The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-04-13


 the store when he arrived. and that there was no way in which the flames could 1 have communicated to the cash register. I He said the two blazes were of separate origin. He began an investigation at once and will follow 1t up today. hoping to solve the matter
 MT. Webb stated that he left the store about o'clock and that he failed to close the doors between the front and the rear l Of the store, as he usually does. He ex- plained this by saying that it was hot in i the store.
  of our body of the cordial words of wei come expressed by Alderman Gray in be- half of the great city which he has the honor to represent. The name of Br mingham is a synonym not only of thrift, enterprise and progress, put a synonym as well of genuine hospitality and q keen appreciation of all the influences that make for good government, good citizen ship and the very best things of higher civilization
 "The growth of this city aad the county of Jefferson has been one of the marvels of the great industrial development of our southern section. As If by the magic of Aladin's lamp this mighty city has sprung into existence. Within the shorl limit of the memory of even young men this region has risen from obscurity and what might be well called poverty to 6 condition Of vast wealth and a supreme paramount control in the markets of the world of the two great fundamental pro- ducts of coal and iron. On every side are palpable evidences of teeming pros perty. These mighty giants that have for centuries lain slumberng beneath these red hills have been touched by the wand of knowledge and science and have risen from their low1y beds to trans from the face of the world. Splendid structures, a great aggregation of popula- | tion, multiform industries bear witness to | the miraculous transformation.
 But not alone in a commercial and material way has the community ad vanced. Above all in the city and county there has come into existence most excellent system of public schools, gener- | ousy fostered by the county and city authorities, the pride and admiration of l the entire state of Alabama. And this l is well, for it Is a threadbare truism of political economy that mere material vel fare does not necessarily make a happy community. Mere bgness is not necessa- rily greatness. Huge bank accounts and ] large credit balances on the ledger do not necessarily mean highly civilized 1 people. Over and above all, these evl- dences of matter there is the citizen. the man, and even with very plain living there may be very high thinking Tt Is a matter of eongratuation, there i fore, to the entire state of Alabama, ] that community so signally blessed with every resource and evidence of physical welfare, Is likewise gifted with public spirit and an elevated ideal of education. | And if is narpnniaJ nlaa q1ra tO tba teachers of Alabama to assemble in an- 1 nual meeting in this great throbbing cen l ter of our commonwealth, and again in 1 the name of the association I express the most hearty appreciation of the warm words of welcome of the distinguished chief magistrate of this city.
 "I trust that 1t will not be amiss upon this occasion to present somewhat In detail a discussion of the free public schools and their status in the state of Alabama On this theme only hackneyed truths can be offered. but some things need to be told not only q thousand times. but a thousand and one as well. The friends of education in Alabama are waging a campaign of agitation, a crusade for the welfare of the rising generation of children in Alabama. The meager results may seem pathetic but like the importunate widow. we may finally get the ear of the public for our much speak ing
 Effect on Government. Beyond all doubt in America our com mon schools, next to religion, have been the great antiseptic against national de- cay. the specific preservation of Amer ican liberties. Our common schools, 1t has been that have purified the mighty tide of alien people yearly flooding into our md f,,ta Inc fro dition of American manners and customs and American religious, social and po- litical institutions. It's power to cope with the negro race remains yet to be tested
 "A strong army and navy to maintain our national rights and position abroad; l adequate police, sheriffs, constabulary, courts, judges and jails to maintain peace and order at home-all these we have, and no one would forbid; but back behind all this machinery and outward show, precedent and necessary to their efficacy are the heart and mind, the virtue and intelligence of the people which are the fine. product of true educationr Behind the gun at Santiago was the man; but behind the man were Annapolis. West Point and the common schools of America. Emphat- ically true 1t is with us in the United States. whether in nation or state, that the government will be what the mass of people make It. for here the masses are the springhead of all power, and the water cannot rise above It's source. The permanency of our effort at self-govern- ment Is involved in the success of free public schools. To any community neigh borhood. village. city, state-a mass of inert, brutish citizenship is a fatal weak ness, a body of death chained about it's neck Laws. be they ever so good. are not automatic. and are effective for good only when supported by an intelligent citizenship and a sound public opinion
 What is needed today throughou the length and breadth of Alabama Is that we increase the number of educated men and women, for these wherever they go are sure to carry with them. consciously or not. the seeds of sounder thinking and nobler living.
 Another point that should be emphas- ized is the practical, if you please the materiaistic. commercial value of the common schools. The common schools 1t has been that have brought the marvel ous prosperity and growth to other less favored sections of our common country. and in the last decade made the United States paramount in the financial world. at once the admiration and the envy of