Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1857-08-05

the advent Of the Rail Road. Not that all the old
houses have been either renovated or torn down to
make way for new and better ones-( and yet great
deal of this has been done;) but the enlargement
of the Town on every side, the erection of the
University buildings, and of new Court House
pruportioned-these arc the things
which smack Of progress and material advance
mcnt: The heV Baptist Church is nearly compile
ted. It's csthaed cost is s25 900, and it will be an
ornament to the place. The plan Of this editice
which will reflect credit upon the citizens Of Green
vile, is simple and yet striking There is no
"ginger.bread inery" about it-nothing grotesque
all is chaste convenient and substantial. have
been informed that on every Sabbath morning there
assemblies at this Church Sunday School having
Superintendent between forty and fifty Teachers,
and about two hundred and sixty children. The
prospects of all the Baptist High Schools already
established, or about to be established in Green
vile, are very f1attering. In the Furman uniVer'
sity there are about two hundred and twenty stu
dents in attendance, and one hundred and seven
in the Baptist College for young Ladies' The
Baptist Theological Seminary, which is, believe,
to be central to all of the Southern States, will
certainly be located in Greenyille.
Hon. W. W. BoYcE's address before the literary
Societies of Furman University, was ornate, phi
losophical andeloquent and was listened to with the
profoundest attention by an appreciative audience
Having read this gentleman's very luminous and
interesting speeches on the subject of the tariff
was prepared to hear something from him at once
recherche and impressive. Nor was disappointed
in the least particular. The Honorable gentle
mans themo-" the heroic spirit-the influence Of
man on society,'-was opposite to the occasion,
and to the times in which we live. He spoke Of
the hero, the statesman, the orator, the reformef
the inventor and the poet,-of their Individual IN
fluencc upon the destiny of our race. Lessons Of
announcement and instruction were deduced, and
the Importance of noble aspirations inculcated
thought Mr. BoYcE drew good portraiture Of
Martin Luther. Among other things, he said thai
it was Joldncss that rendered the name of Luther
illustrious him it was death or triumph-i'
was this temper of mind (which rent in twain
the Church whose origin is lost in the shades o.
antiquity" Mr.. BoYcE thought the State ought
to produce ito own Machinists, Engineers and Ar
chitccts. And yet he was of the opinion that we
ought to guard against any thing like extremes IL
that direction. Materialism," said he, " is the
god of the age, and it threatens to crush out the
heroic spirit" He therefore czhorted the student:
to stand oft upon the mountain heights and lcol
long and lovingly upon the glorious prospect there
revealed; to become gazers, to hold sweet ane
close communion with the flowers of mother earth
to wander frequently through the fancy realms o
poesy and finally to hold the ideal superior to tn
practical; for, said the eloquent speaker, as th'
skies are above the earth so is the ideal above th'
practical"
Mr.. BoYcE as we'll as Professor FuRHAN, en-
deavored to impress upon the minds OF the gradu
ates the yitdl Importance Of the famous maxim
/" 4 sound mind in a sound body" The Honora
BILE gentleman's political reflections were timely
suggestive, and received with loud plaudits.
On Thursday, the 28d inst, tho speaking OF th'
graduates in Furman University took place before
brilliant throng in the large Hall OF the new
Court House. First on the programme was kUFU.
A. RoBERrs, of Shelby, N. c., and in treating o
the "genius of American Institutions" he made
capital speech. His manner was graceful and sell
possessed, and the intonatons of his voice not un
pleasing. The idea in his speech which struck mi
most was this that our forefathers were attracted
to this country neither by love Of gain, nor thirs
for dominion; they came solely on account OF then
relieion How different was this motive from tina
which usually actuated the adventures OF boti
ancient and HaAern times. AS the founding .
this Weststa 8epublic of ours was peculiar ant
remarkable, 10 have its growth and prospcrlt!
been without a. parallel in the annals of nations
Taking it all in all, this effort of the youthful ora
tor was of such character as to reflect credit up
on himself and upon his Alma Mater.
Next upon the stage appeared ]. EIrIs Ksorrs
of Orangeburg, S. C. His "speculations on tn
stars" were unique and interesting. Reasonn'
from the analogies of nature and conjecturin
from what the telescope had disclosed in regard
the moons surface he came to the conclusion tina
all the planets are inhabited by intelligent beings
Mr.. KNOTS disquisitions upon the luminaries
night evinccd taste and ingenuity, as well as men
| tai culture.
Ell. GRAHAM, of Marlboro, s. c., was the mex
speaker. "The works of Socrates as phosc
pher," were the basis Of his remarks. Accordln
to this young essayist, the philosophy Of Socrate
was no mytA but had name and place in tn
minds of men, although he himself never wrote
book on the subject. The pupils and admirers
Socrates had given the world an inkling OF hi
mode of reasoning The antagonist was induces
to assent to the truth of long series OF plal
propositions until at length he was overwheime
by the mass of his own admissions. In line, MI
GRAHAM showed considerable powers Of analyst
in his views upon this rather abstrusc suoJec'
Such a speech as his could not have been write
without scholarship and quickness OF perceplor
When the young gentleman had concluded by say
ing that Socrates taught men how to die, as wei
as to lire, it occurred to me that the applause
which followed, was little more rapturous thai
usual
J.F. MoRRAIL, Of Grahamvillc, s. c., concludes
the speechifying on the part of the students "Ih
claims of Religion upon men of learning" wer
enforced in a train of pertinent arguments, whlc
addressed themselves to the heart and to the un
derstanding. Mr. MoRRALL spoke with muc
feeling and with ease and dignity which sprln
only from study and practice