Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-01-10
MEMPHIS STARTS SOMETHING
Omaha Officials Accept Challenges as
Fast as They Come.
SCHOOLS ARE TO BE COMPARED
superintendent Davidson Tells Mem
phIs that Omaha Has Finest school
system In Country and
Court. Comparison.

Memphis CTenn) officials have started
something.
The Omaha city officials want to know
whether the southern moguls can finish
f. II ali began when Chief Of Police David
Of Memphis challenged chief Donahue 20 a
friendly comparison Of the two forces OF
the two cities. Chief Donahue accepted in
a jiffv.
Mayor Dahlman and superintendent OF
Schools Davidson received similar chal
ienges Monday Mayor Dahlman's chal-
lenge came from his honor. e. II. Crump.
Il reads:
The city Of Memphis hereby challenges
the city Of Omaha to a public comparison
OF the advantages. industrially. com
mereiaily, socially and Internationally. We
assert that Memphis is a better city to live
in than Omaha and possesses greater adj
vantages IN each Of the above particulars.
WIN you accept the challenger
''whi J." said Mayor Dahlman. after he
had read the challenge. You bet ! will.
1t seems as II Memphis has singled us out.
Now we win give them chance They
assert these things. It's easy enough to
assert but proving them is another thing.
So here's Mayor Crumps chance"
Turning to his desk, Mayor .Dahlman die
tated the following telegram:
Telegram received and accepted. More
over we viii give you the privilege Of
naming all conditions"
That ought 70 hold these southerners
fol a time said Mayor Dahlman. as he
made ready to receive the LnIipuuan vis-
itors. ..''
DaVi.Isoh Also Accepts.
The def hurled at Dr. Davidson was
along the same lines as that received by
Mayor DaLlnian and chief Donahue. Su-
perihtendent Davidson's acceptance will
hold Wharton S. Jones, acting superin-
tendent Of Memphis. Here is what Or.
Davidson dispatched over the wire:
My Dear MI. Jones; The city of Omaha
hereby accepts your challenge, acknOWl-
edges your greeting and congratulates the
city Ut Memphis upon the splendid educa-
tional growth and imp {, ement of the last
ton years.
omaha, as the proud metropolis OF Ne.
braska, which for ten years has held the
held undisputed as the state having the
borders, can well lay claim 90 the fact
That &c IS the most INTEL gent city in the
American union today. And so we beg 10
remind you of that when your friendly
Ereeting ~ justly implies-that Omaha edu-
cHuonaily leads the world. Her teaching
force ~ uneXcelled In scholarship and pro-
fesslunal, spirit In moral purpose and
lofty iUtals her boys and girls ale at ths
very trout, folding high the banner of an
ideal citizenship, Her school buildings are
unsurpassed. Her classic hign school on
top ~ Capitol hill Is said by experts to be
the finest high school building in the land.
We rejoice that Memphis has all the while
been inspired and uplifted by our example,
causing her to climb more rapidly the lad
der ur educational progress
knowing the members of your teaching
staff as / do, ] pay each and all OF them
high tribute, and congratulate you upon
the fact that they are lmbued with what IS
known throughout the nation as the
Omaha spirit" giving you teaching
force of which Memphis may be proud
I'm returning your greetings we of the
omaha schools. teachers and children
alike. wish you happy New Year and
express the hope that the next ten years
may bring you even more happiness and
a still larger growth in influence and power
than that which YOU now celebrate.
WILLIAM NJ DAVIDSON,
Superintendent Instruction Omaha Public
schools.