The Culture of Thomas Jefferson
To the student of the Classics the most interesting thing in the Library of Congress at Washington is the considerable remnant of the library of Thomas Jefferson. On October 6, 1820, Jefferson wrote to his… »
On Remaining Humble in Modern Academia
After reading Richard Weaver’s monumental work Ideas Have Consequences last semester I was struck with one characterization of the “ideal man” that has since been shaping the way I look at my own academic future.… »
A College Boy’s Observation of General Lee
A few years after General Lee accepted the presidency of the then Washington College, I was sent to be entered in the preparatory department, along with an older brother who was to enter college. The… »
A Useful (and Pro-Southern) Book for Today’s College or University Student
A Review of The Elements of Academic Success by Gene Kizer, Jr. Charleston: Charleston Athenaeum Press, 2014. Reviewed by Michael Potts I wish I had read a book like Gene Kizer Jr.’s The Elements of… »
My Son, Get Wisdom, Get Understanding
Address delivered to the graduates of the South Carolina College, December 1821. Gentlemen, YOU are now about to quit the precincts of the College, and to enter upon the commerce of the world. Your education… »
European Influences in the South
This essay is a chapter from The South in the Building of the Nation series, History of the Social Life. The solidarity of public opinion in the South has been so often commented upon that… »
What’s Holding Alabama Back?
As I watched my local Montgomery, Alabama news station this morning, I saw that question pop up on the screen. What’s holding Alabama back? Wait, what? What do you mean by “holding back?” In the… »
Old South Education before the War to Destroy Southern Civilization
In the Old South, only those children whose parents thought they needed education, attended school; many did not. Of those who did not, many were taught at home to read or to read and write. … »
Lee the Philosopher
This essay was originally published in The Georgia Review, Vol. II, No. 3 (Fall 1948), 297-303. As the Civil War assumes increasingly the role of an American Iliad, a tendency sets in for its heroes… »
Hanging with the Snarks: An Academic Memoir
There seemed to be little interest among audience members [at a scholarly meeting] in whether the ideas I had presented were true, only whether their application would bring about results they liked. I used to… »
