The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-27
Senator Brown Outlines Plans of Institution for Vocational Training of White Boys
 of the State


 are under way to demonstrate the
 reed and the advantages of this in- 1 stitution to the white boys of the state during the first year.
 1 The Alabama School of Trades and Industries is a state institution, and
 the money to start the school was ap- propriated by the legislature" de-
 clared Senator Brown. The state has purchased 100 acres for the Nnstitu- ton and has appropriated s30.0o0 to- ward the building fund. In addition. 1 the state has given the maintenance | fund, which has been accommodating since the annual appropriation was
 made. The citizens of Ragland have ialready raised s5.000 for the building 1 fund, and this money is now on deposit in a bank.
 l "We are going to raise enough
 money in the state to make s300
 with what Ragland has given, and
 this sum is to be added to the build ling fund.
 l We have been assured that the i state will take care of the institution
 as soon as it is started. but we have
 assurances of number of large con-
 tributions from other sources as we'll The need for vocational education for
 our white boys was not generally rec ogpzed for many years but now both
 theJ state and national governments 1 are thoroughly committed to the idea
 In fact for the next decade or two we
 may expect a large interest in this
 work from the educational leaders of
 both the state and the nation. After many years of refusal the
 national government has enacted leg islation favorable to vocational edu- cation, and as soon as cur school is a going concern we will receive part of the appropriation of the federal gov ernment for this work.
 Leading business men of Alabama have now become aroused to the inn portance of proper training for our
 white boys, and we have been assured
 of their hearty support for this in- stitution. The same is true of some of
 the leading men of the nation, many l of whom have expressed a willingness to donate considerable sums to this institution A soon as it was backed by the state government and the peo. I pie of Alabama
 SITE PURCHASED "The action of the legislature in ! taking over the school and in pur. chasing a site. appropriating the :n- itial sum for buildings and in giving the necessary fund for maintaining the school will now enable us to secure
 some of these gifts. While we will not
 make state campaign for funds. we
 expect to receive from the people o1
 Alabama about $25,o00 which. with the $5.000 already raised in Ragland. will show the interest of the people l of the state in the institution" Senator Brown. who was the pioneer in Alabama in the cause of vocational education. and who was one of the leaders in the campaign to secure ac- ton by the federal government, de-
 dares that now all interests are com
 mitted to the importance and the necessity for these schools Business men and bankers. labor organizations and educational asso- citations not only throughout Alabama but in every state in the country nave committed themselves to the plans for vocational education and are heartily supporting the york; he said. When I first took up this matter more than To years ago, we could not secure any backing. The people did not see the need fol. educating men to work just as they educate men for the profess sions.
 NEED OF TRAINING But we people of Alabama nave realized within the past few years that private must be trained for the army just as an officer must be edu, cated. Of course. they are not given the same trainthe. and neither IS the professional man given the same training that these boys will get in
 the vocational school we have estab- 1ished at Ragland. We want tho boy. of Alabama to get out of the day labor class and he prepared to- advance
 in farming and industry in a way that can come only from training.
 The federal government has be- leone so interested in this work that 1t is now the main feature of the army and navy. We propose to give the white hoys of Alabama these opportn- mites here at home. The economic value of such training is now rec oRnized generally by all business men. and they are among the strongest packers in this movement.
 T am confident now that our work of more than ten years is about to be rewarded and that soon there will be a vocational school within easy reacs of every white boy of the state. When that time comes, we will see Alabama advance along industrial and agricul- tural lines as she has never progressed before"