The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-17

but this class of people is few and far
 between.
 State Expenditures.
 The fellow who is against the expendi- ture of the states money for schools is usually the fellow who pays the least taxes I am reminded of a story of a divorce case. Among the various ale gations set up in the bill for divorce was one alleging extravaganza on the part of the wife. MT. Jones was on the stand and the judge proceeded to ask him some question. MT. Jones'" said the judge, you say your wife is extravagant. so ex- travagant that you cannot support her. In what way is she extravagant9 Well, judge, said MT. Jones, I go home at night and she asks me for s10, the next morning she asks me for 8, at dinner she asks me for $2. At night she asks me for $5.' Stop a minute, said the judge What does she do with the money2' MT. Jones replied, I don't know. judge, 1 ain't give her any yet. And so it is with the kicker, knocker and the croaker in their complaints against what we are doing for the great cause of education.
 "I cannot undertake in the short time which l have to talk to tell you all that has been done along educational lines in recent years, or in the last year. To you teachers here in Alabama the entire history is familiar.
 County High Schools.
 Perhaps the greatest single movement of the last year, and there have been many great movements, was the move ment enacted into law by the legislature encouraged by our governor. providing for the establishment of a county high school in each county of the state. fne uplift- ing influence, the uplifting power ol this Tl1n in t1a g,,, f al,f1 dren cannot be estimated. TAe building of this link between the county boys ele- mentary school and the universities and colleges will create a momentum for higher education almost impossible 10 es- innate. Let me state in this connection that the people of Alabama for the last six months have been witnessing q per- fornlance unique in its tendency for good along educational lines. For two or three days out of each week for the last six months the governor of this great state of Alabama, accompanied by the auditor. and sometimes by the superintendent of education, has been going up and down the hills and through the valleys, preach ing the great cause of the education of the masses, and urging the people to a full realization of the importance of the education of their children 1 will ven ture to predict that such scene has not pCcll WlbntSSCQ III any SldIe III LlllS un1On, and l will venture further to predict that no three state officers in any state in the union have ever had throughout the state such triumphant tour. At every place thousands of people thronged the audit toriums in order to hear the question of education discussed. l am telling this not in any spirit of adulation, but to in- dicate to you that there Is something in the educational uplift in the state of Ala hsif1 this cause of education they would not turn out in throngs to hear educational addresses.
 School Supervision.
 q can not forbear, while having on my heart this spirit of what Alabama is doing for education, to feel a pang of re- gret that our legislature failed to pass some kind of law providing for com petent supervision in our rural schools. l have no fight to make against our pres ent county superintendents. They are creatures of a condition and are not re- sponsble for the situation, but when you realize that the average salary of the county superintendent in Alabama is $1007 and that by their own reports a of them give absolutely no super vision to the schools, and when you fur ther realize that about 30 per cent of our teachers who go out into the rural dis trfcts to teach at the beginning of the school year are inexperienced, the enorm- ity of the question can be realized have made speeches along this line from one end of the state to the other. and yet l find people who say that the old plan is good enough, that We must not undertake to make any reform in the office of the county superintendent. They remind me of the little verse which l heard once going something like this: /" The Tightening bug is brilliant.
 But he hasn't any mind
 So he blunders on through life
 With his headlight on behind.'
 But we all love Alabama, we love her history and her traditions. We are proud of her mineral wealth and her historical greatness, and through this love, through this love for the home of our fathers and our homes, must come a solution of all these questions. and it will come. 1 be- lieve that there is great power in love of home and love of country. That man that most loves his little home or his mansion, as for that, makes the best father, and the best husband. That man who loves most his little village makes the best, most enthusiastic and most progress sive citizen. l believe that every boy and girl ought to be taught from his earliest days to believe, aye to know, that the little town in which he lives is the gal den spot of the state. 1 believe he ought to feel or to be made to feel that the in which he lives is the greatest county in the state. l believe that every child in Alabama ought to have it drilled into him from infancy that Alabama, her history and her traditions, is the greatest state in the union. I think you teachers ought to have the children sing every morning that beautiful song. written by a famous Alabama woman. Alabama, Ala bama, 1 will aye be true to thee " Little, little, can l give thee,
 Alabama, mother mine; But that little-hand, brain. spirit
 All I have and am are thine, Take, take the gift and giver,
 Take and serve myself with me, Alabama Alabama!
 l will aye be true to thee.
 Polite To Old Glory.
 q believe that every boy should tip | his hat when he passes under the folds | If Old Glory, the flag of the United | States, and that he should take that same I, nat and fling it high in the air and yell | ike the dickens when the band plays l Dixie l think every boy and girl should | nave the patriotism and love of country | md of Alabama which was had by that 1 young fellow from Baldwin county who | undertook a trip around the world He | was true to Alabama, he loved her from | rennessee's majestic banks to the gentle | waters of Mobile bay Over in London hey carried him to Westminster Abbey. ]