The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-30

The last week of the campaign for safe and adequate school buildings in Birmingham opened last night with rally in North Birmingham and the presentation of the famous film, "The March of Empire" at the Ensley opera house, where there will be a matinee performance this afternoon and 8 sec ond night performance beginning at s o'clock this evening.
 The rally in North Birmingham was held in the old Country club building, just back of the North Birmingham m school, where the belles and beaux of Birmingham made merry many years ago. The building, long since deemed useless for other purposes, has served an annex for the North Birmingham school for the past several years and there was no division among the au- dience last night as to the necessity and wisdom of providing an addition to the North Birmingham school in or der to take care of the seven classes now housed in this ancient and un- slightly structure.
 The meeting last night was ad- dressed by Commissioner Hornady, who presented steropticon views of school conditions throughout the city and urged the importance of Brming- ham citizens rallying to the movement in behalf of school buildings where the life and the health of the child will be properly safeguarded
 SCHOOL POPULATION
 The address of MT. Hornady was followed by an eloquent oration in be- half of improved condition by Sydney J. Bowie of the board of educa ton, who told of the tremendous increase in school population and of the impera- tive necessity of providing additional facilities. He pointed to the fact that Birmingham's school population had increased some 15,000 during the past six years, during which time only eight rooms had been added to the public schools. He then reminded his au- dience of the fact that compulsory edu- cation becomes a fact in Alabama next year and that it will be absolutely necessary for Birmingham to take steps, not only to care for the normal increase. but to provide for those who will be forced by law to attend school
 MT. Bowie also read letters from the parents of school children, calling at- tention to the unsafe condition of cer- tain schools and asking him if he would send his own children into such buildings. He then said that the board of education and the city commission was letting the people know just what the conditions are, to the end that they might be remedied and that the public might share the tremendous respon- sibillty imposed by the use of unsafe structures. In this connection he said that every school building in old Bir- mingham was safe and substantial, good for years of service, though many of them had been outgrown, while in the outlying communities there are many structures that are not safe. He said that the bond issue was for the purpose of correcting this frightful condition, as we'll as for the purpose Of meeting the growing demands, and that there should not be a single nega- tive vote cast in the election of next Monday.
 SOLID FOR BOND ISSUE Former Mayor Frel also spoke in fa- vor of the bond issue and provoked much applause by predicting that North Birmingham would go almost solidly for the bond issue. Dr. J. H. Phillips also spoke, emphasizing the importance
 
 Birmingham and doing away with un- safe conditions.
 At Ensley, where the big stereoptt- con film was shown to large au- dience, lantern slides were exhibited throughout the evening, calling atten- tion to the local situation and appeal- ing for the loyal support of the peo- pie in the movement to give the chill dren of Birmingham facilities equal to those possessed by the children of other communities
 Tonight there will be rally in the library building at West End and as l much preliminary work has been done leading up to this gathering, an over flow crowd is expected
 Wednesday night there will be an- other rally at Ensley in the opera house. where the Tour of Birming ham Schools" will be shown and on the same night there will be a mass | meeting at the Martin school, Foun- | tain Heights, where the tour" will also be presented by means of a dupli- l cate set of slides
 Those behind the school bond issue are confident of decisive victory and are working now to pile up the ma | jority" feeling that Birmingham's s verdict in favor of better school fa- | cilities should be most emphatic