The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-18
WANT ID IMPROVE COUNTRY SCHOOLS GunneIIs Calls Conference In Birmingham fer Today INTEREST BUSINESS MEN Authorities Believe State Is Not Get ting Adequate Returns for Money
 Spent on the Country
 Schools.
INTEREST BUSINESS MEN
By HERvEY W. LAIRD.

d general DuSlneSS men s conference TOT the promotion of education in the state will probably be made. State Superin- tendent of Education Harry c. Gunnels arrived last night from Montgomery to take part in the session, which a number of prominent citizens have agreed to at tend.
 The object of the meeting today is to de- termine whether a general business mems movement for the purpose is feasible, and if enough interest can be secured to give promise that a call for such will receive approval If it is found that the idea takes well the general state assembly will be arranged and no doubt commit tee named to look after the programme and other necessary features.
 It has been agreed for some time among the best informed educational workers that there is a demand for more general knowledge and appreciation of the needs of the state along the lines of school work. The recent appropriations have been liberal and it is pointed out that it is betraying no secrets to say that with the machinery now at hand it is difficult to secure a maximum of results in the way of good, especially to the children of the country. A great many things are said to be needed to make the system ideal and the officers have concluded that the only way to secure these is to get the business men to thinking about the work and induce them to become informed not only on what is needed but what is being done
 At the conference for education in the south, held last April in Memphis, the proposition to hold a conference of busl- ness men for education in Alabama was broached and met with the approval of the Alabama delegation. Various plans have been suggested to get it on foot and in various ways interest has been aroused in the movement. Taking advantage of this MT. Gunnels has asked number of gentlemen to come here for this prelim- mary discussion. He hopes to get line
 on their feelings and to discover If they
 think the scheme worth while, and if they
 do, to study with them the best way to
 promote the larger meeting.
 Among the most important necessities
 at the present time, and the one that is regarded as the. most vital, is said to be better superintendence outside the larger cities So doubtful were the authorities ents they placed the final control of the new high schools in the hands of the state high school commission, every member of which resides at the capital. The same idea. it is claimed, must have been in mind years ago in establishing the ma jority of each agricultural school board at the capital, thus taking away the con trol of these higher institutions from the superintendents, not a few of whom are said to be Incompetent and almost worth less to the better progress of the schools which they are supposed to keep in good running order. It is claimed there are many superintendents of counties who do not pay two visits year to the schools, and whose greatest labor is drawing their per cent commissions.
 It is pointed out that it has been im- possible to remedy this evil as it should be remedied, even in the face of the fact that the appropriations now give even the l least paid superintendents fairly good salary, and some of them handsome re- turns. The selections to the positions are by election of the people and every effort to take them out of politics has been met with the cry that the rights of the r-t.s is claimed, was seen at the last session of the legislature, when a bill to make the offices appointive or elective by the coun- ty boards of education, met with over whelming defeat, the very progressive MT. Pitts of Dallas fighting the measure to its death, feeling that in doing so he was rendering patriotic service.
 It must not be concluded from the fore going that Alabama is not doing wonders in an educational way. The past two years have seen the state take wonderful strides In the betterment of system as well as in support of the institutions Money has been given lavishly for every line of school service. The university and Auburn, the normals and the agricul-
 
 tor new buildings as well as increased ap- proprlations for support. and the common schools have had their allotments greatly increased. One thousand dollars a year has been given to each county to build and repair school houses in rural terri tory, and 5000 year has been set aside for the establishment and maintenance of high schools AS a result of the work in the past 24 months a well articulated school system has for the first time been made possible for the state, running through from the primer to the finished college course.
 This very fact makes it all the more im- that there be better interest in the administration of the various depart ments The officers would like for the business men, the men who pay the taxes, to know just what is being done and how, of the wonderful possibilities as well as the pressing needs. and to make, in a word, the education of the children of the state somewhat their own particular bus mess. To bring this about all have agreed | that more interest must be aroused, and | to secure this interest MT. Gunnels has in vited several gentlemen to meet him to- day. He hopes that every one of them | can be present. He would like them to | feel that it is a duty that is quite cer- | tain to develop into a pleasure and not a | particle less than what they owe to the | f3,x, hi