Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press., 1927-05-26
What Milk Means
To Georgia
(By DIR. Andrew M. Soule)
President, State College of Agricul-
ture.

Competent Investigators are of the
opinion that we have 100000 under
weight or undernourishded children
in Georgia. They constitute the
states unlimited gold. They repres-
ept its primary asset. They hold I'M
their hands it's economic destiny, for
almost within the twinkling of an
eye they will have passed from the
stage of adolescence into the stature
of man and womanhood and so oc-
cupy the center of the stage and be-
come the directing entities or all the
activities of the commonwealth. The
illimitable potentialities for construc-
tive service which they represent can
not be correctly pictured provided
they are permitted, through tie wise
guidance and assistance of their eli-
ers to develop the full fruitior of
their power for service.
What is the greatest boon which we
are in position to offer these child
rem? That of good health. A clean,
wholesome mind finds residence in
vigorous, healthy body. Good pub
lie behavior is concident with
health. Power and the progressive
spirit constitute two of its fundamen-
tai assets. Creative genius, interpre-
tative understanding, and forensic
ability are the products of clear-vls-
ioned thinkers, possessed of bodily
vigor. Health, in other words,
means more to youth than any other
gift we can bequeath or offer to
them. Our failure to safeguard 1t
would constitute fundamental error
of the first magnitude. Moreover,
it would represent the betrayal of a
trust which is placed in our hands for
safe-keeping. Can this generation
afford to have the opprobium Of such
an issue placed upon its shoulders!
There are no mitigating Circumstance
es to soften the blow because we
know the nature and character of the
ills which affect our children and the
remedies which must be applied for
their correction.
Of all the lines of service work
in which the College has ever been
permitted to engage, there is none
that has made a stronger app 9al to
me than the "Milk Campaign for
Health" now being instituted in the
progressive Gate City of the South.
| am proud to see Atlanta Ii ,!ding
aloft the banner of progress in re-
gard to this important matter. We
are pleased to be permitted to associ-
ate ourselves with an undertaking
so intimately associated with the fu-
ture welfare and progress OF our
state. We are gratified to aid in
performing what we consider to be
one of the finest pieces of construc-
tive service work ever inaugurated
in this section of the South in behalf
of it's own boys and girls. The in
tensity of our concern about the sue
cess of this Campaign is demonstrat-
ed by the fact that we are assigning
more than fifty Of our eXpertly train
ed field workers to aid in its promo
ton upon an acceptable basis from
May 9 to IA, inclusively. We are
offering the services of this corps
of finely trained workers and devout
teachers to this cause free to cost in
so far as their salaries are concerned.
Naturally, their experience constitu-
tes much finer asset than anything
else they possess. The college is
also assuming large responsibilities
in connection with the publicity work
being carried forward and will con-
tinue to serve the cause after the
whitehead of the Campaign has pass
ed. There is no undertaking in the
history of the state upon which we
have concentrated a greater degree of
effort than the "Milk Campaign for
Better Health" in Atlanta.
We hope the citizens of Atlanta
will have an opportunity to meet with
our field workers and to pass judge
ment upon the fine spirit of patrio-
tism and cooperation they evidence,
for this is an extra burden imposed
upon them and chiefly assumed be-
cause of their love for little children
and their desire to see them enjoy
to the fullest extent the God-given
privileges which should be theirs by
inheritance and opportunity. This
represents our concern about the en-
terprise from the altruistic and there
fore the most worthy of motivations.
We are also very anxious to see
that the dairy industry of this state
is developed and expanded to the de-
gree which is desirable in order that
Georgia may become self-sustaining
in so far as products of this character
are concerned. The cow is the foster
mother of civilization, and we must
give her a chance to perform the
functions assigned to her in the most