The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-03-29

conference.
 The first of these is the uniform text book law The conference declared for it's revision. but failed to make record as to specific changes.
 This law has, without question, proven of great value to the state at large. With equal certainty it has been a serious han dieap to the city system.
 It has made possible a degree of uni- formity in classification in the rural schools, which, under conditions existing prior to its enactment. could not even be considered.
 Of Doubtful Success.
 As an economical measure in dollars and cents, it is of doubtful success, since the books now sent out by the depositor- ies are not quite as durable as some of the ante-bellum volumes they supplanted. Their chief economy is in saving of effort to the teacher, by reason of an ability to consolidate work, saving which gives great value to her effort ana is, therefore, a higher form of economy. The reasons which make this an excel lent law for the rural schools. do not appeal to the city syetems. In each ot these a separate uniformity already ex- isted. Books were adopted for these schools to suit specific conditions by teachers, sufficiently expert, who were familiar with these conditions. Progress WdS not pound up III INe-Neaf Def1OuS. Besides, a text book well adapted to the requirements of rural schools may be very inadequate for the city, by reason of the centralized and specialized effort in the latter. In city schools each tech CT can devote herself to a limited scope of instruction, usually to pupils who have attained the same degree of advancement, Ill the country schools one teacher too often has the full range of instruction from the English alphabet to that of the nation who chiseled most beautifully on marble but engraved most ahominably on papyrus As a rule, too the sessions are longer in the urban schools. Finally l the local aid to the city system is often as large as that given by the state For 1 this reason, if for no other they should be accorded some option in the important matter of text book selection. There Is. I in truth, as little req son to force on i them the text book adopted for the state, as there is to compel the colleges to come under the restrictions of. this law. County Supervision. The next measure, also recommended l In general way by the conference, is | one which seeks to improve the county | supervision. It goes without saying that | under existing statutes, the county su- | perintendent can accomplish but little l really valuable supervisory work. A bill
 
 | the defects of the present law. Among other changes may be specially noted that which removes the office of county su- 1 perintendent from politics, and places his selection in the hands of board, the elected agents of the county 1 Such measure will be unpopular until it is fairly tried Indeed it is no experi- ment, for in some other states it is sue ceeding beyond the hopes of those who put it in operation, even in Alabama we l have a splendid example of it's value to a county.
 At first people will denounce the bill | because it robs them of their electorate right. They have cause to be jealous of any unwarranted encroac chments on these rights, but they lose sight of the fact that | in a political turmail too often the best l interests of the county are sacrificed to personal popularity or personal preju- dice.
 The masses who cast the deciding votes at the polls cannot investigate carefully | the merits of the respective applicants for this most important office, nor would they be able to make accurate dscrimina- ton even if given ample opportunity. un- | der circumstances that would admit of a calm, deliberate, and dispassioned invest- | gation,
 How much better. then, to entrust the selection of an officer so valuable to
 
 ous committee of their selection.
 The state through its chief executive and the assembly. has recently dealt mag unanimously with the schools. If what | has been done may be taken as an earnest of their further interest in educational progress l feel assured that they will l turn to you for some counsel as to legis- lation yet to be enacted. It it. therefore, a duty incumbent on this association to express it's convictions on questions of 1 moment which will be submitted to 1t by our several committees and by our distinguished superintendent
 School Economics. | Permit me to turn now to a contempla- ton of some phases of school economies, to which 1 respectfully urge the patient attention of all interested in the symmet- rical development of the educational in- ] stitutions
 We have heard for many years-heard with profound regret and blushing shame-that our loved state stands educa- tionally at the bottom in the roll of | states.
 It is my glad privilege to say to you today that which you yourselves well know, that in the march of coming years she is destined to climb up that scale to a less conspicuous, though more honora- | ble position.
 In many respects she enters the new century with decided advantages. Her policies are yet largely to be shaped, wphile those of many states are crystal ized with faults congealed at their core. She has the material of the whole civi- lized world, their plans, their methods and their processes, to choose from in this important structural work Her greatest handicap, and it is a heavy one, Is that which is the burden common to all our southern states
 Conditions, heretofore, have been inim- ical to development. The system has been chiefly characterized by a lack of system. The elementary school has over lapped to the college, the High school has l attempted all the phases of instruction including elementary. High school and college work; the college has offered in like manner.
 | The likening of a complete educational system to a magnificent. tree, has long seemed to me an apt and pleasing simile The roots, eagerly drinking in, absorbing as it were, the balsic nourishment repre- sent the elementary schools. the trunk giving stability to the visible tree, the High school; and the aspiring crown adorned with the beauty of leaf and bos- som, and lowing beneath its abundant fruitage the superior schools.
 Is Wonderfully Made.
 Let us if you will, apply this analogy to our system as 1t existed; we'll say be- fore you and I could use the pruning hook. It is a tree, that, very much like I the school boys version of the patriarch's wife, is fearfuly and wonderfully made It's rootlets spring from the none too fer tile soil and thrust upward diminutive stems which threaten to bear blossoms