The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-18
Forum Of The People
Defends Public School Results.

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 I have read with much interest t.e letter to your column, the Forum of the People, by Robert T. Bently, of Meridianville. Ala bama. in which he takes the Public Schools of Alabama severely to task. He starts out by saying that Alabama stands forty-slxth Tn the forty-eight states of the United States, Tn the dgree of illiteracy and lays the blame for this disgraceful state of affairs at the door of our Public school system and to the general incompetency of our teachers. Why not make a comparison of our percentage of illiteracy prevailing in our population now and twenty five years ago? If he will give us that, am sure he will find that Alabama has made progress that will compare favorably with any of the states that do not spend greater per capita sum than we do for our public schools.
 As to the lack of knoweldge so manifest Tn our boys and girls and young men and young ladies, I am quite sure those showing thls delinquency are those who have not attended school regularly and whose parents are rich or ignorant and careless or both, who haven [ the interest in the education of the child sui ficient to see that they attend school reg ularly and prepare their lessons at home. l have children attending the public school and am well pleased with their status of learning in all the subjects they have been taught. l see that they do not miss day that can be avoided and I see that they work in the preparation of their lessons at home. do not think they are overburdened with sub jects nor are they hurried beyond their ca pacity, over the lessons they are given by their teachers. However, 1 do know children who are sadly ignorant of the subjects they have been supposed to have finished and fit pretty well the description given by MT. Bently of the graduates that are being turned out by our public schools; but ] do not be- lieve it is the fault of the teachers they have had nor of the system under which our public schools are managed; but to irregular at tendance and lack of interest and cooperation on the part of parents.
 I know most of the heads of our Depart ment of Education, and believe them to be men of the very highest type; efficient, con scientious and having the improvement of our schools very much at heart 1 also know quite a good many teachers in our public schools and I find them, with few exceptions, con scientious and earnest workers and, in most instances, competent to teach the grades that they offer to undertake. l agree that we need greater efficiency from our teachers as a whole but how are we going toS get 1t! Surely not by "cussing out" and firing all the teachers we have, hoping to secure more efficient ones at the prices or salaries, rather, that we are now paying. When you get the best doctor, don't you have to pay him more than less efficient one, the same of law yer, engineer, machinist, carpenter or any expert in his line. Then if we are to have better teachers we must pay salaries that will induce our best talent to engage in the pro- fession of teaching as life work, rather than as temporary means of accommodating sui ficent funds to prepare for some of the more lucrative professions
 It strikes me, from the way I understand MT. Bently's letter that he would abolish oul entire public school system and set up nothing in it's place; let those go to some other state for an education, who had the means and in clination to do so and let all the rest of the dear people revel in tax exemption and illit eracy. If this is not what he advocates, will he please come forward with a better ant more efficient plan of putting Alabama nearer the top of the illiteracy column instead o within two of the bottom.
 J. C. PATTILLO.
 Verhena Ala