The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-08-24

ment proposed in honor Of the South
Carolina College, said "as I boasted in
no vain spirit however at Cambridge, so
l boast here that we have produced at
least one scholar, Of which any College
and any country might well be prond.
No name stands higher in this coun-
try than Hugh S. Legare. In the
works Of public life though we are not
yet fifty years old we have sent men to
the councils Of the nation with whom it
was perilous for the boldest and best
from other quarters to enter the lists in
intellectual strife. Need tell you Of
McDuffie ? Ho was one Of the few men
that could still to silence and chain in
profoundcst attention that most tumult-
uous, most disorderly, most ungovern-
able Of all public bodies, the House Of
Representatives Of the United States. 1t
hung with brcathless interest on his
lips. Like Pericles, for it was Of Peri
cles and not Demosthcnes, that Aris-
tophanes wrote the sentence he welded
at will that fierce democratic"
In concluding DR.. Thornwell proposed
as n toast "a name which is found on
the list Of your alumni, and may not
say it, it is rather glory to you than to
him that his name is found on your cat
alosue.
Now, Mr.. Editor, upon such an occa-
sion, in the presence of statesmen, liter
ary mon and orators, DR.. Thornwell, Il
college president, and a man known
throughout the Union, in presenting to
the assembly two names from the list Of
graduates Of the South Carolina College
"of whom any college and any country
might well be proud" he said, named
two who had been taught by DR.. Wad-
dell at his little Wilmington school,
and the one whose name DR.. Thornwell
gave as toast was also pupil under the
same teacher, ali three De-. Waddell's
pupils. !.
In Gov. Pcrry's "Rcminisccnses Of
Public Men, he says II once heard
Gov. Orr tell Mrs. Made Hampton, the
daughter of Gen. McDuffic, that Colonel
Benton said to him many years ago that
McDuffie was the equal Of Demosthcnes
in his prime. He could stir up the hu-
man heart as few public speakers have
been able to do in ancient or modern
times"
Gov. Perry in speaking Of McDufIie
says: "Hc had no rival at the bar and
stood alone. Indeed he was 4 great man
and n great orator. His style Of speak
ing was Demosthcnian. and for invection
and denunciation he was the equal Of
the great Athe,.ian His replies in de-
bate were terrific"
| once heard Col. VIM. Preston, who
was a college mate of NJ cDufie, soy that
he fully sustained in college the brilliant
reputation which he had gained at Dr..
Waddell's school, and stood at the head
Of his class from the first without any
contestant. He also said that he consid-
cred McDuffie one Of the greatest ora
tors of his age.
Will such men MS Dr.. Thornwell, Col.
Benton, Gel. Preston and Gov. Perry, OF
be considered good autharity? I am
thus particular, as comparison is made
between McDuffie and others: ani I
wish to prove that he was regarded as a
truly great man by those who were
highly competent of forming a correct
estimate Of him. l give the recorded
opinion of others. There is no ''legendY
about this, Mr.. Editor. Such man
with such record would be consider
able tail to aliy kite"-a meteoric one.
But McDuffio was only one OF the many
of DR.. Waddcll,s pupils who became fa-
nous. Are there not some whose nalne
are not even more extensively known
than McDuffic Then how can you say
that you ''can- name as meny and as
great men who were taught by James
L. Lesly as were ever taught by DR..
Waddell ?'
In your notice of Prof: R. Means Dav.
sis' address in Due West, at the Normal
Institute in which he took issue with
you in your depreciation of DR.. Waddell
and McDuffie, Mt which he was loudly
applauded. You say that you had been
doing "a little 'image breaking" Ii you
had in fact destroyed the images. you
erected nothing better in their stead,