The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-18
COUNTY LIBRARY
 FOR JEFFERSON
Teachers Association Discusses
 the Matter
SEVERAL ADDRESSES MADE
Thomas M. Owen of Montgomery, Judge Feagln and Dr. Dickinson All Favor the Proposed Cir
 oulatlng Library.

The regular monthly meeting of the Jefferson County Teachers association was held yesterday morning In the city hall
 The attendance was large, and the h- brary movement in Jefferson county was discussed. Thomas M. owen of Mont gomery, director of archives and history of the state, was present and addressed the teachers on libraries Judge N. D. Feagin was present and also spoke 1aV- bring the plan and stating that either Carnegie library or circulating library would be a great benefit to the county.
 Mr Owen, who has been an advocate of the library movement in Alabama Tor some time, and has been influential In creating interest in the plan, mace an interesting talk. He discussed the genesis and the development of the library move ment in Jefferson county especially In relation to the movement over the entire country He advocated the founding or library here in the near future Tor the benefit of people throughout the county. Other members spoke of the plan and much enthusiasm was aroused.
 Following the address of MT. owen the following resolution was passed:
 Resolved, That committee or hVe be appointed from the association to con fer with similar committee rom the Birmingham Commercial club to be known as a committed of ways and means Tor the establishment of libraries in Jeffer- son county"
 The committee has not yet been ap- pointed, but will be in the near future and will take up the matter of devising the ways and means of establishing a library.
 Dr. A J. Dickinson. pastor of the First Baptist church, also emphasized the im- portance of establishing 8 circulating library in Jefferson county
 Judge Feagin dwelt on the great good especially to the youth that would result from these libraries. He spoke of the books that would be necessary for good library and also of the teachers duty in maintaining a library and directing the reading of the pupils. In part he said !.
 "The books in library should be sup plementary to text books, giving a liter ary aspect to school work There should also be books along different lines of thought to meet the natural diversities of school children.
 ''The real purpose of library, in con neetion with our public schools, is to purify the thoughts, ennoble the feelings, elevate the sentiment and chasten the morals of the youth of our country; al- turing them to the more substantial pleas ures of the mind and encouraging personal effort inself improvement
 "It is self-relance, self-culture, self confidence that should be instilled into the school children. The cultivation of these may be termed the higher purposes of the library. A small library of a few good books, carefully read brings good results and makes up in the education of the child for deficient school facilities "Historic and Geographic Influences That Have Moulded Industrial Life oi the South," was a subject discussed by Principal H. P. Self of Pinson w. II Bowen was to have spoken on the subject but he was not present and in his place Dr. J. IT. Phillips superintendent of the Birmingham schools, and Professor Me Nish of the High school faculty, dis cussed the question.
 Miss Susan Todd read an interesting pa per on "rhe Method of Teaching Read ing" c. B. Glenn principal of the Paul Hayne school, Professor McPheters oi Huffman, and J. B. Cunningham, princi' pal of the High school. also spoke on the subject
 MT. Cunningham discussed the differ | ent ways in which children learned to read and spell He favored the word 1 system" as being superior to the syllable | system. He cited instances to show that where this plan was followed the person taught by the word system could read | three words while the other person was reading three syllables.