Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1925-06-18

other states of the South In the last
ten years. He showed an astonishing
total of $4,44O,0O0 spent in North Car
DINA in building program alone. He
showed where the state Of Florida In
1925 appropriated $1,374,000 in one
year for it's university. Tennessee re-
ported an appropriation Of $776,000 in
1925 in addition to its 100000 spent
in buildings Alabama showed total
of $750,000 spent in buildings during
this period. Mississippi spent half
million and Georgia spent exactly
nothing in building appropriations
from 1915 to 1925.
Dean Smelling then went into fur
Their details concerning North Caro-
lina's educational progress and show
ed where that state in four years spent
$9,824, 900 for permanent improvements
in higher education and for mainte-
nance $S,O03, O00 He pointed out
that North Carolina, in this period,
spent $1,0S4,OOO for permanent i'm
provement to negro institutions and
9oI0,UUU IOr maintenance.
Spent More on Negroes.
North Carolina spent more in its
work for negroes alone than the state
OF Georgia spent on its entire higher
educational system for the same Pc
riod.
II have dwelt at some length on
what North Carolina has done because
the history of the development of
higher education there shows that the
people are not as poor as they some
times feel themselves to be and fur
Their because it shows what can be
done when once proper will to do
is educated" he said.
Dean Smelling uttered the hopeful
note that in Georgia all signs now point
to an educational awakening.
years ago when Walter Page. Doc
tor McIver, Doctor Alderman and Gov
ernor Aycock started the campaign for
education in North Carolina the peo-
pie were hardly less reluctant to en-
bark upon new and ambitious enter
prises or impose new taxes upon them
selves than are the people of Geor-
gia today" Dean Smelling declared
Georgia now, like North Carolina
then, is waiting for leadership" Dean
Smelling continued. "The secret of
North Carolina's progress lies in the
men who led the fight, who, putting
aside private affairs, gave expression
to their love for and faith in North
Carolina by preaching the doctrine Of
progress from one end of the state to
the other. In Georgia the signs all
favor an educational awakening. At
the last session Of the legislature a
small increase was voted to the main
tenance of the University of Georgia.
To me the striking thing was that there
was no recorded opposition to the
item"
Dean Smelling then pointed out the
significant fact that there is NO longer
any rivalry between the higher educa-
tional institutions of the state and the
UNCONVENTIONAL institutions. He said
all now have as many students as they
can handle. 2
Enough has come to pass to make
us realize that the south lies open to
competition from the best brains OF
the nation" Dean Smelling concluded.
Her progress being assured, what are
We going to do in the way Of furnishing
leaders in the development? II we
sit supinely by leadership must pass
to other hands. Young men and young
women of Georgia must have the OPP
portunities given so freely and go gra-
ciously by other sections of the coun-
try. Education for the masses and edu-
cation for leadership. A well rounded
and complete system Of grammar and
high schools. Modern and properly
equipped normal schools. A school OF
Technology amply able TO mset the
needs of the time and a university in
fact as well as in name"