The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-05
CONFERENCE WILL MEET IN NASHVILLE Education in the South Is
 Prime Motive TO BEGIN ON APRIL 3 Robert c. Ogden and Dr. Claxton Decide Nashville Offers Most g
 Promising Outlook for
 1912 Meeting


 Montgomery, October 4--(SpeciaD. .-rne 18th convention of the Conference TOT Education in the south will be held April 3, and g. next in the city of Nashville After an exchange of correspondence be- tween pr. P. P. Claxton, United States commissioner of education, who IS the secretary of the conference, and MT. aop- e,t c. Ogden of New York. the resi- dent, it has been decided that Nashville offers the most promising outlook for the 1912 meeting.
 In letter to Hervey w. Laird of Mont gomery, executive committeeman for Ala bama, Dr. Claxton says: T am fully con vihced that this is best' The. doctor has. been to Nashville and conferred with the leaders in all walks of life and found among them very earnest and persist ent desire for the meeting. The board of trade has joined the school people, and other influences are active in the prom ise of large attendance. The day meet ater and the night sessions in the Ryan |'aldtorium. both offering superior advan- tages in the way of assembly places. Dr.. Claxton has assurances from the state superintendent of education and the city school authorities that hearty CO., operation will be forthcoming, and Chau- cellor Kirkland of Vanderbilt, who is d member of the executive committee Of the conference, is arranging to make the ga thering of educators from all sections of the south an event of importance both to the visitors and his student body. The club women have agreed to have direct part in the welcome and the making of the local programme, and the business men will provide the backing that is nee essary Recent additions to the hotel fa- ciljties make it certain that there will be no lack in comforts.
 Nashville's Strong Points Among the good reasons for going to Nashville are presented the following: Accessibility, insurng a large attendance. Vanderbilt university, with its student body to help make up an appreciatiye audience, the number of pupils of this and other schools running to perhaps 5000. Meeting at the same time of the Middle Tennessee Teachers association, which will add several hundred teachers; meet ing at the same time of the East and West Tennessee teachers at Memphis, the members of which can be brought over iii a special train. It is thought that at leat 5000 teachers will in this way be brought into the sessions, both for their own good and the advancement of the work of the organization.
 The Conference for Education in the south was organized 15 years ago at Ca pen Springs, Va, and has met annually since that time. MT. Ogden has bean pi esident save the first four years. MT. Edgar Gardner Murphy, for many years au Episcopal rector in. Montgomery, and well known in the country as an author of economic literature, was executive sec retary for quite a while, giving away to Dr. Wickiffe Rose, then of Nashville, be- cause of i'll health. At the meeting two years ago pr. Rose, who had been ap- pointed to the executive administration of the Rockefeller commission, resigned and Dr. P. P. Claxton, then of Knoxville, was elected secretary.
 One of the important outcomes of the conference has been the support of am paigns for educational advancement, un- der the auspices and direction of the su- perintendents of education in the various states Three excursions to other sec tions of the nation have been given free to state superintendents. thus affording a chance to make careful study of the work done and the plans enforced. One of these took the party to the states of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. two days being spent at the university of the lat ter state, Sald 10 De one or the very pest institutions of learning in the world.
 Progressive and advanced ideas In earm- ing and rural education have been backed and largely financed by influences behind the conference. among these being the corn clubs and the demonstration move ments. High and rural school inspectors arc paid by the national and southern cd ucation boards. closely allied with the conference, and prior to these professors of secondary education in many states where the high school development had been rather slow Alabama has come in for many of these advantages, having TOW one of It's most noted school men in the field for the service of the rural schools.
 Among the speakers at the conference sessions have been such men as Ambas- sador Bryce of Great Britain writer and statesman, whose books on the Amer ioan constitution are regarded as among the most notable studies of any country; ministers to the United States of hotli Denmark and Switzerland and the most prominent men in business and educa- tional life of the United States Dr. Claxton promises that the Nashville pro- gramme will be no less notable than in the past. several speakers of interna-