The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-26
NEW YORK CONFERENCE
DIR ALDERMAN, PRESIDENT OF.
 TULANE UNIVERSITY
Explains rt-Much Misinformation Given Out About the Meeting.
 Booker Washington is Not Member of Board.


 Education Board in New York. The meeting was contemporaneous with that or the trustees of the Peabody and Slater funds. These gatherings brought togeth- CT large number of the most distin- gufshed educators in the country, and there was mutual interchange of opin- Ions as to the needs and necessities of education in alL parts of the country. Dr Alderman was asked, what was oone at the meeting and especially what transpired at the new famous dinner giv- en at the Waldorf-Astoria. He said: of nnere n,iei nas been. l find, a great deal report from New York concerning the meaning of the Southern Education Board and its purposes. and I am grate- ful of the opportunity to make a correct Democrat.
 T wish to re-express my gratitude for the kindly telegram of The Times-Demo- crat which enabled me to correct par tiaily the misapprehension last Monday
 There has existed for some years body known as the Conference for Edu- cation in the. South, comprising eminent men from both sections who usually met at Capon Springs to discuss matters re- latinS to Southern problems Last April thus conference met at Winston Salem N. z, Through the personal generosity of Robert c. Ogden of New York. e dis tinguished group of men came to Win ston-Salem, and there met representative Southern men. The real difficulties, struggles and achievements of the South were there made so plain that it was determined to organize Southern Edu- cation Board for the purpose of aiding the Southern people to aid themselves in the matter of popular education. The C; Ogden of New York, Chairman; J. l.. M. Curry of Virginia, Chas. W! Dabney of Tennessee. chas.. D. McIver of North Carolina, Edwin A. Aldermen of Louisi- ana, H, B, Frizzell of Virginia, George Foster Peabody of New York and a na- tive of Georgia, Wallace Buttrick of New York, William H. Baldwin of New York, Walter Fl. Page. editor of Worlds Work Albert Shaw. editor of Review of Re- This Board met in New York on Mo- vember of this year and remained in session one wek organizing and discuss ing their plan. The sum of $4O,0O0 per annum for two years was raised to carry on its work. The work to be done di- vided itself into two branches first, a bcreau of information and publication, under the direction of Dr. Chas. W. Dab- ney. The purpose of this bureau is to collect and publish such facts as should be known about the educational situa- ton. Second, a campaign bureau. to car- ry to the people by public speech and by pleading with the public will and enlight- enfng the public mind such facts and ar guments as will arouse the people to greater action in the great fundamental question of popular education. This bu- Curry, Alderman, McIver and Frizzell.
 Aim of the Work.
 This board enters the field of help fulness, bringing with 1t a faith of pur- pose and a method. Its faith is in the moral earnestness of the South. based upon the splendid record of what South ern people have accomplished unaided and alone since 1865. when, with every novo.' to rebuild their civilization. Their faith was based. too, upon the feeling now growing extensively in the North that the Southern people must be trusted own way, aided by the substantial and brotherly help of their Northern fellow countrymen. It's purpose is to reach the public mind, to quicken the public con science and to stimulate the people to self-activity. Its method is to go before the people by means of attractive public speakers taken largely from local sources 10 tell the truth in kindly fashion. and to plead for better things. Not cent of the money will be given to institutions or separate schools. I believe this is a great movement. We have done much, but much remains to be done. The edu- fact in our life. And it will come when our brave people see it's need and feel in their bones and marrow its necessity
 Waldorf-Astoria Dinner
 Nov, as to the Waldorf-Astoria din- ner, MT; Ogden a big, strong. generous
 
 guests to meet the members of the South ern Education Board. The guests com prised the most eminent men In this country in finance. scholarship and let ters. In letters there might be mentioned Lyman Abbott Bishop Doane, Charles H. Parkhurst. Woodrow Wilson, Felix Adler, Murray Butler, Dr. Gilman, the editors of the leading papers in New and Oswald Willard: in finance, Morris K. Jessup, John D. Rockefeller, Jr.. Full. ton Cutting, Wm. H. Schiffelin, George Foster Peabody. The Southern members of the board did not seek to speak, but were asked to speak. explaining the pur- poses of the new movement.
 Tt was an inspiring. honest. true hearted occasion. Nobody asked anybody for any money. There was no appeal hat in hand, for any assistance. The money needed for the propaganda of ed ucation had already been raised.
 There was no parading of the needs or poverty of the South.
 On the contrary. the clearest notes struck during the evening were these:
 First, that the white men of the South must be trusted to do justice and to act people. and that they knew more about 1t than anybody else.
 Second, that the results accomplished by Southern people since the war were worthy of all praise. l. myself, said that such a movement might well apply to all parts of America. that if it were more needed in the South 1t was because the South had had its all swept away, was rural in it's character. instead of urban and had two races to develor which should be one economically. but two for ever socially. The self-reliance, the cour- age and the bravery of the Southern man in his attitude toward institutional de- velopment was largely dwelt upon.
 The third note was that the highest welfare of the negro lay in the education of the white man even more than in his own education.
 q do not think 1t necessary to renew my denial of the absurd transformation received in New Orleans.
 ''Of course. no Southern man advocated or even spoke of social equality.
 Booker Washington was not in New York. was not a member of the Board and never has been. He will be employ ed by the Board to speak and work with the colored race to disseminate among them sane views of education and .'enew- ad efforts to self-improvement, and no wiser CT saner or juster teacher could be found for them.
 These gentlemen are heartily inter- ested in the education of the negro, and they have a right to be. but they are lust as heartily convinced that they can do A high service to their country by lending their assistance in a large-mind- ed way to the Southern white people, leaving the direction of the movement to the people of the South. whom they believe are Attest and wisest to manage 1t.
 .'I have nothing but praise for the spir- If and the purpose of the Northern men who are interested in this movem mt We have all made our mistakes in ucal- ing with negro education and the results have been at times discouraging. The North has made it's mistakes, the South has made it's mistakes and the poor He- gro has made his. The remedy is not to stop effort. but to change methods end