THE NEW SOUTH AND THE NEW WORLD - An Address Delivered Before the Southern Commercial Congress

Sep 21, 2026

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“The New South and the New World” is an address by George W. Perkins, delivered before the Southern Commercial Congress in Muskogee, Oklahoma on April 29, 1915. It frames the post–fifty-year reconstruction era as a new national and international transformation driven by electricity and intercommunication. The speech argues that success in the “great new electrical world” depends on cooperation rather than individualism, illustrated through large-scale business consolidation and collective financial action for the cotton market.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

THE NEW SOUTH AND THE NEW WORLD

Address overview and reconstruction theme

Electricity, intercommunication, and cooperation

The “New South” and national responsibilities

Case studies: Tennessee Coal and Iron Company and cotton marketing

97-84043-12Perkins,GeorgeWalbridge The new South and thenew world New York [1915] # COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARISPRESERVATION DIVISION BIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET ORIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED·EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD Reproduclions may not be made without permaston trom Coumbla UniverstyLbraros. ## RESTRICTIONS ON USE: TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE: 5mREDUCTION RATIO: 13:1 INITIALS: M DATE FILMED: 3-7-97 TRACKING舞： MSH 21335 FILMED BY PRESERVATION RESOURCES,BETHLEHEM,PA. ## THE NEW SOUTHANDTHE NEW WORLD An Address Delivered Before the Southern CommercialCongress,Muskogee,Oklahoma,April z9,I915 ByGEORGE W.PERKINS Republished fromTHE MARKET WORLD80Wall St.New York City THE NEW SOUTH AND THE NEW WORLD By George W.Perkins F IFTY years ago this month a great reconstruction period beganin this country.Every man fully realized it,for the causeswere so dramatic that they made a deep impression.Not onlya new South but a new Nation was born. To-day we are in the midst of another great reconstruetion period;but do we realize it?Do we comprchend its causes,its effeets?We are all familiar with the story of the flood of water in Noah'sday which engulfed the world and wiped out then existing conditions.In our day there has been another great flood which has en-gulfed the world and wiped out many existing conditions.I refer to the flood of electricity in Edison's dayI believe we havebeen too close to this electrical flood to realize its magnitude and sig-nificance,and that our failure in this respect has caused and is causingus to hesitate,to stumble,to lose vast commercial opportunities of-fered in the reconstruction period of the great new electrical world.Iunderstand it was Governor Ferguson of Texas who recently said:“We are broke,with our pockets full of money.”If this is so,it islargely because we are groping in the dark though with an electrictorch in our hands. Intercommunication by eletricity automatically centralizes social|and industrial relations.The advent of clectricity sounded the deathknell of individualism and heralded the birth of co-operation.It'drew men together into one mighty family,and just as the familyliving under one roof must co-operate if it would be Liappy and prosper,80 men living and working under present day conditions of intereom-munication must co-operate if they would be happy and prosper.Co-operation,therefore,is and must be the keynote,the spirit,thewatchword of the great new electrical world.3 The great New South is no longer merely the New South of HenryGrady's day,but the greater New South of Thomas Edison's day;itsproblems and responsibilities are no longer local or sectional;theyare national and internationalYour co-operation in a solution of ournational and international problems is all-important and must be hadat once if our nation as a nation is to come into the prosperity to whichit is entitled and in which the South eannot fail to share. The South has recently had two striking illustrations of whatco-operation on a large scale can doI refer to the Tennessee Coaiand Iron Company and your eotton difficulties of last Fall. Take the case of the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company.Birming-ham knew for years that it had vast quantities of iron ore and coal.Several efforts were made to build up the steel industry at that point,but those efforts met with setbacks and reverses.Progress was slow,largely for two reasons:First,because more capital was needed;sec-ond,because more experience was needed. The Steel Corporation bought the Tennessee Coal and Iron Com-pany;the necesary eapital was furnished,the necessary experiencewas furnished,and success was the prompt reward.Mr.Morgan didnot furnish that capital personally,out of his own pocket;he gatheredt together from all o

FAQs

Who delivered the address and when was it delivered?

The address was delivered by George W. Perkins before the Southern Commercial Congress in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on April 29, 1915.

What does the speech identify as the central requirement for the new electrical world?

It emphasizes cooperation as the keynote, replacing individualism through intercommunication brought by electricity.

How does the address use examples to support the idea of cooperation?

It cites the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company’s expansion through Steel Corporation consolidation and describes how bankers’ coordinated financial assistance helped respond to cotton marketing difficulties.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Aria