The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-04-14

the position. So far as am informed, Alabama Is the only state having such a constitutional enactment and I am certain that 1t will retard to some extent the educational growth of the state.
 Should Be Qualified.
 County superintendents of education should be well qualified and should be paid salaries sufficiently large to enable them to devote the entire time to their work In the smallest counties even superintendents should receive compensa- tion sufficiently great to enable them to live comfortably to spend an adequate portion of time in making better prepara- ton for service and to accumulate reasonable competency"
 The uniform text books was discussed by s. R. Butler of Huntsville. The speaker was opposed to the state uni formity. The plan of compelling pupils throughout the state to use the same books has been given hard blows on sev- eral occasions during the convention. President Stripln in his address opposed 1t. and Principal T. c. Young of the Martin school pointed 10 its unfavorable features in a forcible way in the city superintendents' meeting.
 The following committees were ap- pointed yesterday morning: Auditing, D. R. Murphy J. B, Hobdy. W. T. Wynne; memoirs, c. W. Daugette. c. A. Brown, c. L. Floyd, Miss Lula Bradford, T. c. Moore; resolutions William F. Feagin, s. s. Murphy, Miss Frances Higgins, w. R. Harrison c. c. Johnson.
 T. B. Dryer. pupil of the High school accompanied by Adolf Damn Peterson rendered a vocal solo and was heartily applauded.
 Afternoon Session.
 P. M. McNeil of Pratt City was the first speaker on the programme at the after noon session, his subject being Better School Houses: Extent of State. County and District Aid" R. A Rascoe of Clan ton was on the programme to speak on the same question, but was unable to att tend.
 Superintendent McNei explained the work that the legislature should do in enacting needed legislation for school inn provement. He advocat ted laws regarding the erection and maintenance of suitable buildings. He further stated that the state should render financial aid for school improvement He then took up the duty of the county and the district in the matter of taxing themselves for school purposes. He showed the relation of rural schools to the flow of emgra- ton from the country to the cities. He said In concluding:
 "The country is being sapped of much of its very best blood and brain largely because of the fact that the educational facilities in the rural districts are not only inadequate but simply miserable. As soon as the educational facilities or the rural communities have been brought up to a point that will satisfy the eduea- tional demands of those communities, one of the main causes that has produced this flow of population from the country to the cities will be removed, and a more permanent development will be the result.
 Tn conclusion. I would recommend that this body as early as possible formulate definite plans of procedure to awaken a deeper and more general interest in the movement for better school houses, to ob- tain suitable legislation for the promo tion of the work, and to secure the great est amount of aid possible from the state, counties and districts
 Murphy on Discipline. Superintendent s. s. Murphy delivered an address on the question of "Disci- pline" He treated the question in all its phases, and his paper was regarded as , one of the most valuable presented to the association during the present conven- tion. He said:
 "At the outset, l assume that none will deny that little of permanent value can be accomplished in school work without discipline; indeed, 1t is necessary In any well regulated business or institution, be 1t the school, the factory or the navy.
 1T have always strongly Inclined to the belief that the power to discipline sue eessfully was In a large measure q heaven-b born gift, possessed by those who have natural endowment for leadership. Those who possess the magic power to govern with ease. find it difficult to de- scribe and those who possess 1t not, find 1t as difficult of discovery as the pro- verbal philosophers stone. Still 1t does not necessarily follow that teachers who are not endowed by nature with this spe- eial gift may not attain 1t if they will but give it the study and attention it deserves.
 Tt may safely be asserted that many of the serious problems of school dis cipline which confront the average teacher. are due primarily to the fact that the home is at fault. The teacher often does not receive the hearty cooperation from this source to which he is justly en- titled and in some instances, parents oppose the efforts of the teacher and are inclined to conform to the wishes of the child; while others disregard or fall to insist upon a proper standard of obedience from their children. While the respon- sibility of training the child for higher citizenship rests primarily with the pa- rent, there are times when the teacher must assume this role. and should then hold the exclusive right to control the child without interference on the part of the parent. The right training of the child calls for absolute and exclusive au- thorty by the teacher. within certain prescribed limitations Little fear may be entertained that the efficient teacher will exceed his authority, but should this