The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-06

its spirit to ally all individuals in pur-
poseful, constructive work. A survey of
the agencies now at work must recognize
In the church a powerful institution Tor
community progress, but its influence is
more or less limited by sectarian tenden-
eies, and the church house cannot, In most
localities, be a common meeting place for
all the people.
The organization of country life must
include the entire community. 1t must
be so enlarged In outlook and so attrae-
tive In potentialty as TO satisfy the deep
est longings of the human soul. 1t must
be of such a concrete nature that all the
people of the community can unite in
forming It; it must be laboratory, work
shop, storehouse. experiment station.
club room and assembly hall for every
healthy activity and every worthy en-
deaYor.
The only agency that can meet these
requirements is the school--a country
school. 1t must be an instrument in the
peoples own hands for their own uplift.
1t is the only permanent democratic in
stitution that can do the work at all.
That it is weak is all too true, but it can
be made strong enough and resourcefpl
enough to meet the challenge OF rural
need. -
The preservation of the means of
Knowledge among the Industrial ranks is
of more Importance to the public than
ell the property of all the rich men in the
country This means the whole people
must take upon themselves the education
of the whole people and must be willing
to bear the expense of it, This raises the
question of local taxation, and to that
we must shortly come. An examination
of the educational conditions in our sew
ei al states gives absolute proof that lit
eracy varies in proportion to the revenue
derived from local taxation.
$50 long as Alabama depends more on
the state taxes than does any other state
in the union; SO long as our rural schools
are in session only six months in the
year; so long as there is yet large num-
ber of rural school houses uncomfort-
able. unfurnished and wholly unsuited Tor
use: so long as 75 per cent OF Alabama s
teachers are here today and there to-
morrow the school will continue to be a
negligible social factor and a passive
community agency.
Education in a democracy must give
the child physical. vocational, social and
cultural training adapted to the child and
to his home environment. 1t. must tend
to keep a sturdy class of people on our.
farms rather than lure them away to the
cities and towns. 1t should forever silence
the absurd belief that because a young
man swings door, lays q brick drives q
plow or grows an acre of, corn, he may
not be truly cultured or because a young
woman bakes a biscuit makes garment,
grows a tomato, d does the family cam
ning she lacks one whit in refinement.
While the three RS. must continue to find
a place in all our schools, they must go
hand in hand with concrete. practical
training in the arts and industries that
are found in everyday country life. in
this way only may every individual have
culture. economic independence and the
ability to add to his own and the nations
wealth, and no community whose every
member possesses this art can ever be
the victim of oppression in any of its
forms. Such a community VIII be alike
independent of crowned kings. money
kings and land kings.
Must Have Excellent Attendance
But an ideal course of study cali sur
flee only when there is excellent atter4-
ance If the state has the right to say
that free public education shall be pro-
vided for her children, she has no less
the right to demand that her children
shall avail themselves of her bounty, and
along with local taxation, better teachers
and a better curriculum must come COM
pulsory education.
1.-THE proper correlation of all the parts,
and the effective utilization of all the
means of school Improvement require
sympathetic, close and intelligent super
vision That decided ground has been
gained in the recent provisions for whole
time supervision, and in the employment
of assistants which has been put into
effect in 3S Alabama counties is fully at
tested in the monthly reports of these
supervisors and their assistants. They
only serve to deepen the conviction ex-
pressed in the beginning of this paper.
namely: Rural education can never solve
its problem without systematic COM
munity organization. and this Is Ala
bama's S fundamental need.
The school that is to permanently fur
ther country life development should
have at least three teachers; first, prin.
cipal who is skilled in agriculture ana in
elementary science: second, an assistant
who is skilled in domestic science and
manual arts; third, an assistant who is
skilled in literature. drawing and music
especially vocal music. The school should
have besides a room for each teacher,
n workshop, a kitchen and an auditorium
large enough to accommodate all general
community meetings. 1t should be located
on not less than five acres of land, pre-
ferably more, so arranged as TO allow
ample Fairgrounds. shade trees. flowers
school gardens and demonstration plats
In order that every agency may do its
full work in this unified community or
ganization there should be local commit
tees composed of the best workers In
the community.
These committees should be in close
and sympathetic touch with central
county committee composed. for in
stance, of the probate judge county
superintendent of schools or principal
OF the county high school. farm demon
tration agent, county health officer.
president of the woman's club or the
county school improvement association,
president of the Farmers union, the
chairman of the county ministers
union Each of the several members Of
this central committee should be spe-
cial adviser to the local community
committee on that phase of the work in
which he is best Informed. The county
superintendent of schools or the princi-
pal of the high school should be at the
service of the educational committees,
the committee on social life should be.
free to advise with the probate Judge:
the demonstration agent should be at
the call of the committee on farm pro-
gress; the county health officer should
advise with and assist the committee
on health the president of the school
Improvement association should be the
special adviser to the committee on
woman's work; the president of the
county ministers union should cooper
ate closely with the committee on
moral conditions.
must face seriously and clearly the call
of the rural community and bring every
resource at our command to its assist
ance. In the words of our ambassador
at the Court of st. James. the largest
problem that faces American civiliza-
tion is the building up of country life.
No matter what attitude some of lis