The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-12-30
President CIavton Of Southern
Educational Association
Makes Address
SCHOOL PROPERTY HAS
GROWN FAST IN VALUE
Several Hundred Educators Are AS
sembled at Atlanta, Where I'm
portant Subjects Are Taken
Up and Discussed.

Atlanta. December 29.-Representating
every state in the south and practically
every branche and variety of educational
institution, from 800 to 400 educators are
here in attendance upon the nineteenth
annual convention of the Southern Edu-
cetional association, which opened in this
city today for a three-days' session
The association, while itself solid and
independent is made up OF ten separate
and distinct departments, each of which
relates 10 separate phase of education.
The afternoon sessions are divided into
these ten subdivisions. The forenoon and
evening sessions are general.
The principal feature of the evening
session was the annual ADDRESS of the
president of the association. P. p. Clax-
ton.
Claxton's Address.
President Claxton said:
Since the year 1900 most southern
states have more than doubled their ex-
pendtures for education in elementary
schools State appropriations in some IN
stances have increased tenfold. The
length of the annual school term has been
increased In every state, in some as much
as so per cent. The standard of qualiti-
cation of teachers has been raised ap-
preeiaely. but not believe, in pro-
portion to the increase in salaries OF
teachers. The total value of public prop
erty in southern states is now more than
twice what 1t was ten years ago. In
the construction of all new school houses
more thought has been given to comfort,
health and beauty. Still more marked
has been the increase in number and inn
provement in character of public high
schools, both urban and rural. More re-
markable still has been the movement
for rural high schools. In only two or
three southern states were there any rural
high schools at the beginning of this
century. l believe there is now no state
without some school of this kind. In
the Virginias, the Carolinas, Florida,
Alabama, Mississippi and probably other
states, large numbers of high schools have
been established. In most of these states
at least one high school has been es-
tahlished in each county.
Progress Is Sure.
Under existing laws, and laws which
will most probably be enacted during the
new year. 1t is quite safe to predict that
the close of the decade will find few
counties in all this section without one
or more high schools open and free to
country boys and girls.
Little less remarkable has been the
rapid increase in the appropria tions for
normal schools. In every state, believe
these appropriations are more than twice
as large eight years ago.
'.Still the average length of school terms
in the southern states is less than six
months, only about two-thirds the aver
age for the rest of the country. Still the
average school fund is less than S. for
each child of school age, less than one
third the average for the remainder of
the country Stl our teachers are paid
less than is paid for any other kind of
skilled labor The average annual salary
of thousands of teachers is still less than
the annual cost of feeding prisoners In
our county jails. If the teachers should
commit crimes and be put in jail taxes
would have to be increased beyond the
present rate of school taxes In order to
pay for their keep. And in more than
and jals has been more than the total
cost of all school houses and equipment
In many counties two or three times
more.
Unframed Teachers.
"Still most of the teachers are un-
trained and uneducated, less than 25 per
cent In rural elementary schools having
as much as a good high school educa-
ton. Less than 10 per cent have had any
adequate professional preparation. All
our southern states are without effective
compulsory school attendance laws.
f'rhe children of this section actually
get about 45 days schooling year Our
professional schools necessarily do a low
grade of work. both from lack of funds
and equipment. and because their students
come to them with little general educa-
tion and academic training. Even our
state universities must do a great deal
of high school work, and few or none OF
them have means to enable them to do the
variety of work that our new political,
industrial and social life demand.
Professor Claxton recommended a nine
month school term in every district of
reasonable size attractive school houses.
consolidation of schools to give two or
more teachers to as many schools as
possible highly trained teachers, good
pay, good public high schools. and suf-
ficient number of normal training schools.
"All this is attainable within the next
quarter of a century If we are willing to
pay the price in money and effort and
we are at last able to do both'
A feature of the evening session was an
address by DR. Josiah Noise of Peabody
college, Nashville, Tenn. upon the sub
ject of "a New Chapter in the History
of Education
.sThe High School" was the general SUBJ
.f l.ar nf aal ra1o ftaer
to different phases of the high school.
The session Wednesday morning will
be devoted to the discussion of the edu-
cation Of thAs negro.