The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-03
DEKALB TEACHERS HOLD INSTITUTE
 AT FORT PAYNE
StateSuperintendent Feagin Makes Strong Plea for
 Local Taxation
PRACTICAL ISSUES
 WERE DISCUSSED
Institute Proved of Unusual Interest and Most Profitable - Many Noted Educators in
 Attendance


 | One of the most interesting and profit | able teachers institutes ever held in the | state was that at Fort Payne, which was brought to close Saturday after a suc- cessful four days session. Nearly every | teacher of DeKalb county was in attend- | ance and many noted educators made ad- | dresses. The speakers included State Su- ] perintendent of Education W. F. Fea gin, | Professor Duncan, Professor Blassn- | game of Auburn, Prof. J. s. Thames of | the University of Alabama, Mrs. R. L. | Faucett and others.
 l The institute convened Wednesday | morning at 10 o'clock in the High school auditorium at Fort Payne. The teachers and visitors were given a cordial vel come by Superintendent Cullen and MT. | Baker. The conductors of the institute, Miss Pitts and Professor Ledbetter, were presented to the teachers and each made | a graceful response.
 Professor Ledbetter announced that the l institute would be made as practical as 1 possible and to this end the teachers were divided into three departments: the pri- mary, the grammar grades and the high | school, presided over by Miss Pitts, Pro- lessor Ledbetter and Superintendent Cal
 
 | ments met in separate rooms, where such l topics were discussed as are most profit 1 able This represents quite a departure | from the old institute methods where | every subject was discussed before the | entire assembly.
 SANITATION DISCUSSED | Wednesday morning Professor Ledbet- | ter lectured on sanitation. He showed 1 very clearly that many of our diseases | are due to the housefly and the mos- | quito, and how these could be prevented | by cleaning the barnyard and by screen l ing the house. He appealed to the teach | CTS to take the message of sanitation to | the communities in which they live. | Professor Duncan addressed the assem- bly, on corn and tomato club work. His speech was very practical and was well received.
 1 Thursday morning Miss Pitts began the | days work by relating what her ambi- l ton as a girl was. Others told theirs. | Some were quite original and many lsparllled with wit and humor. One told of his desire to be a shepherd. With this idea, Miss Pitts gave story of the shep- herds life in the Orient. The story was very beautiful.
 LOCAL TAXATION In the afternoon Professor Thomas III. Il | he held his audience spell-bound. Wit and hunor with here and there bit of | sarcasm, added charm and interest. Ip l the course of his address, Professor 1 Thomas said that the progress of a school | could be measured in dollars and cents and that the thing that was keeping Ala bama down was lack of funds, which | resulted in a lack of good buildings, and a lack of maintenance. He further stat | ad m Of a ia amendment was not to increase the sal 1 aries but to lengthen the terms. Fridays work was begun by Profes- sor Ledbetter who gave little talks on objects brought into the "schooP' | by the pupils"
 SOCIAL SERVICE He was followed by High School In | spector Blassingame, who spoke on so- cial service, in which he pointed out 1 that the difference between a teacher and an instructor is that a teacher l teaches the text while an instructor not only taught the textbook, but lived among and with the people of his com | munity His message was an appeal 1 to the teachers to extend their influ- ence into the homes of the community. | The institute was, indeed, fortunate | in having Superintendent Feagin pres ent. He spoke on our new educational 1 laws. They are ours," he said, "and we ought to obey them. Their purpose is 1 to help and not to hinder the people," He especially stressed the laws that deal with the county board of educa | tion and the amendment to the consti- l tuition. "We must have" he said, "a non- partisan board, board composed l of level-minded business men-men who are untrammeled, tied by no po litical obligations save that of duty to the people, At this point he handled with ungloved hands those men who are trying to nominate boards favor able to themselves. This thing of electing county board of education" he said, "is one of the most important that confronts the people today RURAL SCHOOLS 1 He made a strong plea for local tax ation "No rural school,' he said, "can i be run with less than $20 per capita. l We now have less than third of this amount Where, then" he asked "is | this money to come from?" He showed that we could not hope to get it from the state, and that we need not expect any from the national government. He was applauded when he said: If the i nation.l government helps us, she will l expect to run our schools. I am op posed to any national government run
 ming Alabama's schools"
 | Superintendent Feagin spoke for an | hour and 40 minutes, and though the noon hour had passed 30 minutes be- l fore he concluded his speech, the au dience insisted that he continue In the afternoon he explained the other school laws.
 Miss Harrison gave very interest," ing talk on Domestic Science" While she was talking, her student were malS- ing a practical demonstration of the benefits to be derived from such course. They made a very delicious cheese custard. Miss Harrisons talk was very instructive.
 Prof J. S. Brangan discussed "Musi- cal Training in the High School" He displayed some of the finished products that his school was turning out. He believes that manual training work is one of the best ways of doing social service His talk was well received. Saturday morning Mrs. R. L Faucett spoke on School Improvement and the Removing of Illiteracy from Alabama" She proved herself to be very inter- esting and instructive speaker. Auto Recovered
 The seven-passenger Hudson automo-
 bile of G. Hewson of the Saunders Motor Car company, which was stolen last night while standing on Fifteenth avenue and Nineteenth street, south, was recovered