The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-10-04

consented to contribute TO fund, to
furnish site and erect buildings Il
the trustees should decide to locate
the college in this city. This phase of
the matter vas very clearly and forci-
bly, stated by Mr.. S. H. Edmunds III
hisf open letter published in our is
sue on Saturday. He covered the
ground fully and expressed the senti-
ments of the people Of Sumter, and IS
is neither necessary, nor desirable to
enlarge upon the feeling Of disgust
that pervades this community that
we had been led into enthusiastic par
ticipation in a fasco.
Clinton retains the college, upon
which she undoubtedly has strong
moral claim, and it is to be hoped
that the next time the board Of trus-
tees find the college in need of money
that they think Clinton should fur
nish they will say to Clinton in all
candor. "the college needs $4,000 or
s5O,O00 or whatever the necessity Of
the case demands, and you must fur
nish it. If you cannot or will not say
so now or forever after hold your
peace, If Clinton refuses to comply
with their demands, the way will then
be open to put the college on the
block to be Knocked down to the
highest bidder.
It is unfortunate that the misap-
prehension of the situation was ere
ated. for it has aroused unpleasant
feeling and instead Of the college be-
ing strengthened as a result of the
agitation it has lost friends here and
elsewhere. Clinton retains her COL
lege but it will remain Clinton col
Iege for many years to come-at
least until Sumter and other commu-
hities forget their soreness over the
false and unexpectedly disagreeable
position they were led into assuming
The letter of Judge Purdy which
we published Saturday struck the
keynote The Clinton college affair
is a closed incident and can be car
ried to experience account on Sum-
ter's ledger. We people of Sumter
have too much to do that is Of i'm
portance, too many lines Of endeavor
that make for the good Of the COM
munity, to spend valuable time in dis
cussing an occurrence that can neither
profit nor enlighten us. The wssest
policy is to turn our back to the past
and look to the future. This is what
Judge Furdy suggests and Mr.. r. l.
Lee heartily endorses. We are con-
fdent that the people Of Sumter will
follow their lead. This city needs an
institution Of higher education to per-
feet the school system Of the city and
we can have it if the liberal spirit evl-
denced by Judge Purdy and Mr.. Lee
in their spontaneous offer to give to
Sumter institution twice the amounts
they subscribed to the Presbyterian
college fund is taken up and car
ried out. We are not so ambitious
as to advocate the establishment of q
college. We believe that high grade
academy or university school where
more thorough work will be done,
and there will be less fuss and feath-
ers than is usually to be found in tn:
average fresh water college, IS
preferable to college. what
we need in Sumter is high school
that will educate-not a diploma fac
tory. A school whose certificate
would admit the boy who completes
the course to the University of Vlr-
ginia would be worth more to Sumter
and South Carolina than college
with a large output Of half baked A.
BIS and an annual distribution of LII.
D. degrees. The country now has too
many colleges, so-called, and too few
first class schools. Sumter can and
should establish school to enter the
more difficult but less occupied neld
of real usefulness.
GC~-.T0N OpnERED