Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-11-27
A commendabIe Enterprise

Ga? If not, it will pay you to make
the trip. 1t is a small, scattered
village mastering, according to the
| latest census, population of LOO
a comparatively level nature. 1t is
situated on the Augusta Southern
railway and is thirty-six miles from
Augusta. 1t is a typical small. Geor-
gia town. 1t is not unlike thou
sands of others in many respects
Just make the trip as suggested.
| You might wonder what there is
20 be found there worthy Of special
attention or consideration. 1t is
there, nevertheless. and it repre-
sents the heart and center of the life
Of the community. 1t stands as a
monument to the patriotism, fore
sight and belief which the people
of this rural community have in ed
ucation.
Some communities, larger or
smaller as the case may be, center
| their efforts on other forms of en-
terprise. They point out to you
! when you visit their town their one
full bank, their fine administration
building, their handsome church, or
| attractive courthouse or probably
their wide, paved streets. Some
times it is true they take you to
the school building and tell you the
|
My experience leads me to con-
clude that the school. however. is not
the foremost enterprise in most OF
our communities. At least it is not
the one great, enduring and perpetual
monument to service which is first
| directed to your attention should
you happen to be a casual visitor.
In Wrens, the most beautiful, at
tractive and well-equipped structure
in the community is the school. 1t
overshadows everything else. 1t is
a just source Of pride to the COM
We talk a great deal about educa-
ton in a democracy. We regard it
as fundamental to the progress of
the nation. We boast of what we
have done and are doing for educa-
ton and then we send our boys and
buildings that are in many instances
no better than shacks. No proper
sanitary conditions have been pro-
vided for in these structures. The
| lighting is poor. There is no salts
factory provision for heat. The
walls are dirty and defaced and the
grounds are rough and unkept.
I When we reflect upon this situa-
ton for a little while, does it ap-
pear that an institution Of this kind
can serve the youth of a community
acceptably? Is it likely that we will
develop their minds. satisfactorily
| and implant in their hearts the most
! desirable type of tradition? I think
| not.
There they have a s65,O00 school
building. Most Of the material was
purchased before the great rise in
prices took place. The building was
completed approximately in one year.
1t could not be reproduced now for
100000. Considering the size of
the community, it is massive struc-
ture, beautifully designed and splen-
didly built. 1t is sufficiently orna-
mental to be attractive, but it has
not been overdone with meaningless
decorations by the architect.
When you first see this building,
you are impressed with it's harmony
in which it blends into the land
scape and with the solidarity of its
appearance. Riding across a pleasant
farming country and then coming
suddenly upon a structure OF this
| kin~ in a strictly rural community
gives you a sort of a thrill and a
| feeling that you have found a loca1i-
| ty in which education is the dom1-
nant thought and desire of the peo-
| pie and where. instead of theorizinS
about such matters. the citizens and
| land owners have gone down into
| their pOCh6IS anu IdhSu IIlOASy IuSIS-
! from to afford their children the op-
lportunity and the privilege along ed
| vocational lines to which they are EN-
titled.
1 want the people of hundreds of
other communities in Georgia to
visit Wrens. 1 want them to emulate
its example. I long to see literally
similar type erected throughout the
state within the next few years.
| When we do this, we will then have
| justified our faith and our belief in
education and we will have laid the
| foundation on which to build and de-
velop a worthy, essential and funda-
mental type of vocation education.
1 was informed that this communl-
ty only had about $4,000 to put into
it's school building. The people, how
ever. decided that they wanted a
thoroughly up-to-date and efficient
school. To that end, they undertook
to raise $4,000. and. if I was cor
rectly Informed, they accomplished
the task successfully. I would judge
from an examination of the country
side that this would represent an eff
fort on the part Of the people con-
cerned which could only be measured
on the basis say of $1O,O0O,OOG
enterprise on the part of our capital
city of Atlanta. I do not think any
one would believe that it would be
an easy thing to raise $1O,00O,O00 for
in 18th the o grSs44t Wealthy and
do not think have overdrawn
the picture. L wish by this state
ment, however, to impress other
places with the wonderful enthusl-
asm and energy displayed in getting
school building of this size COM
pleted in such a relatively small
community. Moreover. if this sort OF
thing could be done at Wrens. II
can be done at hundreds of other
places. and just as surely as we at
tain that end, will we have revo1u-
tioniZed our schools.
I did not hear anyone in this COM
munity complaining about taxation
for schools or for other purposes. L
rather doubt if this condition is like
ly to arise. I find that where the
people are progressive and enterpris-
ing to the degree indicated that they
are more willing to put their money
into work of this character than
where less sacrifice has been made.
In regard to taxation for schools
this thought now occurs to my nina
and I set it down in the hope that
many others may read it and receive
the same impulse there from that has
come to me. We pay five mills 70
the school in many communities.
That represents only one-tenth OF
the value of a five-cent piece. Select
even the poorest and meanest child
in the community. Put him and his
future ability for service through
training on one side of the balance
and nut five mills on the other
With this perspective in mind. do
you think that any worthy citizen
should ever again complain about
taxation for education? What citi-
zen of the state would not be will
ling under the circumstances to
spend as much as cents for the
education of his child? If we were
to do this, however, the schools of
Georgia would indeed then become
such imposing and well-equipped
structures as to constitute our chief