Carolyn Farmer, junior, has been judged winner in the Charles I. Brannon essay contest on Henry W. Grady. The contest, held every five years in accordance with the will of the late Charles I. Brannon, offers prizes of $60 and $40 to the first and second place winners.
James Thomas, junior at Roosevelt High School won second place. Other Grady entries were made by Catherine Girardeau, junior and Sara Mathews, senior.
Carolyn's essay is as follows:
"Who shall be the heralds of the coming age? Who shall tread the way
of honesty and safety through these besetting problems? Who shall rally
the people to the defense of their liberties, and stir them until they shall
cry aloud to be led against the enemies of the Republic?--You, my countrymen,
you."
These words, spoken by Henry Woodfin Grady to the Societies of the University
of Virginia in 1889, are as appropriate today as they were then. Born in
Athens, Georgia, on May 17, 1850, Henry W. Grady lived in a period of United
States history when great changes were taking place.
He saw clearly the numerous needed reforms and dedicated his life to building a "new" South: Y.M.C.A.'s for would-be delinquents, Georgia Tech for education, the Piedmont Chautauqua to train Sunday School teachers, manufacturers' associations to reorganize industry, the Confederate Soldiers' Home to care for those who had fought for us, and the Atlanta Constitution to inform the public. Grady's love of mankind and faith in the good qualities of the American people made his voice the rallying cry of all who loved the South and inspired confidence in hot-.
One of the highest and most important aims of Grady was balance--balance between races, between political parties, and between agriculture and industry. He pleaded for industrialization and warned against wasteful systems of agriculture. To aid in furthering the industrial development of our country, he took a leading part in organizing the International Cotton Exposition and the Piedmont Industrial Exposition. The South did progress! By 1880 our industries had doubled. By 1887 one hundred million dollars had been added to the value of the South's cotton crop by processing the previously worthless cotton seed.
But the, greatness of Henry Grady cannot be measured by our material growth. The richer legacy which he left to us lies in those things that be so strongly believed--his ideals. Above all, Grady fought for national unity and spoke very definitely against the forces of sectional interests. To him unity was the road to lasting peace. Yet he spoke with the voice of the South and always revered the faith and ideals which had led so many Southerners, among whom was his father, to battle and the grave. His greater love for mankind and confidence in the future rose above sectional hatred and distrust.
Although Henry Grady died on December 23, 1889, he speaks to us today as clearly and forcefully as he spoke to those who felt the power and beauty of his words in his own time. His battles of seventy years ago are ours today except on a much larger scale. There still exist scars of disunity between sections in spite of the fact that since Grady's time Americans from the North and South have fought together in three wars, died from the same shellburst, and lie buried side by side in the same ground.
The South still pays for too many products manufactured in other sections of the country but made from raw materials which it has supplied. Our rivers still flow red with the lifeblood of our soil. Bands of cowardly, intolerant, and misguided persons still seek to prevent helpless people from enjoying civil liberties and exercising their rights as citizens. The lack of balance still weakens our political life and influence. Even though we spend a greater proportion of tax dollars for education than any other section of the country, we rank lowest in the country in educational facilities. More churches, homes, and all kinds of humanitarian organizations are needed.
Henry Grady challenges us today to plead for unity in a world torn apart by national distrust and hatred. His was a war between states; ours, between nations. As he worked to fuse sections and unite a country, so we must weld nations and unite a world. As he dedicated his life to build a "new" South, we must dedicate ours to build a new world. As he realized that changing conditions and broader understanding demand new and greater loyalties and at the same time respected the devotion and loyalty of those who bad fought and died for their beliefs, so we must not be blinded to the needs of the present by the beliefs and conditions of the past. To be worthy of the faith and confidence which Henry Grady had in mankind, we must accept and fulfill his challenge.
"Who shall be the heralds of the. coming age?--You, my countrymen,
you."