Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-10-24

South turn many immigrants away from
our section.
But more than the failure of the rail-
ways to advertise the resources of .lie
South, and more than the race prob
lem," there are certain groups of South
erners who have injured the South at
the North and in Europe by mischiev-
Gus mendicancy. They may have meant
well, but they have done our section
much harm. These are they who have
been ready to run to Northern million
aires for money to endow our colleges
and even for money to cure the alleged
diseases of some of our people. Thereby
they have advertised the South as sec
ton teeming with ignorance, stinginess,
mortal diseases, and degenerates who
were made degenrates by these all
ments. They have secured few hun
dred thousand dollars by their mendi-
cant pleas, but they have damaged us to
the amount of millions, not to speak OF
injuries worse than financial losses.
Their readiness to ask and receive any
sort of gifts has presented the South
before the world as a poverty-stricken
disease-infected, ignorant people, among
whom no intelligent immigrant would
wish to live, however rich and cheap
the soil of our section may be. 1t is
time to call a halt on all this persist
ent mendicancy.
Our colleges do need endowment, ano
our own people are abundane-
'ly able to endow them; ana
If the matter is presented TO
them fairly and clearly, they will endow
our institutions of higher learning. IN
the midst of the panic of 1898 l raised
for Emory College about 100000, and
though often advised to go North FOR
aid, got all that 1 obtained from Geor-
gians alone. Within the last three
years 100000 has been added to the
endowment of the same institution, ana
all of it has come from Georg1ans. since
1890 quite 100000 has been added 70
lie resources OF the college,-ALL CIV
EN- BY GEORGIANS. And the Geor-
gians will give Emory more. l venture
to predict that within the next ten
years its endowment will reach the
mark of $1,000 900. We are no longer
a poor people We never were a degen-
crate people; and out of the ruins OF
re war and the reconstruction period,
which was worse than war, the Soutn
has by her own efforts won wealth ana
prosperity. Our people are able ana
willing TO solve their own educational
problems. We do not need to beg any
man to pay our school bills, or to teacn
us how to conduct our educational insti-
buttons A superserviceable southern
Association" may as well dissolve, or
direct it's missionary efforts to some
ol-.er section.
Much-ado has been made about the
prevalence of certain diseases in the
South; and some have gone so far as 10
allege that these ailments have result
ed in making degenerates OF a large
part of the Southern people, rendering
EN- too lazy to work and too poor to
nav for a little medicine to cure them.
serves of the disease that makes them
Degenerate, or too stingy to purge their
system of the lazy bugs" that pros
trate their energies. Passing over the
question of whether a lot of lazy degen-
crates could have wrought all that has
been achieved in the South since the
war, and could, continue to make our
bumper crops of corn and cotton, IL is
enough to say that any and all or our
people are quite able to pay their own
doctors bills.
II is quite possible that there are dis
eases in the South peculiar to the Sec
ton Such is the case with all sections
and all lands. New York has ailments
more dreadful than pellagra and hook
worm; in truth New York is not utterly
clear of either of those ailments. 1t ~
to be hoped that New York will take
hold of her diseases and get as clear Oh
them as possible.
Meanwhile Georgia is well able to Crap
pie with her diseases The death-rate
1 suspect is about as low in Georgia
as in New York But whether II is, or
not, we are able to treat our own pa
tients. and we would be still more apfe
to care for them if our section were
not so constantly advertised to its hurt
by our mendicant theorists and reform
ers.
What the South needs very mucn IS
to be let alone. She has been the elm
ical subject fol- all sorts Of theorists
and reformers long enough.