164 THE ALABAMA OPPORTUNITY. 



appropriations. In every neighborhood in the Tennessee Val- 

 ley, you can find a good public school. High grade certifi- 

 cates are required and state examination of teachers made. 

 Hence you have every facility for educating your children. 

 Iji addition to this advance in appropriation for educational 

 purposes, it is now invited by our Constitution that a local 

 taxation for s'chool purposes be enjoyed in each county inde- 

 pendent of the others, that is, you can now have schools ac- 

 cording to your own notion provided three fifths of the voters 

 favor it. Practically only whites vote: so the spirit of self- 

 government stimulated by self interest, will bring about this 

 local taxation. But without it, you still have a fine school 

 system in the valley, which now under our advanced system 

 have the best of rural educational advantages. 



SOCIAL AND BUSINESS RELATIONS. 



The people of this country are a well bred people, they are 

 courteous, hospitable, they realize that we are land poor, and 

 that it is essential to our prosperity that we have the sturdy 

 industrious Northern far.mer locate with us. When he comes 

 here, we endeavor to make him contented, so that his good 

 influence will induce others'. We have thousands of North- 

 ern farmers in the Tennessee Valley. They represent every 

 state in the North, and every one who comes here, becomes a 

 friend of our country and a helper in building it up, here he 

 finds rich soil, cheap from lack of demand, here lie finds >a 

 genial climate, never too hot, never cold, going to neither ex- 

 treme, a sun stroke or a frozen person being unknown. He 

 finds a law abiding people, a refined, polite and accommodating 

 class, good neighbors in sickness and health, people who are 

 not eternally in pursuit of the dollar, but who act from a 

 neighborly standpoint. Owing to climatic and soil conditions, 

 the minirnum labor here produces the maximum result. ' For 

 twelve months in the year you can work out doors and during 

 that time not suffer a moments loss of sleep from a warm night, 

 for we have no hot nights in the Valley — and but few cold ones. 

 60 is our mean temperature, giving us from 90 to 30 as our 

 average, although we have had extreme cases, where the tem- 

 perature dropped to zero. These are few and far between 

 spells and last but a few hours. 



