The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-11-16
GROWTH OF NEWBERRY COL
LEGE.
Address of President Scherer-What
the College Has Done-Value of
Small Colleges.

B. Scherer presented the cause Of
Newbcrry College in avery forciblc
manner, and as it is a question which
always interests the people of New
berry, we give herewith a synopsis
of his address as printed i'll the Au-
gusta Cronicle.
President Scherer said in part:
"The noblest chapter in the his
tory of the American people has been
written by the small church college.
This statement is made with the ut
most deliberation and emphasis. I
confess that upon going to Newberry,
q little more than two years ago,
did not begin to realize the import
ance of the small church college, in
the development Of our country at
large. Newbcrry college is luminous
illustration of what l mean, and be-
cause its history is unformiliar to
many here tonight, 1 ask permission
to rehearse a few facts with which
others of us are completely familiar.
cit was founded in spirit Of
absolute loyalty to the great church
which this synod represents, without
the slightest tinge of narrowness or
bigotry. TO make this plain, can
do no better than quote from the adj
dress of that goldenhearted gentle
man and worldfamed scholar, DR..
John Bachman, delivered at the lay
ing of the corner. stone Of the first
building in 1872
It's Students in the War.
President Scherer here cited from
this memorable address in demonstra-
ton Of the fact above stated. He
then continued as follows:
cit remained loyal to its ideals in
face of the fiercest adversely. When
the tocsin Of war sounded, in 1861,
it's students leaped from the campus
to the camp in eager defense Of right
and of country. They left their life
blood on many battlefield in Vir-
ginia and Tennessee. To this day
the college colors serve to remind us
of their heroic sacrifice: Gray for
the land we love the best, and scarlet
for the hearts devotion. But sacri-
fees no less heroic were made by
those too young or too old to go to
war. Newbcrry is one of the few i'll
stitutions in the south whose doors
were never closed during those four
years Of fratticidal strife. At the
close of the war, the college property,
valued at $4,000, had been annihil-
ated The building was destroyed by
the federal troops. When the college
sought temporary refuge in Walhal-
la its only property consisted of the
old brass bell, the remnant Of a small
library and few blackboards and
benches. President j. P. Smeltzar
had baked bread with his own hands
and sold to the federal troops, that
the school might be kept open. At
Walhalla he turned dry goods boxes
into desks and at time when the
slime of the carpet-bagger was upon
all of the state institutions, he sent
out strong fibred men to do the tre..
mendous work of rebuilding the de-
vastated south. The Lutherans of
South Carolina and Georgia rallied
loyalty to the support of their school
when it returned again to Newberry.
How we'll they have done their work
is proved by the following citation
from Presbyterian paper, publish
ed two years ago. There are in South
Carolina 100000 Baptist. In the
Baptist college there are at this time
205 students, or two students to a
thousand members. There are $4,000
Methodist in South Carolina.
"In Wofford College there are 800
students, or nearly four students to a
thousand members. There are in
North Carolina about $4,000 Presby-
terians. In Davidson, the Presbyter-
ian college Of that state, there are
245 students, or about six and half
students to the thousand. There are
in South Carolina about 5000 Luth-
Grams. Newberry has 1854 students,
or eighteen students to thousand
members. These facts speak volumes
Of praise for the loyalty Of our peo-
pie in the past. They are further
emphasized by the fact that Newber-
ry College now has an attendance OF