The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1921-09-23
DEVOTION TO EDUCATIONAL
CAUSE ATTEsTED BY uNPaEc.
EDENTED LI5ERALITy. n
ADDRESS OF JAS. |. FlNNEY
Editor of The Herald Declares That
Prime Purpose Of School Should Be
the Training of Future Citizens Of
America.

! "AuihS at Cutieoka, j. l. Finney ed
TOR OF The Herald, spoke ass follows
10 be associated with the peopl
!, OF the Culleoka community and to b
identified with them in their ento,
prises--to have part in the life of tn,
community in whatever it may under
take,-has always seemed to me Il
De an honor, but never before have
ielt such cause for pride and elatjor
as 40 today when contemplate this
occasion and the achievements which
Fave made it possible.
There have been in the past man,
/ communities and towns in Tennessee
which have raised by subscription
large sums of money for investmen,
in educational enterprises. That has
Doen a common occurrance in on,
state, because from the very dawn of
An2lo-Saxon civilization on this side
Of the Alleghanies our people have
manifested high appreciation of the
advantages of an educated citizenship
and have been willing to make sacri
flces for the cause. But such invest.
ments have always been for an acad.
envy or college or private preparatory
school whose title was vested in the
donors or those selected to represent
them. and whose benefits were to be
confined to those who made the con.
tributions.
But here today, for the first time
in the history of any community no
larger or more populous than this. wa
are assembled to lay the corner stone |
OF magnificentf building, erected |
upon ground forever consecrated to
the use of the public and dedicated
for all time to the education of al,
who under the laws of our state, may
be entitled to it's benefits. Ten thou
sand dollars have been given by the
people of this small territory, which
loes not claim single citizen among
It's inhabitants whom the modern
business world would term "rich,' to
he erection of public school build !
ng. There are no reservations or s
limitations upon the gift | have {
earched in vain the records of Ten /
lessee communities for anything that G
n the past approaches in unselfish t
and democratic purpose q
he magnificent gift which the patrio- il
ic citizens of the Culleoka section b
ave made to the public, to our pos e
Gritty, to all in the future who may d
are to avail themselves of the oppor- s
mites offered for public education t,
Culleoka citizens, by their unprece- a
ented generosity and patriotism, set 81
n example that has been followed in i,
! parts sof the county until today hi
early forty thousand dollars of gifts u
ON private citizens are being ex- n,
ended for better educational plants b,
he example here set has resulted in le
| aggregate expenditure of $150,000 o,
this county for the enlargement of Of
Vocational opportunities. Surely we III
no are assembled today MAY be par
med if we leave here an enduring w
onHment of our achievements. "a
The educational record of this com &C
unity would be history of the com he
unity. For eighty-one years, except di
ring that awful period of civil strife vi
len the Confederaey had called to wf
+ colors all who might have taught th
d many who should have been in III,
, school room and not upon the bat fut
field institutions of learning have lea
pit open their doors in this commu- an
y that it's citizens might have Att
her appreciation and better I'M STR
standing of the duties and obliga- re1
us of life and of their responsible tho
IS as citizens of free country. vii
IS early as 1885, when in all the ing
ton now commonly called Culleoka err
ritory. there were not exceeding a mig
re of families resident, when there the
re no highways worthy of the name for
communication was slow ard diff tioI
t, before there were any of, the of
ippings' of modern civilization, the hen
zens Of this section subscribed the 6ce
ley and opened Pleasant Grove mig
deny, for more than a quarter of tur,
entury one of the famous schools orr
Tennessee. It's graduates have p
/ high rank in all of the fields of TEN
nan endeavor This institution was il (
owed BY the even more famous ecu
Db school founded few years after talk,
close of the war between the NOR
es, when this country had been de- lear
ated and narrowed by the four and
IS of intenecine strife, by the late mall
we'd DR.. A. q. Dinwiddie. Among Sue
graduates of the renowned Webb nest
,ol at CulleOka are to be found ton
.es md justices of high courts. en- Che
{ lawyers. cabinet ministers. sen. the
5 and representatives in the con. COO
5 of the United States. ministers OF Il
he gospel, bishops of the church il is
lant, accomplished orators, learn whiC
rnfaauoro -ohr1.rr oo4arfs.fn Ell -.