The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-06-16
Wednesday, June.l6, 1885.
A Precedent for Capt. TilIInan.

We believe that the McthodiStS established
n manual labor school at Cokesbury, Appc-
willie District, many years ago. IL Is our I'M
preston that It was not, as originally organ,
iZed successful and that its managers found
it necessary to discontinue the farm work
part of the curriculum. Brother iluSh w u.
son of the Press and Tanner might interest
and instruct the people OF tlc state ny CIV.
ing n history its operations. More light
is needed and W, don't know Il better author
ity to c,ll on.-Barm,rcN People.
Brother Holmes, of the Bo'm,cru Pcopsc Is
correct in saying that the Methodist manual
labor school at Cokesbury was not success.
1t was organized In the year 1898 under the
patronage of the Methodist Church in South
Carolina. At first, all students were required
to work three hours day on the ftrm. This
was done us health-giving system, and TO
train the youth to labor. All boys were re-
euired to do On equal amount of work under
the supervision Of Steward. A small allow
ance in money was given for the service. AT
Ter awhile 1t was concluded to reduce the
time of daily labor from three hours to two
hours. Then it was determined to reduce the
time of labor to one hour daily. In 1913, the
system of manual labor was abandoned alto
ccther in the school, the system being an en-
tire failure. The work was repulsive to the
SOllS vi ultSli, S'SiS oN't@S "o' =
sorted to in order to defeat the object OF
the manual labor system. The boys in plant
ing did IL in a very unsatisfactory way. IN
hocng and powing the same was true. Inc
horses and mules suffered for fceu and water
Nr were given an excess OF the necessary COM
snodities. In fact. all the boys Inventive
genius was called into play to defeat the dai-
ly cXactions of labor from him. After run
ming the school this way for fiftec. years The
trustees became thoroughly disgusted with It,,
and hired negroes to work the farm, which
proved to be anything else than source OF
profit. The farming lands were afterwards
sold, though the South Carolina Conference
still owns some five or six acres Of land, and
the school house thereon. Upon the estab-
lshment of Wofford College at Spartanburg
the Conference virtually withdrew its sup
port and the school is now in fact, IL not in
name, only n local school.
ANOTHER MANUAL LABOR SCHOOL,.
We have IN Abbeville County the Le-
the school, the endowment Of which is the
bequest OF a rich bachelor, who died in 1877.
THE real estate consists OF some fifteen hum
dred acres OF the most valuable lands in the
county, on which are the necessary houses.
Although at the opening OF the war the en-
'lowment was about $4,000, It had from the
casualties of the war, and other untoward in
cidents, run down to perhaps $1,000 or s., 900.
The Increase by interest and the profits on
the farm has now run the capital or endow-
ment fund up to $4,000.
That school was kept as n manual labor
school until the Fall of 1851 when the trus.
o,t, hy a Of of r ouic c1n-
ture to close the exercises of the institution
until they might think the estate in proper
condition to maiutai it without encroaching
upon the principal of the endowment fund.
BY terms OF the will of Dr. De LaHowe
twenty-four poor children-twelve boys and
twelve girls--under twelve years, were to
have home and be sustained there, on con-
ditop that they work One-half the day and
study the other half, under II teacher and
steward employed by the trustees. A ma
tron and steward were elected annually to
take charge of the children in their home
comforts.
AS manual labor school 1t is. and can be-
nothing else than q failure under the present
liberal system of public school education,
which offers such superior advantages. But
it is proposed in q few years to open that
institution again. for the benefit of poor chill
dren, when twelve boys and twelve girls will
find good home, and oil costs of clothing,
education, and incidental expenses will be
paid by the estate, and the school will be run
under the public system, giving all the chill
dren of the ncighborhood the benefit of the
public school fund, while twenty-four poor
children will be maintained at the expense Of
the estate.