The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-05-29

U and social chaos which prevailed at the close of the civil war.
 "The state department of education owes it's existence to Dr. B. F. Meek, a beloved alumnus and professor of this university, who, when representing Mo bile county In the state legislature in 1854, introduced bill providing pubic school system for Alabama. The efforts 1 of Harry c. Gunnels in the state legis- l lature during 1900 and 1901 resulted in | making tuition free to the public school 1 children of the state. So great has been 1 the improvement in Alabama's public school system that no school term is now shorter, in any county, than five months. The average school term is seven months.
 Need Is Better Schools. What Alabama needs is better schools in the rural sections and rural High schools. After being without such sup 1 port for many years. the university is l now becoming more closely related to l Alabama's public schools with the result i that the educational movement has re- [ celved d great impetus. But the bond should be strengthened. The university and the public school should cooperate, establishing daily better understanding and d closer union. Alumni should work with that end in view and rural High schools should be established throughout the state.
 Tn welcoming you, distinguished rep resentatives of sister institutions, to this celebration, l want to plead with you to spread the rural High school idea over all the country and labor for the up- building of the common school systems. In Alabama let us push forward also. Let our motto no longer be, Here we rest, but Here we hustle
 At the conclusion of MT Hills address the University Glee club, composed of al me and received great applause.
 Governor Jelks Speaks. The address of welcome on behalf of the state of Alabama was delivered by
 it's chief executive, Governor William D. Jeks Governor Jelks' assurance that there was no longer any need for the cd ucatonal institutions of Alabama to suf- fer for financial assistance aroused much We are to celebrate an anniversary of a university which is the result of an carly effort of the people to establish 1 for their children an institution which
 would fit them for any contest in life. It came into existence a few years after l this state was admitted to the union. It 1t almost contemporaneous with it's first | life. It's beginning was propitious. It | waxed stronger and stronger until the | shadows of war lowered above 1t. After
 wards the smoke of the enemy's torch | hung over it, followed by the larger cloud | of Reconstruction, when it's usefulness
 for a period was paralyzed Then poll | tics. it was said, attacked 1t tthe charge, | true or false, was a nightmare). It has
 emerged. and there is an opportunity for | splendid growth. It's future Is radiant. | Certainly so. if it's alumni would supply it's urgens needs. either through efforts | of their own, or through the assistance of | the legislature. Perhaps l ought not to | speak so in the presence of it's invited | guests. Some person might criticize
 statement. from which it might be in- l ferred that the school cannot be gener-
 ous with it's funds or liberal. The de-
 iciences of the family larder should per-
 haps be reserved for family councils. I
 venture, despite this possible view, in the
 outset of my remarks, to impress Its alumni especially with the opportunity | which they face.
 Plan for More Funds.
 II am impressed with the idea that in
 addition to that surplus now in the treas | ury-certanly the larger part of which l should certainly go to the schools-that in
 future whisky license money and the net | income from the convict department
 should by the operation of law go yearly | into the school fund. There is great | appropriateness in this direction for such
 moneys, which I shall not enlarge upon. l The proportion In which the common
 schools and those public institutions es- | tablished for higher education should | take might be worked out. Here is a
 suggestion for an ambitious member of | the next senate or house. Certain it is
 that the schools in this state, unless
 some disaster should overtake us. ought
 not suffer for reasonable assistance in l the future.
 Provide Ample Training.
 There is a great underlying purr rose in
 the minds of our people to provide ample | training for all the boys and girls, op- portunities which will spread out from the
 centers and reach the remoter children. | school education should be furnished | without cost to every boy and girl in this state at his or her door. Under inn proved conditions high school education
 will be so furnished. The eager and
 ambitious scholar should then have the
 privilege of attending at cost within
 the means of a self-de~ving youth tn.
 advantage of training such this great
 institution is now furnishing. This and
 other institutions like it. if we eliminate
 the mere personal equation of a demand
 of government The highly trained facu-
 ties is a promise of natural progress,
 and security for national peace and na-
 tional honor. The records show that the
 men who have been most effective since
 this government was organized and par
 ticularly of late years and at present
 are college trained men. They are the
 people who solve the great state prob- 1 lems, and commercial and industrial problems as we'll Some figures. a year or more ago, were complied having the | endorsement of the department of edu- cation at Washington, which showed that there were in the United States, out of ] population of 147s4'4O3 males of over 30