The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1904-05-04
AS.
WELL
Makes Louisiana Report at Birm-
tngham Educational Confer.
ence and Outlines his
Plans.

remarks made by Superinten-
dent.elect Aswell at the Ednca-
tiOnal Conference at Birming-
ham, Ala. Wednesday, reported
in The Times Democrat, will be
read with great deal of interest,
as giving evidence of his plans
for educational work in this
State:
Nothing of itself stands alone.
The union of spirits produces
the great things of life. The
forces of this age are two divine
spirits. born in heaven and ex-
pressed on earth: the one the
spirit of democracy, equal priv
leges; the other, the spirit of
universal education, equality of
opportunity. They, united, make
it impossible for any physical
power to avail against the infinite
power of such forces. They are
nearest the divine and will live;
for mightier than matter is
mind, mightier than mind is
spirit, mightier than spirit is
God.
THE revelation to man of his
power to create and enjoy the
blessings of democracy gave him
the first glimpse of the i'm
measurable wealth that Law with
in his grasp; but the transforma-
ton in the school of poor fallen
man, through the development
of his GOd-like faculties into the
likeness of his Maker, is the
miracle of the ages.
1T is good to educate the few,
but universal education is the
necessity of any permanent civil
izatiOn. Democracy and uni
versal education are the vitaliz-
ing forces of nations. The one
is living and helping others live,
the other is knowing how to live.
No nation lives without them,
and nowhere do you find the one
enduring without the other.
They are interdependent and in.
separable.
These are the forces that
give strength and courage to the
Department of Education in
Louisiana to undertake the task,
however difficult and serious, of
removing from the fair name of
the State every stain of illiteracy.
There are abundant evidences
that the difficulties in the way
are not to be overcome without
struggle or pain. We have a
small school fund, a mixed popu-
latiOn, and two distinct Ian
guages; a sparsely settled coun-
try, with poor roads and INSULT
Gent means of transportation;
the Mississippi river, with it's
annual floods and expensive
levee system, and traces of an
aristOcratic sentiment against
free schools for the poor We
know that we can not lay any
especial claim to greatness be-
cause of past educational achieve
ment, but, in spite of the hard
ships that we well foresee, there
are unmistakable evidences that
we are approaching a period of
notable activity in educational
work.
I'm this report I am not in
clined to give q puny wall be-
cause of our trials and discour
agements, but rather to speak
of our plan of work before which
we expect. difficulties to disap-
pear and through which we hope
to bring new life and power to
every child in the State, however
poor or neglected.
NEED OF COOPERATION.
The Department of Education
is not alone in this undertaking..
The press of the State is making
q gallant stand. ever ready to
champion our cause. The people
believe that we are now rich
enough to have good schools for
the children and that we are too
poor not to have them. We be-
1soro that uo aro r1d onouuh En- |