The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-26

l news.
 : tion-education in the comon school. in the high school, in the college and in the uni ! versity.
 Being so committed to this cause in al it's fundamental and far-reaching fea lures, Methodism accordingly recognizes its part of the obligation to the commun ity by seeking to furnish her full quota of the facilities to aid in the desired end public education. Effort in line with such recognition gives to Methodism the place of pioneer college builder in the com monwealth of Alabama. And in the hon. orabe company of educational leaders of our state, this church has furnished a creditable number of able men and wom- en- and still furnishes them. The ray ages of civil war tell a woeful tale of wreckage of school properties, Methodist college properties, along with the mean- choly annals of loss in every other line of old south estate. But the cultural re- suit remains. even though the deeds to princely properties be dead, and the in- domintable will remains, and the spirit of obedience to the promptings to rise and come again to the noble cause of public education.
 As to educational institutions and enter prises, the present interests of the North Alabama conference revo1ve largely around Birmingham college and Athens | college The conservative valuation of these two properties indicates a clear gain to the conference for educational purposes during the past dozen years or so of values to the sum of s2o0O0O and more The greater part of this has come of the self sacrifice of the comparatively poor, and through stress and storm; it ought | to point to possibilities easily attainable, when all pull together. The college prop | erty at Athens has been in the hands of the church since the early forties, and under the wise and admirable admins | tration of Miss Mary Norman Moore the present president, has been rejuvenated l and added to in the sum of many we'll | applied thousands of dollars and the good | work goes on.. This year has witnessed the addition of a well appointed and come ly building of substantial brick for needed | dormitory purposes. And other such buildings are needed, and will be supplied to meet the enlarging patronage of this | popular institution under this popular president. The present dormitory room | is ali occupied.
 Birmingham college: The long cherished dream of many of the fathers of the North Alabama conference was college | at Birmingham. After many years of ag- itation this conference in 1896 as proper | preliminary measure, withdrew from it's co-partnershp with the Alabama confer | ence in ownership and administration of | the Southern university at Greensboro turning over to that body sole proprietor ship in that institution, and thus was free to carry forward its own plans That which was at first modest beginning and endangered by counter currents, and open assault and long chapters of discord, has finally come to conference united Cat least on the surface) in loyal allegiance. That thing ought to be the best asset of Birmingham college-a united constitu- ency.
 All roads used to lead to Rome. When St. Paul would put himself where he might speak to the world, he said, ''I must see Rome" Just so, when North Ala bama Methodism proposed to get where she might the more effectually touch the multiplying hosts of our swelling popula- tions, she had to see Birmingham There she has the position that is i'm. perial. AS Frank Brandon has forcibly said. "As Jefferson is the center of the wealth of Alabama. Birmingham is the center of Jefferson, and the 65 acres of tfle Birmin Iham college is the very heart of Birmingham. It Is said that when Bishop Galloway first stood upon the command ing College Hill at Owenton, and-there caught the magnificent vistas as nowhere else anorded, he cried with unwonted anl- phasis, Well, there is no use going against geograpny.' Bishop John C. I<ilgo. one of the foremost educators of this generation on the American conti- nent, man pre-eminently qualified to pass judgments and to assess educational values: Bishop Kilgo, after seeing Bir- mingham college and it's environs, made the serious pronouncement: You have $50, 00O,O00 of endowment in your location. !" From this vantage ground, North Ala bama Methodism will be prepared to prophecy to the thronging thousands of
 
 equipment of Birmingham college Is a | North Alabama conference job.
 Educational Unification
 As in generally known, particularly in Methodist circles. there has been during several years past a purpose upon the part of some leading men, cleric and lay, to bring about some such so called notification" of Alabama Methodist edu- cational interests as might bring about a correlated classification of Birmingham college, Southern university, Athens col lege and Womans college; the ideal being the elimination of unnecessary competl- tion, and to secure by pooling issues the widest possible field for each nstitu- ton. The scheme looked pleasing. And hence it has engaged some of the best minds among up Much planning accord ingly has been done. That planning, to- gether with occasional conference action,
 
 proportions of an assumption that be- tween the two Alabama conferences was an entente cordiale, such as between na- tions affords a working hypothesis for doing things, and a warrant for going | ahead.
 1 Upon such basis the gentlemen who had been figuring in the front of these affairs went to the two Alabama confer ences last winter with clear cut scheme for making good their plans. These plans comprehended system of colleges, cor related in classification, and crowned | with one chief college for young men and one college for young women; one of the chief colleges to be in north Alabama, the other to be in south Alabama. Wom- ans college at Montgomery was recog- nized as the head of the system for girls, and as that was already located on south Alabama Boil it was regarded as a closed question; that the chief college for boys should, as a matter of course. be on north Alabama soil, and as admitted on all sides, that meant Birmingham col llege. It was furthermore taken as mat