The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-05-28

mind" "a pleasing speaker "a man
filled with great IDEAS and the energy
and ability to put them in execution,
evidently the friend of the public
schools of Tennessee, were some OF
the remarks heard at the close Of the
splendid address delivered al the
Opera House Wednesday night by
State Superintendent of Public In
struction R. L. Jones.
The lower floor of the building was
filed and many were standing in the
rear, while many others sought seats
in the balcony. All told there must
have been 500 people present, and
while there were a great number OF
boys and girls in the audience, for the
address was primarily to them, the
audience was representative of the
best citizenship OF the town and the
county nearby. Prof. w. P. Morton,
head of the City High School, presided
with dignity and ease. and the exer-
cises went forward without hitch.
After the invocation by DR.. Athey,
and a pleasant chorus by about $50
of the girls of the public school, Rob
ert Gilbreath, one of the honor pupils
delivered a defamation, The New
South" This young man is destined
to make a speaker OF ability. HIS
voice and delivery are good, his GEES
lures graceful and well-selected and
his composure remarkable for one SO
young. Miss Nancy Kelley, another
honor pupil, then delivered reading,
"Perdito" and showed perfect train
/ ing along with rare conception OF
her lines, in her delivery. Miss Kelley
was the recipient of a handsome oo-
ouet of roses at the close.
Hon. w. T. Galloway, one of the
representatives from Maury county to
the last session Of the General Assem-
, bly. a personal friend of Superinten-
dent Jones, introduced the speaker OF
! the evening, stating that Mr. Jones
was an advocate and the greatest
friend Of public schools in Tennessee;
that he is largely responsible Tor the
present splendid system, and had done
4 more than any other one man in the
I state for education. He said Mr.. Jones
was the father of the great Normal
/ School idea, and that his interest for
/ the children of the state knows no
bounds.
! Mr.. Jones said his visit to Maury
gave him much pleasure. That sew
eral years ago he read from the works
of one of the county's favored sons,
John Trootwood Moore, that Maury
was the "dimple of the universe" and
he was ready to accept that verdict
That he had travelled the state from
the Mountains to the Mississippi and
had found no land more beautiful,
none more fertile. But the greatest
asset of a country does not consist IN
broad acres or rich phosphate mines
but in its citizenship, and to attain a
valuable. useful citizenship you must
educate the children.
We are living in a remarkable age
Mr. ZONES said-an age of remarkable
progress. The speaker then told oil
the achievement of the nation within
the life of one mantle invention OF
the steamboat, the railway train, the
sewing machine, the cotton gin, the
Telephone. the telegraph, the electric
light Blot out the accomplishment
in the life of this one man, and we
are only at the beginning. There
was a time in the history Of the coun
try when general education was not
thought necessary. 1t was though'
only necessary to educate the few fol-
the professions and the 95 per cen'
were left uneducated to do the work
Under this system even, the Soutr
accomplished wonders, but change
has come to pass. Today all mus
work, and it has been found that the
educated mind and the educated BODY
can accomplish more and better WORK
for the world. The present plan If
fixed to equip the boy for work on the
far mas well as in the professions.
The farmer has great opportunity
for the exercise Of talent. Time was
when hundreds of thousands OF acres
of land in the state were considered
barren or waste. Hundreds upon hun
dreds, under this belief, sold theii
birthright. Land considered barrer
and sold for s1.OO an acre was found
to contain valuable mineral, or to ot
productive for fruit raising, vegetable
raising or other purposes, and is nov