The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-10

Specimens collected by State S l In order to secure facts regarding the extent of vocational training in the state a committee was appointed at the last session of the Alabama Educational as- sociation to collect data and arrange an exhibit showing the character of this work.
 This committee consists of James l.. Sibley, state supervisor of rural schools; l.. N. Duncan of the extension depart ment of Auburn, and Miss Jennie Mae Rosser, assistant director of manual arts. Jefferson county.
 l The exhibit will be housed in the armory of the city hall on Nineteenth street, and will be open to the public today and Sat urday from 9 a. m. to 10 D. m. The work of the public and secondary schools of the state will be showM The technical schools, such as the university, Auburn, Montevallo and the agricultural schools, l will be featured The normals will also have exhibits
 County Exhibits l Those counties having extensive teach
 
 l to exhibit. One of the largest of these | is the Jefferson county section, which is l being arranged by Miss Margaret Me Adory, director of manual arts for the county. Lowndes and Pike counties also will be represented the former to give demonstrations in cooking by some of the girls of the rural schools The work of the boys corn clubs and girls canning clubs will be shown by a
  am sure that wss will come again to the time when leaders will lead. But now 1t is true that all great changes and movements are initiated by the people and are taken over and elab- orated upon by demagogues and self seeking shrewd politicians in order that they may ride into power 1 There is more need now than in | all history for intelligence among the masses. If the people are to rule cor rectly then the people must be wise | or the government cannot be wise. If | our public servants are to express our will then we must be equipped for the l business of government. Let us not 1 flatter ourselves, however, that we are | inspired or perfect We are not. We | are attempting to do what other peo- | pie have failed to do. I have not an abiding confidence that we will succeed under the new order any more than We succeeded under the old, but I do believe we will succeed in a higher degree than other peoples have suc- | ceeded.
 | Masses Must Have Knowledge l Certain it is we will not succeed under the new order until we equip the masses with knowledge and poise and comprehension, which comes alone I through public education. However, we may view the question it comes finally to this: That the self governed people must be qualified for government | "Whatever the government is, what l ever it has been and whatever it will 1 be, we are responsible for 1t. It can be no better than we are; 1t reflects our character, and when we complain l of its mistakes we reproach ourselves for our own mistakes When bad men get into power the people are respon l sible, for they could never have at | tained a position of power without the 1 peoples consent.
 "Consdering the investment of money | in educational facilities from a point of pride is another good viewpoint. Ala hama is a proud state and has right | to be. You have a noble ancestry and yoi have right to bedeve you can rank among the highest people of this earth. l The southern people are a proud people and justly so. They supplied the men | tbdt were ItspUilSlDle TOT tHlS great re- public and now southern man occupies the highest executive orfice in the land, | and many of the high legislative offices are filled by southern men,
 Men and women here m this state are proud of the fact that they are sons of the revolution 'daugh,ers of the con- federacy, and boast of it. tell you, the man who boasts his ancestry and does not try to match it confesses himself I degenerate. Let us at least try to match the achievements of our fathers along educational lines"
 The speaker referred to the fallacious argument that compulsory education would give the negro supremacy over the whites in the south as regard education. He said that the negro was the ward of the white man: that he had been brought to this country against his will and that he did for several generations yield hand some returns from his labor.
 Refers to Negro
 "It is true he brought us more woe than veal in many instances" said MT. Ousley, but in any event he is not re- sponsihle. We are responsible, and as honorable gentlemen We must assume the responsibility. It is up to us to give the negro chance. The man who speaks of social equality Is either very ignorant or a fool He who says that education will place the negro on a level with the white man or elevate him to a station in life that is above his race makes an erroneous statement. The white man started mill
 lions years ahead of the negro and he will never, never lose even one year of the lead.
 T cannot comprehend the future of this child race, but we owe it to ourselves and to him to give him at least a fair chance" The speaker in his closing words re- ferred to the rural school, saying that he was more concerned about that than h., was of the city school He said that if the present rate of emigration from the country to the city continued 1t would rot be many years until the rural popula- ton was outnumbered by the urban res- l aal,