The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-01-29
COUSIN DAVIS INDITES AN EPISTLE
TO COUSIN PERCY OF NEW YORK

SIlecCS VI SIdtiohSiy o"Sf> AiA N-
and am copying what I said. Here
it is:
"Young ladies of the Abbevillc
schools, "You will be surprised to
know that I was once in the educa-
tional line and that I presided over
the young mind, teaching it how to
shoot-around the corner. It was
some twenty-seven years ago when
the old firm of Kerr & Wilson pro-
fessors opened up a full line OF
learning at the old Greenwood Aca-
denny, Greenwood, S. c., before she
was a county seat. Learning is not
now what it was in those days. Hav-
ing taken full charge of the mathe-
matical end of the Academy, 1 put
nv scholars to work at once, and
l required them to do all the work,
relying on their own, resources. OF
course the different ones would come
to me from time to time and say,
how do you state this problem and
solve that one, and how do you
know that the square of the hypo-
thenuse is equal to the square of
the other two legs, and if "X"
EQUALS 6 why don't "Y" equal the
same thing. But I would always
say to the dear young. students,
"run on and work it yourself, it
would do you no good for me to do
it for you," and then would look
out of the window and wonder how
long it was to dinner time, and whe-
ther the trustees would be in town
on the last day of the month so l
could get my claim signed. If one
worked problem and asked me If
it was correctly solved, I would say,
"You should have more confidence
in yourself than to risk any ones
Judgment except your own. Be
sure you are right, then go ahead"
Having welded the rod and know
ing the responsibilities of your high
Office it becomes me to- say that a
man or a woman should not be in
the great teaching profession except
for pro. bono publico. You may not
know exactly what that means if
you have not your Algebra Key with
you, but it is easy to see through,
if you have the correct insight. 1t
means according to literal trans
lation which i. got up myself. "Get
as much for teaching as possible,
be sick a few days in every month,
give all scholars q fine mark, and
collect your salary promptly at the
end of each month" Also do your
own whipping" =. .
I think these remarks opened the
ewes of, some of the ladies: present
as they had not known that l am
a college bred man, having attended
the prep. department at Davidson
from Oct. goth to Dec. 1st., before
taking up the work of being a pro
fessor in the Academy. Of course,
|. they knew of my prominence as a
merchant in this pleasant village,
but a mans reputation for all the
noble works accomplished in the
past will grow dim if he does not
have it brushed up occasionally, and
nobody else is carrying a brush to
do the brushing for him.
My failure to advertise myself as
IN old-time professor was no doubt
one of the reasons why President
Nicholas Murray. Butler of Colum-
bia University did not hear l was
in town and have me up to tea
when I was visiting brother Austin
in New York last summer. l think
it might be well for you to have
this copied in the N. Y. Times and
the Tribune, and whatever other
paper he reads, so that he will see
that I am a man of learning my
self and not make the same mistake
twice in the same place, as l expect
to 90 up to New York again next
summer.
Uncle Jim keeps well, but is very
busy in the niue busuiness. Some