The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-07-20
Capt. F. W. Dawson at Due West.
News and Courier1

immediate occasion was the request of
that soldierly Christian gentlemen, tn"
Rev. DR.. Grier, president Of Erskin'
College, that I would attend the COM
mencement exercises at Due West. This
town, by the way, is called the "AthcnS
of Abbeville," and ~ NOR" than Athens
ever was in one respect, ut least, for n.
Due West there is far less thought o
aesthetic symmetry and artistic form
than of comforting upon young men and;
young women that knowledge, in ethics
and in science, which will enable them
to lead lives Of equal goodness. useful
ness and worth.
On account Of the change Of gauge OF
the Columbia & Greenyille Railroad | did
not reach Donnald's until "Wednesday
evening. 1t is not a large place, bu,
what there is of it is not to be passed
over lightly. There are sew
eral quiet and rather r~eticcnt men Of
only middle age, who yet were veterans
in the Confederate war and deportcd
" 80 uN OIUftSt VI TIE bTANO, Ill
the army Of Northern Virginia, throsh-
out the bloody conflict.
1t is a pleasant drive Of about four
miles from Donnald's to Due West,
through a country which is highly cult.
waited and bears everywhere the cviden-
ces of agricultural enterprise and thrift.
The town Of Due West itself is mnde up
mainly Of the Erskine College and the
Due West Female College and
their appendages These colleges arc
the raison d'et,e Of the town.
1t rained in torrents. by the time ]
reached DR.. Grier's house and it rained
all Wednesday night and all of Thurs
day as we'll. 1t was no ordinary rain.
They don't do things by halves in that
county. In thirty years no such Com
mencement weather had been known.
But even a dcluge could not have wash
ed out the courtesy of the people there.
My only thought throughout it all was
this: If Due West could be so charming
in the midst OF these beating rains, with
the c~oncomitnnt mud and darkness.
what would it bs in the. normal Com
mencement weather, when the face of
Nature is covered with smiles, and the
people from twenty or thirty miles
around, old and young, flock in to wit
ness the exercises in which they take so
just a pride.
The commencement exercises have
been fully described in The News and
Courier. but permit myself to say that
/ was profoundly impressed by the
inanlineSs Of the students in Erskinc
College and the womanliness of the stu
dents at the Female College. There
was, everywhere, a quiet dignity and
self-respect which spoke volumes for
the faculty and. indeed, for the fathers
and mothers, the family associations, of
he Students. The average merit of the
compositions which were read was un
usually high, and tho music, both vocal
and instrumental, WAS exceptionally
good. 1t is the practice at Due West to
require the compositions and ESSAYS to be
read by the visitors on the occasion. and
not by the essayists themselves. 1t is
n plan which has it's disadvan-
tages as well, as advantages.
The reason for the custom, I believe, is
that it is not thought desirable to thrust
young girls before a large audience as
even amateur competitors Of the Anna
Dickensons or Elizabeth Cady STATIONS
of the time.
There is really much that is remarka-
bic in the history Of Due West Female
College. It has no endowment or per
manent fund. ard depends entirely upo3
tuition fees. Yet it has been maintain
ed successfully and without any special
denominational influence in its favor. for
about thirty years, and now has pupils
from eight or nine States. 1t ought to
have more, under the guidance of the
gentle nd'accomplished Prof. Kennedy
the present President. Nowhere can a
young girl be subjected to worthier inAu-
ences and be more likely to grow up into
perfect womashood than, "far from the
madding crowds ignobl. s~trife," in the
classic shadesof Abbeville's model town.
The Erskine College has an andow.
ment fund of about eighty thousand
dollars. and is, in every way. on a sub
stantial footing. Good work ia dona