Page:NIE 1905 - p. 588.jpg

GEORGIA. . In 1898 the total organized militia of the State numbered 3963 men, of whom 390 were in the cavalry, 142 in light batteries, and 3416 in the infantry. In 1900 the total number of males of militia age was 409,186.

. The State Constitution provides that the bonded debt of the State shall never be increased, except for war purposes, and that all debt created to supply deficiencies in revenue shall not exceed $200,000. Constitutional limitations are also placed upon the debt-making power of the political divisions of the State. In September, 1900, the State debt amounted to $7,831,500. The receipts for the fiscal year ending 1900 amounted to $3,542,069, of which $1,929,587 was raised by the general tax. After the school expenditures, the largest items of expenditure are for the public debt, and for pensions to Confederate soldiers and their widows.

. The population of Georgia has remained remarkably stationary, the State never having risen above the ninth nor fallen below the thirteenth place in rank; at present holding the eleventh place among the States. It is, after Texas, the most populous of the Southern States, though the density of population (37.6 per square mile) is exceeded in some others. In 1790 the population was 82,500; in 1850, 906,000; in 1860, 1,057,000; in 1870, 1,184,000; in 1880, 1,542,000; in 1890, 1,837,000; in 1900, 2,216,000. The absolute gain for the last decade exceeded that of any preceding decade, and the per cent. of gain, 20.6, was almost identical with that of the United States. As is general throughout the South, the foreign-born element is very small (12,403), while the negro population (1,035,000) constitutes almost one-half the total for the State, surpassing that of any other commonwealth. The rate of increase among the negroes, however, during 1890-1900 was less than that among the whites. The negroes greatly predominate in the southern part of the State, in some of the counties outnumbering the whites four to one. In the mountainous portion north of Atlanta the ratio is reversed in favor of the whites. Among the negroes the females outnumber the males by about 1500. The State contains 19 places with a population in excess of 4000, constituting 13.9 per cent. of the total population. Four cities contain a population exceeding 20,000: Atlanta, 89,800; Savannah, 54,200; Augusta, 39,400; and Macon, 23,200. Atlanta is the capital. The State has 12 Representatives in the Lower House of Congress.

. The Baptist and Methodist denominations predominate, the former having about half the religious membership of the State—368,000, of whom 175,000 are colored. The Methodists number (1900) 272,000, of whom 100,000 are colored. Of the smaller denominations, the Presbyterians have 18,000 members; the Catholics, 20,000; Christians, 9800; and the Congregationalists, 4300. There are 6200 Hebrews.

. The unsatisfactory state of education which has long existed in Georgia has been incidental to the unsettled and changing industrial conditions, and the strained social situation, complicated by the race problem. The rural problem in education, difficult of solution in States more fortunately conditioned, is especially aggravated in Georgia. Small schools are common, little having been done in the way of centralization. Each county has a supervisor,

and better supervision is gradually being exercised. A graded system is being adopted, and the efficiency of the teacher is being raised by means of numerous institutes and normal schools. The most determined efforts, however, are seriously handicapped because of the insufficiency of the school fund, for which the Constitution is partly responsible. It contains a provision requiring that before levies for the support of county schools shall be made, two successive grand juries shall recommend such levy, and that two-thirds of the qualified voters shall then ratify the action of the grand jury—a requirement most difficult to fulfill. The main dependence is therefore upon State taxes. The amount received from this source, though small, is increasing almost every year. From $150,789 in 1880, it rose to $638,656 in 1890, and to $1,505,127 in 1900. Other public funds added to this, principally through local taxation, raised the total expenditure for 1900 to $1,980,016, or a little over two dollars and a half for each child five to eighteen years old.

The rural teachers receive on an average less than $130 per year. The school year is short, averaging only 112 days. The white schools are not infrequently extended by means of private subscriptions. The building of schoolhouses and their repair are very largely dependent upon private effort. In 1900 the number of children five to eighteen years of age was estimated at 786,920, of whom 482,673 were enrolled in the public schools. This was a marked increase in the per cent. of enrollment, and particularly in the attendance, over earlier years. No law making education compulsory has been passed. According to the census of 1900, there were 158,247 illiterate males of voting age, of whom 125,791 were colored. In 1900 over 52 per cent. of the negroes ten years of age and over were illiterate, only three States showing a higher per cent., but this was a decrease of nearly 10 per cent. for the decade ending with that year. The illiterate native whites ten years of age and over were less than 12 per cent. of the native white population of that age, a per cent. which was exceeded in eight other States and Territories.

High schools are maintained in the larger towns. The University of Georgia, located at Athens, was opened in 1801, and is the first chartered State university in America; the institution is assisted greatly through private munificence. The State also maintains a normal school at Athens; a normal and industrial school (for girls) at Milledgeville; the North Georgia Agricultural College, at Dahlonega; a State Industrial College for negroes near Savannah; and a technological school at Atlanta, under the management of the State University. Private or denominational interests have established a large number of institutions, varying greatly in magnitude and in the standard maintained, but called indiscriminately universities or colleges. The Baptists maintain Mercer University at Macon, and four other institutions for higher education. The Methodists maintain the Wesleyan Female College at Macon, Emory College at Oxford, and a number of others. The Presbyterians support the Oglethorpe University at Atlanta, and the Rome Female College at Rome. The Morris Brown College, Clarke University, Atlanta University, and Spelman Institute (female), all at Atlanta, are for colored students. Of the large