The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-01-30

Scrip College themselves. 1fthny did, /
believe they would not lay so much stress
OH this feature of it.
But, sir, I lay down another PROPOSE
ton which I defy the friends OF the bill
to ~disprOve.-Thc South Carolina College
has failed in the past to meet the cdirl-
tional wants of men OF moderate means,
and the University ~ifre-opclIed will do
the amc 4 ~
7 am aware that the gentleman from
Chester stated that young men could go
through the College ut an annual cost OF
$50; but l AN also aware that he Is not
correct. His statement is so manilrStlv
in error that it would seem to need no at
%tcntion. There is no College in the State
! where L student -Mulnatllave to spend
more than that mount.
There WAS no year from 1852 until 1851
inclusive when there was not one or more
students in the College from the Orphan
Asylum Of Charleston. These students
were supported by al appropriation from
the Treasury. The amount they drew
was $l0O per annum for each one i'll ut
tendance. / refer you to the records for
proof. They were charged no tuition. II
is to be assumed that no more wa, apprO-
priatCd than WA necessary. But even II
! we do allow that the appropriation was Il
liberal amount, we haze other direct tes-
timony. Two of the post prudent men l
know in expenditurcsSfound it necessary
! while students to Use the closest econ
Cmy. One OF them told me he never
could pass the collegiate year on less than
$3.50 TO $4UD, and the other less than S4OO
and ovcr it. 1 have known a student to
spend $50, and still not think himself
HIt,oc, nrn u .t tI1nf fntnOt
be denied or explained away. What
thousands of Young men in tho State
c0nld not think of all education ut such
costs! But what scores of them have
! found it in the other Colleges OF the State
cheaper by halt. The very circumstances
Of the ease forbid tho idea of cllcapness-
the high prices of board, the temptations
to youthful pleasures, the whole sur
r0undings, dcbarred men OF small wealth,
from the privileges of the College
What else gave origin to the other Collie
gcs? They were established when 1t was
in it's prime. What caused poor men
while taxed H. one College, to build
others? They werc not ''mnchines'
erected "fo grind oft pre"chcT' OF u type
to suit the founders. They were built by
men who could no pay the price OF ca''-
cation here. 1t is T. u there were othcl
objections to it. It's moral influence was
not always mood. For many years it was
Il fountain Of moral poison. It's chief OF
ticer mt one time was al open Intldci, anu
ruined the comfort and peace of homes
and souls of men by his blaSphemous
doctrines. Still it gould be purgcd OF
this, and many other flAyrant GaulaEcS IL
morals that men conld see, but there were
others more ii%isinuatiug in thcir approach
and which, though they seldom rose sc
boldly Us to meet public rcbukr, left their
stain OH the morals OF many young me!
OF the State. Many fathers dreaded tho
results of these infiencG3 on their SO:lS,
and withheld them from the College,
men too that were abundantlV able tc
meet the xpcnsc. The great majority o.
the citizens of the State, however, were
unable to send SON and wards to this
, College because of its expensivcness.
These two reasons combined, built the
other CullcgeS-the few dreaded its NOR
ais, the many, its cost. HENCE, it became
more and more Il soircc OF dissatisfaction
in the State. The fact that it WAS sup
por;cd by taxes on the people>who could
! derive no direct benefit from it, had al
ways made it Objectionable to the masses
Men had to finally provide other Colleges
to meet the wants OF the middle c!sls>r,--
I mean middle in point OF wsaltii. Bin
this double taxed them. Ii Was elias:
Legislation to keep it open when it taiiec
to meet the wants Of the State. III,
friends of his bill cannot deny
that it did fail to do that. 40
attempt tn deny it would bc.aS dlsrcgard'
:, iIi OF facts us some OF the advocates q
the bill have shown themselves to bt
whcu they asserted people a:e not toe
poOr to carry the extra tax the bill IS AZ
tempting to lay Oh them. The nc"csSl
ties OF cheaper ana Saicr education, say,
built the other Colleges OF the state. One
NV one they rose, and are still rising, t
10 what the South Carolina College nrve'
:, could do, and what this University eli
never 10. Now, after that College lra
failed through all its history To do wha
is the fist duty OF, Il State to her citizen,
+, cducatiorally, v;z.e to regulate her sys
ten so that The poor and the rich alike
can obtain an equal amount OF odnca
ton Ill the public rN Expenses; after It was
once 4 snlrcc of Moral poison ~ you
children; after it had once fallen into IL,
hands of aliens and cnc4ics and become
not only 4 Disgrace that manlled every
;, decent mans face with the fire of indig
nation, but an engine Of oppression, you
+ insist IN li!iow:nS it up again right OF
wrong, wise or foolish.
The existence OF the other Colleges
proves one OF two things, either that /
I neTcr served the State Us fully It's needed
or it answered tho purpose for Il time In
:. ill mcn became able to found others y!
plan, more to their tastes. In clthrrctsc
its work should cease, and let the other
do the work it could not DO. How tar
such a thing he rcconcilcd to justice Of
policy? Think you men will talncly sub
NIT TO Il double tax, Tor their OWL
needs and another for you pleasure ant
personal profit? That legislation is al
ways unsafe that results in Dcnciiting TIT
few at the expense of the majority. an
! sure that if it were possible to have L di'
rect vote on this bill by the votes ut home
The bill would be killed.
Nn. MEMMINGER,
of Charleston, followed in favor Of thu
bill. in one OF tie finest arguments tlla
has been delivered p0n the floor OF th'
) House for many Il long day. During it:
entire length Of nearly all hour and {
hall, the a;tcation OF the House was riv
ctcd npcn the speaker, and tic lobby wa:
thronycd with spectators. The line oI
! the speakers argument WAS diilrrgn'
from that OF those who had preceded him
Lie sought to establish q connection II
the minds, Of tho members that the bin
bill looked TO the establishment Of II,
) rival institution to the Colleges Of Dut
West and Ncwbcrry. de-, but rather l.
establish 4 higher grade of l%carning
where the graduates Of these colleges
could, after graduation, seek an under
standing of those higher branches Which
were not taught i'll those colleges. The
light of knowledge, like the light Of til;
sun, the speaker claimed, descended, ant
it was folly to assume that South Caro-.
lima could ever hope to as>um her former
high position in the literary world,
ccpt by educating her youth from tho
lower schools upwards. The common
schools were us necessary for the prcpara'
ton OF the student tor the college lis the
college was necessary for his preparation
for the university, but unless the univer'
slty, Nitb its high curriculum, was oper
to The graduate of the college upon his
graduation, his education closed lar sfor1
of the mark attained by men in Other
States, WHO had the advantage Of unircr.
stiles, and consequently the rising gener.
alton could not hope TO take the stano
among their tellOwnlen that their fore;
fathers had done before them. In this
connection the speaker fOrcibly il!u>tra.
ted his remarks by EpOG-lnlnorediy ii
J ludihr 10 the many scientific discoveries
made by tic University men, and which
were now rcvulutionizirg the old system
of life in almost every department, and
asked OF his friends from Anderson and
.Abherillc whether these facts had been
brought to light by the graduates Of Due
! W.T., I,nIltr, Jrr,r, ihts n,ipt hn wan