The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1904-07-15
LAW AND LIBERTY.
DR.. l. A. B. Scherer's Address to the
Teachers at the County Sum-
mer School on Tuesday.

school on Tuesday. The address was
scholarly and timely and it was a
matter OF regret that owing to the
very bad weather of Tuesday morning
there was so small an attendance OF
the trustees of the county. D1.
Scherer's theme was Law and Ll6er-
ty, and he handled it in a mastery
manner, strongly condemnlng the
marked disregard for law now per-
vading South Carolina and urging up
on the teachers their duty to lnstlll
in the minds of the youth Of the state
a right conception OF the majesty and
the eternal power OF law.
DR.. Scherer was introduced by Prof.
S. J. Derrick.
DR.. Scherer said he considered it
a great privilege to address his au-
dience, because they were teachers
and teachers of Newberry County. he
was glad to believe with Prof. Derrick
that Newberry county stood at the
verv summit in South Carolina with
regard to respect for law and Or
der. He wished it had been possible
for Prof. Derrick to say that the
whole state was remarkable for its
HIGH regard for law and order. He
announced as his theme, Law and
Liberty, twin sisters, as closely allied
as the Siamese twins. But every viz
tue had its counterfeit, and the coun-
terfeits of Law and Liberty were Ty-
ranny and License. which stood fight
ing each other and the triumph OF
either of which meant ruin. 1t was
easily possible to push either OF the
two virtues of Law and Liberty into
their counterfeits, society suffering in
consequence.
DR.. Scherer traced the history OF
religion and OF society up to the dis
covery and the settlement OF the
western countient., 1t was the quest
for liberty of the mind that led to
the discovery OF this country, ne SAID,
and the quest for religious liberty
that led to its settlement. The great
war with England, the mother coun-
try, deluged the land with civil lib
erty. Every effort of the country had
been in the direction Of greater lle
crty. and his fear was that this great
liberty was degenerating into II
cense worse than tyranny.
Coming down to conditions in this
state, Dr.. Scherer referred to the re
port that in 1902 there were 223 muir
ders in South Carolina, and only three
OF the guilty parties were brought tc
Justice. That was the price we set
upon human life, and that was the su
preme test of civilization-the value
a community set upon human life.
A Charleston paper had made scath-
ing arraignment OF South Carolina:
When a white man Stays white man
he is acquitted When a white man
slays a negro he is acquitted. There
is but one kind OF homicide where
punishment is rneted ont. When a
negro slays a white man he is likely
to be lynched, and even there the law
is not brought into play. unless we
use that strange paradox--lynch law.
And not only the Charleston paper
but the press of the whole state had
been fearless in its condemnation of
this reign of lawlessness.
DR.. Scherer said he was not calling
attention to these things simply to
be talking. He came with an intense
ly practical message TO-DAY. No arti-
fetal remedy could be found for this
state of affairs. There was no use
to put new laws on the statute books.
There were enough laws already
which were not enforced There was
no use to talk. Work was what was
needed He did not believe trans
formation could be made in this state
in an instant or in ten years. The
place to begin was with the child.
The chief fault was with the Chris
tian fathers OF South Carolina. In
the home the mother stood for love