REV. ALEXANDER BETTIS
BRIEF SKETCH
OF THE
LIFE AND LABORS
OF
REV. ALEXANDER BETTIS
Also an Account of the Founding
and Development of
THE BETTIS ACADEMY
BY
ALFRED W. NICHOLSON
Trenton, S. C.
Published by the Author
1913
COPYRIGHTED IN »S13
BY ALFRED W. NICHOLSON.
PREFACE.
All circumstances considered, the Negro
race has made, and through its leaders is now
making, history most creditably. A defect,
from which the race suffers much, arises out of
the fact that so little effort has been made to
record and preserve the creditable history
which the race has already made. These
things ought not so to be. For the day will
come when the future historian, observing our
advancement, will desire to know the sources,
the quality and quantity of the causes, that
have combined to determine the trend of our
civilization, and have conspired to develop and
bring to pass the flattering attainments which
are yet to be racially ours. And when that
time comes — and come it will — the ante
bellum Negro of force and character will
then receive a consideration much greater than
is now considered is due him. When this type
of Negro shall more nearly come into his own,
nowhere in this Southland will a character be
found more worthy and deserving of consid¬
eration than the man who is the subject of this
sketch.
As truly as God called Moses to lead the
3
children of Israel at that most critical period
of their history—as truly as Paul was divinely
chosen to stand on Mar's Hill and confound,
by unanswerable arguments, the skepticism
and atheism of that day, so truly have events
shown that our subject was guided by a High¬
er Power in his leadership among the negroes
of Edgefield and Aiken counties, South Caro¬
lina. Upon what other hypothesis can the
quantity and quality of the work he accom¬
plished be explained?
Himself denied the advantages of educa¬
tion, why should he, in the face of strenuous
opposition, have so labored for educational
advantages among his people, that a Christian
institution of learning came into existence,
and yet exists, to lift up a standard of religious
excellence and civic righteousness? Denied
the training by which logicians are trained,
how else can we explain how he became
possessed of such persuasive arguments, that
thousands of people abandoned their ways of
sin, and became active, sacrificing workers in
the effort to have others know Him whom to
know is life eternal? With no insight into
human nature, and no knowledge of the laws
of cause and effect greater than that which
4
slavery taught, how and by what means did
he become such a sane and safe leader and ad¬
viser of his people, contributing so largely to
the amelioration of race friction, and the es¬
tablishing of peace and harmony, at a time
when race prejudice gave promise of doing its
worst ?
To answer these questions no effort is here
and now made. Our aim will be rather to
show how great a debt of gratitude, both the
white and colored people owe this most unique
character, and how they can best liquidate that
debt by helping to foster the Bettis Academy,
which is so pregnant with opportunities of
furthering the same altruistic lines, the work
for the uplift and betterment of all the people
which was so well begun by Mr. Bettis.
For that purpose and to that end this brief
sketch of the life and career of the Rev. Alexan¬
der Bettis, and an account of the founding and
development of Bettis Academy is here given.
A. W. Nicholson.
5
REV. ALEXANDER BETTIS.
In ante bellum days, during slavery, there
lived not far from Trenton, in Edgefield coun¬
ty, South Carolina, an aristocratic, cultured
and very wealthy family of white people whose
name was Bettis. They owned a negro man
of unadulterated African extraction, who by
permission of his owners, became the father
of a child by a negro woman who belonged to
and lived on the plantation of Colonel John
Fair. The child was named Jack, and al¬
though he was the property of Col. Fair, he
ultimately chose for his paternal inheritance
the name of Bettis. During slavery, as well
as in the after years of freedom, he was known
as Jack Bettis.
Now the Widow Jones, whose plantation
was near Trenton, had among her negro slaves
a beautiful mulatto girl whose father was not a
negro. The girl was known as Annis Jones.
By the consent of the owners concerned, Annis
Jones became the wife of Jack Bettis. Of this
union there was born, August 4, 1836, a lit¬
tle negro boy, the frequency and volume of
whose lusty yells gave ample evidence of the
6
fact that he did not then have, and likely
would never have, the consumption. To this
their first offspring, the fond, admiring parents
gave the name Alexander. And though it was
the custom for the negroes to have the name
of their owner, and though this diminutive
Alexander was the property of the Widow
Jones, yet his indulgent owner allowed him
to be known as Alexander Bettis.
It is worthy of record that when the kind-
hearted Widow Jones saw, for the first time,
her newly acquired property, the diminutive
Alexander, the child gave abundant evidence
of the soundness of his lungs and thereby
caused his mistress to remark, facetiously,
"He shall be a Baptist preacher, and shall lead
many negroes to serve the Lord." How pro¬
phetic! Little did she dream that the diminu¬
tive bundle of flesh she then tenderly handled,
was destined in his day and time to be a gospel
power in the land; a moral, religious, educa¬
tional and civic leadter of his people; a man
well meriting, and to whom would be unre¬
servedly given,' the confidence, esteem and
praise of even the wealthy, cultured white peo¬
ple. But that such an unpromising, though
desirable, condition would obtain, the follow-
7
ing narrative is intended to, and will unques¬
tionably show.
As soon as he could walk well, little Alex,
would make frequent visits from his mother's
humble cabin to the "big house," where his
mistress lived and, in which, as a housegirl his
mother was regularly employed.
It is not out of place to state here and
now that during the days of slavery there
were an innumerable host of wealthy, cul¬
tured white women who gave their slaves a
love and care that were well nigh paternal. To
this class of humane women, the owner of
young Alex, belonged, and in the matter of
kindness to her slaves she had few equals and
absolutely no superior. In fact, so marked
were the kindness and indulgence shown by
her to her slaves, they were often referred to
as "the Widow Jones' free niggers." And
the whole truth will not have been told were
the fact not stated that at no time was her
authority ever questioned, or her commands
responded to with disobedience or even in¬
difference. And when freedom had come—
even until the angels had borne her spirit to
its eternal, heavenly home, the relation of
Widow Jones and her former slaves remained
8
practically unchanged. They remained the
loving dependents, and she the generous, in¬
dulgent benefactor.
It was to the loving concern and care of such
a mistress, rather than to the teachings of his
mother, that the excellent training of young
Alexander was due. And here is reason to be¬
lieve that his aptitude, his ready responsive¬
ness and his well nigh worshipful obedience
increased and sustained his owner's interest
in him. For, it is a fact that while the lad had
early learned how to teach a sleepy-eyed Geor¬
gia mule the geometrical fact that a straight
line is the shortest distance between two given
points, and while his manipulation of an ordi¬
nary hoe was truly scientific yet, for the most
part, his service, during his boyhood was ren¬
dered in and around "the big house" in which
his mistress lived. And because of certain
traits which the lad manifested his mistress
gave him the name of "honest Aleck," which
name clung to him throughout his long and
eventful life.
Though it was, at the time, against the laws
of the State of South Carolina for a slave to
be taught to read, yet young Aleck, while still
a mere child, had actually learned to read and,
9 2
incredible as it may seem, it was his kind-
hearted mistress who taught him to do so. Al¬
though the lad was never able to write, yet it
was the fact that he was able to read that con¬
tributed so largely to his recognition as a lead¬
er for and among the people immediately after
Emancipation. Little did that kind-hearted
white woman have occasion to think that the
training she was giving her insignificant slave
was preparing him to be a veritable leader for
his people, when, because the restraints of
slavery had been removed, leadership would
be sadly needed by them. Truly
"God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform."
But such was the case. For by recognizing
the lad's unusual abilities, and by allowing her
kind disposition to give expression to itself in
the giving of special training to him, she was
preparing thereby a mighty factor for the glory
of God through the uplift and betterment of
the lowly negro, and she was developing, more¬
over, a positive protection to her own people
through the gratitude this trained negro ever
had for his mistress and, because of her, all of
her class. For when the untutored host of ne-
10
groes would likely have confused the term lib¬
erty with license, and been easily influenced
to believe that "might makes right," it was the
thoughtful negro whose gratitude, to former
master or mistress, caused him to interpose in
behalf of the white people. And why, one
would be tempted to ask, do not the white
people of the South today read the negro's
gratitude as expressed in his fidelity in the
hours of temptation during the past, and make
sure of his fidelity in the ordeals that are yet
to come by increasing the occasions for his
gratitude through and because of justice and
increased kindness shown in the present? A
sane and righteous answer to that question,
put into vigorous living, would settle for the
best good and contentment of all the white
people and all the negroes each and every ill
growing out of the question of race. What
enabled Christ to say, "And I, if I be lifted up,
will draw all men unto me?" Was it not the
concern shown for even his enemies, causing
him to pray for rather than abuse them? Any¬
way, the principle thus exhibited on the cross
and the negro's responsiveness to kindness,
racially speaking, combine to convince even a
casual observer that the Southern, white peo-
11
pie have nothing" to lose by materially con¬
cerning themselves in the negro's mental,
moral and religious uplift, and general pros¬
perity. The life of the subject of this sketch
emphatically teaches that fact.
Augusta, Ga., which was about 25 miles
from the plantation of Widow Jones, was the
market place for that entire neighborhood. To
this, honest Aleck was often sent by his owner
and, with her permission, by various neighbors
on errands both to sell and to buy. On all
such occasions, in each and every case, the
lad's judgment was considered proverbial, his
honesty unquestionable. Finally, though a
slave, he was entrusted with a team, and em¬
powered to go forth, get orders for and deliver
and receive payment for the fine grade of lum¬
ber which was the output of the mammoth
saw mill on the plantation of his owner. These
trips often caused him to go across Georgia
into more distant parts of Florida. His busi¬
ness sagacity, at all times, proved satisfactory
to his owner, and she had, on no occasion,
any reason to feel that she had misnamed him
when she called him "Honest Aleck."
The draft which the war was making on the
white men of the South caused their number
12
to be so materially lessened that Mrs. Jones
found it convenient to make "Honest Aleck"
practically manager of her vast saw mill in¬
terests, and overseer of her various plantations.
In that capacity he served so faithfully and
well that freedom made no change in the ser¬
vice he was rendering his owner. In fact, he
continued so to serve until that last, long
sleep, from which no rude awakening ever
comes, had claimed his mistress for its own.
Talk about home mission work. While the
world has not as yet awakened to the fact,
perhaps it will one day come into a realization
that the most stupendous and unselfish mis¬
sion work of which there is any record was
that which the white women of the South—
women of wealth and culture—did in the low¬
ly cabins, to give the untutored, not over re¬
ceptive mind of the humble slave, a working
knowledge of the true, yet invisible God, and
of His Christ.
Among the class of noble, heroic women,
the Widow Jones occupied no insignificant
place. And among her slaves, to whom she
gave instruction in matters religious, his ap¬
titude and earnestness having warranted it,
none received more attention than did "Honest
13
Aleck." As a result of her earnestness he, in
early manhood, came into a realization of
sins pardoned and soon afterwards was bap¬
tized into membership in the aristocratic First
Baptist Church (white) of Edgefield, C. H.
Though a slave, his regular and punctual
attendance at appointed worship, his quiet,
unobtrusive attentive demeanor, his general
integrity and reputation for truthfulness and
honesty, gained for him a conspicuous place
in the knowledge of the preponderant white
membership, and among the negroes generally
he was well nigh reverenced. In consequence,
when, during the war, it was deemed advisable
to have a negro exhorter for the slaves, in that
section in which Widow Jones' plantation
was located, the Rev. Dr. Luther Gordon, pas¬
tor of the Baptist church, recommended to the
church that "Honest Aleck" be set apart to
the gospel ministry, and licensed to preach.
Without hesitation or quibble the recommen¬
dation was adopted, and the license unanimous¬
ly granted. And he at once began to preach.
Such were the white people's confidence in his
honesty of purpose, sincerity, and common-
sense that they encouraged rather than hinder¬
ed their slaves to attend whenever and wher-
14
ever 4'Honest Aleck" would hold services.
Well worth recording, and wonderful to relate,
it was not an infrequent occurrence for a num¬
ber of the slave owners to be found at the ser¬
vices conducted by "Honest Aleck." And in¬
variably they gave most respectful hearing to
his wonderful, yet simple, religious epigrams,
so well suited to the needs and understanding
of the humble negro auditor.
Now there is no such thing as chance, ex¬
cept in novels and other books which people
of shallow minds write for people of minds
more shallow to read. Things do not just
happen so. The life of races and the trend of
nations obviously teach that fact — and the
further fact that, even though slow and im¬
perceptible it may be, the prayer, "Thy king¬
dom come," is daily being more nearly realized
and tends to give undoubted assurance that
the kingdoms of this world shall become the
kingdoms of our God, and that our Christ
shall be lord of lords and king of kings. His¬
tory which concerns us witnesseth as is shown
by the following:
The white race, already the dominant race
on earth, had occasion to desire surroundings
more congenial for the fuller realization of its
15
conception of liberty. It longed for, sought
after and both found and peopled a new land
—the American continent. In time the negro
came also, without having his wishes consult¬
ed in the matter or without requiring him to
pay the expense of his transportation. And
why should it strain the imagination to account
for this seeming contradiction in putting thus
together the admittedly dominant and most
progressive race with the most backward and
unprogressive race of all history. Subsequent
events undeniably furnish an answer:
The white race needed the enlarged soul and
broader humanitarianism which the fostering
care of ignorant dependents would give. The
negro needed a practical, working knowledge
of God, the true, eternal—a knowledge of the
English language, and the information which
a knowledge of that language would bring—
needed habits of industry, thrift, economy—a
knowledge of tools, machinery and skill in their
manipulation. He needed these and their al¬
lied benefits. Whether we condemn or apolo¬
gize for American slavery, it confessedly served
a far-reaching purpose, and ultimately un¬
speakable good—good to the negro in that,
through the sufferings, hardships and rigid
16
MAIN SCHOOL BUILDING, CHAPEL AND RECITATION ROOMS
discipline of the system, he received thereby
far more than he gave — good to the white
man in that though he lost much that was
transient, he gained far more that was advan¬
tageous and lasting.
True, purely mercenary motives caused the
white man to introduce and foster the iniquit¬
ous system whose termination found him
poorer, by far, than he would have been had
no such system been introduced. The time
and the circumstances under which the sys¬
tem was fostered, and especially its forceful
and drastic termination, have all combined to
give the American people predominance over
all other nations in matters of equity, justice,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Are we
not far enough removed from the days of
American slavery to see that He who makes
the wrath of men to praise Him permitted
the mercenary motives of the white man to
introduce and foster the system and, in con¬
sequence, to reap, in harmony with divine law,
full measure of what he had sown? For, for
every dollar that was gained through and by
means of the negro as a slave, five times as
much was consumed in the expense and out¬
come of the war. For every drop of blood
17 3
which was drawn from the negro's back, un¬
mercifully lacerated by the overseer's lash, an
equal quantity or more was given, because of
the system, from the veins of America's most
chivalrous. For every heart ache caused by
separation of mother, father, child or other
loved ones on account of the auction block,
heart aches in increased numbers and quality
were experienced by the American white peo¬
ple, through and because of the separations
caused by the war.
When will the negro—when will the white
man learn from the facts of American slavery
the lessons which are so applicable to our con¬
ditions of the present day? When will the
negro learn that ignorance and weakness, as
well as wickedness, on his part must be racially
atoned for? When will the white man learn
that his superior education and moral, religious
and civic ideals place upon him obligations of
sympathy, patience, tolerance, justice and
helpfulness to and for the less fortunate
negro ?
As a Christian nation, it should be realized
by negro and white man that, by failure to con¬
tribute the fulfilment of an obligation, due an
individual, his own, or the other race, one may
18
delay though he cannot ultimately prevent the
realization of the prayer, "Thy kingdom
come." For to its realization, the sovereignty
of God, and the deity of Christ are pledged.
No unfounded optimism but some recent
facts strengthen the belief and fortify the as¬
surance that even now, though slowly but
nevertheless surely that prayer, more and
more, is being realized. Witness:
Sixty years ago, in South Carolina, in any
white church of any denomination, men of
deep piety and positive Christian life would
stand in the sacred rostrum and preach to men
and women of culture, piety and moral ideals,
that human slavery was right. This view they
would augment with the fact that Abraham,
Job and other Biblical characters, whose lives
were approved, held slaves. And it was fur¬
ther argued that slavery was rampant when
Christ was on earth, that there were often
slaveholders among the crowds he at times
addressed, that had the system been in defiance
of divine law Christ would have spoken
against it, a thing he did not do. But Christ
had said, "Whatsoever ye would that men
should do to you, do ye even so to them." It is
manifestly true that no one would desire to be
19
held a slave. It is therefore obviously true
that no one could morally hold a slave. It was
this truth, in the last analysis, that brought
freedom about. But today in any white pul¬
pit, anywhere in South Carolina, any minister
who would dare assert that human slavery is
right would find himself repudiated as a minis¬
ter of the gospel. Why? Because God's will
is more nearly being done on earth.
Sixty years ago it was a law in South Caro¬
lina that were a negro to be caught making ef¬
fort to learn to read, his master was required to
cut off both his thumbs so that the given negro
would be deterred from such immoral pur¬
suits, and other negroes would be duly warned
thereby. Today the grandchildren of those
very lawmakers are serving as school com¬
missioners in all parts of the State and are issu¬
ing certificates to negro men and women to
enable them to be paid out of the public treas¬
ury for teaching to read the grandchildren of
the ones whose fingers were cut off for de¬
siring to learn. Account for the change!
Why Christian civilization is advancing.
God's will is more nearly being done on earth.
The truth is gradually dawning upon the
thoughtful white people that ignorance is a
20
curse and a hindrance to any community, be
the ignorance in black skin or a white one.
An increasingly large number of negroes are
themselves convinced, and are daily convinc¬
ing others, that the salvation and hope of the
race is to be found in the strenuous upholding
of law and order and in the fulfillment of all
the conditions of a sober, industrious law-
abiding citizen. To the leaders of both races,
the truth is becoming more nearly apparent
that the best good of each is wrapped up in
the common interests of both. An advanced
civilization, progress and prosperity await the
grasping of this conception by a larger number
of negroes—by a larger number of white
people.
Such conditions being necessary that results
so desirable may obtain, it is indeed wonder¬
ful that the subject of our sketch, with such
limited advantages, should have comprehend¬
ed such far-reaching truth and have done so
much towards impressing the conviction upon
others, and all at the time in which his work
for the most part was done.
Freedom came. And with it there was a
general rearrangement of things. But "Hon¬
est Aleck," with a rare loyalty, remained on
21
the plantation of his mistress and continued to
look after and further her interests.
To the reader who does not already know,
the following: explanation concerning negro
religious worship will not be without interest:
It is a fact, and there seem to be psychologi¬
cal as well as physical reasons for it, "that
warm climates are highly conducive of emo¬
tionalism. The native African had for countless
generations been resident in one of the warm¬
est climates on earth. In his native land he, like
all tribes,however ignorant, worshipped a god,"
but it was a god of his own creation, an image
of wood or of stone. His method of worship
was to sing, chant, dance, cavort around his
god. The African was suddenly seized and
brought to America, where, though a slave,
he was taught by the earnest Christian white
women of the South concerning the true, the
living God. Under this helpful instruction,
the slave changed the object of his worship,
but not the method. In consequence while he
was allowed to attend, and was even en¬
couraged to become a member of, the
church which his owners attended, still his
religious nature was unsatisfied. There was
not enough "spirit" or enough fervor and emo-
22
iionalism. He attended the church of his mas¬
ter, but it was the plantation prayer meeting,
where he could sing loud and shout much, that
gave him the greater enjoyment.
So when freedom came, that desire for emo¬
tional demonstration in his worship was yet
one of the negro's dominant characteristics.
Even to this day it exists, the graveyard and
the school-room being the only effective cure.
In consequence, while as a rule the white peo¬
ple did not require or- even request the negro
to sever his connection with the white church,
yet, except in isolated cases, it was one among
the first things he chose to do.
Seventeen negroes of the white Baptist
churches in the section contiguous to Edge¬
field, C. H., procured their letters and earnest¬
ly requested "Brer" Bettis to be their spiritual
leader. In order to do so, he went before the
association to which the church of which he
was a member belonged, and requested that
they ordain him for the work of the gospel
ministry. They promptly refused to do so. At
the next annual session he made the same re¬
quest, and in the same like manner was re¬
fused, the committee to whom the matter was
submitted reporting: "The matter of conduct-
23
ing prayer meetings may be entrusted to some
negroes, but we cannot afford to have them
'mommick' up the gospel—a thing they can¬
not help doing" if empowered to preach." And
though the committee's report was adopted, it
was not unanimously done. The preachers
who were of the locality from which Bettis
came, and in which he had lived and preach¬
ed, were very much in favor of ordaining him.
In consequence, after the association had ad¬
journed, the Rev. Josiah Matthias, the Rev.
Samuel Murphy, the Rev. John Mealing and
the Rev. Joseph Tolbert, a negro preacher
of Augusta, who had but recently been or¬
dained by the white Baptists of Georgia, these
four met at a point ten miles west of Trenton,
with Bettis and the seventeen negroes above
referred to, organized the Mt. Canaan Baptist
Church. Then at the request of this newly
organized church, they proceeded to ordain
Bettis to the gospel ministry. A meeting out
under the open heavens, on the very spot
where he now lies buried, the ordination took
place. The Mt. Canaan Church immediately
chose for its pastor the Rev. Alexander Bettis.
The Rev. A. Bettis was the only ordained
negro Baptist preacher at that time in the
24
whole of Edgefield, Saluda, Greenwood and
Aiken counties. As there was a general dis¬
position among the negroes to withdraw from
the white churches and worship God under
their own vine and fig tree, the Rev. Bettis was
kept exceedingly busy organizing churches
and ordaining men to preach to the churches
so organized. Because of a scarcity of ordain¬
ed preachers, he was the pastor of as many as
ten churches at one and the same time, preach¬
ing at any one of them as often as by his own
appointment he could arrange to do so. In
all, Mr, Bettis organized more than forty
churches, serving four of them continuously
from the time of their organization until his
death. These four churches were Mt. Canaan,
Shaw's Creek, Jeter and Pleasant Grove re¬
spectively. A brief sketch of each of these is
given elsewhere. And be it remembered that
while Mr. Bettis narrowed his services officially
to the above mentioned four churches, yet by
common consent he was, until his death, in
some way related to each church he organized.
The idea seemed to prevail throughout the
realm of churches that a funeral had not been
properly preached nor a marriage ceremony
properly performed unless it were done by the
25 4
Rev. A. Bettis. So in addition to his own pas¬
toral work, he was kept going continually,
preaching at funerals, performing marriage
ceremonies, assisting in revival meetings, lec¬
turing, etc. To accomplish his itinerancy he
kept two buggies and two excellent horses con¬
tinuously busy.
Although the Rev. Bettis could read, as has
been said, he never learned to write. Still he
understood and appreciated the importance of
education, so while giving much labor to the
work of organizing churches, he organized an
educational union, the membership of which
should be composed of the pastors and repre¬
sentatives of the different Baptist churches,
the purpose of which would be to raise money
with which to foster education within the
bounds of the union. The union was to meet
on Saturday before every fifth Sunday in the
year. It finally had fifteen ordained ministers
among its membership and $300 in the treas¬
ury. Rev. A. Bettis was moderator; Rev. G.
A. Morgan, secretary; Austin Jones, treas¬
urer.
At a meeting of the union at China Grove
the ministers strenuously advocated the divi¬
sion of the money on hand among themselves
26
for the purpose of enabling them to go to
school. This Bettis as strenuously opposed.
He held that they should instead establish a
school which the union should maintain and
to which the young people generally should
have access. Over this difference confusion
ensued, during which Mr. Bettis yelled above
the dim, "All you who favor establishing a
school with this money instead of wasting it
on us preachers who are already on the verge
of the grave, I want you to meet me tomorrow
at the Pleasant Grove Church." The secre¬
tary remained with the China Grove faction.
The moderator and treasurer were next day at
Pleasant Grove Church, where the Mt. Canaan
Educational Union was duly organized. Ac¬
tion was then and there taken by which 27
acres of land at $3.00 per acre was bought for
the purpose of establishing and maintaining
thereon an academy. The balance of the
money on hand was set aside for the purchase
of lumber for the erection of necessary build¬
ings.
At the same time, seeing the need of having
somebody sufficiently trained and in sym¬
pathy with the work to carry it on when it
should have been launched, he caused a num-
21
ber of the more promising young men to be
chosen, sent away to and supported in some
of the higher and better schools then extant
for the education of negroes.
Prominent among these was Hampton Mat¬
thias and Alfred W. Nicholson, who were sent
to the Schofield School at Aiken and later to
the Atlanta University, at Atlanta, Ga.
In the meantime, Mr. Bettis had been sued
by the former Educational Union. But with¬
out employing or even consulting a lawyer,
he easily won the case, having shown conclu¬
sively that there had been no "misappropria¬
tion of funds," as was charged.
On the following Fourth of July (1881),
according to arrangements previously made, a
vast crowd assembled on the academy ground.
Trees were then and there cut to make a clear¬
ing, upon which site a building was to be
erected; money for the furtherance of the
project was raised by voluntary contributions,
and confidence in the undertaking was greatly
revived, so much so that in the following six
months a school building admirably suited to
its proposed needs had been erected, which
building was dedicated January 1st, 1882. On
that day also the school was formally opened.
28
Ever since then, this anniversary and other
occasions bring large crowds to the academy,
but it is understood and a fact widely known
that the Fourth of July and the first day of
January are big days at the academy. And the
people do come! From eight to ten thousand
is the usual attendance, a representative
number of the best white people of the sec¬
tion invariably being present. It is well known
that profanity, drunkenness, or rowdyism in
any form, to any degree, would not for a mo¬
ment be tolerated. In consequence, there is
none.
On these above-mentioned occasions able
speakers, both white and colored, are secured.
All these addresses, to which respectful atten¬
tive hearing is given, are delivered on sub¬
jects whose purpose it is to be racially helpful
along the line of thrift, economy, appreciation
of opportunities, progress and general uplift.
On each and on every one of these occasions
a rally in some manner is conducted for the
raising of money with which to carry on the
work of Bettis Academy. Their poverty con¬
sidered, a predominance of a lack of any
schooling themselves taken to account, the
readiness with which their meager contribu-
29
tions are given, and other considerations, make
these rallies both wonderful and encouraging.
For it is of and among these people that the
support of the school has thus far, except in a
few isolated cases, been due. Small wonder,
then, that the institution in its growth pene¬
trates into so many of the vital needs of the
people that the requirements for maintenance
at present are increasingly in excess of the
financial and intellectual ability of its constitu¬
ency.
Right here it might be mentioned how great
was the foresight of Rev. Alexander Bettis.
He early organized a Board of Trustees and
chartered the school under such conditions and
restrictions that have made impossible, and
will ever make impossible, any perversion of
its finances or of its policy. For denomina-
tionalism the school may cease to stand, but
for the highest moral and Christian ideals the
school must ever strive and contend, or cease
to exist.
The Rev. Alexander Bettis was, until the
time of his death, president of the academy,
and it can, in all truth, be said that he was no
figure head. For though he was pastor of
four churches, widely separated, with a mem-
3.0
bership combined of approximately 10,000
souls, with the attendant following, he allowed
no emergency, no inclemency of weather, to
interfere with his being present each and ev¬
ery Monday morning during the school term,
at which time he delivered what eventually
became to be known as his Monday morning
talks. Wonderful to relate, the students
would, if necessary, make any reasonable sac¬
rifice or forego any ordinary inducement for
pleasure in order to be present at one of these
"Monday morning talks." Men have been
known to stop their mules in the field while
ploughing, and women, with the hoe or at the
wash tub, to desist in order to spend the hour
at the academy during the delivery of the
"Monday morning talks." They were events
in the life of the school.
Far from the fact will the reader be if he
allows himself to believe that the Rev. Alex¬
ander Bettis was a resonant voiced orator. The
reverse was true. A stammering, impediment
of speech was his. But cool, calm, epigram¬
matic, profound, with obvious earnestness and
undoubted sincerity, he spoke from the depths
of his very soul to the inmost soul of his hear¬
ers. That was his style. The art of pandering
31
to the whims or catering to the prejudice of the
people was wholly foreign to his nature.
Hypocrisy in any form was to him most odi¬
ous. He deemed it was his duty—in which
duty he delighted—to "lift up a standard for
the people."
As in his talks, so was the Rev. Alexander
Bettis as a preacher. He preached not over
the heads of, but to, his hearers. He preached
not about Julius Caesar, Socrates, Napoleon,
Voltaire, Herbert Spencer or Shakespeare. He
"preached Christ, His death and resurrection,"
and what these meant or could mean to man,
the sinner. The known vices and shams ex¬
isting among the people he lashed unmerci¬
fully and forcefully offered the consideration
of the nobler, the better way. "Peace on
earth and goodwill to all men" found an utter¬
ance in each and every sermon. Excitement,
shouting, hallelujahs, which were then so large
a part of negro worship—as even now it is
unfortunately too much so—were condemned
and discouraged by him. And unmerciful was
he in his scathing denunciation of the "whang-
doodle" preacher who, by the cadence of a
tuneful voice, strove to produce such demon¬
strations.
32
REBECCA HALL, BETTIS ACADEMY
Girls' Dormitory
MARTHA HALL, BETTIS ACADEMY
Boys' Dormitory
In addition to his duties as executive head
of the academy, he was the disciplinarian of
the institution. Only one punishment was
necessary for any teacher to inflict. It was to
inform the given pupil that he or she would be
reported to Mr. Bettis. And it should be stated
that for all his work at and in behalf of the
academy, he never asked for and never re¬
ceived one cent payment.
The Rev. Alexander Bettis had a construc¬
tive mind, and as an organizer of and among
the negro Baptists the record, even now, is
yet his as the following facts will show:
The Storm Branch Association was the first
negro Baptist association organized in South
Carolina. Mr. Bettis was largely instrumental
in its organization and was its first, and, up to
the time he withdrew, its only treasurer. But
as the Storm Branch Association covered a
territory equal in area to one-third of the State
of South Carolina, Mr. Bettis, for concentra¬
tion of effort, took the more than forty
churches he had organized and other churches
in Aiken and Edgefield counties, and organ¬
ized the Mt. Canaan Baptist Association, of
which he was the first and^ until his death, the
only moderator. He then officially severed his
33 5
connection with the Storm Branch Association,
but not until he had counted out and turned
over the $360.67 which as treasurer he had in
hand.
It was the Rev. Alexander Bettis' belief that
church organizations of any kind should be
far more than mutual admiration societies, or
occasions for a general good time, the renew¬
ing of acquaintances and the pleasant exchange
of Christian courtesies. To him always "the
field was ripe to harvest." In order to be do¬
ing something in accordance with the needs of
the people he organized an Educational Union
whose avowed purpose it was to raise money
with which to further the cause of education
within the bounds of the union. Connected
with this union there were in all sixteen or¬
dained Baptist preachers. As the other fifteen
preachers differed with Mr. Bettis on how the
money which had been raised should be used,
they contending that it be divided pro rata
among themselves that they might go to
school, and he contending that it should be
used for the education of those who were com¬
ing on the stage of life, and not for those who
were passing olf of it, he drew out and organ¬
ized the Mt. Canaan Union, and later Mt.
34
Canaan Union No. 2. It is to these two unions
that the present efficiency and the mainte¬
nance of Bettis Academy has for the most part
been due.
It was Mr. Bettis who, in the council of
Baptists, first suggested the advisability of or¬
ganizing a Baptist State Convention. Among
the plans he suggested for that purpose was
the wisdom of further dividing the Storm
Branch Association into smaller bodies, dele¬
gates from which forming a nucleus, the de¬
sired organization might be affected. The
suggestion materialized into realization. The
delegates assembled at Aiken, and the con¬
vention was organized with the Rev. J. Watts
as president and the Rev. Alexander Bettis
was vice president.
It came to pass that Baptist leaders elsewhere
in the State, borrowing the ideas and plans of
Mr. Bettis, influenced some who had already
participated in the organization at Aiken, to
meet with them in Sumter, and there was or¬
ganized another Baptist State Convention. As
these last organizers hastily obtained a char¬
ter for their organization, it necessitated the
Bettis crowd to give the first convention a new
name. This they did. They called it the Bap-
35
tist Home Mission State Convention of South
Carolina, and under that name it has existed
and now exists.
Two facts are worth remembering. They
are that to the Rev. Alexander Bettis was due
the organization of the first Baptist State Con¬
vention, and that while he refused to be its
first president, he was, nevertheless, the domi¬
nating force in it. Because he was not in sym¬
pathy with the manner in which the Sumter
Convention was organized, and because he al¬
ways considered that organization to be too
prodigal in the use of money, he would never
affiliate with it, although he was the indirect
cause of its existence.
The power for good Mr. Bettis was as a pas¬
tor cannot easily be stated. A few facts may,
however, be related: The purity of his own
life, his honesty, his veracity were never ques¬
tioned by any who knew him. And these
things he expected and required in those who
had membership in the churches of which he
was the pastor. A reputation of sexual laxity,
failure to pay honest debts, inveracity, would
not be tolerated by him. In fact, were it re¬
ported to him that a deacon in any of his
churches owed a debt, and at the time it was
36
due had failed to pay it, that man could no
longer be a deacon until he either had paid the
debt or put it in shape that was satisfactory
to the person concerned. People learned to
know that any lapses of conduct of one of
Rev. Alexander Bettis' members would be
made right if they but appealed to him. As
occasion arose, he was appealed to by white
people and colored people alike. Thus it was
that many a petty case, and even graver ones,
never reached the trial justices or the courts.
At his usual services it was no uncommon
thing to see two or three thousand people as¬
sembled, and on special occasions at the acad¬
emy from eight to twelve thousand, and no dis¬
order prevailed. Were any ruffian to begin
any misbehavior, it was at once reported to Mr.
Bettis, and he immediately ordered some men
to seize the embryonic disturbance maker, upon
whom with his buggy whip he would then and
there inflict a whipping wholly commensurate
with the offense. "Was he never sued," you
may ask, "for thus taking the law into his
own hands?" No, never! It was a fact, and
became to be known as a fact, there was not
in Edgefield or Aiken counties a magistrate
who would issue a warrant for, or a constable
37
who would serve a warrant upon, the Rev.
Alexander Bettis for whipping an obstreper¬
ous negro. In consequence of the above-men¬
tioned facts, at all the meetings with which
the Rev. Alexander Bettis had to do, good be¬
havior was assured. So firmly was that stand¬
ard set and that idea fixed that even today at
any church of which he was pastor or at any
gathering at the academy the same rule of ex¬
cellent behavior obtains. Though he be dead,
the standards of the Rev. Alexander Bettis re¬
main the ideals of his own aijd subsequent
generations. Wonderful!
In taking the leadership among the untutor¬
ed members of his race, just emerged from
slavery, unaccustomed to the unrestraint of
freedom, and in setting before them ideals of
life and action, upon which no improvement
even to this day has been found necessary, it
must not be forgotten how crude were the
means at his disposal. What, for instance, was
a church—the place where he must indoctrin¬
ate these humble people? It was only a large
brush harbor, the seats improvised logs, the
pulpit the back of an old chair, behind which
he stood, the hymnbook and Bible of the
preacher being the only ones present, the vast
38
majority of the people having neither one or
the other at home.
To this strenuous labor, amid these uninvit¬
ing surroundings, he remained unmoved and
unmovable, even though the comparative ease,
the honor and emoluments of office could and
would have been his for the taking. For at
this time he could have had any political office
within the gift of Edgefield or Aiken counties.
As a pastor, he received no salary. The
people saw his needs and lovingly provided
for them. Had his suit become thread bare?
Then somewhere, in a manner unostentatious,
a box would be given him and next Sunday
the pastor would be seen to have on a new suit
of clothes. Had his buggy become dilapidat¬
ed? Then, while he was in church his old
buggy would be stolen away and a brand new
buggy would be in its place. In this way and
divers others the pastor's wants were supplied.
But the Rev. Alexander Bettis was not money
hungry. He was no gospel grafter. When
money was given him, as it often was, he
would get in his buggy and go hunting the
sick and needy of his flocks and administer
to their needs. Like his Master, "he went
about doing good."
39
In no way, however, did the purity of heart,
honesty of purpose, unselfishness, common-
sense, equipoise and other admirable qualities
of which any man might well be proud show
to better advantage than was shown in his
own conduct and in the teachings he gave his
people during the trying days of Reconstruc¬
tion, when the judgment of many an eminent
man was weighed and found sadly wanting.
In those days some mistakes of far-reaching
consequences were made by the white people
—and many were made by the colored1 people
—mistakes which even now invite censure,
merit sympathy, and for which circumstances
considered in the fuller light of Christian char¬
ity much can well be forgiven. Even more, ex¬
cept as a disagreeable historical fact, entirely
forgotten. Both sides feeling, as perhaps they
did, that they were more sinned against than
sinning—much may now be condoned that
was then loudly condemned. Consider the
following:
The untutored negro, having no preparation
for his guidance as a free man other than that
which slavery had taught him, is suddenly
given the right to go where and when he
pleases—to be his own undisputed boss. In
40
his untrained condition, to confuse license with
liberty was easy. He was but human. His
enormous and undreamed of privileges were
entrancingly delightful, thoroughly intoxicat¬
ing. With his inheritance of citizenship, de¬
signing men, whose purpose was not to help
him, but for their own aggrandisement, to use
him, preyed upon his ignorance, credulity and
fear and taught him to believe that the Repub¬
lican party, because of unadulterated love,
pure and simple, at a great cost, secured his
emancipation and, at a still greater cost, exist¬
ed primarily for securing his continued free¬
dom—that to and for him the party was the
ship—all else was the sea—that the Demo¬
cratic party had striven mightily against his
emancipation, and that its continued existence
was solely and only for the purpose of secur¬
ing his re-enslavement. For reasons, historic¬
ally known, the Southern white people were
then as now, uncompromising Democrats. And
the resentment which the war and the attend¬
ant outcome had developed in their bosom,
consciously or unconsciously, expressed itself
in a well-defined antipathy for the negro. Thus
the two races between whom mutual love and
confidence had long existed, though living
41 6
among" and with each other were veritable
aliens in any common purpose and, in not a
few cases, pronounced enemies. And it is, or
ought to be, a well known fact that, in any
given area, but little progress can be realized,
when next door neighbors are at enmity against
each other. Such for years was the fate of
the South.
The negro in his enthusiasm, occasioned by
his freedom and citizenship, was far more con¬
cerned about putting his man in the Senate
than he was about putting money of his own
in the bank; the holding of an office concerned
him more than did the owning of land; his
conceptions magnified the privileges of citizen¬
ship, while his sense of its responsibilities was
most distant. Political campaigns were con¬
ducted, not by arguments in regard to the sci¬
ence and principles of government, but rather
by depicting the horrors of slavery and the
greater horrors that would follow the defeat
of the "pahtee;" ignorance filled the offices, di¬
rected by mercenary intelligence; and govern¬
ment existed not for the benefit of the gov¬
erned, but for the filling of the pockets of the
intelligent mercenaries. Education, which
Northern benevolence made possible for the
42
negro was, for the most part, looked upon by
him merely as an open sesame to the realms in
which the degrading necessity of manual labor
was unknown and unknowable.
The Southern white man made no effort to
appeal to the negro's remembrance of the mu¬
tual love, confidence and understanding that
had' once existed between them, nor did he at¬
tempt by any interest shown in the negro's
uplift and general improvement to give prom¬
ise of a better state of things. His resentment,
and the impassable line of unwarranted fears
of social equality made such impossible. For
lack of manifested interest in the negro at
the psychological period, he allowed the negro
to believe him to be an insidious, designing
enemy, and then with much pent-up resent¬
ment blamed him for believing so.
Being impotent at the ballot box, and an in¬
effectual factor in the government, the proud
spirit and intelligence of the Anglo-Saxon
found a way, as he considered it, for self-pro¬
tection and for the preservation of his civiliza¬
tion. In consequence, the Ku Klux came into
existence. And in this case, unerring as the
laws of cause and effect, confusion became
worse confounded. The negro's fears were
43
enlarged and alienation from the while man
was increased. Wrong cannot fight wrong.
The purpose intended here is not to magni¬
fy any ill or condone any wrong that then
existed. If, however, the Blue and the Gray
can now march side by side in reunions, and
a Confederate veteran can deliver an oration
at Gettysburg, ought not the negro and the
Southern white man, with calmness and with¬
out passion, look the past in the face and read
the lesson it has for them both?
With aliens and ignorance in control of
their government, it must be admitted that in¬
spired by fears of things actual and imaginary
—prompted by motives of self-preservation
and the preservation of their civilization, the
Southern white people had powerful motives
for rash action in which the end sought seem¬
ed to justify the means employed. But was
there not a better way?
Are not the more thoughtful negroes learn¬
ing that the race must begin at the bottom
and not at the top?—that to be identified with
and to be a part of the progress of progressive
America, they must, with trained brain and
skilled hands and scientific methods, be a rec¬
ognized and essential factor in that progress?
44
JETER CHURCH
Rev. Thomas Key, Pastor
OFFICIAL BOARD OF JETER CHURCH
Are not the more thoughtful white people be¬
ginning to understand that it is to the best in¬
terest of the white man, as well as to the negro,
that, under Christian influences, the negro be
given a helping hand in his acquirement of a
trained brain and skilled hands? Does not a
broad patriotism—even civilized selfishness
demand it? Can our Christian civilization re¬
fuse less? Have not schools for negroes, like
the Bettis Academy, justified, by results, their
maintenance ?
The sober common sense exhibited by the
Rev. Alexander Bettis during the days of Re¬
construction is well shown by the following:
Regardless of what ills, abuses or wrongs
were done to him or to any member of his
race, he never sought nor counseled retalia¬
tion. On any and all occasions, he delighted
to teach that two wrongs could never make
one right.
On one occasion, at one of the churches of
Rev. Alexander Bettis, the Rev. Thos. Sease,
an old-time preacher, preached a sermon from
the text "the Lord has delivered his sheep out
of the hands of the enemy and placed them in
the care of Moses." His treatment of his
theme was such that some white people who
45
were present easily believed that his references
were such that they were likely to stir up race
hostilities. Anyway, that very night, at "the
hands of parties unknown," the Rev. Thomas
Sease experienced that long, last sleep from
which no rude awakening ever comes. To
kill the Rev. Alexander Bettis, it was also plan¬
ned, and a crowd, as he afterwards learned, lay
in wait for him at a point in the road along
which he must pass. How wonderful are the
ways in which Providence protects His own!
It chanced—or was it mere chance?—that Mr.
Bettis' horse had become sick, and he had bor¬
rowed a horse, upon which he rode unrecog¬
nized past the crowd awaiting him. Being
thus baffled it was later agreed to go to the
home of Bettis, take him out and "do him up,"
as they significantly termed it. They did come,
and when they told the humble preacher their
mission, he calmly replied, "Gentlemen, I per¬
ceive that some of you have come quite a dis¬
tance. I know you are tired and must be hun¬
gry; permit me to have supper made ready for
you." And calling his wife, Winnie, he re¬
quested her to prepare supper at once for the
gentlemen. While supper was being prepared
he turned to the men who had thus invaded
46
his home and said, "Gentlemen, you ought
never do anything upon which you cannot ask
God's blessing. And while supper is being
prepared, let us all bow and pray with me that
God will bless whatever we may do to¬
night.'' They bowed. Bettis prayed. Supper
was served ana eaten, after which the men de¬
parted, but not without assuring the preacher
that they would never bother him nor would
they knowingly allow anybody else to do so.
Never again did the Klu Klux, or white people,
in any other way, meddle or interfere with the
Rev. Alexander Bettis.
In addition to his constant preaching of
"Peace on earth, good will to men," two inci¬
dents among many may well be mentioned:
When Rev. John Hammonds, a negro
preacher of great influence, was getting up
emigrants to go to Arkansas, he went all over
the section in which the Rev. Alexander Bettis
was the spiritual leader. He so vividly depict¬
ed and magnified the wrongs of the colored
people that when he put before them Arkan¬
sas as a land of Utopia, and reiterated the spe¬
cial inducements which the emigration agency,
for which he was working, enabled him to
offer, the people became wild with their dis-
47
content and a general exodus to Arkansas was
agreed to. Had it been carried out lack of
laborers would have rendered thousands of
acres of land in Aiken and Edgefield counties
valueless. The Rev. Alexander Bettis, from
pulpit and from house to house, proclaimed
that "the negro need not hope to succeed any¬
where this side of heaven without work, and
that if he will act right, behave himself and be
honest and industrious, as he ought to be,
these white people here will prove to be as
good as any people anywhere on earth." So
successfully did he thus teach, that he made
the general exodus a failure.
At another time when the Rev. Alexander
Bettis showed his common sense and good will
towards the white people was on the occasion
of the "Ned Tennant Riot." Briefly stated
the facts were these:
The military companies of South Carolina
were, during that period, composed of colored
men. In Edgefield county "Ned Tennant,"
an untutored negro, was the captain of a com¬
pany. Some white people had done something
to Ned Tennant, to retaliate for which he had
the drum beat to assemble the militia. They
came, as many as three companies assembled.
48
The rumor was somehow put in circulation
that promiscuous and general destruction of
the whites was talked and agreed on, that
many who did not belong to the militia were
rashly in sympathy with the extermination of
the whites, and were planning to assist in the
effort proposed of doing so. It was then that
the Rev. Alexander Bettis appeared on the
scene as a most potent factor. He made all of
those who were members of his churches come
out of the companies. He so rode, pleaded
with and persuaded his own people that white
and colored accepted his proposals for the ter¬
mination of the riot. And, in consequence,
without the shedding of blood, the riot was
ended.
As a result of this riot, and the fact that in
the rural sections in these counties, the beating
of the drum was the means of assembling large
crowds of colored people together—a thing
the white people, not without reason, feared—
the law was made among them that among the
negroes there must not, on any occasion, be
any drum beating. Still at all the gatherings
at the academy there was beating of the drum.
No one interferred with it there or anywhere
49 7
else if the one beating it could prove that the
Rev. Alexander Bettis told him to do so.
In the grave, the Rev. Alexander Bettis
sleeps. Already his body has turned to dust.
But he has taught a lesson to the colored peo¬
ple and a lesson to the white people that each
could, with profit, afford to learn. As to the
colored people: He has taught them that by
thrift, economy, unselfishness and education
they can command and, ultimately demand,
the respect, confidence and esteem of the white
people, and in prosperity live at peace among
them. For training the negro youth to a real¬
ization of that fact the Bettis Academy stands
and is strenuously laboring. As to the white
people: He has shown that his mistress was,
in the days of slavery, kind to him and because
of her kindness gave him some training, even
teaching him to read; that it was this training
and the ability to read that caused him to be¬
come a leader among his people; that it was
love for and gratitude to his mistress that pre¬
vented him from growing sour or nursing any
resentment against the white people, but rather
to seek for the best interest of the whites, even
while working for the highest and most lasting
£ood of his own race. Since Bettis Academy
50
was brought into existence to teach the prin¬
ciples which the life of Alexander Bettis em¬
phasized, since it has been successfully teach¬
ing and will ever teach those principles, the
white people can well afford to levy tax upon
the gratitude of the negro of tomorrow, even
as Mrs. Jones, the mistress of Bettis, was able
to levy it for her good and the good of her peo¬
ple, from that negro of yesterday. Plainly
speaking, the negro should take advantage of
the opportunities which Bettis Academy gives,
and the white people should generously aid
Bettis Academy to have such advantages to
give. Were these things done, the Peace on
Earth, Good Will to Men, which the Rev.
Alexander Bettis both lived and preached,
would, in the largest measure, be realized.
51
MR. BETTIS AS A CHURCH
ORGANIZER.
In all the Rev. Ale^nder Bettis brought into
existence and organized more than forty Bap¬
tist churches. Being the first and at that time
the only negro Baptist preacher in Edgefield
and Aiken counties, it fell to his lot to be the
pastor of each and every church he organized,
until there had come forward and he had or¬
dained a man whom he deemed worthy to as¬
sume and carry on the pastoral work. How
did Mr. Bettis manage to serve so many
churches at one and the same time? one may
ask. He went to them when he could, their
preaching day being whatever Sunday he
might appoint at the given church. Having
ordained sufficient preachers to carry on the
work, he concentrated his energies upon the
pastoral care of four of them, and of these he
remained pastor until his death. Upon the four
he stamped his ideals of missionary and edu¬
cational efforts. So thoroughly was this done,
and so well did he instill his ideas and stand¬
ards into his deacons that even unto this day
these four churches, under the leadership of
52
MT. CANAAN CHURCH AND ITS OFFICIAL
BOARD
Rev. H. L. RyanB, Pastor
those deacons, make possible the continuance
of the Bettis Academy. These four churches
are Mt. Canaan, Shaw's Creek, Jeters and
Pleasant Grove.
THE MT. CANAAN CHURCH.
On the very day in 1868 that the Rev. Alex¬
ander Bettis was ordained to preach, and at
the very same place—his grave being on the
very spot on which he kneeled when being or¬
dained—the Mt. Canaan Church was organ¬
ized with a membership of 17 persons. Being
the only negro church for miles and miles
around, negroes generally withdrew their
membership from the white churches and
brought it there. In three years' time it had a
membership of more than 2,000. And not¬
withstanding the fact that 1,000 members were
withdrawn at one time to form another church,
the membership at the time the Rev. Alexan¬
der Bettis died was 2,400. Today it is reputed
to be more than 2,700.
JETER'S CHURCH.
In 1870, ten miles southwest of Edgefield C.
H., there was a white Methodist church, in
which, due to the small attendance, services
53
had ceased to be held. Seizing' the opportun¬
ity it offered, Mr. Bettis purchased it, and or¬
ganized therein a Baptist church. By a series of
revival efforts he greatly added to its mem¬
bership; so much that at the time of his death
it was, and has since remained, one of the larg¬
est churches in the county. It has a member¬
ship of 1,300 at present.
SHAW'S CREEK CHURCH.
In 1871 the Shaw's Creek Church was or¬
ganized with 1,000 members. It came about
this way: About five miles from Trenton, the
Rev. Alexander Bettis frequently preached at
a point, which they called Arbor's Stand, to
the members of Mt. Canaan who lived in that
section, and who, on account of the great dis¬
tance to Canaan, could not regularly attend ap¬
pointed worship there. Whenever there were
any converts at this point they had to come
to Canaan to be baptized. In consequence,
wisdom seemed to dictate the organization of
a church at the Arbor's Stand. With 1,000
members, belonging to Mt. Canaan, it was
done. The present membership is 2,500.
54
PLEASENT GROVE CHURCH.
It was in 1869 that the white people's church
four miles north of Edgefield, on account of
the scarcity of the white people — especially
white Baptists, for it was a Baptist church—
was sold. The Rev. Alexander Bettis bought
it, and organized therein the Pleasant Grove
Baptist Church. This church also grew rapid¬
ly, and when Mr. Bettis died, it was in mem¬
bership, influence and financially one of the
strongest churches in Western Carolina. To¬
day it has a membership of 1,500.
55
TESTIMONIALS.
Estimate of the Character of Rev. Alexander
Bettis by Prominent Southern Men.
When it is remembered that the Rev. Alex¬
ander Bettis could read somewhat, but could
write none at all, not even his name, and when
it is further remembered that the major por¬
tion of his life's work was done at a time, in
South Carolina, when race antipathy was
greatest; when prejudice, engendered and in¬
tensified by politics, was most unreasoning,
blind and bitter, the fact that he so labored
and wrought among his own ignorant people
as to turn their aims and efforts in the right
direction, in which even now they continue to
go with accelerated speed, stamp him, it must
be admitted, as an extraordinary man. And
when it is borne in mind that he stemmed
the tide of adverse sentiment among his own
people; defied the all-powerful political bosses
of that day; refused to allow his name to be
even used in connection with positions of
honor and emoluments most desirable, which
positions he could easily have had, had he but
turned aside from his labors as an humble
56
minister of the gospel, and ceased so strenu¬
ously to preach the doctrine of "peace on
earth, good will towards men" he commands,
though in the grave, our admiration and won¬
der. That, for the part he played, at the time
he played it, in the affairs of South Carolina,
the negroes are indebted no little cannot be
denied. That for his common sense, honesty
of purpose, unselfishness and uprightness of
heart, the Southern white people owe him
much, must be admitted. In consequence, fit¬
ting indeed are the appended testimonials of
the eminent men who turn aside to testify to
the worth of an humble negro.
Concerning the Rev. Alexander Bettis, the
Hon. B. R. Tillman, formerly Governor of and
now United States Senator from South Caro¬
lina, says:
Washington, D. C., July 10th, 1913.
"Prof. A. W. Nicholson,
"Trenton, South Carolina.
"My Dear Sir: Replying to yours of July
8th. Rev. Alexander Bettis, who founded the
academy over which you preside, was in many
respects a remarkable man. Born a slave,
without any opportunity to go to school, he
educated himself sufficiently to become a lead¬
er among the negroes, who respected him very
highly indeed.
57 8
"He wielded great influence over his race,
and as far as I ever knew that influence was al¬
ways exerted for good. I have never heard any¬
one speak ill of him in my life, and I believe his
life was devoted to the work of trying to ele¬
vate and humanize and civilize and educate
the negroes. If there were more men like him
among the negroes there would not be so much
crime.
"Very respectfully,
"B. R. TILLMAN."
The Rev. Richard Carroll, who as preacher,
lecturer and humanitarian, is undoubtedly the
most widely and favorably known negro in
South Carolina, says:
"Serving, as I did, at one time, in the gen¬
eral or field work of the colored Baptist de¬
nomination in South Carolina, I frequently
visited, as it was my duty to do, the associa¬
tions and other annual bodies which had been
organized by the Rev. Alexander Bettis, and
over which, at that time, he presided. As none
of these bodies would consent to hear any rep¬
resentative of anything to which he did not
favor the giving of a hearing, and as he had
had a difference with the leaders, prior to, or
at the organization of, the Baptist State Con¬
vention, it chanced that of all the general work¬
ers I was the only one to whom a hearing, in
that locality, was granted. The privilege of be¬
ing heard at these annual gatherings was not
only mine, but I enjoyed also his urgent in-
58
vitation to visit any and all of his churches
whenever I chose or my convenience would
allow. To take advantage of these I was in
no way slow. For the man more than inter¬
ested me. In fact, the better to study him, I
once spent more than three whole days in his
home, as his guest, with no other object in
view. So it was in that way I really came to
kno^w the real Rev. Alexander Bettis, whose ac¬
quaintance I consider myself most fortunate
to have acquired.
"With utmost candor and sincerity most pro¬
found, I do not" hesitate to say that circum¬
stances considered, his lack of training and en¬
vironment taken into account, he was, to my
mind, the most remarkable man I ever knew.
And regardless of those hindrances, he was, and
at any time, among any race, would have been
a most remarkable man. That he was a verit¬
able leader among men must be admitted. That
he was a Moses to and for his race cannot be
denied. In time of war, he would have made
an excellent general; in fact, an officer of any
kind in which great talent for organizing and
marshaling large forces was required. He
was 'a mighty man in Israel!'
"Quick, accurate, philosophical in thought,
seriously earnest, unquestionably honest, thor¬
oughly conscientious, wholly unselfish, abso¬
lutely void of any bellicose spirit, with an un¬
conquerable repugnance, an all consuming
hatred to any and all kinds of shams and hy¬
pocrisy, he demanded and commanded the
respect, if not admiration, of all who knew
him.
"He had a most wonderful knowledge of hu-
59
man nature. He somehow just knew men. At
a glance, he would form his opinion of a man,
which opinion he would, upon more intimate
acquaintance, have no occasion either to en¬
large or modify.
"To all institutions which did not have for
their primal purpose the education of the peo¬
ple, and the glory of God, he was unalterably
opposed. As he saw it, he was the bitter foe of
any and all secret societies. He claimed, on
the one hand, that people, whose doings were
right, had no cause to make a secret of them.
On the other, he claimed that poor negroes, to
whom school houses and churches were such
an immediate and positive need, could ill af¬
ford to be squandering money in the building
of society halls and in paying society dues.
"While there is a psychological reason for
the fact that people who themselves are unedu¬
cated least feel the need of an education and
are least concerned about advancing the cause
of education, he was a notable exception to
the rule. With him the education—Christian
education — of his people was a consuming
passion.
"As a preacher he had none of the negro's
native oratorical fervor. For the gospel moan
and negro 'pulpit whang-doodle' he had pro¬
found contempt, and was most unscathing in
his denunciation of it. He believed in his soul
that the Christian religion could and would
settle to the best good and contentment of all
concerned each and every real or imaginary
human wrong. For that reason he continued
to be an humble minister of the gospel among
his lowly people, even though at one time he
60
OFFICIAL BOARD OF PLEASANT GROVE CHURCH
could easily have had any political office with¬
in the gift of either Edgefield or Aiken county.
"As a preacher, too, he was simple, clear,
concise—epigrammatic, illustrative in style.
A child could easily follow and appreciate his
discourse. Like his Master, who when He
preached taught the people, was Bettis.
"For the founding of the Bettis Academy
and other constructive work the negroes of
Edgefield and Aiken counties owe him a debt
of everlasting gratitude. For refusing to be
selfish, for counselling peace and good will to
and for all men, when the angry passions of
race hatred and political prejudice threatened
South Carolina with consequences more dire
than were the ravages of the Civil War, the
white people too are none the less indebted to
him. And since the Bettis Academy was
founded to carry out, and is successfully carry¬
ing out, the principles for whose triumph he
strove, in what better way could the colored
people, the white people, any who glory in
civic righteousness and the furtherance of the
Christian religion, make effort to pay that debt
than by helping to maintain and perpetuate
the work of Bettis Academy?
"To my mind, as truly as the mantle of Elijah
fell upon Elisha, so to a large, a very large de¬
gree, have the high ideals and lofty concep¬
tions of Bettis fallen to and are now being
worked out by A. W. Nicholson, in his work at
the Bettis Academy. The Rev. Alexander Bet¬
tis believed in and trusted Nicholson as he be¬
lieved in and trusted no other man, and well
he might have. For Nicholson is a man of
61
spotless life, practical, earnest, unselfish, hon¬
est—a man of much wisdom and a great meas¬
ure of common sense. Like Bettis, his life is
given to the effort to lift up a standard for the
people.
"In conclusion, the Rev. Alexander Bettis
was a tower of strength, a preacher whose ser¬
mons for effectiveness and lasting good far
surpassed the sermons of the average negro
college graduate of today; he sought not his
own, but the glory of God through the uplift
and betterment of the people. He was mighty
in word and deed.
"RICHARD CARROLL."
"Columbia, S. C."
The Hon. John Gary Evans, formerly Gov¬
ernor of South Carolina, says:
"Spartanburg, S. C., July 26, 1913.
"Prof. A. W. Nicholson,
"Trenton, S. C.
"Dear Sir: I am in receipt of your letter
asking me for an expression of opinion as to
the character of Alex. Bettis and I cheerfully
comply.
"Alex. Bettis, or Brother Bettis, as he was
called by the negroes and most white people
who knew him, was one of the most remark¬
able negroes of his age. He was one of the
best negroes I ever knew. As a minister he
preached the true gospel and principles of'
Christ as he understood them. As a man and
leader he stood for all that was best, and his in-
62
fluence was for the betterment and general up¬
lifting of his race. Alex had no education; he
could read the Bible a little, and write poorly,
an ex-slave, he seemed to realize that before his
people could expect anything they must gain
the confidence of the white land owners among
whom they lived and were dependent. With
this end in view, he established on the line of
Aiken and Edgefield counties, South Carolina,
an academy and gave it his name. It was the
first industrial school for negroes in the State,
and has done great good for the race.
"Alex believed that the best friend to his race
was the intelligent Southern white man, and
he taught his students to be faithful and honest
and to live in peace with their benefactor, the
good white man.
"After my admission to the bar in Augusta,
Ga., I returned to South Carolina and opened
an office in Aiken, S. C. Alex, gettis was one
of my first clients. He knew my uncle in Edge¬
field, and came to me to help me along as it
were, and I appreciated it. One of my first
cases was the defense of two Edgefield negro
boys charged with murdering an old miser and
hermit named Bettis. I immediately went to
Alex, and he knew all parties well. He told
me that the boys were not guilty, as they were
members of his church and he would help me.
He did so and we proved a complete alibi by
reputable white men, and the jury promptly
returned a verdict of not guilty. The real mur¬
derer, a white man, was never brought to jus¬
tice, although Alex furnished me with evidence
that 1 believed would have convicted him, but
before we could indict him, he fled the State.
63
This man was the principal prosecutor of the
negro boys.
"Alex Bettis feminded me very much of
Abraham Lincoln. He reached his followers
and bound them to him by expressions of sim¬
ple common sense rules of conduct. He bore
himself always with great dignity, and had he
received the education that Booker Washing¬
ton did, he would have gained the title of fore¬
most man of his race, as he was sincere and
honest. The leaders of the white men in Old
Edgefield had great respect for Alex during
reconstruction days, and whenever a conflict
seemed imminent between the races, he always
worked for peace and good order.
"Alex was brave and fearless and his associa¬
tion with the good men of old Edgefield mould¬
ed his character after theirs. He acquired their
virtues and shunned their vices, becoming a
scion of a civilization that can never be equall¬
ed and 'tis pity 'tis dead.
"Truly yours,
"JOHN GARY EVANS."
Hon. J. W. DeVore, Judge of the Eleventh
Circuit, South Carolina, says:
"Edgefield, S. C, July 9th, 1913.
"A. W. Nicholson, Esq.,
"Trenton S. C.
"Dear Sir: "I have yours, without date, in
regard to Rev. Alexander Bettis. In reply am
forced to say: I do not recall having seen Rev.
Bettis but once. I never at any time talked
64
or conversed with, hence I know nothing of
him from my own personal knowledge.
"I do know, however, he had the general
reputation among his own (colored) race of
being a man devoted to Christianity, long ways
above the average, in Christian knowledge,
among the ablest ministers of the gospel, of his
race, and did all he could for the uplift and bet¬
terment of his race, in every way.
"He had the general reputation among the
white people of being a man who wielded great
influence over his race, and exerted himself
and his energy in keeping and maintaining
good and friendly feeling between the two
races, always being opposed to and discourag¬
ing friction of every kind.
"Based on hearsay, 1 regard Rev. Alexander
Bettis, deceased, as having been one of the
most useful men of his time, for the purposes
and along the line suggested here.
"Yours respectfully,
"J. W. DeVORE."
Mr. James L. Quimby, president of the Bank
of Graniteville, S. C., says:
" 'A prophet is not without honor save in his
own country' could not have been said of the
Rev. Alexander Bettis, the founder of Bettis
Academy in South Carolina, for he was hon¬
ored and respected by all well-meaning people,
white or colored, who knew him; and consider¬
ing the great opposition to negro schools by a
large number of white persons so soon after
the emancipation of the slaves, he was signally
65
successful in his efforts to establish this school
at that time.
"Nothing but his native ability, honesty of
purpose, indefatigable energy and the confi¬
dence of his white friends could have enabled
him to accomplish what he did, and leave be¬
hind him an institution which is proving so
great a blessing to his race.
"I knew him well from about the time he
began the work of his school until his death,
and it was a pleasure to count as my friend a
man who seemed to me, to have been divinely
called, who heeded the call, and like the Apos¬
tle Paul, gave his life to the work.
"It is exceedingly fortunate that his mantle
has fallen upon one whom he had a hand in
training, and who is so well equipped for such
a responsible work.
"President A. W. Nicholson, like his prede¬
cessor, has his heart, mind and energy in the
work, is succeeding and has the confidence of
all who know him.
"JAS. L. QUIMBY."
"Graniteville, S. C."
S. McG. Simkins, Esq., the well-known at¬
torney of Edgefield, South Carolina, thus ex¬
presses himself about Mr. Bettis:
"Edgefield, S. C., Aug. 15th, 1913.
"Prof. A. W. Nicholson,
"Trenton, S. C.
"Dear Sir: You ask that I give my estimate
of the life and character of the late Rev. Alex-
66
ander Bettis, which I take pleasure in very
briefly doing. I had no personal acquaintance
with him, and therefore what I say is from gen¬
eral reputation, one of the very best, if not the
best way to judge a man, such a rule being
laid down by the common law, which is said to
be and is the perfection of human reason.
From the reputation given him by both white
and black he was a man of the highest honor
and strict integrity and of strong intellectual¬
ity, and possessed an unusual amount of 'good
horse common sense,' which he used with
great and telling effect in directing his people
in the right path, and trying to bring them to
a realization of the importance of living sober,
upright and industrious lives, thereby gaining
for themselves the respect and confidence of
their fellow men, and advancing their material
condition. He was conspicuous as an organ¬
izer, and as far as I know or ever heard of,
no man ever approached him in the influence
he exerted over his people, and it was all for
the good. He absolutely eschewed politics,
and unlike many leaders of his race, never in¬
cited them to take interest or action along that
line. He was not only an organizer, but a
man of determined and restless energy, all of
which is amply verified by the work he did for
his people in a material way, the Bettis Acad¬
emy, of which he was the founder and for
many years the promoter, being a living exam¬
ple of the fact. During the writing of this I
have asked several white citizens of Edgefield
who knew him, what manner of man was the
Rev. Alexander Bettis, and the reply in each
instance was 'that he was the best and most
67
influential negro that ever lived in Edgefield
county.'
"Very respectfully
"S. McG. SIMKINS."
IN MEMORIAM.
On his grave, at Mt. Canaan Church, on
the very spot on which he kneeled when the
holy hands of ordination were laid upon his
head, a monument, expressive of the love and
gratitude of the people to and for the Rev.
Alexander Bettis, stands. On its four sides are
the following inscriptions:
"In memory of the Rev. Alexander Bettis,
Born August 4, 1836, whose soul made meet
for glory May 13, 1895, resting in the silent
grave at Mt. Canaan, near Bettis Academy, in
Edgefield Co., S. C. There deposited in hope
of a joyful resurrection to eternal life and
glory."
"Like his Master, was by some disliked;
Like Him by many others loved and prized;
But theirs shall be the everlasting crown,
Not whom the world but Jesus Christ will
own.
"His work is done;
His race is run;
And he has heard
That loving welcome,
'Servant, well done!' "
68
"He was a man eminent in piety; of a hu¬
mane, benevolent and charitable disposition.
His zeal in the cause of God was singular; his
labors indefatigable, and his success, preach¬
ing the gospel, remarkable and astonishing."
"Rev. Bettis was founder of Bettis Academy;
was its president thirteen years, until he died;
was pastor of four churches, and moderator of
the Mt. Canaan Association from its organiza¬
tion until his death; moderator of Mt. Canaan
Union Meetings, and president of the Home
Mission Baptist State Convention."
69
BETTIS ACADEMY
About five miles from Vancluse, a village,
and three miles from Sunny Brook, a flag
station, both on the Southern Railroad, be¬
tween Columbia, S. C., and Augusta, Ga.—
out in the open country, set on high ground in
an oak ^rove of surpassing beauty, and sur¬
rounded by well cultivated farms, owned and
controlled by negroes, there will be found a
group of five excellent buildings, admirably
suited to their purpose, and five less preten¬
tious ones, some, not all of the group, being
painted. This is Bettis Academy.
As the school is near the boundary line of
Aik^n and Edgefield counties, it is about equi¬
distant from the cities of Edgefield and Aiken.
With the late Rev. Alexander Bettis acting
as leader, the school originated with the col¬
ored people themselves, and through a more
or less effective organization of the local col¬
ored Baptist churches, has been well main¬
tained by them, with the meager aid of the
public school fund, for more than 25 years.
When Mr. Bettis saw his strenuous advo¬
cacy of the establishment of a school was
about to bear fruit, he wisely foresaw this:
70
That to carry the project to success, the work
must be placed only in the hands of those
whose sympathy and loyalty were assured. In
accordance with the principle that it is wisdom
to get the cage for the bird before you get
the bird, he chose to prepare teachers for the
school before the school was yet a reality. Ac¬
cordingly, he influenced and prevailed upon
some of his stronger churches to select from
their number some apt young man or young
men who should be sent away to school, and
whose expenses should be borne by the
given church in which the membership rested.
Prominent among the young men thus select¬
ed and chosen was Hampton Matthias and
Alfred W. Nicholson. It was Mr. Bettis' plan
that these two young men should go to school
until the academy had started; then each
should alternate the other as principal of the
academy and in attendance at school, each
successive year.
Both Matthias and Nicholson attended the
Schofield School at Aiken, and later the At¬
lanta University, Atlanta, Ga., where they
both took high rank in all that appertains to
school life.
January 1st, 1882, the first school building
71
at Bettis Academy was dedicated and the
school formally opened. According to the ar¬
rangements mentioned above, the first prin¬
cipal was Hampton Matthias, who had im¬
proved his opportunities at Aiken and Atlanta
so well as to be admirably fitted for the posi¬
tion. He died very early, but not, however,
before he had impressed his own high charac¬
ter upon the school, and secured for it the ex¬
cellent name that it has ever borne.
Matthias was succeeded by his companion
and friend, Alfred W. Nicholson, who for more
than twenty-eight years has presided over and
directed the affairs of the institution, and seen
it gradually advance to its present place of in¬
fluence and usefulness.
The school had no sooner opened than it
was seen that something must be done to pro¬
vide a shelter for pupils coming from a dis¬
tance, who could not go home to get their
meals and to spend their nights. So in the
second year of the school's existence, a large
hall was erected for the use of the girls, and be¬
fore the end of another year a two-room house
had been erected for the boys. The girls' hall,
which at first was an open one, remained with¬
out partitions until 1905, when it was taken
72
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53
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53
OFFICIAL BOARD OF SHAW'S CREEK CHURCH
down and rebuilt, in its present form, with
separate rooms, each to be occupied by four
girls.
It has been the custom for the boarding
students to bring with them from their homes
what ever furniture they need, and also the
unprepared food for their tables. And by a
kind of spontaneous co-operation, the occu¬
pants of each house, under competent super¬
vision, have carried on their simple housekeep¬
ing, with the result that their expenses are far
less and their knowledge of practical, economi¬
cal housekeeping proportionately enlarged. A
clear spring in a valley near by affords an
abundant supply of pure water; and there, un¬
der the open sky, with kettles suspended over
a log fire, by means of a pole, and with tubs
set on benches conveniently arranged they
have, under competent supervision, their nat¬
ural laundry.
The simple life here lived, and by no means
different from that lived by the pupils at their
own homes, except that at every step they
have competent instructors to correct and di¬
rect, gives this school a power for good, not
easily estimated, in the production of "home-
makers." The neat, cleanly, sanitary, though
73 10
humble homes, over which the academy has
for miles around exerted an influence, bear
silent but indisputable evidence of that fact.
It cannot be too strongly emphasized that the
training at Bettis Academy, and the atmos¬
phere there are not designed nor do they serve
to put the pupil out of harmony with his or
her home life, but rather to increase apprecia¬
tion for the simple life, and to give a vision of
usefulness and contentment, with training suf¬
ficient and character determined to make that
vision a wholesome realization. Such has Bet¬
tis Academy been. And anyone who will
carefully read the life, work and methods of
that earnest, practical man, Prof. A. W. Nich¬
olson, about whom Prof. John R. Wilson else¬
where in this volume tells, will be convinced,
that as long as he has the management and di¬
rection of the affairs of the institution in hand,
while accurate scholarship will be required and
rigid discipline will be enforced, yet a proper
grasp of the meaning and purpose of life, and
a thorough mastery of the art of getting much
out of life by putting much into life will con¬
stitute the primary effort or basal endeavor.
The immeasureable helpfulness of the acad-
74
emy can somewhat be grasped by an apprecia¬
tion of the follownng facts:
It is the school, for the most part, of the ne¬
groes generally, for a section of county larger
than Rhode Island. For several miles imme¬
diately surrounding the school the land, except
in isolated cases, is owned by negroes, who by
strict adherence to progressive and scientific
methods of farming, have demonstrated that
much land which could easily have been bought
for $5 per acre twelve years ago, could not now
be bought for $5o per acre.
Influenced by the teachings of the institut¬
ion, there has existed and now exists an asso¬
ciation whose endeavor it is to buy up land in
large tracts, divide them into farms as desired,
and, for a reasonable amount to be paid within
a reasonable time, sell them to people of thrift
and character whose presence would be an ac¬
tual asset to the community.
A feature, of no small importance, tending
to show the intimate connection of the acad¬
emy with the ordinary life of the people, is
the autumnal fair that is held each November at
the academy, the ground adjacent being fenced
and provided with a barn and stalls, erected
especially for that purpose. In this way, as in
other ways, the academy readily becomes a
veritable center for education in farming, stock
raising and the various pursuits belonging to
the upbuilding of the country home, and in the
rural mode of living. With not a few, the ef¬
fort to exhibit the best breed of stock and the
best yield, in quantity and quality, from a
given area of land, has become a wholesome
passion, somewhat contagious, as is evidenced
by the increased results each year. A number
of farmers, in the immediate territory contig-
ous to the school, in their highly wrought zeal
to be abreast of the times in best results on
the farm, are carrying on experiments with
choice seeds secured from the United States
Bureau of Plant Industry and, under the su¬
pervision of the principal of the academy, in¬
telligently follow instructions furnished by it.
Industrial training, to a limited extent, is
given at the academy. There are other fea¬
tures which President Nicholson is adding, and
will add as he gets the means with which to
do so.
Instruction of this kind is of peculiar value
to the young people for whom this school sets
the pace for and standards of life. Their eag¬
er desire to make the most of any or all oppor-
76
tunities of the kind makes it the more to be
regretted that, for lack of means with which
to furnish it, any opportunity should be de¬
nied them. The place the academy occupies
in the life of the territory in which it is situ¬
ated makes the following additional industrial
features well nigh imperative: Cooking, house¬
keeping, care of sick, prevention of disease.
While something, even now, is being done
along these lines, yet the training to be satis¬
factorily efficient must necessarily be system¬
atic. To have it so means not as yet in hand
must be had.
While the training received at the academy
has caused many hundreds of young wom¬
en to become intelligent, contented home-
makers in the rural homes, and while it has
caused an equal number of young men to re¬
gard farming as a profession and so to dignify
it as such that they are contented to make it
their life's vocation, it must not be inferred
that the literary training is a side issue. Such
is by no means the case.
Evidence of the intellectual, moral and re¬
ligious training of the institution is found in
the large number of those who have gone out
from its influence and held, with credit to
77
themselves, and satisfaction to those concern¬
ed, positions as teachers and in other callings.
An utterance of Mr. F. A. Peters, who for sev¬
eral years has been employed by the State
Board of Education to conduct summer nor¬
mal schools for the benefit of colored teachers,
will here bear repeating. He said:
"At each session, pupils trained at Bettis
Academy formed a large percentage of the en¬
rollment, and at Edgefield they were about
two-thirds of the school of over two hundred.
All were teaching or intending to teach, and
were studious, energetic, earnest."
The following extract appearing in the Sun¬
light from the pen of Mr. Henry W. Wilbur,
of Philadelphia, under the caption "A Word
From the North" will also bear repeating:
"The writer is thoroughly convinced that
there are few schools in the South for the edu¬
cation of the negro doing better work, or more
deserving of assistance than Bettis Academy.
In addition to the service it performs in the
line of education which can be imparted in the
school room, this institution, with the con¬
structive labor of Principal Nicholson and his
assistants, is the centre of a general impulse
and uplift in the community. The problem
of economic success for the negro on land has
the strongest possible support from Mr. Nich¬
olson. With the negro a successful farmer,
78
and owner of his farm in fee simple, the re¬
spect which is instinctively felt towards men
who make good is bound to go out to the col¬
ored man of this type.
"Bettis is unique in more ways than one.
For the larger part of the institution's life this
school has been supported by the colored peo¬
ple of the vicinity. In fact the aggregate help
from the outside has been relatively small.
Having been in existence for nearly a genera¬
tion, Bettis long ago passed its experimental
point. It has been a fine sample of applied
self-help in the negro's struggle upward. For
this reason it deserves much more help and
sympathy from the outside than it has ever
received. No mistake can possibly be made
in helping Bettis Academy with even a lavish
hand. The splendid economies here; the large
amount of work, the self-sacrificing dimes and
quarters the colored people have put into Bet¬
tis have done, makes the investment of
bunches of dollars, by those who can afford it,
a sane and safe use of money.
"Under the leadership of Mr. Nicholson the
colored men in the vicinity of Trenton have
bought and are paying for several thousand
acres of land, and are helping to create more
mutual confidence and respect between the
races.
"The school farm is becoming more and
more a sample of better agriculture. Its pos¬
sibilities can be increased manv times by intel¬
ligent use of high-grade fertilizer and careful
tillage. The latter is already there. The fer¬
tilizer is hard to get; and more direct assistance
79
in this particular is important. The Pennsyl¬
vania Society for Improving the Condition of
the African Race is gathering and dispensing a
fertilizer fund for the benefit of colored school
farms, and has helped Bettis a little. It hopes
to do more next year.
"We advise and urge everybody to help
Bettis Academy.
"HENRY W. WILBUR,
"140 N. 15th Street."
"Philadelphia, Pa."
The facts in regard to Bettis Academy will
not have been fully given were a statement
of its actual and pressing needs to be omitted.
Briefly enumerated they are:
$500 with which to paint the main building
and teachers' hall.
$500 with which to erect a sewing room.
$500 with which to inaugurate systematic
training in cooking, housekeeping, care of
sick, prevention of disease.
$500 with which to inaugurate a depart¬
ment—not of theology—but of Bible training
especially adapted to the needs of the negro
preacher, whose preparation has been and is
so out of proportion to his responsibilities and
opportunities.
$300 with which to erect a kitchen to one
of the halls for girls.
80
Thus $2,300 will enable Bettis Academy
fully to meet the demands which the growth
of which (it is the cause) now makes upon
the institution, and will enable it to set in mo¬
tion additional influences for good, the total
effect of which the Judge of all the earth alone
can properly estimate.
Will not the reader, moved by a sense of
responsibility to Him whose stewards we are,
ponder these things and then do something,
even though small, towards meeting these
needs, which will mean so much to the honor
and glory of our God ?
The whole truth has not as yet been told.
$2,300, with what the people, through their
unions, association and annual rally will be
able to do for themselves, will enable the school
to meet the demands made upon it for the next
school years, 1913-1914. But after then
what? "Aye, there's the rub." In this con¬
nection two things are fundamentally true:
It is no compliment to the promise of a ro¬
bust manhood on the part of a boy, were that
boy to find sufficient and satisfactory this
year the clothes that were worn by him the
year before. Similarly, a school such as Bet¬
tis Academy, which, existing among a grow-
81 11
ing race, must stimulate that growth and in¬
tellectually meet the requirements which ad¬
ditional attainments make necessary. Again:
In the maintenance of an educational institu¬
tion, it requires on the part of those responsible
for its continued existence, not only the pos¬
session of the money required, but also more
than an ordinary amount of mental training.
It is not the man who most needs schooling
that sets the most value upon a school in the
community. These things being unquestion¬
ably true, to one who will give a moment's
reflection to the conditions which now obtain
at Bettis Academy, this much must be evident:
That the greatest work inaugurated by the
Rev. Alexander Bettis was to lead an ignorant
and poverty-stricken people to found an insti¬
tution of learning; while the herculean work
performed by his successor consisted in so
stimulating these poor and ignorant people
that they have by their combined small gifts
not only kept the school in' existence, but while
not adequate yet to an appreciable degree
have met the requirements of its growth.
Since the history of all the institutions of learn¬
ing whose existence is substantial and whose
perpetuation is assured shows that such desired
82
culmination was secured not through the sum
total of small contributions of the many, but
rather by the large contributions of the few,
it ought to occasion no surprise when it is here
and now stated that the actual and crowning-
need of Bettis Academy at present is AN EN¬
DOWMENT FUND, which, to be adequate,
should amount to $100,000.
Since the policy of Bettis Academy has been
to develop in the negro self-reliance, thrift,
economy, respect for and obedience to law;
to harmonize his life with conditions that are
rather than to indulge in Utopian dreams; to
recognize rather than contend against the ad¬
vantages of superior intellect and wealth; to
believe that the best good of the white people
in America, especially the ones immediately
around him, must ultimately be his own best
good, to believe as firmly as he does that he
will and must one day die, that the Christian
religion can and will settle to the best good
anu real contentment of all concerned each
and every ill between individuals and races,
and since that policy so rigidly adhered to has
proven and is proving most satisfactory in re¬
sults, the statement is unequivocally made
that the institution has proven a blessing to
the negroes, and, though different in kind, no
less a blessing to the white people of South
Carolina, especially those of Edgefield and
Aiken counties. The statement is further
made, not rashly, but from sane premises
whose inevitable conclusion cannot be avoid¬
ed, that nowhere in America would $100,000
given in the name of Christ and for His glory
contribute more far-reaching desirable and last¬
ing benefits to the white race and to the negro.
This endowment fund must be had. The
glory of God and the best interest of the two
races demand it. Northern white people,
Southern white people and negroes alike
should desire to perpetuate an institution of
this character. Who will make the first gift—
a nucleus for the raising of the desired
amount?
84
ALFRED W. NICHOLSON
SKETCH OF PROF. ALFRED W. NICHOL¬
SON
President of Bettis Academy
Prepared by Professor John R. Wilson, A. M., D. D.,
formerly Corresponding Secretary of the Education Board
of the National Convention of Colored Baptists of America,
When the Rev. Alexander Bettis, of blessed
memory, had decided with a firmness that can
know no defeat to establish an institution of
learning, peculiarly adapted to the needs of
the negroes of Edgefield and Aiken counties
and the contiguous territory, he foresaw the
wisdom of having prepared, when the school
should have been established, some teachers in
sympathy with and suited to the peculiar needs
of the school. In consequence, he successfully
prevailed upon his churches to choose from
their midst some young men to be sent away
to school, and whose expenses would be guar¬
anteed by the given church.
At the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, Al¬
fred W. Nicholson was the lad chosen. He
was sent to the Schofield Normal School at
Aiken, S. C. Not because he was a member of
the church or even, at that time, a professed
Christian, for he was neither one. He was
85
chosen because of his faithfulness to and apti¬
tude shown in the Sunday School, his quiet
demeanor, his well known integrity and his
general reputation for thrift, honesty and
truthfulness.
At Aiken, young Nicholson in no way dis¬
appointed those through whose generosity he
had gone and was supported there. In the al¬
lotted time he had completed the prescribed
course, graduating to the satisfaction of his
benefactors, to the honor of the school and
with credit to himself.
To Atlanta University at Atlanta, Ga., he
was then sent. Here his energy, earnestness
and studious habits attracted attention and
rated him among the foremost students of the
institution. Having at this time embraced the
Christian religion, he became a leader in all
the religious organizations of the university.
When he had reached the advanced years of
his college course and was giving no little
thought to such subjects as "After graduation,
what?" he received the information that he
must come at once and take charge of the prin-
cipalship of the Bettis Academy. He came,
and at once gave evidence of the fact that the
occasion for the man and the man for the oc-
86
casion had met. Due to his zeal the school
prospered, and the growth of the institution
and the name of Nicholson came to be and
were interchangeable terms.
There were few men who possessed the
ability to estimate properly, to the degree which
the Rev. Alexander Bettis did, the real char¬
acter of an individual. And yet, in all things,
he had implicit confidence in the honesty and
judgment of young Nicholson. He trusted
him as he did no other man.
In consequence, at the death of the Rev.
Alexander Bettis, the management of the
school was given wholly into the hands of Mr.
Nicholson. They trusted and have trusted
him even as Mr. Bettis did. And without fric¬
tion, to the satisfaction of the trustees and the
people alike, he has brought the school from
obscurity to a place among the foremost of
negro schools.
While at Schofield, Mr. Nicholson had met
and cultivated the acquaintance of Miss Edna
Cohen, a young woman whose excellent cul¬
ture, inate refinement and rare beauty were
but in harmony with the charms of her high
moral and religious ideals. About this time,
these two whom truly God had joined togeth-
87
er, became one. And it is true—a fact which
more than pleases Prof. Nicholson to acknowl¬
edge—that his remarkable success in connec¬
tion with the academy has, in no small meas¬
ure, been due to the loving sympathy, hearty
co-operation and excellent judgment which his
wife has ever given him.
The potency of the academy in the uplift
and betterment of the people has been due to
the fact that Prof. Nicholson has made it more
than a place where lessons from books are
taught and recited. The school has been made
to concern itself about any and everything
which would forward the improvement of the
people. It has been made to be a veritable
"light that is set on a hill."
The wisdom of owning land, methods of
procedure by means of which the ownership
of land could be had, methods by which two
stalks of corn would be made to grow where
previously only one or perhaps none had
grown, the profitable raising of stock, the mor¬
al and religious betterment of the whole people
as well as the students—about these and re¬
lated subjects the work of the academy has
been concerned. And the wheel within a
88
wheel, so to speak, has been and is Prof. A.
W. Nicholson.
Under his leadership, more negroes, in the
neighborhood of the academy, own their own
farms than is true of any other given area in
all South Carolina. And his great power for
good is derived from the fact that the increas¬
ing years but increase the confidence of the
people, white and colored alike, in his moral
purity, Christian zeal, integrity, honesty, un¬
selfishness and soundness of judgment.
To meet some pressing needs of the institu¬
tion which its growth makes imperative right
now, and for which $5,000 would be adequate,
Prof. Nicholson is strenuously laboring. And
yet he has a greater effort before him, the mag¬
nitude of which would stagger him were not
his faith in God, his confidence in the exist¬
ence of practical Christianity and his thorough
knowledge of the far-reaching importance of
the matter to furnish him the determination
to accomplish it. It is this: He has launched
an effort to make it assured that the institu¬
tion will be perpetuated, and will continue to
teach and practice the principles and policies
which now make it a safe and most helpful
89
and far-reaching seat of learning. To do this
an endowment of $100,000 must be raised.
Since it is well-known that among those
who are blessed with thi§ world's goods there
has ever been and may yet be found those who
are willing and desirous to honor the Lord
with their substance. To all such who are
willing to spend and be spent to help bring the
Kingdom of God on earth, Bettis. Academy
and its work affords an open avenue for giv¬
ing. In this way they may honor God, by as¬
sisting in the uplift and betterment of a sub¬
merged race, whose ignorance must ever be a
hindrance to good government and social or¬
der. It cannot be doubted that Prof. Nichol¬
son will ultimately succeed in his undertak¬
ing. To all disposed to assist it may be stated
as a striking fact that nowhere else in Amer¬
ica does a dollar "given in His name," carry
with it assurance of better return in far-reach¬
ing results than a dollar spent for the glory of
God, through the uplift and betterment of the
negroes in this section of South Carolina.
JOHN R. WILSON.
Columbia, S. C.
90
. INDEX.
Bettis Academy, land for bought, 27; first building: dedi¬
cated, 28, chapter about, 70 to 84; pictures of build¬
ings facing, 17 and 33; home life at, 73, 74; results
?£ ^raion,mg in' 76' 77 5 statement of financial needs,
80 to 84.
Bettis, Rev. Alexander, portrait of, frontispiece; his birth,
6; has charge of owner's lumber business, 12; licensed
to preach, 14; becomes leader of new church:, 23;
ordained as minister, 24; pastor ten churches, 25;
organized educational union, 26; accused and acquit¬
ted of misappropriation of funds, 28; his Monday
morning talks, 31; vice president Baptist State Con¬
vention, ,3^; his moral standards, 36,-37* suppresses
disorder, 37; preached without salary, 39; prays with
would-be assassins, 46, 47; stops a negro exodus, 48;
breaks the Tennant riot, 48, 49; as church organizer,
52 to 55; testimonials to his character, 56: to 67; in
memoriam, 68, 69.
Carroll, Rev. Richard, testimonial by, 58 to 60.
Cohen, Edna, meets A. W. Nicholson at Schofield Institute,
87; marriage, 88.
De Vore, Hon. J. W.. testimonial by, 64, 65.
<Jal-y, Ex-Gov'.'. John Evans, testimonial by, 62 to 64.
Gordon, Dr. Luther, recommends Alexander Bettis for the
ministry, 14.
Hammond, Rev. John, plans negro exodus, 47.
Illustrations, Rev. Alexander Bettis, frontispiece; main
building, Bettis Academy, facing, 17; Rebecca Hall
and Martha Hall, Bettis Academy, facing, 33; Jetter
Church and official board, facing 45; Mt. Canaan
Church and official board, facing, 53; P easant Grove
Church and official board, facing, 61; Shaw s Church
and official board, facing, 73; Alfred W. Nicholson,
facing, 85.
Jetter Church, reference to, 25; organization of, 53, 54;
picture of church and official board, facing, 45.
Jones, Austin, treasurer educational union, 26.
Jones the widow, owner of Alexander Bettis, 6; refer¬
ences to, 7, 8, 13. 14, 51.
Matthias Hampton, selected by Alexander Bettis for prin-
Hnal'of Bettis Academy, 28; at Schofield Institute and
Atlanta University, 28 and 71; reference to death, 72.
91
Matthias, Rev. Josiah, helps organize Mt. Canaan Church,
24.
Mealing, Rev. John, one of Mt. Canaan's organizers. 24.
Morgan, Rev. G. A., secretary educational union, 26.
Mt. Canaan Church, account of organization, 53; pictures
of church and official board, facing, 53.
Nicholson, A. W., portrait of, facing, 85; selected by Mr.
Bettis as principal of Bettis Academy, 28; at Scho-
field Institute and Atlanta University, 28; at Atlanta,
86; marriage, 88; becomes professed Christian, 86;
becomes principal of Bettis Academy, 72; his effective¬
ness as teacher and leader, 88; sketch of, 85 to 92.
Nicholson, Mrs. A. W., valuable assistant to her husband,
88.
Peters, F. A., commends Bettis Academy, 78.
Pleasant Grove Church, organization of, 54; pictures of
church and official board, facing, 61.
Quimby, James L., testimonial by, 65, 66.
Sease, Rev. Thomas^ alarms white people, 46.
Shaw's Creek Church, organized, 54; picture of church
and official board, facing, 73.
Simkins, S. McG., testimonial by, 66 to 68.
Tillman, Senator B. R., testimonial by, 57, 58.
Tolbert, Rev. Joseph, helps organize Mt. Canaan Church,
24.
Wilbur, Henry W., article by, 78 to 80.
Wilson, Prof. John R., chapter by, 85 to 90.
92