The student societies of the Radical University: the Clariosophic before 1873

Page from the minutes of the Clariosophic Society
The text reads "Beginning of the new organization A.D. 1873 negros"
From South Caroliniana Library

This blogpost will explore the activities of the University of South Carolina student literary society the Clariosophic during Reconstruction.  During the 19th century, literary societies played an important role in student life at many US universities.  In the Antebellum, USC was home to two such societies: the Clariosophic and the Euphradian.  Both were founded shortly after the university itself, in 1806.  Essentially all students joined one of the societies.

Typically, each society met once a week. At the weekly meeting, one member would recite a preselected famous speech. Then two other members would debate a topic of a political or historical nature. Examples of debate topics are "Ought immigration to be encouraged in a country?" and "Was the field of eloquence among the ancients superior to that among the moderns?" Then students would vote to determine who won the debate. The meetings were run in a formal manner, so students could also propose motions, say to admit new members or invite outside speakers. For each meeting, meeting minutes were recorded.

Participation in the literary societies was an important part of a student's education. The public speaking skills and the social connections they developed were especially valuable for the students who would go on to work in politics, the aspiration of many.

After the Civil War, the societies continued, albeit in a diminished state. Around 1868, when state Republicans began gaining political control, students, faculty, and alumni became increasing concerned with how the university would be impacted by the political changes sweeping the region.  A cause of particular concern was the possibility that African American students would be admitted.

The concerns about African American students began to materialize in April 1869. That month the state legislature passed an act forbidding the University of South Carolina from making any distinction on account of "race, color or creed" when making admission decisions.  

The month after the anti-discrimination act passed, the Euphradian Society responded by creating the Lambda Delta Epsilon committee. The committee was charged with "keep[ing] negroes from becoming members," safeguarding the constitution, and selling the furniture of the society. By Summer 1873, the society members had removed the constitution and other documents from campus for safekeeping. The society's library was given to the Clariosophic. 

The Euphradian continued meeting until May 31, 1873. At that meeting, Charles J. Babbitt was elected president. However, in fall, he joined the Clariosophic, and the Euphradian ceased to exist until after Reconstruction.

In contrast, the Clariosophic Society remained in existence for the duration of Reconstruction.  It is unclear how the society reacted to the 1869 non-discrimination act. The month the act was passed, the Clariosophic charged a committee with soliciting advice from honorary society members in case the society was dissolved at the end of term (in June).  The timing suggests that this was done in response to the non-discrimination act, although the act isn't directly referenced in Clariosophic records. In any case, the committee suggested that soliciting advice would be harmful to the institution and no further action was taken.

It is also unclear how exactly the Clariosophic Society reacted to the university enrollment of African Americans. What is clear is that this was a tumultuous time for the society. Conflict appears to have broken out between society members during Summer 1873. At the May 31 meeting, John Peyre Thomas moved that the society's Vice President Nicholas A. Patterson be required to resign.  The motion carried and Patterson resigned. At the meeting, John W. Veronee also submitted his resignation.

The decision to expel Nicholas angered a number of society members.  At the next recorded meeting, held on June 7, society member John A. Faber resigned in protest against Patterson's treatment.  

More members seem to have resigned over the course of summer and fall.  By the start of fall term (in October), the society's President and Secretary had left and their positions were taking over by Charles and Francis Cummings respectively.  

The last recorded meeting of the society was an extra meeting held on October 13, 1873.  This was about a week after the first African American student enrolled. John Faber and several other former society members, namely John's brother William, Nathaniel Barnwell, Oliver Harris, and Frank Green, were temporarily readmitted to the society, presumably so that they could participate in the meeting. 

The October meeting was very active. Over 10 motions were carried. Several of the motions appear to have been made to administratively facilitate the transition in society membership. For example, one motion created a committee consisting of William Faber and Charles Cummings that was charged with investigating the society's loose papers and destroying everything that was "of no value."  

The main focus of the meeting appears to have been the May decision to remove Nicholas Patterson.  The meeting minutes conclude with a lengthy written protest against the decision.

Frustratingly, the protest is silent on the motivation behind Nicholas's removal  The document focuses entirely on procedural issues. Specifically, it states: (1) the charges against him were unclear, (2) he was denied a hearing, (3) the removal was done hastily, and (4) the removal was ill-considered in that the issue was not first sent to a committee before being brought to the floor.  

Conceivably, Nicholas could have been removed from the society for misconduct, say defacing society property or violating parliamentary procedure (two issues that occasionally caused disputes at meetings).  However, both the timing and the background of meeting participants suggest that politics played a major role.  

Nicholas and many of his supporters came from well-established conservative South Carolina families that were opposed to Reconstruction. Nicholas's father had been a wealthy planter before the Civil War.  His grandfather was a U.S. Senator and one of the largest slaveowners in Barnwell County.

Of the three students who signed the letter of protest, one (Oliver B. Evans) was a Confederate veteran.  The other two signers were the brothers John and William Faber.  They had grown up in Germany, but their father was from Charleston.  He had been USC's professor of foreign languages but was dismissed shortly before the admission of African Americans (on October 3) by the Board of Trustees.

Another son of a USC professor who was present was Nathaniel Barnwell. Nathaniel's father was Professor Robert W. Barnwell.  Professor Barnwell was a former planter who had served as the president of USC in the 1830s.  He was also active in politics, serving both as a U.S. congressman and as a Confederate senator. Nathaniel himself had served in the Confederate army.

After the war, Professor Barnwell returned to USC. There he held the professorship in history and politics and was university chairman (a position similar to university president). During this time, he was an unreconstructed conservative.  One of his former students recalled that he often lectured on state sovereignty and insisted on spelling "nation" with a lowercase "n."  Professor Barnwell was dismissed from the university at the same time as Professor Faber, about a week before the admission of African American students.

Three members stood apart from the other students: the brothers Charles, Olin, and Francis Cummings. They had been admitted into the Clariosophic in November, 1872.  The brothers were the sons of Professor Cummings.  While they had spent most of their lives in North and South Carolina, their parents were from the Northeast. Their father had supported the Confederacy during the Civil War, but by 1873, he had become closely allied with the Reconstruction government.  For example, he testified to Congress on KKK outrages in Spartanburg.

In October, 1873, not only were the Cummings brother among the few Clariosophic member who had not resigned, but they were taking over more and more responsibilities within the society.  The next year they would be the only Clariosophic members who had remained in the society.  

The fact that the controversy surrounding Nicholas Patterson's resignation took place in the midst of political conflict between the USC faculty and trustees and culminated in the departure of all society members except for members closely tied to the Reconstruction government suggests the controversy was of a  political nature.  However, all evidence is circumstantial.  

While the details of society's activities in Fall, 1873 are obscure, it is clear that, by the end of 1873, the Clariosophic had become transformed.  The page in the society minute book after the October meeting states this bluntly: "Beginning of the new organization: Negros."   We will explore what this new organization did in the next blogpost.

Page from the member record of the Clariosophic Society
Text reads "These pages were used in the time of '76 by the negros"
From South Caroliniana Library