The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-20
FIRST MEETING IN
 ITS NEW QUARTERS
Jefferson County Teachers Hold
 Session In City Hall
INTERESTING ADDRESSES
pr. Phillips, In the Absence of Mayor Drennen, Welcomes the Assoeation. Prof. Ellis Makes the Principal
 Speeeh-Larae Attendance.

; UG JtltISon OoAAAy 41aAA1Ao aoeb- citation held it's first meeting since going into It's new quarters at the city hall yes terday morning.
 The attendance was the largest in the history of the association, and much in- terest and enthusiasm was manifested. Both city and county teachers and large number of citizens were present.
 Mayor Drennen was unable to attend and in his absence Dr. J. H. Phillips de- livered an address of welcome. He spoke of the ideals of the teachers. It has been said that the schools should keep out of politics, but I think that they should be In politics and above politics. They should be the power behind the government, and to effect this the teachers should take an interest In the affairs of government The ideas of teachers are not mere crystal ized theories, but they amount to some thing, and should have influence.
 Superintendent J. NJ. Dill of Bessemer responded to Dr. Phillips speech and thanked the city for the use of the city hall and the board of revenue for the comfortable chairs, and stated that he took that as evidence of the interest the city and county officials are taking in ed- ucation in Jefferson county
 Mrs. S. F. H. Tarrant, the retiring pres ident, who has served two years in that office, and one of the most popular edu- cators in the county, then made vale dictory address. q am pleased to see the association in such a splendid con- dition, and feel sure that under your new president you will continue to grow. Our meetings, held first in the criminal court room. then in Magnolia hall, and now in these comfortable quarters should be an evolution that will give joy to all the members. The inspiration one can re- l ceive from this social intercourse with his fellow teachers Is of inestimable ben eft and should not be neglected" Professor Ellis Speech. Professor s. A. Ellis of Woodlawn, the newly elected president, then made his inaugural speech. taking as his subject the Moral Training of Children" He said in part:
 we are just entering upon a new era in our profession in Jefferson county, anc practically throughout the state. Int system of supervision of our schools fl far better than ever before. By the loca tax our teachers are encouraged by nor work and better pay and longer tenur of position is insured. Is not the worl we have begun worthy of the deepes thought? Character building that zoe | to make up a well-rounded man or wo man lies wholly within the sphere of oul domain.
 Look where we will, we can find noth | ing that offers the stimulus to the morals of the young that can take the place oi 1 the teachings of that sacred volume | There we have the lives of the great and good portrayed to us in vivid pictures | There are the ten commandments that | contain the very essence of the Divine mind in reference to our duty to God and to man. There is the law we are to re- spect and obey, and are to teach it tc our children as we go out and come in.
 "Wil you banish 1t from the schools ond thus tetray a lack of courage to sus' tain code of morals accepted by al oreeds as the only sure and safe guide just for fear of invading the field of g creed or dogma, in which 1t is the pecu | Tar province of the church to instruct thu youth? The teacher may not and shoult not inculcate the peculiar belief or creed | of any sect or class of people. Indeed | te would be an unworthy teacher wh' | would infringe upon the tenets of an. | church, or in any manner ridicule O lring into disrepute the doctrines or re llgious beliefs of any sect For this 1 more sacred than life itself. Man is creature of imitation; God so designe him to be. He is taught only from model laid before him. He Is not independen of examples and models, by which he to build his character. This being tru that book is full of the lives of the goo and the bad for us to initiate or shui 1t is in the main a compilation of bit Graphy, which is the truest history Car ile says. "Biography Is the most unive sally profitable and the most universal pleasant of all reading. Biography Is u cnly true history" Listen at Longfelloy Lives of great men all remind us, W can make our lives sublime"
 Moral Reforms.
 Fellow teachers we live at the vel fountain of moral reform with the your at our feet to receive our instruction and imbibe our precepts at the age mol susceptible to impressions, we hold our hands the destiny of the people.
 "To neglect the moral training of ou children is to sap the very foundatio of this government. Moral rot Is the de caying of the pillars on which this O any other government rests. Histor' tells us that amid the splendor of her In tellectual brightness and her affluences
 Rome tottered and fell, because the nor al correlatiye was wanting The same
 true with all other civilizations of tn
 tioi,ity. Let us t9Ee warning in tite
 Ia there a need to fear Am I a pessi mist? What is the tendency today? Tax q few illustrations and figures: Thinl of our people so losing their trust Ii the arm of Jehovah that they must g armed in their hip pocket. thus pro claiming to the world their willingness | to commit murder.
 "often we are shocked at the decisiol