The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1917-01-10
ALUMNI LOAN FUND OF
THE UNIVERSITY OF s. G.


south that has no endowment. This
institution, therefore, is entirely de-
pendent on annual legislative appro-
prlations for maintenance and future
development. There is never any diff
fculty about ordinary maintenance
but development is necessarily slow.
as South Carolina is not a wealthy
State and as the demands upon the
legislature are numerous and insist
ent. Such an institution as ours.
therefore, must be partly dependent
upon it's alumni if we are to keep
pace with the rapid strides of modern
nigher education.
There are five ordinary ways by
which our alumni can contribute to
the development of their Alma Mater:
% BY the establishment of an en-
:owment fund; (2) By the erection
Individually or collectively of an
tlnmni bdi!ding on the campus; (3)
}y special donations for the embel
ishMent of the grounds and build
n,Es; (4) By supporting, in part,
th.etics; (5) By gifts to the Alumni
Loan Funl.
1t is Of the last that shall speak
in this article reserving comment OH
the others in subsequent contributions
to your journal.
The Alumni Loan Fund as created
February 1904 to meet the needs of
poor but worthy students of the Uni
versity. During the eleven years of
it activity (1904-1915) $4,000 have
been lent to students. "The active
part of the fund has been paid out
four times and recollected three
times" as we learn from the bulletin
prepared by the very competent ad-
m'nistrator, Professor f. w. Bradley.
There are about fifty regular annual
A few others have con-
trihuted sporadically. The largest
total contribution was $2,6O2.25 Gin
191O) the smallest $3.50 Gin 1912.
AS there are about 5000 living alumni
1T will be seen that the number of
is exceedingly small. If
the alumni averaged $500 apiece an
nually the contributions to this fund
would amount to $4,000 a year. AS
only Sl00 is ever loaned to any one
applicant, this would mean that $50
young men and women would be en-
abled annually to complete their edu-
cation in addition to those who had
Already secured loans from the per-
,nanent fund. When these young peo-
pie graduate they naturally become
The warmest friends of the institution
and the most generous contributors
20 the fund to which they owe their
nigh educational training. But bet
Ter far the State is enriched by an
increasingly large number &C highly
citizens to aid in guiding
her future career.
1t is said that Alexander Stephens,
the Vice-President of the Confeder-
acy, educated out Of his private
funds sixty young men most of
nom rendered valuable service in
after life TO the great commonwealth
Of Georgia. Surely there is no bcne-
faction that reaps larger returns
than one that helps to fit men for
career OF usefulness and distinction in
ife. The interest on such a fund is
not to be measured in dollars and
cents but in souls and social service.
The value of which is beyond compute
Personally l feel keenly the i'm
oortance of timely aid to the strug-
sler after the higher things of the
intellect. My own father could not
1ave graduated in 1882 at the Uni
lersity of South Carolina had it not
oeen for the generosity of wealthy
in Southern South Caro-.
ina and an opportune loan from the
liI Fund of Washington and Lee
diversity enabled the writer to COM
'N'" his college course. feel it
icen J, therefore, when young man
- 60 Apelled to forcgo altogether the
!"'. ...Itage Of college training because
of lack of funds or for the same rea-
son has to leave the University be-
fore he graduates. There are pa
thetic cases Of this kind every year,
not to speak of the larger number
who suffer in silence from the unful-
filled desire for higher education.
In spite of these facts benefactors
to build memorials and con-