The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-07-04
The Urgent Need
OF The New South
From a Recent speech by Richard II. Edmonds,
EDITOR OF the Manufacturers Record.

From Recent speech by Richard II. Edmonds,
Editor OF the Manufactures Record.
THE STORY is told that at some convention
there was a roll call of states, and a dele.
i gate from each was required to tell Of the
chief productions and advantages Of his
state. The delegate from the Dakotas painted
glowing picture OF the waving wheat fields
stretching for mile after mile, and with an
abundant harvest. making glad the heart OF the
happy farmer. The Californian told how small
were the riches Of the gold mines OF his state
as compared with the riches Of its soil; before
your longing eyes you saw appear the vineyards
| and the orange groves the roses bloSsoming be-
| meath the glorious summer Of winter days,
and in your heart you yearned for a home in
| such a land. Colorado came with its story Of
rugged mountains bursting with untold mineral
wealth. In the long list Of states each claimed
| a rare combination Of natural resources and ad-
yantages until Massachusetts, was reached. The
| speaker from that state said: II have heard with
| great pleasure OF the wheat fields OF the west
| OF the fair Pacific coast land that flows with
| milk and honey, Of the iron and coal OF Penn.
| sylvania, and Of the south with every advantage
| which nature could bestow upon that favored
land. and | come TO tell you that in my state
we have none Of these advantages, but with US
| the chief product is brsins."
L
planting corn the Pilgrim Fathers had TO drill
holes in the rock and in each hole drop her
| ring as a fertilizng agent. But on that rock.
| bound soil the people of that state have built a
| civilization which the south may well study.
| With limited agricultural possibilities, buying
| fIom the south their cotton, from Pennsylvania
their iron, from Maryland and Virginia their coal
| from Georgia their pine, and from the west their
| foodstufs, and even importing from Canada and
| thair mil tbay haNn cat An.
liShed on this artificial foundation an industrial
structure which demands admiration. Their
| chief product must have been brains, or else
| they could never have accomplished 80 much
| and never has the value of such a product been
more clearly demonstrated than in Massachu-
sCtts. With a population of only 100000 in
| 1890, and on this artificial foundation of import.
| ed raw materials and foodstufs. Massachusetts,
| in 1890 had industrial business which employed
a capital of $3.50 900 900, with a product Of $sss,.
Ooo, 900, against a total capital invested in manu-
| featuring in the same year in the fourteen south
ern states from Maryland to Texas, Of 1857 900 600
with a product OF sS76 900 In other words
| the 2,250,Oo0 people in Massachusetts, took our
| cotton, our lumber, our iron and the vests food
stufs, and produced sl2, ,OHo 900 more OF manu-
factured goods than We produced in the South
| %
Shall il he said that in the creation oi hus
must rest our schools our churches and every
| thing else that combines to make life worth llv
ing Massachusetts, has greater brains or puts II;
brains 10 better use than the Southi The an
Swer must he with US, II We fritter away on
time with triHes with cross roads politics vi
shall lose the substance while grabbing for th'
shadow II We esteem the lawyer, the doctor o
the professor more highly than we esteem ;h,
man who can chain the lightning and turn il L
mans use more highly than the engineer VIII
can open up the riches Of our iron and coal an,
gold mines, more highly than the superintendent
who can direct the whirling machinery OF cot
| ton mill with its thousand operatives, We shall
| fail to realize the value Of brains or understan,
that education does not consist altogether il
book learning. A few weeks ago three professor
ships in a Virginia college, each paying $1,000
were vacant, and 800 learned men applied TO
these positions, Had there been an equal numbc
OF vacancies requiring trained skill in the man
agement OF some important industry in tn
South, would there have been even ten sppliCa
ticns from thoroughly competent menI And ye
the trained expert, who in the mine or in IN
factory is able 10 DO the work which the wor
requires, is doing fully as much for his owl
bcneht, his own happiness, the Broadening Of nj
own life and the advancement OF the people sur
rounding him the man who is teaching Gree
or Latin.