The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-03
LAFAYETTE HOLDS
 FIRST B|G RALLY Prominent Speakers Talk on
 Educational Subjects HE SUPREME QUESTION President Henry of Lafayette College and Congressman j. Thomas
 Hefin Are Principal Speak
 CTS of the Occasion.

Lafayette, September 2.-(Special. )--The first of d series of educational rallies in Chambers county was held in the court house yesterday evening, the speakers being President Henry, the newly elected head of the Lafayette college and Con- gressman J. Thomas Hehin.
 President Henry reviewed the present system of taxation and made many valu- able suggestion for betterment, saying that each county should be allowed to tax themselves for school if they cared to. His remarks were listened to with great interest and undivided attention.
 MT. Hehin, who was in his happiest mood, spoke of education as being the supreme question of our civilization. It is intelligent directed thought that is the Hercules of today, for who is there who can tell the possibilities of an educa- ton?
 "Education is something we cannot give, we bestow the opportunity on the boy or girl, and the parents who do that have conferred their highest duty on their children ard to society. It is the educated men who are fighting their own battles and winning their own conquests.
 Education is a training in standards and ideals It is the man of high ideals who raises pedigreed corn, it is the trained man who produces on 20 acres as much as his father raised on 50. and it is the developed imagination that achieves the highest success.
 Tt is useless to give the son acres and no ideals for the future for in this day of trained intellect someone will use educated methods and wrest his soil from him. The farmer who in the past achieved financial success, even if he could not read nor write, reasons wide of the mark if he ex<ects, his son to do likewise, for in this twentieth century 1t is brain against brain, and not muscle against brawn, as in our forefathers s day.
 Congressman Hefin next gave as an example Senator Gore of Oklahoma, who has been blind since the age of 10, but who worked his way to the top in spite of blindness and poverty saying that if he unaided by sight could be a senator, any one with eyes and strong arms should at least rise above the common plane.
  Alabama boy may get an education, he said; You are today the heirs of all the ages, the collected experience of years is stored in books, take to hear the warning of Solomon. who said, Get wisdom"
 In an appeal to parents to send their childre nto school he said, Your boy can travel this battle field of life but once, arm and equip him so that he may fight the battle of intelligence in an able man. ner, arm him with education. It is a shield against disaster in world where the fittest only conquer"
 The wealth of Alabama in her raw ma children to school, he said. Your boy vast coal fields, great ore deposits, un- touched minerals, great forests and soil as rich as the Nile. but all these are as yet undeveloped. We need them devel- oped so that our rivers may be harnessed, our forests saved and our industries pro- noted, and it can only be done by educa- tion Let 1t be your contribution to so- ciety to educate your children, and in so doing you will have done your highest duty to yourself and your country"
 At the conclusion it was informally an nounced that MT Hefiin would speak at educational rallies in other parts of the county within the next few days. It Is also his purpose to start an agricultural campaign in his district that shall cover many important points, ending at I.afay- cite September 20 On this tour he will be accompanied by experts from the de- partment at Washington.