SOUTH CAROLINA. 



745 



Claflin College, also a branch of the univer- 

 sity, at Orangeburg, is set apart for the benefit 

 of colored students. It is endowed with a por- 

 tion of the fund donated by Congress for the 

 promotion of agriculture and the mechanic 

 arts, with small aid to its normal school from 

 the Peabody fund. There have been 344 stu- 

 dents in attendance, of whom 24 were in the 

 Collegiate Department, 136 in the Normal 

 School, and 184 in the Grammar School. The 

 Normal School is probably doing the most im- 

 portant work. Both graduates and under-grad- 

 uates find ready employment in the public 

 schools for colored children in the State. An 

 agricultural farm of 150 acres is attached to 

 the institution, and is profitably worked, chiefly 

 by students 1 labor, under the instruction of a 

 superintendent. 



During this year the trustees of the Peabody 

 fund appropriated to South Carolina $5,375, of 

 which $3,225 were devoted to the education of 

 teachers, and $2,150 to the public schools. The 

 total number of persons in the State between 

 the ages of six and sixteen years is as follows : 



THE LUNATIC ASYLUM. In scientific treat- 

 ment, and in all that promotes the comfort and 

 well-being of its afflicted inmates, the Lunatic 

 Asylum of South Carolina compares favorably 

 with those of other States. The Legislature 

 and people regard this benignant charity as one 

 which patriotism, philanthropy, and Christian- 

 ity demand that they should support liberally ; 

 and, having intrusted the management and im- 

 mediate control to a wise and capable board of 

 regents and superintendent, they freely give 

 those officers the necessary means to maintain 

 the patients in comfort, and at the same time 

 to make such repairs, improvements, and addi- 

 tions to the buildings and grounds as the con- 

 dition of the institution and the increasing 

 number of those asking admission may require. 

 The number of patients under treatment dur- 

 ing the year was seven hundred and fifty-five, 

 who, with the exception of very few who are 

 supported by their relatives, are maintained 

 altogether by the State. The superintendent 

 has successfully adopted, to a greater extent 

 than in other asylums, the policy of " release 

 on probation." He believes that it is benefi- 

 cial to certain classes of patients such as those 

 who, after considerable progress to restoration, 

 cease to improve ; some cases of melancholia, 

 not suicidal, which, after several months 1 resi- 

 dence, instead of being benefited, are still more 

 depressed by the surroundings of the asylum ; 

 the large class whose constant fretting to go 

 home counteracts all other influences ; and 

 those whose physical condition would probably 

 be benefited by the change. The policy has 

 also proved advantageous as affording means 



to determine whether restoration to reason has 

 been really established, or whether it is merely 

 the intermission of recurrent insanity. Dur- 

 ing the year ninety-three patients of the above 

 classes were sent home, of whom thirty-five have 

 been discharged as cured, thirteen as improved, 

 six as unimproved, yet able to be cared for at 

 home, six have died, eighteen recently released 

 are at home, and sixteen have returned. Of 

 the present inmates, 54 are regarded as curable, 

 87 doubtful, and 409 incurable. The receipts 

 of the asylum for the year of which the State 

 contributed $114,315.92 were $119,868.63, 

 and the expenses, including repairs, improve- 

 ments, and extension of grounds, $119,466.20. 

 The per capita cost of maintenance is $140. 

 There is a farm attached to the asylum, the 

 chief advantage of which is that it affords 

 healthful employment to the patients, but it is 

 also a source of material profit. Of the 550 

 patients now present, 330 are white and 220 

 colored. Of the sixty increase during the year, 

 twenty-seven were white and thirty-three col- 

 ored ; and a comparison of this report with 

 those of previous years, shows that the pro- 

 portion of the colored to the white insane is 

 steadily increasing. 



THE INSTITUTION FOE THE DEAF AND DUMB 

 AND THE BLIND. This institution for the edu- 

 cation of the unfortunate youth of the State 

 is located at Cedar Springs, in Spartanburg 

 County. During the year sixty-two pupils have 

 been in attendance. Steps have been taken to 



S'ovide for the colored deaf and dumb and 

 ind children. 



THE PENITENTIAET. On November 1st there 

 were 824 convicts in the Penitentiary, of whom 

 778 were colored and 46 white. Of these, 224 

 were leased to the phospate-mining companies, 

 121 to the railroads, 25 were employed on the 

 farm, and 454 kept within the walls of the 

 prison. Of those in prison, 97 were employed 

 making shoes, 120 on the Columbia Canal, and 

 the remainder at various minor industries. The 

 report of the superintendent exhibits the fol- 

 lowing figures : Balance on hand at the begin- 

 ning of the fiscal year, $21,199; earnings for 

 the year, $94,236; expenses proper of the 

 Penitentiary, $50,989 ; per diem and mileage 

 of Board of Directors, $1,267 ; paid on canal, 

 $8,096 ; paid into the treasury, $40,000 ; and 

 remaining in hands of superintendent, $14,901. 

 In the period from 1868 to 1876, besides the 

 earnings of the convicts, it required an average 

 annual appropriation of $62,800 from the State 

 Treasury to support the institution. The con- 

 victs, under the present system both those 

 within and without the prison are well fed 

 and clothed, properly cared for generally, and 

 their sentences of penal servitude humanely 

 executed. 



THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE has only 

 been established for two years, but, under 

 earnest and judicious management, its great 

 usefulness is already manifest. This depart- 

 ment of the State government is maintained 



