Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1916-05-26
EDUCATIONAL
Miss Julia Holbere Wins Medal

Miss Julia HoIberg Wins Medal
The Interstate-Trust & Banking
Company of New Orleans offers each
wear to the graduating class Of the
high school a gold medal for general
proficiency in school work. The actua
stipuations are that it shall be awarded
to the pupil who writes the best
theme on Immigration In the South
With Special Reference to Louisiana
and Mississippi, provided this pupil
stands we'll IN general class work and
department. Miss Julia Holberg re-
ceived first grade on her paper.
Throughout her school course she has
stood with the best in her classes.
Last wear she won the Avery medal
for scholarship and department. This
session no member of the graduating
class made higher grade than she
In the examinations held for white
teachers this spring Miss Holberg,
although contesting against large
number of applicants many of whom
were experienced teachers, made the
highest general average. BY reason
of her class standing and the high
grade made on the composition she
was awarded the Interstate Trust d
Banking Company medal. The essay
follows:
Immigrants who are strong OF
arm, clear of mind, and clean OF
heart are most beneficial to our
country. Those who will pillow
and SOW are worth more to us
than those who crowd into our
large cities. Strong, thrifty
foreigners have done much to pro
mote the wealth and progress of
the Middle West. They have also
worked faithfully in the large
factories of the east. Immigrants
have taken up many phases of
work and have been successful in
.lmost everything which they
AVE undertaken.
Many of the conditions in Mis-
issippi and Louisiana require I'm
migration for their Improvement.
In the southern part of both OF
these states there are cool, green
orests where giant live oaks join
heir boughs. Graceful Towering
ines knit these boughs together,
Briers, brambles and poison oak
grow where an efficient, industri-
Gus immigrant could grow fruit,
grain, and vegetables or raise
stock. Knotted cypress trees,
black with mold, overhang greenly
mantled ponds, made beautiful
but useless with multitudes OF
white water lilies. This dank
and cold region is inhabited by
wild ducks and other biz Ids,
lizards, turtles, and large snakes
which twist themselves around
the rotten limbs of fallen trees.
Mississippi and Louisiana con
tain several thousands of
square miles of unreclaimed land,
These regions require industrious
foreigners to drain them and make
them both habitable and product
i've. Of the sixty one per centum
of the Mississippi land which is in
farms, only forty-one per centum
is in cultivation. Think of the
great loss to Mississippi! The
same condition exists in Louisi.
ana. Large plantations would be
more profitable divided into a
number of small farms. Negro
labor is another problem which
requires immigration as a help in
the solution. If more immigrants
would come to Mississippi and
Louisiana, these states would have
more efficient labor than that Of
the negro. Although Mississippi
and Louisiana are two of the rich.
est states in our fair land, they
need immigration to forward in
tensive farming and to give us
more and better laborers.
Not only does immigration aid
agricultural pursuits, but also
the other needs of these States
More money is needed for school;
and other Improvements. Immi
grants increase the population as
well as add money to the country
This would give Mississippi and
Louisiana more representatives
With larger number of repre-
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