The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-09-11
EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH.
RAPID INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF
COLLE9Es AND UNIVERSITIES.

he RAPID INCREASE IN THE NUMBER Q
se COLLEeEs AND UNIVERSITIES.
u There are many Indications tha
10 the South, despite the lamentatiOn
= OF political Jeremiahs, is In a s0li
IS and fairly prosperous financial condl
n tion, and among the facts tlIat prov
u this Is the improved and improving
n condition Of It's colleges, says TIN
G Baltimore Sun. At the close OF th,
0 civil war, and for five years after
there were few institutions worthy 0
the name Of College in existence Il
Q the South. Endowments had beer
swept away, buildings had been burn
ed, libraries had been destroyed, and
} the patrons who had supported the
colleges In ante.bcllum times were
now Impoverished. The academies
and preparatory schools that fitted
the boys for college were gone and the
Institution Of the public school sys.
tenn imrcded their revival. In vir-
ginia the university and several col.
legcs were able In the fall of 1895 to
resume their work. They prospered
greatly for time, the lack of like In.
stitutions In other parts OF the South
giving them an exceptionally large
attendance. There were minor insti.
tutions In operation In other Southern
States In 1870 and earlier, but they
were few 10 number, iIl-equipped, and
embarrassed by want Of patronage
and income. They languished by rea.
son OF the poverty OF the people. The
policy of reconstruction imposed vast
burdens OF taxation and the colleges
suffered along with the other inter.
ests.
But wealth, which consists chiefly
in the possession Of the comforts of
life, was being slowly accumulated.
The vigOr that sustained the South in
arms for years against the unlimited
resources Of the North manifested It.
self 10 steady work, and by 1880 great
progress had been made 10 replacing
what had been destroyed. Since that
date marvellous results have been
achieved In diverslfying industries.
The Atlanta Exposition signiled to
the world that the South was fast be-
coming mining and manufacturing
country. 1t was shown there that,
with its own savings and with the
help of imported capital, the South
had developed its dormant mineral
and numbering resources and had at
the same time diversified It's crops.
The older towns and cities had grown
In size and wealth, and hundreds OF
new towns have sprung into existence.
The vast development Of railways In
the South is in itself a convincing
evidence Of an enormus growth Of ma
tcrial wealth.
But the Southern people have al.
ways valued education, and their
achievements in this line have ex-
ceedcd all Others. They have founded
many new institutions, some Of them
OF the highest standing. John Hop
kins University, Vanderbilt Univer.
sity, Tulane University, and the Uni
versity Of Texas are new creations,
but they rest on the firm foundation
Of large endowments. They are all
attended, and, alOng with the Uni.
versity Of Virginia, are doing a great
work.
The increased wealth Of the South
Is more adequately Indicated, how.
ever, In the multiplication and pros.
perity OF the lesser institutions-ln.
stitutiOns Of such merit as to be class.
ed by the commissioner Of education
In his report for 1892 among the
colleges Of the United States. OF
these Alabama has 8; Arkancas, s;
Florida, 4; Georgia, 8; Kentucky, IS;
Louisiana, 9; Mississippi, 8; Missouri,
q; North Carolina, II; South Caro-
lima, 8; Tennessee, 2; Texas, II; VII.
ginia, 8; West Virginia, 3. Each has
besides one or more colleges OF
agriculture and the mechanic arts"
endowed by act Of congress, most Of
which include a classical course In
their curriculum. No doubt many OF
the so-called colleges are Of low grade,
but Virginia has seven institutions Of
indIsputable value and standing; West
Virginia, 2; North Carolina, 4; South
Carolina, 8; Georgia, 4; Alabama, 3;
Mississippi, 2; Tennessee, 4; Ken.
lucky, I; Missouri, 3; Arkansas, i;
Louisiana, 8; Texas, 2. Most OF them
have good endowments, all are we'll
and all have large at
tendance. What is specially siguin.
can't, the students at these ipstitu.
lions ''have money to burn" that
Is to say, they have plenty Of money
70 spend on the sports and luxuries Of
college life, and exhibit in their hab-
'ts no sign Of hard times In the thous-
ands Of homes from which they come.
Year by year the colleges are more
and more prosperous, and the last
Three years they have shown increased
prosperity. The South is accordidgly
70 BE- congratulated, both on its i'm.
proved educational facilities and on
The general well.beI1g, Of which they
are an index.
Don't forget to pay what yos owe
NJ IN - "A