The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-02-24

g at first refused by the legislature, ant
not granted until 1850, although active
# efforts were made to secure it. The
8 opposition to the granting@sEa charter
: came from the friends OK he South
4 Carolina College, who wished that the
: latter institution might be patronizec
, by all parts of the State and thus be-
! come the means of uniting the differ
2 ent sections. The friends of Erskine
: believed that the way to get right with
men is to get right with God. The
: synod believed then and the synod
3 believes now, that there is vast diff
, ference between universities in which
, religion is offered as an optional study,
+ and colleges in which it Is the chief
; cornerstone and crown.
SUCCESSIVE STEPS.
J, If we except the classical schools
established in the early part of the
century, and James Rogers school in
Fairfield county, the first step taken
by the synod in educational work was
at it's meeting in 1925.
Then the synod established theo-
logical seminary by electing Rev.
John Hemphill professor of didactic
> and polenaic theology, and Rev. John
T. Pressly professor of oriental Ian
guages, Biblical criticism, and church
history.
Without buildings, without salary,
these men, living one hundred miles
apart and doing regular pastoral
work, performed the duties of teachers
assigned them until Mr.. Hemphill,
burdened with age and .infirmity, re-
signed in 1927, and DR.. Pressly re-
moved to Pittsburg in 1887.
| In the meantime efforts were made
to collect funds and a library for the
seminary.
MANUAL LABOR SCHOOL.
While the seminary and the college
as now constituted have separate
funds, separate boards, and separate
faculties, the two are one, one in pur-
pose and one In history.
It is not q change to q different sub
ject when we note the next step of the
synod in 1884 as an effort to establish
one or more schools on the manual
labor system.
At the next Meeting of synod in 1885
this purpose was abandoned as im-
practicable or undesirable. But in a
series of resolutions adopted at the
same time on the subject Of education,
agents were appointed to collect and
treasurers to manage funds to assist in
the education of young men having
the ministry In view.
FIRST SCHOOL AT DUE WEST.
It was resolved to establish school
at Due West Corner, Abbeville dis
trict, s. c., with John s. Pressly as
teacher. Seven thousand and thirty
five dollars were collected, building
was erected, and the school opened
the first Monday in February, 1885,
with twenty classical scholars.
The school was called the Academy
at Due West Corner.
The next year 1t was incorporated
as Clark and Erskine Seminary. Rev.
Samuel P. McCracken Of Miami Uni-
versity, having declined to accept
the position of Professor Of Divinity
to which he was elected in 1888, DR..
E. E. Pressly was elected to fill the
place in 1887.
In 1889 John 8. Pressly resigned as
teacher of Clark and Erskine Semi
nary.
The synod in this year changed the
name to Erskine College and enlarged
the list of. faculty and the course OF
study.
THE FIRST FACULTY OF ERsKINE.
Rev. E. E. Pressly, President and
Professor of Moral Science;
Neil M. Gordon, Professor OF Lam
guages, pro tenn;
John N. Young, Professor of Math-
ematics and Natural Philosophy, pro
tenn.
By 1843 a new building had been
erected at a cost Of seven thousand and
ninety dollars.
FINANCES.
For the first year of it's history the
college was supported by tuition fees
and occasional gifts and bequests.
| In 1853 movement was begun to
raise an endowment. A fund of $50
600 was raised which was afterwards
Increased to $4,000.
The flourishing college had closed
its doors early in the war, but resumed
work again In 1865. All but thirteen
or fifteen thousand dollars of its en-
dowment had beed swept away. The
Young men had been scattered, i'm.
poverished, slain, the college had q
struggle to live.
In 1867 q successful effort was made
to secure two hundred men who
would give twenty dollars each fol
five years in return for q scholarship
for each twenty dollars.
Again in 1871 the Synod resolved tc
raise an endowment Of 100000. By
the sale of scholarships, which were
to expire in 1895, donations and be-
quests, about $50, 900 were raised.
J At the semi-centen nial celebration
of Erskine in 1889 an honored son o.
the college arose in the alumni meet
: ing and proposed that we give ou
, mother new dress. She had worI
the old since 1s43. The suggestion
fell on an atmosphere already electric
, The movement then started was &C
| CELEBRATED by the burning of the olt
. building in 1892.
3 Atthis time (ss2) some advocated
the removal of the college to anothe
place, on the ground of better adver
8 tisement and larger patronage. Dis
cussion and debate waxed warm
: When it was settled that the institu
b. ton should remain at Due West, ad
= vocates and opponents united heart
3 and hands to build bigger and bel
q ter college. The present spaciou
;. college building, the College HON
for boys, and Wylie Home for girls