The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1872-02-14
"REMINISCENCES
1Aa.ssJ uT OF 81, l- .,al
PUBLIC MEN.
u t-s.i .r- ---' .".J fat q
, BY Ex GOVERNOR B. T. PERRY.
coNTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.
FRANCIS LiEBER.

- En ...TF - - dow .' .-.-.-
became acquainted with DR..
Francis Lieber whilst was
member of the South Carolina
Legislature, and the DR.. was pro-
lessor of History ard Political
Economy in the South Carolina
College. ! bad introduced bill
i2 the Legislature, to establish a
peE:tentiary system in South Car
,olina, which attracted DR.. Lieber's
attention, and lead to our acq quaint
ance. He was a great advocate of
moral reform, and thought ignor-
ance and want of moral culture
made most of the criminals in the
world. He believed that bad
man might become a good man,
and. he thought hanging about as
poor a use as any government could
make of it's citizens. The DR.. in
vited me to dine with him, and
talk over the subject. L got him
to write q pamphlet in recon-
mendation of the system. First, I
wrote to Governor Noble to write
the Doctor, and request his views
for publication on the propriety of
establishing a penitentiary sys,
tenn.
The political excitement sprung
Immediately afterwards, drew us
closer together, He was an un.
compromising Union man. When
! established the only Union paper
in South Carolina, in 1851, the DR..
wrote great many most able and
valuable articles for It. He is a
man OF great learning, and has a
worldwide reputation. He can
work, read and write all day, and
all night, TOO, if necessary. He is
a man of strong and vigorous con.
stitution. He has travelled a great
deal and written a great deal
His travels have been over the
greater portion Of the globe, and
his writings have embraced almost
every branch of human learning
The trustees of the College refused
to elect him President, and he re
signed his professorship, and NOV
ed to New York. This was a
grea: mistake on the part of the
trustees, giving up such a man as
DR.. Lieber. l did all / could to
secure his election, and knew that
it would give reputation to the
College. A majority of the trus-
tees thought, however, tina. he was
deficient in administrative talent.
SOME of them, too, were preiu
diced against him on account OF
his political principles.
On the removal OF DR.. Lieber to
New York, he was elected to a
professorship in Union College
When l was III New York, in 1850,
| called te see the old gentleman,
.anS *'"".i him happy and content
80 'r% was in a better latitude
s>' politics. We spent the
- :, "a tss;A;ng over old times.
~ T. ...sr received an autograph
letter n humbolt, which he
framed as,9 hung up in his libra
w. H. LAD Z Latin motto in large
l.G.e.s over bis door, which ex
Dressed shegidea that liberty was
Gears. 70 him than his country
E'e"~ is 10 doubt that DR.. Lieber's
philosophical views and moral feel.
ings were all opposed to slavery,
whilst ba was in South Carolina.
Bns he was no Abolitionist, in the
S.ary occupation Of the term.
20 did not wish to disturb the re,
i&'iJn which existed between mas.
ter aud slave. He, no doubt,
Thought with Mr.. Webster, as he
expressed himself, at DIR. Gibbs
table, thet no change could be
made WHICH would benefit the
slavo He thought and declared
that the negro was an inferior race
to the white man, aud never could
be elevated to his position. aa
DR.. Lieber has been oftener end
more highly eomplinented and
honorsd in Europe, than amy OTHER
American citizen, except it be pro
fessor Agassis, OF Bosto: The
Doctor was born in Prasne, aAJ
tsad TO leave there ON aces.;,ns d
his Liberal views and participation
in sor.c political movements. lie
was a soldier in the battle Of Wa
terloo, and wounded in the foot
He has written ten or twelve vol
umes of the American ncyclop.
dia, two large volumes OF political
ethics, two volumes On civil gov
eminent, s recoNllsetions Of Nieber
~, w. ~ sat .g ,GH,<l7s ~