10 



ALABAMA. 



appropriations, school appropriations, and the 

 revised code and premature payments to coun- 

 ty superintendents, all of which involves the 

 payment of $332,620.05, not taken into consid- 

 eration in making the estimate. The rate of 

 taxation was reduced by the last Legislature 

 from 75 to 50 cents on the hundred dollars of 

 the valuation of property. 



The aggregate taxation of the State amounts 

 to about $2,489,916 or 2.05 per capita for the 

 entire population. This is very small com- 

 pared to that of some other States. In Ver- 

 mont, for instance, the taxation is $5.29 per 

 capita; in Massachusetts, $14.35; in Ohio, 

 $8.72 ; and in New York, $11.55. In Mobile 

 the aggregate taxation is $13.07 for each in- 

 habitant, and in Montgomery, $13.83. There 

 are in the State 4,501,703 acres of improved 

 and 13,618,390 acres of unimproved land, the 

 aggregate value of which is $81,109,102.03, 

 and the annual taxation $607,979.52. The total 

 value of town property is $36,005,780.50, and 

 the tax upon it is $268,865.89. 



The cost of the school-system for the year 

 was $727,200.53, of which $211,217.79 re- 

 mained unpaid at the end of the fiscal year, 

 and became chargeable upon the revenue for 

 1871-72. 



The following are the common-school sta- 

 tistics for the year: 



WHITS SCHOOLS. 



Number of pupils enrolled male 45,396 



Number of pupils enrolled female 41,580 



Total 86.976 



Average number in attendance (J6,338 



Number of primary schools 544 



Number of Intermediate schools 792 



Number of grammar-schools 812 



Number of high-schools 251 



Total number of schools 2,309 



Number of teachers male 1,573 



Number of teachers female 924 



Total number of teachers. 2,479 



Average rate of pay of teachers per month $42.15 



Average number of mouths and days taught, 3 



months 8| days. 

 Increased school-term since last year, 19 days. 



COLORED SCHOOLS. 



Number of pupils enrolled male 27,512 



Number of pupils enrolled female 26,824 



Total 54,336 



Average number in attendance 41,308 



Number of primary schools 751 



Number of intermediate schools 143 



Number of grammar-schools 26 



Number of high-schools 2 



Total number of schools 922 



Number of teachers male 745 



Number of teachers female 228 



Total number of teachers 973 



Average rate of pay of teachers per month $43.06i 



Average number of months and days taught, 3 



months 4J days. 



Increased attendance since last year 25,211 



Increased school term since last year, 1GJ days. 



ALL SCHOOLS IN 1871. 



Total number of pupils enrolled male 72 908 



Total number of pupils enrolled female 68,404 



Total enrolment 141,312 



Total average attendance male 55,239 



Total average attendance female 52,427 



Total average attendance 107,660 



Total increased attendance since last year 55.(i60 



Total number of primary schools 1,21*5 



Total number of intermediate schools 935 



Total number of grammar-schools 838 



Total number of high-schools 253 



Total number of schools 3,321 



Number of male teachers 2,318 



Number of female teachers 1,152 



Total number of teachers 3,470 



These statistics show that, while the increase 

 in the school fund available for tuition in 1871 

 over that available in 1870 was only 17 per 

 cent., the increase in school attendance was 

 over 106 per cent. 



The University of Alabama, which is located 

 near the town of Tuscaloosa, was reorganized 

 during the year. A board of regents was ap- 

 pointed, and Commodore Matthew F. Maury, 

 of the University of Virginia, was chosen presi- 

 dent. After accepting the position, and deliv- 

 ering his inaugural address in a hopeful tone, 

 Commander Maury resigned on account of 

 some dissatisfaction with the means and appli- 

 ances afforded the institution. General George 

 P. Harrison, the commandant and professor of 

 military engineering, also resigned, stating his 

 reasons as follows : 



"The depressed financial condition of the 

 university, the utter disregard which has 

 been shown the military department in the 

 appropriation of tTiose funds that were avail- 

 able, the plan of cadet or student (soldier or 

 civilian) as the applicant may elect, the free- 

 and-easy plan of an open-course university 

 (the faculty equally responsible), with no presi- 

 dent or superintendent to command and direct, 

 and the failure to make any provision for 

 arms, accoutrements, and uniforms, all con- 

 vince me that, under present circumstances, 

 the military department of the university can 

 only be run on a 'wooden gun' system, which 

 would neither be creditable to the State of 

 Alabama nor myself." 



Notwithstanding these drawbacks, the uni- 

 versity opened on the 4th of October, with 

 a competent corps of instructors, and about 

 70 students. Major Murfee had been chosen 

 commandant, but there was no president, the 

 faculty acting as a body of management of the 

 institution, and Prof. N". T. Lupton presiding 

 as their chairman and official head. The old 

 buildings were burned during the war, but 

 their place has been filled by a stately struct- 

 ure, including under one roof the halls for lec- 

 tures and recitations, etc., and the dormitories 

 of the students. Although the requirements 

 for admission are very low, the students are 

 allowed, after matriculation, to select the 

 branches they will pursue. The institution 

 receives $24,000 a year from the State, and 

 each student or cadet pays $200 a year for tui- 

 tion and board. Alabama received during the 

 year her quota of the land-scrip granted by- 

 Congress to aid in the establishment of ngri- 



