The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1894-08-23
JUDGE GEO. F. GoBER's ADDRESS.

| Ladies and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the Boar,
of Educationof this city, it falls to me to expires
our appreciation of your presence. and to thanl
you for this manifestation of your interest in thu
great cause of popular education.
1t is not necessary to hunt arguments in behal
of public schools. Their place and utility have
been conceded. This country has been racket
with political discussions up and down this earth
| have gone the preachers of dogmas the teachers
of isms and tenets: political parties haze made
their platforms with plank after plank appealing
to the interest and cupidIty of the voter. yet
amid all of this clash of theory and clang of
tion no one has ever gone before the great Ameri-
can people upon platform antagonistic to the
cause Of popular education and got response of
sympathy or vote of approval
This good city determined to have a system of
public schools and modern buildings. She fur
nished this Board the money, and we have set out
to erect the buildings The plans and arrange
ments were made by skilled architects, and were
selected from great number placed before us in
competition. We have contracted with as able
and reliable builders as there are ia Georgia for
it's construction and completion. This building,
when finished will be complete in all its appoint
ments beyond all, it will be well lighted, heated
and ventilated This will be God-send to our
children. The sentiment here was universal that,
in entering upon this construction, we should
have our Grand Master here, our Grand Work
man, to place this corner stone in accordance with
the rites and solemnities of the Grand and Noble
Order of Free Masonry. We are proud of his
presence; we esteem the honor he does us. He
lays this stone according to the rules of
Craft; we will build ON it. From it, upward and
heavenward, we will erect the great walls of a
grand building. lis foundation is secure; the
Master Workman has fixed it; it will stand, de-
voted to the great cause of educationa cause that
attacks no mans politics-that insults no mans
relgion-that teaches morality, and offers knowl-
edge as broad and deep as the universe itself.
On this corner stone our building will go up as
a friend of every mans child. The rich and the
poor will meet upon common level in the arena
of the school room. An entry will not depend on
money or social standing; place will belong to
every child as heritage-as a birthright.
We know that it is insisted sometimes that the
burdens of taxation for free schools fall uneq ualy
that one man gets more benefit from it than
another-that one man has more property than
another. Our body polite is an aggregation of
citizens, each of whom has voice in the policy
of the government through the influence of his
ballot. So, too issues of factof life and liberty
arc determined by the juries of the country
men selected from the everyday walks of life,
and so chosen for the reason that they are not
professional men. How important to the existence
of our government and the perpetuity of our in
stitutions that the people should be educated
Just as man is endowed with property, so is he
interested in popular education.
In conclusion, desire to thank our brethren
who are present from the different Lodges of the
county. Every man in Cobb county is interested
in the success of this work-in this building. You
come to congratulate on our undertaking. l
yield to no brother deeper reverence, a greater
allegiance, TO our Grand Order of Masonry. am
proud to point to her history through the centur-
les of her existence as the friend of the poor the