The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-04
GET BENEFIT OF LARGE
SUMS ALREADY PROMISED
Bio Contributors Stand Ready to Pour
Out Money for Promotion Of Tech
nIcal Education In the Br-
minqham District.


strong movement on foot to move the
Alabama Polytechnic institute of Auburn
to Birmingham. The most surprising fea-
ture of this action is the fact that 1t is
boosted by Auburn alumni.
They want their alma mater located in
the great industrial center of the south,
where 1t will have a field unsurpassed for
carrying on the good work for which 1t
has been noted in the past.
Here is the situation in a nutshell, Biz
mingham is sure to have some sort of
technical school in the near future. Bir-
mingham will insist on making her tech
ncal school the best In the state. Auburn
already has the school, the history and
| the alumni Then why not move the Au-
burn institution to Birmingham and let it
grow in the same phenomenal way that
Birmingham is growing?
Would Be Great for Both
The alumni who are behind this move
ment have already talked to many of
interested in bringing a technical school
| to Birmingham and they have taken to
the idea of moving Alabama Polytechnic
enthusiastically. They think it would be
great for Birmingham and still greater
for the Alabama Polytechnic.
| The school at Auburn, according to the
annual report, has property which is
valued at s24O, 900. President c. c. Thach
| is working to get an appropriation from
the state legislature this month of s2sS, 800
for further equipment and extension. 1t
is maintained by those in favor of NOV
ing that the land owned by the school and
| the buildings can be sold for $4,000
which would make loss of only 100000
| directly by moving. But they say that
| there is not the least doubt but that $780,,
| 900 can be raised at once in Birmingham
for techinal school and that the Ala
bama Polytechnic would get this amount
and then could work on the legislature
for an additional appropriation.
They hold that if $2SS, 500 is given now to
Auburn for further improvements at the
present location the school can never be
moved, and that Birmingham will go
ahead and found her own technical school
and In the end Auburn will have to take
second place because the state will not
support two first-class technical institu-
lions.
Bio Contributors Ready.
One Of the strongest arguments they
have is the fact that the big industrial
corporations of the Birmingham district
stand ready to contribute literally to a
technical school in this city. because of
the available men 1t will turn out in the
future who will be of use to them. SO
great an industrial center would offer ex-
ceptional opportunities to students to
study at first hand, and as an example
of the Importance of the district Is cited
| the fact that northern schools every year
are sending classes of young men here to
spend two or three weeks going through
the big Industrial plants of the Blrming-
ham district.
The time is ripe to act they say. These
men think they will have the support
OF every aumnus of Auburn In Birmng-
ham and they say that the Auburn alum
nj societies of several cities outside the
state have already passed resolutions
urging the change.
| The Auburn school at present gets $4,000
: a year from the federal government for
the running of the agricultural expert
ment station. 1t is claimed that the lands
OF Jefferson will offer just as good OPP
portunity for the conduct of these ex-
periments as the hills Of Lee county
Does Not Occupy Proper Place.
| To aIa cd fhaf Arth1 until Ian
grand history of her past, does not occupy
the position among the southern schools
that she should occupy. For instance
the property of the institution is valued
at only $4,000. The Mississippi A. and
NJ located at Starkville, in a state
which makes no pretenses to Industrial
development has an endowment of $685.
coo Georgia Tech has been made great
school because 1t was in Atlanta and
had the big city to pull for II. 1t is
probably visited by hundreds of strangers
where Auburn is visited by one Van
derbilt Is great because it has Nashville
behind it to push.
In other words Alabama Tech at Biz
mingham will become one of the greatest
of the south schools. And Alabama Tech
by the technical school which Birming-
ham is sure to build in the near future.
Sentiment Against Change.
] The only argument the advocates of
the change can SEQ against such course
are sentimental reasons. Sentiment
works strongly in the southern mind and
there will be many qualms II the old
school is removed from the environment
which the alumni have associated with
their old school days. Many people be-
leve that a. young man should be sent
to school "far from the madding crowd s
ignoble strife" where he is not beset by
the temptations that are sure to meet him
in a larger community. On the other
| hand 1t is urged by those of the more pro-
gressive spirit that the only way for
| a young man to learn is to be thrown
| into direct contact with the world Espe-
cially in Industrial training 1t Is believed
! to be necessary for the student to be
/ where he can visit the plants which are