The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-28

iiiVhiuttAS ldhe oII lW entN per cent. of their cars and do like the country postmasters used to do. l. e., wait until he got sack | full of mail before dispatching it? The fact that we have had jitneys has forced the company to in crease the number of their cars to point where a person can now get a seat, but when the competition is eliminated, look out.
 ALBERT STRADFORD.
 Birmingham. Ala, April 27, 1923
 Education an Organic Unit To the Editor of The Age-Herald | In an editorial commenting on | Governor Brandon's call for the 1 Citizens Conference on Educa- tion. held in Birmingham on April | 6, you called special attention to the governors conception of the | educational system of the state as "a harmonious whole," and his l plea for more adequate support l of all the means of education, from the elementary schools in city and country to the most ad- 1 vanced work of technical school, college and university. You add | forcefully and appropriately that the governor senses the moral and material harmony between the beginning and the end, be- tween the foundation and the su- perstructure; that he would not have the people denied the same opportunity to finish their edu- cation a e tn n parents in Alabama wish their sons and daughters to have as good opportunity to finish their education and fit themselves for life as within the reach of those who are able to send their sons and daughters to schools of higher education outside the state.
 The most hopeful thing, be- lieve, for the fullest and best de- velopment of the school system of this state is the fact that this view expressed by the governor and in your editorial is coming to be the common view, that is, that education is one thing, and not many, in all its grades and kinds.
 To help toward the better un- derstanding of this principle, may 1 change your phrase harmonious whole" to "organic whole harmo- niously developed" which l be- lieve the better conception. For an educational system is not a dead thing to be built up by parts like the foundation, several sto- ries, and the roof of a house; like the sides and keystone of an arch; or like the foundation, shaft and capstone of, column, the college and university constituting upper story, keystone or capstone.
 The educational system of a state is rather live, organic thing, all the parts of which are members one of another. organi- cally interrelated. and must for health and efficiency grow and develop harmoniously. If the parts are not thus developed har- moniously, the whole thing be- comes deformed and monstrous.
 To illustrate: The school sys- tenn of the state is organic like a tree. A tree is not built, first roots, then stem, branches and foliage in succession. It grows and develops all together. roots, stem, branches. leaves, each giv- ing support. strength and vital ity to all the others: the leaves, apparently last, being first in that they gather food from the air for branches, stem and roots.
 The educational system is or ganic like the state itself. The state was not built by completing first any part of 1t, as the legis- lative department, and then add ing other parts, as the executive and judicial, each complete within itself. The state of Alabama has developed from the beginning and continues to develop, increasing in magnitude and compleXity of function. in all it's parts-each part contributing to the growth and effectiveness of all the oth- CTS.
 The school system is organic like a boy. A boy is not built, first all feet, then when these are full grown perfected legs. then full grown body, arms, head and heart in succession. The boy grows from the beginning har- moniously, body. limbs, head, heart. If any part be overdevel oped or underdeveloped out of proportion, the boy is deformed and monstrous. If the heart be weak, the brain underdeveloped, the body and limbs. however large and strong, will be idiotic, inef- ficient andf more or less useless for want of intelligent guidance.
 I think of the high school as ,,l sity and normal school as consti- tuting the head with the brains and all the five senses. The high school sends it's inspiration and vitalizing strength downward into the elementary schools, and it's students up into the higher schools. If the high schools are weak and inefficient. all the rest of the system cannot fail to be faint and all it's work unsatisfac- tory. If normal schools. colleges, and university. for lack of ade- quate support, cannot do well their full amount of work, there cannot fail to be lack of intelli- gent guidance. loss of energy and failure of results throughout the entire school system and all the industrial. commercial. social, civic and spiritual life and inter- ests it should serve.
 And in the school system, as in the normal boy, the head takes and must have for proportionate development and effective func- tioning seemingly very large portion of the carrying blood of the entire system. A lack of general knowledge of this necessity for proportionately large financial support for higher education has cost us much here in the south since the war be- tween the states and still prevents the proper development and ade- quate functioning of the school system as q whole.
 
 In Alabama higher institutions or learning are not supported proportionately as well as other parts of the school system. We have only about third our rightful average share of college students, including Alabama youth in colleges in other states; one