The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-08
SKAGGS SUGGESTS
 ALABAMA'S REMEDY Make Educational Provisions
 On Enormous Scale
WHY THE STATE IS POOR
Has Greater Natural Resources and More Natural Advantages Than Any Other Section of the
 Whole World


 very able and interesting article by the Hon. Sydney J. Bowie on educational matters in Alabama. MT. Bowie is not a new advocate in this cause, as the people of Alabama well know, and l re- call his earnest and effective work in this behalf when he was very young man. He began early and hope for the good of his native state he will con- tinue late In the zeal of his patriotic
 impulses, and knowledge of the needs of the people, MT Bowie wanted no high CT incentive; yet had it been necessary to direct him by the monuments of those who had served their country best, MT Bowie had before him the inspiration of his illustrious kinsman, pr. J. l.. M Curry. whose patriotic work as educator, publicist, diplomat and statesman makes the brightest page in the darkest period of southern history. No history of edu- cation in this country, or history of civic progress, would be complete without the story of Horace Mann and MT. Mayo; and the heroic and effective work Of Dr. Curry, under the most trying condi- tions and in face of the most bitter preiudices, adorns and amplfes the rec ord And when the true story of the renaissance of education in Alabama is written the people will know how and by whom the university lands wers con- served, and how and by whom the foun- dation was laid for the common school system, and full credit will be given MT. Bowie and Dr. Phillips.
 If nothing else has been accomplished in this agitation, much has been gained by having man in MT. Bowie's posi- ton acknowledge that the state of Ala bama is able to educate her children and that the children are importuning. MT. Bowie has clearly shown the way and l am taking issue with him on some de- tails respecting the industrial or business phase of the question, hoping that this view of the matter will appeal to the business man and property owner. While acknowledging the educational needs and delinquencies, MT Bowie claims that The increase in population and individual de- posite is evidence of a better condition than I have inferred. A general answer may be stated in the words of Edward o. Ssson: we live in a far more com plex environment than did our forefath CTS, for we have left the simple paths where instinct was sufficient guide for conduct and are now dwelling in a world of mans own creation, where instinct is not at home, and where problems can be solved only by the highest intelligence. The intelligence of thoughtful men sthnds aghast at the problems knocking at our doors-tariff and finance, conservation, race conflicts, lawmaldng and enforce rnent, administration of nation, state and municipalities" And more specifically we should examine the actual facts re- garding our industrial and commercial status.
 The average increase in population for the whole country, 1890 to 1900. as shown by the latest census. was 20 per cent; Alabama and Georgia had practically the same increase, on percentage basis, and the total for the southern states was under 20 per cent. a little less than the average Tn many states the increase was as high as 30 per cent and in some it was more The birth rate in Alabama is high, in fact, it is high in all of the southern states. The excess of births over deaths is much higher in the south ern states than in the eastern or New England states, and it Is greater in the south than in any other part of the country These statistics seem to indi- cate favorable climatic conditions and the absence of race suicide, one of the evils of cix nj In the south. However, the natural advan- tages of the south is not an issue in this discussion. I said in the beginning there could be no question about the health and resources of the country, Ala bama especially being rich in material resources. The fact that these natural advantages exist make the present situa- ton inexcusable; and these natural ad- vantages are more than offset by ignor- ance and poverty.
 The foreign born population in Ala ba ma Is less than l per cent and Ala bama is above the average of south ern cities in getting immigration. In 1900 there were 3,241,660 natives of the southern states living in other states and there were 2,762,50S natives of other states living in the southern states. evidencing a net loss of 659,- 152 for the southern states. This is the worst showing in the United States; more people are leaving the southern states. than are going into those states. Notwith standing the steady flow of emigration from the eastern states to the west, Massach usetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut show a gain, 1. e., the number of people who moved into those states was greater than the number who moved out. These tables were taken from an excellent paper on com pulsory education by Prof. w. H. Hand printed in the proceedings of the eighth conference for education in the south" Commenting on this paper, Professor Joyner, superintendent of education of North Carolina, said: The tide Of em- igration has evidently flowed from H. literate to literate, from ignorance to intelligence, from darkness to light
 As shown by the late report of the comptroller of currency the increase in individual deposits In the southern states since 1900 has been nearly 300 per cent, substantially as stated by MT. Bowie, but this table includes West Virginia which Is not southern states and Texas, which Is southern state, but its wonderful development takes 1t out of the class of states we have been talking about I have been discussing educational and industrial conditions