Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-02-27
A Bit Of History.

Inc upper J2oDS Cane Society is O stand
ing perpetual monument to this wise econo.
my and Christian benevolouce of our fathers
1t comes to us out of another century ond
has for moro than seventy fvo years bo :
slowed its beuefactions and dispensed lis
blessings with charitable haud. In 1903 a
majority of the mombers constituting tho
Upper Long Cano Presbyterian congregation
organized themselves into kind of beuoyo
lent society, providing permanent fund
with two general objects ia view-.ho
support of the Gospel 10 their congregation
and works Of Christian bouevolence among
themselves. Tho society was incorporated
BY act of Legislature four years ls,or, in
l799, and has ever since that time before,
during aud since tho war, been in active
aud efficient working order. At fret its
membership only numbered thirty five, but
in few years ran up to sixty. This nun
Der was again reduced to about thirty which
constituted the numerical strength of the
organization up to about 1882. OF late
years the membership has ranged from
twenty TO- thirty-fiye
In course of time the original contribu.
ton of sixty five dollars had gradually in .
creased, BY the payment of one dollar a
year by each of the members, and from the
accumulation by compound interest, so that
including legacy of fifty dollars from
Major John Bowie aud various other small
donations, amount ting to fifty dollars or more,
1t amounted at tho beginning of the late
war to between $l7, 900 to $I8 900. This
sum has been somewhat reduced by gen
eral shrinkago Of values of oil descriptions
and the scaling Of debts adopted by tho
juries of the country and will probably not
now aggregate moro than the hulf of the
amount specified. The fund is safely in
vested in our own midst and yields hand
some yeorly revenue From its organiza-
ton up to 1865, the society had appropriated
for the support of the Gospel aud other
benevolent objects as contemplated in the
constitution tho princey little sum of s3O,,
600.
In 1882 the society remodeled its consti.
tuition and had number of copies printed
for distribution; but tho disastrous Gre of
July ~, 1858, which destroyed large
portion OF tho town and among other build
logs the store of MIR. Robert II. Wardlaw,
Secretary of the Society, nearly all previous
records and papers belonging to it were
burnt. Any continuous official narrative,
then, OF the origin and history Of the or.
gapization cannot now be given-in the
smoke and ashes of thot black day the
written records of half century was blot
ted out forever. But in spite of fire and
sword and all the hard experiences of
oheckcred, cventful existence the Society
still lives on, proud and enduring.
Of tho list of mcmbcrs 10 1882 only one.
Robert ii. Wardlaw remains member to-
Gay. lie is ono of the pillars Of the in.
stitution and to his high dc.otion and good
Judgment much of the success that has
attended the So"iety may be properly cred
tied Tho Society has had succession
OF officers ns follows: Presidents Major
John Bowie, Governor Patric Noble, Alex.
Bowie, Esq, Hon. D. Il. Wardlaw and
Col. L. G. Perrin; Vice c-Presideuts--Wil-
liam Lesley, John +. Livingston and Thorn.
as Ihomson Secretares-Joh Wardlaw,
elected in 1903, aud Robert II. Wardlaw,
elected in 1913; Trearurcrs Hugh Morrab,
James S. Bowie, William Bowie, John r.
Wilson, Benz. p. Hughes; r.. A. Fair,
james NJ. Perrin, G. Med. Miller and a
Is. Wardlaw. At the meeting last Thus.
day the following officers wero elected for
the current year: President Hon. Thomas
Thomson; Vice President, j. w. Perrin:
Secretary, Robert II. Wardlaw; Treasurer,
A. 3. Warduw.
For many years now the members of the
Prcsbyterian congregation OF Abbevile and
Long Cane have neglected to join tho soci-
ety.. which has always been distinct organ.
lzation from either of these churches. Thc
appropriations for this year amount to $500.
divided equally between the two congrcga
tlons. Since the close of tho war the
appropriations have run up to about ten
thousand dollars. Such in brief is tho
history of this splendid charity. 1t de-
serves the support and encouragement of
oil who feel an interest in tho fullest excr
clso of Christian bcnevolence.
1IbcviWc Medium.
LESSON IN GEoRApHY.- .-"Anna Maria,
what country is on the opposite side of the