The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1881-06-22
Tie EeceSSity of Education to
the State, and the Demand
for Tr..:.:ed Men.

for TrH:.:ed Men.
Address Before the Literary Societies Of New
berry College, Delivered by Lt.-Gov. Jnc.
D. Kennedy, of Camden, June 81, 1881.
When consented, my young friends, 10
deliver the ANIMAL Address before your
Literary Societies two motives actuated me.
One, the love bear for young people, the
other the hope that my humble effort might
be of some service. And as look into your
manly and bright faces l feel assured that
you will pardon me if the practical address
| ain about to deliver may lack the flowers
OF rhetoric or the finish of the schools.
Ny subject is 'the !ecessity of education
to the State and her demand for trained
men," In the present condition Of South
Carolina what theme can be more appro-
pirate or suggestive. 1t recalls the past,
grapples with the present and stretches far
out into the future. Commensurate with
the demand, which the State has from time
10 time made upon her sons has ever been
their love and devotion to her. And this
reflection encourages the hope, that the
time will never come when she will be want
ing in a sufficient number of them to ad-
vance her interests, defend her honor, and
sustain her pride. You are enlisted in the
noble army OF recruits she is How drilling
and training for her SCI, vice, and she looks
forward TO your career with the deepest
anxiety. Let US then counsel together to-
night and sec, on the one hand, what is
demanded of the State, and on the other
your duty to her. The South Carolina Of
to-day is not the South Carolina Of twenty
years ago. In institutions, social relations,
and political ideas q great change has come
over her. Irving's hero OF the Catskills WIS
not more astonished at what he Saw all
around him on his return TO his native vii
lage than one would observe here who had
returned after an equal length Of time.
Conservative, exclusive and opposed to
change, her people possessed many of the
noblest traits which could adorn humanity.
They were hospitable, generous aud brave.
The peculiar institution, however, which
developed in great measure their peculiar
type of civilization Vas not calculated to
iosser enterprise or develop energy. It's
ultimate tendency was to enervate and in
time must have deteriorated them. With
so large preponderance Of the serrlle class
as laborers, there waS 100 narrow field
Tor competition, and the elevation and dig
nifty Of labor as principle Was necessarily
spondingly deprecated. There was
no inducement to the influx Of white popu-
ation in such proportion as TO KEEP pace
with the demands for fresh material, and at
the ratio of increase in the inferior race,
which statistics show, it required no special
foresight to have predicted what, in one
hundred years more, would in all human
probability have been their condition. The
tendency was growing more and more 10
the enormous aggregation of lands, and
slaves in fewer and fewer hands. White
depopulation by enforced emigration wo"ld
inevitably have ensued and effeminacy and
degeneracy, if history had repeated itself,
in those that remained. Almos: exclusive
ly agricultural the attrition Of competitive
Industries Was lacking, while there was an
absence Of diversified pursuits 50 necessary
70 give a people material strength and
power. This was Illustrated during the late
war, and sorely felt at every stage of it.
EnelanG's machinery, il has been said, is
equal to myriaGs Of men, and has been a
tower Of strength to her in every crisis
through she has passed for generations. 1t
was of immense advantage to the North.
The intellectual culture of the State was
directed TO the abstract and aesthetic ra-
ther than the practical. Her roll of. great
uames will ever fill their posterity with
pride and emulation. IN letters she could
point to Mott and Legarc, and in oratory to
Preston and McDuaie. In the pulpit she
had Thornwell, Capers, England and Fuller.
On the Bench she had Harper, O'Neall,
Johustone, the Wardaws, and galaxy of
luninaries, as pure in character as they
were grand in intellect, while in statesman
ship and finance Calhoun, Lowndes. Huyne
and Cheves were giants among a race of
giants. In every epoch of their couutry's
history, wherever national honor was to be
vindicsted, or national fahle achieved, her
sons won for themselves imperishable re-
noau, and covered her with halo of glory.
And when in 1860, in obedience TO what
she deemed her duty, she summoned them
to the field of arms, they follow ed their
country's flag for four long, weary years,
amid alternate triumph and defeat, with
keroism aud devotion the spl5ndnr Of WHICH
time can never dim nor malice lessen. And
now after sixteen years have come and gone
since the curtain fell on old Carolina we
can look back from that event to her birth
as sovereign State and take calmer re-
Prospect of her development and growth,
apd observe in her, aud her sister States of
the Soutl, their weak az we'll as their strong
points We have briefly alluded to some
Of each. We have not the time On this oc-
casion To do more, nor is more necessary
for our purpose. While the epoch in which
we live demands energy and progress, at
the same time we have no patience with tho
cry so often raised Of "BourboniSm", when
ever that past is alluded to or its virtues
extolled. Let it oe our aim 10 utilize so
much oil it as may serve good and wise pur-
poses. No true people will ever turn their
hacks On their past history with shame OF
contempt, or apologelicallY cringe before
the new order Of things. 1t would be as
base as it would he senseless. We cannot
hold to its ezelusiyeness or intense !ndivi-
duality, or perhaps intolerance Of opinion.
They do not suit our condition now. But
the sense Of honor, virtue, courage, chival-
ric courtesy to woman, and appreciation Of
the amenities of life, which characterized
that past, let US cling to and abide by as
anchors OF safety ana guerdous Of hope.
Time, necessity and circumstances have
changed US. it is the fate of existence,
aud peoples and governments have their
mutations as well as individuals. Eventsin
their history seem to succeed each other in
rapid succession and each leaves its impress.
Wars and their results, increase Of popula-
ton and material progress develop new
ideas and create new relations. Here in
these United States changes so momentous
have occurred in comparatively few years
that if the founders Of tie government,
those sage men WHO organized it as they
fondly hoped on so sure and stable basis
that neither internal dssension nor foreign
wars should ever disturb it, could have been
permitted to look down upon its internecine
conflict and its elimination in the complete
overthrow for years Of their most cherished
hopes, they would have started back aghast
at the exhibition it presented of the alli-