The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-11-19
STARTLING PROPOSITION.
Are We to be the Victims of an
Eight to Seven Commission ?
HAS ANYBODY BEEN INVITED UP INTO AN
EXCEEDING HIGH MoUNTAIN7
The Question Now il. Will Anybody
Yield to the Tempter. Betray Our
Confidence. and Tear Down Our
('nIIaUa

Confidence. and Tear Down Our
College:
| A committee of gentlemen from Due Wes
came to AbbevilIe village last Friday TO con
| fer with our people In reference to subscrlp
tions to the building fund for new college
structure for Erskine.
| They were kindly received, and the sympa
thies of this entire people go out most warm
ly to our ncighbors in the threatened disaster
| to them. TO their college, and to the Associ
ate Reformed Presbyterian church ut large:
welfare OF their neighbors, but, despite the
high regard which they entertain for the in
| tegrity Of those who have Immediately con
| trolled the destinies of the college, we do MOI
i see how they can restrain their indignation
| at the very suggestion that their money Is Il
] be diverted and used for other purposes thar
those for which it was given.
| The removal of Erskine College would be
| ar.reaching in its effects.
| A grievous and iniquitous wrong would bt
perpetrated against the friends OF the college
who gave money to establish and endow the
institution.
| 1t wouldbe an outrage against commor
honesty to lake the college from those who
| have given money to II, and settled around il
for the s9e parPSse E e
of highly educated and christian commu
nifty.
| ii would, from centre to remotest bounds
create schism in the church, the healing o
| which this generation would never live o see
If we are to judge from the experience o
other removed colleges, and to form an opin
ion based on our own common sense OIL
mother wit, it would be disastrous TO the col
lege itself to take it, root and branch, from tho
midst of It's friends, who with their mothers
milk were taught to love Erskine as the crown
ing Jewel OF the Church, and to look upon
Due West, with holy reverence-as the Mecca
of Associate Reformed Presbyterianism In
the United States.
| TO place that institution in the hands o
1 n<1f
money which they can make out of it, would
do violence to every sense Of honesty and
Christian purity, and after the perpetration
| OF so gross an net of unfaithfLlness 1T would
be hard for the church itself " maintain
public confidence and private respect.
| In proof that 1t Is only for the money that
| Rock Hill wants the college we would repeat
| a story, for the truth Of which we cannot
| that some time ago certain citizens speaking
for themselves or others, said that they did
not want an Associate Reformed church
established in the town.
A gentlemen in his speech said last Friday
night that some prominent men Of Rock Hill
wrote to Due West-when the factory Ques
| ton was agitated-tnat it would never do tU
| build factory in college town. But now 1t
seems that they want to take our college 10 q
factory town.
If the movers of this project were acting for
the good Of the church, why Is 1T that so i'm
portant q matter has not been discussed open
If those agitators are not acting for selfng-
grandiSement for personal preferment, or to
crafty personal spite, why have their actlngs
| and dongs been Kept secret from the public ?
Why has not the great body of the church
been consulted?
Should church property be thus handled
to break down one set OF people and 10 build
up another?
Why the sophistry about Rock Hill having
fewer colleges, and Due West more colleges,
with reference to local patronage
The time for locating Erskine College was
settled long ago. 1t is not now an open
question.
If other colleges have settled around Ers-
kine does not that fact go to show the Supe-
leges have located at or near Rock Hill, does
it not argue that Rock Hill is not u de-
sirable place for colleges?
If Rock Hill wanted the college the time to
say so, was before the location OF the college
was determined upon.
Another matter, Erskine college is a church
college, and should IN no way be allowed 10
descend into local institution for Rock Hill,
or any other section.
Those who have contributed 10 the endow-
ment fund, as well as those who have given
money to tho erection OF the various build
ings Of the institution, have vested rights OF
which neither the Legislature nor an eight TO
seven commission can deprive us.
That the eight to seven commission in 1880
will act against us, as did an eight TO seven
commission on recent historic occasion, VIC
have no doubt. The hoSsism that Is appar.
ent in keeping this whole matter from the
great mass OF the people: would lead us TO be-
lieve that their plans have been well laid
and their committeeman chosen with all the
SIX III and art OF the politician.
This leads us to enquire why, In all its
hideous deformity, this plan, this plot, or
this design against the peucc, the welfare and
the unity Of the church, has not beer
thoroughly exposed and ventilated in the
church paper?
Even now when the other side has so far
come out from their hiding place, and be
come so emboIdcned as to publish TO the world
that they had employed quite an array
of counsel to carry into effect this monstrouS
design which-in great meaSure-had been
perfected In secret the last issue OF the ASSo-
citte Reformed Presbyterian, in both its local
and its editorial columns, Is as silent as the
grave.
newspapers had spoken out on this matter,
and when IL is also true that not more than a
very few issues of the paper could reach Its
subscribers before it Is proposed to con:
hons5 asast !a GEsa S1ss sadt
against the vested rights of those who had
entrusted their money in the keeping of those
who were expected to preserve them and to
carefully guard them. If one editor favored
the removal of the college, why did he not
say SO, and give the reasons for 1t? If the
other opposed 1t, we see no reason why he
should not have defended the interests of the
people and the college, as he saw the right.
Why Is II that no word-wlth Il single eX.
ception-has been said in that paper against
this secret effort which, II successful, would
be attended with such dircful results?
TO at least some OF the friends Of the col.
lege, the apparent apathy and the absolute
silence of the church paper is appalling and
puralySing.
Thrice armed is he whose cause is just
The friends Of Erskine have legal rights
and the equities are with them. II the trus.
tees are true to the college. and manifest O
sincere and honest desire to protect the inter
eStS OF those whose cause they represent, they
will at once employ the ablest counsel
With able and jealous legal advice, the
chur ch, the college, and the subscribers o
| money to that institution Will be preserved
| harmless
Even If the Legislature should attempt tC
ratify the iniquitous act Of an eight TO seven
commission, we have yet Supreme Court
| whose integrity and whose ermine is spot
| less, and whose judgments accord with
equity, honestly, and common sense.
If we are true to ourselves the college Is
| safe against the hand OF the deSpoier-it is
| safe against any who may secretly seek ag
grandisement at our expense.
| Common honesty In the discharge Of @
sacred duty demands that if there Is q single
| faithful man Oh the board Of trustees tina
prompt, active, earnest effort be Immediate
| ly made to stamp out SO great a wrong
as that Of an effort TO tear down our college
and to take our money TO build a college
for anybody else.