Of the two latter, one gave diplomas for the first few years, while the institution in Charleston did not claim to be a college until after 1825. There were no means for collegiate instruction until the establishment of the South Carolina College in 1801, the history of which is given elsewhere.

INFLUENCE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA.

The influence exercised by the University of Virginia on southern thought, life, and institutions, has never been fully recognized, and probably never can be, since it has become woven into the warp and woof of society. In South Carolina the influence is very clearly seen in the adoption of the independent school system, like that of this greatest southern school. Furman University, one of whose professors is a graduate of the University of Virginia, has maintained the system for many years. At one time two out of her five professors had received their diplomas at the University of Virginia. Two of the female colleges are also organized on this plan, as was the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (now at Louisville, Ky.), whose very popular professor, and a leading preacher in the Southern Baptist Church, Dr. John A. Broadus, is a graduate of the University of Virginia. Wofford also adopted the system, and so did the State institution when merged into a university in 1865. One of her ablest professors, Charles Venable, was also from this great sister University. In one respect, perhaps, the Virginia school copied after that of South Carolina. The high sense of honor among the students at both places is proverbial throughout the South to day, and this was doubtless firmly established at Columbia before Jefferson founded his institution. The whole tendency in these colleges is now towards the imitation of the spirit and life of this latter; the ambition of the students is to join some class there, and the professors strive to make their courses as advanced as that in the University of Virginia. Most of them also draw a distinction between the A. B. and A. M. degrees, making the requirements for the latter much higher than for the former.

RESULTS OF THE WAR.

Leaving out the loss of the endowments, one of the worst results of the Civil War was the lowering of the standard in the colleges. This was unavoidable, since the means of preparation for college were swept away with the destruction of the system of academies.

The endowments were all swept away. Wofford, Furman, Newberry, and Erskine, all lost the generous gifts of years. The attendance of students also fell off. The college at Columbia has suffered but little from reduction of students, although some of the others have hardly one-half their former number. Besides the loss of the college endowments, the funds of most of the charitable schools, received in colonial

times, were also swept away. The loss of libraries, as those of the Winyaw Indigo Society and Mount Zion, was also considerable. Buildings in some of the schools of the second class were also destroyed. But one of the most disastrous effects was the destruction of public and private libraries. Many of the planters were men of taste and wealth, who had spent much time and money in making fine collections of costly volumes, rare manuscripts, and pamphlets illustrating local life and habits. On the approach of the invading army the owners were forced to flee and leave their valuable collectious at the mercy of ignorant slaves. Books were destroyed and carried away, and bonfires were kindled with fine plates and old folios. There are instances related where, on the coast of South Carolina, libraries of six or eight thousand volumes were destroyed, only two or three hundred being saved from the general wreck.

THEOLOGICAL SEMINARIES.

Two denominations in South Carolina have had separate theological seminaries, and a third has attached such a department to its college proper. The Baptists for several years maintained at Greenville a seminary for training young men for the ministry, and the Presbyterians had a similar institution at Columbia. The Associate Reformed Presbyterians have supported a theological department in connection with Erskine College. The Baptist theological institution, which was the outgrowth of Furman University, was organized in 1858. The Baptist denomination offered $100,000 on condition that it be located within the borders of South Carolina. It was established within the State, at Greenville, where it remained until 1876, when it was removed to Louisville, Ky. This is the seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The seminary of the Southern Presbyterian Church is located at Columbia. It was in this school that the Rev. James Woodrow taught the system of evolution, for which he was tried for heresy. He was removed from the faculty, and the final appeal was made to the General Assembly of the Church for the decision of the case. This body met in Baltimore in the latter part of May, 1888, and finally decided against him by a large majority.

In addition to these theological seminaries there is the Benedict Institute at Columbia for training colored youths for the ministry of the Baptist Church. It is largely supported by northern donations.

A theological seminary was organized by the convention of the diocese of the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1857, with the Right Rev. Thomas F. Davis, the Rev. Thomas F. Davis, Jr., D.D., the Rev. Paul Trapier, and the Rev. Stuart Hanckell, D.D., as professors. It was located at Camden, and the buildings were erected during the next year; the school went into successful operation, and was continued until 1865, when the main building and the greater part of the library

were destroyed by fire in February, during the occupancy of Camden by the Federal troops.

A noble-hearted layman, owning the grounds and buildings known as Saint John's College, in Spartanburg, presented them to the diocese for the seminary, and in October, 1866, the school was reopened at that place; but on account of the losses sustained during the War, in the destruction of church property and the failure of investments, it was found that the diocese was too poor to pay the professors and aid the students, and in October, 1868, the seminary was suspended. The diocese still owns the grounds and buildings, but the latter are falling into decay, and the trustees propose to sell if they can get a fair price.

CHAPTER IV.

EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS OF CHARLESTON.

1

THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON.

The beginnings of the College of Charleston may be traced to June, 1770. At this time a meeting was held to consider the propriety of "petitioning the Assembly for the establishment of a college in or near Charleston." But owing to the excitement caused by the Revolution nothing was done toward its foundation until the close of the war, except donations and bequests by private citizens for a college to be established in the future. These gifts commenced in 1772 and continued up to the final establishment of the college, and amounted to £10,500, besides books. One man, John McKenzie, gave 1,200 volumes, and others that are not known gave many more. With the most of the donors-seven in all-it was a favorite notion to locate the institution in or near Charleston, but one or two of them rose superior to this local pride and stipulated for its location in the country or province. With these beginnings, it was easier to induce the Legislature to grant the charter. In 1785 the charter was granted, not only for this college, but for two others at the same time, one at Cambridge and the other at Winnsborough. The one at Cambridge never went any further; that at Winnsborough, Mount Zion, is still maintained as a respectable training school. The funds which had been bequeathed for a college were thus divided among three institutions. The feeling between the "up-country" and the "low-country" is seen thus early in the history of the State, and continues to this day, though its sharpness has worn off. The act, after reciting that "it is much desired by many well-disposed persons that a public seminary of learning for the education of youth should be established in or near Charleston," provided for the appointment of twenty-three trustees, including the Governor and LieutenantGovernor. Under the act eight and seven-eighths acres, called "freeschool" land, were given to the Charleston College, bounded by Boundary, Philip, Coming, and St. George Streets, in the central part of the city.

1 Reminiscences of Charleston, by Charles Fraser, p. 91.

2 Statutes, Vol. IV, p. 674.

If this land could have been saved for the college, it would have furnished a large income, but three-fourths of it was soon sold for debts incurred by bad management. For several years nothing further seems to have been done.

ORGANIZATION UNDER REV. ROBERT SMITH.

In 1791 a new charter was granted, since there were doubts as to the construction of the triple act, and because of the "many inconveniences in carrying into execution the act of 1785," as to the election of officers and meetings of the trustees.

The trustees commenced work by electing Rev. Robert Smith, afterwards bishop, principal of the college. He moved his flourishing school for boys into the "long, narrow, and low brick range which was originally erected and used for soldiers' barracks during the Revolution, and the college commenced operations." He managed the school until 1797, not teaching himself, but providing "able and efficient teachers." His Latin teacher, Mr. Coffee, was fond of mechanics, and "constructed a model of Cæsar's bridge across the Rhine." Another assistant, Dr. Gallagher, "was a man of genius and of taste," and by "his talents and learning gave it the practical characteristics of a college." The boys read Livy in Latin, and Homer in Greek, went through six books of Euclid, studied surveying, navigation, something of geography, astronomy, natural philosophy, English, and declamation. A Latin prayer was read in the morning, and an English one in the evening. It fur nished the highest grade of instruction in the State so far as is known. But it was no more than a respectable grammar school, although digni. fied with the name of college. Even the principal sent his sons to the North for their education.

During the term of Dr. Smith the degree of A. B. was conferred on six graduates, one of whom, Nathaniel Bowen, afterwards became bishop of the diocese. So elementary was the work required for this degree, that one of the graduates said that "the whole thing was absurd." The oldest of them was only eighteen, and the highest authors read were Homer and Livy. Joseph Alston, who afterwards married Theodosia Burr, and became Governor of South Carolina, was a student there, as were also Thomas Bennett, William Lowndes, Judge John S. Richardson, and Joseph Duncan.

Under Dr. Smith's management the institution became burdened with debt, and the most of the land was sold. After his resignation in 1797, even this grammar school was lost, since no school was maintained there for any length of time until the revival of the institution in 1823 or 1824. Yet it must not be supposed that the young were cut off from educational facilities; for a large number were taught at private schools, while a great many went to the South Carolina College, some to the North, a few to Europe.