The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-02
STATE EDUCATORS HEAR ADDRESSES
 LIVE AND POTENT
Leading Teachers Discuss Signs of Times, Existing Conditions and Outlook
 For Their Work

anu SIduUlLlS IOOIu dI pISIl- ium, members of the Alabama Teachers Association opened their first regular session Thursday afternoon at 3 o'clock under favorable condi- tions at the Jefferson Theatre, where all regular open sessions are to be held.
 The welcome address was delivered by pr. J. H. Phillips, superintendent of education of the Birmingham schools.
 J. R. Hornady, city commissioner of education, brought forth much ap rlause when he launched into tirade against the seeming present-day ambi- tions of the youth of the land ito own an automobile and wear coats that made them appear to be garbed in well-known piece of feminine uphol- slery.'
 We are living in the age of jazz Mir. Hornady said, and the teachers echoed their approval with applause.
 ''The spirit of jazz is abroad in the land he said, "and if has much to do with the high cost of living.
 We need to get back to the time when the ambition of every boy was to be President of the United States and every girl Martha Washington.
 CREATE IDEALS
 By recreating the ideals of the coming generation the teachers can bring these good old days back and lring forth new order of things"
 Following Mir. Hornady's address W z. Briggs, president of the association, took charge of the meeting. He intro duced James s. Thomas, professor os secondary education of the University of Alabama, who replied to the well coming address of Dr. Phillips.
 Professor Thomas paid his respects te the weather and said that J. Pluvius, TOT anyone else, could dampen the ardor of the teachers. He decried the age of materialism and speed of the present time, when the machine is courted to the detriment of the human who runs it; which caused a we'll known educator to say in an aside that this was little different from things in Birmingham as he had ob- served them.
 The Moral Content of Reconstruc- tion,' was the subject of the address of the afternoon delivered by Prof. George Lang of the University of Ala Lama. T think that most of our fears for this age are ill-founded, although period of the Renaissance and the French revolution, said Professor Lang
 The Versailles treaty, in spite of Senator's Lodge and Borah and what looks like it's failure, is still the great st international covenant in the his- tory of the world.
 Economy is no longer the dismal sci snce that Thomas Carlyle said it was in his day. for if there is one thing thai stands out as a result of the war it is the religious thought of the nation and the inadequacy of ideals that are not morally well founded
 The greatest ideal of the world is the ideal of sacrificial servicee. Above all, teachers must learn this ideal and prac- tice it in their daily lives
 What I think is the greatest evil of the day is the great number of people who have apparently stopped reading the Bible'
 PROGRAMME FOR TODAY
 The department of upper elementary grades Will have the opportunity Friday afternoon at 2:15 clock of hearing one of the most gifted speakers on the pro- gramme of the association-George D. Strayer. professor of educational admin stration of the teachers college, Colum- bia university, New York, who will speak at the Southern Club
 At the same hour the science depart nent will hear Dr. A. E. Perkins. on the fourth floor of the Y M c bujIdine on the subject of New Geography"
 The general session Friday morning will be held at 9:30 o'clock in the Jefferson theater, where music will be furnished by the chorus of the Martin school and ten-minute talks made by as many we'll known educators
 Spright Dowell, state superintendent ot education, will speak at the Jefferson theater Friday night at o'clock on the subject of 'The Educational Situation in Alabama" and many teachers expect to hear some interesting facts brought out in this talk
 SCARCITY OF TEACHERS
 Startling facts were brought out in a resolution adopted by the association Thursday afternoon. when it was shown that last year more than 143OO0 of the best teachers in the United States left the work and went into callings that paid them better
 It was stated that 35,00 of these jobs still remain open. no amount of efyrt having been able to fill the vacancies. al though 5000 teachers were called bacr from other positions and 72.O00 emergeriD' teachers enrolled in the schools.
 A committee composed of thirteen edu- cators was appointed to draw up facts that should be brought before the pu.Sic in regard to the scarcity of teachers are later to be published in a pamphlet and distributed through every school in Ala bama.
 The same committee was authorizar .0 lay out a campaign to interest young men and women in the state in teaching and try to induce them to accept the va cant positions.
 NEGROES IN SESSION
 Not the least interesting part of the convention of Alabama teachers in thel thirty-ninth annual meeting being held in Birmingham is the section devoted to the interests of the negro teachers.
 The negroes are taking a lively in- terest in their round table conferences. which are held at the Industrial High School building. Eighth avenue and North Ninth street. At this place edu- cational and industrial exhibits are shown that are being highly com mended.