Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-07-03

Sketch Of Or. Carlisle.

L
Carlisle, written for the fourth. com.
ing volume, "Men of the Times"
James Henry Carlisle, A. M,
LII. d., President of Wofford Col
lege, Spartanburg, S. O., was born in
Winnsboro, Fairfield county, South
Carolina, May 9TH, 1925. Son of
DR.. William Carlisle, a native of
North Ireland, who came TO America
in 1918 and settled at Winnsboro.
South Carolina. He was a physician
and practiced for thirty years; died
in 1866. The subject of this sketch,
Gas beardless youth, half advanced"
entered the South Carolina College
as Sophomore, February 1st, 1912,
after having attended the common
schools of his native town. His
parents having moved to a planta-
tion near Camden, he received his
training for college in that historic
town, his teachers being Prof. M. G.
Candlass and Prof. Hatfield and
Major Leland. During his course at
the South Carolina College DR..
Robert Henry was i'll charge of tho
language department and DR.. Leiber
in political economy and civil law.
These men afterwards became illus
trious in educational work. DR..
James II. Thornwcll, then q young
man, was chaplain, and just entering
on career that was destined to
influence the church, the State and
the South Carolina College. Lieber,
Henry and Thornwell-all great men
were the teachers of man who
stands higher as an educator than
either.
DR.. Carlisle graduated in 1914 as
second honor man Of his class. The
first honor man was Gen. p. II. Mel.
son, who was killed at the battle of
the "crater." Having second-honor
it fell to his lot to deliver all English
Grafton. His subject was the poet
Shelly, then dead dozen years.
This Grafton attracted much atten-
tion and justified the predictions of
his friends and comrades that he
would make his mark in the world
as great orator. DR.. Carlisle went
from the college to the school room
and soon after graduating was made
principal of the Odd Fellows Insti-
tutc, in Columbia. This position he
held for four years. 1S48 he went
to the Columbia Male Academy and
five years afterwards, when Wofford
College was established at Spartan
burg, he took the chair of mathe-
matics. Since 1858 the history of
Woiford College and this great man
have been inscparably linked. He
has been offered many positions of
greater cmolumcnts and higher
honors, but he has turned his back
on them all, preferring to remain
with the college of his church. He
has at different times taught mathe-
mates, astronomy, ethics, civics, aud
the English Bible. He is the author
OF a very fine text book on astron-
omy. The honors that have come
to him have come unsought, as he is
always reticcnt, modest and unas-
suming. lie is, perhaps, the best
posted man in the State on the his
tory of South Carolina, her people
and her great men. He was elected
a member of the First General Con-
ference Of the Methodist church,
after the separation of the Southern
from the Northern church in 1866.
lie was a prominent factor in shap-
ing the legislation Of that period.
lie was a member of the Secession
Convention, and a Representative in
the last Confederate Legislature
63-G4-which are the only politi-
cal Offices he ever accepted. In 1876
he was made president of Wofford
College, which position he will hold
until 1902, when he will resign.