The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-05-14
A Few Plain Words to the Methodists
of South Carolina.
Southern Christian advocate.

DEAR BRETHREN: The importance
of Christian female education Is generally
admitted, but not fully realized. The
truth is that, so far as the Church is con-
cerned, the Christian education of our
daughters is much more important than
that Of our SONS. The solemn question
suggests itself; "Are ne as Church
doing our duty in this great matter 2"
To my mind, the answer comes immedi.
ately. "We are not" Let Us look quietly
at some of the facts.
We had at our last conference nearly
81 900 members. It is perfectly reasona.
BILE to estimate that this large body OF
respectable people contains five hundred
yoing ladies of sufficient ability, intel
lectual and pecuniary, to admit them to
College. There are, no doubt, at least q
thousand who ought to be enrolled in
some good Church school of higher or
lower grade. To meet this urgent
demand, We have only the Columbia
Female College. This institution, ad.
mirably located, we'll equipped, and ably
manned, is achieving its share of the
work of the Church to the entire satisfac.
tion of all concerned. But it is impossi.
bic for tito do all that the daughters of
the Church urgently need. If all our
girls should seek access to its halls, it
could not accommodate them all. And,
besides, the people of the Piedmont sec
ton cannot ba induced to send their
daughtera down the country to school; |;
and the Pee Dee people have formed the
habit of patronizing North Carolina
schools, because they can reach them go
much more conveniently. Besides keep
ing the Columbia Female College filled
to its utmost capacity, We ought to have
as commodions an institution in the Pee
Dee section, and another among our Pied.
mont Hills.
This brings US to the action of our Con.
ference with reference to the Williamson
Female College. It is proposed to pur.
chase this institution, and present it to
the Conference at its next session. The
owners of this property have offered it 10
the Church for SIG, ,000-not half what it
would cost if it were located in large
town. The building is we'll designed for
its purposes, containing spacious chapel,
q good supply of recitation rooms, and
accommodations for the Faculty and
sixty boarding pupils. The lot contains
four acres of land, most of which is in
good state of cultivation.
Besides this real estate, the offer in.
cludes all the school and household fur.
niture, the circulating and reference
libraries, the physical and chemical
apparatus and supplies, the college mu-
scum, and the instruments and fixtures
of the music and art departments; in a
word, everything necessary for the sue
cessful conduct of an institution Of high
grade for the education of our daughters.
Toward the purchase of this property
for the Conference, propose to give i've
thousand dollars, and my children and
the other citizens of Williamson will
contribute between six and seven thou.
sand dollars, provided the Church at
large will raise the remainder. That is
to say, the Methodists of South Carolina
have the opportunity of increasing their
operations in the field of female educa-
ton about fifty per cent, and coming
into possession of q very valuable prop
erty for this purpose, by raising only
small fraction of its actual value.
1t seems to me that we ought not to
lose this opportunity. tits highly proba.
BILE that We will never again have 80
favorable an offer. An average of about
thirty dollars from each pastoral charge
in the Conference would secure the prop.
erty to the Church.
It will bs impossible for me to make
extensive personal canvass for the rails
ing Of this money. Neither is it neces-
sary. If each friend of the cause of
female education will make only a slight
effort, the result will be promptly ac-
complished. I will be glad to receive
reports of contributions, large or small,
as soon as convenient; and, if the editor
will give me space, ] will publish from
time to time the progress We are making.
Now, q few personal words. Let it not
be supposed that this is 8 scheme OF mine
to further my own interest. Our propo.
sition to transfer the ownership and con-
troll of this Institution to Trustees to be
appointed by the Conference is made in
perfect good faith. True, the Conference
expressed its sense that ought to be
retained In the Presidency but this is
by no means a condition of our offer
and, if the new Trustees should prefer
some other person for the place have
filled 30 long, it will be no disappoint-
ment to me. T will be prepared to put
my case in the hands of the Bishop and
his cabinet, glad to occupy any field to
which their godly judgment may assign
me. Indeed, nothing would delight me
more than to be permitted to finish my
course in the regular work Of the pastor
ste. s, LANDER.