Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-08-16
Article of Historic Interest
Concerning Wofford
College.

College.
BENJAMIN Wofford died in Spar
tanburg seventy two years ago next
December. He was a local preacher
of the Southern Methodist church.
He had amassed a considerable Cor
tune for the times in which he lived
and when his will was read it was
found that he had bequeathed the
sum of 100000 for the establish
ment and endowment of ga college
for literary, classical and scientific
education to be located in his native
district, Spartanburg, and to be un-
der the control and management of
the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South, of his native district, South
Carolina" The college was called
"Wofford College" in honor of the
founder, and when chartered by
Act of the Legislature of South Car
DINA in December, 1851 , and its
doors were opened August 1, 1854,
and have not been closed since ex-
cept during the vacation season of
sixty-eight eventful and useful and
consecrated years.
: The College has had four presi-
dents since the beginninng-Dr.
Wightman, afterwards Bishop, until
1850; DR.. A. M. Ship, who kept the
lights burning through the var pc
Rod in the South and until 1875,
when he went to the Theological
School of Vanderbilt University at
Nashville, and upon his retirement
from Wofford he was succeeded in
!. the presidency by DR.. James H. Car
Isle, "clarum ct venerable nomen"
and in silent homage, adapting the
language of one of the great Eng
lish writers to the purpose in view,
we may well say that this dead but
sceptered sovereign in the empire
of letters still rules our spirits from
his sacred urn.
DR.. Carlisle died in 1909, thirteen
years ago, and was succeeded by DR..
Henry Nelson Snyder, for twelve
years in the Chair of English Liter
ature under DR.. Carlisle, and a
most worthy successor of n of the
greatest men in Southern Method
ism. A contributor to the Christian
Education Monthly, of Nashville,
Tennessee, has been writing a series
of articles about Interesting Educa-
tonal Institutions of the Church, and
what follows here is part of what he
has said about Wofford College:
"Dr Snyder was considered by the
trustees to be the most nearly ideal
successor to the deceased Carlisle,
and the unprecedented progress
made by Wofford College under his
administration constitutes an ample
v%erifcation of this opinion.
"Today there is no greater insti-
tuition of learning of its class in the
South than Wofford College. 1t is
great in the contribution it has made
to the world, great in the character
of it's curriculum and the high stan
dard of the work it does, great in the
personnel of it's faculty. great in
the wholesome influence it exerts
throughout its territory, great in the
st~eadfastness with which, it has ad-
hered to the Christian principles of
the Church which gave it birth and
which has thus far maintained it,
great in the loyalty of its consti-
tuency.
"Wofford College is a Christian
college. This is it's profession and on
this platform it has wrought its
, great work for seventy years. There
are sixteen members Of its faculty
and all of them are Christian men.
Thirteen are MethodlSts, n eleven
actively engaged in some form
-istian work other than their
teaching. The institution has a large
attendance, and 8 per cent of all the
students are Christians and members
of the church.
eff these facts did not adequately
establish the Christian character of
this great Institution of learning, its
record of service to the church
through the years would %abundantly
do so. In the past two generations it
> has graduated 257 religious leaders.
Of this number, four have been bish-
one of +he church 16 were foreign