The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-11
UNIVERSAL EDUCATION.
DR.. A. D. Mayo Explains How 1t Pays
An Interesting Address.

An Interesting Address.
A few minutes past o'clock last night
DR. A. d. Mayo stepped upon the rostrum
at Hunter Hall, and began his lecture upon
How Does Universal Education Pay ~ He
was accompanied to the stage by Supt.
Baker and Principal Train. Supt. Baker
introduced the speaker, and said that he was
here for no selfish motive, but with an earn
est desire to stimulate the people
upon the subject of education. DR..
Mayo is a venerable gentleman OF perhaps
80 years. His delivery is rapid and his ges-
lures few. He is droll in anecdote ana
plain and practical in application. There
were no oratorical corrusCatlOns, but the
lecture was altogether on the practical
order and the audience frequently demon
strated by applause that the plain truths
put forward by the lecturer had struck
home.
DR. Mayo started out by saying that in
every American commonwealth the cost or
education is the largest item OF eXpendl-
ture. New York will invest this year from
$4,000, 600 70 SIS, 000, 900 in education. The
whole country will expend 500, WO,OOO.
There are people who say that this is I'M
pardonable extravaganza. The American
system of universal education, the lecturer
said, is made up of the common schools,
reaching from the plantation district school
TO the college, the private schools from the
little crowd about tho DANES knee
TO the great educational corporations like
Yale and Harvard, the schools and semln-
aries of the religious sects, the schools OF
professions, arts and sciences and latteriy
what are known as technical schools. The
people too are building up libraries which
bring every child in contact with the best
literature, and the greatest common educa-
tor-the press.
In his illusions to schools and teachers
DIR. MAYO wished to be understood as mean
ing good schools and good teachers. The
people of the United States, he said, are the
most practical people in the world lhey
look for an expert to perform every par
ticular branch of work. Skilled labor Is
always in demand, but when it comes to
teachers they have an idea that anybody
can teach a school, especially if thai any
body is "a dependent female relative.
Universal education pays first 10y training
and informing the mind. The child Is
trained in punctuality, the concentration
Of mind, and in perseverance and per
sistence; secondly, it pays by building up
the private and personal character of the
youth and thirdly, i'll hard cash dollars.
To education we are indebted for the
great labor saving machinery that has
worked such wonders. boy now can do
at least twelve things that his grandparents
would have sooner attempted to work one
of the miracles of the Old Testament than
to undertake The great patent office at
Washington has been justly called the
chamber of magic and it is only necessary
to go there TO form an idea of the millions
of dollars the country has received in return
for what she has spent in education.
Mr.. Atkinson, the great statistican, has
said that $500 is necessary to provide
true American home. An educated wife IS
necessary to expend this $500. She must be
educated to know not only how to run her
household economically, but to know how
TO steer the small boy-that widest of all
wild animals
DR. Mayo argued for the educating of the
masses The difference between this country
and European countries is that our society
is built from the ground mp, while that Of
foreign lands is from the top down. At
one time the great city of Chicago rested
upon a sickly and disease-breeding founda-
| ton. Powerful screws were put beneath
! the houses, and house by house, block by
| block, and street by street, the whole city
| was raised eight feet into the air. Health
| full air permeated the basement, and ascend
| ing, expelled disease from the whole struc-
| ture. So must education he the screw put
| under the mud sillS of our society, to lift 1t
! up from the malaria of ignorance, Su-
! perStition, shiftlessnesS and vice. In Eu-
| rope the royalty, the upper stories of soci-
| ETY., were locked after, while ignorance and
vice was the malaria that pervaded the
basement. and resulted in anarchy, Social
ism and Nhilism.
The lecture was listened to with the closest
attention Dir Mayo will remain in the
city several days. and he will probably de
liver another lecture, and, perhaps, more
Yesterday he visited the Barnard street
Massie and Cathedral schools, and addr
the children. To-day he will visit the col
| ored schools.