The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-08
GIFTS to Colleges.

Recently a friend Thanked Philip D.
Armour, for himself and in the name of the
public, for bis splendid gift of an endowed
school TO Chicago. His reply was indicative
Of tine brosd-gauge philsnthropist and the
appreciative mao: That's all right; Chi
csgo has done a heap for me; I'm paying
some OF it back" Through the medium Of
this school Mr.. Armour means to pay
back" 81, 500, coo or more.
During the past few months a number of
wealthy men and women in the north and
northwest have paid back" large sums Of
money to favoring and favored communi-
ties in the shape Of gifts to educational in
stitutions. But no such gifts Of note have
been made in the south. Some OF the
money, indeed, has come south; notably
the gift OF $3.50, COO to the Cannon school OF
theology, department Of Clark Univer-
sity for colored people. But there las been
an almost total lack Of giving to the schools
and colleges for whites In the south by the
people who should feel the keenest interest
in them. No southern millionaire or very
rich man has, recently, discharged his
moral duty TO his people by ''paying back"
to them an equipped institution Of higher
education, or an endowment to one
Of the colleges existing. This is
not because the south has no
rich men there are number of them with
US. Nor can it be because they are not
generous. for the generosity of the southron
is proverbial.
A letter from the Rev. W. A. Gambler, OF
Atlanta, recently published in the Augusta
Chronicle, emphasized strongly the differ
ence between the number of gifts OF the
kind under consideration and the value of
educational institutions In the north ana the
south. Take the states of Massachu-
sets and Georgia." he wrote,
Estates Of nearly equal population, though
Georgia has 10000 moro children to educate
than has Massachusetts. college endow-
ments in Massachusetts are worth $l0,650,-
600; in Georgia $T75.000. These are the
figures at the close of the year 1891. The
figures for 1892 are not yet published.)
Value of college grounds and buildings in
Georgia, SIS, 600; in Massachusetts, IS, O13.-
OOO. Value of scientific apparatus in Geor-
gia colleges, $97, 3OO in Massachusetts, ST.
100000. Benefactions and colleges in Mas
saohusetts during the year. SSO7,S13; in
Georgia, $5l 900. 1t is thus we are falling
further and further behind each year."
He further noted that "the richest college
IN Georgia by several hundred thousands is
for negroes. The Cannon school of the
ology, which is only one department OF
Clark University. is alone worth 81 100, 900.
The entire plant Of Clark University is
worth more than Emory, Mercer and the
university at Athens combined" Neither Mr..
Gambler, nor any friend of the south, would
wish that tue colored schools had less.
There is no jealousy felt by tho whites be-
cause the colored people have the richest
school in the state. But is it not, to a GER
tain extent, a reflection upon the public
spirit OF our people TO have it truly said
that northern philanthropists have given
the colored youth In Georgia more valuable
school facilities than the native whites
have provided for their own children9
This is an suspicious season for making
donations to educational institutions. Are
there no rich men in this state who may
feel constrained to pay back" something
for the benefit of rising generations3