The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-10-04
IN EREST IN
EDUCATIO
Attendance at Colleges and
Schools Will Break Records
AN EDUCATIONAL REVIVAL
Campaign for Better Equipment Of
Men and Women for Life Bearing
Fruit Acknowledgement Prosper
ity of Schools and Colleges.

f.
There Is said to be no surer evidence
Of the prosperity of people and OF their
progress than the patronage OF instltu-
tons for higher education. There must
be genlAl prosperity in order to secure
large attendance upon the academies,
colleges and universities, for even with
the great educational movement now
sweeping over the land, higher education
IL seldom TO be attained free. Edmund
Burke characterized education as the
"cheap defense of nations" for with
knowledge comes power In every sense.
Despite the opinion expressed by Mr..
Charles NJ. Schwab, the steel magnate,
who glories in the fact that he Is q So
called self-made man, that the men who
start without collegiate education are
moro successful in the business and In
dustrlal world than college-bred men, 1t
is generally admitted that higher educa-
ton is q valuable asset for young man,
and not an encumbrance.
DR.. w. w. Smith, president OF the Ran
dolph- Macon system of colleges and acad-
successful directors Of educational
enterprises in the South, does not
agree with Mr.. Schwab, and re-
Gently burrowed into biography and
statistical lore with the purpose Of re-
futng the Schwab theory. He took the
publication called, who's Who in Amer
lea" and searched It's pages laboriously,
with the gratifying result that he secured
figures completely overthrowing the con-
tention that education Is not great adj
vantage to the young man in any sphere.
He found that the over whalming majoiity
OF the thousand or more men, brief bio
graphes of whom are printed In that
publication, started life not only with the
advantage Of common school educa.
ton, but with collegiate and in many
cases university education. The figures
are not attalnab1e but fully sustain this
contention.
The opening of the universities, col
ileges, academies. setninaries and schools
for higher education this fall although
yet hardly we'll under way. indicates the
largest attendance of many years, and In
several cases breaks all records This
10 especially true of the institutions for
the higher education of men and women,
convincing proof that the campaign for
educati now being waged BY publicists
through the press and In the public halls
of the State is already bearing fruit In
cdentally, too, 1t is indicative of widely
distributed prosperity in the State.
l1SEG ( IlSsoI
OF the schools for young women no
three in the. State or In the South are
higher in their standards than the Ran
dolph-Macon Woman's College, Of Lynch
burg, Hollns institute and the Richmond
Womans College. It is gratifying to note
that all three of these schols have the
largest attendance In their history. At
Hollins and at Lynchburg many appl-
cations Of boarding pupils for admission
EorS 10 ha raf, ~ ,ol,o a..
were filled to their capacity at the very
opening of the session. ~.
The opening of the Woman's College In
this city was marked by similar con-
ditions. All the boarding pupils who can
be accomm9daled are already here, or
are expected. The number of day pupils.
residents OF this city, who merely at
tend classes at the college, Is about as
large as the college can accommodate.
AT THE VARIOUS MALE COLLEGES.
the outluek Is for very large attend
dance, considerably larger than last year.
1t will probably be one of the best sea-
sons in the history of the college.
this city the attendance Is, large and
gratifying. Indicating that there Is in
terest In the education Of young men for
the ministry. as we'll as for the lay pro-
LESSONS.
While exact data from all the other col
leges in the State are not yet received,
the advance indications are that gener-
ally and almost without an exception the
dolph- Macon College. at Ashland: the
Hampden- Sidney College, near Farmvile;
He aNa at i Emofy y william and Mary a at
The IHkG iEa iN Isl TSJSSf:
AT the. Washington and Lee University.
the Virginia Polytechnic Institute. the
Virginia Military Institute, the Univer-
sity of Virginia and all the other colleges
and universities. there Is every prospect
of large attendance. The two medical
ed. but information received by the fac
ultles indicate an increased number Of
students. In a week or more they will be
open and at work with fine attend
ance.
Among the schools Of higher standard
marksd man av dmGng the male
at Staunton, which attracts students from
all over the South. is as prosperous as
usual and is filled about to Its capacity.
The prospects for large attendance ut
ton and the Virginia College for Young
L.adles at Roanoke were never brighter,
OF the other institutes and semnaries,
all are gratlfied at the outlook for
AMONG PREPARATORY SCHOOLS,
The academies and preparatory schools
for boys are all prospecting, and in many
cases the attendance breaks all records,
A case In point is that Of the Stanton
Military Academy the attendance at
which has leaped from fifty or sixty last
year to one hundred and ifty or more
Of an additional dormitory, The Danville
Military Institute. at Danville, also has
one Of the finest schools In its history,
The two Randolph Macon Academies. al
Bedford City and Front Royal, will have
more than the usual number OF students.
In this way one may go through the en-
tire list and find the same conditions pre-
valent. The public schools the basal stone
OF the system are everywhere we'll at
tended, Showing, that the. revival of In
MAKE PROSPEROUS COMMUNITIES.
The prosperity of the schools and col.
leges adds materially to the n prosperity OF
located. Every merchant feels the effect
In Increased patronage and reaps part OF
the golden harvest. All these pupils must
be fed, and the butcher and and the baker ,na
clothing merchants and the dry goods
stores and indeed esvry Nm line Of trade N
hv and for the college students and higher