The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-10-08

interest. He would bear new force fol
himself and his State. As to mechan
ical pursuits, our Southern people have
been strangers mostly as to contact
with machinery. New enterprises arr
slowly organized with us which have
to do with manufacturing from the
general ignorance as to mechanical ap
plicationS in the fields of industry
When thousands of our boys who have
received instruction in scientific work
shops have become men the industrial
impetus will be widely felt throughout
the State. Our industrial dependence
upon other States and countries Will
disappear with the growth of Southern
familiarity with the mechanical ap-
pliances of this era of an industrial
civilization
THE GENESIS OF THE COLLEGE.
1t will not be uninteresting perhaps
to the readers of The News and Courier
to learn how the idea of establishing
an Agricultural College at Fort Hill
originated. From the several records
of one sort and another accessible it is
evident that Mrs. Anna Clemson, wife
of Thomas G. Clemson and daughter of
John c. Calhoun, was the person who
conceived this object. Under her in
tiuence Mr.. Clemson and other gentle
men at Pendleton began as early rs
1866 trying to arouse the people OF the
State to the necessity Of an institution
of the character which is now to be
established.
Various efforts were made along that
line until in August, 1874. Mrs. Glenn
son herself invited to her house COM
mittee of gentlemen, as follows: Major
Ben Sloan, the Rev. II. II. Cornish Col.
J. w. Livingstone. Mr.. \. n: Alexan-
der, the Rev. H. W. McLees, DR.. John
H. Maxwell and Mr.. J. W. Crawford,
who. at her suggestion, issued an ad-
dress to the people of the State of
South Carolina, dated August 9, 1874,
having as the end in view the establish
IL mt of a scientific college at Fort Hill,
which would prepare the youth of the
State to become intelligent workers IN
the material development of the State.
At this time Mrs. Clemson proposed to
donate forty acres of the Fort Hill land
to the needs of the institution.
This effort having proved a failure,
and their only two children, John Cal
houn Clemson and Mrs. Floride Lee,
both having died, Mr.. and Mrs. Clemson
made wills of their separate property
to each ether, promising each other at
Lne same time that whichever survived
would carry out their joint purpose and
donate their combined property to the
State for the purpose of erecting an ag-
ricultural college; and it was part OF
this arrangement. Mrs. Clemson own
ing the land, which was valued at SlO,-
600, and Mr. Clemson the money, that
legacy of $4,000, the worth of the land
was to be given to their granddaughter.
FloriGe Isabel Lee. This amount, how
ever was increased in the will to S15,-
600, Miss Lee having got one-fourth OF
the Fort Hill place, valued at $4,000, in
addition thereto, and being entitled 20
the Boisseau trust fund. amounting to
a little over $1,000, making in all So
600, besides the silver plate, appraised
at $3.50, and the family pictures.
Mr.. Clemson therefore in making his
will as he did was but faithfully carry
ing out solemn promise made to his
wife, who died not long after these
wills were made. 10 show the inter-
est that Mrs. Clemson took in this idea,
when she was telling one Of her friends
what had been done that friend sug-
gested that perhaps she and her hus-
band had not been as mindful OF their
granddaughter as they might have been
Mrs. Clemson replied: 1--WE have care
fully considered the future OF our
granddaughter and what we have done
we considered best for ali parties"
JOHN c. CALHOUN THE REAL FOUNDER.
1t is a fact also we'll known that
Mrs. Clemson obtained her idea OF the
establishment of such a school from
her father, John G. Calhoun, who al
ways took great interest in the edGca-
tion of the young men of the country.
Thus we see that from 1866 to the death
OF Mr.. Clemson in 1883 the one great
purpose Of his life was the establish
ment of an agricultural and scientific
school at Fort Hill for the benefit of
the youth of the State. Mrs. Clemson
herself selected the location of the Col
lege and the main building will be
erected on the exact spot which she
pointed out.
To show the reverence in which
Fort Hill is held by the people of this
and adjoining States, l will mention
the fact that the register which all WIS.,
itors are required to sign has upon it
over 1900 names of persons from vari-
Gus quarters who have visited Fort
Hill during the last two years. People
come from all sections, and there is
hardly day during the summer that
there are not numerous visitors, some
times as many as two hundred and fifty
a day. I'D. CAMPBELL