The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1896-09-17
SOUTHERN COLLEGES.
Their Sound and Steady Growth In
dictate Permanent Prosperity.
baltimore SUM-

(Baltlmore sum-
There are many indications that the
South, despite the lamentations Of polit-
zeal Jeremiahs, is in a solid and fairly
prosperous financial condition, and
among the facts that prove this is the
improved and improving position of Its
colleges. At the close Of the civil war.
and for five years after, there were few
institutions worthy of the name of COL
lege in existence in the South. Endow-
ments had been swept away, buildings
had been burned, libraries had been de-
stroyed and the patrons who had sup
ported the colleges in ante-bellum times
were now impoverished. The acade-
mics and preparatory schools that fitted
boys for college were gone, and the in
stitution of the public school system im-
peded their revival. In Virginia the
university and several colleges were
able in the fall of 1866 to resume their
work. They prospered greatly for
time, the lack of like institutions in other
PAL Us VI Tie ooutu SiFiH5 ChSHi I'LL "a
ceptionally large attendance. There
were minor institutions in operation in
other Southern States in 1870 and ear
lier, but they were few in number, ill
equipped and embarrassed by want of
patronage and income. They languished
by reason Of the poverty Of the people.
Tho y,olicy of WAGON @ truotinn i'm poSad
vast burdens of taxation, and the col
leges suffered along with 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 itself in steady
work, and by 1880 great progress had
been made in replacing what had been
destroyed. Since that date marvellous
results have been achieved in diversity
ing industries. The Atlanta Exposition
signified to the world that the South
was fast becoming mining and manu-
featuring country. 1t was shown there
that, with its own savings and with the
help of imported capital, the South bad
developed its dormant mineral and lum-
bering resources. and had at the same
time diversified it's crops. The older
towns and cities have grown in size ard
wealth, and hundreds of new towns have
sprung into existence. The vast devel-
opment of railways in the South is in
itself convincing evidence of an enor-
nous growth of material wealth.
But the Southern people have always
valued education, and their achieve
ments In this line have exceeded all
others. They have founded many new
institutions, some Of them Of the high
est standing. Johns Hopkins Universe
ty, Vanderbilt University, Tulane Uni
versity and the University Of Texas are
new creations, but they rest on the firm
foundation of large endowments. They
are well attended, and, along with the
University Of Virginia, are doing a great
work.
The increased wealth of the South is
more adequately indicated, however, in
the multiplication and prosperity Of the
lesser institutions institutions of such
merit as to be classed by the Commits
sioner of Education in his report for
1901 90 mons o. a., oolloeac of ~, TTos+ad
States. OF these Alabama has s; Ar
kansas, s; Florida, 4; Georgia, s; Ken
lucky, 10; Louisiana, 8; Mississippi g.
Missouri, q; North Carolina, IL; South
Carolina, 8; Tennessee, %; Texas, IL
Virginia, s.; West Virginia, 8. Each
has besides one or more colleges OF
agriculture and the mechanical arts, II
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 institutions Of indisputa-
Bile value and standing; West Virginia
Q; North Carolina. A: South Carolina, 8;
Georgia, 4; Alabama, 8; Mississippi. @
Tennessee, 4; Kentucky, A; Missouri, 8
Arkansas, /; Louisiana, 8; Texas, 2. Mos
of them have good endowments. all are
well equipped and all have a large at.
tendance. What is specially significant
the students at these institutions ''have
money to burn" That is to say, they
have plenty of money to spend on the
sports and luxuries OF college life, and
exhibit in their habits no sign of hard
times in the thousands Of homes from
which they come. Year by year ths
colleges are more and more prosperous
and the last three years they have
shown increased prosperity. The South
is accordingly to be congratulated. bott
on Its improved educational facilitie.
and on the general well-being of which
they are an index.