The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-17
FEDERATION OF

w0MENs' CLUBS.
 Montxomery Is fortunate In being again hostess of the State Federation. With the meeting this evening begins a convention which promises to be full of interest and enthusiasm.
 In the following article. member of one of our local clubs tells of the formation of an association in this State for raising the standards of our schools. and appeals to the club wo- men of Alabama for help In the cause. It is pertinent and timely, and we hope that the women who assemble here to- day in convention will give attention to its suggestions. We commend it especially to the Committee on Educa- tion.
 English Dfyisiow, Association of Ala
 bama High Schools.
 It was with the keenest interest and the greatest enthusiasm, last July, that read q letter from Miss Frances Hig- gins, telling me of the organization Of the association of Alabama High Schools, for the purpose of creating higher standards for the secondary schools of our State, and of the form ation of the English Division of this organization for the purpose of spread ing the doctrine of the better teach ing of English in the public schools of Alabama. Deeming 1t rare priv ilege to serve on such committee, gladly oheyed the call for the first meeting. The other members of the committee were Miss Luther of Troy, Mir. stickney of the University. and Miss Higgins of Selma, its chairman and inspiration.
 Realizing that the determination of the college presidents to demand four teen units of work for entrance to their institutions, at once lays the fhA teacher of English. we desired to fornas ulate some plan Of work and of ac- tivity. that would be most helpful to the English department in each Ala bama High School, For a long time our State University has declared It's inability to raise the standard of It's entrance requirements because of the low standard of the secondary schools. But now if our County High Schools and City High Schools be made really college preparatory. these institutions will obviate this difficulty, and to this comfnfttee has suggested a course n English for the County High Schools. with methods for teaching this course which 1t hopes to have published in
 If is wholly undeniabis fact that of all the courses in the school the results of the teaching of English are most pitfable. For this there seems to me to be two causes:
 First, athe teachers of English are not always carefully seleeted. A teacher who is competent to teach latin. Algebra or geometry may not be good English teacher Then, if the English teacher be competent. she may be so hampered with an aigeoEa OF an arithmetic class that she hasn't suffIcient time either for frsquent theme writing or for preparation for
 This English Division. by personal letters, has sought the cooperation of every teacher of, English In Alabama. hoping thereby to help and to be helped.
 But the greater cause of the piti- able results from the teaching of Eng fish Is with the public rather than with the teacher. "As long as children hear careless English at home they will sneak careless English; as long as they are permitted to read trash they will write trash, and as long as they are not encouraged at. home 10 read good books they VIII not reaq at all. ."
 girls are prepared to pass the examina- tiOns fo1 an entrance to our Eastern colleges. or those of the four A" col Ieges for women in our own south the woman's college of Baltimore, Az mes scott, kno NeHEoutp eho %s@..srN~Ff-' Macon; and why is 1t that our own University is not in Class "A" and that there ia not a college for women In Alabama that is college in fact as well as in name? Kave we lowered our standards educationally? our girls and our boys have to attend so- called colleges because from those lh- stitutions they obtain diplomas ana so-called degrees easily and quickty., We hermit them to do SO and tnen boast of their graduating ct the age of IT or Is. Do we. really want them "a he educateda I think can safely sav that we doi not want our girls, at feast. to do much diligent, hard work at schools, forgetting that Learning big study must be won; |. Twas ne'er entailed from sire to son.
 Most of pvr girls today have too many social obligations to spend much time in st1dy. The pity of 1t all! We are "rnakfnge hastes in education as well as in other things. Our girls are too aarer to- become young ladies" 70 spend suffieient time in preparation Tor life. s tton of Alabama High Schools bespeaks inc sympathy and the co-operation not only of the English teachers of our state. but also of the public, partlcu- Iarly of the club women of Alabama, in our endeavor to have our girls and our boys prepared in English to enter the freshman class Of any college or university of our country where they may be prepared for broader, more use ful lives; or If deprived of the privi-