The ne-ws in this publica
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
Published weekly by the
tion IS released for the press on
NE\317S T-RTTRl?
University of North Caroima
the date indiceied below.
JBa W JuiSa A &
(or its Bureau of Extension.
i FEBRUARY 23, 1916
CHAPEL HILL, N. C.
VOL. n, NO. 13
^ Clitorial
I B. C. Brmirtou, .1. deK, Hrtimlton, b. B, L. A, WilUiua't, B. H. Thornton. G- M. McKie. E ».s ■«?coiKi-ol»aa mat-t-w Novejnber 14, 1914, »t ch« postofflot? at Ohapel Hill, N. C., auder the act of August 24,1913.
NORTH CAROLINA CLUB STUDIES
i!
j:
■ 5
GREAT WEALTH PRODUCERS
Oiir farmers produce enormous wealth
from year to year. For instance, our
•grain crops, hay and forage, and potato
! crops in North Carolina last year aniount-
■ ed to ?86,201,000, as shown by the
I .December Federal Crop Report.
Tlie total resources of 417 state banks,
- tprivalie banks, savings banks and trust
'■fCompanies in North Carolina in 1915
i amounted to $87,660,324 as shown by
--our Corporation Commission.
That is to say, our farmers in a single
' year produce nearly m great wealth in
; food and feei crops as our hanks, other
(than national, have been able to accum-
' «late in 250 years of state history,
1 GORGING AHEAD IN FARM
CREDITS
Two Rural Credit Unions in Mecklen
burg at Carmel and Sharon, two in Union
.at Eureka and Downing Creek, and one
at Lowe’s Grove in Durham county, have
■opened their doors for business. Cary,
Bahama in Durham county, and two
■other communities in Mecklenburg are
;getting ready to organize.
■Five Rural Credit Societies, organized
and ready for business, put North Caro-
ilina ahead of all the other states of the
■Union in this particular; that is to say,
not counting similar organizations among
the Jewish farmers of the North.
The’bankers in Charlotte and Durham
have been generously interested in these
iarm credit organizations. Mr. W. R.
Oamp, the State superintendent of Co-op-
«rative Enterprise has had the enthusi
astic and able support of Mr. JohnSprunt
Hill, the Durham banker, and Mr. J. L.
Morehead, the attorney-at-law.
Mr. Hill is w'orking at the problems of
rural credit in North Carolina w'ith the
fine fervor of an old Testament prophet.
ed in this way in schoots for the children I
of their mill families, it makes a signifi'
cant story. We should be glad to have
the details.
3
OUR GOOD ROADS INSTI
TUTE
The .North Carolina Road Institute at
the University Feb. 7-12 brought to
■Chapel Hill 128 delegates from 45 coun
ties in the State and six men from other
states to consider problems of highway
‘construction and betterment. The en-
itire week was spent in the study of prob
lems affecting road building in the State,
with special attention to the qualifica
tions for highway engineers, the use of
;onvicta in road construction, good roads |
dn other lands, the patrol system, the use
of the road drag and other road machin-1
mry, surfacing materials, bridges and cul- |
^erts and many other details of road j
Sbuilding and maintenance. j
Field demonstrations daily helped to j
enforce some of the suggestions made in ;
the speeches and papers. Many manu-,
facturers of road machinery had exhibits j
on the grounds. Cement roads received
attention, and in fact ail the newest and
.most promising methods of road making.
The addresses of Dr. D. H. Winslow,
the national superijitendent of road con-
■fitruction, were especially helpful and tTT'
tspiriiig.
THE UNIVERSITY COMMIS
SION
On .January 4 and 5, the University
Commission on Race Relations was a
guest of honor at Trinity College and the
University of North Carolina.
The members and advisory members of
this Commission are Dr. J. H. Dillard,
Charlottesville, Va. ; President K. A.
Alderman, University of Va.; President
S. C. Mitchell, Delaware College; ('han-
rellor D. C. Barrow, University of Ga.;
DeanJ. H. Hoskins, University of Tenn.,
Chairman elect; Dean W. S. Sutton,
University of Texas, retiring chairman;
W. M, Hunley, Virginia Military Insti
tute, Secretary; E. C. Branson. Universi
ty of N. C.; Josiah Morse, University of
S. 0.; Director J. H. DeLoach, (Jeorgia j
Experiment Station; Dean J. J. Doster, j
University of Ala.; W^. L. Kennon, Uni- ]
versity of Miss.; W. O. Scroggs, Univer- ■
sity of La.; and D. Y. Thomas, represent
ing C. H. Brough, University of Ark. j
The Purposes of It i
i
The Commission is an open-minded
body of Southern scholars bent (1) upon ^
sounding public opinion concerning race |
problems in the South, (2) hearing the
conclusions of thoughtful Southern peo
ple in this field of thinking, *3) stimula- j
ting and directing college men in the |
study of race problems, and (4) speaking:
to and for college constituencies upon i
clear issues. j
They are not investigators; other agen
cies are engaged in that work. They are
not retained attorneys for any special set \
of opinions. They are hunting for the |
truth, whatever it is; and they are de-1
daring it vigorously whenever they find |
it. I
For instance, the Commission has just j
spoken to the college men of the country ;
on the subject of lynching, and its utter
ances have been given the widest publi
city in the public press. In this matter
the Commission is standing with the
press of the SotJth, the clergy, the courts
and brave county officials.
Hearing From Trinity and
the University j
At Trinity the Commission was address-.
ed by President Few and Drs. Brooks,
Boyd, Laprade, and Glasson; and at the
University by Drs. Battle, Dean Stacy, '
Dean Noble, Drs. W^ilson, Williams,
Chase, Hamilton, and Henderson. The
discussion was so interesting that no time ^
was left to hear from Dean Raper and j
Profs. Toy, W'agstaff, Rankin, Daggett
and Thornton, who were present and
listed for addresses by Dean Sutton, the
Chairman. !
THE FULLNESS OF
OUR DAY -
Henry W. Grady
When every farmer in the South
•shall eat breaUfrom bin own fields and
meat from- his tnvn pastnrea, and dis
turbed by no creditor and enslaved bj'
no debt shall sit amid his teerroing
gard'en.s, and orcliards, and vineyards,
and dairies, and barnyards, pitching
his crops in his own wisdom., and
growing them in independence, mak
ing cotton hi.s clean surplus,, and sell
ing it in hi« own time, and in his
chosen market, and not at » master’s
bidding, getting his {>ay in cash and
hot in a receipted mortgage that diet-
chartrea his debt but does not restore
his freedom—then shall be breflking
the fullness of our day.
Great is King Cottfjti! But to lie at
his feet while the usurer and grain-
raiser bind us in 8uh|ection, is to im-
vite the c'ontempt of man and th*' re
proach of God. But to stand up be
fore him and amid grain crops aind'
smokehouses wrest from him the mag-
na charta of our independence, and
to establish in his name an ample and
diversified agriculture, that shall honor
him while it enriches us—this is to
carry us as far in the way of happi
ness and independence as the farmer,
wwking in the richest fields, can car
ry any people.
UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
LETTER SERIES NO. »2
liberally in farm land mortgages bearing
low total interest rates. One insurance
company through one agency has loaned
our farmers in this way some $900,000 to
date, at an average rate more than one
per cent less than the State average of 7.7
per cent.
Insurance Company Invest
ments in North Carolina
And it is time. What the insurance
companies have loaned on farm land in
North Carolina so far is a mere bagatelle
—$2,267,000, or less than a third of one
per cent of their total loans to American
farmers. During the year ending April 1,
1915, insurance companies of all sorts col
lected fourteen and a half million dollars
in premiums in North Carolina and paid
in death claims, fire and other losses, less
than seven million dollars.
A good question to ask the insurance
agent who entertains you delightfully
from time to time is, “What has your
company invested in North Carolina?”
WHAT ABOUT ITt
After ailh why consider all these tigiixes
and statistics about our investment in
schools? Is it a waste of perfectly good
time or has it some s(^ns«‘ and meaming?
I^et us see.
We surely are not rw^eiving a due-re
turn in the Unit«d States upon our in
vestment capital. Can anything be dtone?’
VVho has charge of the investment of these
fuiids? We wonder if anyone is really
inte.rest.i'd in getting tJbe most out of a:
sure inve-«tment of them.
Our Investment Capital
One thing Ls sure. North Carolina is
using her permww«f»?cschoif>l fund to the
very best advantage. Of course you know
that the building of a new schoolhouse
every day for ». piriofl of twelve years has
lieeii made possible beesn«e we have used
this permainent si'hool fnnd iis a loan
fund, drawing interfwt, to t:ho!*e districts
most in neetl of this aewistance.
No one objects to the way North Caro
lina is using, this part of her investment
capital. We would like to know how
much revenue we derive-from our $300;
GOO flforth of unsold school land, .^re w'e
malcing the most of this investment?
Our Operative Capital
Are we doing all w(» might to make our
; schools: a going bnsinesis? It is recog-
i nisT/fid fJiat we are doing better all the
time. The question is. Are we making
the most of onr business? .Vre wt putting
every cent we can mke and ncrape to
gether into this most important work of
I our state government?
! Are we depriving, oui-selves of the lux-
! nries.' are we cutting at some other ex-
j pense bills and turning the saving into
I operative ca:p«t.'jl for iJiir; husiueas? Have
I w;e strained every point, loatled ourselves
I to-the-fullest extent, and reailijied all we
can- for this big business?
Mter All
If we ha-ve done at! these things,'•if we
are doing our utmost in this respect and
can afford only .fl,76 per i;apita of popu
lation as operative capital in this busi
ness,. then we h«id' better quit talking
about how^ ricij .'i-nd full of resourcesisonr
Old North State. If we are one of the
richest state.s in the nation we should hang
our heads in shame that we care so-little
for our human: rasouTCes.
V\'e believe the citizens are not doing all
in their power to increase our operative
capital. We believe our resources will
warrant a larger absolute and relative in
vestment iji opevaiive capital.
SCHOOLS FOR THE MILL
VILLAGES
Thirty-one mills in North Carolina,
located beyond the reach of town and
city school systems, have invested $199,-
500 in school buildings for the mill village
■children. In addition to the regular pub
lic school funds received by these schools,
the mill owners spend $36,743 a year for
itheir maintenance. This contribution of
tthe.mills amounts to $7.54 apiece for the
■4,873 pupils in average annual atten
dance.
One mill located in a town pays f 1,103
of the 11,451 raised by the special school
tax; another so located pays 40 per cent
and another pays 90 per cent of the local
school tax. In the last instance, the
mill property b^omes responsible for a
like proportion of the $20,000 school bond
-issue.
These details come from an editorial in
the New York f Commercial, quoted in
Ootton, a montlily published in Atlan-
We have around 415 textile mills in
North Carolina, employing 55,000 opera
tives. If they are all generously interest-
INSURANCE LOANS ON
FARM LANDS
The item in our columns the other day
about insurance company loans, at low
rates of interest, on farm lands seems to
have taken our readers by surprise; es
pecially the total of these loans—nearly
$700,000,000. They found further sur
prise in the fact that $548,000,000 or sev
en-eighths of this grand total has gone to
the farmers of the 12 north central states,
$150,000,000 to Iowa alone, and that in
surance loans on farm land in North
Carolina amounted to only $2,267,000.
Heretofore the insurance companies
have said, “Such loans are unsafe in your
State, especially in the cotton and tobacco
areas. You have too little livestock, too
little diversification, too great a waste of
soil fertility, too much worn out and
abandoned farm land, 13,000,000 acres of
this sort in North Carolina! We cannot
lend on land in an area where farming is
based on soil robbery, because our collat
eral depreciates in value.”
Our New Farm Credit Bases
But our J)9,000,000 gain in livestock and
our $40,000,000 increase in food and feed
crops since the census year establish an
other credit basis for agriculture in North
Carolina. Collateral is safer, interest pay
ments surer, and foreclosures fewer.
As a result the insurance companies are
looking this way and beginning to invest
OUR MOONLIGHT SCHOOLS
So far, 638 Moonlight schools have been
organized and conducted in 50 counties of
North Carolina and 1,000 teachers have
been engaged in teaching 5,540 pupils,
says Mr. N. C. Newbold, the state rural
school agent, in the Washington Daily
News.
SAFER SCHOOL BUILDINGS
The time has come for school authorities
in North Carolina to consider very care
fully the safety of the school buildings
they erect. The day when any sort of a
box would do has passed. The lives of
our boys and girls are too sacred and too
dear for us to neglect their protection.
The Insurance Commission at Raleigh
is interested in the matter and before
buildings are constructed should be called
into consultation about Tower Stairways.
Write to Mr. James R. Young, Raleigh,
N. C.
FIREl
Says the Insurance ('oiiamissioner for
North^'Clarolina; “In America we burn
twelve sehool houses and two colleges
every week. In the United States, afire
occurs every day in some school. Fre^
quently the lives of our children are saved
simply because the fire occurs while the
school is not in session.
When we build new schoolhouses in
North Carolina are we taking sufficient
caution to protect the children from fires?
Are our school buildings fireproof? Write
to Mr. James R. Young at Raleigh and
let him help you plan your buildings so
as to save the kiddies.”
IREDELL DOING THINGS
Superintendent R. M. Gray writes to
us to say, “One of our progressive rural
schools. Cedar Grove, in Olin Township
has been Hghted with electricity, and
running water put in. I am making an
effort to have each school place a neat
sign board with the name of the school,
Township and District painted on it, and
in a conspicuous place. ’ ’
Iredell has long^ been famed as The
County That Does Things. We rejoice to
know that it is a county that still does
things. Congratulations to Superintend
ent Gray!
LOCAL TAXATION FOR
SCHOOLS
For the school year of 191.1-14 local
taxation for schools in No-rth Carolina
counties show's some interesting charac
teristics.
Four counties raised between $50,000
and $76,000; eight between s>25,000 and
$50,000; six covlnties between $20,000 and
,ti2-5,000; twelve between-{ilS,000 and $20,-
000; twenty between $tO,OOU and $15,000;
twenty-two between $5,000 and $10,000;
twenty between $1,000 and $5,000; five
between $500 and $1,000; Avery and Wa
tauga each raised les.s than $500.
No county raised over $76,000. Wake
leads the State with $75,830, while Guil
ford, Forsyth and Buncombe follow
closely in the order given.
Comparisons
Carteret, next to the poorest county
in the State in per capita country w^ealth
raised $6,700.19 by local taxation for
schools. Alleghany, the richest county
in the State in per capita country wealth
raised only $425.39 by the same means
for the same purpose.
Scotland, the second richest county in
per capita country wealth raised only
$9,943,69. Think it over.
he has made little advancement anti is in
danger of becoming a job-hunter to the
end of the chapter.
There has been a great hue and cry for
the good old days of the apprenticeship
system. Much has been written and
said concerning this whole question. It
remained for the Curtis Publishing Com
pany, in 1913, to point the way out amid
the maze of opinion coiicerning the mat
ter.
In connection with tl eir printing bus
iness this company has- devised a work
ing plan for educating jpurneyman prin
ters through a modification of the old ap
prentice system.
The details of the plan are explained
in a pamphlet. The Curtis School of
Printing for .-ipprenttces, which will be
sent free upon application to the Curtis
Publi.'fhing Co., Philadelphia, Pennsyl
vania, Write for it! It is interesting
and instructive..
RURAL LIBRARIES
According to the Reports of State Sup
erintendent Joyner it appears that for
the year 1913-14 the expenditure for rural
libraries was less, absolutely, by $664,
than in 1909-10.
More than this, the relative amount
spent for rural libraries was two-tenths of
one per cent less this last year than five
years ago.
-Can it be possible that the libraries in
our rural schools have become sufficient
ly complete? A visit to our rural schools
would not seem to bear out the truth of
the statement! What is the trouble?
ELON AND THE HOME TOWN
SHIP
The Elon: College authorities, assisted
by Major W. A. Graham and his co
workers in the State Department of Agri
culture, the- A. & M. College, and the
Experiment Station, have planned a
great Community Ser-vice Day at Elon on
February 26 for the people of Boon Sta
tion township in Alamance.
The farmers, the business people, the
teachers, the Sunday school and church
workers are invited to- gather for an all
day program of speaking, athletic events,
and an open basket dinner.
It is inspiring to see our colleges strike
hands with the home communities in
solving their problems and puzzles of
life and business. Workmg every man
over against his own house was Nehemi-
ah’s way of re-building the walls.
We ought t« have a thousand such
events in as many schools, churches, and
colleges all over North Carolina. When
personal concern broadens into commu
nity concern and activity it evidences
spiritual growth in individuals and insti
tutions alike.
SCHOOL FOR APPRENTICES
In these days of big business a boy on
leaving school, in the cities especially, is
very liable to take up with blind-alley
jobs, with the result that at twenty-one
IT dAN BE DONE
The following is an exact reproduction
of a letter written by a thirty-nine year
old pupil, who attended one of our Moon
light schools for six nights:
Crouse, N. C, Jan 19 1916
Dear mr walker
I go to the moonlight school mr Thorn is
my teacher I can read some in my Bible
and add some figures I am thirty nine
years old and never wrote a letter tell •
last week if you have Jtime I wish you
would wtite me a letter
your frend
Tom Sneed
The original is perfectly legible and
every word in the above is reproduced
exactly as in the original copy. It is
proof positive that it is never too late to
learn.