The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-05

To the Editor of The Age Herald:
 l greatly appreciate your courtesy in permitting me to reply to the com munication which appeared in your valuable paper on the 2Sth ut. signed by W. L. Strickland Albertville, Route 3. If MT. Strickland had heard me on the occasion when I preached in the beautiful Highlands Methodist church in your city on the subject, 'Life's Su- preme Motive" and when I spoke of the work of the John H. Snead semi nary chiefly for Illustrative purposes, he would undoubtedly have appreciated my statements and have seen in them and also in my pictures something to admire and not som ething to condemn
 But when what I said reached him through the brains and hand and pen cil of the reporter it was so changed and in few cases so exaggerated that his pride ~ country and race was aroused against me and l am not sur prised at it.
 Now, for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth" am made in the original article to say "The seminary is a co-educatfonal institu-
 
 ahead of the average high school. with special courses for prospective preach CTS and deaconesses in the Northern Methodist church." This is a mistake My statement, in substance, was that the seminary offers work In all the grades, gives first-class high school courses, with special training in do- mestic science. music and expression.
 Again, 1 am credited with the state ment mat the seminary was built and maintained by the Northern Methodist church to assist in the educational Dro gramme in the isolated mountain dis trlct around Boaz." What I did say was that the principal mission of the institution is to the young people in the rural districts where the school year is limited to a few weeks and where the higher courses are not of 1ered at all. And I stated that stu cents came to us not from the moun- tain district around Boaz (Boaz was not mentioned in this connecticut hut rom Alabama, Tennessee. Georgia worth and South Carolina and from several other states. The list shows tnat l2 states are represented on our DOCKS this year. also emphasized the Tact that it is the least expensive insti- tutIon of its kind and rank in tbe en. ire country. The catalogues of other Siiial SCHOOLS prove this. The re- porter asserts that Dr. Fielder wo,,Ia mold up the pictures of various nuniIs ana give their histories in brief, As. matter of sober fact had in all fo,,~ plctures, a picture of our new admin iSeratloh building, now in course Of Sons tructlon; picture of several hun urea of our young people. taken a fev, weeks ago; picture of group of "life servlce students-students who have nof "A 1 IL ueulcated their lives to different forms Shristian work, and a picture of the 1;sa oo,eo poy. Instead of dozens of Ire stories l gave briefly two tbe story or young man who cana to mo ."o years ago and who is now continu- iips HIS education in distant state ana
 "t or the lad in the picture I have .nat picture yet and I am prouId of if ana so far am pleased with the how "nose form and figure it represents
 HIS story. as l am related to if is snis barefooted and wearing blue aiis ana slouch hat, he appeared on tne walk in front Of my modest little home on or about Auevst 1o st tne present year and appealed to me LOT a chance to work his way tbrourb. scnool. He had walked 15 miles ana peneving that he was tired and bunrry gave him the price of n Iipbt 1,,noi, up town, When he returned I talked Wltn hlm and coming to the concIu- slon mat he was deeply in earnest ana that there was the making of man Tn him, l offered him a chance 10 earn little money by working on the excavations of our new buildin,e He accepted the opportunity and made sooo at the job, Later when school opened arranged for him to assist the cook in the dining department of the boys home, and again he made good both there and in the cIassroon,