The Savannah morning news., 1904-12-30
EDUCATORS IN
JACKSONVILLE
IN A JOINT CONVENTION
THOSE OF THE SOUTH AND OF
FLORIDA MEET.

Chancellor Walter b. Hill of the
University of Georgia Presides
over the COnventiOn-Addres
Heard-Superinten Sheats Re-
ports Upon the Strides Education
Has Made in Florida Since 1850.
Chancellor Hills Address.
Jacksonville. Fla, Dec. 29.-The
Southern Educa tional Association and
the Florida State Teachers Associa-
ton met tonight in joint session at
the Duval Opera House. Walter B.
Hill, president of the Southern Educa-
tional Association and chancellor of
the University of Georgia, called the
joint convention to order, and after
prayer As-s Rev. W. A. Hobson, an
nounced that Capt. George M. Lynch,
president of the Florida State Teachers
Association and assistant commandment
of the East Florida Military Institute,
would preside.
William N. Sheats, state superintend-
ent of public instruction, delivered the
address of welcome in behalf of the
state. Mr.. Sheats spoke of the remark
able advancement of Florida in educa-
tional lines since 1880. He quoted sta
tistics which showed in that year that
the total enrolment of the public
schools Appropriated $4,000, with an
average attendance OF $1,000, and an
annual expenditure of $1i4.00 while at
present the attendance is $4,000 out
of total of $4,000 children of school
q ic
$4,000 and the amount appropriated
for the current year is $1,07S,0
GaveI for Lynch.
After Mr. Sheats had finished his
speech, Cadet Baxter of the East Flori-
da Seminary presented President
Lynch with gavel.
Mrs. Alexander Sabal favored the au-
dience with solo and D. u. Fletcher
delivered an address OF welcome in be-
half of the city.
o. B, Martin, superintendent of pub
lie instruction of South Carolina, de-
livered humorous reply to the ad-
dresses of welcome, after which r. B.
Fulton, chancellor of the University of
Mississippi, read the report of the
Committee on Aims and Objects of the
Association, of which he is chairman.
The proceedings of the first night
sessions of the associations closed with
the addresses of their presidents
President Hill devoted his attention
to discussion of the Morrill, educa-
tional bill and compared it to the Blair
bill, advocating federal aid for educa-
ton, especially as applied to higher in
situations. He said:
The Morrill, Bill vs.. the Blair Bill.
I'm December, 1903, at the meeting of
this association in Atlanta. | had the
honor to deliver an address in which
federal aid in education was discussed.
The line of thought was then limited
to the proposition that the causes of
the present educational problem in the
South, siz., slavery, its abolition and
the inadequacy of the Southern treas
uries, were causes national in their ORR
gin, influence and operation, and that
for these reasons the South has an in
disputable right to have this burden
shared by the nation.
ION Feb. II, 1904, President Eliot, in
an address. delivered in New York
strongly asserted the same right; and
on Feb. %, 1904, DIR. Charles w. Dab
ney, in an address in Atlanta at the
National Educational Association, adj
vocated the same view. These utter
ances were taken in some quarters as
suggesting a revival of the Blair bill
and the idea of federal aid in educa-
ton has been secuted as a new and
startling proposition. The fact is just
the reverse. Federal aid to education
has been the settled policy ofthe coun-
try for forty-one years. Its constitu-
tionality and its wisdom have been
practically foreclosed by this early
adoption and long acquiescence. The
original measure has been twice sup
plemented and strengthened by ma
tional legislation. This Legislation may
be generally described under the term
the Morrill, bill The original bill was
introduced by Senator Morrill, and be-
came a law in 1858 and sometimes call
ed the landscript act. An important