Birmingham state herald., 1897-02-20
INTERESTING SESSION
Of the Jefferson County Institute Was Held at Powderly Thursday Night
 Principal Questions Discussed

Thursday night, at the opening session of the Jefferson County Institute. 1t soon became evident that the teachers present were so many Leyden jars charged. cleo trically, to their full capacity. The inn mediate agency of friction that induced the electrolysis was the defeat in the leg islature of the general school bill.
 MT. Gesler, of Powderly, in his address of welcome, let pass a positive charge. He said that it has become evident that in material development this sectleh ot north Alabama had materlalized Tn neaII and soul. It is evident that general piii, for whatever purpose, can have no sup port from some of those sent to represent us. Petty. local affairs and personal ends are the highest if not the only ideais ok many legislators. He bade the teachers moi desnair. but put cumulative force into action in the community Mir Geis- Ter forcibly illustrated this cumulative influence From the ceiling suspend s mass of iron weighing many tons; py its side suspend a cork stopper. stand to tue side. lift this cork and throw 1t agalnst the mass of iron. Do it for hundreds or times. This motion of the cork finally pe- gins to impart it's cumulative energy 70 the iron, and the iron begins to sioWiy sway Keeping up the motion or the cork adds to the motion of this iron, and at last the experimenter has the joy or seeing what was apparently an inert mass swayed and impelled by the lnsiS- nifcant cork" The teachers of the eoun, ty and state, though now insulted through their representatives, by actlnS on n@this principle of cumulative energy, could in a few years sway the presehs deadness of the irresponsive house or representatives. ,, trode Thinking that tine bill. as killed. was the best fate that could have be- fallen it. He had been present at Mont- gomery, ard when questioned relative 10 the bill had answered according to the best lights before him that the plli was bad He plead for unification of purpose, stating that there was alVlsloh of the teachers on the proposed meas ures that met defeat. He prophesied that in two years time sr h influence could be brought to bear that any measure re- ceiving the indorsement of the teachers of the state could become law. he had no hard feelings for any one, no criticism to make. He became so per suasive indeed, that once by lapse or the tongue he said fellow citizens in stead of fellow teachers '-the old habit of the stump getting the upper hand.
 It was evident when MT. Cunningham arose that he was fully electrified He said he was sick at heart. That the state educational association, through it's duly appointed committee, had through falth- full work, been crowned with success III the senate, but had been insu,ted in the house The labors of the state commit tee the recommendations of the governor, the labors of the senate, the influences of that great and good man, Dr. J. L. Al. Curry had all been sacrificed to the small ness of local legislation. It did not seem possible that the same house that was moved to tears by the pleadines of Dr. Curry could so soon forget its motives. MT. Cunningham said that an ex- perenced congressman, who was pres ent at the delivery of Dr. Curry's ad dress, remarked to him, That was glorious appeal, but politicians have no hearts. I have seen this house twice be- fore moved in the same way, and have also seen that the influence came to naught. prophecy that this educational movement will meet like defeat" The congressman's vision was that of the seer.
 MT Cunningham then paid his respects to MT. Burruss, stating that the gentle man had been performing an act rare for Mir. Burruss, that of speaking with out a point. MT, Burruss put him in mind of the Hardshell preacher who preached a very windy sermon from: ''Men are as prone to evil as the sparks are to fly upward but upon finding that his supposed text was not in the Bible, he felt in a condition of collapse. The bill to which Mir. Burruss made mention was a vicious bill but had been exchanged for another bill, the latter carrying out the recommenda tions of the Alabama Educational association. The speaker said: "It is needful that offenses come, but woe unto him by whom offense com eth.' The teachers of Jefferson county should place mark against the name of every man who was instrumental in the defeat of the sena te bill. The friends of education should see to it that two years hence men should be placed in pow CT who would not ignore their wishes and insult their efforts. He believed in lighting a. firebrand in Jefferson county, carrying it to the Alabama Educational association and in setting this whole state a-fire with the paramount needs of education, and welding such an infiu- ence that no representative dare have the assurance to insult the organized teach CTS of the state. "If we fight the devil fight him with fire"
 The heavy discharge of this gentleman induced negative current from Mr. Dewberry. He did not agree that the de- feated bill was the best bill. He thought that the educational committee was somewhat to blame. This committee had prepared a memorial, when it should have formulated the complete law, and asked for it's adoption. He was ready to con tinue the fight; that he had finally given his consent to the senate bill and had worked for it's passage
 MT. Burruss arose to state that he had improved the opportunity by reading the second senate bill handed to him by MT Cunningham, and that he withdrew his strictures. He found that he was under misapprehension. and that so far as he could judge by the nasty reading and by the explanations offered he thought it was a misfortune that the bill was ignored by the house.
 Dr. Cunningham here explained that it had been the committees plan to write a bill, just as suggested by AIT. Dew berry, but that at the earnest request of Gov Johnston had not done so. The gov ernor's intention, as was afterward car ried out was to have appointed a com mittee to sit during the Christmas recess to re-codify the school laws of the state