Fitzgerald enterprise., 1906-07-24
Hope Of the South Rests In Technical
Education, Says Editor R. H. Edm0nds

Richard H. Edmonds, of Baltimore, editor
of The Manufacturers Record, and perhaps
the best posted man in the south on the Sec
TONS resources and industries, says:
"The south no longer faces problems of
poverty. We are in transition stage. From
direst poverty we are rushing into almost limit
less wealth. The mere increase in the value of
our agricultural lands and mineral and timber
properties to parity with similar lands in the
north and west, which is rapidly coming about
will in itself practically double the wealth of this
section Under such conditions the south faces
tremendous responsibilities to the boys and
girls of today to so train them that they may be
fitted mentally and morally to control the des-
tiny of this land predestined to be one of the
richest sections of earth.
With the rapid change from poverty to
wealth there will come dangers to the rising gen.
GRAFTON; in fact, to our very civilization itself.
For forty years the people of The south have had
to work and strive to make living. With most
of us it has been of root hog or die. and
this has really been blessing, for work is a
blessing, not curse. There is danger now
that men growing suddenly rich through the
vast developments of the day will say to them
selves. worked and struggled so hard that
am not going to let my boys work as did.
am going to let them take things easy
Just such sentiment, beautiful as it may
seem, put into effect is responsible for much of
the moral degradation of some of the so-called
society people of Pittsburg and New York,
which has nausea ted all decent people. If you
want to ruin your son, if you want to see him
go to the dogs physically, mentally and morally,
follow this same course and the journey will be
very rapid one for him. But if you want to
make men, real men, of your boys, train them
to work and to sense of responsibility teach
them that the idle brain and the idle hand are
indeed the devils best materials out of which to
accomplish his aims. Teach them to
appreciate that they have opportunities such
as were never given to any other boys in the
world 8 history
Here is to be the center of world activities
here industrial developme tents surprising all that
we now see in the entire country are to be made
and the southern boys of today can become the
controlling factors in this vast creation of wealth.
It is the technically trained boy not the politi-
clan. not the university graduate, who for the
next quarter of century is to be the dominat
ing factor in the south.
Editor Grubbs, of the Worth County Local,
reads the following lecture to that class of young
men who think it is smart and "up.to-date'' to
stand on the street and inveigh against religion
and the God that permits them to occupy room
on this sphere that could be filled with more
useful matter:
I'VE heard one of our young men making
sport of religion in front of our Office the other
day. His moustache had just began to sprout
and judging from his talk his mental faculties
we're not as we'll developed as his moustache.
During our brief stay upon earth we have seen
many just such young men cold in death. We
have seen the atheist at rest in his casket, but
before being consigned to their last resting
place they have been carried through the doors
of church and had prayers said over them.
This young man could scott at religion in his
strength and beauty of health, but if the dark
angel should get after him he would insti nctve-
1y regret what he said and look into the future
with fear and trembling. When one stands be-
fore the open door of eternity his desire to scof
at religion vanishes. We admit there are bad
men in the church, but even these black sheep
in the flock might be blacker if they were out
side. No young man, or old either. should con-
denim the noble efforts the army of Christian
men and women are making towards bettering
the condition of things, and whether we attend
church or not, but few of us would desire to live
in community where there was no church.
Young man, in the future, if you must scoff at
religion, please get little futher from Office
if you do not want to see your name in print"