The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-18
READING CIRCLE
 Is ORGANIZED By School Teachers of Calhoun
 County GUNNELS MAKES SPEECH "Back to the Farm Is Slogan of State Superintendents Address-Scien- tific Training Is Great Need
 of the State.
GUNNELS MAKES SPEECH

 feature of the meeting of the public school teachers of Calhoun county, which came to close here this evening, was the organization of Teachers Reading circle in this county, with J. l.. Llsle or Piedmont as secretary, and with an inltlal membership of 40, this having been m creased by several before the institute closed at noon today
 c. W. Daugette, president of the state Normal college at Jacksonville, and or ganizer of the Alabama Teachers Read ing circle at a meeting of the Alabama Educational society at Montgomery in 1908, took the initiative also in the or ganization of the county circle. which will be under the auspices of the state organization and officered by seven of the ablest educators in the state, with MT Daugette as president.
 This society prescribes a regular course of collateral reading for the public school teachers and pupils of the state upon which they are annually examined. The object of the circle" it is explained. "is the real growth of the teacher through study" and after having finished four years course the members are granted certificate. R. A. Clayton of Birming- ham is business manager of the circle. and publishers are barred from membership.
 MT. GunneIls' Address.
 In his address before the teachers yesA terday evening State Superintendent H. c. Gunnels sounded back to the farm as the keynote to his message, pleading with his hearers to use their influence in preventing the continued influx of rural residents to the cities. What Alabama and the south need most" he said, "1s an educated-by which l mean skilfully, scientifically trained-yeomany, and he .. q 4s,,ft,1a ant .f agriculture to the effect that if the same methods were employed in Alabama as in Iowa, whence he had just returned from study of a model rural school system, farm land values in this state would be increased to from $500 to s400 per acre. "Another startling fact" he continued, Ito which I would call your attention is that in the Birmingham district one big corporation employs 5000 men on annual salaries of s4000 and only ten of this 3O01 are Alabamians.'' this fact inspiring Mr' Gunnels to a Aggression on the dignity of manual labor
 Two other excellent talks were by City Superintendent D. R. Murphy on "Psy cology in Education" and an address by s. c. Pelham, high school principal, on ''rhe Motives and Contents Of the Course of Study" The attendance was unusually large.
 Revision Upward.
 Revision upward was the slogan of the Anniston city council at it's regular meet ing last night, when the matter of city licenses for the coming year was taken up, and owners of automobiles and other vehicles as well as promoters and mana gers of corporations, felt the practical effect of the slogan as 1t was applied. Autos were taxed at from s to s6, while at.f< <4lx -I- censed at from s1 to s2. The water works license was raised from $500 to s1000 tele- phone mpanies from $350 to s400; long distance telephone companies from $50 to s100: cotton compress from $50 to S200; electric light plant s450 to $500; gas com pany S200 to s400; oil company, 1925 to $4Oo.
 The report of the city health officer, Dr. T. J. Brothers, showed the city to be en- toying very good health and remarkably immune from race suicide. During the month of November there were only six deaths in the city, against birth rate of 8 young Americans.
 Councilman Edmundson renewed his fight, and won. for the discharge of Street Guard John Smith, and for the employ ment of citizen of Anniston in his stead President McCaa and nine members of the board were present, and other matters of more local interest were given atten- tion
 New Baseball League.
 If the efforts of Rome, Ga., are success ful, the proposed organization of an Ala bama-Georgia six-club baseball league will be abandoned and a league of larger scope organized with Annston, Rome. Knoxville, Asheville, N. C., Bris- tol and Cleveland, Tenn, or Gadsden This proposition has been submitted to the officers of the Anniston Baseball associa- tion and will be considered at their next meeting.
 Case Sent Back.
 An interesting case which was sent back for a new trial by the supreme court yesterday is that of Wesley Williams against the Anniston Electric and Gas company, a son of the plaintiff having died suddenly while working on the in- side of boiler for the defendant com pany. The only thing besides the boy in the boiler at the time was an Swat cleo trio light bulb, insufficient to cause death Hence the city court here held the re- spondent not accountable for the lad S death which no one was able to explain The finishing touches are being put to the new Noble street theatre in the shape of a handsome marquise that Is being erected out over the sidewalk at the main entrance. and which when com ! most complete and up-to-date theatres in the state. The marquse will be con- structed of copper, steel and art glass. and will be suspended from chains fas- tened in bronze lion heads attached to the front wall of the building. According to the report of Attorney General Garber which has just been re- ceved there was a total of 1S1 criminal cases tried in the city court of Anniston ! dr,rt rt-1er hn ,ocfy ThA c1,o | a percentage of convictions of 56, there | being 99 convictions. 34 acquittals and A | cases that were mol pressed. City Superintendent D. R. Murphy has announced that all schools will close on December g for the Christmas holidays, and reopen January 3.
 Lewis Is Reelected. Pittsburg, December 17-From re-