The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-09


| circle of activities and TO serve all the
people, therefore, is of more value TO
| the citizens and the state than TO serve
merely one class, If the voluntary adop-
| ton of commendable line OF conduct
excels in practical and ethical value any
that may be imposed from without; IT, as
! they tell us, mans own efforts are
worth more than any that can be eX-
ercised for him, and II by union with
his fellows he renders these same of
double value. then l relterate, that school
Improvement transcends them all.
Mrs. Craigheads Resolution
TO judge anything with accuracy, how
ever, a true perspective is imperative and
even those of us who have been with
this work from its inception are just
now beginning to realize its wonderful
possibilities. confess that when in 1904
Mrs. Erwin Craighead of Mobile. intro
duced in the Alabama Federation of
Woman's clubs a resolution that "a
school improvement committee be Gre
ated," that I. with others, little re-
allied the immensity Of the work thus
proposed. Investigations conducted by
various bodies interested in the status
of education in Alabama, had disclosed
the distressing fact that the majority
of our rural schoolhouses were un-
slightly, unsanitary and uncomrortapIe.
Desiring to remedy this and not to rely
entirely upon the usual panacea, more
state aid, but to arouse our people to
help themselves, it was decided to in
troduce TO them the school Improvement
movement by means of this committee.
At the outset, however it was realized
that ii was both a physical and ilnan-
cial impossibility for that body to pre-
sent the work in every district and the
plan was adopted of endeayorolng TO
form in each county, a county school
Improvement association that should be
an organizing body pure and simple and
endeavor to form around each Alabama
schoolhouse a band of men and women
interested in it's welfare and the advance
ment of the eommunity's educational in
terests, Coincident with the first intro
duction of the work to the Alabama
public, a surprise was received by its
orlginators. Primarily intended for the
rural schools our cities were among the
! first to adopt school improvement. thus
revealing its wife field of usefulness.
/ cannot say that the endeavors OF the
| committee met with instantaneous and
uniform success, for as with all pioneers
| the laurels of school improvement contiue
| to wave only in the mirage that dazzles
our tired eyes but ever elndes our pur-
| suit. Yet reward in a measure has been
| ours aud today every county in the
| state save six has an active county school
! improvement association. OF these six,
! four have ORGANIZATIONS in name only
that cannot be included with those do
| ing any active work. Every county in
| the state save Lauderdale has local as
sociations showing that the work has
| taken root, but Is not yet ready to
| be handled in sympathetic manner. An
expenditure OF $4,000 upon the improve
ment of the schools in Alabama was re-
ported by school Improvement associa-
| tions last year. which Supervisor N. 4.
| Baker says represents but half the actual
amount as many associations are work.
| ing Independently and fail to respond to
| the call for repors. st. Clair, sumter,
and Pike expended over $4,000. Tusca-
oosa, Jefferson, Talladega, Dale Henry
and Houston each expended from $1,000 to
5000; Del<alb, Wilcox, Dallas. Monroe,
and Baldwin expended from $1,000 to $500;
Limestone. Jackson. Cullman, Calhoun,
Talladega, Randolph, Coosa, Chiffon,
4 Bibb. Hale Pickens, Marengo Autauga,
| Montgomery, Bullock. Crenshaw, Butler.
| Clarke Coffee, Conecuh, Escambia and
Baldwin each reported less than 800.
Power of Organization
Now, as l have stated. school improve
ment associations can do anything to adj
vance the educational interests of the
communities in which they are situated
them responsible for an expenditure OF
approximately $4,000 annually for the last
three years, with which comfortable
school buildings have been provided, all
/ supplied with patent desks. In Sumter
county the school Improvement associa-
ton brought about the consolidation OF
three schools into one with $4,000 build
ing and the provision of Transportation
wagons. Clarke county is making a spe-
cialty of sewing clubs, thus taking the
| initiative in Introducing Industrial train
| ing in rural schools. Pike county is pre-
-eminent in county lyceum work, her
| successful efforts along this line having
! attracted attention throughout the entire
| SOUTH While Calhoun county is also un-
dertaking work OF this nature with a
promise of much success. In Mobile the
school Improvement work, materially aid
ed in the retention of the free kinder
gartens during a time of stress, in Mont
! gomery, they are planning an agitation
for women in school boards and in Bir-
1 mingham, surely /, a stranger. do not
have to point out your own achievements,
of which you are justly proud.
In estimating the success of a move
| ment, however, we usually consider its
| financial backing and we do not in reason
!. expect half million output from a S150i
plant. Yet school Improvement for the
year 19l1-l912 had but S25 to finance its
activities. II any business man upon an
expense account of SIS could keep in or
| der a business that at the end OF the
year could show capacity of $4,000 h
would be heralded as a Napoleon oi
4 finance, hut in school Improvement alas
/ II there has been any commendation in
! advertently allowed to escape II has been
/ breathed in SO modest a whisper that the
alert ears of the speaker have nevei
heard it. This year we have fared some
what better, having slo0 to meet our run
| ming expenses, but never during the exist
/ ence of this work has there been re
ceived more than $500 annually for its
| prosecution.
No Paid Organizers
In each OF the other southern states,