The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1900-09-10

school rooms. These include portraits of
the great men of letters, REPRESENTING Eng
hsh American. German and French liter
allure, portraits Of great statesmen, must
clans, artists ana scientists and copies of
many of the great masterpieces by such
artists as Vandyck, Rembrandt Murilio,
Holbein, Raphael, Millet, Holman, Rey-
nolds Holmes, Sargent Rubens, Titan and
Rosa Bonheur.
The object in view is not simply the de-
velopment of the art sense in the child,
although that is of primary Importance.
THESE art products have an intellectual
value. When carefully selected and prop
erly correlated with the work in which
the child Is regularly engaged, they serve
TO strengthen the instruction In all
branches. A mere collection of pictures in
a room, without any history or associa-
uons, Is not necessarily educative. Let
these pictures be likened with the subjects
or instruction and organically associated
with the child's widening experience, and
the profit and pleasure of the pupil are
vastly increased. For this reason our
school room pictures are not promscuous-
~ distributed, but adjusted according to
grade and correlated with the other work
OF the class. The following progressive
scheme indicates the method OF classifica-
ton. The art caption" for each grade is
q key to the reading and the specific his
torical or literary work of the class The
art captions for the several grade di-
visions of the elementary schools are as
follows:
Progressive Scheme for School Decoration
Grade I, Junior-Mother Nature and Her
Children.
Grade I, Senior-Round the World in
Myth and Story.
Grade II, Junior-Lessons from the Sea-
sons.
Grade II, senior-Scenes from Local His
tory.
Grade III, Junior-Scenes from American
History.
Grade III, Senior-Scenes from General
History.
Grade ", Junior-Scenes from Oriental
life.
Grade w, senior-scenes from Greek and
Roman life.
Grade V, Junior-The Great Scientists.
Grade v, Senior-The Great Artists.
Grade VI, Junior-The Great Musicians.
Grade VI, Senior-The Great Statesmen.
Grade VII-The Men Of Letters.
1t will be observed that this plan pro-
vides a valuable course of instruction in
itself When the child has completed this
course he has several advantages:
l. He has fixed in his memory not simply
the names, but also the features of the
worlds great authors, artists and mu-
sicians.
2. He has strong and vivid conceptions
of many historic scenes which have been
picture may become the key to a historic
epoch, a literary achievement or a moral
life.
8. He has learned to extract real enjoy
ment from good pictures; has acquired.
discriminating taste; has learned to adj
mire and love the true and the beautiful
in art.
L. This aesthetic culture-the love of the
true and the beautiful in art, cannot fail
to generate its moral counterpart-the love
of the true and the beautiful in the life.
There is no reason why the school en-
vironment of the child should not be the
same in kind and in spirit as that OF
refined and cultivated home. School room
decoration will do much by suppementine
the training of our cultured homes; but Its
benefits to those whose homes are barren
of good pictures are inestimabie.
Negro choois
The years work in the negro schools has
in many respects been satisfactory. The in
creased attendance during the year has de-
veloped the need of more school room
renew the recommendations contained in
my last report for the establishment OF
negro school in the eastern part of the
city to replace the Thomas school, which
was destroyed by fire, and also for the re-
moval of the Lane school from its present
location on Eighteenth street to more
suitable site nearer to the suburbs. 1t must
be remembered that at present the large
territory east of Eighteenth street, north
and south of the railroads, has no school
building for negro children.
At the June meeting of this board, pc
tition was presented signed by number
of representative negro citizens. asking for
the establishment of an advanced grade IN
connection with the schools. The signers
pledged a sufficient number of paying pu-
pills to pay the salary of a teacher This
petition was granted, and a room In the
Cameron school will be set aside for the
additional grade, which will be established
at the opening of the session.
The board also appointed an advisory
committee of negro citizens, whose duty
shall be to visit the negro schools and ad-
wise the board and the superintendent with
regard to matters pertaining to the welfare
of the negro schools. This committee con-
sists of B. H Hudson, chairman; DR.. I. U.
Coin S. S. Storrs, Sam Bailey and Dr. u.
G. Mason. :,
The establishment of the Washington IL
brary in connection with the negro schools
is calculated to promote the interests not
only of the schools but also OF large num-
her of negro citizens who will avail them
selves of its advantages. The library Is
maintained entirely by the proceeds of en-
tertAinments given by the negro SCHOOLS,
examination fees of negro teachers and
library subscription fees. There are at this
time in the Washington library about Loo
volumes, and s135.40 in cash. to be expended
upon new books and periodicals al the De-
ginning of the next year.
/ cannot here forbear to speak word In
praise of some of the excellent results ac-
complished in the negro schools The best
and most effective teaching is not necessar-
ily intellectual The most valuable results
are shown in the development of habits OF
cleanliness and neatness, politeness and re-
spect for their superiors, habits OF THRIFT
and economy, respect for law, and an nom
est desire to perform their daily tasks well
and acceptably. These are positive vir-
tues, whose value to the negroes themselves
as we'll as to the community as a whole
cannot be questioned.
Tests OF Progress
No more delicate task confronts the
school than the promotion of pupils from
grade to grade. The determination of the
mental progress OF the child involves sew
eral important considerations. The appli-
cation of an intellectual test in one or
more subjects Of study 10 an easy matter;
but who will contend that this is true
measure of all mental progress? If the
mind were all intellect this method might
do. In many schools progress in arithme-