The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-06-15
Government Desires
Old Knitted Clothes
Athens College in Alabama Collecting Articles to Pro-
vide More Scholarships for United States Girls

I somebody has to collect that wool
and get it into shape for use. Down
in the heart of the South is school
called Athens College at Athens,
Alabama - a college that educated
girls on old silk hose last year and
that is now travelling wool instead
and furnishing work for two hun
dred worthy girls who must earn
their college expenses. This school
was founded in 1922 and has a long,
distinguished history of educating
girls from all over the country and
many who have come from lands
far overseas.
Once, the school was known for
its beautiful Southern bellies" -
the kind you read about in books -
who strolled among the tall pines
and magnolias and studied their
lessons in the shadows of tall white
columns outlining the many old
Colonial buildings which were erect
ed by slave labor long before the
Civil War. The buildings and pines
and magnolias are still there, but
College has been not just to educate
those girls who could well afford to
go to college, but to find some way
to help girls from all parts of the
country who desire and deserve a
college education, but who, from
necessity, have to find work in Or
der to pay their way through school.
One of the many projects set up
by the school for this purpose is a
knitting mill, established about four
years ago. Here, the girls spend part
of each day working in the mill and
part attending classes. In this way,
they earn enough money to pay all
Of their expenses through the entire
four years of college. The girls in
this group are all high school grad
yates with exceptional scholastic
records and good character refer
ences. They are more than eager to
work for the opportunity of going
to college, and many hundreds have
earned their education in this way.
Some of the graduates are now Off
GERS in the WAACS and WAVES.
Some are working in high-salaried
government jobs. Some are doing
technical work on the assembly
lines in war plants. Some are
teachers, and some are married and
working on the home front
To provide more of these girls
with work, the college has started a
campaign to collect WORKOUT knit
ted or crocheted wool. BY doing
this. more scholarships can be given
to girls in all parts of the country.
In fact, for every 5000 pounds of
old wool sent in girl can work her
way through school for one entire
year! When you consider that one
discarded wool sweater weighs from
one to three pounds, you'll see that
not many discarded clothes are
needed to send girl through school
for a year. What's more, if every
woman who reads th-s appeal and
belongs to club, church organiza-
ton, or civic society. would propose
a "wool-gathering bee" to thei,
members, think how easy it would
be to collect enough wool to send
not one but many girls to college
Too, if such an organization col
lects 5000 or more pounds of wool
the college will not only pay de-
livery charges, but will give that
group one of the work scholarships
The organization can then select 6
high school graduate to receive the
scholarship. Or, if the organization
does not know of worthy girl tt
sponsor, then the College will
select one from its applicants.
Whatever you have of knitted OF
crocheted wool garments, send then
along. You'll not only help girls ge
an education but provide the extra
wool needed at present all over oul
country. How about it? We thinl
it's a grand idea. If you do. ther
collect and send your old wool (no
the woven kind, remember) t,
Athens College, Athens, Alabama, o.
write there for more information
about the plan of wool gathering
to = send girl to college
while keeping our nation