1899 whatever good traits the boys may have. It is located near East Lake. The establishment of this school is due mainly to the untiring efforts and the great mother sympathies of Mrs. R. D. Johnston, of Birmingham, who for some years wrote, spoke, begged, and urged the State the State to establish a home for the neglected boys of Alabama. Before public assemblies, State legislatures, and private friends, she pleaded the cause of the boys, "the stuff that men are made of," until the general assembly of Alabama endorsed her plan and gave $3,000 towards creating the school. This amount has been gradually increased by succeeding legislatures until now the institution is in a flourishing condition. A goodly number of boys from this school now hold responsible positions, and are happy in the discharge of the duties of good citizenship. It stands as a monument to those who have devoted themselves to the holy cause of providing this means of redeeming for useful manhood the boys committed to its kindly protection and loving instruction. SUMMARY Early settlers in Alabama occasionally received moral and religious instruction from some passing priest or preacher. Of Protestant denominations the Baptists and Methodists were the first to begin regular and active work in Alabama. Among those who have made the people mindful of nobler and better things in life may be mentioned Lorenzo Dow, Miss Dorothea Dix, Dr. Peter Bryce, Dr. Jos. H. Johnson, Dr. J. Marion Sims, Dr. Jerome Cochran, and Mrs. R. D. Johnston. Lorenzo Dow was one of the first Protestant preachers to travel through the scattered settlements and preach to the people; Miss Dix brought about the establishment of the Bryce Hospital; Dr. Bryce encouraged the kindlier treatment of the insane; Dr. Johnson secured the foundation of the Institutes for the Deaf and Blind; Dr. Sims' discoveries changed the practice of surgery throughout the world; Dr. Cochran originated the splendid plan for the protection of public health, and Mrs. Johnston's work caused the establishment of the Boys' Industrial School and Farm. The convict system was reformed by R. H. Dawson and others. QUESTIONS 1. What religious agencies were there in territorial times? 2. Describe Lorenzo Dow and his work. 3. Give an account of the growth of Protestant churches. 4. Sketch the work of Miss Dorothea L. Dix. 5. Give an outline of the life of Dr. Bryce. 6. Describe the work of Dr. Searcy. 7. For what is Dr. Johnson noted? 8. What made Dr. Sims famous? 9. Give a brief history of the life of Dr. Cochran. 10. What prison reforms were brought about in 1883? 11. What did Mrs. R. D. Johnston accomplish? 12. What has been accomplished by the Boys' Industrial School? CHAPTER XXVI ALABAMA INDUSTRIES I. Industrial Geography 1. Boundaries.-Alabama occupies a favorable geographical position. Its northern boundary buts against Tennessee; Georgia skirts its eastern limits, and Mississippi its western; Florida and the Gulf of Mexico bound it on the south. 2. Rivers.-The Tennessee river enters the northeastern corner, and sweeps down through the rich, grain-producing counties of Jackson and Marshall, and runs along the borders of Madison, Morgan, Limestone, Lawrence, Colbert, and Lauderdale, passing out in the extreme northwest on its voyage to the Ohio. The Tombigbee enters from Mississippi on the west, a few miles below Columbus. On it float steamboats which carry to the beautiful Gulf port on Mobile Bay, the cotton and other agricultural products of Pickens, Sumter, Greene, Marengo, Choctaw, western Clarke, and Washington counties. It is joined, just above Demopolis, by the Black Warrior, which brings barges of coal and vessels freighted with the products of farms from Hale, Tuskaloosa, and Greene counties. The Alabama flows through the heart of the State. It bears the multiplied products of rich farms and thriving factories, and delivers to markets the immense cotton crops of Montgomery, Autauga, Lowndes, Dallas, Wilcox, eastern Clarke, Monroe, and Baldwin counties. The Coosa extends several hundred miles to the northeast, and is fed by navigable branches that reach far into Georgia. The Tallapoosa flows from Georgia and unites with the Coosa to form the Alabama. It is not navigable, but affords fine water-power for machinery. Its falls and rapids are full of beauty. The Chattahoochee, coming from Georgia, strikes Alabama at West Point, and takes a southerly. course between the two States. Joining the Flint, about twenty-five miles above the Florida line, it forms the Appalachicola, which affords a passageway to the large steamers of the Gulf. The Choctaw hat chee, Es căm bia, Co ne cuh, Sipsey, Noxubee, and other small rivers impart richness to the soil along their banks, and await appropriations from Congress with which they will be made navigable. 3. Surface. No high mountains are within the State. The Appalachian system tapers from Lookout Mountain until lost in Bibb and Tuskaloosa counties. The section through which the system extends offers a wonderful variety of hill and valley, rocky gorges, and waterfalls, and overlooks plains that stretch away into the blue distance. Sandhills pass southeastwardly through the State from Choctaw county to the Chattahoochee river, giving many miles of rugged hills and charming landscapes. Huge rocks and caves, winding streams, and towering trees give delightful relief to the sweep of river valleys and receding lowlands. 4. Area, Soil, Products, Belts.-The State extends a little more than three hundred miles from north to south, and a little less than two hundred miles from east to west. It contains fifty-two thousand two hundred and fifty-one square miles of area. Its soils are of every kind, from the poor sandhills to the rich river-bottoms. Its crops embrace nearly everything to be found in the temperate zone and many things of the tropics. Its forests and minerals, its climate, and its agricultural resources have given people many ways to make a living. It is divided into four great belts-the cereal (grain) belt, the mineral belt, the cotton belt, and the timber belt. II. Cereal Belt 5. Extent, Soil, Products.-The cereal belt comprises the eight most northern counties. It spans the State from east to west, and embraces the valley of the Tennessee with its tributaries. No section of the State is more charming in scenery, soil, and climate. Mountains temper the heat of summer and break the cold of winter. Grains and grasses are of marvellous yield. Cotton thrives. Hardy orchard fruits and broad acres of vineyards yield large crops when intelligently cultivated. Big plant nurseries are near Huntsville. One order for seventy-five thousand Alberta peach sprouts to be shipped to the West was filled by one of these nurseries. Wild fruits are abundant. Stock-raising is profitable. Excellent water-power and plentiful fuel-supply have long sustained factories. Huntsville, Florence, |