The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-03-25
pr. stagE Responds

pr. stagE Responds
 pr John W. Stagg, president or the Alabama SyDodical college at Anniston, made the reply. Friends and neighbors. am truly beset when called upon to make a response to an address of welcome to the city of Birmingham. have wei comed a great many audiences to this city and I still count myself citizen of Birmingham
 .It is the easiest thing in the world to say thank you to so generous an ad- dress nf welcome, but it wouldn't sound we'll in the educational world. I think may he excused if make my talk con tinuance of pr. Hogan's remarks. "I came, expecting to meet few teach- CTS from obscure and remote hamlets in | Alabama. I had no idea I would meet | inc whole state of Alabama. Dr. Hogan s | words certainly could not have been di- rected to an audience which means so much to the history of our great state. I The conquest of the future lies in the | power of brain cells, driven by good hearts which look up into the vauted l blue and recognize God, then look around | and recognize the brotherhood Of man. We are living under the biggest circum- stances of the history of man. The abuse of things seen is impressing it's | power down upon man. We are to learn that there is nothing worth while which | does not teach us that we may have l life.
 Your noble army is to bring to service able ends all the things of the world, and man is to become enriched, for the power l to conquer in this land of ours is the power of education.
 1 We sometimes refer to the great achievements of our ancestors. The typ 1 ical American is not yet born. The typi- | cal American institution is not yet built | The building up of great industries ir l themselves will never meet the tremen' | dous problems of generations yet to be born. but the sowing of seed by the faith' | full worker in the school and college sometimes obscure, sometimes conspicu ous, will alone rebound to the peace and l joy and gladness of our children for 1T your hand lies the force to conquer fol | tomorrow.
 Were I an earthly potentate I woult l review an army of teachers like this witt a great deal more pride than an army O soldiers with trsppings of war. Education joined with religion. makes all that's goot and worth while. You are worthy of al the welcome that any community can ex tend to you because you are the most be nisn force that exists today for the civil ization of humanity"
 President N. R. Baker of Birmingham then delivered his annual address H said.
 Tt is. l believe, customary for this ad
 dress to deal principally with educationa
 problems in the state. But before pass
 ing to that prerosative l desire to mak
 a few suggestions regarding the work 0
 the association itself.
 "All are familiar with the rapid rise
 the Alabama Educational association |
 recent years in numbers. programme an'
 general usefulness. Within five years
 has grown from a membership of 26o t
 nearly 2500. an increase of nearly 1o0o pc
 cent In this respect 1t stands easily a
 the head of the list among state associa
 tions. It has enrolled 10 per cent Of tn
 white teachers of the state, another rec
 ord of which to be proud, and reeor
 which can be surpassed by few If an
 other states. Even in point of member
 ship ours is surpassed in numbers but b
 seven associations, and those are withou
 exception in wealthier and more populou
 states. The percentage of membersni
 based upon white population IS airead
 greater than that of any other state.
 And this is due, not to the enort or in
 telect of any one man or one commit
 tee or any set of men or combination |. committees. It is due to the rising uo