The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-07
MONDAY, MARCH ', 1904.
scHooLs AND FREE LECTURES

SCHOOLS AND FREE LECTURES.
 The Congressional Record the biggest newspaper in tho world. as 1t has been callsd. often contains quantities of dreary stun. It often contains. too. matter of Iivc.y and present interest. We find such in the issue of March ?. where speech appears made by Congressman Rider of tenn of the metropolis.
 The system was inaugurated there more than sixteen years ago by Abram 8. Hs~- fit. when Mayor of New York. It was established as an adjunct of the public schools and was meant not only for th5 pleasure and benefit of parents and adults generally. but it was hoped that these would be drawn to take a greater interest in the schools themselves and their work. The beginning was modest enough for so big place. There were is8 lectures given and there was an ave craze attendance of 119 grown people. The first few months of experiment proved very encouraging, and plans were laid on a larger scale and the work de- veloped so rapidly that in the years from October. 1900. to May. loOi.i lectures to the number of 1888 were giv- en and the attendance had mounted to 5ss.55s. For the year 1901-O2 there were zaAs lectures given and the attendance was 5S5.90s. Taking the whole city, or all the boroughs of Manhattan, there were At- Q 2 1T ,.A ssz251 in attendance to hear them. In 1soe-s for the same territory, 4.221 lec- fufea were given and 1,204.l26 were In at- tendance.
 These figures show that the free lec- tire system is securely established in New York and MT. Rider shows that 1t fs rapidly extending to other cities large and small. The bottom idea of the whole aehenne is that we do not learn all we need to know at school. Horace Greeley once said, "Of all horned cattle, deliver me from a college graduate" In truth 1t IS only a college graduate with his diplorna newly in hand, that knows all that is to be known. Plain people and even the college graduate after a year or two of buffeting at the hands of the world, recognize that we are at school an our lives long. Lectures literary, his toricaI and scientific enable the educated to keep in touch with, and the unlearnad to get in touch with, the culture of the time. Every woman's club in Alabama that has for it's object something more worthy than the distribution of prizes at A game of cards, has we may be sure, rendered a sound service in enlarglns the knowledge of It's members at the same time that it has brightened theiI daily lives. The testimony Is overwheln.- ing as to the good accomplished in Ne~ york by free lectures at evening in taC public school rooms They are givcr there in various languages and are TO inforced by music at times. The lectuf' CTS are paid a small fee on the theory that to get satisfaction you must gis, satisfaction.
 We should be glad to see an efrIr made in Montgomery during the mex school year in the direction we have in dIcated. We are not unmindful of thC wholly unselhsh work that has been done here internationally during recent years but the parents of the children and al other adults should be appealed to. Al experiment for one school year might be made on the basis of gratuitous wor4 on the part of lecturers. A stereopticor outfit would cost little in comparison ws4h the good 1t could be made to aG
 Let the school authorities put Lht grown people of Montgomery back II school
 A Missouri negro predicted the day O