The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-09-10

When sieur d'Iberviile was sent to establish a French Empire on the American continent, his first landing was made on the soil of Alabama, his first explorations were made in Mobile Bay.
 He built his first fort, Fort Mature pas." on the back bay of Biloxi v about where Ocean Springs, Miss, now stands.
 His investigations and explorations proved to him that he had found the southern shores of the American con- itinent and though he had not yet found the mouth of the Mississippi. he called the land discovered Louisiana" Also, the first city and first capital of Louisiana was in Alabama; at twenty one mile bluff on the Alabama river, Eieur dIberville located Fort Louis de la Louisiane" and around 1t the colonists built their houses.
 At this place, "Old Mobile" the first marriages according to Christian mari tai rites, were solemnized. and the first Christian homes established; and in "Old Mobile" Governor Bienville stren- uously endeAFored to establish school, but failed. However he did not aban- don the idea of having school in the colony, but all his efforts were fruit less, and no school was ever estab- lished in Mobile or elsewhere in Ala bama during French occupation from 1702 to 1763
 Neither is there any record of a school during British or Spanish rule. It is true the priests, French and Span fish, kept schools for the religious, not literary, the instruction of the Indians; but no school for the colonists.
 The records, deeds. transfers of property, and other legal documents, made during the foreign supremacy In Alabama, indisputably attest the illit- eracy of the colonists; these papers are signed with a x (cross) instead of the written name.
 A century passed after the first set clement of Alabama, before school was opened or permanent church es- tablished, but a new era dawned to- ward the close of the eighteenth cen tury, when citizens of other States be- gan to seek homes in Alabama. 50 rapidly did this population increase that only a few years elapsed before the English-speaking citizens far out. numbered the foreign population, and for these English-speaking citizens schools were a necessity.
 The first school opened in the State was taught by a Mir. Pierce at the Boat Yard" on the "cut eff, above Mobile. Mir. Pierce was one of those "pioneers of the mind" so frequently found in frontier settlements Of the Southern States during the early part of the nineteenth century.
 No portrait or en-picture or him has been preserved save He was typical Connecticut Yankee" whatever that may moan.
 His school house was log cabin with the door in one end. huge hre place at the other end, window on each side, closed by board shutters.
 The furniture consisted of puncheon benches, and a Shelf around the wall between the windows and the door: this served a depository for books and dinner buckets; also as writing desk On a shelf just outside the door the water bucket was placed. and on nail beside 1t hung a long-handled gourd' which served as a drinking cup.
 The pupils belonged to several na- 4ionalities, French. Spanish, American, Indian, and halfbreeds of several direr- ent amalgamations They were of all shades of complexion, from the fairest blonde to the ebony hue.
 They diligently conned their lessons and the sound thereof loudly proclaim ed the fact that the school teacher had arrived.
 The subjects taught were spelling, reading, writing and ciphering.
 Books were scarce, and Webster