USA > South Carolina > Charleston County > Charleston > History of the New England Society of Charleston, South Carolina, for One Hundred Years, 1819-1919 > Part 9
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He came to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1850 and engaged in the mercantile business with his brother, under the firm name of W. W. and J. R. Read, which afterward became the well- known house of J. R. Read and Company.
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During the Civil War Mr. Read's sympathies were with the South. He was an active member of the famous fire department of Charleston which rendered valuable assistance to the Con- federate cause during the war period.
He was a leading merchant in the city of Charleston for sixty years. He was always ready to assist any enterprise which stood for the upbuilding of the city of his adoption.
He was vice-president of the Chamber of Com- merce, an active member of many charitable organizations, and a liberal contributor to all objects of merit.
Mr. Read became a member of the New Eng- land Society in 1858, served as a member of the committee on charity, and at the time of his death, January 23, 1911, was senior vice-president.
He was a member of Grace Episcopal Church for fifty-six years and was devoted to its interests, serving as vestryman and warden.
Mr. Read's fine spirit of magnanimity was exhibited in an incident which occurred during his service as senior warden. A new departure was proposed by the rector which meant radical changes in the conduct of the church service and which also involved the expenditure of a large sum
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of money. This venture was vigorously opposed by Mr. Read. One year after the changes were made, Mr. Read said: "I was wrong in my opposition." A short time afterward he died, leaving a legacy to the church and designating that it be used in payment of the debt incurred by the changes he had opposed.
JOHN SOMERS BUIST
John Somers Buist, M.A., M.D., was born in Charleston, South Carolina, November 26, 1839. He graduated at the College of Charleston in 1859 and at the Medical College of South Carolina in 1861. He immediately entered the Confeder- ate Army as an assistant surgeon and for a time served with the famous Hampton Legion. In 1863 he was promoted to the rank of surgeon major and attached to Colonel Haskell's command in General Robert E. Lee's army, where he served with marked ability and great gallantry.
At the close of the war, Dr. Buist returned to Charleston and became one of the most promi- nent physicians and surgeons in his native state, successively holding the following important positions: city health officer, surgeon to the
JAMES B. CAMPBELL
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Roper Hospital and to the United States Marine Hospital, president of the South Carolina Medi- cal Society, professor of general surgery at the Medical College of South Carolina, a member of the first board of commissioners of the New Roper Hospital, vice-president of the Board of Commissioners of the Charleston Orphan House, trustee of the College of Charleston, and presi- dent of the Alumni Association of the College of Charleston.
Dr. Buist was not only a great influence in his professional life but also as a man of affairs generally in the community. He was a director in the Dime Savings Bank and a director in the Charleston Consolidated Company. He was one of the most prominent Masons in South Carolina, being one of the few men of his state to attain the thirty-third degree in that famous order.
Dr. Buist became a member of the New Eng- land Society in 1881, served as steward for many years, and was at the time of his death, Septem- ber 29, 1910, junior vice-president. He also delivered a number of addresses to the Society, which is another evidence of his wonderful ver- satility. As a public speaker he had few peers in South Carolina.
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VAN NEST TALMAGE
Van Nest Talmage was born in Brooklyn, New York, March, 1844. He was a business genius from his early boyhood. He founded the well-known firm of Dan Talmage and Sons of New York when a mere youth.
Mr. Talmage came to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1871 and within an incredibly short time built up the largest rice business in South Carolina. He became a life member of the New England Society in 1877. At the time of his death the Society by a unanimous vote adopted the following minute:
"In the mysterious orderings of Divine Provi- dence, we are called upon to record the loss by death of a member of this Society, Mr. Van Nest Talmage, who after a brief illness passed to his rest on March 30, 1880. Be it
" Resolved, That we hereby unitedly express a sense of the loss we, in common with the com- munity at large, have sustained in the removal of this estimable man. His was a character of rare merit; by nature manly and generous; in dis- position genial and considerate; in habit indus- trious and temperate; denying himself for the sake of charity to others. Nor did his benevo-
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lence confine itself to simple alms-deeds, as his personal endeavor in support of public enterprise and his zealous devotion to the interests of the young of the Orphan House and Grace Church Sunday School will bear ample testimony.
"In his charities, which were profuse, he was systematic and consistent; in his labors earnest and indomitable. In all the manifold relation- ships of life, religious, social, and commercial, he seemed ever to be actuated by a high sense of honor and the promptings of a warm, sympa- thetic, and generous heart.
"Such men never go from us unwept and unmissed.
"Resolved, That these resolutions be published in the News and Courier and a copy of this action of the Society be spread upon the records and another forwarded to the widow of the deceased in testimony of the admiration and regard we entertain for the memory of her generous dead."
The News and Courier published the follow- ing editorial, April 1, 1880:
"It is not a matter of form to say that Mr. Van Nest Talmage will be sorely missed in Charleston. No call was made upon him for a public or charitable purpose which was not
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cheerfully and liberally responded to, and he was withal broad and progressive in his mercantile policy, as well as rigidly conscientious and singu- larly farsighted.
"Mr. Talmage changed the whole current of the rice business in Charleston, initiating and making successful the system of shipping the grain directly to the Western consumers, instead of taking the old way of New York.
"Only thirty-five years old, the nephew of Dr. DeWitt Talmage, full of life and enterprise, he had already made himself conspicuous among Charleston merchants, and might well hope to have before him a long career of good fortune and usefulness. Incessant work caused the illness which ended in his untimely death.
"Mr. Talmage had more friends than he knew. Charleston needs just such men as he, and it will be hard to fill his place.
"The funeral services of this estimable gentle- man took place at Grace Church yesterday after- noon, the Reverend C. C. Pinckney, D.D., the rector, officiating. The casket was covered with floral offerings. The cortège was followed by the New England Society and the Chamber of Commerce. The seats on the right of the church
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were occupied by the children of the Charleston Orphan House, to whose spiritual culture Mr. Talmage devoted a great deal of his time. Those on the left were occupied by the children of Grace Church Sunday School, of which the deceased was also an active officer. The seats in the main aisle were filled with a large concourse of citizens, among whom were many of the most prominent merchants, lawyers, and physicians in the city, and by a very large concourse of ladies."
JOHN P. KENNEDY BRYAN
John P. Kennedy Bryan was born in Charles- ton, South Carolina, September 10, 1852. He was the third son of George S. Bryan, judge of the United States District Court for South Carolina, and Rebecca L. Dwight. He was edu- cated in the schools of Charleston, Princeton University, and the universities of Berlin and Leipzig.
At Princeton he earned the degree of A.B. in 1873, graduating with first honor in the class of which Dr. Henry van Dyke was a member. He was a mental science Fellow and a student of philosophy and law at the University of Berlin
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from 1873 to 1874, and a student of the Univer- sity of Leipzig from 1874 to 1875. He returned to Princeton and received the degree of A.M. in 1876. He studied law in Charleston and was admitted to the bar of South Carolina in 1877.
Mr. Bryan was a member of the constitu- tional convention in 1895 and was prominent and influential in its deliberations.
As a lawyer Mr. Bryan had few peers in the South. "His practice was wide and varied, including many cases of great interest and public importance. Soon after his admission to the bar, he was engaged for the defense in the Ku Klux trials, extending over the period from 1877 to 1883. He was counsel for the United States government in the conspiracy cases, 1889-1899, and in prize cases tried in the port of Charleston during the Spanish-American War. He was widely known as an able and experienced admi- ralty lawyer. He argued before the Supreme Court of the United States the leading cases which settled constitutional questions involved in the Dispensary Law, and did much other pioneer work before that court and the courts of the state." He was a member of the legal advisory board during the war between the
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United States of America and the empires of Germany and of Austria-Hungary.
Mr. Bryan was deeply interested in education. He served for a number of years as a trustee of the Charleston High School, the College of Charles -. ton, and the University of the South.
Mr. Bryan became a member of the New England Society, December 22, 1898, and was one of its most distinguished and useful members. His addresses on Forefathers' Day were among the most eloquent and scholarly ever delivered before the Society.
He died suddenly on October 25, 1918, at the zenith of his power and in the faithful discharge of his duties.
The three tributes which follow are typical of many estimates of Mr. Bryan's useful career:
"The death of Kennedy Bryan takes from the world a man of rare and admirable gifts, who used them with high fidelity in the service of his God, his friends, and his fellow-men. His brilliant mind, his rich eloquence, his unselfish patriotism, his devotion to duty, his warm and steadfast affec- tions, his sincere and simple Christian character, gave true nobility to his life and vital charm to his person.
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"Worthy of the best traditions of his native state, he served her loyally and quietly without a thought of self, and well deserves her gratitude. "Princeton University, his alma mater, cher- ishes his name as one of her noblest sons. His praise is fragrant on our lips, his memory is dear to our hearts. His reward is great and sure in that Heavenly Kingdom where he has been welcomed as a good and faithful servant whose ten talents were consecrated to his Master's work and the welfare of humanity."-Rev. Henry van Dyke, D.D.
"He was a pre-eminently able lawyer. There has been no abler advocate at the bar of South Carolina within the memory of living lawyers. Intellectual endowments of the highest order had been developed by a liberal education at home and abroad, and trained by long years of experi- ence in a wide and varied practice.
"Within the circle of litigation he was always the warrior, strong, courageous, resourceful, and armed from head to foot. He fought his cases to victory or defeat. He never compromised, he never surrendered. Whenever he resumed pro- fessional responsibilities, he put himself and all his resources unreservedly into the cause, and with
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each case he took infinite pains. His arguments to the court were exhaustive expositions of law, and his addresses to the jury were powerful pres- entations of fact.
"He was a pioneer in respect of the law upon many questions which have now been settled. He conducted many leading cases. The opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States upon more than one public issue follows the lines of his brief.
"His services were always at the command of the bar, the city, the state and country, and were often employed.
"He sought and held no public place in the profession. His death vacates no public office; but much more than that, it is a public loss. It creates in our midst a vacancy which the public cannot fill."-William C. Miller.
"By the sudden death of J. P. Kennedy Bryan the community has lost a brilliant personality and the bar of the State a member whose legal and forensic abilities commanded high admiration. Mr. Bryan had a rarely fine mind, which he had cultivated and trained by study and reflection. He had a profound knowledge, not only of the
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law, but of the historical and philosophical foundations of the law. He was a student of government and a keen observer and analyst of political and popular currents. He had the power of expression extraordinarily developed, and many of his court house addresses might have been preserved in permanent record, as they remain in the memory of his hearers as almost classic examples of persuasive oratory. His inter- ests were wide, and his services, especially in the cause of education and in the exploration of con- stitutional law, were notable. He was intensely patriotic, of his country and state. His social graces were many; he was an interesting and charming companion, and the center of a devoted family circle. His swift passing is like the snapping out of a bright light."-The Charleston Evening Post, October 28, 1918.
PERCIVAL HANAHAN WHALEY
Percival Hanahan Whaley was born on Edisto Island, South Carolina, May 17, 1853. He was an alumnus of Trinity College, Hartford, Con- necticut, and of the Berckley Divinity School, Middletown, Connecticut. The University of the
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South conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity on account of scholarly research.
Dr. Whaley held important charges in Con- necticut, South Carolina, and Florida. He was a clergyman of the Episcopal church. He was an eloquent preacher, a profound theologian, and a historian of high rank. At the time of his death he was writing a history of the state of Florida and a history of the Episcopal church in South Carolina.
Dr. Whaley published a number of historic pamphlets which attracted scholarly attention.
He became a member of the New England Society in 191I.
After his death, which occurred at Rochester, Minnesota, September 2, 1915, the Right Rev- erend Wm. A. Guerry, D.D., bishop of South Carolina, paid him the following tribute:
"Percival Whaley was one of the most lovable men I have ever known, warm hearted, thoughtful of others, unselfish, never sparing himself where duty called or where he could be of service to his fellow-men; he endeared himself to all who knew him. Like the holy priest of whom William Law writes in his Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, he was full of the spirit of the Gospel, watching,
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laboring and praying for his people. Every soul in his parish was as dear to him as himself and he loved them all as he loved himself, because he prayed for them all as often as he prayed for himself.
"It was this broad-minded sympathy and love of his fellow-men that remained throughout his life his crowning virtue. Because he loved and trusted others, therefore he was without guile. Dr. Whaley was not only beloved by his own people but he was in a very real sense the pastor of all the people. He knew no denominational lines in his ministry. Like the Lord, he went among men as one that served, and never stopped to ask if any child of God who was in trouble or in need of his help was of his flock.
"At the council of the church Dr. Whaley, upon my recommendation, was made histori- ographer of the diocese, a position for which he was eminently fitted. For the past six years he has been gathering material for a history of the church in South Carolina, and I had hoped that he might be spared to carry on and complete this most important work. I feel, however, that what he has already accomplished in the way of preparation for such a history will be invaluable
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for the man who will follow him. The whole diocese of South Carolina owes him a debt of gratitude for what he has done, and it is difficult at this time to see how his place can be filled. In viewing his life as a whole, we are struck by the fact that it was a full and well-rounded life."
At the same time one of the leading news- papers of South Carolina published the following editorial:
"A rarely charming and lovable personality passed in the death of the Reverend Percival H. Whaley. His faith was real, his reason clear, and his mind truly cultured. He was a good friend and a devoted pastor. He had understanding of men and a fine sympathy for their joys and sorrows, and he had that vision of the divine which is neither fleeting nor uncertain, because it is not so strained as to blind nor so narrow as to weary with its holding.
"He had a comprehending mind, richly stored with treasure of its own searching, a fine appre- ciation of letters, and a facility of speech and writing that gave great charm to his company. Perhaps, best of all, he had a sense of proportion. He was an admirable and a kindly type of the humanist who reads the story of his kind equally
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in ancient lore and living souls. An illumined spirit has gone into the light."
OTHER SONS OF NEW ENGLAND
In addition to the New Englanders and descendants of New Englanders who made their homes in Charleston and who became members of the New England Society, there were many others of prominence and influence. Among the large number a few notable worthies might be mentioned. Three of the most distinguished bishops of South Carolina were born in New Eng- land-the Right Reverend Theodore Dehon, D.D., and the Right Reverend Nathaniel Bowen, D.D., were born in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Right Reverend W. B. W. Howe, D.D., was born in Claremont, New Hampshire. Dr. Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve, the greatest classical scholar America has produced, was of New England stock, though born in Charleston, South Carolina. Dr. Gildersleeve was the guest of the New Eng- land Society at its annual celebration in 1892, and delivered a notable address from which the following is quoted:
"The honor of being your guest on this occasion is an honor that I prize most highly. It is one of
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the most precious assurances I have ever received that the affection with which my heart has always turned toward my native city, toward the home of my childhood and of my opening youth, is not wasted affection. True, in one sense, there can be no such thing as wasted affection, for honest love enriches the lover, but to find, after all these years of absence, that the answering love is still there would stir a duller heart than mine is, and I am happy as well as proud to be with you tonight, as I have always been proud and happy to recall the high traditions of that old Charleston to which I belong, the Charleston that antedates the flood of Civil War.
"Among the names that make up the roll of your honored Society, there are not a few that bring back the prominent figures which graced the scene when I was a boyish spectator of the life of Charleston, the grave but gracious divines, the learned and brilliant lawyers, the skilful and beloved physicians, the enterprising and liberal merchants of fifty years ago, none the less true Charlestonians because they were true New Eng- landers. To be sure, it has been said that the reason why the New Englanders who came to the South made such characteristic Southerners is to
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be sought in the fact that the chief of those who came were Southern in their sympathies, but whether that is so or not, they brought with them a heritage of noble traditions, of high purpose, of dauntless will, that formed a distinct addition to the moral wealth of the community. But I am not without bias in this matter. My own lot has made me a typical Southerner, and from my first conscious breath to this day I have recognized the debt of my nativity and have wrought and suf- fered in my measure for the land that gave me birth. And yet, if I were a resident of Charleston, I should have a right to sit among you as a mem- ber, and not merely as a guest, for, while the soil on which I am standing is peculiarly hallowed ground to me, Vermont and Connecticut hold the graves of my father's forefathers, who in their day were rebels, as was their descendant in his. And many a typical Southerner is in my case. With the recent revival of interest in Revolutionary and Colonial matters, there has been much tracing of genealogical lines, and I have been amazed to see in more than one instance the revelation of New England ancestry where New England ancestry had never been suspected before-Magnolia and Mayflower wedded in those far-off days.
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"In the angry quarrel that parted the family a generation ago, there was much talk about the difference of race, and all kinship was passionately disowned, but the common blood asserted itself in that very protest-and if there is no community on this side of the water, the common mother of us all is only a few generations off. Now I am very willing to admit that I did not always enter- tain these rational and philosophic views, and when I was asked to respond to the toast, 'Our Country,' I was a little puzzled to know why I, a narrow provincial, should have been selected to treat so wide a theme, and I felt at first a sense of unfitness that was somewhat embarrassing. But despite the modesty that I possess and have acquired by practice, I began to understand that I was eminently qualified for the function to which I was called, and the toastmaster knew that if he gave me any sentiment involving an allusion to Old Charleston, I should ramble on till midnight, remembering and remembering more than I ever knew and more than anybody could contradict, and so lie assigned to me a theme which he must have known I had studied under circumstances that were well calculated to clarify my views."
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THE VISIT OF DANIEL WEBSTER
The Honorable Daniel Webster, the great orator, diplomat, and statesman, the pride of all New England, visited Charleston during the month of May, 1847. The New England Society gave a dinner in honor of the great American on the afternoon of May 8.
The data used in telling the story of this auspicious event are drawn largely from an article written at the time by Mr. A. S. Willington, the distinguished editor of the Courier and vice- president of the New England Society. The entertainment tendered Mr. Webster was held in St. Andrew's Hall.
"The spacious chamber where the North Briton is wont to celebrate festive and hospitable rites, under the smiles of his patron saint, was beautifully, tastefully, and appropriately deco- rated for the occasion, the use of their magnificent and commodious hall having been generously and gratuitously tendered for the purpose by vote of the St. Andrew's Society. At the head of the table, immediately behind the presiding
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officer, and in front of a large and splendid mirror reflecting the whole festive scene, stood a minia- ture and mimic representation of the Bunker Hill monument-a column made of roses and a rich variety of other beautiful flowers, presented by a member of the Society, having been erected with floral treasures culled from his own magnificent flower garden on Charleston Neck-from the top of which floated a little streamer with the inscrip- tion 'Bunker Hill.' The other inscriptions on appropriate and decorated fields were: 'Welcome, Thrice Welcome, Bright Star of the East,' 'Our Country, Our Whole Country, and Nothing but Our Country,' 'Ashburton Treaty, Signed at Washington, August 9, 1842.'
"In the lamented absence through indisposi- tion of Doddridge Crocker, Esq., the venerable president of the Society, A. S. Willington, Esq., vice-president, presided, assisted by the Honorable William Rice, recorder of the city and judge of the City Court of Charleston, Colonel B. F. Hunt, Colonel J. H. Taylor, and E. M. Beach, Esq. A number of distinguished guests were present. Among them were the Honorable John B. O'Neall, one of the superior lord judges of the state; the Honorable R. B. Gilchrist, judge of the United
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States Court for the District of South Carolina, the Honorable James Hamilton, formerly mem- ber of Congress from Beaufort and Colleton, and former governor of the state; the Honorable William Aiken, former governor of the state; the Honorable R. B. Rhett, member of Congress from Barnwell, Beaufort, and Colleton districts; the Honorable I. E. Holines, member of Congress from Charleston district; the Honorable F. H. Elmore, former member of Congress from Rich- land and other districts and president of the Bank of the State of South Carolina; and the Right Reverend Ignatius Aloysius Reynolds, Roman Catholic bishop of Charleston; the Honor- able W. J. Grayson, former member of Congress from Beaufort and Colleton districts and now United States collector of the port of Charleston; the Honorable T. L. Hutchinson, mayor of the city of Charleston; Henry Bailey, Esq., attorney- general of the state; James L. Petigru, Esq .; M. Hall McAllister, of Savannah, Georgia; Colonel Thomas N. Dawkins, one of the state solicitors; William P. Finley, Esq., president of the College of Charleston; Daniel Ravenel, Esq., president of the Charleston Bible Society, and others. The scene was not only social and festive
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