The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-26
GOVERNOR COMER AN ENTHUSIAST ON GOOD SCHOOLS Plans for Betterment of Gen eral State School
 System
NORMAL COURSES ARE
 TO BE MADE UNIFORM
The Llqour Men Read Hsndwrt- Ing on tho Wall and Offer to Aeelet Officers In Enforcing the
 LaWs.
BY HERVEY w. LAIRD.

BY fEhNEY w, LAIRD,
 Montgomery, May 25.-(speclal)-Gov B. B. Conner Is an enthusiast on schools who loses none of his interest with tho working out of some of the plans which he hae for betterment of tho general systerss of the state. After returning from the commencement of the girls industrial this week he was over1owing with talk about that institution and seemd never to tire of the subject. Ut Is one of the best movements the state has ever en- terprised, he said as he rubbed his hands gleefully and related the many things that is proposd for the summer months
 We have instructed Mir. Spink the architect, to begin at once on plans so that the contracts for the building can be let in as short time as possible" said tn, Governor. We are going to have one of the most useful institutions there in the south and Alabama will be proud of It. After that he talked of the eXer- ciseJ, of the new president and the many Improvements that are to be made In set ting the school up for high class service to the girls of the state. He had been assured of the heartlest support from every side for the new president.
 The governor is now at work on a SD sh he will make at the meeting of the university alumni next week and also one for the Alabama Polytechnic institute at Auburn. He will be away most of next week at school meetings of various kinds.
 Normal School Standards.
 One of the next things that will be taken up by the educational forces of the state is the question of making uni- form the courses of the normal schools of the state. The experience along this line with regard to the agricultural scGools has proven so satisfactory that other institutions not so conducted are expected to be taken In. "So marked has been the improvement of the agricultural schools under this plan," said Supern- tendent of Education Harry c. Gunnells there seems to be a wide spread disposi- ton on the part of the legislature to place the normal schools under similar control"
 For many years the nine agricultural | schools were under separate boards. | There was no uniformity in the work done and consequently no average stand ard in efficiency ti graduates. Each one received the same amount from the state yet each was allowed to run along about as 1t pleased. The folly of this plan be- | came so evident that the legislature of 19jS passed a law putting all practically un1er one board. the governor. the com | missioner of agriculture and the superin- 1 tendent of education being three and a | m, ,ority of each board, there being two local men for every school Thus the three men at the capitol are always able to control the general affairs of each one 1 of the institutions. The change for tho better was noticeable from the beginning.
 Has Many Advantages. l In the opinion of Superintendent Gum nells the advantages of this kind of a move for the normal schools would far outweigh any objection that could be brought forward by those objecting to | 1t. He believes 1t the clear duty of the ! state to make this forward step in the 1 work of the schools that prepare the | teachers that are to serve the children | of the state. Under the law each of the | normal schools receive $15,000 year from | the state, yet each has a separate board and there is no uniformity in the grade of work done.
 "A graduate of Florence. graduate of Troy, a graduate of Livingston and a graduate of Jacksonville go out into the state to teach in the public schools, each having a diploma from an Alabama nor mai yet the grade of work done by no two of them is the same" said MT Gun nels "It seems to me that this should
 
 uation should be the same. This can not be done until the boards of trustees are so constituted as 10 have on all enough of the same men to make a majority of any one. This is no experiment. Wherever it has been tried 1t has met with the greatest success.'
 This matter having been discussed gen. orally 1t is understood that bill will be introduced early in the July session to bring about the conditions thought to be needed. It is understood the governor will approve the idea.
 Crops are Bad.
 There Is much concern felt at the office of the commissioner of agriculture over the Alabama cotton crop and the fear is expressed that the yield is going to be far below what it has been in many years There has been fully GO per cent of the crop to replant and that has not come to satisfactory stands. The few dry days of the past two weeks have helped but the rains of the latter part of this week have again made trouble. The stocks of left over cotton are running low and the price is expected to get skyward in a few days, and this Is not a market let ter either.
 One of the sufferers at this time Is the state in its experimental farms at Au- burn. The crop has had to be replanted as much as twice and some three times and the plant is red and late, rehecting no sort of credit upon the state As a rule the crop is a month late, damping off and off in color. Cultivation is slow and labor is scarce with much difficulty in getting seed for replanting.
 However, 1t is said that corn is going to