History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume I, Part 100

Author: Owen, Thomas McAdory, 1866-1920; Owen, Marie (Bankhead) Mrs. 1869-
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 756

USA > Alabama > History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume I > Part 100

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The suggestion made here was not acted upon, and it remained for the legislature of 1853-54 to create by Act of February 15, 1854, the office of state superintendent of educa- tion. As set forth in the Act of creation, the duties of the superintendent are: "to exercise a general supervision over all the educational interests in the state; to dissemi- nate information among the people by the delivery of lectures and addresses, and the circulation of instructive documents, essays and other publications, as to the importance of free public schools, and the best method for their management; to prescribe instruc- tions to the commissioners of the counties, the trustees of the townships, and the teach- ers of the schools for the systematic perform- ance of their duties, and the proper manage-

ment of the schools, as well as the course of studies to be pursued, the books to be used, the divisions into classes, and the methods of government, as in all other respects which he may deem essential; to carefully guard that no sectarian religious views shall be incul- cated in such schools; to collect from every available source correct information as to the number and ages of children in each township and county in this state, who of them receive education and who do not, and to what extent, respectively; the situation, advantages and wants of each township and county, as to school and the means of educa- tion, and the best method of promoting them; and to report the same at least once in every six months to the governor, to be laid before the legislature at its next session, and to cause a copy of such report to be published and circulated throughout the state; to pre- pare and preserve in well bound official books, complete and particular exhibits of the condition of the free public school fund of each township in every county, specifically discriminating as to the portion derived from its sixteenth section fund, and from other sources, designating the amounts of money apportioned to said townships and counties, the number of schools, teachers and pupils and the ages and classes of these, the amount of the expenditures in each township, and from what resources made; to hold his office in the state capitol, in a room which shall be assigned for that purpose by the gover- nor, and to keep it open during the usual office hours, for the inspection of his books, by all visitors, when he is not elsewhere offi- cially engaged; to see to the faithful dis- bursement and application of all moneys set apart and appropriated by this Act; to report annually as to the same to the governor, to be laid before the General Assembly; to visit each county in the state, at least once in every two years, to ascertain the condi- tion of the public schools therein, and by pub- lic addresses to awaken the people to the im- portance of extending the benefits of educa- tion more generally throughout the state, by means of public schools; and to perform all other duties connected with his office which are herein prescribed or may hereafter be provided by law."

Control of Land Grants .- "The control and management of the funds arising, or which have arisen, or may hereafter arise from the sale or other disposition of the lands granted by the United States to this state for the use of schools, is hereby vested in the superin- tendent of education for the purposes of this Act; and the comptroller is directed to trans- fer to him all books, documents, vouchers, bonds, notes or other instruments pertaining thereto; and they shall hereafter be kept and managed in the office of said superin- tendent." ( General Acts, 1853-54, p. 13). $5,000 was appropriated annually for the pay- ment of the salary of the superintendent and the maintenance of his office.

Gen. William F. Perry was elected the first superintendent of public instruction in 1854. A new educational law was passed

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in 1855-56, but the duties of the superintend- ent remained substantially the same as in the law of 1854. However, under the new law the payment of school moneys was simplified, the state superintendent heing required to notify the local authorities of the amount due the particular county and the tax collector for the county was to pay the sum over to the county superintendent. By Act of Feb- ruary 14, 1856, the State superintendent was required to make an annual report to the gov- ernor, and in place of the county commis- sioners there was elected a county superin- tendent of education, whose compensation was to he fixed by the county court. In order that the general character of his teaching force might be improved the Alabama educa- tional association was formed in 1856 by Gen- eral Perry. Gabriel B. Duval continued the work begun by his predecessor, General Perry. Under the new State system private academies decreased in numbers and in at- tendance, indicating a change of sentiment in the State more favorable to the public system. On this subject Mr. Duval said: "Indifference has not been felt toward education itself, but to governmental aid in procuring it. The happy conditions of our social relations, and the general diffusion of wealth, has ren- dered it comparatively unnecessary; wherever it was needed, private generosity generally anticipated public aid." And again "this in- difference has had another cause in an objec- tion rising almost to repugnance, to what was improperly supposed to be State interference with personal duties and rights, a fear of the absorption of the individual in the body poli- tic, and of his subjection to the State. (See Weeks, History of public school education in Alabama, p. 77.)

There was a slow but steady growth during the period from 1858 to 1860; counties were better organized; schools were established and it would appear that the public funds were expended in the way least likely to emphasize the "pauper school" idea. The report of Superintendent Duval for 1858, was the last printed until after the War of Secession had closed. He signed the "official correspond- ence" for April 9, 1861, after which there is a break till May 20, when his chief clerk, W. C. Allen, signs as "acting superintendent." Captain Duval was again in his office on March 14, 1864, but sterner military duties called him elsewhere, and W. C. Allen served as superintendent for the remainder of that year, being succeeded in office January 1, 1865, by John B. Taylor.

The remainder of this war history and the fortunes of the public educational records themselves may be gathered from the report of Hon. John B. Ryan, state superintendent in 1866-67, dated April 1, 1866: "There has been no annual report made from this office since October, 1859, yet our system of public schools was kept up till the appointment of the provisional governor in July, 1865, al- though amidst embarrassments incident to a state of fierce warfare. The records, hooks, papers, etc., of this office were carted about the country in hoxes, to keep them from the

hands of spoilers, during the most of the time after 1863. Their preservation is chiefly if not alone due to the vigilance, zeal, and activity of my worthy predecessor, the Hon. J. B. Taylor, to whom the friends of educa- tion in Alabama should ever be grateful." (See Report of 1865, quoted in Owen's Bibliography of Alabama.)

The constitution of 1868 was adopted by a convention which sat in Montgomery from November 5 to December 6, 1867, and was ratified on February 4, 1868. Like that of 1819, it makes formal recognition of educa- tion as a part of the duties of the State, but it is sharply differentiated from the earlier document and from all of its own day, except one, by the creation of a new and distinct governing authority in education. It placed the common schools and public educational institutions, including the University, under the management of a new board, styled the State board of education, of which the su- perintendent of public instruction was de- clared president, the governor an ex-officio member, and to which were added two elected members from each congressional district.

Dr. N. B. Cloud was the first president of the new board, which began with an abun- dance of legislation, but it is difficult to say how many of these laws got into school practice. Some were in advance of the old order, viz .: requiring reports on school moneys; furnishing school houses and defin- ing more exactly the duties of school officers; providing for certain city systems; fixing the grade of teachers; and providing for teacher's examinations and normal schools; defining the scholastic year; and defining and establishing grades in the schools. (See Weeks, History of Education in Alabama.)

The new constitution provided that the schools should be absolutely free, and al- though the funds available were not sufficient to secure this, no tuition could be charged.

When the conservatives came back into power in 1870, the old idea of supplementary public funds with private subscriptions was revived.

During this period of strife fierce struggle was going on between the State board and the Mobile school commissioners, which dispute resulted in the removal of the commissioners, whereupon the board "at once made itself master of the educational situation in the State."

In November, 1870, a commission was ap- pointed "to examine into and report upon the affairs in the offices of the superintendent of public instruction, auditor, and State treasurer." The committee reported favor- ably on the last two offices, but said that there was want of any organized system of bookkeeping in the educational department;

that the books then used "had not been posted during the whole scholastic year." Erasures were found in the accounts of one county and in two others certificates had been allowed without sufficient proof that schools had heen taught. Dr. Cloud was charged with paying out money "without due regard to the interest of the State," but the commit-

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tee was impartial enough to state that he had done this "with the consent of the attor- ney general."

County Superintendents Elected .- Self government was in a measure restored to the school organization by providing that in March, 1871, the counties should elect a county superintendent of education and two directors and that in April there should be elected in each township three trustees. Al- though during the administration of Colonel Hodgson much time was taken up on straightening out the financial tangles into which the school funds had fallen, through his predecessors, much progress was also made. A teachers' association had been or- ganized; satisfactory teachers' institutes were being held; the establishment of four normal schools for each race had been recommended and provided for; private assistance was again coming to the aid of schools, and in this way the term being lengthened the schools were beginning to make themselves felt as powers in the community, and the improved laws, providing for "the election of county superin- tendents of capacity and energy" were having the desired effect.

The old State board of education was abol- ished by the constitution of 1875. Colonel Speed was succeeded in 1874 by Hon. John M. McKleroy who in turn was followed by Leroy F. Box. From 1880 to 1884, Henry Clay Armstrong served as State superintend- ent. One of the most important acts of the legislature regarding education in 1880-81 was the one giving county superintendents full power to compromise the old sixteenth section land notes. In that year also the State contribution to the school fund was increased from $130,000 to $230,000 per annum.

Mr. Armstrong was succeeded as superin- tendent in 1884, by Hon. Solomon Palmer, who was the only one of the "post bellum" superintendents to break through the four year rule of service. He served for six years, and during his term of office the schools enjoyed an increased progress, the matters of preeminent importance being teacher training and money. Weeks says: "The first, greatest, and most insistent de- mand of Major Palmer and his supporters was for more money. During the six years of his administration the State appropriation rose from $230,000 in 1884-85 to $350,000, in 1889-90; the poll tax by reason of greater care in collecting, increased from $138,000 to $150,000. The total increase was from about $511,000 to about $850,000, but on the other hand, school population increased from 420,- 413 to 522,691; so the per capita increase was only from $1.22 to $1.63. The authorities even did not appreciate the situation, for while the superintendent was pleading elo- quently for a larger share of the surplus piling up in the treasury, the treasurer was recommending that the general tax rate should be reduced by 10 per cent. During Major Palmer's administration educational consciousness began to manifest itself in the better organization of teachers into associa-

tions, State and local, white and colored. These bodies held annual meetings, and, though poorly attended and treated with in- difference by some of the higher educational institutions, preserved the even tenor of their way, discussed the problems of their profes- sion, and emphasized and strengthened the demand of the State superintendent for more money. Teachers' institutes and reading circles were inaugurated while the profes- sional and the technical sides of the teach- ers' work were being examined and studied in the State normal schools, of which two more were organized for whites. At the end of Major Palmer's administration there were normal schools for the training of white teachers at Florence, Livingston, Troy, Jack- sonville; and for colored teachers, at Hunts- ville, Tuskegee, and Montgomery. These received their support from the State except Tuskegee (which even then was drawing on the philanthropy of the north), and to each the Peabody fund made appreciative and ap- preciable contributions, amounting in 1889- 90 to $3,800 for the seven schools. During his administration the school system was further improved-separate grade schools were established in the principal towns and cities of the State, and the school fund was increased so that by 1890, the amount ex- pended in Alabama for public schools, gen- eral and local, was nearly, if not quite, one million dollars." (See Weeks, p. 125, and Memorlal Record of Alabama, vol. 1, p. 196.)

On December 1, 1890, Major John G. Harris was inaugurated as superintendent of educa- tion and served as such for four years. The chief event of his administration was the fight for what was known as the Hundley amendment, which had been proposed by a joint resolution of the two houses of the assembly at the session of 1892-93, and provided that the assembly might "confer upon the trustees of the school districts in this State the power to levy within their districts a special tax of not more than one fourth of one per cent (2.5 mills), to be applied exclusively to maintaining the public schools in the districts in which said tax is levied." After a very hard fight the amendment was lost, and though it had taken Mr. Hundley six years to get it adopted by the general assembly, he was not discouraged.

Major Harris was succeeded by Hon. J. O. Turner, of St. Clair County, who served for four years, from 1894 to 1898. His first work was to codify the school laws as amended and modified by recent assemblies.

Hon. John W. Abercrombie, who became superintendent in 1898, was an educator by profession, and able to analyze the situation, diagnose the trouble, and suggest the remedy. One of his earliest recommendations was that the law should require the superintendent to be an educator. In the past the superin- tendents had been public men, but not educa- tors.

Under the leadership of Dr. Abercrombie the fight was again taken up for local taxa- tion. The creation of special or separate school districts by law continued but not at

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the same rate. The town systems were ex- tended, and the cities like Birmingham and Bessemer began to issue bonds for school buildings.

Dr. Abercrombie resigned the office of State superintendent July 1, 1902, to become presi- dent of the University of Alabama. His un- expired term was filled by Harry C. Gunnels, who published the report for 1901-02. He continued the work as outlined by his prede- cessor, and renewed most of the recommen- dations of the earlier report.

Isaac W. Hill succeeded Harry C. Gunnels, as superintendent in 1902. During his term of office, a state textbook commission was created, and the reorganization of the admin- istrative boards of the agricultural schools took place. In his second report Superintend- ent Hill urged "that the public school be graded so that the whole of the school work might be correlated and articulated from the primary through the high schools to the Uni- versity; that at least one high school in each county be established; that a supplementary State appropriation of $300,000 be made for schools and $50,000 for school buildings; that an amendment to the constitution permit- ting a school-district tax be submitted by the legislature, because the available funds were still insufficient for a 5 months school taught by even a third grade teacher, without private contributions to supplement the public funds."

Mr. Hill was succeeded in 1906 by Harry C. Gunnels, who completed his term of serv- ice in 1910, and gave place to Henry J. Wil- lingham, who in 1913 became president of the State normal school at Florence. His term was completed by William F. Feagin, who in December, 1914, entered upon a new term of four years.

The administration of Superintendent Feagin is easily one of the most memorable in the history of the state. In addition to splendid training and a state-wide acquain- tance, he displayed an energy and an enthusi- asm that were remarkable. Among the significant events of his administration three are outstanding, namely, the passage of a compulsory attendance law, the submission and ratification of a local tax amendment for the support of schools, and the enactment of a law for the administration and supervi- sion of county schools as a unit.

The compulsory attendance law is not un- like those in force in the more progressive states of the country and requires no com- ment. The submission of the local tax amend- ment which authorized counties and school districts to levy a tax for school purposes pro- voked spirited opposition and its ratification was an Herculean task. Superintendent Feagin personally managed the campaign and perfected an organization that has hardly been excelled in the history of the state. The significance of the amendment will appear from the fact that the Alabama constitution in effect absolutely denied the right of local taxation, while under the new law which made the amendment effective, State, county, and school districts were to share alike in tripling the revenue for schools.

Complementary to the local tax amendment and of no less significance was the new and revolutionary law for the administration of the schools of the county as a unit. The old, elective political superintendent without any qualifications gave way to the professional su- perintendent selected by a Board of business men elected from the county at large by the qualified voters, and capable of supervising the schools of the county efficiently. The unparalleled progress of the schools resulting from the local tax amendment and of the county board law is a monument to the genius of the author of the two measures.

Upon the resignation of Superintendent Feagin in 1917, Spright Dowell, who had been connected with the Department of Education throughout the period of his incumbency, was appointed as his successor. Mr. Dowell's work was supplementary to that of his pre- decessor and rounded out the hitherto in- coherent school system. The work of Super- intendent Feagin concerned itself largely with finance and county organization. The work of Superintendent Dowell concerned itself with the recodification of the school laws and the re-organization of the state system under a State Board of Education. The State Board relieves some fourteen independent boards and makes the school system of the state a unit. Among other significant pro- visions of the new School Code is that which provides for an adequate force of trained experts for the office of the State Superintend- ent of Education. This means a high type of leadership, a suitable course of study, and intelligent and efficient supervision. It is generally conceded throughout the country that Alabama now has about the most modern school machinery to be found the country over.

Superintendent Dowell resigned on June 30, 1920, to become president of the Alahama Polytechnic Institute, and was succeeded by Dr. John W. Abercrombie who again resumed the duties of the office after an interim of eighteen years.

Superintendents .- William F. Perry, 1854- 1858; Gabriel B. Duval, 1858-1864; William C. Allen, 1864-1865; John B. Taylor, 1865- 1866; John B. Ryan, 1866-1868; N. B. Cloud, 1868-1870; Joseph Hodgson, 1870-1872; Joseph H. Speed, 1872-1874; John M. McKle- roy, 1874-1876; Leroy F. Box, 1876-1880; Henry C. Armstrong, 1880-1884; Solomon Palmer, 1884-1890; John G. Harris, 1890- 1894; John O. Turner, 1894-1898; John W. Abercrombie, 1898-1902; Harry C. Gunnels, 1902-1903; Isaac W. Hill, 1903-1907; Harry C. Gunnels, 1907-1911; Henry J. Willing- ham, 1911-1914; William F. Feagin, 1914- 1918; Spright Dowell, 1918-1920; John W. Abercrombie, 1920 -.

EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION, ALABA- BAMA. A voluntary professional society or association organized "to advance the educa- tional interests of Alabama." It was formed at a meeting, July 5-7, 1882, held at the county court house in Birmngham, and was first called the "Alabama Teachers' Associa-

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tion." This it retained until the session of 1886, when, because the negro teachers asso- ciation had the same name, it adopted its present title. The State Superintendent of Education, H. Clay Armstrong presided. Many veteran teachers of the day were in at- tendance, including Dr. E. R. Dickson, Prof. John Titcomb, Prof. G. A. Woodward, Rev. Martin L. Frierson, Prof. John S. Dodson, Prof. I. W. McAdory, and Miss Julia Tut- wiler. Superintendent Armstrong was elected president. The meeting next year convened in Talladega, and was in session on the same dates as the first.

The early years of the association were largely devoted to bringing the teachers of the State into closer relations, and the sessions were given over to the reading of professional papers.

At the first meeting Miss Julia Tutwiler dis- cussed "Technical education of women." Through all the succeeding history of the as- sociation her interest never flagged, and, in the enthusiasm created and the reforms effected, she had a large share. The papers reflected the attitude of the teachers. Some of the subjects were "Graded schools," "Nor- mal schools," "The study of the classics," "Systematic instruction," "Duty of parents to schools," "The new education," "Cor- poral punishment," and "Uses and abuses of examinations."

Presidents .- Capt. Henry C. Armstrong, 1882-1884; Maj. Solomon Palmer, 1884-1889; Dr. O. D. Smith, 1889-1890; Dr. James K. Powers, 1890-1891; Dr. J. H. Phillips, 1891- 1892; Dr. Allen S. Andrews, 1892-1893; J. B. Graham, 1893-1894; Dr. John Massey, 1894-1895; George R. McNeIlI, 1895-1896; Dr. T. C. McCorvey, 1896-1897; J. B. Cun- ningham, 1897-1898; Dr. B. F. Meek elected 1898-1899, died, J. B. Cunningham, 1st v. p. president; J. M. Dewberry, 1899-1900; F. M. Roof, 1900-1901; Jacob Forney, 1901-1902; M. C. Wilson, 1902-1903; C. B. Glenn, 1903- 1904; H. J. Willingham, 1904-1905; W. E. Striplin, 1905-1906; J. H. Foster, 1906-1907; W. R. Harrison, 1907-1908; P. W. Hodges, 1908-1909; N. R. Baker, 1909-1910; Arthur F. Harman, 1910-1911; David R. Murphey, 1911-1912; J. B. Hobdy, 1912-1913; J. V. Brown, 1913-1914; S. R. Butler, 1914-1915; Dr. Charles C. Thach, 1915-1916; Dr. James J. Doster, 1916-1917.

Secretaries .- W. W. Wilson, 1882-1884; J. W. DuBose, 1884-1887; J. A. B. Lovett, 1887- 1889; G. W. Macon, 1889-1891; J. W. Mor- gan, Jr., 1891-1893; E. H. Foster, 1893-1895; Dr. T. C. McCorvey, 1895-1896; J. M. Dew- berry, 1896-1897; Jacob Forney, 1897-1899; Dr. E. M. Shackelford, 1899-1901; H. J. Willingham, 1901-1903; C. W. Daugette, 1903-1904; W. C. Griggs, 1904-1916; Roy Dimmitt, 1916-1917; J. Alex Moon, 1917.

Annual Meetings, 1882-1918 .- The list which follows gives the number of session, place of meeting, inclusive dates, and biblio- graphy of the Proceedings, viz:

1st session, Birmingham, July 5-7, 1882. Sum-

mary of proceedings in Our Mountain Home, Talladega, July, 12, 1882.

2nd, Talladega, July 5-7, 1883. Ibid, July 11, 1883.

3d, Florence, July 1-3, 1884. pp. 21.

4th, Auburn, July 1-3, 1885. pp. 16.

5th, Anniston, July 6-9, 1886. pp. 20.

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History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume I, Part 100

Author: Owen, Thomas McAdory, 1866-1920; Owen, Marie (Bankhead) Mrs. 1869- Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 756

Author: Owen, Thomas McAdory, 1866-1920; Owen, Marie (Bankhead) Mrs. 1869-
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 756