The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-07-27

EUJ students. located aUder Tic shn't@H
OF the Blue Ridge. Higher c>ineat:"n
it seems had ROW become fail. the
State had three institutions, Including
the Winthrop Normal School. besides
there were seventeen other p:!T@te
male and female institut;pnsf fox hi; ner
education IN the STATE, notwithstAI,!-
ing the cry OF poverty was heali
throughout the State, and the t;.E-gG"th
erer was literally grinding the faces Of
the poor. In all the Liberal provls-
ions made for higher education 10y the
State, woman 5 interests ha;l not been
provided for and. with unaairity Of
political sentiment not bitherto mani
tested for years, it was decided to es-
tablish great industrial school for
women, which is now about complete.
Last year $J2, ,000-and all the con-
victs needed, and this year SIS, 600
and all the couyicts needed, have been
appropriated to build this institution.
1t may lie safely asserted that dur
ing the past five years the State has
Cd higher education, and the surest
road to higher political preferment
has been found in some one of the
schemes proposed for higher educa-
tion. Even in the last State canvass
every speaker from the candidates for
Governor down was vehement in his
allegations Of what great things had
been done and were being done for
higher education by the State; indeed
it might have been presumed from the
tenor of the speeches that every boy
and girl in the State between 6 and l6
years Of age WAS prepared to enter tho
freshman class at Wohord or any
other college of similar grade.
This imperfect review Of the COM
parative support afforded by this State
to higher education must make bare to
{ clndid minds the gross inequalities of
the policy which has been pursued.
Without turning aside in this dis
cussion to question the right of the
State as such to go beyond providing
the rudiments, the three Rs Of an ed
ucation, for her children, it is charged
that sound political economy teaches
no doctrine that fayors spending mon
ey with such lavish hand for the
higher education of the few, when IL
literacy, the deadly enemy of a gov
ernment which depends for its
strength and stability upon the intelli-
geace of its citizens, holds in its grasp
according to the census OF 1890 45 per
cent of its population Of the age of 10
years and over.
If the policy persued in this State
could be justified on the ground of
necessity it would furnish some apol-
ogy for it's adoption, but it cannot be
forgotten that for years prlor to the
war there were and there are today
institutions, colleges, if you please,
throughout the State, seventeen in
number, ample in facilities and schol-
arship, ready to furnish higher edu-
cation to every young man and wo-
man in the State who enter their gates.
In all the vicsssitudes of the State their
doors have stood wide open to the
young men and women Of the State
seeking higher education. Indeed, it
should never be forgotten by every
true patriot that during that darkest
period in the States civil history rom
1868 to 1877, when this proud Com
monwealth was known far an0 wide
as the "Prostrate State, and her
high =r institutions Of learning were
under the domination of the alien and
the stranger, the boy soldiers and
those who had grown to manhood and
womanhood during the war. many OF
them without scrip or purse, knock
ed at the doors of those institutions.
Their doors were thrown wide cEen
and hearty welcome accord Il to
each and to all, and from the mlntaSe
of these colleges men and women we're
sent forth bearing their stamp, that OF
true manhood and womauhooI upon
them. Yet, strange as it woulI be to
relate, were it not in accord with that
insratitude for which republics are
noted, no sooner had the~Statc been
restored to the control of her own cl l.
liens did She not only fail to rccoSulze
the service they had rendered but tc-
came. their sharpest competitor by
offering free tuition. Well m'9ht
these 5ble old institutions say to any
of their sons who have assisted III
adopting this policy, in tue lanSna2;e
of King Lear: s'How sharper than
serpent's tooth It's to lave thankless
child" It is pleasant, however, to
know that many, it is believed all, OF
the alumni of these old institutions OF
the period referred to, each one OF
whom can say from his heart:
Tie mother may forget her child
She fondled at her knee,
But I'll remember thee Giencalrn,
And all that thpu hast done :os me-.
The foregoing reflections have been
directed more to exposing the inequality
of the Legislation Of this State and ITS
effect upon higher ard common schoo!
hducation than in attempting to snow
the necessity in our State for universal
education. At the risk Of stating mat
ters which before al audience of this
intelligence may be considered com
mouplace few statements on this
point will be ventured.
Thoughtful students of our States
history for the past twenty years have
the greatest apprehension for the
future of our political institutions
without an absolutely pure ballot, and
candor compels this speaker to say
that he shares these apprehenslons;;
A. pure ballot is of necessity predlcteo
upon an intelligent ballot: and there
cannot be anintelligent ballot until the