; the Lane, in charge of F. s. Lewis, and the Cameron, in charge l of w. c. Davis. with full corps of teachers In connection with the High School spe- cial teachers are maintained in drawing,
 
 man and other branches. public library of about 1000 volumes has been established in connection with 1 the schools. with headquarters in the High l School building. which is in charge of Gwylyn Herbert as librarian. library has also been established in con- nection with the colored schools, located l in the Slater school building and contains about 1000 volumes.
 County schools The system of rural schools which Is main tained under the state school system, is in keeping with the progressive educa- | tional development of the city schools. The Board of Education for the county consists of MT. Fountain and Profs J. B. Cunning | ham and B. r. Crump
 During the present scholastic year free | schools have been, or are being maintained, l in East Lake, Elyton, West End. Gate City, !, Mary-Lee. Milner, Twenty-frst avenue, I Cotton Mills, Lakeview, Smithfield, East I Birmingham and many other places over the county.
 i The sources of revenue and amounts up l to April for the present year, were as fol- 1 lows:
 l State appropriation s21 ,379 O Poll tax to April 1 ................... 7,9S2 g l County fund to April ............... S,717.S2 | Balance s. F. carried over .......... 127S2 IOtal 1unu S3o, zUo9z l Of the above amounts, all but $6 963.6 67 had | been expended on April l. but the estimated | revenue yet to come in was as follows: