Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1905-05-03
MEETING Of EDUCATORS
Distinguished Party From the North
Greeted by Prominent SOutherners
SOME SPLENDID SPEECHES MADE
Meeting at Columbia Opens With a
Cordial Address of Welcome by Gov
ernor Hayward, Followed by the An
nual Address Of Mr.. Robert c. o..
der. President of the Conference.

Columbia, S. c.. Special-The Con-
ference for Education in the South
opened its eighth annual session here
wednesday,. with large attendance
81 leading educators from both North
and South present.
ne Ogden train. containing a party
of ladies and gentlemen from New
york. Boston, Washington and other
Northern cities, arrived at $40 d. M.
ana me visitors are being entertained
m various homes in the city to which
they nave been invited. The party
humners ninety-five. being educators.
literary men and women aud business
men interested in education. They
came in on special OF ten Pullman
cars. chartered by Mr.. Robert c. Og-
len. oi New York. The members OF
the party are his guests for nineteen
iaN uip to different points in South
Carohna. North Carolina and Virginia.
During their stay in Columbia they as
well as the many hundreds of other
visitors, mainly from the Southern
states are guests of the city of Co.
llmbla. A party consisting OF the may
Or OF the city. the State Superintend-
snt OF Education. Editor Gonzales, OF
The Columbia State. two professors OF
the South Carolina College and several
other prominent citizens of Columbia.
met the party at Hamlet, n. c.. and es-
corted il into the state. Every train
coming into the city brings from all
parts OF the South visitors TO the con-
ference
The conference opened it's first ses-
sion mere with an address of welcome
by Governor ID. c. Hayward. The
Governor said in part:
GOV EHNOR HEYWARD'S SPEECH.
To-day throughout the entire South
the sChoolhouse bell is ringing. 1t
rings from the university on the hill
and IL rings from the little school
house by the roadside. and to you
teachers WHO are present at this con.
terence from our sister States of the
South and from every portion of our
own state. | wish to say that in well
coming YOU | must also congratulate
you upon the great work You have
done. ! believe that you have ac-
complished more during the past forty
years along educational lines than has
ever been accomplished by any peo-
pie in the same length OF time. No
people have ever worked so we'll or
under the same conditions. and in
your work you have been accorded
loya! support by your people. In their
days of poverty and in their days Of
prosperity the taxpayers OF the South
have shown willingness and q de-
sire to lax themselves to support the
schools, not only for their own children
the white children of the South
but also for the children OF anotder
and dependent race. Though often
misunderstood, they have never let
their hearts fail them: they have never
looked backward. but always forward.
and today we can see in university and
in college. in graded school and in
common school. in better teachers and
longer terms. happy and prosperous
people-aye, in smiling fields and grow
ing cities, the result of their courage
and determination
In welcoming YOU to South Carolina
! welcome you to a State which has
always had deep interest in the cause
in which you are enlisted. With us,
the modern schoOlhouse stands beside
the college of century. From the
earliest history OF our State our peo-
pie have priced learning and cultiva-
ton. Before the Revolution South
Carolina sent her sons to Oxford and
to Cambridge. Shortly after the Revo-
luton we began to build colleges and
to establish public schools. The first
library in America to be supported in
any degree at the public expense was
that established in Charleston in
1859
.TPOETANCE OF EDUCATIC.! 2T..
LIED.
Il am sure. however. il needs no ar
gum2nt TO convince you that the impor-
tance Of education in it's highest sense
has ever been realized by our people
The facts that | have just cited that
before we had colleges of our own we
sent cur sons abroad. and the further
fact that almost within sound of our
voices stands South Carolina College
over 100 years old-these will show the
spirit that animated our ancestors.
AS 10 what we are doing today for
the sons and daughters of South Caro-
lima, have but to point you to the
number of colleges of our State, and &c
our growing system of graded and
public schools. The State supports
winthrop College for Women. and
South Carolina College. the Citadel and
Clemson for young men. and also a
State college for negroes. In addition
to this. each religious denomination
supports one or more colleges which
are doing excellent work There arc
also many private colleges. several o
which are well endowed. Contributing
TO these is our system of graded anC
common schools. Our State constit,.
t1on requires that the General Assem-
bly, shall provide for liberal system
of free public schools for children be
tween the ages of 6 and 20 years. anC
the constitution imposes an annual ia!