The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-06-02

hie'i'S, anu the ehpeHSe Oh tnelr ndln-
tenance will continue 1t is quite
probable that many of the older STU
dents will not return next fall and the
higher classes will be smaller than
usual. The graduates from the high
schools should see to it that the low
er classes more than make up for this
deficiency.
This appeal is made on the basis
of patriotic duty. If the war should.
be long the conutry will need all the
trained men and women it can get
many more than it now has. There
will be men in abundance to fight i'm
the trenches but there will be a dearth
Of officers, engineers, and men of
scientific knowledge and skill i'm all
the industries, in transportation, and
In many other places where skill and
daring are just as necessary for sue
cess as in the trenches. The first call
Of the allies is for $4,000 engineers
and skilled men to repair the rail-
roads of France and England; and
other thousands will be needed later.
Russia will probably want thou
thousands Of men to repair and build
her railroads. The increase in trans.
portation and the tax on our own
roads will call for large numbers Of
men of the same kind. New indus
trial plants. shipyards, and our armies
abroad will call for highly trained
men beyond all possible supply unless
our colleges and technical schools re-
main open and increase their at
tendance and output.
When the war is over there will
be made upon us such demands for
men and women of knowledge and
training as have never before come
: to any country. There will be equal
need for much higher average of
general intelligence for citizenship
than has been necessary until now.
The world will have to be rebuilt and
American college men and women
; must assume large part of the task.
In all international affairs we must
play a more important part than we
have in the past For years we must
feed our own industrial population
and large part of the population Of
Western and Central Europe. We
must readjust our industrial and So
; ical and civic life and institutions. We
must extend our foreign commerce.
We must increase our production to
play our large war debts and to car
ry on all the enterprises for the gem
eral welfare which have been begun
but many Of which will be retarded
: as the war continues. China and
Russia with their new democracies and
their new developments which will
come as q result will need and ask
your help in many ways. England,
France, Italy, and the Central Powers
will all be going through process Of
reconstruction and we should be ready
to give them generously every pos
sible help. Their colleges and uni
versities are now almost empty. Their
older students, their recent gradu-
ates, and their younger professors are
fighting and dying in the trenches, or
are already dead; as are many of their
older scientific and literary men, ar
lists and others whose work is nec-
essary for the enlargement of the
cultural and spiritual life and for all
that makes for higher civilization. For
many years after the war is over some
of these countries will be unable to
support their colleges and universities
as they have supported them in the
past. America must come tc the res
cue. We must be ready to assume
all the responsibilities and perform
thoi oughly and well all the duties that
will come to us in the new and more
tclbsely related world which will rise
out of the ruins Of the old world
which is now passing away in the
destruction of the war. To what eXA
tent and how well we may be able to
do this will depend upon you young
men and women who are this year
graduating from our high schools and
upon those who will follow in the
next few years to n larger degree than
upon any other like number of peoL
pie"