190 ANNUAL, REPORT. OF THE, Off. Doc. 



were no such things as public schools or private academies or nor- 

 mal schools. There were a few higher institutions where the select 

 few had their special training under the direction of the Jewish 

 priesthood. Wherever the Roman Catholic church had control, it 

 has controlled higher education. \Vhenever the aristocracy has had 

 control, it has controlled higher education. A student that did not 

 belong to the Church of England could not get into the University 

 of Oxford or Cambridge. That barrier is being broken down, as all 

 other barriers are being broken down, but nevertheless, it emphasizes 

 my proposition that the ruling class, as is shown in history, has 

 usually taken care to control higher education. In this country the 

 ruling class is the people; the great democracy. They should keep 

 within their own hands the instrumentalities of education, lower as 

 well as higher, so that every jjoorest boy can have, by the aid of 

 • study within his reach, as good an education as is open to the wealth- 

 iest and the most favored. 



Unless we have that system of education, the control of all our 

 public affairs w'ould pass into the hands of the specially favored 

 classes, therefore, I regard our public schools, our normal schools 

 and State Colleges, as the instrumentalities to which we must look 

 to secure to us and those who come after us^ these great benefits. 



Now, ladies and gentlemen, I must ask you to pardon me for taking 

 so much longer time than I had intended, and with these discon- 

 nected and desultory but earnest remarks, because they express 

 the deepest conviction of my life, and I learned it from a godly and 

 patriotic mother, I must conclude. We are working out here not 

 only a means of livelihood, solving the question of bread and butter, 

 but we are working out a part of the great problem of modern civ- 

 ilization, especially as affecting the question of human liberty, so 

 that I never can look upon a gathering of this kind, or in any branch 

 of education, without thinking of it, with regard to these larger 

 problems. 



Again, I bid you a most cordial welcome here, and trust that the 

 gathering will be not only full, of ample profit now but will lead to 

 many similar gatherings in the future. 



The CHAIRMAN: The response will now be made by Mr. Alva 

 Agee, of Wooster^ Ohio. 



Mr. Agee made the following response. 



