The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-07-15
JOUR- CAROLINA COLLEGES.
COMMENCEMENT 1T ERSKINE COL-
LEGE. arr

COMMENCEmEhI 1T EhSh1NI OOA-
LEGE. a
The Great Day OF tho Year In Due West
Tho Crowd, the Incidents and the Ex-
ercises-Honcrary Degrees Awarded
[rRoM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE '"
DUE WEST, 8. G., July 10.
To-day has been commencement day In
earnest at ErskIne College, and of all the
rural phenomena that your correspondent has
ever witnessed one of the most astonishing
has been the size and nature of the crowd
that, to-day, has swarmed in this little village
to do honor to the occasion. The trains IN
both directlsns on the Greenville- road have
been for the past two days bringing scores
of strangers to Due West, and this morning
the throng of visitors was augmented by the
arrival of vehicles of all descriptions and
from every point within radius OF fifteen
miles from the village, filled with young
men and maldens, old men and matrons,
all pouring in to swell the human tide which
at about A. NJ. set toward the college cam
pus. In speaking of q crowd, OF course The
adjectives employed In lis description must be
considered relatively to the size OF the place
In which 1t Is assembled, as the crowd that
would overwhelm village might be an un-
noticed influx In great city; but speaking
proport!onately to the size of Due West, the
tide that thronged its' streets to-day was an
Immense one, q living avalanche, q human
deluge. It was also q characteristic and an
tn fSno 4 Nnmnrtaad a6nHatQ6
and higher classes Of the surrounding COM
munities, aud was q well.dressed, cultivated,
and even elegant assemblage, displaying de-
gree Of material prosperity and OF attention TO
the comforts and luxuries of life that was hard
ly TO be expected 10 rural district Of plum
dered South Carolina. Long before the hour
OF the exercises the human, streams
began to converge toward the college
campus, and the scene became animated
and picturesque. A large grove to the south
OF the college grounds was filed with hum,
dreds of empty vehicles, which, having dis:
charged their loads Of visitors, were LETT under:
the forest trees to await their return. Near
this field and Just outside the classic bounda-
rles was pitched good sized tent, whose
thrifty owners, foreseeing g. crowd, had esta6-
lIshed burnt cork minstrel show for the Oh.
sorption Of stray currency, and booths OF
enterprising merchants In such dubious luxu- .
ries as gingerbread and root beer, (nothing
more exhilarating being allowed within mile
OF Erskine's sacred shades) formed Gordon
in extent) was filed with visitors, exchanging
greetings and congratulations, forming new
acquainiances, or cementlng lifelong friend:
ship. The doors Of Lindsey Hall stood
open, and those who chose entered
and selected their seats for the day, and IN
front of the hall stood the college band dis
'coursing sweet strains of music, which sound.
In hf,
evening, and which converted the occasion
into promenade concert In the shady grove.
UBIQUITOUS throughout the grounds were tne
Erskine students, the seniors being especially
grand and awe.insplring In their faulness
evening dress, and with college colors pinSSd
to their manly, brSadcloth bosoms. The COL
lege color OF Erskine is brigEs cerulean, and
eallsntry impels the college men to Inter
IWlne Herewith the pink Of the Female Col
lege; so that with the prevailing white OF the
surrounding toiettes the eye rests everywhere
upon the bright trl-c0lor, which has lvedip
the banners Of both South and North. Just be-
fore nine o'clock the young ladies Of Due West
Female College marched 10 long processlonto 20
shd RdGs formed me- tue presSess ptss.-e
Kaleidoscope scene. They were one hundred
and twelve In pumber, all dressed In white In
every variety OF handsome summer fabrics, OF
elegant shape and elaborate and mysterious
ornamentalion, and all wearing the PICK
favors of their Alma Mater, whereWith some
Impulse, probably the corollary OF, TN tnat gal
lantry above recorded, prompted the com
mingling of the Erskine blue. To describe
the full iovelness of that galaxy of faces Is not
within nv power, nor does the delicate beauty
Of South Carolina's high-born daughters need
a tribute from this hackneyed pen. Suffice &c
to soy that upon esch fresh young lace taere mere
ave the CLEAN OF quick intelligence, and
on each brow the stamp Of Tnth
and purity, and let the reader who has
been fortunate enough to see, and artlst'
enough to appreciate the best types Of South
ern beauty, conceive the rest. When these
honored guests had been seated IN the iront
eeats of the auditorium, the rest OF the epecta-
tors wedged into the remaining space, sho ho
stage, the exercises of the morning began:
These consisted OF orations BY the members OF
the graduating class who had not performed
last evening, according to the following pro-
gramme:
Chester, 8. Q. Music, Plttsburg Polka: 80, . :
O. Iaaaee MaaIe BesntifaI Bells. '.>"NS.N 80.
"Fallen EmpIres.n J. B. Latham, Black
stock, s. @. Music, Cottage by the Sea. -,
sSThink for YOURSELF +. n. McLain, Elk
Shoals, N. G. Music. Trap-Trap Gallop, by
fsesI; %aGpellc Woman T. P. Pressly, Stark.
willie. Miss. Music, Ladies' Fancy. y 2, 'a.
"Geology and the Bible.' G. 8. Rohins0n,
Lancaster' g. G. Music, Julia Waltz.
"Words Though Sweet may be Deceptive"
G. C. Simpson, Anderson, 8. G. Music, Gre
W "Earth's Hsroines." IA. White, Chester.
8. G. Music, When you and I were young,
Maggie: .,.. ,,,,,.
chased than epjoyed." W. a. Wilson, Mon
tIceIio. Ark. Music, Grand March III Norma.
MPower of Habit" W. A. Young, Gun
Ftown. Miss. Music, Dolly Warden schottisch.
This afternoon, the anniversary aaoress wa
delivered by Colonel John I. F1tzpaIlcK.
t.the eagle orator" of Selma, Ala, and the
baccalaureate address by the president OF the
college, Rev. W. Moffat Grier, IN. connecton
with the presentation OF the baccalaureate de-
gree to the fifteen members OF the graduating
Class, The first was an able, dignlnea ana
soholarly address and was well received oy tne
class and the audience. The. second ADDRESS
was one of the most admirable efforts 10 every
Way that it has been my good fortune TO near:
II was devoid alike of the sentimentallty ana
metaphorical verbiage with which suoh efforts
are sometimes accompanied, and the tone
of patronlzlpg superiority too often as
sumed in addresses to young graduates:
II was terse. eloquent and forclble, aud
altogether lust sach speech as was calcu.
lated to impress upon the students sense OF
their responsibility without unduly lnhattng
their amour propre, and Of melting them To
honest. earnest effort In life without the de-