The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-11-27

/, for the movement had become ire
. sistible before the formation Of the
board. Men like Robert T.. Lee, Will
LAM Fl. Ruffner. j. L. NJ. Curry. AL
licus G. Haywood, Calvin II. Wiley.
had given it birth. but in stimulating
| public opinion, In arousing popular
enthusiasm and In achieving unity Of
purpose everywhere. the board found
! a part to play. and played 1t well,
/ with power and decisiveness. In
every State from the Gulf to the Pc
tomac the educational leaders of that
/ time will declare that their plans were
| helped forward by the board and the
conference, and throughout the whole
nation its methods and impulses were
copied and modified to the advance
ment Of popular education In the re-
public.
An American Business Man.
The essential idealism Of American
life IL nowhere given nobler proof
than in the fact that the leader of
this piece OF democratic efficiency
and volunteer craftsmanship was an
American business man not trained iu
the academies, but clear of purpose.
strong of vision. and gifted with a
genius for friendship and a capacity
to see clearly the path ahead. Mr..
i Odgen had great capacity for affairs,
but he will endure as figure OF hui
manitarian enthusiasm. a friend of
good causes, struggler for the COM
mon good. and by the right of these
forces he has written his name along
with such names as George Peabody
on the roll Of the great constructive
forces in the educationsG development
of the country. He achieved this re-
suit not by giving vast sums OF money.
as Mr.. Peabody did, though he gave
very freely of his. nor by building
great institutions like Armstrong or
McIvor, nor administering great trust
funds like Sears and Curry TIE
achieved 1t by giving himself wholly,
, to a great idea and great purpose.
The great idea was a belief in the
self-reliance, the justice. the essential
wisdom OF the people OF the South. in
the handling Of the most difficult and
delicate educational problems pre-
serted for solution to any people in
any time.
Wanted to Understand the South.
The great purpose was the purpose
to understand his brethren Of the
South, to cooperate with them in their
work and to help bear such part Of
their burdens as they would permit
because they were national burdens
and belonged. of right, on the shout
ders Of the whole nation. His fame,
therefore, is the fame of an apostle
of cooperation and service His
genius the genius OF Interpretation
TO each other of mer and sections;
his charm, the. demeanor OF an earn
est gentleman to whom life and living
ara serious, beautiful and reverentiai
things; his manner, those of an age
now gone. which greatly exalted man
{ - J.~l
that seems archaic in our buster age.
but which was very beautiful and dis
tinguished. and by its passing has
robbed life OF something that sweet
ensd and gIorffed II II is fitting
that the educational forces of the
country should raise q memorial to
Robert ogden. 1t is very fitting that
this memorial should be placed al
Hampton Institute. The creative spiri.
! of Samuel Armstrong first touched
him to higher issues and transferred
! the virile young merchant into a stu
dent OF society and lover Of hi-
kind The problems arising from the
presence OF the African in American
life first awakened in him the states
mans vision. He saw In Hampton H.
stitute the greatest and the sanest
experiment station for the training Of
backward race yet devised by the
wit of men. He believed its deepest
object was not only to help backwar d
people to a better economic life. TO
breed In them racial seif-respect, to
endow them with skill or hand and a
conception of clean hoYrse-iife and
goou citizenship, but. IN large way.
to protect our national life from de-
terioration and inefficiency. He very
firmly believed that there was but
one thing TO do with any human be-
ing Of any race in this world, and that
thing was to give him a chance. by
training him wisely for his day and
need. Like Curry, he held to the
faith that ignorance was no remedy
for anything. Ills loyalty to Hatnpto
was not within steal emotional or Sec
tionai loyalty to the training Of one
race alone, but loyalty to the republic
and democracy. and to ore method OF
freeing the republic from q periieus
incubus of ignorance and weakness
This Man Was Self Forgetful.
The chiefest weapon Of Robcr.
, Curtis Ogden in all his record Of
achievement was absolute self-forget-
fuiness. ] have never known man
| intimately who won such fine pleas
ure and happiness through complete
self-surrender. He was modest, hut
conscious leadership: patient. but
riziiant; hopeful, but very busy and
dauntless He confronted all diff
culties with cheerful face and a
stout heart and out of his whole life
issued serene and contagious faith
In the ultimate good intentions Of his
feilowmen that sets him apart as a
genuine helper to his kind, friend
or men--a great democrat. whose