The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-02-09
MEN, WOMEN
AND THINGS

ard college have been coming together
at noon to lunch and plan a campaign
to raise $4,000.
The interest was by no means con-
fined to the Baptists for a number of
leading men of other denominations were
enthusiastic over the idea. The retire,
ment of Mr. Courtenay Barber on ac-
count of an attack Of la grippe, and the
putting of DR.. Shelburne in charge of the
organization, only made the teams more
determined to go On with the work al
ready begun.
The Hon. Frank s. White, the chair
man. has given practically two weeks to
committee work and his presence and
enthusiasm has had large part in hold
ing the workers up to the scratch. 1t
would be out of place to make special
mention Of any of the Is team captains
or the bands working under them, for
great drive which is now in full swing
America is at war and everything else
SHOulQ De SlueLEdCkeu, Is TIE OplDlOEl VI
some of Birmingham's citizens whose
opinions are worth being taken into con-
sideration but President Wilson with pre-
vision saw how the colleges would not
only be shot to pieces on account Of the
volunteers and drafted students, but that
the finances would suffer. and SO early
in the war game he sent out a note of
warning and plea that college work
should go on.
We all know that the great universities
like Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton
to respond to their country's calls and
on account of decreased attendance and
the fact that large gifts had been di-
verted to other avenues are facing acute
crises and leaning more heavily on their
friends than ever before to tide over the
situation and be ready at the close of
the great conflict to supply the need
of educated men that is sure to arise
throughout the entire country.
Knowing these thinks 1t is the wish of
the President that every institution of
learning, large or small, take active steps
to conserve the intellectual life of the
country and prepare it for the giant task
oe reconstruction that must be worked
out with the coming of peace. America is
going to have need of trained men and
women. The opportunity for service is
Mill 1,a
suicidal not to begin at once to conserve
our colleges.
Howard college is set to push on, and
the drive now being made is but a move
ment bending every effort to do its
share in taking care of the nations flu
tire. Tt cannot afford to stand still The
hour calls for expansion, rather than cur
tailment. 1t must be ready to meet the
ever widening scope of governmental de-
mands Efforts are at work to inau-
gurate departments at the suggestion
of men high in authority at Washington
to help win the war and later to win
Industrial victories.
A little more than Is years ago Bap-
lists of Alabama founded Howard col
|lege at Marion. In 1887 it was moved to
Birmingham Now it is not my intention
to go into the question which so long
divided the denomination over the re-
moval, and I refer to it now merely to
recall the fact that Birmingham was to
give not only the location but was to
raise $300,0 for it to be used In build
ing and endowment Only 10 per cent
OF the amount was ever raised, or to put
it more concretely, only $4,000
That was 30 years ago. 1t has been
conservatively estimated that each year
during that time the college has
brought to Birmingham from 100000 to
100000 The claim is it has poured mil
lions into the city and has only
gotten pittance out of it, and that
having waited 80 years to ask the public
to redeem its pledge is not rushing mat
ters, and furthermore realizing the war
times, Howard is asking for but one
half of the original sum which was held
out as the condition why it should be
moved to Birmingham.
The college has brought millions in
money to Birmingham, but 1T has also
made it possible for many boys in this
district to get college education who
never would have otherwise been able
to do so. 1t is now at the high tide of its
usefulness DR.. Shelburpe, looking at the
situation thought that young women
should be permitted to enter it's doors
and today there are about so taking adj
vantage of the courses offered, and the
women students are making a great rec
ord This is but to show that the How
ard is serving both the young men and
the young women of the district
1 think in the face of what Howard
has done in the past is now doing. and
will be able to do better in the future,
for this city, that it deserves the hearty
support of the community. The test has
come. 1T is now up to Birmingham to
redeem its pledges.
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