The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-10
JAMES WEATHERLY WELCOMES STATE
 TEACHERS TO CITY
Shackleford Makes Response-Presi- dent Brown Appoints Standing Committees For Year-Coun-
 ty Superintendents
 Hold Meeting

able to ma standing room, Dr. J. II Phillips, superintendent of the Birming. ham public schools, called the thirty-third annual convention of the Alabama Edu- cational association to order at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon pr. Phillips is chair man of the local executive coRmittee. Dr. J. M. Shelburne, president of Howard college. asked divine guidance through the three days sessions of .he teachers and pr. Phillips then introduced Com missioner James Weatherly. who wei comed the teachers to Birmingham.
 q esteem it a great privilege to be hei c in a personal and official capacity to ex- tend on behalf of the city of Birmingham welcome to what I conceive to be one of the greatest social forces in the world that great aggregation of teachers, said MT. Weatherly. "I believe that there are perhaps 2000 or more of you who have come up here to confer together in this great civic center of Alabama about tie needs of Alabama from an educational standpoint"
 Mir. Weatherly predicted for Birming- ham a great future. saying that it was going to become an object lesson to all
  high standards obtain. But Birmingham Is hampered by a lack of funds to attain its full brthright in the immediate fu- ture," he said. we are going ahead however, without money, and before it is done we are going to give to the world an example of how to run large city without money and make it the greatest and best city in the south.
 Hampered by Lack of Funds
 You, too are hampered by the same lack of funds. You cannot do your best work without more money. We have an organic law that prevents you from grow ing. It ties the hands of the legislators. It takes a wealth of money aided by a great. bounding spirit of love ana enthu, siasm for your work to grow. The best method to get this money would be to per init the city and county to levy special school taxes, for school purposes only. That's the true principle of local self government-localt taxation for local iur- poses. I hope and 1 believe that when the legislature meets you will get to- gether and by the sheer force of public sentiment compel the legislature to submit to the people proposition providing for -san sfTnendinene to tae,ioonstitation permit ting cities and counties to levy a school tax"
 Nr. Weatherly pledged not only his moral support to such an amendment, but said that he wouio De glad to go to Montgomery and interview his friends in the legislature in behalf of such an amendment.
 The speaker alluded to the fact that there are hundreds of children of school age who do not attend the public schools because of indifferent or ignorant par ents and said that law making it com ru'sory upon children up to a certain age attending school should be enacted He said that such a law was necessary before Alabama could take it's proper Ilace among the states of the nation with regard to literacy. He closed his address by welcoming the delegates to Birmingham. He expressed the desire that each and every one of them enjoy the visit here and take home some concrete idea fer betterment in the home and the school hfe of the community.
 President F. M. Shackleford of the State 4ormal school of Troy made the response D. Mir. Weatherly paying a high tribute 70 Birmingham. We teachers are always glad to come to Birmingham" said MT Snackleford. We like to meet the peo- pie here because they are good people We like to meet your teachers. We gain from them new ideas and inspirations Bi. mingham is great in it's natural re. sc'lrces. in the character of its people and in its institutions. It is greatest in its possibilities. and we teachers. gathered from every part of this commonwealth aie more than glad to lend our aid 1T helping to make it what 1t is destined tc g htr not ha .faot ait, h< American continent
 Tribute to Birmingham
 'I really did not know just how grea thls city was until at noon today wher 1 was taken to the top of the new 25 story building here by one of your citi zens and told to look. I confess it wa a revelation to me, both in size and ar raigement and possibilities. I wish ever, teachers and every visitor that comes tt this city could go to the top of that build ing and look out upon Birmingham. The. could stand there and see vision of tn, future Birmingham wonderful to behold and that time is not very far away.
 The occasion of this meeting | fraught with great possibilities for tn cause of education in this state. A legis lature is to assemble before we mee again; new superintendent of education assumes the reins and I want, in his be
 
 port. He will have the double opportunit, of presenting to two successive legisla lures the conditions of education in ths state.'
 Following MT Shackleford's 8 address pr Phillips presented J. B. Brown of Dothan the new president of the educational as. socIation the gavel of education, and tha, gentleman took charge of the meeting The presidents address dealt chiefly witt rSvenues. compulsory education, better shpervison of rural schools and bette, 4ained teachers.
 " "So long as the needs of education in the state remain the same we must push our needs continuously, persist ently, concertedly and wisely until we get what is needed" began President Brown. "Our educational advancement, during the past few years has been little short of phenomenal. as everyon. who knows the facts understands. Ii the facts today were given in the re- port of the Russell Sage foundation believe it would give a more creditable showing to Alabama. The reason fol the poor showing made by this state in the 1910 report was the sad lack o1 revenue.
 Counties Are Handicapped
 NO criticism can be made of ouI constitution as it relates to the state in providing revenue for the schools but the constitution bears a penurious attitude to the counties of the state in only giving them the privilege of assessing one mill tax and then only on the condition that a three- fifths rate
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