The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-12

..t~~est VT DodStlut, IF assure you thas sne Bankers of your State feel that they have done their full duty In building up our great interprises. As proof of this, l refer you to the fact, that all of the supstantiai. solid manufacturing interests or your State are now obtaining money 70 build up and carry on their works at rate of interest not exceeding the legal rate of the great Empire State of New York. During the past season, the bankers of your State have sought inves.- ments at this rate of interest. In other states of the Union. This would seem 70 Indicate. Mir. Mayor. that the bankers or your State are In advance of the march of progress. and that spirit of enterprise Is wanting for the develop ment of our vast resources. Such Is the Tact. for if our citizens possessed the proper educated skill no iron, would ever be shipped from our State in bars and pigs. and no cotton in bales. They would be shipped fin the fabrics and articles de- manded by commerce. This educated skill can be obtained by educating our young men in the arts of productive industry. and to do this best we should establish at our State University School of Mines. and a Textile School at our Agricultural College. One hun dred thousand dollars spent in this manner would be like bread cast upon the waters. and in few years be re- turned many fold.
 Productive Skill.
 ''The productive strength of com munity Is in the direct ratio of its knowledge and intelligence. A British writer illustrates this fact in this man. ner. The Hindoos are the oldest cot ton manufacturers and the cotton grows at their very doors. and labor Is cheaper there than anywhere else. yet the British manufacturer takes the cotton from their doors. brings 1t thir- teen thousand miles, manufactures it at a higher rate of wages and carries back the manufactured goods and un- dersells the Hindoo at their own door, What enables them to do this? It is the producing power, which educated skill gives to England The pecuni- dry value created by educated skill is well illustrated by another writer.
 A bar of iron valued at five dol lars. worked into horse shoes Is worth ten dollars. into pen knife blades, three thousand dollars. into balance springs for watches. two hundred and ffty thousand dollars. All of the value above five dollars Is due to and pro- duced by educated skill.
 "On a much larger scale. let me pre- sent an equally forcible illustration. It Is almost within the memory of our fathers when a portion of the State of New York was occupied by numerous and powerful tribes of Indians. The six nations were strong in intellect. quick in action and had many beauti- full characteristics. They lived under organized governments, and framed powerful confederacies. whose infu- ence was courted in the proud old -lon- n nf TCtfr0 lf New Yord had been long the home of the red man. The ground was full of their dead generations, yet 1t was a wilderness still. and all their values were represented by few belts of wampuEi They had none of that pro- ductive power which educated skill gives to community. They are al- ready gone and forgotten as nations and their few surviving individuals ueddle their baskets and Indian orna. ments on the crowded highways of ed- ucated travel. But the forest glades where around their council fires the wild eloquence of their prophets and orators aroused their associate braves: are now covered with the fields. the farms, the factories, the canals, the railroads. the cities, the schools. the churches. the arts and the untold wealth of five millions of New York CTS.
 What has produced that great change? l answer, the productive power of educated skill has wrought this wonderful transformation Let us now. for one moment, compare that portion of New York with the little kingdom of Saxony. That Kingdom is in area about one-third as large as that part of New York lying north of the Mohawk and is similar to it in physi- ro1 r~An he trf Saxony has one grand. great univer- sity the University of Leipsic. and the streamlets of knowledge flowing from It's halls have built up schools of every kind and character. all over the king dom. Not only schools of law and med icine, but schools of industry or tech nical schools Of all kinds. She has her institutes for commerce and military affairs. and seventeen technical schools of industry. She has twenty four schools for laee-making. so that the co-eds, when graduated will pos sess sufficient educated skill to make living for themselves If the money which has been spent on common schools by our State. had been used to build up a grand university, we would now have thousands Of good common and industrial schools all over our State, for education rarely ever
  downward. One grand university will make thousand common and indus trial schools; but a million of common schools will never make you great university.
 Result of Education.
 Under such a system of education Saxony could not fail to be as 1t is, one of the most remarkable countries of civilized Europe. There is no country where more is made from the land. and its granite hills are pierced with five hundred mines. No one can fail to be struck with the wonderful thrift comfort, intelligence and contentment everywhere apparent and all the arts are carried to the highest perfection Northern New York is almost as far be- hind Saxony as the six nation were behind the New Workers. The produc- tive value of educated skill makes the difference. Who has imagination suf- f,cient to conceive of the wealth of Alabama a half century hence. if she had the productive. educated skill of Saxony, to develop her resources? The combined intelligence of the State should be aroused to get the Legisla- ture to establish school of mines at her State University and a textile school at her Agricultural College. If these schools were established, the bankers of your State would not have to go outside to secure Investments nor keep their. money locked up in 3 and 4 per cent bonds. The graduates from the school of mines. possessing