The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-12
DENNY SPEAKS ID
 SUPER|NTENDENTS Educators Holding Sessions
 at the High School ADDRESSES HEARD
ADDRESSES
HEARD
Dr. Denny Last Night Called Atten- tion in Striking Address to Some Criticisms of Popular
 Education

The department of town and city su-
 perintendents of the Alabama Educa- tional association opened their annual meeting yesterday afternoon at o'clock in the Central High school building. The matter of local district taxation and com pulsory education proved to be the fea- ture of the afternoon meetings and sev- eral interesting addresses were made con corning 1t.
 The feature of last nights session was the address of President George H. Denny of the University of Alabama on the subject Some Criticism of Popular Education" M
 Yesterday afternoons session was opened by an address by the president Of tho department, W. F. Jones of New Decatur. MT. Jones was followed by w. F. Feagin. chief clerk of the depart ment of education. MT. Feagin spoke on ''The Campaign for Local District Taxa tion and Compulsory Education" State Superintendent of Education H. J. Will ingham was supposed to have led the discussion on this question. but was un- able to attend the meeting. However, Mr. Feagin made an excellent address, and stated that the teachers of Alabama should not quibble about smaller mat ters and minor differences and that they should present united front in behalf of the main issue-that each county should tax itself for its own schools Mir Feagin said that Alabama stood alone in depriving the citizens of the counties of the privilege of this taxation and pointed out that in Mississippi no Init was placed on any tax that mght be levied for educational purposes.
 Dr. J. H. Phillips followed MT. Feagin and heartily indorsed each point pre- scented by Mir. Feagln. Dr. Phillips also cities and towns in Alabama.
 At the conclusion of the afternoon ses- sion, J. " Brown of Dothan, Superin- tendent Upshaw of Eufaula and w. B. Crumpton, Jr., of Blountsville were ap- pointed a committee on nominations. b. T. Appleby of Lafayette, W. c. Griggs of Gadsden and c. B. Glenn of Birmingham were elected to positions on the resolu- tions committee. These mon will decide upon place to hold the convention of the Alabama Educational association in April
 Dr. Dennys Address
 In his address last night Dr. Denny said in part:
 9Th every fact that a system of schools is public, in the sense of being tax sup ported, must always mean that the pub lie will feel free to criticize it. Indeed. fair criticism should never be discour- aged. On the contrary, it is greatly to be desired. Private institutions are large ly immune from such criticism; but wherever men are taxed to support in- stitutions of learning 1t is their right to know what is going on, and. if need be, to criticize what is going on. It is my earnest wish that the entire people of this commonwealth shall know in detail every single thing connected with the ad- of the University of Ala bama. That I conceive to be the wise and sound policy in the conduct of the state s chief institution of learning.
 There is no man, however high, and no cause, however sacred. that does not at some time or in some way become the target of human criticism, if not of hu- man calumny Public education is no exception. It has from the beginning been the target of criticism, and will continue to the end to be criticized, now for one reason and again for another. It is not my purpose to attempt to recount the shifting history nor to analyze the varying causes of the criticism that has marked it's onward career. I shall at- tempt nothing more than to make a cur sorry review of some of the facts con nected with such criticisms as are most generally current in our own section.
 Economical Administration
 First, I shall mention the criticism that the public school system is not eco administered This is a com mon charge made concerning every form of government activity, state and nation al. It will be recalled that Senator Al drich once remarked that. if given com plete control, he could curtaiI by vast sum the expenditures of the federal gov ernment without diminishing in any way the efficiency of the service. There are those who make precisely the same charge concerning the administration of public education. even as carried on in our own commonwealth.
 Tt is frequently said that public schoo, men lack the spirit of self sacrifice that and interlaces the service of private school men; that they are seeking to get out of the work more than they tft WlIllUk io put Ilto ils tUdt they are in the hunt rather for the game than for the exhilaration of the chase. I be- lieve that the great majority of both classes of men are putting duty first, and the almighty dollar second. I do not be- lieve that the private school men are ren- dering service one whit more unselfsh than the service of the public school men Some time ago I asked the president of a denominational college in Virginia how he could hope to retain the best men in his faculty now that the state schools are so largely increasing their resources and the salaries paid to their professors His answer was that his men loved their work and would not leave if: that they subordinated money to the cause that they served. The fact is that within year three of his very best men had accepted larger sararies in the state schools My ,---~---~~>----~--->>---~~--->
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