Transcript
[Nov. 30, 1831] To the Trustees of the South Carolina College Gentlemen The College business has gone on as usual since your last meeting. The number of Students on the list this year has been 114, and I calculate on the same number for next year. I think I may venture to say that the conduct of the students is certainly better and not worse than formerly. We have no means of maintaining discipline but by persuasion, and that has been usually successful, except at the periodical season of disorder in the Spring of the year, which we may calculate to take place every year, whether cause be given or not. So many headstrong young men living out of family control, cannot be expected to behave with uniform sedateness. But the proficiency of the Students, the great object of their coming here, can be ascertained by any person who thinks proper to attend the examinations. Mr. Michaelowitz has gone to Europe, and probably will not return. His duties have been performed by Professor Nott both as librarian + teacher of the French classes. Those classes are two; eight in the one, + twelve in the other. The study of modern languages is gradually becoming fashionable among the young men. As to French, I consider it so indispensable a branch of modern education, that it is a disgrace to any College not to furnish the means of acquiring the knowledge of that language; nor is any young man now considered as having received a competent education, who cannot at least read and translate the French language with perfect facility. The speaking of it, must be acquired elsewhere. Hence, disapproving as I do, of the practice of electing a Librarian for two or three years as a mere bird of passage, and for the purpose of
putting a few hundred dollars in the pocket of a young man whose object is law or medicine, I am persuaded from what I have seen of the advanta--ges of the combination in the case of Mr. Michaelowitz, that the Librarian ought to be a Professor of the modern languages also, at least of french
and italian, if not of German and Spanish. During the time he was here, it is certain he inspired among the students, a desire to become acquainted with modern languages: that desire is now increasing, +
ought to be taken advantage of. I have no hesitation in saying
