The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1901-07-10

One of the men Of the South gifted
with common sense Is Hon. ID. \.
Tompkins, of Charlotte, n. C., pub
/ Usher. mechanic, cotton mill expert
and now a member of the industrial
commission. Mr.. Tompkins is the
leading authority on cotton mills in
the South. He builds them and tells
others how to build them. When the
textile school. branch of the Agrical-
tural and Mechanical College, was es-
| tablished. Mr. Tompkins was OF inval-
liable assistance. He was expected to
deliver an address on the occasion of
the ANNUAL commencement. but was
detained in Washington. He sent a
! letter which The Commercial Appeal
publishes and recommends to the care
full attention of every Southern boy
and business man.
! The letter is as follows:
To the Board Of trustees. \. and VI. College,
Mississippi.
| am impelled to send you greetings
compliments and congratulations.
Greetings because of my pleasure in
having seen the Textile department OF
your A. and NJ. College successfully
established.
Compliments for the efficient man.
ner in which you have conducted the
work of developing this department.
Congratulations to you for having
provided the means to increase the
value of Mississippi cotton from
cents a pound to 30 and ~ cents pei
pound, and even greater values.
am forbidden by my duties here
! from attending your commencement
and fulfilling my engagement to make
an address to your graduates. This Is
a great sacrifice to my feelings, both OF
duty and pride.
Realizing that would be compelled
to forego the pleasure of being at your
commencement. made visit to the
College to see the wheels of the textile
department put in motion, 1t was
more than gratifying to see with what
ample success your president, J. G.
Hardy. and your professor of textile
science and art, Arthur Whittam. and
their assistants had carried the plans
to execution.
We all hear how the South needs
capital. Henceforward this school
will give you graduates, each of whom
will be worth to the State more than
100000 of capital coming from out
side the State Give fair textile ed
ucation to fifty Mississippi youths
young men and young women. and the
State with all its people will be far
more benefited than if 100000 for
eign capital could be brought into the
State. have no sympathy with that
creed which would make it appear that
the South is helpless until foreign cap
ital can be induced to come into the
South. All the successful people OF
the world have succeeded for them
selves. The Spaniards never helped
England gain supremacy on the seas
France never helped Germany to sac
coed. The South. in its proeperou,
day, never helped New England sac
coed.
Indeed it is not the help 10y capital
nor other help which contributes most
to the success Of people. It IS rather
education and the habit of industry
try acquired by themselves. With
ever so much money coming into the
State, Mississippians would get scaut
benefit if they had no special kuoWl-
edge or skill in the industry into
which money was being invested. Ii
is knowledge and skill which sells high
all the world over That country
which gives most Of these to the youth
always leads the world
The lawyer sells nothing but bnoal
edge.
The doctor sells knowledge and
skill.
In the industrial arts it is knowledge
and skill only which bring the higi
price. | repeat that each graduate OF
your textile department ought to be
more valuable to your State than
100000 of money would be coming
into the State from the outside.
One million bales of cotton when
sold in raw condition would bring into
the State 100000 ia cash
The same cotton when put into The
kind of cloth now being made III your
textile department would be worth
! slO0.OOO.OU0.
This latter value is capable Of beinl
increased by further knowledge and
skill to s3OO.Oo0,0OO and even more
This, however, would put the Mi.sis
sippi crop alone into shape to be worth
more than the crop of the entire South
is now worth.
Foreign capital can do the people OF
your State scant good as long as youl
youth have no opportunity to acquire
the knowledge and skill necessary Il
direct the operations Of the industry
into which capital goes. With kn1wi
edge and skill any people sill re.leeu
themselves and prosper without for
eigu capital
The cotton now grown in Missis
sippi is worth as raw cotton about
S30,01O,OO1.
BY knowledge, skill! and industry, il
can be made worth something like
$1,000 OOO00 when reckoned at present
values of articles now made out of it
This truth is almost inconceiyable
1t will require more than one genera
ton, perhaps, 10 bring the youth tc
such degree of knowledge and skill