The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-06-12
The Up.COuntry-Its Future.

The upper counties of South Carolina
are destined to become leaders in wealth,
in population and in intelligence in the
State. During the ante-war history oi
South Carolina wealth, political infu-
ence and educated thought were, to a
great degree, confined to the seaboard
and adjoining counties. The Legisla,
ture was largely controlled by the Parish
system, and colleges, if any, in the upper
part of the State, were weak and desti-
tute of patronage. Our agriculture, as q
consequence of the absence of general
intelligence, was rough and unremuner,
ative, the leading idea of our slave own,
ers being the growth of slaves. The
homes of our people were lacking in
many comforts, and destitute of all those
luxuries and refinements which were
common below. No attention was paid
to beautifying our homes or to the culti-
vation of q taste for anything above the
most common necessities of farm life,
Below all these evidences of wealthy,
refined and cultivated people could be
seen on all hands. A change is taking
place in this respect every year, and the
up-country is moving forward in the
walks of wealth and refinement. Itmay
be, and we hope such will be the case,
that lower Carolina will lose none of its
past prestige for educated thought and
refined taste; but one thing is certain.
Upper Carolina is destined yet to eclipse
the brightest days of the sea-coast in all
that makes life pleasant and happy.
Look for a moment at the educational
facilities of the country above Columbia
We have FIVE denominational colleges
for the males, to wit: Due West, in Alb
beville County, Wofford, in Spartanburg
County, Adger, in Oconee County, Fur
man University, in Greenville County,
and Newberry College, in Newberry
County. We then hare a good female
college at Walhalla, one at Greenville,
one at Reidville, one at Williamson, and
one at Due West. These centres ol
learning cannot fail to make lasting
impress on the people of the Piedmont
region. In fact, among US, who can re-
cognize the people of to-day in those oil
1860, whether we look at their houses
and yards, their farms, their churches OF
the general information pervading all
classes? The schoolmaster has been
abroad in the land, aud we see on all
hands the fruits of skilled labor and
educated thought. Now we have soil
capable of the highest improvement and
a climate genial and salubrious. We
have pure and health-restoring water,
plenty of timber, water-powers and min
eral wealth. In word, the hand OF
nature has been lavish in giving US that
is needed to make people wealthy and
contented. AS the influence of educa-
ton gradually spreads, so will be our
development, and with so many centres
of information for both males and fe-
males, we trust not without reason, that
our future is bright and promising. We
can remember when there was not col
lege graduate in this County, and now
we have a number of such, many Of
them engaged in imparting knowledge to
others. We can remember when the
education of our daughters was confined
to the rudiments of the English language,
obtainable in our then common schools,
while now very many are being taught
in Latin, French, German, the higher
mathematics and philosophy, as we'll as
instructed in music, painting, drawing,
and the fine arts generally. 1t may be
that all our people cannot yet avail them
selves of these advantages for their
children, still all will be benefited by
contact with the educated, not to say by
a better order of teachers in the common
schools. 1t is as impossible for people
to mingle with an educated community
and not be benefited by such contact as
for q person to stand near a fire and not
draw warmth from it. We can remem-
ber when few small factories in Upper
Carolina and one at Graniteville COM
prised the entire cotton manufacturing
interest of South Carolina, while now
the city and county of Greenville, as well
as other counties have number OF large
factories, while even among us we have
the nucleus in the small factory near
Westminster.
Who then can question, in the face OF
these facts, our great progress for the past
ten years, in knowledge, in development
and in all the appliances of wealth
This progress has been made in the face
of the greatest political and pecunia-
nv difficulties, under the untoward cir
cumstances of heavy taxation and cor
rupt government, and now that start
has been made, we safely count on the
progress of the next ten years being two
or more fold greater than the past ten
years have produced. Let us all, then,
take heart, as we have seen the worst OF
our troubles, and the future promises we'll.
-IKaihdi2d Courier.
- The Washington Post: "While