The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-04-20
A Sketch by Judge Benet.

n Due West. We can but wish that
we deserved all that the Judge so
kindly says of us.
Grimshawes, n. c.
April 5, 1920.
Dear Sir:-By this mail / am send
ing you the January and February
number Of the Caledonion magazine
containing an article of mine on the
eScots and Ulster-Scotts," etc. In the
February number you will find
brief sketch of Due West, which 1
trust will not displease you. ). Z.
Hemphill, faithful "Due Wester"
liked it so much that he printed 1t IN
his Journal" and pronounced it as
a true description. l hope you Will
agree with him.
Nv recollections of Due West are
all very pleasant.
Yours sincerely,
w. C. Benet.
'In Abbeville county, in district
which was settled almost entirely by
emigrants of Scottish blood, there is
a thriving little town called Due
West. Ut is educ west" from no
where in particularly Fifty years
ago. | used to hear it sometimes
called due West Corner and even
briefly "The Corner" Searching Tor
the oldest mapI could find, at last l
saw in Drayton's Memoirs sketch
map of the province in which at
point on the boundary line between
the white settlements and the indian
Nation there was place marked
"DuWirt's Corner" trading post OF
one DuWirt. The place grew, and
the name changed into Due West
Corner. The inhabitants are all OF
Scottish or Ulster-Scottish descent.
They are all Presbyterians Of the
straitest sect, too, known as Seceders,
the heirs of the doctrines of the
Coyenanters and the Erskines. They
are Calvinists after Calvin's own
heart. They are as familiar with
the Bible and the Shorter Catechlsm
as was compelled to be in my boy
hood at the parish school in Scot
land. They are Sabbatarians with
more than Jewish strictness. "Sun-
day" is tabu, and never heard IN
Due West. Sabbath" is the per-
nitted word. I doubt if their news
paper has ever printed the word
Sunday" When the iron road first
approached Due West, it was forbid
den to come within four miles of the
town. Changing somewhat few
wears ago, it built four-mile rail-
road of it's own, to join with the
main line. Their railroad, however,
does not run on the Sabbath. They
sing no hymns in public worship, and
are as strongly opposed to the
"paraphrases" as Barrie's Little
Minister" They sing only the
''Psalms of David in metre" Their
church has no ''storied windows
richly dight," and no organ or exist
o'whistles" is heard there. hear,
however, of changes that are taking
place among the Seceders in other
towns-that stained glass windows
and organs have been introduced, but
not in the Due West that I know.
After all this, what have l to say
about the people Of Due West?
speak what 1 do know; they are
worthy of all praise. Intelligent, up
right, honest and thrifty in business;
strict in morals as they are in doct-
rine, they deserve. better than any
town that I know, here or in the old
county, to be described as Christ
ian community.
But this is the point l am so long
in coming to: their chief, almost their
only industry is education. Due West
is the headquarters of the Associate
Reformed Presbyterian church, which
is pretty strong in the Carolinas,
Tennessee and other Southern States;
and here is situated their Theological
Seminary. Here also is Erskine
college, bearing an honored name;
and here, too, is the Due West Female
college. All these institutions are
and growing: Due West
is a college town-an educational
centre. It's inhabitants are not only
Scottish by descent-the family
names are all Scottish-but they are
Scottish in their devotion to 'kirk |
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