The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-15


criticism which has been heaped upon
the south from various sources within
the last few years have come from north
ern men.
Now it is almost impossible for a
northern or an eastern man to judge
truly and accurately of southern condi-
tons. The northern man may try. but
in the majority of cases he will find il
is impossible FOR him to see that the white
man of the south has TO take care of a
dependent race. Taxation is almost the
sole source of school funds in the south
ern states and the taxes of the southern
states are paid by the white man. That's
where the burden of the dependent race
falls on the shoulders of the white father
of the south and he is struggling along
trying to educate two races with the re-
suit that he is not properly educating
either one
Not Reached Proper Method
THE southern man has not yet adopted
the proper method. In northern and east
ern states, the schools have large incomes
from school lands which in Alabama.
amounts to but very little. This Is be-
cause such lands were not set aside for
this purpose when the state was formed
while in northern and eastern states the
forefathers had the foresight to see into
the future and make this provision.
1.-The white man of the south must edu
cate his own children and the only way
for him to do it is by compulsory educa-
tional laws and by local taxation. The
southern states is the only group without
compulsory educational laws and we will
never advance on the scale of literacy un-
til we adopt them. By means of local
taxation, the burden OF the school will
be placed where it belongs, and where
it can be borne most satisfactorily.
1.-THE reason efforts at compulsory at
tendance laws and local taxation have
failed in some southern states in the past
is because they have been made too
stringent. They have been patterned
after the laws of some northern or east
ern state where conditions are totally
different from what they are here. Each
taxpayer in those states educates his own
children while each taxpayer here has,
race dependent on him. Therefore, the
laws in force in other states become bur-
densome and unbearable when applied in
the south.
'"rhe way to secure proper laws, l think.
is to foster public sentiment and develop
local pride by showing the people the
advantages of the system and by proving
to them that the laws will not be strin-
gent and will not place too heavy bur-
den on the taxpayer
To Educate Itself
"In time 1 believe the negro race will
be able to educate itself and that the
white man of the south will be relieved of
what is now a double burden; but that
time has not yet arrived and in the mean.
time we must work accordingly"
DR.. Britain himself is deeply interested
in the education of the girls of the SOUTH
He delivered the commencement address
some few weeks ago at the Alabama
Girls Technical school at Montevallo and
paid high tribute to the development of
womanhood along educational lines with
in the last century. Mr.. Britain was
highly impressed with the work being
done at Montevallo, where the past year
over 500 Alabama young women were en-
rolled.
Work at MOntevallO
Few people who have never seen the
work being done there by Dr. w. T. Pal
mer. president. and his faculty of over
40 teachers. The atmosphere of refine
ment and good breeding that surrounds
the big Montevallo school can probably
be equaled by but few places in the state
Parents who send their daughters to the
Alabama Girls Technical school can wei;
rest assured that under the supervision
of the faculty and DIR. Palmer the girls
will be reared as we'll If not better than
they could be at home.
During the school year none of the girls
is allowed to go away from the campus
without being chaperoned by one of the
faculty. except the senior class, who once
a week are allowed to have callers. The
girls everyone must live at the school,
and their days work, play and social
affairs are planned as business man
plans his affairs. Every girl has to take
a certain amount of open air exercise
every day. There are beautiful tennis
courts croquet grounds and the athletic
field is being enlarged every year. The
health of the students is one of the clos
est guarded phases of their lives The
school itself is located on a knoll that
is higher than any of the surrounding
country. The school has it's own water
system, the water being brought from
a country spring several miles away, and
is as pure as when nature made it. The
school not only has its own water sys-
tenn. but its own light plant, it's own
dairy, its own farm, orchards, truck gar
dens and stock farm 1t is almost COM
plete city by itself. 1t Is dependent on
outside resources for very few of the
essential commodities of it's existence.
No Serious Illness
DR.. Palmer stated that there has not
been one single case of serious illness
at the school during the past scholastic
year. Every feature of the girls life,
social, moral, physical and intellectual.
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