The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-21
Willingham Delivers Ad-
dress Before Convention
of Teachers in Capital
COMMENTS ON REPORT
OF SAGE FOUNDATION
Declares Public Sentiment Demands
Local Taxation and Compulsory
Observation-Disclosures Most
Optimistic Outlook


In his address before the Alabama Ed
ucation association this afternoon Su-
perintendent of Education Henry ].
Willingham said that the unfavorable
advertising given the state by the ma
tion-wide report of the Russell Sage
foundation would have a strong ten
dency to make the people redouble
their energies toward greater educa-
tional progress than had ever been
shown In the history of Alabama
He declared that public sentiment de-
manded local taxation and compulsory
education and he predicted that the
state would have both in the course
of the next few years. He declared
that compulsory attendance was the
companion of local taxation.
The superintendent of education
dwelt at length upon the progress that
has been made in educational lines in
the state during the past few years
and expressed the most optimistic out
| look for the future His address fol-
lows:
Willingham's Address
Some weeks ago the public was
given the privilege of reading report
| issued by the Sage foundation touch
| ing educational conditions throughout
| the United States. The position assigned
| to Alabama in that report at the foot
| of the list in the comparative efficiency
| of public school systems may have led
some people to believe that Alabama S
public schools contained very few ele-
ments worthy of commentator. No
conclusion could be further from the
| facts
"The paramount purpose in the main
| tenance of any public school system
| is the waging of war against ignor-
ance and il1iteracy. Our success or fail
| ure in that warfare determines the
merit or the demerit of our public
school system The United states CEN
sus of IL years ago placed Alabama S
citizenship above only two states
Louisiana and South Carolina-in the
percentage of white illiteracy. The CEN
sus of two years ago placed Alabama
above these two states and also above
North Carolina. and on an equality
with the state of Kentucky in the per-
eentage of white illiteracy. Evidently
we are not only holding our own but
our progress is more rapid at least
than some of the other states.
1--WE are by no means satisfied, how
ever with the rate of progress winch
we are making. and 1t is only reason
able to believe that this most un-
favorable advertising given the state
of Alabama by the nation wide report
of the Sage foundation will cause our
own people to redouble their energies
in a determination to make even a
more favorable showing at the end of
the present 10-year period than we
made in the first 10 years of the pres
ent century. Not content with seeing
Alabama given a terrific body blow
by being placed at the foot of the llst
of states in. the comparative weakness
of its public school system, a certain
northern ma gazine has hardly missed
week in the last two months in its
continuous effort to heap shame ana
derision on our people, when the same
ma gazine could find at its doors In
the tenements and sweatshops OF the
city of New York conditions more de-
plorable and more deserving OF It's
tears and it's commiseration tnan any
actual conditions to be found IN the
good state of Alabama.
THANKS to an awakened public SEN
timent the people of Alabama appear
to be ready at last to take the Two
steps which, more than all things else
have placed the other states above US
and without which we have absolutely
no chance of forging toward the iron.
Local Taxation
"The first of these is local taxation
the other is compulsory attendance. ne
percentage of public school money
raised in this state by counties and dls-
] tricts Is smaller, long way smaller
| than that of any other state In the
Union. No other state is trying 10 30.
along without local district tax, and
scarcely any state is raising SO httie
| by a county tax. Unless the schools
are kept open for longer period than
five or six months, our people have no
| fair chance of receiving an education
True. our towns and cities manage In
lsome way through municipal taxes 10
keep the schools open for nine months
The maintenance. however, OF a nine
months term without the privilege Oh
local taxation even in the cities is on
| a most uncertain basis and Is, tnere-
| FORE wholly unsatisfactory. The rural
districts, where the terms are little
more than half as long as they ougn'
| to be- have no possible way OF secur-
ling supplementary funds for the exten-
| sion of their terms after the state runo
lis exhausted.
| 1.-THE constitution of Alabama, adopted
l12 years ago. was great improvement
| on the constitution of 1875, ana con
tanned as many good features ana al
| few bad ones perhaps as could be eH-
at that time. That it's educational re-
lstrictions and .inhibitions are mill
stone to the educational progress or to-
day, however, would be denied by rev
| thoughtful men who have taken the
| time to make comparative study o.
the constitutional privileges allowed ~
every state except Alabama. 1t Is grau-
| flying, however, to observe the apparent
Overwhelming public sentiment through
| out the state in favor of allowing
counties more latitude in the levyine
| of a school tax, and also permltune
school districts, when they desire TO &c
| so, to levy an additional tax for the
| special benefit of their own local sys-
tens.
Compulsory Attendance
Compulsory attendance must be the
companion of local taxation. II II IL
desirable to maintain a system of pun
lie education-and all the states con
cede that fact-then 1t is right and faii
that each taxpayer shall contribute MS
just amount for the maintenance OF the
public schools. All the states are COM
omitted to some plan of providing by
taxation a system of free education TOT
all the people, on the theory Of making
a wise investment In a more enlight-
ened citizenship. Since the states are
committed to the theory of requiring
property to provide for the education
OF the people, we cannot escape the
conclusion that the people themselves
ought to be required to obtain the
benefits to be derived from attending
the public schools or some other schools
of their own choosing.
School attendance Is required
tthrouehout the civilixed uoriA f0dav