The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-20
President of University
Stresses Attitude Toward
Educational Problems
of Alabama

The address of Dr. George II. Denny,
president of the University of Alabama,
before the Birmingham Chamber Of
Commerce last night was as follows:
Il 90 not underestimate the value
CT this opportunity of coming into in
innate touch with that wonderful spirit
of cooperation which has within u
single generation wrought the miracle
of building out of nothing into power
and splendor this great industrial CEN
ter whose story has been heralded
across the seas and around the world
This achievement. / am told, is due
to the leadership of a fine group Of
men who are in large degree self
faade' Some one has said that the self
made man is apt to worship his own
creator 1t has been explained to ME,
however, that the Birmingham type
has happily learned to designate its
ldeity in capitals, and not in COM
mons.
IF there be any faint hearted man
who needs a bath of optimism in Amer
! lean life | commend TO him the spirit
that has shown itself in the rapid
transformation of this community
from land of depression to land
| OF boundless hope. Here is a record
of progress that surely bears resem-
blance to a partnership with fortune
| and the god of success. Here is record
! ton that a rare genius for creative
activity has here lived and moved and
had its being.
No Need to Emphasize
| There is, however, no need to en-
| phasize in this presence the achieve
ments of our economic and industrial
| life. Indeed, I sometimes wonder IL
| our business men have not grown
weary of this kind of talk. Certain-
| ly, men do get tired of hearing one
thing too often. 1t is said that the
Athenians grew weary even of hear
! ing Aristides called The Good. fdancy
| that the man of affairs will at least
| harbor no resentment If, for the sake
of mere change, he has an opportunity
| once in a while to hear something
more concerning his civic responsible
| tiles and something less concerning
| his economic possibilities At any rate,
| | shall venture to speak a word to-
night concerning The Business Man as
| Citizen
LAS a matter of fact, I cherish the
simple faith that the business man OF
the future is going to stand for social
| and industrial service as well as for
| commercial and economic power. ]
cherish the simple faith that we need
| i'll the business life of today, not mere
| ly the man who can perform a defi-
mite, specific task, but also the man
Of such enlargement of spirit that no
| task, great or small, will blind him
| to human need or to human duty.
~ cherish the simple faith that we
| need the man who can enlarge and
dignity his task. whatever that task
may be- the man who is bigger than
any task which he will ever be re-
quired to perform; the man of sober
discipline. of moral efficiency and of
catholic vision. There has never been
| a time since democracy was born when
| it so passionately sought the right kind
of leadership. All about us are the
vcices of men who think that they see
| the way.
Men are impatiently asking, can
| democracy and industralism live to-
gether? Surely, the age awaits the COM
| ing of the man who, with new power
of discernment and with sane and tenn
pered force. is able to lift the public