The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-08-19

l 1880. 1890. 1900. 1908.
 Alabama .............42. 50 55.S3 61.67 55.7
 Minnesota ........-.75.S7 7459 77.59 692
 Nebraska .-..........6S. AS 75.36 S9.5O S7. IS These figures show that the percentage
 or school population enrolled in Alabama
 was less in 1908 than in 1900 or 1890, but
 there was also a decrease in Minnesota
 In 1908, as compared with the three de-
 cades immediately preceding. The trou-
 Die In Alabama, in comparison with the western states, is that the percentage of
 enrolment never has reached high point. Trouble not With People
 But these comparative figures regarding school population and enrolment show one important fact whihc appears to be
 the crux of the educational question in
 Alabama. The trouble in Alabama Is not
 With the people. They are anxious to ed
 ucate their children and the children are willing and ready to go to school. The | ngures have given show this to be true. | The per cent of the total population en-
 rolled in the United States is 1864. and
 in Alabama 1t is 1s.57, little less than
 the average of the whole country. It has
 been above the average. The per cent
 of the school population enrolled in the
 United States is 69.32, and in Alabama 1t | Is 55.U. While the per cent of enrolment
 is below the average in Alabama, 1t Is
 not bad showing when we consider the | lack of sufficient appropriations for edu-
 cational purposes, the short school term | and the miserable houses used for school
 purposes. Added to these stumbling
 blocks, we have the race question, the | bogey of small politicians. These things considered the official statistics show
 that the white people of Alabama are as | solicitous about the education of their
 children as the people of any other state; pA .11.. +t,1 aging conditions. show greater concern about the education of their children than | many of the white races of Europe and Central America. Moreover, in these comparisons of enrolment, we should not | forget that, in Alabama the education of
 the child is optional with the parent, while in many of the northern and west ern states, education is compulsory. It
 Is compulsory in Minnesota and Nebras- | ka.
 I said that the people of Alabama are | as solicitous about the education of their | children as the people of any other state. I should have said that they are more concerned than the people of many other states. They have made, and they are still ready to make. greater sacrifices to accomplish this end than the citizens of | many other states have made; simply be- cause they have done. or tried to do, vol | untarily, what others have done under compulsion. Time and again have I heard 1t stated, more frequently In the south than in the north, that the poor whites of the south are thriftless and without fam fly or state pride sufficient to furnish an incentive for the education of their chill dren. It is not true. The poor people of the south are not of low strain: they are
 brave. gentle, loyal and patriotic, and have proven their worth. They are homogeneous people and come from good tha fail to show themselves the equals of any people and the superiors of many. And later on in this article, or In sub sequent paper 1 shall make further com ment on this important phase of the dis cusson. It is not the lack of state or family pride, neither indifference nor in-
 dolence on the part of the people. that gives Alabama such an unsavory record in educational progress. The trouble has been and Is, the narrow, niggardly and dilatory policy of the political administra- ton and the absence of efficiency and virility in the educational department. It Is the lack of civic pride and civic virtue in the leaders and not the stupidity of the masses The administration of the department of education in Alabama has been a fiasco and it has been little better in other southern states, although some Of the southern states have the faithful and capable service of distinguished edu- cators who have not been able to bring | the political leaders of their states up
 to a high standard. As distinguished | educator of this country has said, faceti-
 ously. 'The whole educational system of the south as a roaring farce" The addi- | tional statistics which I shall submit will | show this to be true. As a further guide to a correct analy- | sis of this question, we should consider the following table, showing the average attendance.
 1880. 1890. l90O. 1908 Alabama .. =. 117,97s 1S2, ,467 29I,SO5 249, J3o Minnesota .... 7S.400 127,025 243,224 32S.061 Nebraska ..... 60,156 146,1S0 1Sl,S4 191, ,152 These comparative statistics of average attendance are interesting because they point to the sequel of this distressing
 story They show that, notwithstanding
 gain of little over 10000 in enrolment from 1900 to 1908, Alabama, during the same period, lost ITS in average attend- ance. And during the same period Min nesota gained 3l00 in enrolment and 79,- | S37 in average attendance. Nebraska dur | ing the same peniod lost 5000 in enrolment | but gained oveY 5000 in average attend- ance. With bad management, inadequate | and incommodious schoolhouses and ir- | regular and short school terms, Alabama | was unable to retain the average at | tendance. The gain in the average at- | tendance in Minnesota shows that that | state has been taking care of its school population, and the increase in attendance | is in proper proportion to the increase | of enrolment. And while Nebraska loses | 7eOO in enrolment 1t gains 9300 in aver age attendance, evldencing the continuity | and regularity of school work. In Ala | bama 1t Is ''drop in and drop out, all the | time shifting about" and the absence | of continuity and regularity is evidenced | by the figures which show, as have stat | ed, an increase of 10000 in enrolment
 and a decrease of 4S,775 in attendance. | AS we progress in this investigation we | shall see by the comparative statistics
 the many serious disadvantages under
 which the children of Alabama struggle | for an education Here is table that
 tells another distressing story. It shows
 the average number of days attended by
 each pupil:
 | Alabama ...........s........... ot4 Io.u | Minnesota ...................... ol loo . | Nebraska ....................... lOoo LIZ. l But if these figures are distressing, what
 shall we say of the "cold facts revealed | in the statistics given below, showing the average number of days the schools were | kept during the year?
 1880. 1s90 1900. 1908 | Alabama ....... S1.3 736 7S.3 1l3.a Minnesota ....... 94 128.O 169.O l45.( | Nebraska ........ S2 140O 13o.O l73.t In the state of Washington the schools | in 1908, were kept 169 days; in California