The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1914-12-15

Success Of High School 10
Birmingham, Ala.
BEGAN IN HUMBLE QUARTERS

Practical Results Obtained Through
Many Agencies For the intellectual
and Moral 6ettsrmsnt Of Our Peopis
In Great Southern Mstropolis-Dr. J.
n. Phillips . True Friend.
Birmingham, Ala.-With an enroll
ment Of nearly 400 students. with prac
tical departments In kitchen and laun
dry work. manual training. shoe re
pairing. umbrella mending. pressing.
dyeing. sewing. tailoring. basketry and
other vocations. the high school here II
proceeding along the right lines, In just
the way that will most help the young
people Of the Negro race. says Ethel
Armes, In the Birmingham News
Many Of them can work their own way
throughout the four years course.
make sufficient money for their books.
clothing and food and at the same time
acquire trade which will equip them
for earning their livelihood at once
upon graduation. .r ~ . a. n
The whole scheme Is new to Birming.
ham. and comparatively little is known
outside Of the board Of education of
the practical results gained by this
high school Given encouragement.
more space, more equipment. this
school will in time take it's place along
side the big Tuskegee institute and
stand representative In this section of
Alabama for perhaps the best achieve
ment Of the Negro race In this locality.
4With.- tho -tuHenaae- --senst---aRosls.~dou
here for and by the colored people. the
Acipco Colored Y. M. @. A. and the T
G. 1. educational work for the race. the
high school Is one Of the strong regen
erative forces for good In the Birming
ham district.
The high school is located In the East
Birmingham neighbOrhoOd, In Lanes
Vile" 1t is heavy barn Of building.
stolid. ugly. queer looking and patched
all over, looming sheer up from the
sidewalk like the huge battered hulk OF
an old wooden ship. 1t was built orig
one "WahOuma Lane" an Indian doc
tor" from the black belt. who. having
made sum Of money. came to this
city In the early days with the idea of
building an adjoining city-the city"
of Lanesville. He started with the
"Hotel Emma" and this Lane Audi
tOrium."
Having more money than sense" A.
81. Parker. superintendent of the high
school. says, las Lanes carpenters
soon found out. Lane was persuaded to
keep adding more stories to this audi
torium. His carpenters used plenty of
lumber and built everything solid.
Then on the top they added the thea
ter. By that time Wahouma's funds
gave out, and he disappeared"
Since the school was established the
entire neighborhood has changed. Ev
erybody takes an interest In its prog
ress and keeps personal watch over
the school property. A. 81. Parker has
been teaching in the public schools of
this town for twenty seven years. He
was born in Ohio. attended Oberlin
university for one year then came
here, where he started to teach In the
graded schools. The high school for
colored youths was started fourteen
years ago by superintendent Parker in
a single room in the old Cameron build
ing. The first class comprised eighteen
boys and girls. The following year an
other class and another teacher were
added. By 1914 three rooms we're EN-
ployed and there were four teachers
Today they are using an entire three
story building and three outlying cot
tages and have twelve teachers and an
enrolment of 8S7 students.
Four years ago the Industrial feature
was added. which makes the school 20
unique. so effective and 40 practical an
institution. From the very beginning
DR. J d. Phillips. superintendent OF
city schools. gave every efrort In his
power to aid In the evolution Of this In
dustrial high school He understood
the special needs of the coiored race IN
birmingham. and. backed by the hoard
of education. he has worked indefat
igably and sometimes against heavy
odds to plant the srho"l on solid foun
dations In this community. Superin
tendent Parker speaks with enthusi
asm Of the constant aid and co.opera
don and suggestive ideas given by DR.
Phillips. s -.
He has assigned to Us the very best
teachers II Is possible to get In Bir
mingham. We have n strong faculty
some remarkable men and women