The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-04-12
LETTERS TO EDITOR
SINGING suMTER's PRAISE
Editor of The Age-Herald:

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 If Sumter county ever sleeps the rest of the world will be dead. When it comes to being on the alert, continually on the job and forever looking for something better, Sumter county is there-Peter with the Palmetto. In addition to being the "game cock county of Alabama" !" Sumter claims to have the best school system, the best road system, he best health unit, the best drinking water, the most efficient officers and the cleanest politics of any county in the state. The State Normal school at Livingston, under the management of Dr. George w. Brock, has long been recognized as the leading nor nal school of the state. Many young ladies from Birmingham and all other cities and coun- ties in the state go to Livingston to prepare themselves to be teachers. Within the past 12 months Dr. Brock has acquired for the normal school the fine public school building and spacious grounds of the Livingston public school. He has consolidated the schools at Liv- ingston, Brewersvile, Bluffport and CurIs with the Normal school
 The state has just completed at a cost of $5O,000 model school building of brick and cement This building has the uniIateral light ing system, running water and cloak rooms in every schoolroom; a gymnasium in the base ment and every modern convenience recom- mended by the highest authorities on school buildings.
 York has fine public school system, and the county high school is there. There are also four other schools in the county-Panola, Bel mont, Emelle and Cuba, where high school fa- cilities are obtainable.
 In the rural districts 'the little red school house" has disappeared. In it's place modern consolidated schoolhouses have been built, and the pupils carried to and from school in comfortable motor vehicles. Within the past 12 months consolidated schoolhouses have been built at Intercourse, Emelle, Sheebyville, Ward and Belmont.
 Sumter assesses 3-mill school tax against her property and all the teachers in the county are paid splendid salary.
 A government aid road from Gainesville to Livingston, distance of IS miles, is under construction, and will be completed during the summer This project will cost $500 ,0OO The famous Rooster bridge will be built this year at a cost of $225,000, and the Sucarnotchee bridge at cost of $75,000 will also be started this summer. Sumter works her own convicts and finds this system very efficient
 The Rockefeller foundation. the state end the county maintain a corps of health officers in the county at an annual cost of S1O,0OO. Under the supervision of Dr. Hough this splon- did corps of officers have reduced to mini mum the communicable and preventable dis eases in the county.
 The farm demonstration agent R. G. Arnold. is one of the best organizers in the country and has succeeded in keeping up the hopes and the morale of the farmers through the de- pression and is now leading them on to prosper ous times.
 Talk of hard times has been silenced the people are working, their hearts are in their work and when Sumter sleeps the balance of the world will have passed that stage where there is no awakening. J. B. ENNIS.
 Livingston, April 10, 1922.