Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-01-16
Il Scientists Piston of
The Res0urcetuL South.

VXTHEN scientist of the attachments
| w and the distinction of Dr.. Arthur D.
Little of Boston, falls to talking on
a subject which he has surveyed, the entire
country can we'll afford to listen. Never did
this mastery chemist speak more impressive
| " than in a recent address on the natural
treasures of the South. Highly conservative
as he is he declared, concerning the figures
which set forth these resources, that no one
capable of understanding their significance
can review them without first being over
whelmed, and soon thereafter filled with the
vision of their stupendous possibilities. This
is no rhetorical flourish; it is the reasoned
conclusion of trained and deeply learned
observer.
Some regions of America are Wondrously
rich in minerals, others in agriculture, ana
others in water power. But the South IS
superlatively rich in them all Says DR.. Lit
tie: ."She has more than half the IRON ore
in the United States, and seventy-hVe per
cent of all the coking coal; great stores OF
Ignite natural gas and OIL Here is the
purest salt which occurs in nature, the
cheapest and purest sulphur, clays endless
in variety and extent bauXite for ALUMINIUM
and for abrasives, limestone adjacent 10
coal and iron, phosphate rock, gypsum,
barvtes, shale and quartz, ores of zinc and
manganese, lead and nickel, titanium and
tin Moreover, there is enough wood waste
in the South "to supply the country's need
for paper With the important and DIVERSE
fed uses of cotton we are fairly familiar, but
it is enlightening to hear that the value OF
the South's corn crop now approximately
equals that of cotton, and affords basis for
great corn product industries" In other
fields of food production and also in animal
husbandry the South's measureless resources
are being developed apace. Add the poten-
tialities of five million horsepower available
in Southern streams, and we have sketchy
outline of the basic materials and forces for
what DR.. Little calls "the development of
great groups of co-ordinated industries .
on scale incomparably more vast than any
thing yet known"
With so marvellous foundation IN nature,
should not the South be the wealth1est part
of America? Should not her universities and
colleges be of all most plenteously en-
doWed, and her common schools most Hber-
ally maintained? Yet, strangely enough,
we find the facts to be just the con-
trary% Massachusetts alone, for example, has
invested in institutions of learning more
than have all the Southern States combined.
Pondering the significance of this, we shall
not be astonished upon going step farther
to see that the taxable property OF Massa-
chusetts exceeds by more than billion dol
lars that >of Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia,
Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mist
sissippi Louisiana and Arkansas all together
The conclusion is unacceptable that prosperity
depends first upon the development of man
power through education. ElseWlse nook
of New England, whose natural treasure in
no way compares with the South's imperial
resources, would not show so enormous a
superiority in point of taxable values. But
given natural treasure plus educational de-
velopment, how will the South tower and
shine among the highest peaklands of pros
perity! If it be said that we\ have not had
the wealth required for large educational
gifts and endowments, the answer is that we
must have the endowments to get the wealth.
Herein lie the richest and Hottest reaches of
that vision which the scientist beholds in our
"stupendous possibilities" And here too
lies the way Of surest service for every loyal
son and daughter of Dixie.