The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-05-22

N@N
Believe me, gentlemen. respectfully
and faithfully your obliged fellow-citi-
zen. ROBERT G. WINTHROP.
I will soy here, by way Of parenthe-
sis, that IL was through his fostering
care as trustee Of the Peabody fund,
that the training school for teachers,
started In Columbia in 1886, began
the work which laid the foundations OF
the institution which we are now erect
ing.
I know / voice the sentiment OF
audience and In South Carolina, that
1t Is altogether fit and right that we
have honored Calhoun's friend and
eulogist by giving his name to Glenn
sons twin sister. And 1 know you will
all unite with me in the prayer that
this grand, good old man may be
spared at least to see the fruition OF our
hopes in the assembling within these
walls Of the 900 South Carolina girls for
whom We r preparing. Neither of
these men can receive any honor from
the two colleges. Let us hope that
the youths OF our State from ~associa-
tion will emulate their illustrious ex-
ample.
This school Is to be known as the
Winthrop Normal and Industrial Col
lege. These two words, norma" "
and industrial" are the two lead
stars which must guide our people out
of the wilderness of poverty, ignorance
and ~stagnation which surrounds us.
Within their meaning lies our only
hope-the one says educate, the other
meaus work. 1 would not be under
stood as claiming or intending that the
women OF our State do not now work,
or that they are all ignorant. In fact,
some years ago, in discussing the
causes OF our depressed financial condi-
tion, l made the assertion and 1 stick
to 1t yet, that only two classes of our
population did their share of work.
No observant or fair-minded person
will deny that our wives ana daughters
have met the changed conditions
wrought by the emancipation of the
slaves with much greater success and
fortitudo thai the men, and that they
do a much larger portion of work than
we do. On the other hand, tits equally
patent that the bulk Of the labor
among the colored people is performed
by o
Butte return to the scope and pur-
pose of the two lines Of teaching which
we expect to pursue here. We desire
to say that we fully realize and under
stand the great need of better teachers
teachers trained specially for that
vocation. There are hundreds and
thousands ~of-fairly we'll educated wo.
men In our State, many of whom are
ing. But the mere possession OF
knowledge does not carry with it the
power of imparting it, of exciting
emulation, of making study interest
ing, Of training children how TO think
and exercise their reasoning powers
l have often thought that teachers are
born, not made; and we occasionally
meet with those who have a genius for
imparting knowledge But the i'm
proved systems which have been
adopted in the Winthrop School and
facility with which all the graduates
of that school obtain positions at more
r~emunerative wages thar others OF
equal education, who have not had its
advantages, is proof that normal train
ing is an absolute necessity and in
valuable. Without rejecting in the
slightest upon the work which has
hitherto been done in this line, it is
our purpose to enlarge and improve
on that work, and it will be our ambi-
tion to have such professors and in
augurate such a curriculum as will not
only furnish facilities for persons al.
ready educated to get this normal
training, but to take the young girl
fresh from home and carry her through
all the classes up to the highest pro
ticiency in the normal department.,
comforting degrees for the varying
degrees of proficiency. There will
never be any restrictions as to the
number of normal students, but we will
take all who apply for this specific
training.
But along with the normal, co-ordi-
mated and of equal Importance, will be
the Industrial feature of the school.
Somebody dong ago said knowledge
was power" In these latter days, we
have also come to learn that knowledge
Is also money independence. And
knowledge coupled with skill, backed
by industry, will always insure any
woman, however fragile, absolute ex-
emption from want and poverty. Every
father who thinks Alright, would have
his daughter, If thrown on her own re-
sources, able to earn her W support.
The effects of slavery upon our habits
and customs are still plainly visible,
however. We are ~disinclined as a peo-
pie to have our women leave home to
seek their fortunes or enter into indus
trial life. The consequence is, that
with the system of education which has
hitherto prevailed, preparing women
solely to adorn tho drawing room and
shine in society, our women have been
altogether helpless and our system of
education have been q fatal blunder.
How many thousands of our women,
tenderly n%urtured, carefully trained at
the expensive boarding schools, have
found themselves by the death of ia
Their, brother or husband thrown on
their own resources, left to battle with
tho cold, hard world by the loss of their
protectors? Every day we come across
some OF thcse@ and while an increasing
number have found positions Of late
years, as clerks 10 stores, the vast army
have had no other avenues open to
them except work as scamstresses or in
cotton factories, In these latter, owing
to the fact that the manufacturing in
dustries OF our State have only devel-
oped in the coarser fabrics, their labor
has not been very remunerative, and it
Is only sought as the dernier resort.
Any one who has visited the Northern
cities n factories is struck with the
painful contrast in the dress, demeanor,
intelligence and evident prosperity Of
the skilled female labor, compared
with that which we SEQ here in the
South. We a and must change this.
In h industrial department Of this
college it Is our intention to teach
everything and have the students prac-
tice every industrial art hat will lead
to independence. Music will be taught,
but only as an industrial art-in other.
words, with such proficiency only in
singing and playing as will insure
livelihood. AS an ornament it will not