The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-04-29

why they, thrilling with the impulses
OF youth and strength should not have
a country to love, an age to serve,
work to do, and a training for that
work. Alien to this new generation were
the subtleties of divided sovereignty or
responsibility for the presence of the
African in our life; and strange to their
eyes and ears the fading fires and re-
treating noises of battle and of war.
The vision was life--unconquered, tu
multuous beautiful, wholesome, regen-
erative, young life-aslling a chance OF
its elders to live Worthily in its world
and time. The elders had their day,
and had had acquaintance with achieve
ment and sadness and defeat, but here
stood indicated youth. Life is
greater than any theories," said this
vision. 1--WE ask the right to live!"
The Good Master once set little child
in the midst of his warning disciples and
declared to them that the pathetic
little figure prefigured to men forever the
kingdom of Heaven. Again and again in
the long, dark story of the struggles of
the race. that figure has appeared and
real greatness of soul has never failed
to catch the meaning of the radiant pres
ence We may be sure that it was pres
ent to the eyes of William, the Silent,
and that the German had seen it in his
dark hours, and the Frenchman and the
Englishman and the Greek and all great
races which have brought things to pass.
Lee and Curry saw it. and thousands of
like souls followed their leading and
found their work and were happy as we
arc today with our work lying before
&c ri agx
edness. Let all Americans be grateful
to the God of nations that He had us
Enough in his care to choose for us such
leaders as these whose strength was as
the strength of ten, because their hearts
we're pure" Lee gave his great exam
PIE and a few years of noble service to
the nation, and then passed. like Arthur,
while the new sun arose upon the new
DAY" A happier fortune befcll DR.. Cur
ry There was left to him over two
decades of time in which to strive for
the realization of his dreams and the
fulfillment of his plans.
The general agency of the Peabody and
of the Slater boards. two of the noblest
creative forces which have ever been
set to work upon the life of the re-
public, came TO him as the opportunity
of his life, and his last years were to
be years of unfaling youth wherein he
was able in the service of these boards
to think clearly, to will resolutely, to
work joyfully toward high national ends.
The task that confronted him, in its
larger lines, was to democratiDe the
point of view of an aristocratic society,
to renationalize its impulses and aspira-
tions, to preach the gospel of national
unity to both sections; to stimulate the
habit of community effort for public
eGds to enrich the concept of civic
virtues to exemplify the ideal of social
service and to set the public school in
its proper correlation to all other edu-
cational agencies, in the front of the
public mind as the chief concern of con-
structivc craftsmanship. His task, in
its more technical aspects, was TO re-
veal the public school as it should be-
actually a work in democratic society
with all Of its ecessities-trained and
cultured teachers, varied curricula, APP
/ pealing to hand and eve and mind; in
dustrial training, beautiful surroundings
nourished by public pride and strength
ened by public confidence. The first ten
/ years of his work were years of battle
/ for the development of public opinion,
and it was to be a great struggle, for
many heresies were afield. He was told
/ by those who sat in high places that
1 public schools were goddess, and that
/ the State had no right to tax one man
| to educate another mans child; that it