The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-29

hahu as an educational orator It was such s services that attracted the atten- non or the Peabody board and led to his erection as their agent in the south
 By addresses before religious and ed ucatlonal associations and before legisla- lures, by visitations and personal can vases Of communities, he awakened the consciences of the people and secured legisiation and appropriations for schools. He organized normal schools for training teachers in p states and systems of schools In many cities. Through this giving of self first. Curry laid the foun- dations for real system of public educa- tfon in the south
 Northern Leader Comes Forth At this juncture what the cause needed was great northern leader. who should organize the northern men, as pr. Curry had organized the southern. The money and efforts of northern people were be- Ing badly scattered all over the field with poor results. No man could have been better fitted to do this than Mr. Robert Ogden of New York. He had an exten- sive acquaintanceship both north and south and was loved and respected where ever known. He had, besides, an attrae- tive personality, sound judgment. and superb tact. Mir. ogden thus became nat urally the ambassador of good will and fellowship in educational work, from the north to the south.
 ''The meeting of the conference in 1901 was called at Salem. N C., in April. and was attended by large company of MT Ogden's guests and of southerners. Here began new period in the development of public education in the south, called The Period of the Southern Education Board, for it was at this meeting that this board was organized.
 "It was essentially a volunteer congress of unofficial statesmen. organized to do the nations work in educating the people, an organized effort to induce the people in all the southern states to provide the legislation levy taxes and build schools for all the people In pursuance of this plan. committees were formed and an agent employed in each Of the southern states instructed to co-operate with the local educational authorities. The peo- pie of the south were led to see that the individual man can rise only as the com munity rises. The effective reconstruction Of the public school system waited upon the quickening of the social conscience and this these workers aroused.
 "Throughout the whole campaign of this volunteer army of educational sol diers, the commander-in-chiefw was Robert C. Ogden Not a rich man himself. for his life's rule was to give away as he earned, he gave literally to pay the ex- penses of the campaign. and led many others to give of their money, time or work. But the greatest gift that MT. ogden gave was the gift of himself
 By such deeds. Robert Curtis Ogden made himself one of the greatest of these educational heroes. and wrote his name along with those of Robert F. Let and J. l.. NJ. Curry on the roll of the great con structive forces in the educational de- velopment of the country.
 Lesson of the Years 'The full recognition by all the people of the doctrine that the chief business of democratic state is to educate all it's children at the common cost. that the commonwealth should be devoted, first of all. to the training of the children--this has been the great lesson of these years. This doctrine is now sincerely believed by all the southern states. That it Is our moral, as well as our economic, duty to educate all the children to the limit of their possibilities, that education is the natural right of every child and not a thing of benevolence or of public pru- dence. and that the school is not merely an instrument of social safety. but an agency of social progress. is, I believe, universally held by all of us. Let us thank God chiefly for these he. roes. these rebuilders of old common wealths, these restorers of life to this
 
 greatly these years. But His great gift has been the gift of these men, the gift of Curry. of Aycock and of ogden, already gone before, and of scores Of other living men, who. throughout this land, are lab bring for the training of this people. And now what is the lesson for us in the services and sacrifices of these men? Their lives and deeds speak to you, peo- pie of Birmingham, and people of the whole south, tonight. No word is needed from me. Though dead, they speak again to you. charging you to be true to the faith in which they lived. true to the cause of the people whom they loved What is that faith? What is that cause? Hear it once more. not in my words. but in the words of the devoted Aycock, which he had prepared to utter when he died trying to speak to you:
 May these things be-
 But let us type them now In our own lives,
 And this proud watchword rest, Of equal
 Equal That is the word. On that word I plant myself and my party--the equal right of every child born on earth 1 to have the opportunity ito burgeon out | all that never is within him. fl" The following students received di- plomas:
 BOYS.
 | First section, January. 1914. | Elwyn Douglas Cobbs, Horace Lindsay Cooke, Andrew Crawford Dillon. Roy Hunt Manly, Herbert Hudson Robinson Jesse William Smith.
 GIRLS.
 1 Minnie Atkins, Gladys Mai Bell, Mary Perry Bowers, Georgia Will Coffman, Elm ma Maud Dennis, Eva Remington Dob- bins. Lula Genella Fielder, Iillie Goldstein Jessica Dupuy Ingram. Della Bryan Page Johnston. Annie Lytton bowman. Kath- erine Strong Ross. Edna Earl Suttle, Lu- cille Batterton Swift.
 BOYS.
 l Second section, May 1914.
 I Steadham Acker, William Beasor Bar row. Jr., Emmett Harold Beasley, Jesse Samuel Burbage. Richard Nelson Cole man, Jack Evans Cozine. James Asbury 1 Downey Jr.. Daniel Edward Dugger, Will liam Timothy Durrett, Burdette Garrison Lewis Moltra HammacR. Lawrence Frs kline Handley. Estes Henry Hargis. Jo- | seph Chambers Harrell Daniel Andrew 1 Helmich, Harvey Gambetta Heydorn, Ed ward Morris Latham, Joseph Allen Low. man, Robert Elmore McAdory. Thomas l. u KI