The New York herald., 1921-10-27
Continued from First Page.

occasion, but they gave what / have
regarded as one Of the greatest demon
STATIONS in all history of the possi-
biiities OF adaptation. organization and
Industrial development under stress or
great necessity.
1--WE will do well to recognize that the
Industrial achievement OF the South
during the civil war was one of the
Ilarves resulting from that unhappy
<onflict. II marked the beginning OF
that diversification of industry which
has made the South OF to-day an indus
trial as well as an agricultural empire.
] shave often wished that some inspired
son OF the South might one day devotee
the time and effort necessary TO record
the history of that Aladdln-like indus
tsial wonder which was large part or
the story of the South In the civil con-
test. II is one of the phases OF Amer
loan history that has had too little
Understanding attention.
s'When we have studied the civil war
we have been SO engrossed with military
and political aspects that we have
slighted the industrial and economic
phases. 1 am going to venture, there
lore. the suggestion that comprehensiVe
study of that aspect OF the war period
would be of inestimable value to the
M
ttonal progress. Not only would II con-
sutute an eloquent testimony TO the
renius and devotion OF our Southern
people. but 1t would present picture
Of opening opportunity and widening
horizon whose contemplation would chal-
lenge every remaining vestige of preju-
dice and sectional antagonisnl.
south,s Deeds in War.
SIT has been a truism that the war
betw cen the States started the natloh
as whole In it's way of colossal INDUS
trial growth. But I have wished that
the particular story of that wartime
experience in the South might be better
1shown. I have been told of the almost
cy srnight development of munition rae
tories out of smithies; of the expansion
of railroad repair shops into locomotive
works: how ship yards. ordnance plants,
powder factories were conjured up AMI
mt at work almost in the twinkling Of
en- eye; of improvised industrial proc
esses and mechanical contrivances, not
q few of which have been of perma-
nent value some of them fairly revolu-
tionary.
tsWe WILL I am sure, be forgiven If. as
Americans, we rsmind ourselves that
wooden navies had fought each other
for thousand of years until Americans
came iron fighting craft-came so quick
ly and unanimously that both sides had
their first armored warships ready at
the same moment, so well matched that
they fought to draw. 1t was revo-
luton; yet it was only one incident in
this matching of American genius and
resourcefulness in titantic struggle.
THE railway and the telegraph were
first bidden to the service of war on a
u CCn "a oil q Y
hinge ordnance which both North and
South created and used was as sensa-
tional in that day as the most startling
constructions of the world war were
more than a generation later. In both
South and North our people learned and
demonstrated what 1t means to mobilize
an the human, industrial, financial. SCI
entific resources of a great community
for the purposes OF war. That indeed
was the most characteristic and most
revolutionary development OF the strug-
gle. When we had done with our war
we had well nigh made over the whole
art Of war. The old things were gone
forever. BY land or by sea both it's
material and its methods were sweeping
ly changed. Glory and glamour had
been taken out of it and in their place
had been put the grim. hard reality OF
whole peoples measuring against each
sources.
M sin that contest of industry and re-
sources the South started with fearful
handicap: a handicap so great that Its
accomplishments constituted one of the
Industrial wonders Of all time. 1t Is to
this wonder that / have wanted to call
attention to-day, for l have felt that 1t
has never been appraised as it ought to
be. From that contest the South emerged,
not only with the foundation of indus
trial greatness securely laid but freed
from the incubus of labor system that
had from Colonial times chained IL to
Z the status of an almost purely agricul-
tural community.
"The industrial and commercial de-
velopmerd of States and peoples has
always been strikingly influenced by
their wars (; perhaps even more than
their social and political development.
That older war founded industry in the
South under stress of sternest necessity:
and so we may recognize in your Bir-
fningham district and it's industrial
splendor one OF the fine products of the
Industrial revolution which was forced
Upon the whole South.
II 1--WE are gathered to-day to celebrate
the semi-centenary of the founding OF
birmingham. That this wonder could be
ssrought In so brief q time tells US
how fast our modern world moves: