The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-10

i school as an institution of democracy. It must be remembered that it was not until 1880, that the maintenance of an efficient system of public schools came to be seriously regarded as the chief concern of the commonwealths of the south.
 True Democracy Needed.
 The primary need of the south today is a more liberal infusion or this spirit of true democracy, as represented by Jefferson one hundred years ago, the deep- ening and strengthening of the convention that the education of all classes of it's people promotes the economic and moral welfare of the state; the realization of the American ideal which opens wide for every child of whatever race or color, the door of opportunity.
 A second fundamental condition of edu- cationaI progress is found in the south s industrial and economic development The old industrial system was based almost exclusively upon agriculture and slave ry. When that system was demolished, the accumulated wealth of century was swept away, and the south found her self reduced from the weaIthiest section of the union to position of indescriba- ble poverty. The change in the financial status of the south during the decade be- ginning with 1S60 is strikingy told by MT. Edgar Gardner Murphy in his recent i work on the Present South" He shows that the wealth of the south in 1860 ex- ceeded the combined wealth of the east ern and middle states by $750 900, GOO In 1870, the wealth of these states exceed cd that of the entire south by nearly eleven billions of dollars. South Carolina. which in 1860, had ranked third in wealth, on the basis of population, in 1870, had fallen to the thirteenth place; Mississippi had fallen from fourth to thirty-fourth Georgia from seventh to thirty ninth, and Alabama from eveenth to forty-fourth. From 1860 to 1880, embracing the periods of war and reconstruction, there was a shrinkage in the taxable values of the south of more than two billions of dol lars while there was corresponding in- crease in the property values of other sec- tions.
 The establishment of a new industrial system upon the ashes of the old required courage of higher order than that dis played upon the battlefield. The main tenance of an efficient educational sys- tenn requires as it's first condition sta- ble industrial system and a ratio of wealth.t to population that will justify the needed expenditure. At first this seemed discouraging task, but during the de- cade beginning with 1880, the marvellous industrial revival of the south, resulting in the development of tax values through her mining and manufacturing her rail- road building and her agricultural inter- ests, inspired her people with a new faith, and a larger hope. Her present need is the further development of her natural resources in field and mine and forest the establishment of an adequate phy- hoe fAr n1,x .fntx, Remarkable as her progress has been in this respect during the past twenty years, the south still suffers by compari- son with other sections; the tax values of 1900 are still below those of 1S60
 The states of the south in proportion to their wealth are contributing to the work of education perhaps as liberally as the other states of the Union, but their contributions fall far short when measured by the number of children to be educated. In Missouri, the annual school levy is about 42 cents on each S100 of taxable property, but this provides g 30 per caput of the total population. The average school levy in the states of the south Is about 46 cents on every $100 of taxable property, but this yields less than 9S cents per caput of the total popu- laton, while the average in the United States at large is $2 .99. And yet, many of the southern states are now devoting approximately 50 per cent of their total revenue to the maintenance of their pub lie schools, exclusive of local revenues. raised by cities, counties and special school districts. D
 Notwithstanding her limitations the