The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-18

the former would receive in return the degree of Ph. D., until Alabama had as many Ph. D.s as Kentucky has Colonels. Under the law all teachers having any sort of degree were exempt from the county examinations. Ridiculous as these statements may seem (and I blush to re- fer to thern). nevertheless. they are ab- solutely true; and I would not refer to these conditions had we not grown so far away from them that it is no less amus- ing than amazing to think that they ex- isted only five years ago in our State.
 The educational progress made in Ala bama during the past four years is mar vicious and almost incredible. When uniform State examination law was en- acted in 1899, degrees and diplomas counted for naught. All teachers draw ing public money were compelled to stand an examination before a State Board of Examiners. whose duty 1t was to pass upon the papers of every appli- cant and issue certificates to those whose educational qualifications came up to the required standard. The results of these examinations at first were startling and very unsatisfactory to many reputed teachers. Scores of graduates from so- called colleges posing, as first grade teachers. making themselves conspicuous in educational work, hourished high sounding degrees, when subjected to a fair examination in many instances fafl- ed to obtain any certificate at all, While some received only third grade certi- ficate. These State examinations at first were held quarterly, and usually about 70 per cent of the applicants failed to get any certificates. Those who failed realized for the first time in their lives ! that their education was superficial and l that they were totally incompetent to teach. The result was that the teachers of Alabama began to study to go to school, to attend summer institutes, and to use every means available for equip ping themselves for their work Never before in the history of the State has the attendance in our high schools, our nor nal colleges, our agricultural schools and other State institutions of learning been | so great Hundreds of teachers begin ming with third grade in 1899 have pa tiently climbed the ladder until today l they honor our State as second and first grade teachers. Notwithstanding the fact | that the examinations have become more difficult year by year, there are more than three times as many first grade teachers in the State today as there were | four years ago, while in culture and schol- | arship the second grade teachers now are equal to those of the first grade in lS99 Since the uniform examination law went 1 into effect about twenty thousand teach CTS have been examined, large propor- tion of whom have made commendable efforts to increase their efficiency by spending several months in school, both | in their own and in other States.
 | While all this provision has been made | for the betterment of the common schools | the advance in higher education has been no less remarkable. The State maintains a University, a Polytechnic Institute, an Industrial College foI Girls, nine Agri- cultural Experiment Schools. four Nor | mai Schools for whites and three for col ored, an institution for the deaf. dumb and blind, and reform school for boys, making twenty-one institutions sustained by the State. There are also more than a dozen denominations colleges and pri-
 vate schools of secondary grade which
 receive no aid from the State.
 As stated inSthe outset, the second im-
 portant factor in the hetterment of pub lie education in Alabama has been tEa
 increased State appropriation to the pub lie school fund. For a quarter of cen tury our State has been struggling with it's own peculiar prob, ams. social. politi- cal and educational the solution of which
 We have not yet reached. neither by our own efforts or the efforts of distant phil anthropists. However, great step in
 this direction was taken by our State Leg
 islature three years ago when the public
 school fund was increased by law from
 s65O,O 900 to more than $10OO,OOO. With this increased appropriation law was also
 enacted extending the minimum term or our public schools from three to hVe l scholastic months in each year. More
 over. in most cases the salary of the
 teachers have been increased from 70 per
 cent to 40 per cent. By all these means our teachers have been inspired to climb to higher heights. to dignify their work and to become professional teachers as IS 1 evidenced in part by the large attendance
 of Alabama teachers here in the Summer School of the South.
 That Alabama in common with other
 Southern States has many reforms yet
 to be made is true. but the citizenship Of our State is aroused and at work on the
 pressing problems of education Politi-
 clans and men in public life. leaders and
 holders of public sentiment who have
 been heretofore somewhat indifferent,
 and in a large measure. have ignored the
 educational needs of our State. are giv- ing this mater their earnest and patri-
 otic consideration. Briefly as l have been
 compelled to discuss these phases of ed-
 ucational affairs in Alabama. I think
 have made 1t clear that much good has
 been accomplished. and that these re-
 forms but foreshadow the glorious
 achievements which our people will make
 in the near future.
 Pro: c. L. McCartha of Troy, was then introduced, and said:
 We are here to speak. not to Alabama.
 but for Alabama. It is not our mission to
 utter swelling words of bombastic boast nor yet to voice a vail of self-pity. but to show as briefly we may how Ala
 bama stands in correlation and co-opera ton with her sister States of the South land in the great crusade against popular ignorance with its consequent helpless ness and vice.
 Forty years ago. these States south of Ohio and the Potomac were fused into unity of interest and sentiment in the fierce furnace of common peril a common cause, and a common suffering. Shoulder to shoulder they