Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-11-30
EDUCATIONAL SPEECHES
BY STEARNEs AND DENNY
State Superintendent Makes Report
of Years Progress to Con-
ference Of Teachers.
iLhITERACY is DECREASING
Former President of Washington
and Ice Speaks on "commOn-
wealth Building In the South"
Pleads for More Schools.

and Ice Speaks on "CommOn-
wealth Building In the South"
Pleads for More Schools.
addresses by State Superintendent u, |.
g. Stcarncs. who gave report of til" /
Progress of educational effort in Nir-
GInin Ia all directions during the past
YEAR ana by Dr. George ~. Denny,
president Of the University OF Alabama
OF "Cvmmonwcaith- Huildinp IN the
south" made up the program of the .
meeting at SD o'clock last might Ia I
tho auditorium of John Marshall High /
school at the close of tive second day oc /
the eleventh annual meeting Of til" I
Virginia Educational Conference. &. /
T.. Bowry, Of Burkcviii". president Of I
the conference Of division supcrintcn. I,
dents, presided At tho meeting.
After reporting that NOR" nov build ,
ings had been erected las, year than
ever before, $l,20O.0oO having been /
spent for that purpose. Superintendent
Stearnes said that the NOR" attractiv"
surroundings were producing fruit in
larger attendance. IN. enrolment last
year was isS,lI0 as compared with
$4,000 az the preceding session. an iu-
crease of 3 per cent. rho aVcrag" at
tendance was 33a. 900. as against 81 ,"uG
during IN. former session. an Increase
of per cent. This record WAS mad"
In spite OF the fact that The state i.
. tendance. The superintendent called
attention TO the need for such Il law.
JUVENILE ILLITE:RAtN
GREATLY REDUCED
Related to the subject OF "nrollmcut
and compulsory attendance IL til"
burning question of illit"racy.' said Mr.
Stearncs. The session of lgIi-lHl5 may
have seemed H." elimination az our cf
forts to eliminate iliii.racy. bat such
he trIr that w.,
reduced juvenile iilitcracy from 2i,i2l
10 Abb among the whites. aud from
3l.2:i 10 li2j1 among negroes. Tn
superintendent ar" making reference"
To our struggle with illitcracy
war Of determination. In some cities
and counties they are beginning the at
tack un adult iliitcracy az well"
Tn" speaker referred I" the pleasant
relations now existing between tn"
Board Of Education and tho institutions
~ higher learning in lii" state. lie
also spoke Of the Increased number OF
students entering colleges and uni
vcrsitics. Instead Of the few hundred
high school graduates turned out am
. uually prior To 1906. there ar. now
almost ao0" y larg" per cent uf these
enter colleges or technical! and profess
sonai schools
NEED ron rIOUOUGIi
GROUNDING ~ FiNDNMINTNI.S
Thorouchness on the part OF hrtn
pupil aud teacher was urged by sir.
Stearues Their. must bc such careful
grounding in til. fundamentals ana
such stimulation of interest in studies
Tor their own sake. he said. that tn.
desirable habits OF Industry. obedience,
accuracy and seli-rc!iaucc viii seem 10
be Indigenous to ~" childs very soul.
The state superintendent Mas en-
thusiastic IN liiS reference to the wUrk
done by the teachers IN tn. public
schools He declared that the state
mad been particularly fortunate in the
quality OF teaching talent which had
com" To ii In recent years, Zeal and
enthusiasm, he said, had BEEN NANTES,
on every side He also paid tribute
10 IN" work Of the division superin-
tcmdcnts, and urged the addition Of
more expert Inspectors 10 tho school
force.
pr. George II Denry. former prest-
dent OF Washington ana Lee Cni
v.rsi;y. and now president OF the Uni
vcrsity OF Alabama. III his address on
commonwealth Building in the SOUTH
made "A plea for more and better schools
as the basis OF development The
school, he said. is the great agency
which democracy has sex up 10 train
men for productive and efficient c!ti-
zcn.hip. Along the path OF the public
school system lies the strategic oppor-
tuni,y in commonwealth building
.HEMARi<ABLE PROGRESS UNDER
STEARNES'S LEADERSHIP
at would be uneracious IL ne
elected here and now 10 make refer
encc to the remarkable record of prog
ress that has been made in Virginia
under the leadership OF Superintendent ;
Stearnes. said Or. Denny. His in
tcrcst in public education. ! can testify
was passion long before he was
drafted into service. Fifteen years ago
he allied himself with a small group
OF forward looking men who were
81 e. nII a.
deem Nirginia's public school system.
% u esteem i, privilege Tonight &c
render tribute not merely TO tn" high
character. but also TO the distinGu: sh I'd
nature of the service rendered by HIM
in these testing years lie then had
no thought OF public Office. High Of
fetal position came TO him. therefore
not OF his own seeking, but as rcwart
OF duty done. find great deal q,
satisfaction in the record that he ha:
made Nirginia'S minister OF cduca
ton. He has stood at the very hear
Of the whole great movement in Nir
Einia directed toward the building %
a better Commonwealth.
AT the very beginning Of the edu
cational awakening i'll the South i
, was made evident thar educational re
construction is essential to onomi
progress: that economic progress is es
sential to Commonwealth-bu building
That lesson has not been forgotten. Tn
outSlailuiHS iactS are becoming uali.
more evident. Thoughtful men ar
asking: Is The apparent material pros
perty of the South real prosperity il
which Southern men are adeuuatcl,
sharing, are the real fruits OF on
4 prosperity being gathered in by tn
foreign capitalist"
NEGLECTED CHILD SOUTH'S
GREAT UNDEVELOPED RESOURCI
I'VE have In Alabama a great sup
uly Of iron and lumber and cotton
the three raw materials necessary {
z industrial prosperity. We have an am
pie supply OF coal and water powc
with which TO convert Sem into tn
finished product Tell me. then. VIII
il is that Massachusetts is able to ski.
iron and lumber from the West cot
ION from the South, coal from Penn