The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-12-21
A SOUTHERN QUESTION.

A SOUTHERN QUESTION
Nv tts wonderful strides IN nture anu
manufacture tAs South has excited the interest,"
ara ia respect IT the entire nation. Fifty years
AFRO a. was bankrupt; today It Is rapidly be
soyninr tie richest and most prosperous SEQ
tson Of the country
TODAY the South IL progressive Rapidly II Is
eguing into its own and taking the lead IN many
fines Of endeavor. Its soil Is being worked
scientifically and Is bringing results it's factories
gre Increasing In number and IN output; lis
ratnes are being developed to bring wealth 10
she various communities; it's cities are growing
ana it's rural sex-tfons are showing an increasing
prosperity Southern progress and Southern en-
4erprise are fast becoming by-words all over the
country.
Pm. while all this is true and highly crafty
snr there ia one respect in which Southern en-
terprsse Lays and Southern growth Is stunted
That IS in tae important matter Of education
The Saturday Eueainp POST gives some figures
szat DO not make good reason. however, they
ray be sugared with fine words about the south'7
progress in other respects. They DO not make
good reading because they are true Says the
rost.
40 you know. asks the University GUT o.
Atlanta that the per cent of iHteracy among
seh.4a children OF school age has increased our
sng the last Ave years IN ffty-one counties OF
6scorgla--1nore than one~third OF all 'he CONNIE"
An the state? DO you realize thaR tFeofg'@ ~
one of the most backward States In eduoauofl-~
that our mental development is mot keeping
y.are with oar wealth."
we know and have been glad 10 discuss II
xreat many things about Georgia ana ofhef
southern StateH--the extraordinary advances III
arrsculture manufactures. banking ana what
not and the material opportunities those states
ROW offer energetic settleTv--but the question
urnpounded by the University club ~ es I'M
rorfant as all those ether things
Alabama Florida. Georgia LoutsafAha anu
x,sassspp, have almost the sarno number OF
srh.te children Of school ago rs Connecticut
Maine. Massachusetts, New Hampshire al'o
varrnont. besides nearly equeI hun'oe! u
e,,aorec children OF school age; hut the southern
1ste4c. spend lees than half as much a@ the
Ncrrhern public schools
rowa Kansas and Minnesota have only ten
- cant more white children OF school sac IMAM
49, Ave Southern States, hut they spend thirty
-~..r r,tI,ion dollars a year public schools
- ratnst seventeen million dollars In tho hrSt-
rnsned States California alone, with oh'F
.h,,,a ss many white children OF school age as
.ha.a Eve Southern States spends as mnch for
DO. -. -
In tsa. important matter Southern enterprise
lags
Virginia is one of the Southern States II Is
rne OF those states which has grown moro
ran.dlv industrial1y than educationally It is
en~ az those States that Is not In front Of educa'
k,ona, progress Superintendent stearnes knows
trss. secretary Binford, of the Co operative Edu
ration association. know 81; all who appeared be-
frre the senate finance committee Friday know
Il That is why they were there That ia why
fncy asked for an additional appropriation for
esyn,gnon schools That ia why they should get
f.
The Manufqcftvers' Record has sent out 10
irrespective building enterprises IN the South
letters Of inquiry concerning the work being
done One Of the queries Is as to the character
or product and daily output" Carneal John.
nan architects Of Richmond, replied in one word
A~Jatudents"
Commenting upon this answer the Record com
ments as follows:
while we are striving IN r'ilize the material
rerources Of the South, 10 turn its coal and iron
and timber and water powers into wealth
creating factors, Il IS oven more important mat
yha vast unaeveleped. unutf5ize7 p sources n the
,rtraineS ara 1Inedbcttcd Boss and girls of this
re~tbon should be utilized by ft5ng Thorn by
education and By the training q work, and the
EDUCATION that fits them Tor Tie responsible
tses of life 20 become greater factors in the
worlds affairs than an the coal and ron and
s,mber OF this or any other section Nhilc striv-
ing 20 improve the SOIL Of the South, st greater
efforts should he made 10 improve the souls and
f,oaie@ OF the undese loped and aninprovea men
and women and boys and 9irls Of the South
SPEAKING before the senate finance commit
tee FRIDAY J. c. Hurt, a business man Of Black.
stone, gave enc reason why so many people ere
leaving the farm for the cities, that reason being
the lack OF educational facilities in the rural
gecsions The hegira from the farm 70 the city
fnpoverlshes the rural sections and Is so great
that the urban population is made greater than
needed for the creation OF wealth.
Education o. the youth enters into ali our IN
dnstrid problems and he who runs may read