The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1908-03-15
PROGRESS In EDUCATION
MADE BY PEOPLE OF SOUTH
Some Notes Upon Recent Conference Of Superin-
tendents Of Education
In Atlanta.
- rnun cn.reHrAp, EprroR REeIsrnR-
IN Atlanta.

session of the Legislature had reduced
this to / per cent The Legislature
had saved for the school children OF
his State at least 100000, heretofore
paid ont in these commissions. the
average pay of teachers Is $49.50; the
average school term, seven and HAIR
months. Mr.. Asweli's suggestion was:
Reinforce the high schools: encourage
instruction in agriculture In the rural
schools; trained supsrintendents Oh
schools: and compulsory education.
Superintendent Martin reported that
OF the forty-one counties in South Car
DINA thirty nine have school improve
ment associations, organized by the
women. There are 5000 members of
these associations and they are great
aid. infusing a new spirit into the peo-
pie. the teachers and the pupils. The
woman who Is at the head Of this
movement devotes her time to 1t, and
IL paid $50 a month by the Southern
Education Board. A donation of $1,-i
600 had been made by DR.. Rhodes for
the rural schools. and this money had
been placed in the hands of the school
Improvement association. 1t was WISE
~ placed there, and had been used as
follows: FIVE hundred dollars in Ave
800 dollar prizes were offered for the.
ave schools showing the most marked
Improvement and ten prizes of $50
each for schools next in order Of merit
Sixty-one schools took part In the COM
petition. The school Improvement as.
sociation 10 helping the school library
work ALSO
Mr.. Gunnels, of Alabama, said that
In his State ten years age the average
length of the school term was less
than three months, and the appropria-
ton from the State only s350,00O for
rural schools. Now the minimum length
OF the school term as fixed by laws is
five months. and the State appropriates
more than $l.5e0.000 to the schools
This amount does not include the funds
derived from county taxation for
school purposes. nor the aid given by
municipalities. Mr.. Gunnels stated that
under the Constitution of Alabama only
six and one-half mills could be levied
for all purposes on real and personal
property and that under the Constitu-
ton three mills was set aside for
school purposes. Mr.. Gunnels ventured
the assertion that comparatively speak
ing no State in the Union, as a State
does as much for the public schools. He
said that while under the Constitution
only six and one-half mills could be
levied for all purposes on real and
personal property, the last Legislature
appropriated almost seven mills for
educational purposes. This great pro-
gress is due, he said. to the campaign
for education which was begun about
eight years ago by DR.. John w. Aber-
crombie, who at the time was Super
intendent of Education, assisted by the
Rev. Edgar Gardner Murphy, DR.. Isaac
w. Hill and other educators in the State
The magnificent appropriations and
other school legislation given by the
last Legislature was but the fruition OF
a campaign which has been wagtng for
eight years in the state. The last Leg
islature not only added SS50.00o an
nually to the rural school fund, but
made an appropriation of $4,000 an
nuallX to be used in aiding rural COM
munities in the building of school
houses. Mr.. Gunnels then made this
remarkable statement, Since the law
| to aid In the building OF rural school
| houses went into effect, a school house
has been built for every week day In
the year with two left over for every
Sunday" over $250.000 has been spent
| for Improvement in the past -four
| months.
Speaking of the encouragement given
| to high schools, Mr.. Gunnels referred
4 to the fact that under a law passed
bx the last Legislature county high
school doing purely secondary work
was to be established in each county In
4 the State. Under the law the commu-
| nifty procuring the school must proytdS
| five acres of land and building OF
| the value of at least 5000. The State
provides $4,000 year for the mainten-
ance of the high school, but the High
School Commission will insist that com.
| munities guarantee a SUFFICIENT supple
I, ment to make the high school what Il
| should be.
Enthusiasm in Alabama
It is wonderful to note, he said, the
the popular enthusiasm over the high
school movemept--a school filling this
| gan hetween the elementary schools
and the colleges and universities
Communities that have not maintain.
ed a respectable three months school
have come forward with a guaranty
largely in excess of the amount re-
| ouired by law. Nearly every county
In the State has two or three commu
mites working enthusiastically to Sc
cure a high school location.