The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-04-24


problem OF progress and OF politics Is
no. matter for dispute among reason
able men. The single address of MIR.
Murphy on the Task OF the South con-
tains enough sound political economy and
political ethics to satisfy I'm entire gem
Grafton, One of my colleagues was snow
ing another n Greek vase. and remarked.
isn't 1t pretty2" To which Prof. Norton
replied Pretty 1t Is ultimate. It's the
whole of art" One feels this Same serse
OF conclusiveness as he reads Mr.. Muir
phys discussion with it3 perfect balance
of passion and power, and II nothing mad
been accomplished by the Southern Edu-
cation Board beyond the discovery and
utilization of It's secretary, this achieve
mont would Justify us In regarding the
past year as n success. That education Is
the Key OF Southern as of Northern Sc
cur.ty; that education does not mean po-
litical service or racial antagonfsn; that
education begins at the bottom and not
at the top: that the South and tho North
have q common stake in the education
OF the whole people: that lllteraoy is In
consistent with democracy: that the part
OF the North is not to patronize or critl-
else, but reinforce tho Initiative of the
South. and that the strength and sacrl-
flee of the Southern States for educa-
ton present the most honorable and gal
liant achievement OF modern American
statesmanship-all this Is conclusvely de-
termined, and this Is the common fa.... In
which we meet. The South has been tried
by almost every test OF manhood that
could be devised by the devastation OF
war, by the pangs OF reconstruction. by
Industrial poverty, by political conflicts
and when one now perceives tho emer-
gence Of new courage. self-mastery. and
prosperity in tho South. he is reminded
Of what q New Engander said to an
Englishman MS they stood together on the
hill Of Plymouth and looked across those
sandy shores.
What do you raise in country like
this7' said the foreigner. And the
American answered.:
NV G raise men,"
KNOWLEDGE AND SERVICE.
Let mo dwell for moment upon this
correlation of knowledge and service.
for 1t is full OF instruction both for
those who have to teach and for those
who have to work. On the ono hand tho
call to service democratic s the world Of
! knowledge. A generation ago knowledge
stood quite apart from service. Education
like beauty seemed Its own excuse
for being. Educated people were q
privileged, separated patrldan. BrAhm
caste They spoke tho same dialect. They
quoted from the same classics. They
even held that educational value in study
was decreased as one approached the
bread and butter sciences. Then one
day the modern world was touched ard
transformed by the spirit Of democracy.
A new test was applied for the worth OF
life, the test of service. A man must be
not onlyagsood, but good for something.
We speaEsf It ric1 man as worth GER
tain sum sout the spirit OF democracy
first asks much is he worth? Is he
worth hAs 8? Does the rich man per-
| form a l,s8ic service? II he is not
| scrviceabts instrument OF public good.
| then he II public nuisance and must
| be in some way abated Are his riches.
| as Mr.. Ruskin once said, his wealth be-
| cause 1t Is we'll with him. or should they
| be called his filth because 1t is i'll with
| him? Or. as Mr.. Ruskin remarked in an
| other place. suppose a man in wrecked
| vessel tied bag of gold pieces round
| his waist with which later he was found
at the bottom. should we say that as he
| was sinking he had his gold or should
we say that his gold had him? Precise
| ly the same test Is to be applied to edu-5
| cation. How much is 1t worth? Is 1t
| creating a TT instrument for the service
! OF the modern world? 1t Is not n ques-
! ton of the higher or Of the lower edu-
cation. It is a question of a person. rich
! or poor, North or South, white or black.
| who Is to be drawn out--as the word
education means. discovered. shaped,
| broadened and tempered for the service OF
| the world. and the best education for
| each person is that which draws out the
most of that person and applies him
most effectively to the worlds service.
| This is democracy in education and how
searching Is the test which 1t applies
to ones own life as one considers his
own education. Democracy. says Mr..
| Lowell. means not i am as good as you
are but "you are as good as am"
MEANS MUTUAL RESPECT.
ut means mutual respect and reverence
| in the practice OF the diverse ways OF
| service in the modern world, was talk
| Ing two years ago with Hampton stu-
| dent. who was mending a wagon wheel,
and said to him, I should not like that
| task to be set before me- to which the
| boy with perfect simplicity answered.
Yes. sir, but there are many things
| which you can do which cannot Was
| not that fair statement OF tho principle
| Of service democratzng tho world of
| knowledge? Many man to-day thinks
] himself educated when In reality he Is
| n mere survivor of n prehistoric type
| among the needs of the modern world. He
| is like man who rose one day in New
| York and read a report of his own death
In the morning paper He hurried down
| to the editor to protest. But the edi.
| tor said, we cannot correct the state
| ment Everybody had read It and sur
| vived the shock. You arc practically dead
|
/ mind, we will start you again In the coll
| umn OF births
AIM OF CHRISTIAN LIFE.
| Speaking OF the Christian life. he said
| in conclusion:
| 'What is its aim but to guido knowledge
| to the feet OF service and to lift service
| to the height OF knowledge? What Is the
| picture of an effective modern life which
| The conference cherished and desires to
! reproduce? It is a picture of fertiliz-
| Ing river flowing through thirsty plain,
| Up in tho hills, where the stream first
| rises is the task Of education, the quiet
| fidelity of the teachers work, but all the
while the stream hears the call to SER
vice that summons 1t to the plains oe-
low, and to give the spring to the river,
Tho water to the world. the school to the
State-that Is the task which summons
us here Shut off tho fountain from the
world and the damned up spring be-
comes a source of pestlence rather than
mower. Detach the waterl4f service from
tho springs OF education and the stream
1n Gov 90 oh