The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-05-13
Support For Junior College

Unexpected and exceedingly welcome sup
port for the junior college project here comes
from the Winston Salem Seminal. which edi-
torially points out the need and advantages
of such a school in southeastern North Caro-
lima and the peculiar situation with refer
ence to the location of the states colleges
and universities. Says the Seminal:
1.-The proposal of the New Hanover Board
of Education to establish junior college at
or near Wilmington for the benefit of high
school graduates of the city and county is a
reminder of a peculiar situation in North Car
DINA with reference to the location Of col
leges and universities.
1.-The leading four-year colleges and univer-
sites for white students in the State and
most of the Negro colleges are situated west
of the eastern border of Wake County. Will
mington, which was long the metropolis and
chief cultural center of the State has no col
leges.
'"There are a few State and private junior
colleges in the eastern area along with Flora
Macdonald, at Red Springs, Chowan, now in
active, etc. But the Greater University of
North Carolina, Duke University. Wake For
est, Davidson, Lenoi, Rhyme, Elon, Guilford,
Catawba, High Point, Appalachian, Queens,
Salem, Meredith-in fact nearly all the out
standing white and most of the leading Negro
institutions such as A. and T., Winston-Salem
Teachers, North Carolina College for Negroes,
Shaw, Bennett and Johnson c. Smith Univer-
sites, st. Augustine, Livingston, etc., are To-
Gated west of the fall line and the larger
proportion of these latter are in the Piedmont
area. &.
This appears somewhat odd in view OF the
fact that back in the days when some Of the
leading colleges of the State were established
plantation wealth, trade and culture" one
might say, Of the commonw ealth. The ante
bellum East, which had nearly all the slaves
in the State prior to the Civil War, apparently
did not go in for higher education on major
SCALE although it was Wilmington boy, Hin
seaport city to Chapel Hill in the 1905 to
become the new universty's first duly en-
rolled student.
Anyway, better late than never, so we are
glad to see Wilmington take the initiative in
the effort to obtain a junior college for that
community. A city-county area as populous
as Wilmington and New Hanover. and as far
away from the center of higher education in
North Carolina as that area is, unquestion-
ably could use a junior college to great ad-
vantage"
Since this article appeared the Board of
County Commissioners has refused to call an
election, as provided in the enabling act ap-
proved by the recent legislature, in which
the voters of New Hanover county could de-
termine whether five cent tax should be
levied for maintaining the college.
One objection heard in the city is that only
small percentage Of the young people would
or could attend the college and for this rea-
son it would be unreasonable to expect the
entire taxpaying population to contribute to
their education
The same argument was used when public
schools were first proposed in this country,
with the burden Of support to be placed upon
all taxpayers. Why should everybody have to
put out good money for the education of only
few?
The answer then and it is as good now.
is that through the leadership to be developed
through education even of few the whole
community benefits. The county commission
ers are invited to ponder this