The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-25
EDUCATORS WILL
 MEET IN ATLAN "A Southern Association Holds Its
 Session Next Week MANY IMPORTANT TOPICS Prison Commission of Georgia Will Take Up Reforms and Will First
 Tackle Reformatory For
 Young Criminals.

dl.1 Southern Educational association, which will bring delegates from every state in the south will hold its nineteenth annual convention here next week, December 29 30 and S1, and according to reports from many sections the attendance will be an unusually large one. The meeting is ex pected to be one of such magnitude that several local committees are busy com pleting arrangements for it. The head quarters of the association during the convention will be at the Piedmont hotel, while the sessions will be held in the First Methodist church. which has the largest church auditorium in the city
 President P. P. Claxton of the Uni versity of Tennessee will preside over the convention. There will be addresses of welcome by Gov Hoke Smith, Mayor W. R. Joyner, Chairman L. z. Rosser of the board of education and Superintend- ent W M. Slaton of the public schools while response will be made by Super intendent M A. Cassidy of Lexington, ky.
 Among some of the topics appearing | on the programme for discussion and pos sible action are, Improvement of Pub lie Schoolhouses and Grounds" '.The Rural Schoolhouse" "The High School in All It's Branches "The Relation of the State to the Education of the Negro" Secondary Agricultural Education in the Southern States "The High School Movement in the South,' "The High School Curriculum of the Future" Pub lie Education as Public Business, " 'The Hope of Compulsory Education in the Ele- mentary School"
 Prominent educators from all sections of the south will take part in these discus sions, and there will be numerous confer ences pertaining to the associations work.
 Prison Reforms.
 One of the first reforms which the prison commission proposes to undertake as soon as it has sufficient funds at its disposal relates to the state reformatory for youth ful criminals.
 The commission is looking forward in the hope that it will soon have the funds at it's disposal to carry out this purpose. The state reformatory was one of the most severely criticised institutions in the system at the recent legislative investiga- tion. It was found, however, that the criticisms did not hold as against the officials in charge, but that the faults were due rather to lack of sufficient funds to establish the right kind of reform atory.
 It is the present purpose of the commits sion to retain the reformatory building and grounds near Milledgeville solely for young negro criminals, while a new farm will be purchased in south Georgia upon wkich will be erected a state reformatory for white boys. It is purposed to make the institution then a reformatory in fact as well as in name.
 One of the principal objections to the present institution is it's location near the state penitentiary farm, where adult criminals are sent This too closely iden- tifies it with the penitentiary and rather stamps the inmates as criminals where it is not intended. Another objection was the housing of whites and blacks in the same building. They came into too close contact in the daily routine. Nor has the reformatory al present any facilities for providing mental and moral education for its inmates except such as can be given by the busy superintendent, Mir Bethune and his wife. They do their best, but they need ass.Y -ance.
 The comr<s on has several tracts in view, but has reached no decision yet as to location. But it is determined at the first opportunity to reform the reforma- tory.
 Legislative Contests.
 Contests are gradually being eliminated from the new general assembly which will meet in June. There is only one of any consequence now remaining the fight ever the speakership which is three-cor-