[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 34 (Thursday, March 16, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E395-E396]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF NEWBERRY COLLEGE



                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN M. SPRATT, JR.

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 16, 2006

  Mr. SPRATT. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize the 150th 
anniversary of Newberry College, which is in my 5th Congressional 
District of South Carolina.
  In celebrating this milestone, I am pleased to join the State of 
South Carolina, the City of Newberry, Newberry College, and the 
Newberry College Alumni Association. I want to pay special tribute to 
the Association's international symposium, planned for April 2006, 
which recognizes the life and work of the college's founder, the Rev. 
Dr. John Bachman, by presenting the following joint proclamation to the 
U.S. House of Representatives.

              A Joint Proclamation for John Bachman Month

       Whereas, at an early age in New York State the future Dr. 
     Bachman showed strong interest in studies of natural history 
     and religion, particularly the works of Martin Luther; and
       Whereas, the esteemed Dr. Bachman traveled south in January 
     1815 from his birthplace to Charleston, South Carolina to 
     become pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman served St. John's faithfully and 
     honorably as her beloved pastor for an amazing and productive 
     fifty-six years, during which time he became a true pillar of 
     the Charleston community; and
       Whereas, contrary to civil statutes and community standards 
     of the time, Dr. Bachman educated Charleston slaves and 
     freemen of African descent and baptized hundreds, perhaps 
     thousands, into membership at St. John's during his tenure; 
     and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman helped form and served twice as 
     President of the South Carolina Lutheran Synod, from 1824 to 
     1833 and again from 1839 to 1840; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman, as Synod President, took action that 
     led to establishment in 1831 of a school to train Lutheran 
     ministers, now known as the Lutheran Theological Southern 
     Seminary of Columbia, South Carolina; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman had a keen interest in natural history 
     of the South Carolina Low Country and discovered or described 
     many birds and mammals previously unknown to science; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman was a seminal and active member of the 
     ``Circle of Naturalists,'' whose work in various natural 
     history fields made antebellum Charleston a scientific center 
     equal in importance to such cities as Philadelphia, Boston, 
     and New York; and,
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman frequently published letters and short 
     articles about his natural history observations in local and 
     regional publications (including the South Carolina Medical 
     Journal), and gave public lectures on these topics to 
     audiences of both learned and lay people; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman hosted John James Audubon in 1831 when 
     the famous bird artist visited Charleston, thereby beginning 
     a lifelong friendship and professional collaboration; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman was instrumental in founding the South 
     Carolina State Horticultural Society in 1833; and
       Whereas, various scientists have seen fit to recognize Dr. 
     Bachman's natural history contributions by naming three North 
     American birds, two mammals, and one butterfly in his honor, 
     including Bachman's Warbler (Vermivora bachmanii), Bachman's 
     Sparrow (Aimophila aestivalis bachmani), Bachman's (now 
     Black) Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani), Bachman's Brush 
     Rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmanii), Bachman's Fox squirrel 
     (Sciurus niger bachmani), and the Snout Butterfly (Libytheana 
     bachmanii); and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman encouraged African-American members of 
     St. John's Lutheran Church to enter the ministry, nurturing 
     nationally known clergymen such as Jehu Jones (first African-
     American Lutheran minister ordained in North America), Boston 
     Jenkins Drayton (missionary to Liberia and eventual Chief 
     Justice of the Liberian Supreme Court), and Daniel Alexander 
     Payne (sixth bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal 
     Church); and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman served on the Board of Trustees of the 
     College of Charleston from 1834 until 1848; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman in 1838 sailed for England and Europe, 
     where he was greeted as a scientist of renown and awarded an 
     honorary doctorate from the University of Berlin; and
       Whereas, in 1840 Dr. Bachman and John James Audubon began 
     work on The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, an 
     illustrated folio on mammals equal in importance, quality, 
     and artistic grandeur to Audubon's earlier Birds of North 
     America; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman wrote the entire descriptive text of 
     the Quadrupeds and, in collaboration with Audubon's sons, 
     brought the work to publication in folio and quarto formats 
     beginning in 1845; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman through his marriage to Harriett 
     Martin, produced many sons and daughters (two of the latter 
     eventually marrying two sons of John James Audubon), and 
     creating a lineage that continues through many accomplished 
     American families; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman was elected to a three-year term as 
     Vice President of the Charleston Library Society in 1845; and
       Whereas, in 1848 Dr. Bachman began a five-year teaching 
     position as Professor of Natural History at the College of 
     Charleston; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman published numerous important natural 
     history papers including Two Letters on Hybridity (1850), 
     Notice of the Types of Mankind by Nott and Gliddon (1854), 
     and Examination of Professor Agassiz's Sketch of the Natural 
     Provinces of the Animal World (1855); and
       Whereas, in 1851 Dr. Bachman journeyed to the National 
     Capital in Washington, meeting with President Millard 
     Fillmore to lobby for federal action that in a time of 
     political unrest would mollify the Southern states and 
     preserve the Union; and
       Whereas, in 1853 Dr. Bachman published A Defense of Luther 
     and the Reformation in which he countered on-going 
     Charleston-area attacks on Protestantism; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman was instrumental in founding in 
     December 1856 the Lutheran-based Newberry College, an extant 
     liberal arts institution at Newberry, South Carolina; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman served as first president of the 
     Newberry College Board of Trustees beginning in January 1857, 
     and during his tenure took many actions at the College to 
     assure the high quality of secular and religious education 
     that has continued for 150 years; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman became co-editor of Southern Lutheran 
     magazine in 1860; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman, although a Unionist, led the opening 
     prayer for guidance at Institute Hall in Charleston as the 
     State of South Carolina met on 20 December 1860 to discuss 
     whether to vote for secession, after which he withdrew from 
     political activities and devoted his energies to ministering 
     the sick and needy; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman survived and continued his good work 
     and scholarship despite a beating by Union soldiers that 
     permanently paralyzed his arm; and
       Whereas, in 1864 Dr. Bachman published Characteristics of 
     Genera and Species, as Applicable to the Doctrine of Unity in 
     the Human Race, in which he argued from a scientific 
     perspective that all humans (including slave and master) were 
     the same species--a radical, controversial, visionary, and 
     correct pronouncement that took great courage on his part, 
     particularly amid the turmoil of the Civil War; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman was a true renaissance man devoted to 
     his church and to his God, to science and natural history, to 
     his community and country, and to secular and

[[Page E396]]

     religious education--particularly of African Americans in 
     antebellum and post-war Charleston; and
       Whereas, Dr. Bachman's legacy is alive and well at Newberry 
     College, which--led by its Alumni Association--will begin its 
     Sesquicentennial Celebration on 20 April 2006 with a major 
     four-day symposium entitled ``Nature, God, and Social Reform 
     in the Old South: The Life and Work of the Rev. John 
     Bachman''; and
       Whereas, esteemed international authorities on Bachman will 
     make keynote presentations during the College's John Bachman 
     Symposium; and
       Whereas, the public is invited to attend and participate in 
     this auspicious event in the life of Newberry College by 
     registering through the Symposium Web site at 
     www.johnbachman.org; and
       Whereas, as noted by the many diverse accomplishments 
     listed above, Dr. Bachman had lasting and wide-ranging impact 
     on science, education, religion, and social progress in South 
     Carolina, the United States, and beyond; and
       Whereas, the month of February is significant because Dr. 
     Bachman was born on February 4, 1790, and died eighty-four 
     years and twenty days later on February 24, 1874;
       Now, therefore, the State of South Carolina, the City of 
     Newberry, Newberry College, and the Newberry College Alumni 
     Association do hereby proclaim through the powers vested in 
     Governor Mark Sanford, Mayor T. Edward Kyzer, President 
     Mitchell M. Zais, and Symposium Chair William J. Hilton Jr. 
     that April 2006 shall be designated as ``John Bachman Month'' 
     throughout the State of South Carolina, and urge all citizens 
     to recognize this observance and to attend the John Bachman 
     Symposium at Newberry College.

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