The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-07-07
ERSKME COLLEGE.
Its Graduates Christianize, Civilize
and Bless Mankind.
AN INSTITUTION WHOSE MERITS ARE
NOT TO BE COMPUTED BY COM
PARIsoN WITH THE SCHOOLS
OF LONG AGO.

DR.. WaddeII's School and the Super
stition With which it Is Regarded
IA Pupil Whose Future Life Shed
Lustre Oh His Former Teacher.
The Names OF Some of the Many
Excellent Schools in AbbeviIlc
County..-Some of the Old Teach
er's Whose Names are Neglected.
Having frequently heard the famous DR.:
Wuddcl's school OF former years eulogiZcd
the splendid exercises OF the &C commencement
occasion In Erskine College, where the STU
dents OF the Due West Female College gave
the best evidence of commendable progress
unreasonable to suppose that the thoughts
of the Press and Banner might turn
to schools. We are led to compare
the much eulosized school OF the deaa
The errors and traditions which have so often
been quoted by public orators In the presence
OF Abbeville audiences deserves to be review
ed. From such uttcranccs have resulted the
supcrslilious belief In the minds OF the public
that there Is q decadence OF men In Abbeville
county. and from which speeches originate
the belief in the minds of our people that the
former days were better than these. The 1del
that in the death of DIR. Waddell the art OF
teaching was lost Is as iallacious as would De
the assertion that greatness III AhoeVilie
We attach no blame to anybody for the ut
teranccs OF admiration and love which may
be made for old things and old men: We re-
we're their memory, and we are proud OF thelr
record, but even with the existence of the
historical facts which add to our pride
and tend to the qualification OF our vanity,
we need not depreciate the worth G! h"ing
ment Of the worth of the institutions of to
day. We need not bring blush TO the face
Of great or good men by an unjust ana Unfair
comparison of them with the greatness OF
any man who has gone before, nor need we IN
honoring some OF the schools which have
lived and had their day OF useluiness-but
which are now known only In tradition and
history-do an injustice TO contemporaneous
institutions, nor need we do wrong to the
men and the institutions Of to-day, who are
doing greater work than the men anu the
institutions whom they would enloglZe Dy
implied comparisons which are odious TO our
sense of propricty and unjust to the facts OF
history.
Our orators misreprescnt facts when they
refer to Dir. Waddell'S school and George
McDu(lic in such terms as to lead the pubic
to believe that there never was such another
school as his, and that there never was such
another man as the DISTINGUISHED staIesman i,ai,
from DR.. Waddcl. Although the old legend
about DR.. Waddell and his school, and George
McDuffie has been repeated so often by so
many of our Judges. by SO many of our litera-
ry speakers. and by so many political orators
that the public know 1t by heart, yet. notwith-
standing the fact that all such statements or
mlcrenceS are subject 10 Il thousand dlsproV-
ais by tangible facts and by volumes OF indis'
putAble evidence, yet strange as IT may ap-
pear, no man has ever corrected the error OF
these statements.
In his recent admirable speech at Green
wood, the Honorable Hugh $. Thompson
paid Il most hearty and observed compliment
TO the colleges at Due West. We Will not at
tempt to give his words but 1t was high
tod
and at the conclusion, before calling
the name of George MrDuflie or
DR.. Waddcll, said he presumed that
his hearers knew of whom he was speaking.
ers were more familiar with that old story,
than they were with the Constitution OF the
State, or with the Declaration of lndepenu-
ence. The eloquent speaker on that occasion,
like all others who have repeated this tradi-
ton about DR.. Waddelrs school. seemed to
think that the history of education IN Aobe-
school, and that the greatness Of our men
was confined to the scholars whom he taught
Even Harry Hammond in his excellent his
tory OF South Carolina speaks Oh tne & W'iWnS- Wn3
dell, and refers to the fact that ''the wild
"woods of the Savannah resoundcd with the
"echocs OF Homer and Virgil, and Cicero and
"Horacc, as the winged words issued from
"urdent disciples" No mention Is made by
him of any other school in Abbcvlle county,
and the reader is left to infer that this was our
only school which was worthy OF note at that
time. or since that date, until the present day.
The injustice of this is apparent, when no
mention Is made of the name OF james H.
Giles and his excellent school at lIowndes-
vile. The luck of correctness In the hlstrri-
cal facts which 1t is presumed the writer in-
tended to perpetuate, is plain to every man In
a Abbeville county, when no record Is made OF
the names of James l.. Lesly, Mathew J. vii.
lums and great number Of other diStin-
guished teachers whom we could mention.
George McDuflie shed lustrc on Dr.. Waddell.
He was greater than his teacher and gave
to him his notoriety. To the simple
fact of the accident that some kind
friend had eulogizrd him and CIV
eli him credit for the greatness of his pupils,
has Doctor Waddcll and his school hccome fu-
nous. Orators, like soldiers, often keep step
with their file leaders in military preciS-
ion. 1t has been SO In the history OF Dr. Wad-
ing orators To use the statements presented
than it was to hunt up and bring to light oth.
er and yet uuutilizcd facts. This easy way OIL
speaking has mislead orators for a generation.
Thus the greatness of other teachers has Dccn
neglected and forgotten. We have no idea
that Governor Thompson ever heard OF james
II. Giles or his school, which S:!S superior IN
every way to DR.. Waddclrs. We have no idea
that the name Of James l.. LeSly and Matthew
minG Of Governor Thompson us among the
distinguished teachers Of Abbcville county,
and vet none were greater or more worthy.
IL was no particular fault of his. 1T was the
fault of no particular individual. but IL occur
rcd from The erroneous idea of accepting,
without Investigation, the statements of 9th
erS.