USA > Alabama > Memorial record of Alabama. A concise account of the state's political, military, professional and industrial progress, together with the personal memoirs of many of its people. Volume I > Part 22
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There was some hesitancy, at first, about establishing a high school department, but the charges for tuition in the private schools in the city were so exorbitant that the commissioners felt bound to do all in their power too ameliorate this condition. As tuition must be charged in all the schools, for a time at least, they decided to do what they could to meet the needs of the public, and so started a high school, making tuition rates very low. The grades were afterward increased in number and made more distinct in character As modified, they became primary, in- termediate, junior grammar, senior grammar and high schools. In August, 1854, the system was carefully revised and improved as experi- ence had disclosed defects and indicated the remedy. The schools had so increased as to overflow the large academy building and require branch primary schools in different portions of the city, and the demand for like privileges in the county, beyond the city limits, became so strong that the commissioners determined to divide the county into convenient school districts, employ a superintendent, and make arrangements for establishing schools throughout the county as rapidly as means could be obtained for the purpose.
It appears from an official statement of receipts and expenditures, compiled after an experience of two years, that the receipts of money were $28,848.02, and the disbursements were $32,428.68, an excess of $3,580.66 of expenditure, which was provided for by loans from banks, obtained on the personal security of the commissioners. Of the receipts, $10,889.81 were realized from tuition charges. Without this source of income, the schools could not have been maintained. Yet the rates charged were so much less than was charged at private schools that they
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did not seem burdensome. Beside, these rates were gradually reduced as the income from other sources increased, until, first the primary, then the intermediate, next the grammar, and lastly the high schools were made entirely free. Until this was accomplished permits were given to chil- dren, known to be unable to pay tuition fees, to attend in all the depart- ments without charge. It should be remembered to their credit that the school commissioners, during the long period in which they were build- ing up these schools, always managed to pay their teachers promptly, and although themselves serving without remuneration, even to the pay- ment of their personal expenses incurred in the service, they frequently loaned their personal credit, sometimes for large amounts, to obtain money for the monthly pay rolls and the rent or purchase of necessary school buildings.
At the beginning of the third annual session the number of pupils attending the public schools had increased to 1,012. In the winter of 1854, an "act" was passed enlarging the powers of the Mobile school commis- sioners and increasing their revenues and prohibiting them from divert- ing any portion of the school fund to or for any schools under sectarian influence or control. In October, 1855, an institute, for the special instruc- tion of teachers, was organized at the Barton academy, and with slight intermission has been practically continued to this day.
An "act" of the general assembly, approved February 15, 1856, of only two sections, has been of untold benefit to the public schools of Mobile, and under its liberal provisions the system was developed with rapidity and its usefulness was largely extended. The first section of this "act" provided that all the moneys collected for the state for certain licenses therein named should be appropriated to the school fund of Mobile county; the second section authorized the school commissioners to levy an annual tax "not exceeding one-twentieth of one per centum upon the real and personal property of the county of Mobile," for the benefit of the pub- lic schools of the county.
The Mobile Daily Advertiser of August 1, 1856, had a detailed notice of the closing examinations of the public schools for that year, in which it congratulates the "community upon the marked and satisfactory pro- gress of the public schools." The expenditures for that year were $21,- 890.23, exceeding the income by about $1,000, which was made up, as before, by loans obtained on the individual credit of members of the board. A census of children of school age was taken in October, 1856, showing that the number in the city limits was 3,620; number in county districts, 2,300; total, 5,920. The receipts for the succeeding year, under the healthful influence of the act of 1856, increased to $37,068.75, and in 1858 to $44,035.03. The census of 1858 showed 6,509 children of school age, a considerable increase. The schools kept on the even tenor of their way, the income .gradually increasing and the expenditures keeping pace with - the receipts in the gradual expansion of the system, until the occupation
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of Mobile by the federal troops under Gen. Gordon Granger in 1865. The final statement of the secretary for the year ending July, 1865, showed a nominal balance in the treasury of $35,693, but of this amount about $27.700 was in confederate bonds and the balance in confederate notes.
The public schools were closed until the first Monday in October, 1865, when they were re-opened under authority of the provisional govern- ment, but as the commissioners were without other income, the schools. had to be maintained by charges for tuition. The provisional legislature, however, authorized the levy of a special tax, from time to time, to provide school-houses, furniture and apparatus for the schools. This act realized $7,000 for the board the ensuing year. The boys' high school was re- opened in 1870, but for some years the attendance was small, as from the demands of the war and the necessities for work during the period of reconstruction, the boys who could attend school at all were not suffi- ciently advanced for the high school course. In the year 1867, tuition charges were reduced one-half in all the lower departments of the public schools, and, as the income of the commissioners increased, were still further reduced until all the schools were made free. In May, 1867, the school commissioners commenced to consider the subject of the education of the colored children of Mobile. Negotiations were opened with the Freedmen's bureau and the American missionary association for co-opera- tive work in this direction; but these efforts were without practical results, and independent schools were afterward organized for colored children. In 1868, a new state governemnt was inaugurated, under which, all matters relating to public education were committed to a so- called board of education. This board was, as to school affairs, a legis- lative body, except that their acts might be reviewed, changed, or set aside by the legislature of the state, without which action they became laws on approval by the governor. One of the first acts of this new board was an attempt to set aside the independent school system of Mobile, and a good deal of friction naturally followed. The school authorities of Mobile under advice of counsel, maintained their separate authority. The controversy continued several months and became exciting and some- what bitter. Believing that a proper construction of the law forbade this interference of the board of education, and that the changes and policy contemplated would be inimical to the best interests of the school system they had labored so faithfully to build up, and even threatened its destruction, the school commissioners of Mobile resisted, firmly and persistently, all attempts on the part of the appointees of the board of education to wrest the schools from their control. In the course of the. litigation which followed, a mandamus was obtained from the circuit judge of the district commanding the board to deliver up the books and school property in their possession. Acting under legal advice and in accordance with their views of duty, the commissioners refused obedi- ence to this mandate and took an appeal to the supreme court of the `
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state. Pending the appeal, they were judged guilty of contempt and were committed by the circuit judge to the common jail of the county. Here they remained over forty-eight hours, but were treated, in all save re- striction to the jail limits, as honored guests rather than prisoners, and were the recipients of innumerable courtesies and attention from the officers in charge and from the citizens of Mobile. On the third day a mandate was received from one of the judges of the supreme court, order- ing their release, and they were promptly discharged from custody. On the 6th of the next July, the supreme court rendered a decision sustain- ing the appeal in the mandamus case hereinbefore mentioned.
During the school year ending June 3, 1869, the attendance at the white schools was 2,417, and at the colored schools, then four in number, 919, making a total of 3,336. The first diplomas awarded were given in 1859 to two graduates of the girl's high school. The number of graduates during the decade ending June, 1869, was 105. Of these, fifty-eight chose the profession of teaching, and one-half of these were employed in the public schools of Mobile. So the high schools, under this system, were practically normal schools for training teachers for their responsible and honorable work. In November, 1869, an act of the board of educa- tion finally abolished the separate school system of Mobile county and placed the schools directly under the school authorities of the state. As. the superintendent of education controlled the school funds of the state, and as that officer would not recognize the school board of Mobile, as . then constituted, the school commissioners, unwilling to deprive, the people of Mobile of the schools which they could not themselves, from lack of funds, further carry on, surrendered the public school buildings of Mobile to the appointees of the board of education. Schools were car- ried on in them until the spring of 1871. Meanwhile a new superintend- ent of education had been elected and important changes made in the membership of the board of education, and, more important still, a law was enacted restoring the election of county superintendent and commis- sioners to the people of the county of Mobile. At this election Mr. E. R. Dickson, formerly general principal of the Barton academy schools. was elected superintendent, and by successive re-elections has held the posi- tion ever since. Under his intelligent and vigorous management the schools were gradually restored to their former position of excellence and prosperity. The board of commissioners elected with him were sim- ply advisers when he desired their counsel, but he was practically the official head and director of the schools. This arrangement continued until September, 1876, when, by virtue of a new law enacted under the constitution of 1875, a new board of commissioners was elected by the people. By this act the control of the schools was again invested in the commissioners, who were empowered to elect a superintendent and such other officers or agents as they may, from time to time, deem expedient. This board organized on the first Wednesday of September, 1876, and
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promptly elected Mr. Dickson superintendent and secretary. This board is composed of nine members, who are elected for a term of six years, but the terms have been so arranged as that only three members shall retire every second year. This excellent provision of the law secures stability in the management of the schools and has thus proven of great benefit to this important interest. Since the reorganization, the public schools of Mobile county have been steadily growing in numbers, effi- ciency and influence. Additional accommodations are yearly provided. but each year the demand seems to overtake, rather exceeds, the provi-' sion made for increased numbers.
The course of study ranges from the first steps in the primary depart- ment to a parity in the high school with the curriculum, up to the third year, in the ordinary college. Graduates from the boys' high school read- ily obtain position in the sophomore class of the university of Alabama- some of them have been able even to enter the junior class, while the girls' high school prepares its pupils for advanced position in the teach- er's profession, in the walks of society and for literary pursuits. The chemical departinent under Professor Dickson is specially popular and useful. The laboratory is well, though plainly, furnished-is arranged for qualitative and quantitative analyses, has balance and other appliances necessary for measurements, has a dynamo, operated by a two horse-power engine capable of furnishing electricity equal to 2,000 candle light, and is well supplied with burners, blow pipes, filtrates, etc. The chemical course covers three years of study, a part of the second and all of the third year being devoted to laboratory work, in which the pupils actively participate.
After the retirement of what was known as the "old board of com- missioners" in 1870, less than 500 pupils attended the Barton academy school, and the commissoners owned only three school buildings; in 1888, the same schools had an attendance of 1,300 pupils and the school build- ings had increased to nine in the city and ten in the country districts. The report of the president of the board of school commissioners for the year ending July, 1891, published with the annual report of the state superintendent of education, furnishes some interesting statistics. The total expenditures of the year were $74.873.06, of which $57,643.21 were paid to teachers. The receipts, including the balance brought forward from the previous year, were $83.637.34. The enrollment in white schools was 3,610; the enrollment in colored schools was 2,359. The attendance in white schools was 3,070; in colored schools, 1,875. The number of white schools taught was 68, by 120 teachers; col- ored schools 38, by 60 teachers. The average duration of the schools in days was, white schools, 163; colored schools. 161. The number of gradu- ates receiving diplomas was twenty-six in the white schools and sixteen in the colored schools. The school buildings now owned and used by the commissioners for the public school comprise eight in the city and
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thirty-seven in the county districts, making a total of forty-five school buildings, the estimated value of which is $131,725. Of the 180 teachers employed in these schools, eighty-five are graduates of its high schools or were prepared in the regular classes for the instruction of teachers. If apology were thought necessary for the space taken up by this sketch of the Mobile schools, it may be explained that these were the pioneers of popular education in the southwest; that they have been practically, except for a brief period, under the same management from the begin- ning; that they paved the way for the state system and have given a healthy impetus to education in the state. They have at all events been of inestimable value to the people of Mobile and are intrinsically worthy of public attention and regard.
The school system of the state was the natural outgrowth of the public schools of Mobile. They were, as has been shown, the pioneers of public schools in this section, were remarkably successful from the beginning, had a vigorous and healthy development, and their excellence soon made them widely and favorably known. The Hon. A. B. Meek, a representa- tive from Mobile in the lower house of the general assembly, highly re- puted as an orator and as a man of fine literary tastes and abilities, who sat at the feet of Thaddeus Sanford-clarum et venerabile nomen-then editor of the Mobile Register and president of the board of school commission- ers, and imbibed from him and his co-laborers on that board, an enthusi- astic love for the cause of popular education, and obtained a knowledge of the methods which they had successfully employed in Mobile-had the honor of making the first attempt at a public school system for Alabama. The "bill" prepared by him passed both houses of the assembly and re- ceived the approval of the governor on February 15th, 1854. This act provided for a state superintendent of education, three commissioners from each county and trustees for each township. The first superintend- ent was W. F. Perry, an experienced and enlightened instructor and a man of high personal character. He brought to the task of organizing a new school system, practice, energy and perseverance, and although the work was necessarily slow and difficult, yet progress was perceptible and a system was gradually developed. The chief difficulties in the way were the sparseness of the population, outside of the cities and towns; the limited funds available for the purpose, and, it must be reluctantly admit- ted, the supineness of the people and the incompetency in niany cases of the trustees, and even of some of the county commissioners. Unfortu- nately, but not unnaturally, the uneducated classes most needing the ben- efits of public schools were the least appreciative of the efforts making for the education of their children.
The school fund, for 1855, was in all $237,515.99, of which $100,000 was a direct appropriation from the state treasury, and the remainder was interest on the sixteenth section and the United States deposit funds and special taxes and escheats, the two last mentioned amounting to $1,533,55.
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The number of children of school age was 145,588. The next year the 1 enumeration was 171,093 and the school fund, $267,690.41. The first two years were principally devoted to organization in the several counties of the state. The work was slow, because of the inexperience and lack of requisite information of many of the school officers. There were, how- ever, over two thousand schools established in the year 1856, having an enrollment of 89,013. The statistics of the year 1857 show an increase in the fund of $14,184; in the enumeration, of 7,002; in number of schools, 175; in pupils registered, 6,008. As the appropriations from the state were only sufficient to pay only about one-half the cost of the schools, a large sum had to be made up by contributions-the law did not provide for local taxation for school purposes except in the county of Mobile- from the people in the several school districts. In many places private schools were converted into public schools until the public school fund was exausted, and then renewed as pay schools, and in others, tuition charges were allowed to make up the salaries of the teachers. The re- sult of this management was that an average of six months' instruction in the year was secured in the public schools.
In 1856, the office of county commissioner was abolished and that of county superintendent, with well defined duties and moderate compensa- tion, was established. The advantage of this change was manifested in the reports of the ensuing year. State Superintendent Perry, in his re- port for 1857, says: "Many of the superintendents found their counties al- most entirely unorganized, the people listless and indifferent, and the trustees ignorant of their duties," but goes on to say that "An unprece- dented impulse has been given to the cause of common school education in the state," and this he attributes in a large degree to the "faithfulness and efficiency" of the county superintendents. In the same report the superintendent expressed the opinion that the office of township trustee is the "weakest feature" in the school system and recommended that its duties "be more specifically defined, and that the trustees be allowed a small compensation for their services." Gen. Perry retired from office in the fall of 1858 and was succeeded by Gabriel B. Duval, an intelligent and capable officer. His report for 1858 shows an increase in the enumera- tion, of 2,065; in the number of schools taught, of 350; in pupils, of 9,261, and in expenditure, of $11,265,35. The number of pupils registered in 1858 was 98,274-giving an average daily attendance of 42,274. The aver- age duration of the schools was six and a half months, but, as in the pre- ceding year, fully one-half the cost was contributed by the patrons of the schools. A strong party existed in the general assembly at that time, in- tent on abolishing the office of county superintendent, ostensibly in the interests of economy. Mr. Duval made earnest and eloquent appeals against the proposed change. He renewed the recommendation of his predecessor in favor of compensating township trustees, but favored re- ducing the number to one in each township.
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There is a hiatus in the records of the department of education from the fall of 1858 to the beginning of 1859; "no reports detailing the opera- tions of the public schools for that period are to be found on file in the office. This decade was marked by the occurrence of the most exciting events known in the history of the state; the election of Mr. Lincoln; the attempted secession of Alabama; the inauguration of the southern confed- eracy; the four years of the civil war; the collapse of the confederacy; the surrender of its armies and the establishment of a "provisional govern- ment" for Alabama. It is probable, however, that until the occurrence of active hostilities, the schools were kept up with about the same success as before.
In 1868 a change was made. Under the provisions of the constitution of 1867, a board of education was created, to which was committed all the public educational interests of the state. This board had both legis- lative and executive powers. The only check upon its action was the veto of the governor or the reversal or modification of its ordinances by the general assembly. One of its first acts was to abolish the provision in the existing law which allowed township trustees to control the school funds of their respective townships, by which authority they could aid existing schools, establish new schools, and allow tuition fees to be levied to supplement the meager school fund of the township. The public schools throughout the state were declared absolutely free, but as there was no compensatory augmentation of the school fund, the inevitable consequence was fewer schools, having a shorter duration and an imme- diate falling off in interest of school officers and people. The board of education subsequently ordered that voluntary contributions might be received to keep up the schools, but these could not be relied on and therefore did not cure the evil.
Dr. N. B. Cloud was the first superintendent under the new regime and was ex officio president of the board of education. His first report made to the governor, under date of December 10, 1969, announces that county superintendents had been appointed throughout the state, and that they had been authorized to appoint three trustees for each township and to instruct them to make an enumeration of children of school age in their respective townships. From inefficiency of the new officers and from opposition to the new system or its managers, this work was much ·delayed, so that no apportionment could be made until June, 1869. One result from this delay was that teachers who had ventured to open schools were unpaid-some for one month, some for two months and some for longer periods-and when the delayed apportionment was made, the amount was not sufficient to pay for the services already rendered by teachers. The superintendent further states that considerable amounts of the school fund for the years 1866 and 1867, although apportioned, had not been paid, and for the year ending June 30, 1868, neither apportion- ment nor payment was made. Yet schools were in progress much of the
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time. The appropriation for school purposes for the year ending September 30, 1869, was $524,721.68, but this included $100,000 each for the two preceding years, which had not been used, leaving the amount of fund otherwise $327,721.68.
At the annual election in November, 1870, Hon. Joseph Hodgson, then of Montgomery, was elected superintendent of public instruction in place of Dr. Cloud. He found the office in considerable confusion, if we may judge from his special report dated January 28th, 1871, to a direct inquiry from the governor, for he says, that "no system of book-keeping ap- peared to have been observed by his immediate predecessor in office; it was with the greatest difficulty that correct information could be obtained as to the amounts of money paid out to a county during a certain year, and no information could be obtained as to whether the moneys paid out had been legitimately and properly applied." Further on, the superin- tendent alleges that certain moneys had been distributed to county super- intendents "without reference to the unpaid claims held in any given county on the basis of an enumeration of white and colored children made in 1867." He cites an act of the board of education to provide for the payment of outstanding claims for the maintenance of schools, which he thinks was intended "to give a color of authority to the newly appointed superintendent for the disbursement of public moneys to private schools of a certain character," and then gives instances where such misappro- priations had been made. A good idea of the extravagance of official emoluments in that era of misrule and corruption, may be obtained from a glance at the official record of disbursements in that department for the year 1869. Out of a total appropriation of $524,621.68, ten per cent .- $52, 621-was paid in salaries to county superintendents, and $22,549.92 was allowed for clerk hire-so called-for trustees. The courageous and clear sighted officer, then filling the office of state superintendent, did not hes- itate to investigate the matters which had excited his suspicions and to charge that the duplicate sheets of the apportionment of 1870, retained in the office of the superintendent which did not correspond with the tables, filed with the auditor-had been tampered with, and to demand that the general assembly "appoint a committee to examine into the af- fairs of the department of education, with a view to such recommenda- tions as they may think best for its interest."
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