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| The Clariosophic Hall From The State January 28, 1906. |
The full text of first two speeches, given between 1873-77, are contained in the Clariosophic Society records. The third is a speech fragment taken from a newspaper article by J. Rion McKissick. All are inaugural speeches Charles J. Babbitt gave upon being elected society President. Below we provide the full texts and offer commentary.
First Speech
The speech below was delivered by Charles Babbitt on April 11, 1874. This date was at the beginning of the first Summer term after the matriculation of African American students.
In his speech, Charles holds up Greek orators as models for society members to aspire to. In Charles' opinion, the achievements of the Greek orators are unobtainable in modern times. However, he points to Henry, Webster, Sumner as accomplished modern U.S orators. These men are presumably Patrick Henry, Daniel Webster, and Charles Sumner. The Mention of the last two orators had particular significance.
Daniel Webster was from New England and had long served in Massachusetts government. In his speech, Charles said that Webster "preserved [the nation's] unity." This is presumably a reference to Webster's opposition to nullification, for example as expressed in his Second Reply to Hayne speech. Invoking Webster in South Carolina at this time was provocative. On the issue of nullification, Webster stood in opposition to some of Antebellum South Carolina's most celebrated politicians, most notably John C. Calhoun. The political theory of nullification that Calhoun and his supporters developed was used to defend slavery, and it had been decisively repudiated by the Confederacy's defeat in the Civil War. Webster died in 1852, so none of the students would have living memory of him, but they would have viewed him as a symbol of Unionism.
In contrast to Webster, many of the students would have long followed Charles Sumner's political career closely. Sumner had died only a month earlier. His death was celebrated by South Carolina conservatives and mourned by Republicans. Sumner was a long-serving Massachusetts congressman. During his political career, he had been a leader in the anti-slavery movement. After the Civil War, he was one of the strongest proponents of Radical Reconstruction and advocated for the civil rights of Africa Americans. In his speech, Charles explicitly references Sumner's advocacy for civil rights: "it was through such men as . . . Sumner [that our country] gave its people equal rights."
Charles' speech is unabashedly elitist. The overarching message of his speech is that society members enjoy an advantages of intelligence and education far beyond that of the average citizen, who is in "a degrading state of ignorance." In the society, members should strive to develop their skill through activities like debate ("As iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the understanding of his friend"). After graduating and leaving the university for the broader world, members should use their talents to uplift American society.
Gentlemen of the Clariosophic Society
In taking upon myself the office of the President in this society allow me to thank you most sincerely for the honor conferred upon me. Rest assured that as long as I hold this position in the society, it shall be my endeavor to be just, impartial and independent: mistakes will occur, through ignorance and inexperience, but I beg that you will look up on them as charitably as possible.
The object of our Society as stated in our Constitution is practice in elocution and increase of literary culture. The importance of elocution has been felt from the earliest times.
Cicero studied under Grecian rhetoricians until he had reached a greater perfection than that attained by any other of the orators of Rome.
It was only through practice that Demosthenes reached the highest round [recte "rung"] in the ladder of eloquence.
The Grecian and Roman orators virtually governed their respective countries, if they declaimed for war the nation was under arms; if for peace the fields were green with crops. Cicero banished Cataline from Rome and Demosthenes drove Lamachus from the Olympian Games.
The fate of nations has been decided by eloquence, it was through Demades that Athens was saved from the wraith of Alexander.
These are no names that can stand in the lights of the world’s orators, it is these names which shine with the clearest luster
Although in oratory the ancients were superior to the moderns, yet we find some great names among us, ~ names that have upheld the cause of freedom prosperity and independence; it was through such men as Henry that our country was made free; as Webster, that preserved its unity, as Sumner that gave its people equal rights.
And are there no opportunities for us, no rewards for us to receive?
In the halls of Congress today what an opportunity there is for one to immortalize his name.
In our own state there are hundreds; nay! thousands, who are in a degrading state of ignorance, and as the orators of old civilized their Countrymen, so must we, assisted as we are by the intelligence of modern civilization, raise the standard of learning among our fellow statesmen.
At the bar there is a place for all. Few are the lawyers today that can lay claim to elegance. At the pulpit there is room, and more than room. They are not only wanted to “go forth and preach the gospel in every land” but to stay at home and reclaim and lead their fellow-men unto the paths of truth and virtue.
Shakespeare says of orators – “That in the general bosom they do reign and young and old of either sex enchant?
By hopeful attending to the duties which devolve on us as members of this society literary culture will be acquired.
As iron” says [Solomon?] sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the understanding of his friend.
Second Speech
The second recorded speech Charles Babbitt gave was on October 24, 1874. Charles' first term as society president had ended and he had been reelected. His speech was both the retiring speech of his first presidency and the inaugural speech of his second.
Unlike his first speech, Charles' second speech contains no explicit references to U.S. politics. Otherwise, it follows along similar lines: he draws on the classical history to illustrate the purpose of the society.
Charles focuses on the end of the Roman empire. The empire ended, Charles says, because its citizens had largely lost the personal virtues that had made the empire great. In Charles' words, Roman citizens had followed the "downward road to licentiousness, effeminacy and corrupt morals."
Despite the end of the Roman empire, many of the positive aspects of Roman culture were preserved by the Christian Church. The church blended this culture with aspects of "barbarian" culture, which Charles describes as "wild independence and manly spirit." This fusion culture forms the basis of then-contemporary European and American culture.
The creation and dissemination of the fusion of Roman and barbarian culture was done by well-educated church officials. The church, says Charles, offered an elite education to a small number of individuals were the goal of developing a group that could carry out this project. In particular, they rejected trying to implement mass education. The implicit message seems to be that society members should view themselves as being given a task similar to that given to medieval church scholars.
Gentlemen,
Six months ago, and the again tonight, have the members of the Society conferred upon me honors, which will ever be fresh in memory, and for which they have my sincere thanks.
Permit me however to trespass up on your attention for a few moments.
If we consider the causes of the civilization of today, we cannot but feel that the dismemberment of the Roman Empire diffused throughout the world the germs of what is now the flowering tree of civilization.
After the close of the Punic Wars, Rome saw what Tallyrand said of Napoleon’s grand march into Russia – “the beginning of the end”
Rome sent her soldiers to all parts of the known world, penetrating the far west and distant north. Over this vast expanse of territory, the one city of Rome could not preserve authority, then too, insurrections within fermented by dictatorship and tyranny continually weakened her power.
For many years, Rome had been on the downward road to licentiousness, effeminacy and corrupt morals, the ancient manhood of her sons had departed, in proportion as Greek manners and civilization had acquired sway. Instead of the ancient tunic and manly costume of olden times, the toga and womanly Grecian dresses were everywhere seen. In short the conquered, conquered, the vanquished Greeks vanquished their conquerors with manners, and prepared them for their fall.
During this time there had been growing a body, which [though?] persecuted and trodden down, gained strength every day, until it attained the highest positions of state; I mean the Christian Church, afterwards destined to do so much for the world.
Through effeminacy, corruption and dissension, Roman authority for several centuries continually waned, and when the northern barbarians swept down on the “external city” she fell an easy prey.
But like the phoenix from the ashes of its parent bird, so the Christian Church with unweakened strength, rose from the ruins of its mother city, and set about civilizing its uncivilized rulers.
Guizot, the great French historian says, “it was the Christian church, that became the connecting link, the principle of civilization between the Roman and the barbarian worlds”.
Here were a body of men unaccustomed to labor, or to anything that might offend the taste, in fact a class of learned exquisites, attempting to tame their brutish conquerors. They first dispersed their representatives throughout the “west” and north, locating them in France, Spain, Germany, Britain and Russia, the effect of this is easily imagined. The fusion of Roman manners, and the wild independence and manly spirit of the barbarians, tempered the one and strengthened the other, and laid the foundation for that character which has made Europe and our own country what they are today.
They established schools, not for the education of all, but for those who intended themselves for the cloister, and placed them under the charge of men like Alcuin.
In this way preserving knowledge among the clergy, and contributing to the ignorance of the laity. But as the presence of a little leven [recte leaven] will cause all to become leven [recte leaven], so did the knowledge of our class diffuse itself throughout all.
Thus at the close of the 14th century, two great strides had been taken, one, the diffusion of Roman civilization throughout the West, the other, the establishment of schools. The opening of the 15th century commenced the third this was the “Revival of Learning”
Third Speech Fragment
A fragment of a third speech by Babbitt was published in The State newspaper. In 1906, the newspaper published a history of the Clariosophic Society written by future USC President J. Rion McKissick. He quotes the following excerpt from an inaugural address of Babbitt:
The arbitrament of arms having declared free and elevated to the rights of social position another class of our citizens, our institutions of learning have also been opened to them, and forsooth, some of those have seen proper to enter this time honored institution. Others have chosen to stay away rather than acknowledge and submit to the decree of an All-Wise Being. The Author of all things, the Giver of all blessing of life, having made all men free and equal, why should not these be allowed to partake equally with all others of the Perian springs of knowledge? To them, therefore, we extend an open hand and hall as a dawn of a new civilization their presence in our midst.
The present author has been unable to find a copy of this speech in Clariosophic records. The excerpt should be regarded with caution as parts of McKissick's history are erroneous. For example, he describes Edgar Caypless as "the last 'president' whose address is recorded," but in fact, Babbitt gave two speeches after Caypless's.
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| The Euphradian Hall Third Floor Harper College From The State February 4. 1906 |
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