Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-01-23
South Is Tagging
3 e h IN d Other
Sections 9mGlfts
To Education
BIZ BISHOP WARREN A. GAMBLER.
IT. HE year 1916 was one of the most

thropy in the United States, espe-
cially for large contributions to Amer
lean colleges and universities.
In our time and country colleges and
universities are being built a. were ca
| thedrals during the midd!6 ages in Eu-
rope; and since so many of the great
religious structures Of Europe have
been destroyed 'by war it is some sort
of Offset to the loss that in our coun-
| try great educational institutions are
arising.
Unfortunately for the south the
| greatest gifts made during the past
year to educational institutions have
| been given to the northern, eastern and
| western colleges and universities. While
we have made some progress education
| ally, our section is relatively further
| behind than it was January l, 1916.
| Some of our people are awakened to
| this great interest, but most of them
do not perceive their duty in this re-
gard
Let US look at some of the gifts made
| to institutions outside of the south
| during the year, 1916:
| Columbia university received gifts
exceeding a million of dollars.
| Harvard university received gifts ex-
| ceeding 100000.
| Lafayette college received gifts and
| requests aggregating s3So,000.
/ Smith college received gifts aggre-
| eating $105,0
Yale university received requests and
| gifts amounting to $925.oOo.
Gifts and requests to Rutgers COL
| lege amounted TO $4,000
/ Amherst college came into posses
! sion of 700 from the estate of Mr..
| E. A. Crane, the income of which will
| be used for the purchase of books for
| the library.
Mr.. Z. S. C. James gave to Bates col
lege $95, 900, and another gift of $4,000
! came to the same institution from an
anonymous giver.
| Haverford college was enriched by a
gift of $146,O00 from Mr. Gideon Scull,
| and beQuest from the estate of
| Thomas X. Brown of S25O,000.
The Western Reserve university re-
| ceived from Mr. John l.. Severance, of
| Cleveland, Ohio, $4,000 for the pur-
pose of founding a chair of religious
educa ton. and the same institution re-
ceived from the will of Mr.. r. R.
Rhodes of Cleveland, 100000.
An anonymous gift of 100000 was
recently made to Boston university.
Mr.. Edward Rector gave $4,000 for
the purpose of erecting a new hall at
| OePauw university.
Tufts college received during the year
$4,000 from the estate of Sylvester
Bowman, and $13,452 from the Braker
fund.
A few large gifts were made during
the year to colleges in the south; but
the amount of gifts to southern institu-
tions fell very far below the amount
given to institutions in other sections
| of our country.
Is it not time that the fashion of
| giving to educational institutions had
become common in the south? Have
we not now many people possessed of
wealth sufficient to enable them to do
great things for our southern institu-
tons?
Suppose we made a map OF the coun-
try, and marked in every state spot
upon which stood an institution of
| learning with endowments worth more
than S5,OO0.00O. Such a map would not
show one institution in the south. In
deed, the educational map of the south
would be most humiliating, if made.
Many undesirable circumstances flow
from our educational restitution. Let
us consider some of these consequences:
In the first place our section loses a
great deal financially by the fact that
Southern students go in great numbers
to other sections of the country for
their higher education. During the
summer of 1916 students from Georgia
alone expended on summer courses in
northern universities not less than
$3.50, 900. The south is drained of money
in many ways and can not help itself;
but this educational drain we could stop,
if we would. The disbursements of the
pension bureau flow into the north, and
very little of those funds trickle down
j into the south. Vast sums are sent by
southern people TO insurance compa-
81
other financial currents flowing north
ward from the south. Why should we
make an educational current of this
sort?
But there are consequences more i'm
portant than the loss of money. 1t is
not best for a section to have its sons
and daughters educated away from
home. The policy of sending abroad for
education tends to denature any people
who adopt it.
II northern propagandists definitely
desired and intended to change the en-
tire type of southern civilization, they
could not adopt a plan which would
more certainly and speedily accomplish
it than the process which rs now going
on. The rich schools of the north draw
many southern students to them, while
the poorer schools of the south draw no
northern students southwark This pro-
cess cannot continue through many
years without working the most distinct
and undesirable results.
1t can not be otherwise than that we
suffer on this account much in our repu-
tation in foreign lands. With foreign
| ers the educational backwardneSS of the
! south Is a discredit to our section. For
eigners are obliged to regard us as less
interested in higher education than are
the people in other sections so long rs
our schools are no better endowed and
| equipped than they are
| Why shall we not make the year 1911
better year with reference to our edu-
cational institutions than any year
which has preceded it in all our history?
Shall we come to the close of the year
now just begun still further behind with
reference to this high and holy interest? ?
Shall we lag further and further in the
rear with every added year?
The foregoing list of gifts, of course,
| is by no means a statement OF all the
gifts received during the year 1916 by
institutions of learning in the north, east,
and west; but they are sufficient to show
how generous and constant is the giving
to colleges and universities in those sec
tions. Why may not such general and
generous giving begin to appear in the
| south?