The leader., 1901-09-18
MISSISSIPPI MATTERS.
NOTES OF PAST AND CURRENT EVENTS
BY ]. L. POWER.

BY ]. L. POWER.

4
The newspapers Of Mississippi are
printing some very sensible and timely
editorials on the subject of sending the
girls and boys of the state away from
home, or to quote the popular ex
passion, "off to school," every year
when there are so many excellent
schools within our own borders. The
Meridian Star, always valiant
fighter for the good of the State. urges
the injustice of sending numerous
special cars" laden with our boys and
girls to the schools of other States.
II says-and with truth-that the
millions of dollars sent from this State
annually to increase the wealth of
Northern and Eastern colleges, would,
IL kept at home, soon enable the
management of our Mississippi schools
TO build and beautify their schools.
as these beautifully advertised col
leges, seminaries, etc, are beautihed.
The Star Loyalty and truthfully asserts
that our schools are quite as good as
the average school out Of the State.
patronized by our people. the only diff
ference lying in the extra amount OF
display which our million dollars an
rually" enables them to make. We
cordially agree with the Star In all
that it says, but we go one step further.
In sending our children to Northern
and Eastern schools there may be the
advantage of change of climate (and
1t is a great advantage to most young
girls, especially. So bad as the prac-
tice Is, in this instance we can see
some slight excuse But when it comes
as in three-fourths of the cases 1t
does-to sending our children from the
| sweet surroundings-the safe, sure
| nome life, to any one OF the
| numerous schools (many of the
mushroom Variety that abound
in adjoining States, we can
| not see one single advantage to be
gained-not even in change of climate.
Mississippi has the finest Girls Indus
trial College In the world. Her A. &
| M. College for boys stands at the head
of that procession. Our university
lacks but one thing to put it alongside
the best in the land-the loyal support
of the people of Mississippi. The
| writer has intimate knowledge of many
of the schools around us, as we'll as of
almost every one in Mississippi. And
while our schools have no such -four
lsh of trumpets at commencement time,
end spend something less than for
tunes on their year books" catalogues,
etc, it is undoubtedly fact that we
are paying more and getting less, by
the common practice, than If we kept
our children in Mississippi. Where, in
any of the church schools about us, can
we find a superior to Millsaps College?
And yet some of our Methodist boys
pass through their Capital City, seek
ing an education elsewhere. Where
are boys in better hands than those of
DR.. Lowrey at Clinton? And yet 1t is
not an uncommon thing for Baptist
boys to do their studying in other
States. The College at Washington, in
addition to other high claims upon
our people, has made and helped make
history along through the many years
of its useful life. No finer buildings
and no more attractive grounds can
be found in this part of the country
than those of that splendid school at
Port Gibson, Chamberlain Hunt Acad-
emy-and there are Presbyterian boys
in Mississippi already planning for
their college days, who do not know
that such a school exists. But for the
fact that it would FIJI pages instead of
columns, We would tell the story OF
Mississippi's school for girls-Blue
Mountain, Belhaven, Whitworth, the
schools at Clinton, Meridian, French
Camp, Pontotoc-the big college for
Women, at West Point, and several
others, all doing work as good and
some much better than is done by the
average school in other States. And
yet our Mississippi girls go each year
in car load lots" to Tennessee,
Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Louis
lana. and, of course, to the Virginias,
not to mention the Carolinas, and the
score of Eastern claimants. 1t is
wrong. When we can get two articles
equally good-one home product and
the other foreign, We should always,
| for reasons too many and too obvious
to mention, take the home product
and stand by it. The Hattiesburg
Pro .ress urges that the schols are to
blame because they do not advertise.
There may be good deal in this. but
we believe they will advertise-when
they get the million dollars annually
that enables foreign schools to adver
tise so literally in Mississippi. The
Star calls upon the press, the pulpit
and the people to urge a change along
this line, and we say, Amen!
1t is a good thing for Mississippi
when her towns install water works
electric lights, electric cars and other
marks of progress. But it is a much
better thing for her, or any Other
State, when from among our owl
boys" these towns can find men com
petent to manage these improvements
While We have naught to say agains
the various managers (some of whom
notably Jackson's-are as perfec
gentlemen and as able business mer
as are to be found anywhere) WHIT
have been brought to Mississippi from
distance, we can not restrain a thrill
of pride when we note the success.
that one of our own boys-born ant
educated in Mississippi-is making o.
Vicksburg's street railway system
James 2. George is not out of hi
twenties yet, but it would be-hard t.
find better man for the place he fills
He is an A. & M. graduate. And nov
Natchez is to have a street railway
and another of our boys has it IL
| charge This time Granville how