The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-07-09
COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT.
THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS At
DUE WEST.
Annual Exercises OF Erskine College
and the Due West Female College
Sketoh and History OF tho Former In
stitutton.

sketoh and History OF tho Former In
sti,utton.
rFRoM OUR SPECIAL coRREsroNDENT.l
DUE WEST, s. G., July5.
The commencement exercises of Erskine
College aud the Due West Female College,
the TWO educational Institutions which have
made the name Of this smiling little village
familiar through the length and breadth OF
The Southeastern States. began here yester.
day. and will continue with accumulaling In.
terest until Thursday, the llth Instant. The
eliminating point Will be reached next Wed
pesday and Thursday, when the commence
ment exercises proper will take place In the
great hall of Erskine College. and the young
ladies' and gentlemen OF bnLh institutions will
eXHlbit their progress aud proficiency IN cas.
sic lure and lhe higher branches OF liberal
education to the Interested spectators, who,
as each recurring anniversary Ior nearly forty
years, are expected 10 crowd The streets Of the
little village and tax The almost bound
to to- its s''p utmost limit. At present the
faculty and students Of each institution
are busily engaged In the annual examlna.
lions, which are progressing satisfactorily. and
showing most grauft ing results Of carefulaDd
rigid tuition. Tne examinations are search.
lug and thorough; questions involving Inc
whole range OF tue curriculum are rapidly put
and uuheslLatingly answered, and there 10 on
the paIs OF. almost every student prompt
cheerfulness and confidence in the tone of The
replies which are proofs OF etudious appllca-
ton and perfect mastery of the respective
studies. Examinations, however, to lhe mere
spectator and 10 the general public are prosaic
and uninteresting necessities incidental 10 the
commence ment season, aud while the solemn
seniors and expectant honor men are facing
their final tests aud anxlously awaiting The
results, some words Of description OF the
beautiful little village which Is The seat Of 30
much learning may not be out of place.
Due West, With ils curious title. said to be q
corruption of De Wits, The name oil q small
trading post located here 10 The olden times, Is
In the Northeastern n corner Of Abbeville County.
eleven miles north OF Abbeville Courthouse,
and four miles west OF the nearest railroad
station onnald's, on the Greenvllle and Co.
iumbia Railroad.) geographical cognomen
has apparently no geographical significance
whatever, for 1t s due West Fl ON nowhere un-
less it be from some Imaginary point which
must be- supposed for the pur. oses of the
hypothesis to be located due east from here In
the forests of Abbeville or Laurens. The
little village, however, whatever may be Its
lltular mislortunes, has degree OF beauty
and distinctive character OF iLs own confer
red upon 1t by the colleges OF which
It is the product. 1t Is not all an
agricultural village, although 1t is IN
country. 1t has grown up around the edu-
cational Institution which was originally
located here on account OF the salubrity OF
this climate and the beauty OF the site, and the
character of It's Inhabitants is modified there
by. There are perhaps larger number of
nf
West than IN any other village Uf iLs size IN the
Statr, and most Of the other houses In the vii
lage are In some way or other connected with
the colleges. The rdis0n detre Of The neat H.
tie PbosnlX Hotel is The necessity OF accommo-
dating the crowds Of commencement visitors,
and The remaining residences 10 the place are
all more or less filled with students as private
age of the colleges. If the latter were
10 die, the village would collapse II
they meet with good fortune, the VII
lape Hourlshes; and If the colleges were
80 far TO forget their traditional diguity as to
take snuff, the villagers would feel constrained
to sneeze The result Of this, however, is tnaL
the village is O handsome, honrishng, thriv-
ing place, with excellent suclety, aud more
than The average OF elegance and refinement,
and with much architectural beauty. 1t IL
buit principally on either Side OF the maip
street, running nearly north and south. The
village extends along this street about QUE
mile, and Includes number Of pretty cottage
residences, most of them bright In the glory
of fresh white paint, neat aud cOmHodlous
church of the Associate Reformed deuonina-
lion, one hotel and few stores. There
are q numb r of new dwellings OF
elegant aud ambitious architectural de-
sign now just completed, or In pro-
c.ss of erection. One Of these, lately f'~
ished, belongs To Rev. j. N. Young, professor oi
mathematics and natural philosophy In Ers-
kline College. Another, which Is Nearly Com.
pletpd, Is building tur Professor Bonner, presi-
dent Of the Female College, and another one,
which is ral.idly going up. 1s owned by PrOtes-
sor G. F. Kennedy, one Of the faculty OF The
same Institution. Another handsome resl-
dence Is about to be begun by hr. D. W. Haw
thorn. merchant Of the place. A little to
the lpfI of the maiu street, as the village is en-
tered from the railroad. Is the c0mmudOus
and brick structure OF the Due West Female
College, and ueariy at the other end OF the
village. and on the opposite side Of Ine street,
stand the four substantial buildings compfl.-
Ing ErskIne College. have thus given place
aur danes in this Instance; but In tae descrip'
tion uf the Two institutions, the Male College.
ss being the most venerable aud most impor.
tani, viii naturally take precedence.
The land belonging 10 'Erskine College and
upon which Its halls are erected comprises q
nearly square tract of thirteen acres rising
gradually from all sides to gentle elevation
in the centre. II IL thlckly covered with
noble forest trees, and, with an outlay Of
few hundred dollars, under the super
vision of skillul landscape gardener,
could be made, perhaps, The handsomest
campus In the Unitfd States. The build
inus are four In Dumoer. The largest
is Lindsey Hall, named In honor OF James
Lindsey, ESQ.,, who contributed largely 10 Its
construction 10 1916. II contains in the first
Story the College Chapel win a number Of
lotbies and smaller rooms, and the entire size
Of The SECOND fl. ior Is devoted to the eXhlb-
lion hall, which has q capacity of from twelve
to fifteen hundred spectators. In the front
face of the building is a massive tower sur
mounted by lofty observatory, whence is
obalned an extensive view OF the surround
Ing country. lis elevation Is sufficiently above
the tops Of the tallest trees in the neighbor-
hood 10 afford an unobsiructed view Of the
horizon, and furnish an opportunity Tor aslro-
nomical observations, enabling the observer
to view the stars al the horizon as we'll as al the
zenith. The observatory Is furnished with
numoer OF instruments. among which are a
splendid telescope, seven feet long, presented
ia lS49 by Mr.. Wm. Johnston, Of Alabama,
and q smaller telescope known as the comet
seeker. -
The building next In Importance stends
nttle to The north of Lindsey Hall, and con-
tains the clsss-rooms aud recitation halls. II
ia q subslansal three story brick bnilolng, aud
contains number of commodioui rooms. fur
nished with black-boards. philus 'phical appa:
ralus, meteorological cabinets, amt The usual
appurtenances for study. experiment and de-