Following the War Between the States the South was plunged into a dark depression and a general feeling of resentment toward the North. One of the most influential men in the South at this time was the famous Georgia orator and journalist, Henry Woodfin Grady. The main theme of all of Henry Grady's writing and speaking was the rehabilitation of the South through the development of its industries and the restoration of friendship between the North and the South. Through his efforts to bring about this change, Grady won a place in the hearts of everyone who knew him or knew of him.
Henry W. Grady was born in Athens, Georgia on May 24, 1850. He was only a school boy when his father was killed during the early part of the Civil War. Grady graduated from the University of Georgia and spent the next two years at the University of Virginia, where he studied law. In both of these places he won many honors in writing and speaking. When he returned to Georgia, he married his childhood sweetheart, Julie King, and they moved to Rome, Georgia, where he began his newspaper career on "The Rome Courier." Later he moved to Atlanta and secured a position as Southern correspondent on "The New York Herald." After working five years on this paper he bought one-fourth interest in "The Atlanta Constitution" and was made managing editor of it.
As managing editor of "The Constitution" Henry Grady exerted his greatest influence over the South and more particularly, over Atlanta. He advocated the building of the Georgia School of Technology and held in his office the meeting which finally led to the establishment of that school. He was also influential in the raising of funds for the purpose of building the Confederate Soldiers' Home and a Y.M.C.A. building.
One of the things Grady was most noted for was his brilliant addresses on matters concerning the South and its problems. Though he wrote many of these, perhaps the best known is "The New South," a phrase coined by Grady to emphasize the difference between the South as it used to be in plantation days, and as it was later to become in an industrial age. Most of Grady's speaking tours were made in the North. While on one of these tours Grady contracted pneumonia, which led to his death in Atlanta, on December 23, 1889.
Four Grady students, Harold Goldstein, Harriet Felton, Carmen Oastler and Bill Jordon, presented much food for thought Monday evening November 11, on the WAGA program, "Youth Town Meeting," at 9.30. Their subject was "Should We Have Student Government in Our Schools?"
Harold and Carmen, speaking for student government, said, in effect, student government helps teach good citizenship. It builds character through competition and its honor system, it teaches cooperation and gives practice in. democracy to be used on a higher scale some day in the city, state, and nation, and, as Carmen stated, gives a feeling of more importance in the school organization.
Speaking against student government, Harriet and Bill contended that the high school youth is too young to make wise decisions and does not have the right training to do so. The students would shirk their responsibility in reporting classmates that break rules and the respect for student government would fall. The representatives, Bill opined, would be elected for good looks or popularity and not for ability. Harriet brought out that the students with ability may not try to gain a position in the student government because of the time and energy such a position would demand.
In the ten-minute question period at the end, Maria Pryles asked Carmen, "How can students be helpful to the faculty?" The answer was that the student government could give the faculty the student's viewpoint. Jerry Rittenbaum had this to ask Harold, "Are we ready for student government?" and Harold pointed out that there is no time like the present. He said, "We are as ready now as we shall ever be."