The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-29

| oLnd, m regard 10 the expressed intention | or the Trustees of the PeaDody fund tt | withdraw from Southern colleges the air they have been receiving and in lieu O. | thls assistance to establish one centra college for the training of teachers. In his letter Superintendent Joyner ask, l the cooperation of the State of Alabams | with other Southern States in an effor to have the Trustees rescind their previ | ous action and continue the assistance tt the Southern normal colleges. The letter suggests that by united action and the ap pearance of strong delegation before the Peabody Trustees at their next meeting | from the Southern States, the present sys tenn of assistance may be continued. It is | intimated in the letter of Superintendent Joyner that the action of the Trustees is | a departure from the expressed intention | of MT. Peabody in creating the fund
 MT. Joyner's letter to Superintendent Hill Is as follows:
 Raleigh. N C., March 2s. 1903 l Dear Sir:-The following resolution l adopted by the Trustees of the Peabody education fund at their last meeting in Washington. January 29, clearly indicates think, their purpose to close the trust and concentrate the largest part of the | fund in Peabody college for teachers | Evidence that I have receivd from other sources since this meeting confirms the | opinion that such is the purpose of the Trustees. The following is the resolution | adopted. as taken from The Washington Post of that date:
 '' That in the opinion of the Board of Trustees the fund in its hands. or a portion of the income thereof. should be applied, so far as legal and practicable. to the establishment and maintenance of teachers college, to be called The Pea body College for Teachers" at such point in the Southern States as may be found advisable. That a committee of five, to be appointed by the chair. is hereby di- rected to confer with any other boards or infnrncfnd fV1 @tIF1f and to report at the nexy meeting of the Board plan for carrying into effect the purposes and objects above stated. and that the committee be authorized to call to its aid such specialists as may by them be deemed necessary
 ''The General Assembly of North Caro- lima at it's recent session adopted unani- mousiy the following resolution:
 Whereas, George Peabody gave in trust for g. period of thirty years, for the advancement of public education in the South. one million dollars, February {. 1867, and gave one million dollars addf- tional June 29, 1869, anc.
 Whereas, in his letter of donation of said date, June %, 1869, he expressed his wish in regard to the final distribution of the fund.- as follows: Tt is my deside that, when the trust is closed and the final dis tribution is made by yourselves or your successors, all the fourteen Southern States. including Maryland. Kentucky,
 
 distribution according to their needs. " and.
 "'Whereas 1t is stated in the public press that the Trustees of the Peabody concentrating the fund in one large teach CTS college instead of distributing 1t among the Southern States, according to their respective needs, therefore.
 '' Resolved by the House of Represen- tatives, the Senate concurring
 iE%frut--Thaf I'd of the Paa- body fund be requested 10 set aside for educational purposes in North Carolina the sum to which the State may seem to be entitled under the said deeds of trust of February T. 1867, and June %. 1889.
 'Second-That the Governor and the Superintendent of Public Instruction be requested to confer with the trustees of the Peabody fund in regard to this mat ter
 If the trust is to be closed and the fund distributed it is my deliberate and firm conviction that the spirit and meaning of MT. Peabody's letters accompanying the gift, extracts from which I enclose, would indicate his preference for its distribu- ton among the fourteen Southern States including Maryland Kentucky, Missouri and Texas. according to their needs. It seems to me also that such distribution of the fund, giving to each State its part to be used for the training of its own teachers in its own borders and for the upbulding of it's own educational institu- tions. would be far wiser and far more helpful to the great rank and file of teachers and to the thousands of others needing to be freed from the bonds of fig norance in these States than the concen- tration of the larger part of this fund into one great central college for teach CTS that would scarcely touch the life of the many upon whom must fall the bur den of teaching the thousands in each Of these States.
 Those who are at all acquainted with the educational conditions Of the South ern States must know that the greatest need in these States is for better trained teachers in the rural schools for primary and secondary education, teachers that for some years yet will be compelled to teach for comparatively small salaries in short term schools. If the demand for such teachers Is to be met, the schools for their training must be put close' to them and the expense of getting such training in these schools must be reduced to minimum. Each State part of the Peabody fund invested in such schools at home will be worth infinitely more than many times that amount Of money ln- vested in a great teachers college hun dreds of miles away offering training for the few and such training as there VIII probably be little demand for in the South for many years. The small number of teachers needing sucn training as such a great teachers college would offer can obtain 1t now about as we'll at similar teachers colleges in the North. Such a college would never touch the life of the great rank and file of the public school teachers of the Southern States.
 Unless there is some concerted action on the part of the Southern States in- terested in the Peabody fund, the pur- pose set forth in the resolution of the Trustees of this fund will be carried out.
 T take the liberty of suggesting, there fore. that it would be well for the Super intendents of Public Instruction of the Southern States interested to take some action in this matter at once. Permit me to suggest the adoption by your Cen eral Assembly, if still in session. Of res olutions similar to those adopted by the General Assembly of North Carolina. Would it not be we'll also to call the at tention of the leading papers of your State to the matter and have 1t discussed fully by them. to call the attention. also of the leading educators and educational asso- ciations of your State to the matter, and finally. would it not be advisable to secure the appointment of a strong committee made up of a few representative men of each of the Southern States interested in the Peabody fund, to ask the Board of Trustees of this fund for hearing at the proper time and urge the distribution instead of the concentration of the fund ?
 If this commends itself to the heads of the educational work of the various Southern States. they ought to take some >teps looking towards organized effort Please let me Hear from you.
 Very truly yours.
 'J. '. Joyner, AFAx