The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-29
OUR EDUCATED WORKERS.

YIN
That the young men OF the South
are turning more than ever before to
manual and mechanical work as a ca
reer was Illustrated recently in con-
nection with the Georgia School Of
Technology. The president of the
Tech" had advertised that the school
had six scholarships to award. There
were $50 applications for the places,
or better than ninety-three boys for
each vacancy. Besides indicating how
eager the youth of the South are for
an opportunity TO train their hands TO
do useful work, this incident shows
how deficient the South is in means for
imparting technical knowledge. This
latter applies especially to the white
youth The statement was made re-
Gently. upon good authority, that there
we're a greater number of colored
youths receiving mechanical and tech
nical training in Booker Washington's
school at Tuskeegee than there were
Of white youths in all Of the techno-
logical institutions of the South.
The Columbus Enquirer-Sun, discuss
ing the matter, notes with a great deal
of satisfaction the change of senti-
ment in the South in recent years re-
speeding the choice of life occupations
by educated young men. Formerly
there was prejudice against mechan-
ical labor. Social conditions in the
South a number of years ago UNI
doubtedly had a great deal to do with
this, the influence of the old regime ex-
tending even after the war for more
than two decades. The Learned pro-
fessions" were about the only avenues
open to the young man of education
who wished to retain his social pres
tige. AS a consequence these profess
sions were crowded, the supply being
greater than the demand.
Now there has come a change. The
learned professions are still held in
high esteem, of course, but they no
longer constitute the entire field of
worthy endeavor for the sections edu-
Gated young manhood. One now does
not loose caste by DOMINIC overalls
and cap and laboring in mills or among
machinery. Young men of the best
families are equipping themselves with
knowledge of mechanical, electrical,
textile. mining and other engineering,
in preparation for the great work that
is ahead of them in the development Of
the resources of their country. And
the technical institutions cannot grad
uate them fast enough to meet the
demand for their services.
The need for these educated young
workers extends all over the country.
trical engineering in a Northern insti-
tuition recently left college without re-
ceiving their diplomas because their
employers couldn't wait for them to be
graduated. When several upper class
men at West Point were dismissed not
long ago for an infraction of the rules,
they were quickly offered lucrative
places by big asphalt company, be-
cause they were trained engineers, and
knew how to build railroads and
bridges.
The best openings for our young
men now are along the lines of indus
trial development. They need in their
educations. therefore, less of the classi-
cal and more of the practical. 1t
doesn't matter so much whether they
can read in the Latin how Caesar built
bridge for his army, if they know
themselves how to build bridge for
a train of cars. We need more indus
trial training schools. A mechanical
feature should be engrafted upon the
public school system