Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-05-24
Gontribntprial.
BYJAS. WOOD DAVIDSON.
COLUMBIA. s. c.. MAY 81. 1865.
The Charlotte r. r.

Pollard's History.
The work we spoke of last week as in
press, from the pen of Pollard, is not the
one that the author, himself, now publishes ;
but is a republication, as we stated, of the
First and Second years of the War. Pol
lard himself, however, is now publishing,
through Treat & Co., of New York, work
entitled The Lost Cause. This is not re-
hash of his former history, but is a de moro
work, and is the one in which the author
desires to present himself to the public
1t is the one which We desire to recommend
to war-history readers. 1t is published by
subscription, but will, of course, soon be
thrown upon the general book market.
The Fair in Winnsboro'.
This affair came off on Thursday and
Friday Of last week. 1t was held 10 behalf
Of the Episcopal Church, Gin that town.,
that was burnt by Sherman's soldiers. The
fair was not crowded the first evening, on
account of the floods Of rain that poured
down all day. But, Notwithstanding that,
the evening was good success. The ma
teriel of the fair was excellent, though the
profusion was not very great. Everything
vas handsome and 10 style.
There were visitors from Columbia, Spar.
tauburg, Charlotte, Salisbury, and several
other distant points
It is estimated that the fair took in over
thousand dollars, though the nett profits
must be considerably under that amount, as
many of the articles we're purchased for the
occasion, and sold at moderate advances on
market prices.
The fair, as a whole, may be regarded as
success.
The University Of s. G.
The change from a College to Univer.
sity has had, and must continue to have,
two bad results.
The former of these is upon the iustitu.
ton itself, as an educating agent. The re.
moval of all standard of scholarship, by
removing all requisition for an entrance,
brings together a heterogeneous collection
of students with different and i'll assorted
preparations; and the result is that uni.
form system of instruction operates uue-
qaally, so that part at least, by necessity,
must be imperfectly instructed. The nat
ural aud universally known principle in
youth. uature-that of evading the unpleas.
ant and laborious derarfmeDts-will also
operate 10 cripple the usefulness of the iu
stitution. Youths, if left to choose their
own studies, will, by law which every
teacher perfectly understands, avoid those
very departments which they most need -
We say nothing of the embarrassments that
must beset the faculty in their efforts to
systematic the recitations and studies Of
two or three hundred students (for we hope
the number will reach those fgures) with
their unequal and heterogeneous attain
ments Under the circumstances, it be.
comes apparent that the institution, DotWith.
standing it has one Of the ablest faculties
iu the South, will ere long become respec-
table asylum to which genteel idlers may
take refuge in their escape from an
education.
The second bad 'esult of which We
spoke, is upon 'le academies and high
schools throughout the State In removing
all requirement from the entrance into the
University, the Legislature has dealt fatal
blow to liberal education in the academic
grade of schools. We speak as teacher
of classical school, as we have right to
speak; and we use the word fatal advis-
edly. The only requirement for admission
into the University of South Carolina to-
day is, that the applicant be fifteen gears
Of age. We write with the Act before US
Now, the effect of this one chronological
condition to entrance into the University,
upon the high schools, is to deprive the
teacher of all control over the studies to be
pursued by his students; and its effect upon
the boys is, that they neglect all the scverer
aud really disciplinary studies for those of
lighter and easier character, because they
can enter the University when they reach
fifteen without any preparation at all -
1t is What boys consider glorious license
to do nothing; aud every Intelligent teacher
knows how boys will improve such an op-
portuuity.'
But the difficulty is cot without remedy.
We are speaking of remedy for the schools,
for they are our immediate concern. We
shall as frankly suggest our plan for reno
dy, as we have our views upon the disease.
There are two things that may be done.
1st.-Let the two years, known as Fresh.
man and Sophomore in the college, be
restored, admitting upon the same require.
ments as formerly, and pursuing the same
studies with the same examinations and
then let the choice of studies beyond those
two years be optional.
Or, let high standard of admission
into the University be adopted, published,
and enforced, which shall require all STU
dents to have pursued given course Of
preparatory studies. about equal to that for
merly required for Freshman class in the
college, before admitting them into the
University at all. Then, when admitted,
some classification Of them would be posi-
BILE; and the stimulus be left to the teachers
of high schools.
1t is nonsense to say that economy
forr, &C ;noty,o