The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-29

ton WHICH mas deVetope0 moFs ebpo- cia1iy during the past two or three years.
 Hon. H. c. Gunnels. state siperin- tendent of Education, responded and delivered an inspiring address, which was not only well received, but was the subject of much comment on the part of the Association
 Mir. GunpeIs Speaks.
 Mir. Gunnels spoke as follows:
 T do not deem 1t necessary to ex- press the pleasure 1t gives me to be present with the teachers of Alabama at this great educational gathering. The Alabama Educational Association has grown In numbers, in importance. and in influence until 1t raks as one of the most potent educational factors in the State of Alabama.
 T am sure that I express the senti- ment of every member of this asso- ciataion. in thanking the teachers and the citizens of this beautiful ond his toric old city for the motive which prompted the invitation to this asso- citation and for the open-armed hos pitality with which its members have been received.
 q have thought that possibly I could do nothing better today than to discuss briefly the educational mat ters which have been acted upon by puE bSSISidIuFe, anu tHoSe iHpOTldAit measures which are yet pending be- fore that body. There has never been in the History of Alabama a lime when the people were so determined to build up In this great State an educational system commensurate with it's ad- yancement along industrial and com mercial lines. Perhaps no Governor of the State has ever taken so broad, so liberal, and so comprehensive Ufa Af hn 0P cd in Alabama as has our present Chief Ex- ecutive Know, as he evidently does, and as every one of you know. that great public school system cannot be built up by destruction, but by con- struction, he lent his energies, his in- domitable perseverance, and his mas tetrful influence to measures which had for their object the building up of all the schools in the State, froe1 the great University down to the schools of the masses. Not one of these schools has just ground for complaint. They have gotten all for which they asked. and in several in- stances more than they asked for or expected.
 Probably the greatest movement in the history of this State towards the development of our higher educational institutions is the movement for greater State University. This grand old institution has shown the value of university training by the achieve ments of It's Alumni. In every sphere of life you will find them leaders of thought and of action. In the dark days of the sixties, every student bore his share in that bloody struggle and more than five hundred of them were commissioned officers, varying fin rank from lieutenant to brigadier general. We all know the history of its de- struction by the federal troops; we know the history of it's attempted re- constructions; and we know Of the struggle, the titanic struggle which the authorities have made since the war in endeavoring to make 1t an in- stitution worthy of the name.
 The Legislature of Alabama has come to its rescue and has come mo- ply by giving an appropriation of five hundred thousand dollars for the next four years. That great institution at Auburn. the pride of the State, has been given ffty-six thousand dollars a year for material equipment and an ample sum for maintenance. The Alabama Industrial School for White Girls, for which we all have love and interest, was given an increase of eleven thousand dollars for mainte- nance, and fifty thousand dollars year for building and material equip ment The four white Normal schools were each given an additional five thousand dollars for maintenance aud a new Normal school was estaolisha1 at Daphne, just across the beautiRul bay of Mobile. The nine District AZ rfeuItural schools were each given an increase of two thousand dollars for maintenance. With this increased ap- propriation. these important schools should be able, in a measure to ac- complish the work for which they were established. There can be no greater question before the people or Alabama and the South than the study and the teaching of scientific agri- culture. Our people are an agricui- tural people.
 "Aericulture is, and always will be, the chief occupation of our citizens. The soil is our mother. She reeds us: she clothes us; she educates us. II from these Agricultural schools can be instilled into the minds and hearts or the people the importance-nay' tne necessfty-of studying intelligently and scientifically the noble art or farming. Alabama will become, be- fore many years, the garden spot Of the universe.
 Schools of the Masses.
 While the Legislature has been i,teral to the colleges and the univer- sIties. she has done her full duty tos wards the schools of the masses. An annual appropriation of three hundred thousand dollars for next year and three hundred and fifty thousand an nually thereafter has been aoded 10 our already large and increasing con- stitutionaI school fund. A reasonable estimate is that. exclusive Of special taxes, dispensary funds and muncipai supplements. the public school iund for l9O7-0S will be more than miilloh and a half dollars.
 NO other State in the union does as much from a State standpoint for It's school as does the State of Alabama. There is no reason why every county in the State should not run its school next year absolutely free of tuition fees for at least six months. A ma iority of the counties can easily keep wide-open their schoolhouse doors for at least seven months.
 Another cry of need by the State has been heard, and S67 900 annually has been appropriated to aid in the building of rural schoolhouses. No in corporatd city, town or village can lay hands on this appropriation which has been given distinctiVely to the rural schools to assist the struggling farmers to provide comfortable habi- tation for their children during the time of school keeping. If every cjun- ty iR the State takes advantage of this law. and uses the fund set aside for it., at the end of four years there will be scattered over the hills and valleys of our beautiful State nearly 5000 modern school buildings.
 '"The Legislature has done much for