The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-07
SCHOOL PROGRESS OF STATE SHOWN
 BY ABERCROlBIE
Remarkable Strides Made In Spite Of Many
 Handicaps
WHITE ILLITERACY
 GREATLY REDUCED
Alabama Still Ranks Low In Per Capita Expend-
 iture For Education
. lRy Associated Press.l

MONTGOMERY, Ala, Sept. D. Progress of education in Alabama, while on the surface far behind that of other states, in reality has made wonderful strides, when the obstacles it faced are considered, according to Dr. John W. Abercrombie, state super intendent of education.
 First, Alabama public school educa- tion was confronted with tho private school-causing the dual system of ed ucation that resulted in slow progress until the. beginning of this century.
 In the second place, Alabama has been faced with large debt from the Civil war.
 Thirdly, no adequate means of taxa ton hs been provided for the schools in the state, Dr. Abercrombie said.
 When the Civil war ended, Alabama had a debt of about $30,000,000, and the state today still is paying interest on about $S,50O,0OO of that debt. This caused a period of financial difficulty that resulted in abandonment of many forms of progress, principally in ed dcation, it is said.
 Less nliteracy
 The per centage of illiteracy has been greatly decreased during the past 30 years, according to figures at the state department of education. While the percentage of illiteracy still is far above the average, this condition has been helped a great deal through increasing interest in the schools by the leaders of the state, according to Dr. Aber- crombie. Especially rapid progress has been noted in the past 15 years, since the foundation of the county high school system, education department officials say.
 From 1890 to 1920, the percentage of white illiteracy in Alabama was reduced from 18.8 per cent to 6.3 per cent. In the same period, the per centage of negro illiteFacy was reduced from 69.1 to SIS, and the general average was cut down from 41 to 16.1 per cent.
 The national average of illiteraey among native born whites.in 1920 was 2 per cent, and the general average for the nation was 6 per cent.
 In only six states in the nation is there a greater percentage Of white H. literacy, and only one state has greater percentage of negro illiteracy, according to the 1920 figures.
 Alabama, rich in resources but poor in development, expends less on its schools than 45 other states, accord ing to Dr. Abercrombie.
 Little Per Capita Expense
 Dr. Abercrombie quoted the follow ing figures to show Alabama's tardiness in development.
 In 1920 the per capita expenditure of the states ranged from $12.13 a year to $1O2.28, with national average of $S9.oS. Alabama's per capita expendi- ture was $12.13, the lowest.
 For education, the pre- capita expen- allure ranged from $4.36 to $24.46, with a national average of 11.43. Ala bama. spent $4.55 per capita, only two states giving less, for education in
 The ratio of expenditures to the in- come in the various states was from 3,2 per cent to 125 per cent, making an average for the entire country of 6.3 per cent. Alabama ranked the lowest in the nation, with 3.2 per cent of the per capita income expended for state purposes.
 For educational purposes, the ratio of expenditure to the per capita income was 8 to A per cent, with an aver age of IT per cent. Alabama's ratio was 1.2 per cent, only six states show ing smaller ratio.