San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-13
A COLLEGE FOR THE PLAINS


The town of Lubbock-or perhaps
now it should be designated as a city
has reen awarded the new archaeological
college. This choice was made after
the locating board had inspected thirty
six proffered sites widely distributed
over the region lying west of the ninety
eighth meridian and north of the TWEEN
ty-ninth parallel-the region to which
the board was limited BY the legislative
act authorizing the establishment OF the
institution.
Whether a given citizen approve the
decision of the board naturally depends
in some measure upon what part of the
state that citizen resides in. Residents
of San Antonio and vicinity, for ex-
ample, would have preferred to have
the college located at Boerne. For this
preference there were various reasons
more tenable than a mere desire to
get something for the San Antonio
district. But those reasons can avail
nothing now; however, they may be
scrviceable in some future situation.
In the meantime, the people of this
section will probably take the attitude
that, il the college had to be located as
far west as Lubbock, that town had
a good claim to the distinction con-
ferred by the award and that the STIR
rounding territory has a greater need
for such an institution than any other
part of the Plains country.
In addition to the direct advantages
which the college will confer upon Lub-
book in particular and the surrounding
counties in general. there is very impor-
tant though intangible asset to be consid-
cred. Wide attention will be directed to
the Plains country, concerning which
many people now know compare lively
nothing. That section. although still far
more sparsely settled than regions To the
east, has been growing with remarkable
rapidity; in. some vitality important re-
spects a veritable transformation has
been wrought there And it has very
bright prospects. It's soil is fertile; it
has an abundant and never-failing water
supply. A short distance below the Stir
face of the earth lies a vast cap-rock
which imprisons lake OF fabulous pro-
portions and apparently inexhaustible
capacity; farmers have only to drill
through this shell to get pure water
i'll as great abundance as they could
desire. No wonder the area under cu1-
tivation is expanding SO rapidly; no
wonder the population of the Lubbock
region has doubled within the last ten
years.
When the West Texas archaeological
College becomes a concrete reality a
new stimulus to the development OF the
Plains country will begin to operate
for nothing succeeds like success"
Many people will gain more nearly
accurate conception Of this comparatively
new region; its population will be still
further increased.
The people of the Plains country are
not only enthusiastic boosters of that
territory; no less important as a facility
for the development of their region is
that they believe in and practice CO.
operation. No doubt the locating board
was impressed by the spirit OF co-opera-
ton manifested at Lubbock when the
site offered there was under inspection.
Delegations from twenty-five surround
ing counties had assembled in the town
to greet the board, and they bore ban
ncrS announcing that they were all "for
Lubbock" Such a spirit cannot but
promote the interests of those who sin
ccrely display it.