The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-03
Thinks State Should Demand
the Education Of Children
THE EVIL OF CHILD LABOR
The Seventh Annual Southern Educa-
tional Conference Is in Session at
Lexington, ky.-Twenty-five
Hundred People Attend.

Lexington, KY, May 1.-The seventh
annual Southern Educational conference
began at the New Auditorium in Wood
lawn park here tonight. Twenty-Five hun
dred people were in attendance. the
address of welcome was made by Gov.
J.sC. w. Beckham of Kentucky, follow
ed by Robert c. Ogden of New York,
president of the Southern Educational
conference. Governor Folk of Missouri
then spoke.
His speech was in part as follows;
Children of today will be the sover-
eigns of the nations tomorrow. As the
state has the right In order to protect
society, to punish those that commit
crimes, so it has the right to compel the
education of children in order to bring
the future citizenship up to higher
standard. A few years ago there was
great prejudice against compulsory edu-
cational law. This prejudice, | believe,
is rapidly passing away Lack of educa-
ton and crime, statistics show go hand
in hand. II is not only the right of the
state to offer education as a privilege,
but 1t is the duty of the state to demand
the education of its future citizens.
Returns Ten-Fold.
Every dollar state expends in educa-
ton is returned ten fold in higher citizen
ship, better morals and lessened criminal
costs. In the southern states particularly
the need Is for more compulsory educa-
ton.
Il believe If a parent is so poor that
he must depend for support upon the
labor of an infant child, he is poor enough
for the state to support him as pauper.
He should not be allowed to destroy the
child mentally, physically and morally as
\ Is the usual result when children arr
permitted to work in factories at tender
ages. 1t is far more important that the
child should be given an education ane
be made a useful citizen than that the
| parent exc out a miserable existence
through the meagre earnings of an in
FAINT when the parent can as well be, or
better, supported by the state
Child Labor Laws.
"A few of the southern states have
laws forbidding child labor but the fac
tories are too often operated largely with
this kind of labor. Strange to say near
ly all of this child labor is white. Child
labor is the enemy of education and OF
civilization.
mot only Is there need of more COM
pulsory educational laws of wider ap-
plication, but there should be more at
tention paid to the education of the many
instead of expending nearly all of our en-
ergies on the higher education of the few
In many states so Is spent for higher
education where one goes to lay the foun-
dation of an education In the common
schools. 1t Is like putting million dol
lar dome on thousand dollar house
After exercises at the Auditorium. a
reception was held at the sayre Female
institute, over 200 people attending Rob
ert c. Ogden's special train from New
York bearing over 100 noted educators
arrived tonight
Ogden Speaks.
I'VE meet here clergy and laity. legis-
lators and commoners. governors and
governed. professional and business men
representing all types and degrees of oul
democracy for positive and clearly de.
! fined purpose. On these occasions tn,
| imagination of the audience must wander
away to the lowly farm house. miners
| cabin, operatives cottages, railway
shacks In which the greater part of the
| 100000 rural population of the southland
live. In this background we must get tho
view of illiteracy and its consequent mar,
rowness. vacancy and general intellectual
dearness. The modest claims of the con.
ference do not imply any original creation
| Its function has been to discover to as
sociate, to inform, to inspire. to become
In way q sort of clearing house foi
| the drafts of education upon intelligent
| sympathy. Thus has resulted n sort OF
educational renaissance In the southland
| the outcome OF spontaneous conditions
| mental. material. spiritual. with which this
conference has had an important relation
Since the conference met at Birmingham
Ala. thirty-five counties in that state have
voted the local tax. thus adding Sill. .6g
to the state appropriation of $255, ,959. ar
increase of 46 per cent. Similar advices
have been made in other southern states
during the same period.
ITO the activity of this association Is
due splendid legislative enaotments for the
larger support of high schools better pay
for teachers and the construction of new
school houses. 1t is, however, quite GER
tain that If the conference is to go on.
there must be some modification In It's
ways II not in Its policy The executive
committee Is too widely scattered to be
convened during the year. II the confer
ence Is to continue and to realize the
possibilities that seem to be within full
view. some plan must be perfected by
which without sacrificing In any degree
It's historic breadth and freedom, it will
yet have more compact working central
body, and thus larger life and useful
ness. The great and rapidly expanding
business life of the south has not been
brought into that active relation with the
conference which Is positively the common
interest of economics and education. Per-
haps this Is the crux of the whole situa-
tion."