The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-21

civilized society no longer asks whether
ii can afford to tax itself to support 4
schools. The simple fact Is that 1t has 7
reached the conclusion that it cannot af-
ford not to do 1t. 1t has learned that It IS
more economical to spend money to maKes
men than to sacrifice men 10 save money .
Seven years ago, in addressing the con-L
ference for education in the south, Super
intendent Hill of Alabama uttered these
words: Mr.. Chairman, our people havet
actually fallen in love with voting taxesI
on themselves for school purposes. Can
that statement be truthfuly made to-
day? How far are our people preparedi
to go in this direction? | incline to the
view that just now they have no sortI
of appreciation of the amount of money!
really needed to do the work. Let them
understand, however, that the task is
no greater in Alabama than in the other
southern states: that the maintenance of !,
an efficient school system will cost not
one-half as much as is today being ex- {
pended in Alabama on tobacco or on |
whisky; that no civilization can grow
great in poverty or in ignorance; that the
children of the state are of greater value
To IL than all the wealth that lies slumher-
ing in our hills and fields and forests
in short, let them understand what edura-
tion saves as well as what it costs. and [
await with confidence their verdict.
II confess that | cannot understand tho
attitude of few influential, wealthy men
in Alabama who are opposing larger ex-
penditEres for education. The apotheosis
OF class distinction, selfish advantage
must have dazed their vision. l know
that there have been men who have
crudely imagined that II is more mpor-
tant that some of the people should have
all knowledge than that sll of the people
should have some knowledge. Happily.
their shadow is rapidly diminishing. Most
~ ms
Their own children enjoy respectable ed
ucational opportunities, They reject the
idea that they owe any duty TO their
brethren in the country. They are on-
posed to contributing a single dollarit to
make rural conditions satisfactory or
even tolerabe Yet 1t is a fact. as Sec
retary Houston has declared, that II the
people of the city refuse to cooperate
with the people of the country with
view to making rural life won't r''ie
their selfish policy is some d uE
drive them out of the city Iers
them to the farms to get their aefi
meat. No man need be surpriae Its /.
6rift OF population to the ciI's. ai stf-e
prise is that man who has -fsrH tely
the future of his children will faw4lf E
the country at all If he can ~sssikglS T
move away. The cry, back to the cou,s-
try proceeds chiefly from those who arp4
comfortably and permanently Axe
city. Let the drift to the cities cos
and finally both city and country viii
wake up to realization of the stern
fact that land without population Is
wilderness, and population without land
a mob
Not All We Can Afford
''ro the rich man who says that we are
spending all we can afford to spend on
education let us hurl back the answer
that in his own business he applies a very
different principle when, In order to IN
crease efficiency and output, he sacrifices
old machinery and installs new and mod
ern equipment, though protesting to the
back tax commissioner that he Is In
CONTINUED ON Last Pagel