Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-04-16

School board politics were decried by
Robert c. Ogden, president of the con-
ference for education in the south, In his
tenth annual address, Wednesday even
ing, and the formal opening session of
the twelfth annual session of the con-
ference.
What more incongruous than to de-
mand a certificate of the lowest grade
girl teacher in an elementary school, ana
vet to fill places in a schooI BOARD with
political favorites and to create local
superintendents of men who are in perfect
ignorance of teaching as profession!
he said. And he was applauded to the
echo.
I'VE simply have planted seed that
eventually produced large harvests." said
President Ogden, in summing up the re-
suits of the twelve years work of the
conference. He pointed out that in the
early days of civilization little attention
was paid to the development of the
child. Now, however" he declared,
'the protection of the deficient or un-
fortunate child is a distinguishing mark
of Christian civilizations; the more pro-
nounced the need the more penetrating
and arresting is the cry for help"
Mr.. Ogden said that the conference
held it's place as a part of an educational
renaissance This work" he said.
''can perhaps be definitely defined only at
a single point It exists primarily to i'm
press upon the mind of the citizen. the
people, the responsibility of the individual
for educational conditions, to support the
claim that every child in America, native
or foreign born, is entitled to good
English education: that 1t is the duty OF
the state as representing the people to
provide such education and therefore
our civilization must Danish ignorance
and replace it with intelligence, must
provide facilities for education and COM
pei the use of such facilities, must create
such standards of intelligence as will
make ignorance a conscious discredit,
not to say disgrace.
Only Organization of Kind
So far as he knew said Mr.. Ogden. the
conference for education in the south,
was the only popular, civic organization
in the interests of education in the coun-
try He declared that other sections of
the country need It and that in the judg-
ment Of MANY 1t should have a national
character The conference had been a
dynamic power in the uplift and devel-
cpment of many a lonely soul. Through
out the states represented here there
were before the association came into
being, thousands of people in rural
places, with clear vision as to the educa-
tional needs of the rural people, whose
minds were keen as TO what ought to be
done, whose lives were consumed with
hopeless longing and yet who could not
see even the faint glimmer of the early
dawn of a better day. There are many
such yet but the class that has been
brought into large and sympathetic fell
lowship by this conference, I'm whom
inspiration and faith have been devel-
oped. would of itself alone justify all
the cost in labor and in money that has
been expended upon it. One OF the clear
est thinkers and ablest writer's on edu-
cational, economic and social questions in
the south has said that this conference
has taught the south to know itself In
educational matters and 1 am sure he is
right"
The conference, said Mr. Ogden. had
reproduced itself in many directions. In
Virginia it had developed the Co-Opera-
tive Education association, with which
the Southern Education board is in SYM
pathetic and material relation This as
ISOLATION he said, has created branch
organizations in many counties of the
state, has raised money with which to
carry forward it's own work, has vigor-
ously promoted the high school idea. has
issued remarkable and original matter for
the guidance of public speakers and the
instruction of the people
Propaganda for Local Tax
In. North Carolina said Mr.. Ogden, the
commissioner of public education had
been enabled to carry on a propaganda
for the local tax which had brought hun
dreds of school districts to the uplifting
idea of self-help through the levying OF
the local school tax by popular vote. In
harmony with that he said, the Women's