Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-01-07
Misfellansous &sading.
SOUTHERN OPPORTUNITIES
Address Of President Finley Before
Georaia School of Technology.

II
Georgia School Of Technology.
President w. w. Finley, Of the
Southern Railway delivered the follow
ing address before the faculty and stu
dents of the Georgia school Of technol-
Eogy on December 10 last:
tDr. Matheson and Young Gentlemen:
| In complying with DR.. Matheson's
request that address you this morn
ling I shall speak on the subject OF
I Technical Education and Southern
Opportunities.
We are living in the age of the spe-
cialist. There Is an insistent demand
| for the man who can do some one
| thing with superlative excellence. 1t Is
Ito meet the this demand that special
lied educational institutions such as
the Ga School ofTechnology, have
been developed. The object Of this
institution is to equip its students
with a theoretical and practical knowl-
edge of the life work to which they
propose to devote the nselves.
Without In any way minimizin" he
advantages of the traditional classical
education for all who are In posi-
ton to avail themselves Of 1t, l believe
that 1t is vitality necessary in the pres
ent stage Of our civilization that
large proportion of our young men
should be highly educated along spe-
cialized technical lines This does not
necessarily mean that their education
should be narrow. On the contrary,
l concur with the speaker who, in de-
liyering a baccalaureate address to a
graduating class Of young men said
that "the ideal young man OF this
time, was he who knew something
about everything and everything about
something" It should, / believe, be
the aim OF the students Of our techni-
cal schools to go forth equipped with
this kind Of education. 1t Is within
the power Of each one Of them to DO
so. This school enables you to equip
yourselves thoroughly with the special
knowledge which you will need In
your chosen occupations. The broad
er general knowledge can best be ac-
quired through the carrying out OF
definite programme Of reading, cover
ing q broad field and thus supplement-.
ing and rounding out your technical
education with fund Of general In
formation. This broader education
can we'll be carried on after you have
left school. Education Is not merely
sloring the mind with facts and theo-
ries. Its higher object Is the develop
ment Of our mental powers and the
preparation for the higher education
Of after life.
You young men have your eyes open
and know what Is going on. You know
that the Industrial development OF our
southeastern section, which may be
said to have its beginning about 1880,
is constantly broadening and gaining
momentum. You know that this de-
yelopment Is economically SOUND, as
| It Is based on the manufacture or raw
materials in proximity to the sources
of supply. With this basis Its contin-
ued growth is inevitable and 1t Will OF
fer opportunities for employment and
advancement to increasing numbers OF
specially trained young men. Upon
such men, equipped with the capacity
to do certain things superlatively well
and with q broad conception OF the
best ways to use this equipment, the
southeast will confer high prizes OF
wealth and station. Such prizes may
come through the development Of new
ideas. for do not believe that all the
the great epoch-making Inventions
chat the world will ever see, have yet
been made, and It may be the privilege
of some Of the young men here today
to. make inventions as important as
those of Whitney, Westinghouse, Edi-
son, Bell or Marconi.
Such prizes may come through the
successful application Of Ideas al
ready developed In the organization
of established industries or the build
ing up of new ones. In this connec-
ton, I believe there are especially ia
vorable opportunities in the southeast
for the development Of what may be
termed secondary industries. It was
natural that the first development OF
manufacturing in our section SHOULD
have been in putting raw materials
through the first process Of manufac-
turing. The shipment Of the products
Of this primary manufacturing to otn-
er localities to be used as the raw ma
terials of industries preparing them
for the final consumer, Is economic
waste. To some extent this sec
ondary manufacture has been de-
veloped, but I believe opportunities
may be found in secondary industries:
This development along diveraned
lines will add greatly to the prosper
ity of our section and to Its economic
strength. 1t will open great variety
Of opportunities to the graduates OF
technical schools such as this.
The closing years Of the nineteenth
century and the opening Of the twen-
tieth century have witnessed great
progress in the application OF electric
ity to practical uses. A most import
ant feature Of this has been the devel-
opment of the system Of power trans
mission over long distances. This has
added enormously to the economic
strength Of the southeast. We have
numerous streams capable OF produc-
ing power. Under the old system wa
ter power could be used only at the
point Of production and Its Dement'S
were consequently restricted TO 1acto-
ries located on the stream Dank at
points where the fall was suficient Tor
power generation. These points were
not always so located with reference
| to supplies Of raw materials and trans
portation facilities as to make them
practicable factory sites, and at best
only a few factories could be located
on the stream at any one fall. The
hydro- electric engineer has changed
| all this. Power is now generated at
the points where 1t can be done most
economically and efficiently and Is car
ried by transmission lines for the ope-
ration of factories, traction lines, and
lighting system many miles away.
Large use is already being made OF
hydro electric power throughout the
southeast and the system Is being rap
idly extended by the utilization OF ad-
ditional waterpowers and the con-
struction Of new transmission lines.
| This development will be a most i'm.
portant factor in southern industrial
progress and will open up to young
men with technical training additional
opportunities in manufacturing estab-
lishments as we'll as in the construc-
ton and operation Of the power plants
themselves.
Notwithstanding the rapid develop
ment Of manufacturing in the south
| eastern states since 1880 our most i'm
portant industry as yet Is farming. For
| the United States as whole, general
prosperity is largely dependent upon
agricultural prosperity. This Is par
ticularly true Of our section, for the
| reason that a farm product-cotton
| lis the raw material Of our most i'm
| portant manufacturing industries. The
| cotton mill and the knitting mill are
directly dependent upon the cotton
crop. Our electric power plants, our
railways, and other industries are
largely dependent upon it. All OF u.s.
| therefore, whether We expect to en-
gage in farming or not. are interested
| in the maintenance Of high state OF
efficiency in southeastern agriculture
| generation ago IL q man had de-