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SEMI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 
 
 OF T1IK 
 
 SOUTH-CAROLINA COLLEGE : 
 
 CONSISTING ,OF THE 
 
 iarcalcurcate 
 
 BY THE 
 
 PKESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE, 
 
 THE 
 
 SEMI-CENTENNIAL ORATION, 
 
 BY THE 
 
 HON. JAS. L. PETIGEU, 
 
 AND 
 
 ANSWERS TO LETTERS OF INVITATION. 
 
 ">Ja 
 
 PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. 
 
 CHARLESTON, S. C.: 
 
 WALKER & EVANS, STATIONERS AND PRINTERS, 
 1855. 
 
NOTICE. 
 
 The Addresses and Letters which compose this pamphlet were occasioned by the cele- 
 bration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the organization of the College, which took place 
 last December, in conformity with the appointment of the Board of Trustees. The cele- 
 bration was resolved on at the Annual Meeting of the Board, in 1853. A Committee was 
 appointed to make proper arrangements, and the Hon. James L. Petigru was unani- 
 mously requested to deliver the semi-centennial oration. The Committee of Arrange- 
 ments was instructed to invite the Presidents, Professors, and Trustees of the Colleges in 
 this and the contiguous States, to be present on the occasion, together with such other 
 gentlemen from abroad as it might deem entitled to the compliment. 
 
 The fourth of December, being Commencement day, was fixed on as the day of the de- 
 livery of the oration, and the hour, at the close of the usual Commencement Exercises. 
 The Board subsequently ordered that the Baccalaureate Address of the President 'of the 
 College, the Oration of Mr. Petigru, and the answers to letters of invitation should bo 
 published in the present form. 
 
OF TI 
 
 T7SI7E 
 
 DELIYEEED TO THE GRADUATING CLASS, 
 
 DECEMBER 4 T H, 1854, 
 
 BY 
 
 Rev. James H. Thornwell, D. D., 
 
 PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE. 
 
 GENTLEMEN r 
 
 You have reached the period when your Alma Mater is 
 about to dismiss you from her roof, not with cold, unfeeling 
 severity ; not as a burden of which she would be relieved, a 
 tax from which she would be exempt. She loves you with a 
 mother's love, and yearns over you as you go forth into the 
 world, with all the tenderness, solicitude and affection which 
 speak from the eyes of a kind parent, as a beloved son takes 
 his leave, for the last time, of the paternal home. She sends 
 you out, because she trusts that you are now prepared to pro- 
 vide for yourselves ; and as she watches your receding steps, 
 her heart swells with hope, and from her heaving breast 
 she pours out upon you the benedictions of her soul. She can- 
 not say farewell, until she has given you a few parting words 
 of counsel, brief, hurried, broken ; but they are the honest ex- 
 pressions of love, confidence and hope. Through me, her or- 
 gan and representative, she speaks to you to-day, and speaks 
 for the last time. Other scenes will soon surround you other 
 
BACCALAUREATE ADDRESS. 
 
 cares will soon oppress you ; but amid the din of business and 
 the hot pursuit of your various aims, let your mind occasionally 
 revert to this hallowed spot, and let the counsels and benedic- 
 tions which now attend your departure, exert their influence 
 upon your future course. You have begun well, and it must 
 be pleasant to you, as it is most delightful to me, to reflect that 
 in leaving the maternal mansion to-day, no domestic feuds em- 
 bitter our memories, and no hard thoughts or unkind expres 
 sions rise before us to solicit mutual forgiveness. The house 
 has not been divided against itself. You have been generous 
 and grateful sons, and have shown yourselves more than sen- 
 sible of the advantages you have enjoyed. The past is an 
 omen of the future, and in the hope which it inspires, I, in the ca_ 
 pacity already intimated, would impress upon you the DESIRE 
 OF EXCELLENCE, as the habitual rule of your actions. What- 
 ever deserves to be done at all, deserves to be well done. By 
 excellence, I do not mean superiority over others ; and by the 
 desire of excellence, I do not mean that spirit of ambition which 
 simply aims to surpass a rival. Excellence is relative .to our 
 own capacities and powers ; and he who puts out all his 
 strength, whether it be much or little, is entitled to the praise 
 of it. The giant is mightier than the child, but relatively to 
 their strength, one may do as much as the other. That perfec- 
 tion which your natures are capable of, whether in general 
 habits or special skill, should be constantly before you as the 
 animating principle of exertion. As scholars, aim at the en- 
 largement of your minds by the culture of all its faculties ; 
 bring them out in their just and legitimate proportions ; guard 
 against all distortions or derangement. The whole soul is the 
 thing to be educated. As professional men, aim to master 
 your profession, in all its departments, as far as your energies 
 will allow. Do not think only of the dowry, but seek first to 
 deserve it, and then, if it does not come, comfort yourself with 
 the thought that the race is not always to the swift, nor the 
 battle to the strong ; neither yet bread to the wise ; nor yet 
 riches to men of understanding ; nor yet favour to men of skill ; 
 but time and chance happeneth to them all. Like the miser, 
 though in a very different spirit, and with reference to a very 
 
BACCALAUREATE ADDKESS. 
 
 different wealth, you can say: Populus me siMlat, at mihi 
 plaudo. 
 
 Ipse domi simul ac nummos contemplor in area. 
 
 It is only by pursuing a profession in tins spirit, that it be- 
 comes liberal, or in the language of Aristotle, an end to itself; 
 otherwise it is degraded to a trade ; and I must say that I have 
 much more respect for the mechanic, or the drudge of a work- 
 shop, than the man who gives himself to law or physic, or any 
 other generous pursuit, with no other inspiration than that of 
 Mammon. Scorn this beggarly ambition ; aim at excellence; 
 aim to be something, whether you die rich or poor. Of course, 
 excellence in professions involves a faithful and conscientious 
 discharge of all their duties, as a part of the merit. They all 
 imply practical habits; these are an element of the excellence 
 of man, and these can only be acquired by single acts by in- 
 dustry, perseverance and patience. 
 
 Above all things, aim at excellence in working out your 
 general vocation as men. Our special callings are subsidiary 
 to a higher, a nobler end which attaches to us in our essential 
 relations as members of the human race. There is a work 
 which belongs to man as man ; and in reference to this work, 
 it is enjoined, whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with 
 thy might, as there is no wisdom, nor knowledge, nor device 
 in the grave whither we are hastening. Here we are to pre- 
 pare for an endless life ; for that blessed immortality which is 
 at once the reward, and the very consummation of all excel- 
 lence. Religion is not a secondary matter, nor a local and 
 temporary interest ; it is preeminently that for which, man was 
 made, and without which, it would be far better that he had 
 never been born. Settle it in your minds, that nothing can 
 ever be w^ell done in the true and proper sense, unless it is 
 done in the spirit of genuine religion ; and no religion can 
 ever solve for a sinner the problem of life, or quicken him who 
 is dead in trespasses and sins, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
 The aspect in which. Christianity should be habitually contem- 
 plated by you, is that of a discipline for your everlasting des- 
 tiny. It first puts you in the condition to be trained, and then 
 supplies the means, motives and agency of an effective educa- 
 
b BACCALAUREATE ADDRESS. 
 
 tion lor eternity. It is the school which fits us for the skies ; 
 and if we see our dignity and excellence in their true and just 
 proportions, in the very spirit of Paul, we should count all 
 things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. I know, gentlemen, that your Alma Mater 
 has taken especial pains that you should never be found among 
 profane scoffers and jesters. You all have a profound rever- 
 ence for the truths, rites and ministers of religion ; but still 
 it is possible to respect without loving to admire without 
 a cordial sympathy. It is possible to escape the curse of 
 the scoffer without securing the reward of the believer. Here, 
 then, let your energies be concentrated. Give your whole 
 souls to God, and you will have the highest motive, and the 
 strongest encouragement to excellence in every thing else. 
 
 This general spirit which I have been commending, will save 
 you from what is almost as prolific a source of failure and dis- 
 appointment in life, as absolute idleness. I mean heartlessness 
 of effort. Half-work is little better than no work. Nothing 
 can be done well into which a man does not throw his soul. 
 Enthusiasm is only the glow of energy. 
 
 You need not be cautioned against confounding the admira- 
 tion with the pursuit of excellence. As Butler has taught 
 you, these ideal pictures may be a source of positive injury, if 
 they are permitted to stop at the emotions, or dwell only in the 
 fancy they must enter the domain of the will they must 
 be joined with firm resolution and determined purpose they 
 must ripen, as you have opportunity, into acts. 
 
 These hints, gentlemen, are given at parting, as a sort of 
 chart to guide your future course. You will find life a very 
 different thing from what you anticipate. It is not a summer's 
 dream nor a fairy tale. The period, too, at which you step into 
 the world, is a period of fearful interest. The signs of the times 
 admonish us that we are on the eve of great events. The earth 
 is heaving like an earthquake all things are in commotion. 
 The State and society are concerned in the character and prin- 
 ciples of every individual who is sent into the arena of action- 
 Earnest men are needed, for earnest work is at hand. Go forth, 
 young champions, prepared to acquit yourselves like men. Go 
 
liACCALAUKEATE ADDKESS. I) 
 
 forth to adorn your State, to benefit yonr country, to bless your 
 race. Go forth in the panoply of truth and the strength of the 
 Lord, and may the blessings of Israel's God go with you. 
 
 And should any stranger this day put the question, Who are 
 these that this venerable mother is sending out into the world ? 
 I am proud to answer by pointing to the men. There you see 
 the pale student, and the pale student of college is always 
 likely to be the hero of action. In all you see honourable men, 
 men of principle and character, whom the State may cherish 
 and trust. There are no cowards there no sycophants or 
 parasites. All, all, I believe to be good men and true, and I 
 turn you over to the commonwealth in the precious hope that 
 as no son of South-Carolina can ever be ashamed of her, so she 
 may never be ashamed of you. !N"ay, I know that of some of 
 you, in after days, she w r ill be proud. Go on, gentlemen, as 
 you have begun. Noble ends by noble means pursue. When 
 your last summons comes, let it find you with harness on your 
 backs. Live for excellence, and you shall reap the reward of 
 everlasting glory. Farewell. 
 
OR^TIOIST 
 
 DELIVERED BY 
 
 HON. JAMES L. PETIGBU. 
 
 When Alexander the Great complained of his illustrious 
 master, for having exposed philosophy to the knowledge of 
 the vulgar: he uttered a sentiment familiar to antiquity, and 
 in complete unison with the spirit of his age. The principle 
 of exclusion pervaded all early societies ; hence distinctions of 
 caste of classes of orders and sects. Even where superstition 
 had erected no bar against common right, opinion in some de- 
 gree, supplied the place of law ; and the learned who considered 
 themselves a class, were little disposed to share with the multi- 
 tude the accomplishments by which they were honorably dis- 
 tinguished. Such was the spirit of antiquity, and such the way 
 of thinking in the Middle Ages. But since the revival of let- 
 ters, there has been a steady and progressive tendency to a 
 more liberal view of social duty. Society is thought to owe 
 more to its members, and individuals are taught their solidarity 
 in the duties which unite society. Government is held respon- 
 sible for the evils which it has the power to remove, but suffers 
 to exist ; and the duty of government is the exponent of that 
 obligation by which all the members of society are bound to 
 one another. 
 
 It is consoling to reflect on the changes which have been 
 operated in a long course of years by the influence of this 
 principle. The debtor, the lunatic and the criminal have felt 
 the benignant influence of the change. Misfortune is no longer 
 
* ORATION. 
 
 confounded with crime ; the barbarous laws that submitted the 
 debtor to the cruelty of his creditor, after having long excited 
 the abhorrence of mankind, are by general consent, laid aside. 
 The sphere of charity is extended to the inmates of the asylum ; 
 and force is restrained even against those who are bereft of rea- 
 son. ISTor is crime itself excluded from the pale of humanity. 
 For ages no voice was raised in favor of the vanquished and the 
 weak, except in Schools or Churches ; but now, statesmen have 
 learned to venerate Humanity, and the people to feel for the 
 rights of their common nature. But nowhere is the triumph of 
 Humanity more signal than in this, that the obligation of edu- 
 cating the people is now freely acknowledged. 
 
 It was no proof of narrow bigotry then on the part of the mag- 
 nanimous Conqueror, and Builder of cities, to consider philoso- 
 phy the privilege of greatness ; and ignorance the proper lot of 
 all who were not raised by fortune above the reach of sordid 
 cares. Such was the sentiment of the age in his time ; and if a 
 more liberal and generous way of thinking characterizes the 
 opinions of rulers in the present day, we are indebted for the 
 change to the spirit of the age in which we live. But the spirit of 
 the age itself depends no little on the state of education. Public 
 opinion does not represent the ideas of the majority ; for the 
 majority is made up of individuals who do not think alike. 
 The diversity of private sentiment is endless and proverbial ; but 
 public opinion is something definite and intelligible, not a mere 
 aggregation of inconsistent things. It is a motion produced by 
 the collision of opposing forces a spirit distilled from the fer- 
 mentation of various elements but differing from them all. 
 And the spirit of the age represents not the opinions of any 
 particular portion of the civilized world ; but the general ten- 
 dency of the human mind at a particular era. But educa- 
 tion is the external power that gives activity to the intellect ; 
 which produces that fermentation of the mind out of which 
 opinion proceeds. Therefore, the spirit of the age is modified 
 by education and an improvement in education is not only a 
 positive gain, but an evidence of general progress for as edu- 
 cation improves, the spirit of the age will partake of that im- 
 provement. 
 
OKATTON. 
 
 13 
 
 But of all social improvements, the greatest is the diffusion of 
 light the increase of the educated class. To educate is to civil- 
 ize and to add to the number of educated persons, is to advance 
 the boundaries of civilization. To educate is to develope the 
 faculties of the human understanding ; and to extend the bles- 
 sings of education, by making it universal, is to raise the people 
 in the scale of being. Who, then, can doubt that it is a duty 
 to educate the people, or deny that the obligation which this 
 duty imposes is binding on the high and low, the governors 
 and the governed ? This is Solidarity. It is the bright side of 
 Democracy, and if Egotism and Envy could be chained below, 
 there would be but one opinion of it. 
 
 It was in the year 1801 that the initiative was taken in the first 
 Legislative Act for founding this College. The period is remark- 
 able as coinciding with a transfer of civil power with a revolu- 
 tion that changed the relations of the parties which then divided 
 perhaps to some small degree may still divide the opinions of 
 men if not in this, at least in other States. It was in a House 
 of Assembly, where the victorious party held yet only a divided 
 rule ; and their adversaries, though vanquished, still kept the 
 field; that this great measure was originated. It came like the 
 last will and testament of the expiring party ; and sounded like 
 the proclamation of the conquerors, announcing the terms 
 granted in the hour of victory. It is fortunate to find hostile 
 parties agreeing in a great principle. Indeed it is a proud 
 reflection that whatever may be the extravagance or madness 
 of party, opposition to learning is no instrument of popularity 
 in America. 
 
 But though the spirit of our countrymen is too high for 
 an alliance with ignorance, there were not wanting objec- 
 tions, both popular and specious, to the endowment of this 
 College out of the public Treasury. The immediate benefits of 
 a college are received by those only who are educated in it : 
 the number of these must necessarily be few : and the assist- 
 ance which they derive from the State, is a species of Protec- 
 tion; rendered still more invidious by the fact, that it is in a great 
 measure confined to those who are already in a more eligible situ- 
 ation than the generality. In such circumstances, the opportu- 
 
: ORATION. 
 
 nity for appealing to prejudice was too favorable to be neglected. 
 The pittance wrung from the hard hand of reluctant poverty, it 
 was said, was to be lavished on the education of the rich. Those 
 who were in possession of the advantages of education were to 
 levy a tax on the poor, to perpetuate those advantages by edu- 
 cating their sons at the public expense. The majority were to 
 bear their full proportion of the burthen, but the recompense 
 was most unequally distributed. And these topics might be 
 urged with more show of reason, because there was then no 
 provision for common education by means of Free Schools. It 
 was hard, that the rich should be assisted by the public treasury 
 in giving their sons an education suitable to their situation in 
 life ; while the children of the poor were taught at their own 
 expense. It was strange, that the State should come to the aid 
 of the rich; and leave the poor unassisted to struggle with their 
 difficulties. With that class of politicians who think that the 
 public welfare is best promoted by leaving every man to take 
 care of himself; and with all those who disclaim a Solidarity in 
 the obligation of the State to its members, these objections 
 might have had great weight. Let us do justice to the wisdom 
 and foresight of the men of 1801, who rejected such ungene- 
 rous counsels. 
 
 It is our grateful task to commemorate the virtues of our 
 Founders to celebrate the triumph of liberal principles over 
 a narrow, egotistic policy ; and to mingle our congratulations 
 over the 50th anniversary of the day, when the South-Carolina 
 College welcomed the first student, to its hospitable Halls. If 
 any doubts were entertained of the expediency of establishing 
 this seat of learning at the public expense, they have long since 
 disappeared. !N"o one now doubts that it is the duty of the 
 State to make liberal provision for the higher branches of Edu- 
 cation. Such provision must be made by the State, because such 
 establishments are too costly for individual enterprise. The 
 enterprise of individuals, sustained by the prospect of commer- 
 cial profits, may scale the mountain barriers,that vainly interpose 
 their heights to the invasion of the Engineer, and the progress of 
 the Eailroad. But the hills of Parnassus are proverbially barren ; 
 and literature tempts no capitalist with the hope of dividends. 
 
OKATION. 15 
 
 Without the patronage of the State, it would be impossible to 
 erect the costly buildings, to collect the learned men, and supply 
 all the materials requisite for a seat of learning adapted to a high 
 and comprehensive course of study. And if it be asked, for 
 what use such a college is wanted, the answer is, that such an 
 establishment is necessary to the progress of improvement. 
 Curiosity is the spring of literary and scientific research. It is 
 excited by the knowledge of what has been discovered by 
 acquaintance with the methods of investigation by emulation, 
 and the intercourse of kindred minds. It is in Colleges that 
 these causes are in full operation. They stimulate activity, 
 keep pace with the improvement of the age, and furnish in- 
 quiring minds with the means of further progress. It is a law 
 of our nature, that if society be not progressive, it will decline. 
 Colleges, therefore, are institutions of necessity, and where they 
 answer the purposes for which they are founded, amply repay 
 the generous patronage of the public ; although they add noth- 
 ing to the stock of material wealth. 
 
 Fifty years have passed and we have crossed, for the first 
 time, the threshold of the new Hall, where the future anniver- 
 saries of this College are to be celebrated. The old chapel and 
 the early days of this Institution will henceforth be invested 
 with a sort of historical interest. When we survey the flowing 
 river, we are prompted by a natural curiosity to know from 
 what distant springs it takes its source ; and I revert from 
 this splendid Dome to the Incunabula of our College with 
 more pleasure, because it affords the opportunity of ren- 
 dering the poor tribute of posthumous applause, to the memo- 
 ry of its first President, my revered master. 
 
 Jonathan Maxcy exerted no little influence on the character 
 of the youth of his day ; and his name is never to be mentioned 
 by his disciples without reverence. He had many eminent 
 qualifications for his office. His genius was aesthetic ; persua- 
 sion flowed from his lips ; and his eloquence diffused over every 
 subject the bright hues of a warm imagination. He was 
 deeply imbued with classical learning, and the philosophy of 
 the human mind divided his heart with the love of polite litera- 
 ture. With profound piety, he was free from the slightest 
 
10 OKATION. 
 
 taint of bigotry or narrowness. Early in life he had entered 
 into the ministry, under sectarian banners ; but though he 
 never resiled from the creed which he had adopted so Catholic 
 was his spirit so genial his soul to the inspirations of faith, hope 
 and charity that whether in the chair or the pulpit, he never 
 seemed to us less than an Apostolic teacher. Never will the 
 charm of his eloquence be erased from the memory on which 
 its impression has once been made. His elocution was equally 
 winning and peculiar. He spoke in the most deliberate man- 
 ner ; his voice was clear and gentle ; his action composed and 
 quiet ; yet no man had such command over the noisy sallies of 
 youth. His presence quelled every disorder. The most riotous 
 offender shrunk from the reproof of that pale brow and intel- 
 lectual eye. The reverence that attended him, stilled the pro- 
 gress of disaffection ; and to him belonged the rare power ex- 
 ercised in the face of wondering Europe by Lamartine of quel- 
 ling by persuasion, the spirit of revolt. 
 
 The Bachelor's Degree was conferred, for the first time, in 
 1806 and then upon one student, Anderson Crenshaw, the 
 PROTAGONIST of this school. He made his solitary Curriculum, 
 without an associate, and thereby gave an example of inde- 
 pendence which accorded well with the integrity of his mind. 
 May it ever be characteristic of our school, to pursue the path 
 of honor, even if it be solitary ? May the man whom this Col- 
 lege enrols among her sons, ever retain the firmness to stand 
 alone, when duty and conscience are on his side. Nor was our 
 Protagonist unworthy of these anticipations. He was elevated 
 to the Chancery Bench, in Alabama ; and when he occupied the 
 Judgment seat, we may be sure that the balance of Justice was 
 never disturbed by a sinister influence. 
 
 The list of graduates rose the next year to four ; and in 1808, 
 a numerous class increased the reputation of the College, more 
 by their abilities than by their numbers. In that Constellation 
 was one bright star, which was only shown to the earth, and then 
 set prematurely ; but which ought not to be forgotten, if the 
 memory of virtue is entitled to live. When I look on the place 
 once familiar to his voice, Imagination invests the scene with the 
 presence qf George Davis, such as he was in youth in health 
 
ORATION. IT 
 
 the pride of the Faculty, the Monitor and Example of the School. 
 When he was to speak, no tablets were needed to record the 
 absent every student was in his place. It is a traditionary 
 opinion, that the Orator is the creature of art. Poeta 
 nascitur, orator fit. But those who heard the youthful Da- 
 vis, would go away with a different impression. The maxim 
 indeed does not deserve assent, further than this, that when 
 the Orator has to deal with the actual affairs of life, he must, to 
 persuade and convince, be master of all the details of his sub- 
 ject; often requiring great minuteness and variety of know 
 ledge, the fruit of sedulous labor and attentive study ; whereas, 
 the poet addresses himself to those sentiments and emotions 
 characteristic of our common nature, which are revealed by 
 the faculty of consciousness and self-examination. But Davis 
 was already an orator. Before he began to speak, his audience 
 were rendered attentive by his noble countenance ; in which the 
 feelings of his soul were expressively portrayed. In language 
 pure and flowing, equally free from rant or meanness, he 
 poured out generous sentiments, or pursued the line of clear 
 and methodical argument. To gifts so rare was joined the ut- 
 most sweetness of temper ; and his manners were as amiable, 
 and his conduct as free from eccentricity, as if he had been a 
 stranger to the inspirations of genius. Early in his senior year, 
 he withdrew from College ; and before the wheels of time had 
 ushered in the day for conferring degrees, the news that George 
 Davis was no more, fell like a chill on the hearts of his fellow 
 students. They thought of the legend of Cleobis and Biton, 
 as embodying a sentiment true to the feelings of nature ; and 
 owned that the grave of one so bright, so blameless and so 
 young, must have often suggested the thought, that it is not to 
 the favorites of Heaven that long life is granted. Nearly fifty 
 years have passed, since the grave closed on all that was mortal 
 of George Davis; and few now remain that ever felt the grasp 
 of his cordial hand ; but many long years may pass, before 
 tears will flow for one so bountifully endowed, or society sus- 
 tain an equal loss. 
 
 In strong contrast; within the same groupe to memory's 
 view stands the robust frame of Nathaniel Alcock Ware. 
 8 
 
18 ORATION. 
 
 His intellect was like 1 u fortress built upon a rock ; the 
 the flowers of Fancy grew not in the shade of its battlements. 
 The pursuits of literature did not satisfy the cravings of a mind 
 like his, which loved to grapple with subjects that required the 
 strength of his Herculean arm. His memory was capacious of 
 the most multifarious nomenclature, and science was congenial 
 to his taste. In college exercises, he uniformly outran the 
 Professor; and when the class was entering 011 a new study, lie 
 was preparing to quit it, or was already engaged in exploring 
 some more distant field. Nor was his mind less discriminating 
 than apprehensive ; and the mass of information with which 
 his memory was stored, was readily reduced to order and 
 method by the strength of his judgment. Neither did he lack 
 the kindlier affections ; and though he scorned the flowers of 
 Fancy, his heart was susceptible to friendship. "Whether from 
 the neglect of those studies which are most proper to secure 
 for one's sense a favorable reception " delectatione aliqua alli- 
 cere lectorem" or from indifference to popular arts, he did not 
 make on the public an impression in proportion to his power, 
 or the judgment of his fellow students. And he that would 
 have guided with a steady hand the helm of State, was con- 
 fined with a solitary exception to a private station. And those 
 powers that would have regulated the finances of an empire, 
 or organized the march of Armies, were limited in their ope- 
 ration to the acquisition and management of a colossal fortune. 
 Among those now no more, but then the pride of the College, 
 who would fail to recognize the large figure of Charles Dewitt, 
 radiant with youth, and sedate with reflection. The dignity 
 of manhood marked his steps, and the warmth of youth ani- 
 mated his conversation. By his fortune, placed above the care 
 of money by the elevation of his mind, above the allurements, 
 of idleness or dissipation he seemed a youthful Sage, neither 
 ascetic nor devoted to pleasure cultivating knowledge for its 
 own sake, and cherishing virtue as its own reward. In his case, 
 imagination could easily anticipate the work of time, and con- 
 ceive of the youth already grave beyond his years, as sur- 
 rounded with the honors of mature age ; and then the image 
 
ORATIOK. 19 
 
 would suggest the principal figure in the glowing lines of the 
 Poet: 
 
 " Ac, vcluti niagno in populo quuni srepe coorta est 
 Seditio, sacvitque animis ignobile vulgus ; 
 Jainque faces et saxa volant ; furor arma ministrat : 
 Turn pietato gravcm ac meritis, si forte virum quern 
 Conspexere, silent ; arrectisque auribus adstant ; 
 Ille regit dictis anhnos, et pectora mulcet : 
 
 But he was not destined to see that day, and an early death 
 deprived the State of one that seemed to be born for a part so 
 noble, and not unfrequently needed. 
 
 Nor in this retrospective view would it be possible to omit 
 the most careless of students, the most ingenious of men, 
 Charles Stephens absent minded, forgetful of College bell 
 or College exercise, but never at fault in detecting a so- 
 phism, or weaving the chain of argument. In after times, 
 when he would rise in the Legislature, on some knotty 
 point of Parliamentary or Constitutional law, the absence 
 of all ornament of speech or gesture, and of all attempts 
 at the arts by which an audience is flattered, could not pre- 
 vent him from being listened to with profound attention. No 
 man wielded a keener dialectic. The blade glittered to the 
 eye, but the weapon was held in a harmless hand. Had he been 
 bent on cutting his way to distinction by subverting the exist- 
 ing order of things, the social fabric would have had no more 
 formidable adversary. His Dialectic would have hardly been 
 resisted by any establishment; because all things mortal contain 
 some error ; and to the keen logician every weak place fur- 
 nishes a point of assault, and an opening to the enemy. But 
 Stephens was conservative the severity of his logic w^as tem- 
 pered by the mildness of his disposition. He lived in peace, 
 which he loved ; and died surrounded by affectionate friends, 
 who admired his genius, but valued more the qualities of his 
 heart. 
 
 Nor should Waring be forgotten, already skilled in the 
 knowledge of human character. His observant spirit naturally 
 led him to the study of medicine, in which he rose to high and 
 merited distinction in Savannah. Nor the noble-minded D?i- 
 Pont, cf kindred race, but of warmer temperament ; who also 
 
20 ORATION. 
 
 chose the path of medicine, but was too soon removed to reap 
 the honors civil and professional, which he was so well 
 qualified to win. Nor Miller, even then remarkable for the 
 talent which afterwards raised him to the highest distinctions 
 in the State. Nor Gill, whose early death deprived society of 
 all that might be expected from his hardy sense and constant 
 application. Nor must we forget the leaders of the class 
 the bland Murphy, and the inflexible Gregg. They were the 
 real students, who, like true soldiers, never forgot the rules of 
 discipline, but studied for the first honors, and won them gal- 
 lantly. 
 
 And could I forget thee ; the soul of honor and the joy of friend- 
 ship, George Butler the most gallant of men, the most genial 
 of spirits ! The profession of arms well accorded with his mar- 
 tial character ; and though his plume was not destined to wave 
 in the battle's storm, and the fortune of war confined his service 
 to a barren field ; yet no more devoted son rallied to the flag, 
 under which he would have been proud to die for his country. 
 Nor does the trump of Fame bear to the winds the echoes of 
 a name, where the soldier's zeal was more gracefully blended 
 with the tenderness of a gentle heart. 
 
 But the youth instinct with great ideas, the Scholar, the Bard, 
 the Genius of the school, remains. How shall I describe thee, 
 William Harper? Careless, simple and negligent, he lived 
 apart, in the world of his own genius his imagination brought 
 all things human and divine within the scope of his intellec- 
 tual vision. For him it was equally easy to learn or to pro- 
 duce. It was not to be expected that such a mind could find 
 occupation in any enforced routine He was no candidate for 
 the honors of College, though he received a distinguished ap- 
 pointment ; in fulfilling which he delivered a poem, almost an 
 improvisation, on the death of Montgomery. 
 
 It is very common to underrate the Imagination, as an ele- 
 ment of power. It is imparted in a high degree to but few, and 
 the opinion of the majority proceeds from imperfect and su- 
 perficial knowledge of the subject. Works of the Imagina- 
 tion are measured by the standard of utility, and condemned 
 by common minds as frivolous. The character of Genius suf- 
 
ORATION. 21 
 
 fers in the same way when tried by the estimate of Prudence. 
 Nor can it be denied that, for common affairs, originality and 
 invention are of little value ; nor that the finest parts must 
 yield the palm to the intrinsic value of good sense. Fancy, 
 Imagination, Memory, nay Reason itself,are of little avail with- 
 out the presence and moderation of that sober guardian. But 
 the great mistake of the common judgment is, to suppose that 
 between genius aud good sense there is some principle of op- 
 position. The very reverse is true ; good sense is essential to 
 genius, and the example of William Harper is a striking cor- 
 roboration of the truth. He was a true poet ; of imagination, 
 all compact; and if he had given the reins to his genius, would 
 certainly have devoted himself to the Lyric Muse. But " dura 
 res et novitas" the exigencies of common life, and the little 
 encouragement bestowed on literature, determined otherwise ; 
 and he embraced the legal profession. How completely he re- 
 futed the idea that an imaginative or aesthetic mind is ill adapt- 
 ed to the severest legal studies, is known to all South-Carolina. 
 His judgments, contained in Bailey, Hill and the later reporters, 
 from 1830 to 1847, are an enduring monument of his judicial 
 fame ; and his defence of the South, on the relations existing 
 between two races, is so profound in conception, so mas- 
 terly in execution, as to cause a wide-spread regret that his pen 
 was not more frequently employed in philosophical investiga- 
 tion. 
 
 The distinguished men that have proceeded from this place, 
 furnish the best evidence of the successful cultivation of 
 learning in this College. If we were to follow the stream 
 of time, we should meet with many a name to prompt 
 the eulogy of departed worth ; but I forbear. Though the 
 ornaments of succeeding years might claim the tribute of 
 friendship, or challenge the praise of a more eloquent tongue, 
 these contemporary portraits are reflected in the glass of me- 
 mory, and later years come not within the field of its vision. 
 Rather is it within the purpose of this celebration to enquire 
 how far the results have corresponded with the expectations of 
 the friends of the College, and what hopes may be reasonal 
 entertained of the future. 
 
 VN O> 
 
22 ORATION. 
 
 As to the past, there is much ground for gratulation in 
 the effect which this College has had in harmonising and uni- 
 ting the State. In 1801, sectional jealousies were sharpened to 
 bitterness, and there was as little unity of feeling between the 
 Upper and Low country, as between any rival States of the 
 Union. Although the suppression of such jealousies is, in part, 
 attributable to the removal of some anomalies in the Constitu- 
 tion, much the largest share in the same good work, is due to 
 the attractive force of a common education. To the insensible 
 operations of the same influence, must also be referred the libe- 
 ral provision that has been made for general education by the 
 establishment of free schools. And if the benefits of such schools 
 have not yet equaled the full measure of usefulness expected from 
 the system, the failure arises from peculiar circumstances, and 
 affords no just cause for discouragement. Wherever there is a re- 
 sident Proprietary equal to the duty of their position these schools 
 have not failed to answer the purpose of diffusing the elements 
 of learning. Nor let the limited education of the poor be con- 
 temned. It is much more the spirit of instruction than the 
 amount which is imparted, that interests the State. By the 
 instruction received in the most backward school, the learner 
 is put in communication with a higher degree of learning. It 
 is the natural order of things to proceed by steps, and if this 
 gradation do not exist in the social fabric, it is a serious defect. 
 The influence of the College, like the ambient air, should ex- 
 tend on all sides upwards to the regions of discovery, and 
 downwards to the smallest tenement of rudimental instruction. 
 In this way, the blessings of civilization are extended by a 
 sound and healthy state of public opinion ; and if we compare 
 the progress which the State has made since 1804, we shall 
 have no reason to withold our assent from the conclusion, that the 
 hopes with which the College was inaugurated, have not been 
 disappointed. 
 
 As to the future, we trust that the College will be true to 
 its mission as the nurse of an enlightened public opinion. From 
 this source should issue not only the rays of knowledge, but the 
 light which disperses the mists of prejudice. Knowledge is a 
 step in the improvement of society, but it is not the only de- 
 
OKATION. 23 
 
 sicleratum. Very pernicious errors may prevail in the midst 
 of much intellectual activity, and opinions long discarded by 
 cultivated minds may still exert a wide-spread and pernicious 
 influence. In eradicating such weeds from the minds of the 
 young, the public Instructor has an arduous duty, in which 
 every encouragement is to be given to his efforts. It is in the 
 College that the reformation of popular errors should begin. 
 
 Education is the hand-maid of civilization, which includes 
 morals and manners as well as learning. But if opinions which 
 reason condemns, find shelter in colleges,"where shall we look 
 for improvement to begin ? Education is valuable to society, 
 because it improves the moral sense and developes the ener- 
 gy of the mind. The fruit of such culture should be shown by 
 an exemption from popular error or local prejudice. "When the 
 College is but the echo of the popular voice, there is room to 
 surmise that the culture has been neglected, or that the Pro- 
 fessor has labored upon an ungrateful soil. A liberal educa- 
 tion implies a superiority to common errors ; and deep regret 
 must follow the disappointment of that expectation. But it is 
 still more deplorable when the College becomes a place of 
 refuge for exploded fallacies ; among which none can be more 
 pernicious than that false sentiment that resistance to author- 
 ity is an honorable impulse. Now Fidelity is the very bond 
 of Honor, and lends its sanction to all the demands of lawful 
 authority. To promise, and fail to perform, is always a reproach; 
 and if the default be wilful, it entails the heavier penalty of 
 disgrace. But lawful authority imposes obligations of equal 
 weight with those which are clothed with a promise. To set 
 against such obligations, considerations of personal will, interest, 
 or opinion, is characteristic of sordid egotism, and inconsistent 
 with the first principles of Honor. A liberal education implies 
 a keen sensibility to every duty which Fidelity enjoins; and over 
 the portal of every College should be inscribed in letters of 
 gold, OBEDIENCE is HONORABLE. 
 
 And now, considering the feeble beginnings of 1804, when 
 the course of the Senior year would hardly be considered in 
 these days a qualification for the Sophomore when the whole 
 array of Faculty consisted of three Professors, and the Philo- 
 
24 OEATION. 
 
 sophical apparatus of one telescope and comparing that state 
 of things with the present numerous and learned Staff with 
 the well stored Library, copious Instrumentality and convenient 
 Halls of the present day it is equally just to applaud the gen- 
 erous policy of the State; and to utter the heartfelt vow that the 
 hundredth anniversary of this institution may confirm the ex- 
 ample of past usefulness, and justify the hopes of future pro- 
 gress. 
 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 The Hon. Wm. F. DeSaussure, Chairman of the Committee 
 
 of Arrangements of the Trustees of the South- Carolina College. 
 MY DEAR SIR : 
 
 On my return home from the mountains, now some days ago, I received your commu- 
 nication of the 4th instant, as Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements of the 
 South-Carolina College, inviting the presence and co-operation of the Trustees of the 
 College of Charleston, to celebrate on the 4th proximo, with becoming solemnity, the 
 50th Anniversary of your Institution. The Trustees of the College of Charleston, pre- 
 viously to my return, had adjourned to meet yesterday, the 20th instant, and it was 
 deemed advisable to await that day to lay your letter before them. They met according 
 to adjournment, and, on hearing your letter, they unanimously 
 
 Resolved, That this Board accept with great pleasure the invitation of the Trustees of 
 the College of South-Carolina, through the Chairman of their Committee, the Hon. W. 
 F. DeSaussure, to attend on Monday, the 4th day of December next, the celebration of 
 the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Institution. 
 
 Resolved, That every member of this Board be, and is hereby earnestly requested to 
 give, if it can be made at all convenient, his personal attendance and co-operation on 
 this auspicious occasion. 
 
 It is very gratifying to me to be the organ to lay these resolutions before you, my 
 dear sir, and through you, if you please, before your Committee and the Board of Trus- 
 tees of the South-Carolina College. Earnestly do I hope to have the satisfaction of 
 waiting on you on the 4th proximo, and of participating in the solemnities of the day. 
 The State has just reason to be proud of her noble institution. In the distinguished men 
 whom it has reared, it has repaid her manifold for all the support and patronage that 
 she has given it. She owes for it a debt of immeasurable gratitude to the men of the 
 revolution, and their associates, by whose advice and wisdom it was founded. In it they 
 laid the surest foundation for the maintenance and security of that enlightened and regu- 
 lated freedom which is dearer than life to every son of South-Carolina. 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 With the highest respect, my dear sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, M KING, 
 
 Charleston, Nov. 21, 1854. President T. C. C. 
 
28 CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 BOSTON, Nov. 18, 1854. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR : 
 
 I duly received your favor of the 4th instant, inviting me, on behalf of the Commit- 
 tee of Arrangements to attend the celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of South-Caro- 
 lina College, on the first Monday of December next. 
 
 I am much obliged to the Committee for this distinguished act of courtesy, and I beg 
 to assure them, through you, that nothing of the kind could have been more agreeable 
 to me than to have it in my power to accept this kind invitation. I am, unfortunately, 
 prevented from leaving home by controlling personal and domestic circumstances. I 
 beg you to be assured that I deeply feel the extent of the sacrifice I am thus obliged to 
 make. It is no small privation to lose the pleasure (though I would fain hope not final- 
 ly,) of a visit to the only great section of the country of which I have not already seen 
 some part; and the still greater pleasure of renewing my acquaintance with many dis- 
 tinguished citizens of Carolina, whom I have known at different periods of my life some 
 from my school-boy days. 
 
 I should, indeed, have missed from their places at home several of the most honored 
 sons, I will not say of South-Carolina, but of our common country, with whom, in the 
 course of my life, I have had personal and friendly intercourse Lowndes, Hayne, Le- 
 gare, McDuffie, Poinsett, Calhoun men from whom 1 have more or less differed on those 
 questions which, during the thirty-five last years, have divided North and South ; but to 
 whose eminent ability as statesmen I have always done justice, and whose amiable and 
 attractive personal qualities I have been able by experience to appreciate. 
 
 It would especially have delighted me, had I been able to accept your invitation, to 
 see again some of the friends and associates of my college days. I should have met at 
 your festival, had I been able to attend it, several well-remembered fellow-students, your- 
 self among the number ; two respected and valued classmates, Chancellor Dunkin and Mr. 
 John Rutledge ; and not a few who were, at a little later period, my pupils at Harvard, 
 one of whom, Mr. R. W. Barnwell, greatly distinguished even then, has since represented 
 you in both houses of Congress, and presided with much credit over your College. 
 
 1 should also have been able to renew my acquaintance with many Congressional asso- 
 ciates, whose intercourse and friendship I have enjoyed at Washington, and among them, 
 my highly esteemed friend, your late President, Col. Preston, to whose rare and fervid 
 eloquence I have often listened with admiration, unimpaired by differences of political 
 opinion. In a word, at a moment when sectional differences have reached so painful and 
 alarming a height, I should have derived heartfelt pleasure, retired as I am from public 
 life, in meeting the friends of literature, science and education at the South, upon an 
 occasion of so much interest, on common and neutral ground. 
 
 Though not able to be with you in person, I pray you to accept the assurance of my 
 cordial sympathy, with my best wishes for an agreeable and successful celebration. It 
 cannot fail to be so with the attractions held out by the selected orators of the festival 
 Mr. Petigru and Gov. Floyd. 
 
 I remain, dear sir, with great regard, 
 
 Your fellow-studen* and friend, 
 Hon. W. F. DESAUSSUBE. EDWARD EVERETT. 
 
CORRESPONDENCE. 29 
 
 FREDERICK CITY, (Md.) Nov. 22, 1854. 
 
 W. F. DeSaussure, Esq., Chairman, -c. 
 DEAR SIR : 
 
 1 received the invitation with which the Trustees, through your kind courtesy, have 
 honored me, to be present at the celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of South-Caro- 
 J ina College, in the pleasing hope that I should be able to participate in the solemnities 
 of the occasion. But engagements, which will not excuse me, forbid the anticipated 
 pleasure. 
 
 I have long wished to visit South-Carolina. For the last quarter of a century, she 
 has been marked by the strongest individuality of all the States in the Union; and has 
 done more than any other to give efficiency to the great conservative function of the 
 States in our Federal economy. The occasional self-assertion of a State is efficacious to 
 counteract that centralization which tends to extinguish the federate principle, and 
 subordinate the States to provinces. I wonld be proud to stand on the soil of a State 
 thus distinguished in our Federal history, and feel that I was still at home, not merely 
 in the generous southern hospitalities, but in the unity of that mighty federative empire 
 which towers above the States not to overshadow, but to make them radiant with a com- 
 mon national glory. 
 
 If I should thus feel, at home, as a guestjand a citizen, how much more should I feel 
 at home, as a friend of education. Literature and science are the common heritage of 
 man. Not even the diversities of language can long confine them within national limits. 
 Thought transmigrates from language to language, until the sentiment of the Greek fires 
 the soul of the Anglo-Saxon. The unity of the empire of science is admirably illustra- 
 ted in that noble institution founded at Washington, "for the increase and diffusion of 
 knowledge amongst men." An Englishman, liberalized by scientific studies, conceived 
 the idea of establishing, under the most popular government in the world, an institution 
 for eliciting original thought from universal man, and diffusing it as a common blessing 
 to all nations. And a philosopher, of our own country has organized an institution fully 
 adequate to the universal purpose of its founder. Thus, the enlightened liberality of 
 Smithson, and the constructive genius of Henry, have instaurated scientific research in 
 an organization so comprehensive as to embrace every inquirer as a co-laborer in the 
 common fields of science. And through the influence of this noble institution, a more 
 intimate communion will be established between the colleges of the different States ; and 
 science, with its catholic spirit, will lend its aid in binding together that political confra- 
 ternity which only can ensure the full development of the intellectual, as well as the 
 physical capabilities of each State, while it gives to each the majesty and might of their 
 united energies. 
 
 In these broad national sentiments should the young men of each State be educated. 
 Their minds should be enlarged and liberalized by the contemplation of the grand ryth- 
 mical movement, through our federative organization, of law and order over so vast a 
 territory deversified by geographical, institutional, and ethnical differences. The true 
 majesty of our great confederacy can in this way be estimated, and our young men in- 
 spired with a comprehensive patriotism. 
 
 As auxiliary to these broad sentiments of nationality, education should be so directed 
 as to enlarge, liberalize, elevate, and refine the mind not only by the study of modern 
 thought in its diversified forms, but by the elegant culture of ancient literature. There 
 are peculiarities in ancient thought for which nothing in modern can compensate. It 
 takes us back, through the stillness of past ages, to a life much more poetic than the 
 modern. This has a most benign influence. The Grecian State, which was most illus- 
 trious in poetry, in art, in oratory, in history, in philosophy, was also most distinguished 
 
30 COKEESPONDENCK. 
 
 for commerce and for war. The robustness of the Greek mind was not enervated by its 
 high aesthetic culture, much less can the Anglo-Saxon with its far greater practical ten- 
 dencies. The sweet mystery of the beautiful is thrown over creation as a lesson for the 
 study of man. In education, therefore, the beautiful should receive its due regard. I 
 would even so connect art with the trades, as to make the mechanic an artist without his 
 knowing it ; so that, like honest Peter Fischer, he might manufacture brass candlesticks 
 and chisel immortal statues. The useful and the beautiful have been united by the Crea- 
 tor ; let them not be divorced by man. 
 
 With this outline of my views of education, let me present my compliments, through 
 you, to the Trustees of South-Carolina College, in the following sentiment : 
 
 South-Carolina College: May it, in its hundredth Anniversary, be seen like a temple 
 of pure crystal, receiving into its halls, filled with a thousand students, all the lights of 
 all the knowledges of the earth ; and that citizens from sister States may meet there to 
 celebrate the cause of education, carried thither by the patriotism which rejoices at 
 whatever is great in a sister State, as a part of its own glory. 
 
 With my thanks to you, sir, I am your obliged servant, 
 
 SAMUEL TYLER. 
 
 BOSTON, November 25, 1354. 
 MY DEAR SIR : 
 
 I have the honor to acknowledge your very obliging communication of the 4th inst., 
 in behalf of the Trustees of the South-Carolina College. I have delayed answering it 
 until now, in the hope that I might find myself able to avail myself of the kind invita- 
 tion which it contained. 
 
 Few things would give me greater pleasure than to visit South-Carolina on such nn 
 occasion as you propose to me. It would afford me the highest gratification to partici- 
 pate in the celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the foundation of the College at 
 Columbia. I should esteem it a privilege, too, to renew my acquaintance with your 
 accomplished President, Dr. Thornwell, whose letter to Gov. Manning, on the subject of 
 Public Instruction, I have so lately read with the deepest interest. Nor can I fail to 
 remember the pleasure I should derive from meeting, at the scene of his labors and hi 
 studies, my distinguished friend, Professor Lieber, wbo has just furnished so valuable a 
 contribution to the science of " Civil Liberty and Self-Government." 
 
 The Republic .of Letters recognizes neither state nor national boundaries. The cause 
 of education is a common cause the world over. But, in our own country particularly, 
 it is a cause to bind together, in perpetual amity, all who have an interest in the present 
 success, or a hope for the future stability, of our free institutions. For myself, I cannot 
 but feel that whatever is done for public instruction, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, is* 
 done for the whole country, and I can hardly rejoice less in the progress and prosperity 
 of a College at Columbia than if it were at our own Cambridge. 
 
 I sincerely regret, my dear sir, that I find it impossible to be with you on Monday 
 next, but I pray you to present my grateful acknowledgments to the Trustees for remem- 
 bering me on the occasion. 
 
 I have tho honor to be, with great respect. 
 
 Your obliged and obedient servant, 
 
 ROBERT C. WINTHROP. 
 
 Hon. W. F. DESAUSSUBE, Chairman Com. of Arrangements. 
 
31 CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 UNIVERSITY OP VIRGINIA, Nov. 16, 1854. 
 DEAR SIR : 
 
 Your letter of invitation to the celebration, on the first Monday in December, of the 
 50th Anniversary of the founding of South-Carolina College, addressed to Dr. Harrison, 
 late Chairman of the Faculty of this Institution, has been received. 
 
 It would givo us great pleasure to be present on so interesting an occasion. But we 
 are in the midst of a laborious session, and imperative duties here compel us to forego 
 that pleasure. 
 
 Tendering you our grateful acknowledgements for the honor of the invitation, with our 
 best wishes for the continued prosperity of the institution you represent, we have the 
 honor to be 
 
 With great respect, your obedient servant, 
 
 S. MAUPIN, Chairman of the Faculty University of Va. 
 W. F. DESAUSSURE, Chairman Com. of Arrangements, &c. 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH-CAROLINA, 
 
 CHAPEL HILL, Nov. 28, 1854. 
 DEAR SIB . 
 
 Your note of the 4th ult, inviting the Faculty of this Institution to co-operate with 
 the authorities of the South-Carolina College in the celebration of the 50th anniversary 
 of the founding of the College, was duly received. 
 
 I have delayed a reply until this late period under the hope that circumstances might 
 occur which would admit of our being properly represented upon so interesting an occa- 
 sion. We are now, however, in :he midst of our annual examination, and the term will 
 not close until Friday, the 1st December. It is hardly possible that one or more of our 
 number may be able to reach Columbia by Monday. The health of my family, I am 
 sorry to say, will not, probably, admit of my making an effort to do so. I need scarcely 
 intimate, that there is no festival likely to occur in my day, in any portion of the 
 Unionj from an attendance upon which I could really anticipate greater pleasure and 
 improvement than I find myself compelled to forego in declining your kind invitation. 
 
 With assurances of my high respect for yourself, personally, and the body of which 
 you are the organ, 
 
 I remain, your obedient servant, D. L. SWAIN. 
 
 W. F. DESAUSSTTRE, Esq., Chairman Com. of Arrangements. 
 
32 CORRESPONDENCE, 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, Nov. 16, 1854. 
 
 MY DEAR SIB : 
 
 I much regret that official duties will peremptorily forbid my attendance on the occa- 
 sion of the jubilee of our Alma Mater. From peculiar occurrences, two of our most im- 
 portant chairs are now vacant, temporarily, and this devolves increased labor and respon- 
 sibility on the residue. Besides, we have lately modified our organization; and this, 
 though slight, requires that I should be present. I have some hope that I shall be able 
 to induce Prof. Sam'l. M. Stafford (an elder alumnus than I) to attend. My class was 
 that of December, 1821. 
 
 That this first general convocation of our brothers may be happy, and fruitful of tl.e 
 best influences, is the sincere wish of, 
 
 Dear sir, yours, most respectfully, B. MANLY. 
 
 WM. F. DESAUSSURE, ESQ. 
 
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