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 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
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THE 
 
 EARLY SCHOOLS 
 
 OF 
 
 METHODISM 
 
 BY 
 
 A. W. CUMMINGS, D.D., LL.D., 
 
 WELLSVILLE, N. Y. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 PHILLIPS & HUNT. 
 
 CINCINNATI: 
 CHANS TO N <& ST OWE. 
 
 18S6. 
 

 GENEBAL 
 
 Copyright, 1886, by 
 
 PHILLIPS & HUNT, 
 
 New York. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 Many years ago the undersigned became interested in the 
 schools opened principally through the exertions of Bishop 
 Asbury. From the Bishop's " Journal," their names, and but 
 little more, were learned. Methodist historians said but little 
 of any of them, and nothing of most. In response to hun- 
 dreds of letters, and from certain local histories of States and 
 counties, such facts were gathered as enabled the writer to 
 prepare brief historical sketches of all the Methodist schools 
 belonging to the Asburyan period. In October, 1884, he 
 submitted to our veteran editor of the " Methodist Review " 
 the question, " What shall be done with these sketches, so as 
 most to benefit the Church ? " The response was, " I am 
 glad you have done the work indicated. The only right 
 thing to do with your MSS. is to publish them in permanent 
 form. What you have collected respecting the schools of 
 Bishop Asbury is of very great value. It will stand alone ; 
 and also correct some wide -spread misapprehensions; a 
 book made up of these accounts, and then of the renewed 
 movements, coming down to about 1840. I hope you will 
 prepare such a book." 
 
 To succeed in the work recommended by Dr. Curry, the aid 
 of the schools to be named in the volume was indispensable. 
 
 Letters were addressed to many of the leading educators in 
 the Church, and to some other ofiicials. Without exception 
 the plan proposed by Dr. Curry was approved. President 
 Beach, of Wesleyan University, wrote : " I am glad you have 
 taken this work in hand. I will aid you." President 
 
 1 1 49;^fi 
 
4 Pkeface. 
 
 McCauley, of Dickinson College : " I tliink most favorably 
 of your enterprise." President Warren, of Boston Univer- 
 sity : " I am very glad that some one has taken in hand the 
 too -long -neglected task of investigating and recording the 
 history of the lost schools of Bishop Asbury." Dr. Steele, 
 of Wesleyan Academy : " I heartily approve your under- 
 taking." Principal Smith, of Maine Wesleyan Seminary : 
 "The puhlication which you propose seems to me exceed- 
 ingly desirable." Dr. Edward Cook, late president of Claf- 
 lin University : " I am very glad you have undertaken the 
 important work you have in hand." Bishop Harris wrote : 
 " I am well pleased with your purpose to prepare a history 
 of the early Methodist Schools." 
 
 A few of the schools invited to appear in this volume 
 failed to furnish their sketches. Newark Wesleyan Institute 
 did not belong to the period, but I gladly accepted the arti- 
 cle while it was within reach. 
 
 To give the general public a more complete view of oar 
 educational work, to the original plan has been added 
 sketches of three of our best-equipped biblical schools, and 
 also of three of the schools for Freedmen. To cover the 
 field the greatest brevity possible has been employed, and 
 much has been omitted in regard to persons and facts. 
 Many of the sketches record heroic achievements. We enter 
 the second century of our Church history with more than 
 two hundred Methodist seminaries, colleges, and universi- 
 ties, and our general educational work, like our mission and 
 Church extension work, in the hands of an efficient General 
 Conference Board. 
 
 The writer's thanks are hereby tendered to all who have 
 aided him in this work. A. W. Cummings. 
 
 Wellsville, N. Y. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PART I. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. KiNGSwooD School, Bristol, England 9 
 
 II. CoKESBURY College, Abingdon, Maryland 20 
 
 III. Ebenezer Academy, Virginia 35 
 
 IV. Bethel Acad»my, Kentucky 44 
 
 V. Union School and Madison College, Uniontown, Pa 59 
 
 VI. Wesley and Whitefield School, Georgia 65 
 
 VII. CoKESBCRY School, North Carolina 70 
 
 VIII. Bethel Academy, Mount Bethel, Newberry County, S. C 75 
 
 IX. AsBURY College, Baltimore, Md 89 
 
 TAET II. 
 
 I. The Wesleyan Academy, Newmarket and Wilbrahah 94 
 
 BY DAVID SHERMAN, D.D. 
 
 II. Augusta College, Kentucky 114 
 
 BY DANIEL STEVEN.S0N, D.D. 
 
 III. Cazenovia Seminary ,, 129 
 
 BY BOSTWICK HAWLEY, D.D. 
 
6 Coin'ENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 IV. Maine Wesley an Seminary and Female College 143 
 
 BY GENERAL JOHN J, PERRY. 
 
 Y. The Genesee Wesleyan Seminary 156 
 
 BY J. E. bills, d.d. • 
 
 VI. The Wesleyan University 109 
 
 BY EDWARD COOKE, D.D. 
 
 VII. Dickinson College , 18Y 
 
 BY professor J. H. MORGAN, A.M. 
 
 VIII. Allegheny College 202 
 
 FROM WARNERS, BEARS, & CO.'S " HISTORY OP CRAWFORD CO., PA.'» 
 BY A. W. CUMMINGS, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 IX. Western Reserve Seminary 214 
 
 BY REV. E. A. WHITWAM, A.M. 
 
 X. NoRWALK Seminary 217 
 
 BY EDWARD THOMSON, A.M., PH.D. 
 
 XI. McKendree College 226 
 
 BY A. W. CUMMINGS, D.D., LL.D., AND PROF. S. H, DENEEN, A.M., PH.D. 
 
 XII. Amenia Seminary 239 
 
 BY ALBERT S. HUNT, D.D. 
 
 XIII. AsBURY College of De Pauw University 253 
 
 BY MISS IRENE MARTIN. 
 
 XIV. Victoria University, Canada 203 
 
 BY professor NATHANIEL BURWASH, S.T.D, 
 
 XV. GouvERNEUR Wesleyan Seminary 2S0 
 
 BY A. W. CUMMINGS, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 XVI. Ives Seminary 294 
 
 from the "northern christian advocate." 
 
 XVII. Pennington Seminary 298 
 
 BY THOMAS HANLON, D.D, 
 
 XVIII. The Schools in Berea, Ohio 310 
 
 BY REV. A. SCHUYLER, LL.D. 
 
Contents. 7 
 
 CHAPTER TAQK 
 
 XIX. The East Greenwich Academy 325 
 
 BY PROFESSOR O. W. SCOTT. 
 
 XX. Ohio Wesleyan University 336 
 
 BY REV. PROFESSOR W. G. WILLIAMS, LL.D. 
 
 XXI. Cincinnati Wesleyan College for Young Women 34S 
 
 BY MRS. McCLELLAN BROWN, VICE-PRESIDENT. 
 
 XXII. The Newark Wesleyan Institute 355 
 
 BY DANIEL P. KIDDER, D.D. 
 
 PAET III. 
 
 I. Founding and Earliest History op the School of Theology of 
 Boston University 369 
 
 by president william f. warren, s.t.d., ll.d. 
 
 II. Garrett Biblical Institute 380 
 
 BY HON. judge GRANT GOODRICH. 
 
 III. Drew Theological Seminary 388 
 
 BY HENRY A. BUTTZ, D.D. 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 I. Central Tennessee College 39G 
 
 BY Pr.K„SII)KNT J. BUADEN, D.D. 
 
 II. Clark University 4CS 
 
 BY PRESIDENT REV. E. O. THAYER, A.M. 
 
 III. Baker In.stitutk and Claflin University 419 
 
 BY PRE.SIDKNT LEWIS M. DUNTON, D.D. 
 
Contents. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 ♦ 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A. Literary Institutions Owned or Controlled by the Methodist Epis- 
 
 copal Church prior to 1884, Chronologically arranged 426 
 
 B. Schools Conducted in the Interest op the Methodist Episcopal 
 
 Church under Private Ownership prior to 1884, Chronologic- 
 ally arranged 428 
 
 C. Classified List op Educational Institutions op the Methodist Epis- 
 
 copal Church Existing in 1886 429 
 
THE 
 
 EARLY SCHOOLS OE METHODISM. 
 
 PART I. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 KINGSWOOD SCHOOL, BRISTOL, ENGLAND. 
 
 Methodism was born in one of the most celebrated univer- 
 sities in the world, and its great founder was one of the most 
 complete scholars upon whom Oxford ever conferred a lit- 
 erary title. It is not surprising, therefore, that educational 
 enterprises early engaged the attention of the followers of 
 John Wesley in both the Old and the New World, nor that 
 the zeal of Methodists in the cause of education has been both 
 active and highly honorable to them as a body. 
 
 Raised up by God, at a time of great declension in piety, 
 to stand at the head of a vast moral movement for the re- 
 vival of tme religion and for the spreading of holiness over 
 the earth, Methodism did not fail to fully comprehend the 
 value of sound literature, and of classical and scientific 
 knowledge being placed within the reach of those brought 
 to (yhrist through its instrumentality, in so far as they had 
 time, taste, and opportunity for such pursuits. 
 
 Through many years of his earlier ministry Wesley em- 
 ployed his intervals between frequent journeys and exces- 
 sive pulpit labors in writing and publishing tracts and siniill 
 books for general reading. In these all the essential di)Ctrines 
 
10 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 of religion were examined and elucidated. As fast as tliey 
 were printed, liis assistant ministers and lay helpers bore 
 them off to every part of Great Britain, and scattered them, 
 like autumn leaves, among the people. 
 
 These publications contributed, perhaps not less than his 
 fresh, vigorous pulpit ministrations, in pushing forward the 
 great religious revival and reform in which he was engaged, 
 and for which Heaven seems especially to have commissioned 
 him. He who exclaimed " The world is my parish ! " saw, 
 that to arouse a slumbering world and conquer it for Christ, 
 to the power of the pulpit and the press must be joined 
 that of the school ; that these were Heaven's artillery for 
 arousing the nations, and compelling the world to surrender 
 to the great Captain of man's salvation. 
 
 At one of the earlier Methodist Conferences held by Mr. 
 Wesley, consisting of less than a dozen members (and that 
 included the entire ministry in union with the Wesleys), the 
 expediency of founding an institution of learning was gravely 
 discussed. Soon afterward, in 1748, Kingswood School was 
 opened with twenty-eight pupils. 
 
 At the request of John Wesley the corner-stone of Kings- 
 wood School was laid by that prince of orators and great 
 evangelist, Rev. George Whitelield. The occasion was 
 momentous — a great enterprise was to be inaugurated; its 
 success depended upon God's blessing. After placing the 
 corner-stone in position, Whitefield — surrounded by hundreds 
 of the colliers, reformed through the agenc}^ of the Methodist 
 itinerants — kneeling upon the earth, prayed that " the gates 
 of hell " might not prevail against the school to be estab- 
 lished within the walls then being raised. The prostrate 
 multitude of devout converts, now awakened to a new intel- 
 lectual as well as a moral life, responded most heartily, 
 
KiNGSwooD ScnooL. 11 
 
 " Amen." The prayer of consecration was answered ; enemies 
 opposed, the undertaking received ridicule, contempt, and 
 nearly every other form of opposition ; yet it went steadily 
 on, and still it goes on, though both its early friends and ene- 
 mies have long since gone to their respective rewards. This 
 institution, without the name, was, in fact, a college of high 
 grade. The curriculum — embracing history, chronology, 
 geography, rhetoric, logic, ethics, metaphysics, the pure and 
 the mixed mathematics, the English, French, Latin, Greek, 
 and Hebrew languages — was as extensive as at Oxford or 
 Cambridge, and quite as thoroughly taught. No man more 
 thoroughly despised mere pretense or show than John 
 Wesley. To erect the building for the school he expended 
 all that, by the most rigid economy and greatest self-denial, 
 he could save from his University Fellowship. 
 
 All that he received from sale of his numerous publica- 
 tions, and could collect from his friends, he expended in 
 meeting its current expenses. This school was the greatest 
 of Mr. Wesley's financial undertakings, and it became the 
 burden of his life. 
 
 That the reader may judge of its merits, the rules for its 
 government and his general aims are, in condensed form, 
 copied from the seventh volume of his published works : 
 
 Our design is, with God's assistance, to train up children in every 
 branch of useful learning. We teach none but boarders. These are 
 taken in, being between the ages of six and twelve years, in order to 
 be taught reading, writing, aritlimetic, English, French, Latin, Greek, 
 Hebrew, history, geography, chronology, rhetoric, logic, ethics, geom- 
 etry, algebra, physics, and music. 
 
 The school contains eight classes. In the first class the scholars read 
 "Instructions for Children " and "Lessons for Children," and begin 
 learning to write. 
 
 In the second class they road "The Manners of the Ancient Chris- 
 
12 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 tians," go on in writing, learn the ''Short English Grammar," the 
 " Short Latin Grammar," read " Prielectiones Pueriles," translate them 
 into English, and " Instructions for Children " into Latin, part of which 
 they transcribe and repeat. 
 
 In the third class they read Dr. Cave's "Primitive Christianity," go 
 on in writing, perfect themselves in the English and Latin Grammar, 
 read " Corderii Colloquia Selecta" and "Historia3 Selecta?," translate 
 ^'Historiae Select 03 " into English, and "Lessons for Children" into 
 Latin, part of which they transcribe and repeat. 
 
 In the fourth class they read "Pilgrim's Progress," perfect them- 
 selves in writing, learn Dilworth's "Arithmetic," read Castellio's 
 "Kempis" and Cornelius Nepos, translate Castellio into English, and 
 " Manners of the Ancient Christians" into Latin; transcribe and repeat 
 select portions of " Moral and Sacred Poems." 
 
 In the fifth class they read "The Life of Mr. Haliburton," perfect 
 themselves in arithmetic, read Select Dialogues of Erasmus, Phsedrus, 
 and Sallust; translate Erasmus into English and " Primitive Christian- 
 ity " into Latin ; transcribe and repeat select portions of * ' Moral and 
 Sacred Poems." 
 
 In the sixth class they read " The Life of Mr. De Renty " and Ken- 
 net's "Roman Antiquities;" they learn Randal's Geography, read Caj- 
 sar, select portions of Terence and Valleius Paterculus, translate Eras- 
 mus into English, and "The Life of Mr. Haliburton" into Latin; tran- 
 scribe and repeat select portions of " Sacred Hj'mns and Poems." 
 
 In the seventh class they read Mr. Law's " Christian Perfection" and 
 Archbishop Potter's "Greek Antiquities;" they learn "Bengelii Intro- 
 ductio ad Chronologiam," with Mart-hall's "Chronological Tables ; " read 
 TuUy's ' ' Offices " and Virgil's ^neid ; translate Bengelius into English, 
 and Mr. Law into Latin ; learn (those who have a turn for it) to make 
 verses and the " Short Greek Grammar;" read the epistles of St. John; 
 transcribe and repeat select portions of Milton. 
 
 In the eighth class they read Mr. Law's *' Serious Call " and Lewis's 
 "Hebrew Antiquities;" they learn to make themes and to declaim; 
 learn Vossius's Rhetoric; read Tully's Tusculan Questions and " Selecta 
 ex Ovidio, Virgilio, Horatio, Juvenale, Persio, Martiale ;" perfect them- 
 selves in the Greek Grammar; read the Gospels and six books of 
 Homer's Iliad ; translate Tully into English, and Mr. Law into Latin ; 
 
KiNGSwooD School. 13 
 
 learn the " Short Hebrew Grammar" and read Genesis; transcribe and 
 repeat " Selecta ex Virgilio, Horatio, Juvenale." 
 
 Besides this prescribed course, which all must pursue, there 
 was an optional course for those "who intended to go through 
 a course of academical learning." This was a very heavy 
 course, covering four years, but which, with modern habits 
 of study, very few would master in that time. Mr. Wesley's 
 students never played. At the end of this last course Mr. 
 Wesley says, " Whoever carefully goes through this course 
 will be a better scholar than nine in ten of the graduates of 
 Oxford or Cambridge." 
 
 Great care was exercised in the admission of pupils. !N"one 
 but boarding pupils were admitted, and of these all were 
 refused entrance unless their parents or guardians agreed 
 that they should observe all the regulations of the school, one 
 of which was, that the child should not be absent from school 
 even for a day until they were finally removed. 
 
 The students were under the surveillance of a tutor day 
 and night. To secure healthy recreation at regular hours, on 
 fair days all worked in the garden, and on rainy days in the 
 house ; they slept in a common hall, each in a separate bed ; 
 one or more of the teachers slept in the same room, in which, 
 during the night, a light was kept burning. 
 
 They retired early and rose at four o'clock in the morning, 
 winter and summer, and spent one hour in private in reading, 
 singing, meditation, and prayer. At six they breakfasted, 
 and were ready to begin the studies of the day at seven. 
 They never worked alone, but always in the presence of a 
 " master." Each hour had its regular duties. 
 
 Mr. Wesley said : "It is our particular desire that all edu- 
 cated here may be brought up in the fear of God, and at 
 the utmost distance, as from vice in general, so in particular 
 
14 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 from idleness and effeminacy. The cliildren, therefore, of 
 tender parents, so called (who are, indeed, offering up their 
 sons and tlieir daughters unto devils), have no business here." 
 
 Experience demonstrated that the discipline was needlessly 
 rigid, and, after some years, was modified, yet its principal 
 features were preserved. 
 
 For many years before the opening of Kingswood, the at- 
 tention of Mr. Wesley had been directed to the defects of the 
 schools, even the best schools, in England and Germany. 
 
 To the location of schools in towns, and still more in cities, 
 he urged the objection that there were too many things to 
 divert attention, and too much exposure to the influence of 
 vicious examples. He strongly objected to the j)romiscuous 
 admission of all applicants, bad as well as good. Irreligious 
 teachers was another objection — those who cared nothing 
 whetlier their pupils were " Papists or Protestants, Turks or 
 Christians." He urged that most of the schools of his day — 
 and, to some extent, we may add of ours — were defective in 
 tlje subjects and methods of instruction. 
 
 " In some the children are taught little or no arithmetic ; 
 in others little care is taken of tlieir writing. In many they 
 leara scarce the elements of geography, and as little of chro- 
 nology. There are exceeding few wherein the scholars are 
 thoroughly taught even the Latin and Greek tongues. Tlie 
 books which they read are not well chosen. The language is 
 not standard, not even in the Latin." 
 
 To remedy these and other defects he determined to estab- 
 lish a school. 
 
 " The first point was to find a proper location, not too far 
 from a great town, which I saw would be liighly inconven- 
 ient for a large family ; nor yet too near, and much less in it. 
 After mature consideration, I chose a spot in the middle of 
 
KiNGSwooD School. 16 
 
 Kingsvv'ood, three miles from Bristol. It was quite private, 
 remote from all public roads, on the side of a small hill, 
 affording room for large gardens." 
 
 His next care was to procure suitable teachers. He said : 
 " None would answer my purpose but men who were truly 
 devoted to God ; who sought nothing on earth, neither pleas- 
 ure nor ease nor profit nor the praise of men, but simply to 
 glorify God with their bodies and spirits." 
 
 The better class of Methodists, Arminian and Calvinistic, 
 favored his designs and gave earnest co-operation. That 
 saintly woman, Lady Maxwell — early bereft of husband and 
 her only child, and who lived only for others and to glorify 
 God — gave at first twenty-five hundred dollars ; and after- 
 ward, learning that fifteen hundred dollars more was required 
 to free Mr. Wesley from all pecuniary responsibility for the 
 building, also gladly gave him that sum. The edifice, when 
 completed, was large enough for fifty pupils, and all the 
 teachers and servants. 
 
 George Whitetield and others gave all they could. Mr. 
 Wesley, to remedy the defects of other schools, wrote and pub- 
 lished grammars of the English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew 
 languages; also compendiumsof rhetoric, logic, natural, men- 
 tal, and moral philosophy, and several books of history ; and 
 issued revised and expurgated editions of the classics used in 
 the school, carefully excluding every thing that was immod- 
 est or profane. That the institution might be under his con- 
 stant inspection, Mr. Wesley had, within the edifice, a private 
 room and a study for his own use. He devoted much of his 
 time, and for years nearly all his income, to the school. 
 Twenty-five years after it went into operation, on one of his 
 visits, deprecating some things in the management, he added, 
 " Still, this comes nearer a Christian school than any I know 
 
16 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 in the kingdom." But it did not for years reach the stand- 
 ard of discipline that he desired. 
 
 September 8, 1781, he wrote : " I went over to Kingswood 
 and made particular inquiry into the management of the 
 school. I found some of tlie rules had not been observed, 
 particularly that of rising in the morning. Surely Satan has 
 a peculiar spite at this school ! What trouble has it cost me 
 for above thirty years ! I can plan, but who will execute ? 
 I know not ; God help me ! " 
 
 March 5, 1784, he made this entry in his Journal : " I talked 
 at large with the masters in Kingswood School, who are now 
 just such as I wished for. At length the rules of the house 
 are punctually observed ; the children are in good order." 
 
 March 7, 1788, he wrote: "I went to Kingswood School 
 and found every thing in excellent order." 
 
 September 11, 1789, he wrote : " I went over to Kings- 
 wood ; sweet recess ! where every thing is now just as I 
 wish." 
 
 What a labor and what a triumph ! At his death, as, in- 
 deed, for some time before, the school was managed by a 
 board of stewards of his own appointment, of whom he gave 
 this testimony : " I have delivered the management of Kings- 
 wood School to stewards on whom I could depend. So I 
 have cast a heavy load off my shoulders. Blessed be God, 
 for able and faithful men who will do this work without any 
 temporal reward ! " 
 
 A few years after Mr. Wesley died, so urgent was the 
 want, and so just the claim, tliat the stewards or trustees 
 appropriated this school exclusively to the education of the 
 sons of the Wesleyan itinerant ministers laboring in the 
 home or foreign missionary fields ; and more room being 
 required for this class of pupils, another school was opened 
 
Kings WOOD School. 17 
 
 at Woodhouse Grove, near the city of Leeds, for the sons of 
 Methodist ministers. From two hundred to three hundred 
 sons of itinerants are here gratuitously provided with board, 
 lodging, and the best of instructors, all at the expense of 
 the generous Methodists of Great Britain. 
 
 As the denomination increased other schools became 
 necessary, and, with a generosity unsurpassed, the Wesley- 
 ans provided them in all the British realm. The theological 
 schools at Richmond and Didsbury ; New Kingswood School ; 
 the "Wesley an Colleges at Taunton, Sheffield, Birmingham, 
 Leeds, and others, in England, the Wesleyan Methodist Col- 
 lege, Belfast, and the Wesleyan Gonnectional School, Dublin, 
 and their noble institutions in Australia — are justly the pride 
 of the British Methodists. To their management they con- 
 secrate the best talent of their ministry and laity, and many 
 thousands of dollars annually. 
 
 Kingswood School, as organized by the Rev. John Wesley, 
 is still a living fact, and is doing most excellent work. Owing 
 to the deterioration of the site, and especially in consequence 
 of the failure of the water supply through the great increase 
 of the coal mines in the vicinity, in the year 1852 the 
 school was removed from Kingswood to what is called New 
 Kingswood, a most picturesque and beautiful site on Lans- 
 downe Hill, in the neighborhood of Bath, England, seven 
 miles from its former location. A noble edifice, of the 
 Elizabethan order of architecture, was erected at an expense 
 of $90,000. Additional land has since been purchased, and 
 in the year 1883 additions were made to the building, which, 
 with the increase of furniture, cost $75,000. The entire outlay 
 for land, building, and furniture has been but little less than 
 $200,000. There are now accommodations for three hun- 
 dred sons of Wesleyan ministers ; none other are eligible to 
 
18 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 admission. The number now, February, 1885, in actual 
 attendance, is two hundred and ninety. The Rev. John H. 
 Lord is the moral governor and chaplain. The head master, 
 T. G. Osborn, M.A., a graduate of Cambridge University, 
 occupies a separate residence, built on the estate at an 
 expense of $10,000. The chaplain and professors reside in 
 the school edifice. There are several non-resident profess- 
 ors. Most of the teachers are graduates of distinguished 
 universities. 
 
 The endowments of Kingswood School consist exclusively 
 of scholarships and prizes provided by the munificence of 
 friends, the scholarships being extra years at the school, free 
 of charge to the winners, or their parents or guardians. 
 
 The two Morley scholarships were secured by the gift of 
 $5,000 by the late George Morley, son of the Rev. George 
 Morley, one of the founders of the Wesleyan Methodist 
 Missionary Society, himself once a governor of the school. 
 Old pupils secured a scholarship by the gift of $2,500. The 
 Lightfoot scholarships were secured by the gift of $3,750, 
 presented by the grandfather of two pupils of former years. 
 
 There is another scholarship founded on a gift of land not 
 yet fully available. Thomas Fernley founded a prize of 
 $200 per annum to the best scholar, or scholars, should there 
 be two of equal merit. There are also endowed a gold 
 medal and several *silver medals awarded for merit in speci- 
 fied departments. 
 
 For some years past the students of Kingswood School 
 have outstripped those of all other schools in the kingdom at 
 the junior and senior examinations of Oxford University. 
 The elder pupils have often taken scholarships at Oxford and 
 at Cambridge, and some, immediately on leaving the school, 
 took, on examination, the Baccalaureate degree at the Lon- 
 
KiNGSwooD School. 19 
 
 don Univei-sity. Mr. W. P. Wortliinan, who was honored by 
 being appointed, for the class of 18Si, the second wrangler 
 at Cambridge, was a Kingswood boy. 
 
 Mr. Wesley's rigid rules, more or less still in force, have 
 told well upon the scholarship of the many thousands who 
 have been trained at the old and at Now Kingswood School. 
 This iirst school of Methodism has furnished the Wcsleyan 
 Conference in England many of its distinguished presidents. 
 It has given to the Church many of its most eminent minis- 
 ters, teachers, and missionaries in its foreign fields. Its dis- 
 tiuiruished alumni are now found in the most honorable 
 and responsible positions of business, and in the learned pro- 
 fessions. 
 
 Many of its students are now supporting and adorning the 
 Church of their fathers, while many others are doing good 
 work as professors and clergymen in the old Church of 
 England, which gave the Wesleys and others of the first 
 Methodist ministers to the world. My thanks are due to 
 the Ilev. John II. Lord, who has just retired from the gov- 
 ernorship of this celebrated school of three hundred sons of 
 Methodist ministers, for the facts given above. Mr. Lord's 
 successor is the Rev. George Bowden. 
 
20 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 COKESBURY COLLEGE, ABINGDON, MARYLAND. 
 
 During the first twenty years of its existence in America, 
 Methodism had no legal or independent ecclesiastical organ- 
 ization. Starting at nearly the same time in New York and 
 in the State of Maryland, it had rapidly spread from Canada 
 to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Atlantic sea board to the 
 western boundary of civilized communities, with its ecclesi- 
 astical head three thousand miles distant on the eastern side 
 of the Atlantic Ocean. 
 
 As the recognized founder, the societies in America ear- 
 nestly appealed to Mr. John "Wesley to exercise his rightful 
 authority to ordain and commission pastors with full minis- 
 terial authority, and to organize the Societies here as an inde- 
 pendent Church. After due consideration, he resolved to 
 comply with their wishes, and in September, 1784, with the 
 sanction of that saintlv man the Rev. John Fletcher, of 
 Madeley, and witli other presbyters of the Church of En- 
 gland assisting, he did formally consecrate, ordain, and set 
 apart the Rev. Thomas Cuke, Doctor of Civil Law, as a 
 Superintendent for the United States of America, with full 
 authority to ordain others to this and to the lower offices 
 of the Christian ministry. 
 
 Dr. Coke arrived in ISTew York in November of the same 
 year. On tlie 25tli day of the ensuing month the American 
 Methodist ministers, in General Conference assembled, pro- 
 ceeded to organize themselves and successors as the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church, and to make all needful provisions for 
 
CoKESBUKY College. 21 
 
 tlic wants of the people who looked to them for pastoral 
 oversight and religious instruction. 
 
 The Church, now organized, proceeded at once to provide 
 schools for the education of its youth and the youth of the 
 country generally who chose to avail themselves of these 
 provisions. Bishop Asbury preferred a school after the plan 
 of Kingswood, in England, and had drawn up a subscription 
 for such a school before Bishop Coke arrived in America, 
 but Dr. Coke preferred a college. 
 
 The General Conference was made the umpire. The ven- 
 erable men composing that grave congress of the Church 
 favored Bishop Coke's preferences. The college, in honor of 
 the two Bishops, received both their names. From that 
 hour Cokesbury College became an important interest with 
 all Methodists. 
 
 Abingdon, on the Chesapeake, twenty-five miles from 
 Baltimore, was selected as its seat. The Bishops undertook 
 to raise the funds for its establishment. When they had 
 secured five thousand dollars the edifice was commenced. 
 
 In 1785 the Bishops issued a circular to the Church, 
 detailing the objects and plan of the college. Though some- 
 what lengthy, this plan is so important that it is transcribed.* 
 Before giving this, Dr. Coke's description of the location is 
 presented as follows : 
 
 The situation delights mc more than ever. There is not, I believe, a 
 point of it from whence the eye has not a view of at least twenty 
 miles, and in some parts the prospect extends to fifty miles in length. 
 The water front forms one of the most beautiful views in the United 
 States ; the Chesapeake Bay, in all its grandeur, with a fine navigable 
 river— the Susquehanna — which empties into it, lying exposed to view 
 through a great extent of country. 
 
 * From Bangs's " History of the Methodist Episcopal Church." 
 
22 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Plan for Erecting a College, intended to advance Eeligion in America, to he 
 presented to the principal Members and Friends of the Methodist Episcojxil 
 
 Church. 
 
 The college is to be built at Abingdon, in Maryland, on a healthy spot, 
 enjoying a fine air and a very extensive prospect. It is to receive, 
 for education and board, the sons of the elders and preachers of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, poor orphans, and the sons of the sub- 
 scribers and other friends. It will be expected that all our friends 
 who send their children to the college will, if they be able, pay a 
 moderate sum for their education and board. The others will be taught 
 and boarded, and if our finances allow it clothed, gratis. The institu- 
 tion is aho intended for the benefit of our young men who are called 
 to preach, that they may receive a measure of that imi)rovement which 
 is highly expedient as a preparation for public service. A teacher of an- 
 cient languages, with an assistant, Avill be provided, as also an English 
 master to teach the English language ; nor shall any other branch of 
 literature be omitted which may be thought necessary for any of the 
 students. Above all, especial care shall be taken that due attention 
 be paid to the religion and morals of the children, and to the exclusion 
 of all such as continue of an ungovernable temper. The college will 
 be under the presidentship of the Bishops of our Church for the time 
 being, and is to be supported by yearly collections throughout our cir- 
 cuits, and any endowments which our friends may think proper to give 
 and bequeath. Three objects of considerable magnitude we have in 
 view in the instituting of this college. The first is, a provision for the 
 sons of our married ministers and preachers. The wisdom, of God hath 
 now thrust out a large number of laborers into his harvest — men who 
 desire nothing on earth but to promote the glory of God by saving 
 their own souls and the souls of those wlio hear them. And those 
 to whom they minister spiritual things are willing to minister to them 
 their temporal things ; so that they have food to eat and raiment to 
 put on, and are content therewith. A competent provision is like- 
 wise made for the wives of married preachers. Yet one considerable 
 difficulty lies on those who have boys, when they grow too big to be 
 under their mother's direction. Having no father to govern and di- 
 rect them, they are exposed to a thousand temptations. To remedy 
 this is one motive that induces us to lay before our friends the interest 
 
CoKESBUKY College. 23 
 
 of the college, that these little ones may have all the instruction they 
 are capable of, together with all things necessary for the body. 
 
 In this view our college will become one of the noblest charities that 
 can be conceived. How reasonable is the institution ! Is it fit that the 
 children of those who leave wife and all that is dear to save souls from 
 death should want what is needful for either soul or body ? Ought 
 we not to supply what the parent cannot, because of his labors in the 
 Gospel ? How excellent will be the effect of this institution ! The 
 preacher, eased of this weight, can the more cheerfully go on in his 
 labor. And perliaps many of these children may hereafter fill up the 
 places of those who shall rest from their labors. 
 
 The second object we have in view is the education and support of 
 poor orphans ; and surely we need not enumerate the many happy con- 
 sequences arising from such a charity. Innumerable blessings con- 
 center in it; not only the immediate relief of the objects of our charity, 
 but the ability given them under the providence of God to provide for 
 themselves through the remainder of their lives. 
 
 Tlie last, though not perhaps the least, object in view, is the estab- 
 lishment of a seminary for the children of our competent friends, 
 where learning and religion may go hand in hand ; where every 
 advantage may be obtained which may promote the prosperity of the 
 present life without endangering the morals and religion of the chil- 
 dren tlu-ough those temptations to which they are exposed in most of 
 the public schools. This is an object of importance, indeed, and here 
 all the tenderest feelings of the parent's heart range on our side. 
 
 But the expense of such an undertaking will be very large; and the 
 best means we could think of at our late Conference to accomplish our 
 design was, to desire the assistance of all those in every place who wish 
 well to the cause of God: who long to see sinners converted to God, and 
 the kingdom of Christ set up in all the earth. 
 
 All those who are thus minded, and more especially our own friends 
 who form our congregations, have an opportunity now of showing their 
 love to the Gospel. Now promote, as far as in you lies, one of the 
 noblest charities in the world. Now forward, as you are able, one of 
 the most excellent designs that ever was set on foot in this country. 
 Do what you can to comfort the parents who give up their all for you, 
 and to give their children cause to bless you. You will be no poorer 
 
24 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 for what you do on such an occasion. God is a good paymaster. And 
 you know in doing this you lend unto the Lord ; in due time he shall 
 repay you. 
 
 The students will be instructed in English, Latin, Greek, logic, 
 rhetoric, history, geography, natural philosophy, and astronomy. To 
 these languages and sciences shall be added, when the finances of our 
 college will admit of it, the Hebrew, French, and German languages. 
 
 But our first object shall be to answer the designs of Christian educa- 
 tion, by forming the minds of the youth, through divine aid, to wisdom 
 and holiness, by instilling into their minds the principles of true relig- 
 ion — speculative, experimental, and practical — and training them in the 
 ancient way, that they may be rational, spiritual Christians. For this 
 purpose we shall expect and enjoin it, not only on the president and 
 tutors, but also upon our elders, deacons, and preachers, to embrace 
 every opportunity of instructing the students in the great branches of 
 the Christian religion. 
 
 And this is one principal reason why we do not admit students indis- 
 criminately into our college. For we are persuaded that the pi'omiscu- 
 ous admission of all sorts of youth into a seminary of learning is preg- 
 nant with many bad consequences. Nor are the students likely (sup- 
 pose they possessed it) to retain much religion in a college where all that 
 offer are admitted, however corrupted already in principle, as well as 
 practice. And what wonder when (as too frequently it hapj^ens), the 
 l^arents themselves have no more religion than their offspring ? 
 
 For the same reason we have consented to receive children of seven 
 years of age, as we wish to have the opportunity of teaching ' ' the young 
 idea how to shoot," and gradually forming their minds, through the 
 divine blessing, almost from their infancy, to holiness and heavenly 
 wisdom as well as human learning. And we may add, that we arc 
 thoroughly convinced, with the great Milton (to whose admirable treat- 
 ise on education we refer you), that it is highly expedient for every 
 youth to begin and finish his education at the same place ; that nothing 
 can be more irrational and absurd than to break this off in the middle 
 and to begin it again at a different place, and, perhaps, in quite a 
 different manner. And on this account we earnestly desire that the 
 parents and others who may be concerned, will maturely consider the 
 last observation, and not send their children to our seminary if they are 
 
CoKESBURY College. 25 
 
 not to complete their education there, or at least make some consider- 
 able [)roficiency in the languages and in the arts and sciences. It is 
 also our particular desire that all who shall be educated in our college 
 may be kept at the utmost distance, as from vice in general, so in par- 
 ticular from softness and effeminacy of manners. 
 
 We shall, therefore, rigidly insist on their rising early in the morn- 
 ing; and we are convinced, by constant observation and experience, 
 that it is of vast importance both to body and mind. It is of ad- 
 mirable use either for preserving a good, and improving a bad, consti- 
 tution. It is also of peculiar service in all nervous complaints, both in 
 preventing and in removing them. And by thus strengthening the 
 various organs of the body it enables the mind to put forth its utmost 
 exertions. 
 
 On the same principle we prohibit play in the strongest terms; and 
 in this we have the two greatest writers on the subject that, perhaps, 
 any age has produced (Mr. Locke and Mr. Rousseau) of our sentiments ; 
 for though the latter was essentially mistaken in his religious system, 
 yet his wisdom in other respects, and extensive genius, are indisputably 
 acknowledged. The employments, therefore, which we have chosen 
 for the recre ition of the students, are such as are of greatest public 
 utility — agriculture and architecture; studies more especially neces- 
 sary for a new-settled country, and of consequence the interesting of 
 our youth in the practice of those important arts will be an effectual 
 method of rendering them useful to their country. Agreeably to this 
 i<lea, the greatest statesman that perhaps ever shone in the annals of 
 history, Peter, the Russian emperor, who was deservedly styled the 
 Greaty disdained not to stoop to the employment of a ship-carpenter. 
 Kor was it rare, dining the i)urest times of the Roman republic, to see 
 the compierors of nations and deliverers of their country return with 
 all simplicity and cheerfulness to the exercise of the plow. In con- 
 formity to this sentiment, one of the completest poetic pieces of antiquity 
 (the Georgics of Virgil) is written on the subject of husbandry, by the 
 perusal of which, and submission to the above regulations, the students 
 may delightfully unite the theory and practice together. We say 
 delightfully, for we do not entertain the most distant thought of turn- 
 ing these employments into drudgery or slavery, but into pleasing rec- 
 reations for the mind and the body. 
 2 
 
26 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 In teaching the languages, care shall be taken to read those authors, 
 and those only, who join together the purity, strength, and the ele- 
 gance of their several tongues. And the utmost caution shall be used 
 that nothing immodest be found in any of our books. But this is not 
 all. We shall take care that our books be not only inoffensive but use- 
 ful ; that they contain as much strong sense, and as much genuine mo- 
 rality as possible. As far, therefore, as is consistent with the foregoing 
 observations, a choice and universal library shall be provided for the 
 use of the students. 
 
 Our annual subscription is intended for the support of the charitable 
 part of the institution. We have in the former part of this address en- 
 larged so fully on the nature and excellency of the charity, that no 
 more need be said. The relieving our traveling ministers and preach- 
 ers, by educating, boarding, and clothing their sons, is a charity of the 
 most noble and extensive kind, not only toward the immediate objects 
 of it, but also toward the public in general; enabling those ''flames of 
 fire," who might otherwise be obliged to confine themselves to an ex- 
 ceedingly contracted sphere of action for the support of their families, 
 to carry the savor of the Gospel to the remotest corners of these United 
 States. 
 
 The four guineas a year for tuition, we arc persuaded, cannot be low- 
 ered, if we give the students that finished education which we are de- 
 termined they shall have. And, though our principal object is to 
 instruct them in the doctrines, spirit, and practice of Christianity, yet 
 w^e trust that our college will in time send forth men that will be a 
 blessing to their country in every laudable ofilce and employment of 
 life, thereby uniting the two greatest ornaments of human beings, 
 which are too often separated, dee]) learning and genuine piety. 
 
 To modern teachers arid parents tlie regnlalions of tlie col- 
 lege will probably seem rigid, and even harsh ; but the rights 
 of tlie students were so guarded that under them cruel treat- 
 ment could scarcely occur. It should be remembered that they 
 were to be executed by men of large experience, great self- 
 control, and who sought only the glory of God, and the best 
 interests, for time and eternity, of those committed to their 
 
CoKESBUKY College. 27 
 
 care. The Bisliops for the time being, when present, were 
 ex officio the chief executive officers. 
 
 A similar code, in many of its provisions, in our modern 
 schools, seminaries, and colleges, with the vast improvements 
 of later years in text-books and methods of teaching, illus- 
 trating, and demonstrating scientific truths, would result in 
 a much larger per cent, of well-developed and highly culti- 
 vated minds in good, sound, healthy bodies, than are now 
 turned out from our literary institutions of various grades. 
 
 With twenty-five hundred dollars cash in hand the founda- 
 tion of the edifice was commenced, and the structure pro- 
 gressed to completion by the help of funds secured princi- 
 pally by the Bishops as they passed over the country, every- 
 where inviting the people to come to the aid of the noble 
 undertaking. And considering the then comparative poverty 
 of the people, and more especially the poverty of the Meth- 
 odist people, the response to the venerable chief pastors was 
 unprecedentedly generous. The college edifice was one hun- 
 dred and eight feet long, forty feet wide, and three stories 
 higli. In the west end of the building were six fine rooms, 
 each twenty by twenty-five feef ; two of these were in the 
 lower, two in the second, and two in the third story, directly 
 above each other. On the first floor was a large room forty 
 feet square, it was called the college hall, used for chapel pur- 
 poses. Above this, on the second floor, were two fine class- 
 rooms, and over these two bedrooms, in which the students 
 lodged in single beds ; each room was also occupied by a pro- 
 fessor, who preserved order at night. The other end of the 
 edifice was arranged according to plans having reference to 
 the accommodation of a large boarding-school. 
 
 It cost upward of forty thousand dollars, nearly all collected 
 in small sums from a widely scattered people. To appreciate 
 
28 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 liow lieavj was the burden tbat the generous people under- 
 took to carry, it should be remembered that the entire mem- 
 bership of the Methodist Cliurch in America was but about 
 eighteen thousand. The Genesee Conference alone reported 
 for the year 1884 over twenty-five thousand members, and 
 it had more than twice that number of friends and liberal 
 supporters. 
 
 In his Journal, vol. i, page 497, the venerable Bishop As- 
 bury makes this entry : " I rode to Abingdon to preacli the 
 foundation sermon of Cokesbury College." His biographer 
 describes the scene: ''Attired in his long silk gown, and his 
 clerical bands floating in the breeze, the Bishop took his stand 
 on the foundation wall and read from the seventy-eighth Psalm 
 as a text, ' I will utter dark sayings of old : which we have 
 heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not 
 liida them from their children, showing to the generation to 
 come the praises of the Lord, and his strengtli, and his wonder- 
 ful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony 
 in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded 
 our fathers, that they should make tliem known to their chil- 
 dren : that the generation to come might know them, even 
 the children which should be born ; who should arise and de- 
 clare them to their children : that they might set their hope 
 in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his com- 
 mandments." The text was strikingly appropriate, and char- 
 acteristic of the venerable preacher. The Journal adds : " I 
 had liberty in speaking and faith to believe that the work 
 would go on." 
 
 A little more than two years later the Bishop is at Abing- 
 don, to open the college. He says, Deceniber 6, 1787: 
 "We opened the college, and admitted twenty-five students. 
 I preached on the text, ' Trust in the Lord, and do good.' 
 
CoKESBURY College. 29 
 
 On Sabbath following I spoke on, ' O man of God, there is 
 death in the pot.' " The text and sermon were most remark- 
 able, and the tradition is, that in the minds of the old Meth- 
 odists they presaged the sad fate that awaited the college so 
 auspiciously opened ; it was consumed by an incendiary fire 
 just at tlie close of a career of ten years. Great hostility to 
 tlie institution manifested itself from the first. 
 
 In less than a year after the school opened, the good Bishop 
 wrote in his Journal, November 19, 1788 : " In times past 
 I have felt some disagreeable impressions about the college 
 being burnt. Now I have heard of an attempt to do it." 
 Nine years later his fears were sadly realized ; the noble edi- 
 fice, with its fine library, collected in Europe and America, 
 was consumed ; a loss of about fifty thousand dollars. In his 
 sadness at the great loss, the old Bishop concluded that at that 
 time '"the Lord did not call tlie Methodists to build colleires." 
 
 Brief as was the career of Cokesbury College, always 
 under pressure for want of money to carry it on, at one time 
 so pressed to meet current expenses that Bisliop Asbury 
 wxMit from door to door through tlie streets of Baltimore 
 begging money to support " the charity boys at the college," 
 it accomplished some good work ; hovv much, we shall not 
 know, as its records were destroyed with its library in 
 the burning of the building. As soon as the edifice was 
 inclosed, and one room made ready for use, a preparatory 
 school was opened, under the instruction of a good classical 
 scholar, Mr. Freeman Marsh. Early steps were taken to 
 secure from England a well-qualified gentleman to tiike the 
 actual presidency of the college. Bishop Asbury was, 
 according to the rules for its government, the nominal, and 
 when present the real, president. Mr. Wesley recommended 
 for the presidency a Bev. Mr. Heath, a minister of the 
 
30 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Cliurcli of England, who in due time was elected to that 
 office by the board of trustees. At the same meeting Pat- 
 rick M'Closky and Mr. Marsh were chosen professors. 
 
 August 10, 1788, Bishop Asbury made this entry in his 
 Journal : " I received heavy tidings from the college — both 
 teachers have left. One for incompetency, and the other to 
 pursue riches and honors ; had they cost us nothing, the mis- 
 take we made in employing them might be the less regretted." 
 The college had probably borne the expense of one of them, 
 perhaps both, from England to America. It is perhaps due 
 that an explanation should be given of the causes of the sud- 
 den departure of these two teachers from Cokesbury. Mr. 
 Heath's duties, as a clergyman, had not required him to keep 
 read up in the higher Latin studies. In the temporary 
 absence of the professor of languages he was called upon to 
 hear a class in Latin, for which, off-hand, he was not pre- 
 pared. The report w^ent out at once that he was not a com- 
 petent teacher. He resented the insinuation, and resigned 
 his office. He enjoyed the confidence and respect of Mr. 
 "Wesley, who, as a token of his affection, left Mr. Heath, in 
 liis will, three hundred dollars. Professor M'Closky left 
 the college to carry on his farm in the vicinity. The change 
 of teachers did not seriously interrupt the institution. Dr. 
 Jacob Hall became the president, Hev. Joseph Toy and Kev. 
 John Hargrove were elected professors, and Mr. Tait teacher 
 of French. It would be a great pleasure to know who 
 among the students during the ten years, numbering fi'om 
 thirty to eighty most of the time, became distinguished in 
 any of the walks of useful life as the result of the advan- 
 tages enjoyed at Cokesbury. A few names are known. 
 Bishop Asbury mentions a son of Abel Bliss, of Wilbra- 
 liam, Mass., who "was educated — not spoiled — at Cokes- 
 
CoKESDURY College. 31 
 
 bury." * Another was Col. AVillhim Donglity, of Pliiladcl- 
 pliia, who distinguished himself in the United States Navy. 
 Sanmel AVhite, the son of the Bishop's old friend in Dela- 
 ware, was another; he tilled for one term a seat in the 
 United States Senate. Asbury Dickens, another student, 
 was for many years the secretary of the United States 
 Senate. The most distinguished alumnus of Cokesbury was 
 tlie pioneer preacher and teacher, as well as the heroic pre- 
 siding elder, Rev. Valentine Cook, whose district included 
 the whole State of Kentucky. 
 
 At one time the college .had on its Hst about one hundred 
 students, representatives from the best Methodist families in 
 the nation ; the spirit of revival was among them, and many 
 of them were brought to a saving acquaintance with Christ. 
 Rev. Joseph Everett was for some years in charge of the 
 religious services of the college, holding, by appointment of 
 the trustees, the office of chaplain. The Southern States 
 were, for a few years, quite largely represented by studeuts 
 who went to Cokesbury to complete their education. 
 
 As to the work dune at Cokesbury, and what, with the 
 active co-operation of the Church, could have been done, 
 Bishop Asbury, in a letter to Bishop Coke, then in England, 
 expresses himself thus: 
 
 "If it were not for the suspicions of some, and the pride 
 ;nul ignorance of others, I am of opinion I could make provis- 
 ion, by collections, profits on books, and donations in land, to 
 take two thousand children under the best plan of education 
 
 * This son of Abel Bliss, whose name was also Abel, became one of the 
 most active and inliuciuisil members of the bonrd of trustees of the Wesley.m 
 Ac.ulemy at Wilbraham, Mass., and liisdan.;htor, Miss N.uicy Biis'^, beoam? 
 the first proccptrcss of the Cazenovia Seminary. 
 
32 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 ever known in tliis coiintrv. The Lord begins to smile on our 
 Kings wood (Cokesbury) School. One promising young man 
 has gone forth into the ministry, another is ready, and sev- 
 eral have been under awakenings, l^one so healthy and 
 orderly as our children, and some promise great talents for 
 learning. The obstinate and ignorant oppose, among preach- 
 ers and people ; while the judicious, for good sense and piety, 
 in Chiych and State, admire and applaud. 
 
 "I am, with most dutiful respect, as ever, your son in the 
 Gospel. Fkancis Asbury." 
 
 THE SECOND cokesbury. 
 
 The fallen walls of Cokesbury at Abingdon were scarcely 
 cold when the noble Baltimore Methodists, at an expense of 
 about twenty thousand dollars, purchased an eligible lot ad- 
 joining that on which the old Light Street Church stood, hav- 
 ing on it a large brick building, which, with some modifica- 
 tions, was found well adapted to school purposes. 
 
 Here the second Cokesbury, as in history it is known, 
 opened even more auspiciously than the first at Abingdon. 
 Kev. Joseph Toy, who was one of the professors in the first, 
 lield the same ofiice, professor of mathematics, in the second 
 Cokesbury. Bishop Asbury, never quite in favor of calling 
 these schools colleges, in several instances in his Journal 
 mentions this institution as " the Academy." in which he often 
 preached. 
 
 June 22, 1796, he wrote in his Journal : "I borrowed a 
 horse and made out to get to Baltimore. O what times are 
 here ! The academy is crowded ; they have five teachers 
 and nearly two hundred scholars." 
 
 How strange and sad to relate, on the 4th of December, 
 1796, just one year after the destruction of the first, this 
 
CoKESBURY College. 33 
 
 second Methodist college was destroyed by fire, resulting, 
 in this instance, from the carelessness of some sport-loving 
 boys. 
 
 Bishop Asbury makes this entry in his Journal : " Serious 
 news from Baltimore ; the academy and our church in Light 
 Street, with Brother Hawkins's elegant house, all destroyed 
 by fire. The loss we sustain in the college, academy, and 
 church I estimate from fifteen to twenty thousand pounds : 
 but I conclude God loveth the people of Baltimore, and will 
 keep them poor, to keep them pure." 
 
 These boys were amusing themselves with bonfires in a 
 vacant building in the neighborhood ; the building took fire, 
 it soon communicated to the college and to Light Street 
 Church, both on the same lot, and both were consumed. 
 The late Kev. Isaac Cook, D.D., my authority for these state- 
 ments, said : *' My parents were present in the church at the 
 time of the fire. Rev. Henry Willis was preaching a funeral 
 discourse for Mr. Patrick Calvers. In the midst of tlie sad 
 service the congregation were startled by the cry of fire! 
 ' The church is on fire ! bear away your dead ! ' which was 
 quickly done. The fire that destroyed the college and the 
 church also destroyed the residence of the presiding elder of 
 Baltimore District, and the fine mansion of that liberal Meth- 
 odist, William Hawkins." 
 
 Under these rapidly succeeding calamities the work of 
 building Methodist colleges was necessarily suspended for a 
 few years. The whole energies of the Church, and all avail- 
 able means, were re(pired to provide houses of worship for 
 the vastly-increasing congregations east, west, north, and 
 south eager to hear the message of salvation as proclaimed 
 by the Methodist itinerants: but the work of education was 
 by no nieans abandoned. Some of our writers speak of this 
 
34 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 as Asburj College. Asbury College came into being twenty- 
 years later. 
 
 Bishop Asbnry returned to his early and favorite scheme 
 of establishing his celebrated district schools in all parts of 
 the country, not already provided with schools, to which the 
 youth of Methodist families might repair for instruction in 
 the higher branches of learning. Some of these became good 
 classical academies, and accomplished much good work for 
 the country and for the Church, and prepared the Church for 
 the educational era that opened with the session of tlie Gen- 
 eral Conference of 1820. 
 
Ebenezee Academy. 35 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 EBENEZER ACADEMY, VIRGINIA. 
 
 Bishop Asbury had an especial partiality for Bible names. 
 Two of the principal schools founded by him, or through his 
 agency, were called Betliel— the house of God. Many of the 
 churches consecrated by him most appropriately bore the 
 same name. 
 
 Ebenezer — the stone of help — was the name of churches 
 erected under his auspices in Korth Carolina, South Caro- 
 lina, Tennessee, and Kentucky. In Virginia it was the 
 name of an academy that absorbed mucli of his care, and 
 largely engrossed his labors. The full measure of success 
 that it enjoyed, or work that it accomplished, we shall never 
 be able to understand ; that it did good work for a period 
 of at least twenty-five years will be seen as we advance. Its 
 greatest value to us is, that it helps to illnsti-ate the great 
 zeal of the pioneer Bishop in the cause of denominational 
 education ; a zeal too ardent to be quenched by the greatest 
 disasters, or diverted from its true objects — the glory of God 
 and the good of man — by any amount of jealousy, misappre- 
 hension, or aspersion of motives that were as pure as ever 
 l)rompted human action. That ambition was not his guiding 
 star is shown by the absence of all means to magnify or even 
 make known his achievements. How much we wish that of 
 this achievement — ^Ebenezer Academy — he had left the full 
 record of the incipient measures for its establishment, tlie 
 list of the names of those who aided in planning, and more 
 especially in executing, the plans that brought into being this 
 
36 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 important agency of early Methodism. No record of the ex- 
 act time of the erection of the massive stone building, or of 
 the opening of the school, will ever come to light. It was 
 only incidentally that he gave the location of the institution 
 as having been in Brunswick County, Yirginia; but in what 
 part of that large, old county, he left us but very vague, if 
 any, means of even inferring. Less than a half-dozen very 
 brief mentions in his invaluable Journal is all that tlie 
 great evangelist left of this undertaking that rested so heav- 
 ily as a burden upon his heart for long years. So brief and 
 modest were the Bishop's notices of Ebenezer Academy, that 
 our veteran historian. Dr. Nathan Bangs, overlooked it. This 
 is a misfortune, as he wrote at so early a period that infor- 
 mation concerning it might easily have been gained. Yery 
 different now ! The witnesses, like the principal actor, have 
 gone. Lee's history mentions it, but not until its best days 
 were passed. 
 
 It was located near Merritt's meeting-house, in which 
 Bishop Asbury often preached, in the southern part of 
 Brunswick County, Yirgina, on the road leading from Peters- 
 burg to Boydton, the latter, in after years, noted as the seat 
 of Eandolph-Macon College, in which, for a few years, the 
 late Stephen Olin, D.D., LL.D., was president. Brunswick 
 County will be remembered as the center of that wonderful 
 visitation of the Spirit that swept over southern Yirginia 
 soon after the close of tlie War of the Revolution and the 
 establishment of the Methodist Episcopal Church at the 
 Christmas General Conference of 178L James O'Kelly, 
 then the presiding elder of the district, made this repoi't of 
 the wonderful work of the Lord : 
 
 " Old Brunswick and Surry Circuits exceed any thing I 
 ever saw or heard of in America. I believe that six thou- 
 
Ebenezeu Acai)p:mv. 37 
 
 sand were assembled together at the quarterly meeting held, 
 a few days ago, for Brunswick Circuit." 
 
 Rev. Philip Cox, one of the circuit preachers, evidently 
 under great excitement, exclaimed, "Great news from Zion ! " 
 
 And the future Book Agent of Methodism, the learned 
 and greatly pious John Dickins, wrote : " It is estimated that 
 about Brunswick itself not less than seven thousand souls 
 are under deep convictions." 
 
 Mr. Cox said : " Never was there before so great a work of 
 God in America as is now in the Brunswick and Surry 
 Circuits." 
 
 This favorable condition of the public mind and conscience 
 Bishop Asbury improved to secure the co-operation and 
 pecuniary aid of the inhabitants of Brunswick and adjacent 
 counties, in Yii-ginia and North Carolina, in planting on a 
 firm basis an institution of learning for the benefit of that 
 and of future generations of youth in that portion of his great 
 pastoral charge. 
 
 It is claimed by some of tlie old Methodists of that region 
 that Ebenezer was the first Methodist school opened in Amer- 
 ica. Judge F. E. Buford, of Brunswick County, a gentle- 
 man of high standing in the Protestant Episcopal Church, to 
 whom I am under especial obligation, wrote me : " Though 
 I am now forty-nine years of age, I am too young to remem- 
 ber any thing of Ebenezer Academy as a school. I have 
 known the building, which is a stone structure of peculiar 
 design, as * Old Ebenezer ' for a number of years ; but when I 
 first saw it, fully forty years ago, it had ceased to be used as 
 an academy." 
 
 In a subsequent letter he wrote : " I made an effort to find 
 out when Ebenezer Academy was chartered ; and with that 
 view I spent a day at our county-seat in examining the rec- 
 
38 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 ords, both before and after tlie establisliment of our national 
 independence; but I could find no mention of it in any of 
 our statistics. I am, however, fully satisfied, from the best 
 information I have been able to get, that it was established 
 between the years lYSO and 1784" He says further: "I 
 wrote to several of the oldest citizens of the county for their 
 recollections, or for facts that came to them well authen- 
 ticated. Several of them responded that the school opened 
 at quite an early day, and that they thought that what the 
 oldest of them knew of the school in its palmiest days was 
 but * hearsay.' T addressed inquiries to W. Embry Mer- 
 ritt, Esq., an aged Methodist, attorn ey-at-law, after whose 
 father. Rev. Henry Merritt, the church in the neighborhood 
 was called * Merritt's Chapel.' My letter found him on a bed 
 of sickness and death. He died in April, 1885. He re- 
 quested his daughter. Miss Jennie Merritt, to respond to my 
 letter. Among other items, he told her to inform me that 
 the school opened in 1784. His father, Eev. Henry Merritt, 
 was one of the first board of trustees, and an active assistant 
 to Bishop Asbury in building up the school. His son, who 
 said that the institution opened in 1784, was educated at the 
 academy, but as he was not born until 1796, his connection 
 with tlie school must have been during its last years. When 
 the school in the old stone building of the Merritt neighbor- 
 liood closed, I have gained no certain information." Jesse 
 Lee's history was published in 1809 ; he notices it as a good 
 school then in operation. Putting together all the facts gath- 
 ered by Judge Buford and the statement of Esquire Merritt, 
 made during his last sickness, and who, all his life, had re- 
 sided in the neighborhood, and had the best of facilities 
 for knowing the facts in regard to which he testified, I am 
 strongly inclined to the opinion that Ebenezer Academy, in 
 
Ebexezer Academy. 39 
 
 Brunswick County, Virginia, was the first Metliodist school 
 opened in America. Like all others, whose opinions had 
 been published, until these new facts reached me, I had sup- 
 posed that Cokesburj College, at Abingdon, Maryland, was 
 the first American Methodist school. 
 
 Bishop Asbury's first mention in his Journal of Ebenezer 
 Academy was dated December 5, 1794 : " Our burdensome 
 stone Ebenezer now gives us some care. If we can employ 
 good men, keep up discipline, and maintain credit, it may 
 come to something." 
 
 This language indicates that the school had been some time 
 in operation (according to Judge Merritt, ten years), and that 
 it had not heretofore met his expectations or entire approval. 
 "Whether the dereliction was in the trustees, teachers, or 
 others, we can but conjecture. Some of the first trustees of 
 the school were Kev. ITenry Merritt; Daniel L. Mead, of 
 Octagon; Colonel Tucker; Bichard W. Field; others not 
 remembered by my informant. In after years Rev. J. G. 
 Cluiborn was a trustee. lie is still living in feebleness at 
 the age of about eighty-eight years. Himself too infirm to 
 write, he referred me to several of the early students, one at 
 least of whom died too soon to answer my inquiries. 
 
 I learn that the first principal of the school was an 
 Irishman or a Scotchman, concerning whom all I have 
 learned is, that " he was a great linguist." A good many of 
 the teachers from Britain at an early day were " great lin- 
 guists," but knew but little else. One of my early teachers 
 was a fine linguist, but possessed of but a small quantity of 
 practical good sense. He approached his more practical wife, 
 once on a time, very weary and in free perspiration, having 
 taken up and reversed the beans in his garden that he sup- 
 posed, by some strange freak of nature, had come up with 
 
40 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 the wrong end uppermost. In the absence of experience, all, 
 perhaps, would suppose that the seed from which proceeds 
 the plant should remain buried in the earth, but my first 
 teacher, Billy Pitt, found his first bean crop in reverse order. 
 To a short, corpulent man it was quite a task to correct the 
 mistake of nature. 
 
 Whether Principal Johnson, the Irish or Scotch linguist of 
 great skill, had failed in " keeping up discipline and securing 
 credit to the school," or whether these faults attached to some 
 of his successors in later years, no information has been 
 gained. 
 
 Among later teachers in the school were Thomas Terrell, 
 Henry Clary, Mr. Dutton, John I. Grigg, and Tompkins Rice. 
 The following noted Virginians are named as alumni of 
 Ebenezer Academy : Judge W. H. E. Merritt, a prominent 
 lawyer and judge of Brunswick County; Hon. H. K. 
 Meade, years ago a member of the United States Congress, 
 and subsequently United States minister plenipotentiary to 
 the government of Brazil ; Colonel Jack Jones ; Kichard R. 
 Collier ; Dr. Nathan Booth ; Dr. M'Lean ; Dr. George Field ; 
 John L. Wilkins, and Dr. W. B. Price, and many more not 
 remembered by Colonel W. T. Mason, who, through Judge 
 Buford, kindly furnished the list. 
 
 The principal building is still standing; for a description 
 of it I am under obligation to Rev. W. W. Lear, of the 
 Virginia Conference, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 South. It is twenty by forty feet on the ground, two stories 
 high, built of stone, with an old-fashioned Dutch roof, 
 drooping eaves, projecting far down over the sides. It was 
 so thoroughly built that until quite recently it was a safe 
 family residence, though about one hundred years old. 
 Within a few months, just after a family had vacated it, a 
 
Ebenezer Academy. 41 
 
 part of the front wall fell in. If needed for school purposes, 
 one of my correspondents says, it could be repaired and made 
 to do service for another hundred years. The fathers, in 
 mind, morals, and physics, built well ! The farm belong- 
 ing to the school contained fifty -seven acres and a half 
 of good tillable land. There were two boarding-houses, 
 whether on the farm or near it I am not certain. One 
 was kept by Mrs. Martha Eldridge, formerly Miss Fisher ; 
 the other by Eichard W. Field. All the first trustees were 
 Methodists. 
 
 On the 8th of December, 1794, Bishop Asbury entered in 
 his Journal : " I had a meeting with the trustees of Ebenezer 
 Academy ; matters are very discouraging. People, in gen- 
 eral, care too little for the education of their children." A 
 little more than a year later he was again at the seat of Eben- 
 ezer Academy. His Journal shows this gloomy entry ; 
 
 " Ebenezer Academy is under poor regulations, and, what 
 is more than all, some gentlemen of Brunswick County had 
 the confidence (assurance) and want of propriety to wish to 
 wrest it wholly out of our hands, after we had collected 
 so much money to build it." All our first Methodist schools 
 were erected by funds collected by the Bishops. The Bishop 
 mentions the Academy again, January 24th, and on the 12th 
 of February he wrote in his Journal : " I had appointed to 
 meet the trustees of Ebenezer Academy at Brother Hobb's, 
 on the north side of the Meherin. After some conversation 
 they willingly agreed to petition the Conference in behalf of 
 Ebenezer Academy for an annual subscription to make pro- 
 vision for a man, at about one hundred pounds a year, who 
 shall keep an English school under our rules, with the wor- 
 ship and word of God." All Methodist schools of that day 
 were under the same general regulations. See rules for 
 
42 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Cokesbury College. The Bishops, when present, were, 
 ex officio^ the presidents of the schools, had power to con- 
 vene the trustees, could expel students. They were like- 
 wise the agents for the collection of the money required ; 
 they planned the buildings generally. In a word, the bur- 
 den of founding and supporting the Church schools rested 
 •upon them. 
 
 Jesse Lee's history, in 1809, mentions this school as in 
 operation at that date. He states that Ebenezer Academy 
 was still a good school, but not under the control of the 
 Methodist Church. That but few of the old trustees re- 
 mained, having removed to other neighborhoods, and of 
 those left some were not Methodists. The teacher, he said, 
 had entire control of the institution, taking in and removing 
 students at pleasure. 
 
 The school building and the farm, for which the Bishop 
 " had collected so much money," were now, says Lee, held, 
 rent free, by the principal of the school. The gentlemen of 
 Brunswick, of whose ungracious conduct the Bishop had 
 complained a few years before, at last appear to have carried 
 their point — wrested the scliool "out of our hands." But 
 if, as the heroic Lee observes, a good school was maintained, 
 the labors of Asbury and his helpers in the good work were 
 not in vain, nor lost to the world or the Church. The Eev. 
 "W. W. Lear, before named, informs me that Ebenezer has 
 not been used for school purposes for thirty or forty years. 
 The whole property, buildings and farm, was sold by author- 
 ity of an act of the State Legislature. What became of the 
 money my informant does not state. The present owner is 
 L. J. Wall, of Sturgeon ville. When the Ebenezer Academy 
 closed there was built a substitute for it, called " Red Oak 
 Academy," a few miles to the left. This school also died 
 
Ebenezer Academy. 43 
 
 years ago, and tlie building was lately burned to the ground. 
 The Bishop's " troublesome stone " still stands. Brunswick 
 now has but one academy. The principal of this, in 1848, 
 was one of the writer's pupils a few years earlier at the 
 Gouverneur Wesleyan Seminary, St. Lawrence County, New 
 York. This was Rev. (afterward Dr.) James A. Dean, lately 
 deceased in New Orleans. 
 
44 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTER lY. 
 
 BETHEL ACADEMY, KENTUCKY. 
 
 Prior to December, 1776, there was a vast, almost un- 
 known territory called Transylvania, lying to the west of 
 Virginia. In this year the Legislature of Virginia organ- 
 ized it as a county under the name of Kentucky. By a sub- 
 sequent act the county became three counties ; namely, Jef- 
 ferson, Fayette, and Lincoln. In 1792 these became a State. 
 This territory was explored by Daniel Boone, a youth of six- 
 teen summers, in 1769, and permanently settled by him and 
 others in 1775. Two renowned Methodist local preachers, 
 Francis Clark and William J. Thompson, were among the 
 first settlers. James Haw and Benjamin Ogden, regular 
 Methodist ministers, followed in 1786. Circuits were organ- 
 ized, and Methodism became fully established. 
 
 By tlie Legislature of Virginia eight thousand acres of land 
 were, in 1780, set apart in the county of Kentucky for the 
 establishment of schools. The few Kentucky Methodists took 
 early measures to secure a part of the land, so generously 
 appropriated to education, for the establishment of a semi- 
 nary of learning. They appealed to the Bishops for aid and 
 counsel. Bishops Coke and Asbury both attended a Confer- 
 ence held at M'Knight's, on the Yadkin Kiver, in North 
 Carolina, in 1789. 
 
 Here the Kentucky brethren appeared, by letters and mes- 
 sengers, asking aid in more fully organizing Methodism and 
 in establishing a college. The subject was taken up, debated, 
 and the answer returned to the noble Kentucky Methodists 
 
Bethel Academy. 45 
 
 was that, during the next year, Bisliop Asbnrj would visit 
 them, and that if they could secure a grant of live thousand 
 acres of land from the State or from individuals, tliat a college 
 should be completed in the State within ten years. Early 
 the next spring Bishop Asbury, accompanied by his friend 
 Richard Whatcoat, who a few years later was elected and or- 
 dained a Bishop, commenced preparations for the perilous trip 
 on horseback to Kentucky. They spent two weeks in south- 
 western Virginia, preaching and praying among the people, 
 waiting for the brethren from Kentucky, who were to return 
 immediately as an escort and guard to the good Bishop and 
 his friend. On a certain Monday morning Bishop Asbury 
 related to Mr. Whatcoat that the night before, in a dream, he 
 had seen the friends for whom they had been waiting. After 
 breakfast the Bishop retired to a small stream near by for 
 meditation and prayer. While there he saw two men coming 
 over the hills toward him. He felt assured at once that 
 these were Kentuckians who were coming for him. And so 
 it proved. The men were Peter Massie, in future years 
 known as the weeping prophet, and John Clark. They 
 delivered to the Bishop letters, and informed him that they 
 had left eight other men in the valley below, all ready to 
 start with him for Kentucky as soon as he was ready. The 
 Bishop entered in his Journal : " After reading the letters, 
 and asking counsel of God, I concluded to go with them." 
 They left the valley of the Cumberland early in May, 1790, 
 with sixteen men, including the Bishop, carrying thirteen 
 guns. An unbroken forest of more than two hundred 
 miles, inhabited by ferocious beasts and more ferocious sav- 
 ages, lay between them and the end of their journey. They 
 halted three times a day to feed and refresh their horses, and 
 as often for prayer to God. The first day they made thirty- 
 
46 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 five miles, the second forty-five, the third fifty, and at about 
 these rates for seven days, going into camp late at night. 
 
 The Bishop wrote in his Journal : " I am strangely outdone 
 for want of sleep. The first night I slept about one hour, 
 the last about two. We ate no regular meal ; our bread 
 grew short, and I was much spent." While in camp some 
 were on guard, while the others rested. They frequently 
 passed the graves of those slain by savages ; in one camp 
 twenty-four graves. They arrived at Lexington on the 12th 
 of May. Asbury preached on the day of their arrival. The 
 court was in session, and the court-house being thus occu- 
 pied, they held the Conference " in the comfortable house of 
 Eichard Masterson," opening on the 14:th of May, 1790. In 
 regard to the work of the Conference the Bishop makes this 
 record : 
 
 "We went through our business in great love and har- 
 mony. I ordained Wilson Lee, Thomas Williamson, and 
 Barnabas M'Henry, elders. We had preaching noon and 
 night, and souls were converted. My soul has been blessed 
 among this people, and I am exceedingly pleased with them. 
 I would not, for the worth of the place, have been prevented 
 in this visit. It is true, such exertions of mind and body 
 are trying ; but I am supported under them ; if souls are saved, 
 it is enough. Brother Poythress is much alive to God. We 
 fixed upon a plan for a school, and called it Bethel ; and 
 obtained, in land and money, a subscription of upward of 
 three hundred pounds toward its establishment. We rode 
 to I. Lewis's, on the bend of the Kentucky Kiver. Lewis is 
 an old acquaintance from Leesburg, Virginia. I was pleased 
 to find that heaven and religion were not lost sight of in this 
 family. Brother Lewis offered me one hundred acres of land 
 for Bethel on a good spot for building material." 
 
Bethel Academy. 47 
 
 This site, tendered by Mr. Lewis, was accepted by those 
 having control. It was in what, in 1798, became Jessa- 
 mine County, in the center of the State, and not very 
 remote from Lexington, its capital. In that county great 
 numbers of the first Methodists, including some local and 
 some traveling preachei*s, settled. All these circumstances 
 were in favor of making that the location of Bethel Acad- 
 emy. The Bishop remained in that vicinity nearly two 
 weeks, during which he preached thirteen sermons, made 
 many acquaintances, and also many friends for the projected 
 school. 
 
 Having accomplished all that could then be done, the good 
 Bishop prepared to set out on his return journey through the 
 wilderness. His principal assistants in establishing the Bethel 
 school were Rev. Francis Poythress, the first presiding elder 
 of the Kentucky District, and the Rev. John Metcalf. As 
 Poythress fell a martyr to this undertaking, a brief sketch of 
 his career will be appreciated. He belonged to an old, 
 wealthy Virginia family. Aroused to a sense of his lost 
 estate as a sinner, he sought the instructions of a pious min- 
 ister of the Church of England, a life-long friend of Bishop 
 Asbury. Mr. Jarratt led him to the Saviour in the year 
 1773. He was soon after enrolled in the ranks of the Meth- 
 odist itinerants. In North Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee, 
 Virginia, and Kentucky, he was in the thickest of the fight, 
 a leader in the advancing hosts. When a call was made 
 for a man for hard, dangerous, responsible, self-denying 
 work, from the noble Poythress came the voice, " Here am 
 I ; send me." 
 
 For many years he traveled large districts as presiding 
 elder, sleeping under trees, in open cabins, sharing the hard- 
 ships of the settlers in their wilderness homes. Himself a 
 
48 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 good scholar, he was easily enlisted in the woj-k of building 
 Bethel Academy ; that enterprise not proving an entire suc- 
 cess, and he being cruelly censured, his health failed, his mind 
 gave way — he was insane. He had previously filled every 
 office in the Methodist ministry except that of the Episco- 
 pacy. For this he was nominated by Bislio23 Asbury, and 
 would have been elected but for the fact that at an Annual 
 Conference a Bishop could not be made for the whole Church. 
 
 To remove him as far as possible from the scenes of his 
 not-wholly-successful labors in behalf of Bethel Academy, 
 Mr. Poythress was, in the year 1800, removed from the Lex- 
 ington District, Kentucky, and made presiding elder in east- 
 ern North Carolina, his field of earlier successes as a pioneer 
 itinerant. Here he performed his last labors. His spirit 
 was broken. At the end of one year he returned to Ken- 
 tucky. His name for 1801 and 1802 appears in the list of 
 elders, but no work was assigned him. His home was at 
 Nicholasville, which, in 1798, was made the county-seat of 
 Jessamine County. It was made a village, and its streets 
 surveyed by Kev. John Metcalf in 1798, and, in honor of his 
 friend the Hon. George Nichols, a somewhat noted lawyer, 
 was, by Mr. Metcalf, called Nicholas ville. 
 
 In 1810, on the 15 th of October, Bishop Asbury looked 
 upon the face of his former old and very dear friend, the 
 good, but most unfortunate, Poythress for the last time. He 
 wrote at that date in his Journal : " This has been an awful 
 day to me. I visited Francis Poythress. ' If thou be he — 
 but O ! how fallen ! ' " Dr. Abel Stevens says : "A reviving 
 light breaks over him in his last days." 
 
 Of the Bishop's other principal aid in the work of building 
 Bethel Academy a few words are due. Rev. John Metcalf, 
 one of the pioneer preachers in Kentucky, before it became 
 
Bethel Academy. 49 
 
 a State, was a native of Soutliampton County, Yirf^inia. He 
 settled in what subsequently became Jessamine County in 
 the early spring of 1790. 
 
 Samuel M. Duncan, Esq., a worthy old resident of Nicli- 
 olasville, and more familiar, perhaps, with the early history 
 of Jessamine County and of Bethel Academy than any man 
 now living, in a letter dated May, 1885, says of Mr. Metcalf : 
 " To advance the cause of Christ and be instrumental in the 
 salvation of men wore objects which he not only had in view^ 
 but which he biirned with furnace ardor to accomplish. 
 Every-where and at all times he was not only ready but eager 
 to engage in any enterprise which promised the accomplish- 
 ment of these purposes. His zeal was untiring. No success 
 could satiate its eager longings, nor any discouragements 
 quench its ardor." 
 
 But to return from this digression. In 1792, on his second 
 visit to Kentucky, Asbury entered in his Journal: "I wrote 
 an address on behalf of Bethel School." At a later date, 
 during the same visit, lie wrote again : "I found it necessary 
 to change the plan of the house to make it more comfortable 
 for the scholars in winter." 
 
 In the old "Methodist Magazine" of 1816-1828, Eev. 
 Thomas llinde, M.D., a contemporary of both Asbury and 
 Poythress, and long a member of the old Kentucky Confer- 
 ence, under tlie nom de plume of Theopliilus Arminius, 
 gave a series of interesting articles " Upon tlie Progress of 
 Methodism in the Western Country." In one of these arti- 
 cles appears this notice of 
 
 BETHEL ACADEMY : 
 
 " Our Conference for 1797 was held at Bethel School, a 
 
 large, three-story brick building erected by Mr. Poythress on 
 3 
 
50 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 the bank of the Kentucky River in Jessamine Conntj. Mr. 
 Poythress had used great exertions to accomplish the under- 
 taking ; but being old and infirm, and censured by some for 
 the ineligibility of the situation and the expense of the build- 
 ing, being a man of integrity and of very nice feelings, tlie 
 most serious consequences resulted." 
 
 This is a noble testimony from a competent and reliable 
 witness, and fully exonerates poor Poythress from what could 
 not have been designed as an implication of wrong, in the 
 sad words of Bishop Asbury, but has been so construed by 
 some. How changed ! instead of how fallen ! would have 
 been less equivocal. 
 
 The work of completing the building had made such prog- 
 ress that early in the year 1794 a school was opened. The 
 following old letter, copied from the original now in posses- 
 sion of Samuel M. Duncan, of Nicholasville, Kentucky, 
 to which Bethel was removed from its original site in 
 1805, fully settles this fact : 
 
 "Jessamine County, Ky., Jan. 13, 1794. 
 " Honorable George Nichols : I have lately received 
 from you two of your kind letters, and would have answered 
 them before now, but I have taken charge of Bethel Acad- 
 emy, and have been so confined for the last two weeks in fit- 
 ting up suitable places of abode for some of my pupils, that 
 I have greatly neglected my private affairs, and especially 
 that portion of it whicli you are attending to in Lexington. 
 " Your friend, John Metcalf." 
 
 The author of this letter is supposed to have become an 
 itinerant on trial in 1790, though his name does not appear 
 in the list given in answer to " Question 1. Who are admit- 
 ted on trial ? " but, in 1791, his name is found in the list of 
 
Bethel Academy. 51 
 
 those " who remain on trial," and for this year he was ap- 
 pointed to Banks Circuit, in Virginia. The next year he 
 was "admitted into full connection" and sent to Botetourt 
 Circuit as a deacon. From the Conference of 1793 he was 
 appointed to Lexington Circuit. This included the seat of 
 Bethel Academy. At tlie request of Bishop Asbury, early 
 in January, 1794, as the old letter before inserted proves, Mr. 
 Metcalf took charge of Bethel Academy. His name now 
 disappears from the minutes of the Conference. Dr. Bangs 
 gives it among those who located in 1795. Rev. Henry 
 Smith, one of the veterans of the Baltimore Conference, 
 attended the session of the Kentucky Conference for 1797. 
 It met in Bethel Academy, and he mentions Rev. John Met- 
 calf as the principal, at that time, of Bethel Academy. Mr. 
 Duncan, before named, says that he continued principal until 
 1803. Mr. Metcalf was not a classical scholar, but spoke and 
 wrote the English language with correctness and great vigor 
 and the Methodist school, located on the high bluff, at a bend 
 in the Kentucky River, under the vigorous administration of 
 John Metcalf, was a strong competitor of Transylvania Acad- 
 emy, at Lexington, in Fayette County. Transylvania was 
 then under the control of the Presbyterian Church, and had 
 the advantage of a small village around it. It was opened 
 in 1780, while Kentucky was yet but a county of Virginia. 
 The site of Bethel was chosen for its intrinsic beauty, and as 
 an eligible site for a village, which it was hoped would grow 
 up around it and become the county-seat of the new 
 county, which was organized eight years later, under the 
 name of Jessamine, of which Nicholasville became the seat 
 of justice. 
 
 Mr. Duncan says : " As the principal of this school in the 
 wilderness Mr. Metcalf infused his spirit into every depart- 
 
52 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 merit. If there was the least jar, he had the eye to detect, 
 and the skill to remove." 
 
 Mr. Duncan continues: "In 1Y99 Rev. Yalentine Cook 
 took charge for one year of the academic department, with 
 Rev. Francis Poythress as his assistant." These statements 
 of Mr. Duncan are confirmed by the general minutes. 
 Cook's name is not found in the list of appointments for 
 1789. There was then no rule of the Church under which a 
 preacher could be appointed to a school. Mr. Poythress, as 
 presiding elder on the territory of the school, could have 
 served as an assistant to Mr. Cook, who, as all agree, opened 
 at that time the academic department of the academy. The 
 Kentucky historian of Methodism, Rev. Dr. Redfield, speaks 
 of Valentine Cook as the organizer of the academy. He is 
 correct, if he only intended the academic department of the 
 academy, which, as a preparatory school, was opened by Mr. 
 Metcalf in 1794. Mr. Cook was a fine scholar, the most dis- 
 tinguished of the graduates of Cokesbury College, at Abing- 
 don, Maryland. He remained but a year in the school, but 
 afterward taught in other places. After Mr. Metcalf re- 
 moved to Nicholasville, in 1803, and opened,' in his own 
 house, a school, which he called Bethel Academy, Mr. 
 Harris continued Bethel School, on the Kentucky River, as 
 a neighborhood school until 1805. 
 
 In 1798 Mr. Metcalf purchased several lots in the then 
 new village of Mcholasville, and erected a good log-house, 
 which still stands, and is the property of a grandson, John 
 Metcalf. At tliis house Mr. Metcalf continued Bethel Acad- 
 emy until, in 1820, a good brick building was completed, and 
 the school was continued in it, still under the name of Bethel 
 Academy. Mr. Metcalf died at about this date, in the sixty- 
 third year of his age. In 1820 a Mr. O'Brien, a fair scholar. 
 
Bethel Academy. 63 
 
 says Mr. Duncan, took charge of Bethel Academy, and did 
 much toward keeping ahve the influence and teachings of 
 the Methodist Church. The institution ceased to be strictly 
 denominational from the date of its removal to Nicholas- 
 ville, though often, and perhaps generally, under the super- 
 intendence of a Methodist teacher. For five years from 
 1841 Prof. A. R. Northrup, A.M., a graduate of the Wes- 
 leyan University, was at its head. He was succeeded by 
 Charles F. Smith. Mr. Duncan sends a copy of two letters 
 from Rev. John Metcalf, dating back into the former cent- 
 ury, showing that, through its officers and teachers. Bethel 
 Academy liad an important agency in settling upon a good 
 basis of prosperity the educational and other interests of the 
 county in which it was located. He also gives a list of a 
 score of men, who, as ministers of the Gospel, physicians, 
 lawyers, judges, members of the State and National legisla- 
 tures, and in other positions, who laid the foundation for 
 the distinction to which they all attained while students in 
 old Bethel Academy. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Thomas Hinde, the maternal uncle of the late 
 Bishop Kavanaugii, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 South, in a conversation with a trustee of M'Kendree Col- 
 lege, sometime in the summer of 1845, upon the great 
 good work accomplished by tlie schools of Bishop Asbury, 
 mentioned the names of more than half a dozen of the 
 then leading politicians of the West and South who were 
 educated at Bethel Academy, Ky., before the present cent- 
 ury. Among them, I think, he named Henry Clay. Bethel 
 was incorporated, with full academic powers, in 1802, and 
 some years before received a grant of six thousand acres of 
 land from the State. But at the time there was so much 
 government land in the market that the school never made 
 
64 Ea.rly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 this generous gift available. It reverted to the State. Mr. 
 Duncan also furnishes me a letter from Prof. A. N. Gordon, 
 showing that the works of Bishop Asburj, Francis Poythress, 
 John Metcalf, Nathaniel Harris, Valentine Cook, and others, 
 who labored for Bethel, " do follow them." 
 
 Under date of Bethel Academy, Maj 11, 1885, Prof. 
 Gordon says : " In 1876 I was elected principal of Bethel 
 Academy for one year, with the understanding that, at the 
 end of the year, I was to have the lease for a term of years, 
 if such an arrangement seemed desirable by myself and the 
 trustees. In pursuance of that arrangement, the property 
 was leased to me, in the summer of 1877, for ten years, I 
 introducing the condition that '^ve indigent sprightly 
 boys ' should attend the academy each year free of tuition. 
 Since that year I have always had an assistant, with an 
 average of forty pupils. My aim is to prepare boys for at 
 least the junior class in our best colleges. Pupils have fre- 
 quently gone further, finishing the Calculus, and reading the 
 most advanced authors in Latin and Greek. The school is now 
 undenominational. The grounds lie well, containing about 
 ^ve acres, and the buildings are new, large, and elegant, hav- 
 ing been put up in 1878 at a cost of about $7,000. The 
 school is in a far more prosperous condition now than for 
 many years, and has a fair prospect before it. I am a grad- 
 uate of Washington and Lee University, Virginia, and follow 
 teaching as a profession." 
 
 If the departed still continue their acquaintance with 
 events transpiring in their old abodes, why should not the 
 fact that his favorite Bethel Academy still lives and is doing 
 the work for which he so gladly labored and suffered in its 
 establishment, add something to the "fullness of joy" that 
 the sainted Asbury enjoys in the mansions above ? 
 
Bethel Academy. 65 
 
 THE FINALE OF BETHEL SCHOOL. 
 
 In 1870 I addressed a letter of irKpiiry to my venerable 
 friend, Bishop Kavanaugh, in regard to Bethel Academ^^ 
 His kind answer added but little to ray information, but is 
 valuable as confirmatory of what I supposed reliable facts. 
 Next to reports published at the time of the occurrences, the 
 recollections of those who lived near the time and place are 
 our best authorities. The Bishop's letter from Louisville, 
 Ky., dated August, 1879, gives these items : " The first 
 Kentucky Conference was held by Bisliop Asbury. A plan 
 was there made for a Conference school, to be called Bethel. 
 It was principally built through the exertions of Rev. Fran- 
 cis Poythress, the first presiding elder of Lexington District. 
 It was located in Jessamine County, and stood on a high 
 bluff on the Kentucky River. The project originated with 
 Mr. Asbury, Francis Poythress, Isaac Ilite, and others. A 
 spacious building was erected, I think eighty by forty feet, 
 three stories high. The design was to accommodate board- 
 ers in the house. Among the men who were teachers in 
 the school were Francis Poythress, Rev. John Metcalf, and 
 Nathaniel Harris. The school had its best Heading in Val- 
 entine Cook, the most literary man we had in the West for 
 some considerable time. lie organized the academic depart- 
 ment, and at first the prospects were flattering, but soon dif- 
 ficulties arose, prospects diminished, and Cook gave up tho 
 enterprise. A scliool for the neighborhood was conducted 
 in the building for some time by various teachere ; afterward 
 it was abandoned. The one hundred acres of land, given by 
 Mr. Lewis, reverted to his estate, and portions of tho mate- 
 rial in the building were taken to Nicholas villa, and used in 
 erecting an academy for the use of the place. Sometimes 
 
66 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 it is occupied by our Churcli, sometimes by others. I think 
 it is held by trustees for the benefit of the town in which it 
 stands." 
 
 This is the testimony of an old Kentucky itinerant, famil- 
 iar with every part of the State. 
 
 Bishop Kavanaugh adds one other item of some interest : 
 " My uncle, the Kev. Thomas Hinde — ' Theophilus Armin- 
 ius ' — I think is mistaken about Mr. Clay having ever gone 
 to school at Bethel Academy. Mr. Clay came in early 
 years from Virginia to Kentucky; he had been trained 
 in a clerk's office, and I am sr.re never attended school in 
 Kentucky." 
 
 Bishop Kavanaugh's recollections are confirmed by Mr. 
 Clay's history. Clay was the son of a Baptist preacher, who 
 died in 1782. His mother remarried, and in 1792 removed 
 to Kentucky. To improve his education Henry remained at 
 Kichmond, Ya. He spent four years in the office of Peter 
 Lindsley, clerk of the High Court of Chancery ; he studied 
 law, was admitted to the bar, and in 1797 settled in Lexing- 
 ton, Kentucky. 
 
 Bishop Asbury met the Kentucky Conference again in 
 Bethel Academy in the year 1800. On Saturday, October 
 4th, he made one of the longest entries to be found in his 
 Journal, namely : '' I came to Bethel. Bishop Whatcoat and 
 William M'Kendree preached. I was so dejected I could 
 do little but weep. Sabbath it rained, and I kept at 
 home. Here is Bethel — Cokesbury in miniature — eighty 
 by forty feet, three stories, with a high roof, and finished 
 below. Now we want a fund, and an income of three hun- 
 dred per year to carry it on, without which it will be useless. 
 But it is too distant from public places ; its being surrounded 
 by the Kentucky Kiver in part we now find to be no benefit ; 
 
Bethel Academy. 67 
 
 thus all our excellences are turned into defects. Perhaps 
 Brother Poythress and myself were as much overseen with 
 tliis place as Dr. Coke was with the seat of Cokesbury. 
 But all is well that ends well, and all is wrong that works 
 wrong; and we must be blamed by men of slender sense 
 for consequences impossible to foresee — for other peoples' 
 misconduct. 
 
 " Sabbath day, Monday, and Tuesday, we were shut up in 
 Bethel with the traveling and local preachers, and the trust- 
 ees that could be called together. It was thought best to 
 carry the first design of education into execution, and that 
 we should employ a man of sterling qualifications to be 
 chosen by and under the direction of a select number of 
 trustees and others, who should obligate themselves to see him 
 paid. Dr. Jennings was thought of, talked of, written to." 
 
 This Dr. Jennings will appear again. 
 
 The Bishop continued his visits to Kentucky nearly every 
 year up to the last year of his life. On these visits he sev- 
 eral times passed through Jessamine County. Once he 
 called on the widow of his dear friend, in whose " comfort- 
 able house" he held the first Kentucky Conference. He 
 was once at least in Nicholasville, the seat of the academy 
 erected in part of material that entered into the structure of 
 Bethel Academy. But in his Journal no subsequent record 
 of Bethel Academy is found. The last entry he made was 
 the sad requiem over crushed hopes. He had wept over the 
 mental shipwreck of his very dear friend, the companion of 
 so many cares, of so much toil for God and his cause ; the 
 sharer of so many labors to make Bethel a success, and now 
 the sharer with him in the unwise and unjust censures that it 
 liad not accomplished all that had been hoped; and having, 
 
 as the entry shows, made with the trustees and preachers tlie 
 3* 
 
58 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 last effort to achieve success, he dismissed the subject, lays 
 off that burden to assume others, and to prosecute his mis- 
 sion to its close. Who, in the retrospect, with all the facts 
 before him, will venture to write Bethel School in Ken- 
 tucky a failure ? It was one of a number of experiments, 
 made at great disadvantage in an almost wilderness country, 
 leading to the final grand success of Methodist education in 
 America. 
 
Union School and Madison College. 
 
 CHAPTER y. 
 
 UNION SCHOOL AND MADISON COLLEGE, UNIONTOWN, PA. 
 
 Uniontown, the county-seat of Fayette County, Pa., early 
 became an important center of Methodism in the days of 
 Asbury. On his Western preaching and supervising tours, 
 Uniontown lay in his route. The Bishop's Journal mentions 
 at least nine visits to this inland town. Six of these visits 
 were to preside in Annual Conferences. The other three 
 visits were to be present and aid in tlie services of great 
 camp-meetings held in the vicinity. Bishop Asbury was 
 the pastor of the people in a more practical sense than have 
 been any of his successors. He lived at their houses, often 
 met them in the class-meeting, love-feast, at their camp-meet- 
 ings, and at school examinations. Traveling on horseback, 
 noon and night found him in the home of some private 
 family, provided he had time for the usual meal at noon. 
 
 Eeturning from his second visit to the Kentucky Confer- 
 ence, in 1792, accompanied by his special friend Hope Hull, 
 so distinguished in future years for his labors as teacher and 
 preacher in Georgia. They had climbed the Cumberland 
 Mountains from Kentucky, descended into the valley of the 
 Holston, in East Tennessee, where the Bishop had held a ses- 
 sion of the Holston Conference, thence through south-west- 
 ern and western Virginia, they arrived on the 31st of May at 
 Uniontown. The journey had been one of unusual hardships, 
 enhanced by the general discomforts of travel with a large 
 company, and occupying with other wayfarers the small, 
 crowded, necessarily soiled cabins and beds, of the kind 
 
60 ExVRLY Schools of Methodism. 
 
 sojourners, wlio often, without money or price, gave the trav- 
 elers the best that their new homes afforded. It was not the 
 fault of the inhabitants that the accommodations for travel- 
 ers were so inferior. Their hospitality was greatly overtaxed. 
 For fear of attack from hostile tribes, who looked with alarm 
 upon the swelling tides of settlers tilling up the West, trav- 
 elers usually moved in large companies. At night, compa- 
 nies of forty or lifty, more or less, sought shelter in a small 
 liouse of one, two, or three rooms. This occurring almost 
 nightly on these great lines of travel, accommodations were 
 necessarily poor. The Bishop incidentally mentions that 
 his company on this hard trip was a large one. He says : 
 
 "We had the best company I ever met with. Thirty-six 
 good travelers, and a few warriors; but we had one pack- 
 horse [his own], some old men [himself included], and two 
 tired horses. These were not the best part." But the three 
 hundred miles between the Holston Conference, in East Ten- 
 nessee, and the Baltimore Conference, at Uniontown, are now 
 behind them. 
 
 This is the Bishop's entry in his Journal : " Both men and 
 horses, travel-sore and weary, reach Uniontown. O how good 
 are clean houses, plentiful tables, and populous villages, when 
 compared wdth the rough world we came through ! Here I 
 turned out our poor horses to pasture and rest, after riding 
 them nearly three hundred miles in eight days." 
 
 He describes his employments, health, the business of the 
 Conference, the wants of the Church, and other matters of 
 interest, and then adds : " We have here founded a seminary 
 of learning, called 
 
 '' UNION SCHOOL. 
 
 Brother Charles Conaway is the manager, who also has charge 
 of the district. This establishment is designed for instrue- 
 
Union School and Madison College. 61 
 
 tion in grammar, the languages, and the sciences." Four 
 years hiter the Bishop made his last visit to Uuiontowu ; 
 change of routes of travel carried him around this place after- 
 ward. He made no other mention in his Journal of Union 
 Seminary. 
 
 Isaac P. Cook, D.D., long a prominent local preacher of 
 Baltimore, Md., and once president of the Local Preachers' 
 National Association, in a letter to the writer, says : " When 
 a part of the present Pittsburg Conference was included in 
 the Baltimore Conference, a seminary of high grade was 
 organized at Uniontown, Pa. Rev. Charles Conaway, pre- 
 siding elder of the district, was its president, or, as Bishop 
 Asbury expressed it, its manager. I think that after Mr. 
 Conaway was removed to other work, under the rule limiting 
 the stay of a preacher on a charge, that Valentine Cook, a 
 distinguished graduate of the first Cokesbury, succeeded Mr. 
 Conaway in the management of the school." 
 
 The school-room was an addition to the Methodist church, 
 built in 1786. This gave the seminary the use of the church 
 for a chapel and for school gatherings too large to be accom- 
 modated in the school-room. The lot on which the school- 
 room was erected was deeded to the trustees for the purposes 
 of a union school; it is now included in the cemetery of the 
 Methodist church. This union school or seminary continued 
 in existence, though under different names, until about the 
 year 1833. In 1825, under the inspiring action of the Gen- 
 eral Conference of 1820 on the subject of education, the 
 Pittsburg Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 took the incipient steps to found a college ; to secure its lo- 
 cation in the old Methodist community of Uniontown, the 
 trustees of the academy which succeeded the first, or Bishop 
 Asbury's, academy, tendered the building and all other prop- 
 
62 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 erty belonging to the scliool to the commission to select a 
 location for the college. 
 
 The Union School founded in 1792, in which, in 1796, 
 John E. Reynolds was professor of languages, in 1826 
 became 
 
 MADISON COLLEGE, 
 
 under the patronage of the Pittsburg Annual Conference. 
 Henry B. Bascom, D.D, was president and professor of moral 
 science ; Charles Elliott, D.D., professor of languages ; J. H. 
 Fielding, D.D., professor of mathematics. Dr. Bascom 
 continued in the presidency about three years, and was suc- 
 ceeded by Dr. Fielding. The professorship of mathematics 
 was then filled by Rev. Dr. John Clark. 
 
 The college, under the direction of these distinguished 
 professors, enjoyed a few years of prosperity, and educated 
 several men who became distinguished in future years. It 
 imparted a vigorous impulse to collegiate learning in the Con- 
 ference, but waned before the greater light of Allegheny 
 College, at Meadville, which, in 1833, became a Methodist 
 institution. The Methodist Episcopal Church withdrew from 
 Madison College in 1832. The building was afterward used 
 as a college of the Methodist Protestant Church, subsequent- 
 ly as a female college, then as a school for the orphans of sol- 
 diers. Now it is rendered useful as a private family residence. 
 
 Bishop Asburj^'s " Union Seminary," under several names 
 and boards of control, continued as a Methodist school for 
 about forty years. That great and good man. Bishop Simp- 
 son, was an alumnus of Madison College. 
 
 The notice of Madison College by Rev. Dr. Bangs, in the 
 third volume of his valuable history of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, is so judicious, and his reflections upon the 
 indispcnsability of endowments for our schools are so impor- 
 
Union School and Madison College. G3 
 
 tant, that all friends of education should feel their force and 
 do their duty in the premises. 
 
 " The Pittsburg Conference made an attempt to establish 
 a collegiate institution within its bounds, called Madison 
 College, and the Hev. Henry B. Bascom was appointed its 
 president. It was located in Uniontown, Fayette County, in 
 the State of Pennsylvania. It went into operation under 
 favorable auspices, and was incorporated in 1827 by the 
 Legislature of the State. It did not, however, long continue. 
 Its endown:ient was small, and the number of students was 
 by no means adequate to its support. 
 
 " Hence, though blessed with an able faculty, its dissolu- 
 tion affords another evidence of the impracticability of sus- 
 taining collegiate institutions without ample endowments. 
 How else can this be done ? The price of tuition is neces- 
 sarily so low, in the various literary institutions of our country, 
 that an attempt to raise it sufficiently high to meet the ex- 
 pense of instruction, and other incidental expenses, would be 
 to debar all students from an entrance into their inclosures; 
 and it is equally impossible to sustain them from the ordinary 
 prices of tuition and board ; and hence the absolute necessity 
 of ample endowments, either from the State or by the more 
 sure methods of annual collections, in order to keep them in 
 successful operation. Of this all must be sensible, and, there- 
 fore all who feel an interest in the prosperity of these institu- 
 tions must, if they would have them permanently established, 
 contribute liberally for their support." 
 
 Madison College did not, as our venerable historian sup- 
 posed it had, cease to exist; but from it evolved that 
 grand institution, Allegheny College. The Bishop's "Union 
 School," with Brother Conaway performing the double duty 
 of presiding elder on a large mountain district, and, at the 
 
04 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 same time, rendering service " as manager," passed tlirougli 
 numerous evolutions, but at last attained to full maturity, 
 and, riclilj endowed by the generosity of numerous friends, 
 it is likely to stand until the dawning of the day when 
 knowledge shall be universal, and" when "they shall teach 
 no more every man his neighbor, ... for all shall know the 
 Lord." 
 
Wesley and Wiiitefield School. 65 
 
 CHAPTEE YI. 
 
 WESLEY AND WHITEFIELD SCHOOL, GEORGIA. 
 
 "While Bishop Asbury was yet struggling under the bur- 
 den of Cokesbury College, and earnestly laboring for its suc- 
 cess, he was laying plans for schools in other parts of the 
 country. 
 
 March 12, 1789, he wrote in his Journal : " Our Confer- 
 ence began at Grant's, Ga. On Thursday we appointed a 
 committee to procure five hundred acres of land for the 
 establishment of a school in the State of Georgia." 
 
 Bishop Coke was also present at this Conference. He 
 varies the details a little, but records the important fact that 
 a school was to be founded. He says : 
 
 " At this Conference we agreed to build a school in 
 Georgia. Our friends have agreed to secure at least two 
 thousand acres of land for its support. A subscription was 
 made in one conojreoration of twelve thousand five hundred 
 pounds of tobacco, worth, clear of all expenses, five hundred 
 dollars." 
 
 On returning to Georgia tlie next year Bishop Asbury 
 found that, though the enterprise had not been abandoned, 
 but little progress had been made. The two thousand acres 
 of land, promised to Bishop Coke, had not been secured. 
 Accompanied by his friend, Hope Hull, he " went to view 
 four hundred acres of land, and found it not suitably located 
 for a seminary of learning." 
 
 A few days later he entered in his Journal : " We have 
 the prospect of obtaining a hundred acres of land for every 
 
6(} Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 one hundred pounds that we can raise and pay for the sup- 
 port of Wesley and Whitefield School." This is the sub- 
 stance of all that was written by the Bishops in regard to 
 this projected school for the great South-west. Supposing 
 that there was something more of it, either as an accom- 
 plished fact or indirectly in its influences on other literary 
 undertakings, after many other fruitless endeavors to learn 
 what came of this beginning, and what connection, if any, it 
 had with the later Church schools in the Empire State of 
 the South, I addressed a series of inquiries to the Rev. Dr. 
 Haygood, so favorably known in all parts of the country as 
 the president of Emory College. Unable to answer himself. 
 Dr. Haygood very kindly referred me to Rev. G. G. Smith, 
 D. D., at Madison, Ga., assuring me " that what Dr. Smith 
 did not know of Georgia Methodism, of both the earlier and 
 the later times, I need not inquire about." Dr. Smith's 
 answer reached me through *'Zion's Herald" of Feb. Y, 1883, 
 as follows : " Rev. A. W. Cummings, whose letter reached 
 me just as I was starting for Florida, and whose address I 
 have lost, writes me, making inquiries as to the Wesley and 
 Whitefield School, Georgia, of which he finds mention in 
 Bishop Asbury's Journal. Rev. Daniel Stevenson, of Ken- 
 tucky, speaks of this school as having been established ; in 
 this he is mistaken. 
 
 " The first stronghold that Methodism gained in Georgia 
 was among the immigrants from Virginia, who settled in 
 Wilkps County. Methodism came to the State in 1785, and 
 a short time after that Hope Hull came. He was a Mary- 
 lander, a warm personal friend of Bisliop Asbury. He, no 
 doubt, had much to do with the planning of Wesley and 
 Whitefield School. A subscription was circulated, taking 
 payment in money, cattle, rice, and tobacco. Bishop Asbury 
 
Wesley and Whitefield School. 67 
 
 rode with Hull to examine some land offered to the 
 school. But the institution never went into effect — was not 
 opened." 
 
 In a subsequent private letter, Dr. Smith assigns some rea- 
 sons for the failure of this project, and gives some interest- 
 ing provisions made by the Bishop and the Church to supply 
 the educational wants of that region. He says : "Before the 
 plans of the Bishop and his helpers for establishing the 
 Wesley and Whitetield School could be carried into effect, a 
 great calamity befell the Churcli in tliat region. Beverly 
 Allen, long the most brilliant and popular preacher in Geor- 
 gia and South Carolina, fell into disgrace and sin, and was, 
 after full investigation, expelled from the Church and from 
 the ministry. Some time after his expulsion the sheriff of 
 the county came to arrest him on a warrant, on account of 
 the crime for which he had been deposed from the Church. 
 Allen refused to be arrested, and warned the officer not to 
 come near him or attempt the arrest. Not heeding the 
 warning, Allen shot him dead. He immediately fled from 
 the State. He made his way to what was called the dark 
 corner, in Kentucky. There, in the practice of medicine, 
 and in teaching a common school, he spent some years, and 
 he there died a miserable death, in despair of God's mercy. 
 In consequence of this untoward event, the membership of 
 the Church decreased one half, and the plans for the school 
 were given up. 
 
 " Some years after, Hope Hull himself, at Bishop Asbury's 
 request, located and opened a school. He secured the serv- 
 ices of two line classical scholars as assistants ; one of them 
 was Professor Barton W. Stone, the name of the other is not 
 remembered. He also employed, as teacher of French, a 
 well educated native, recently from Paris, by the name of 
 
68 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Francis Auburn. To this school, which opened auspiciously 
 with seventy students, William H. Crawford, one of the 
 great men of Georgia, went for classical training. The 
 sturdy German, Rev. Lewis Meyers, who did so much for 
 Georgia Methodism in that section, received his training in 
 English in this school. This was the first Methodist semi- 
 nary of learning in Georgia. It accomplished a good work 
 for the Church." 
 
 How long Mr. Hull's seminary continued open is not cer- 
 tain. All having any knowledge of it agree that it was con- 
 ducted with the energy and ability w^hicli distinguished its 
 principal in all his undertakings. Hope Hull was one of the 
 great men of early Methodism. " The Cyclopedia of Meth- 
 odism" informs us, that "it w^as chiefly through his exertions 
 that the first respectable brick building was erected in Wash- 
 ington, Ga., designed to be used as an academy." 
 
 Was this to have been Wesley and Whitefield Seminary ? 
 Washington, Wilkes County, was the center of Methodism 
 in Georgia for many years. It afforded Hull a noble field 
 for the exercise of his abilities, both as a preacher and teacher. 
 In these capacities he was widely known, highly esteemed, 
 and accomplished a great work. In this county, in later 
 times, that pulpit prodigy and distinguished educator. Dr. 
 Stephen Olin, achieved such success in the pulpit as laid the 
 foundation of his future fame in the South. Without any 
 reference to his own agency in the work. Dr. Olin gave an 
 account of it in a letter to one of his former college friends. 
 He wrote : " You have probably heard of the great revival in 
 Washington, Wilkes County, Ga. I have never witnessed 
 such a scene before. About one hundred persons are jDro- 
 fessed converts in that place, and only two or three persons 
 in the town are left unconcerned. What is singular, the 
 
"Wesley and Whitefield School. 69 
 
 subjects of the work are generally the first in wealth and 
 standing in the community." 
 
 His biograplier says : " A sermon preached by Dr. Olin in 
 Washington, Ga., is still referred to by a number of distin- 
 guished citizens as having led to their conversion. It was tho 
 yunctum saliens of the revival. Hull finally closed his sem- 
 inary at Washington and removed to Athens, to aid, says Dr. 
 Abel Stevens, in founding in that city the State University, 
 w^iich for many years was regarded as a semi-Methodist col- 
 lege. He was, for a time, its acting president, and, as long 
 as he lived, the most active and influential member of its 
 board of trustees. As a member of the prudential committee, 
 he exerted great influence in selecting professors." 
 
 Here Stephen Olin spent seven of the best years of his life. 
 
 The circumstances narrated show that, directly or indirect- 
 ly, Bishop Asbury had an important agency in the establish- 
 ment of the State University of Georgia, as he did in the 
 organization of tlie State College of South CaroHna, and, 
 perhaps, of North Carolina. No other clergyman exerted 
 an equal influence in either of those States during the last 
 sixteen years of his life. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Smith, the historian of the Georgia Conference 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, to whom I am so 
 nmch indebted, gives a few items in regard to other schools : 
 
 " Rev. John Andrew, the father of Bishop Andrew, opened 
 and conducted a good school for a number of years. This 
 was the second Methodist school in Georgia. The Georgia 
 Conference Manual-labor School, wliicli for a long time was 
 quite influential, came next; from this sprang our present 
 Emory College — all the outcome of the plans of Bishop 
 Asbury for the Wesley and Whitefield School." 
 
70 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTER YII. 
 
 COKESBURY SCHOOL, NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Years before Metliodism was organized as a Clmrcli in 
 America, amid the terrible convulsions of tlie Revolutionary 
 War, the thoughts of Mr. Asburj were occupied with the 
 future of this country. To aid in its evangelization he had 
 sacrificed father, mother, and all else that he revered and 
 loved in the fatherland. Though left by all his English 
 fellow-evangelists, who, on the commencement of hostilities, 
 returned to their native land, he deliberately chose America 
 as the field of his life's toils, sacrifices, and sufferings for God 
 and human good. On his annual tours of superintendency, 
 as the chosen assistant of Mr. Wesley, fording or swimming 
 its bridgeless rivers, scaling its vast mountain ranges, expe- 
 riencing all its vicissitudes of climate, familiar with its great 
 variety of animal, vegetable, and mineral products, he was 
 profoundly impressed with the great future that he saw was 
 soon to be revealed. To his faith, also, was clearly revealed 
 the grand mission of Methodism in this land of immense 
 natural advantages. Hence, while yet but the untitled 
 preacher, the unordained assistant of the absent Mr. Wesley, 
 in superintending the societies in America, he was laying 
 plans for the future of the Church that, in the ordei* of 
 God's providence, he saw would be organized in this, then, 
 wilderness land. He left England with a high estimate of 
 the educational movement of the British Methodists. In 
 his Journal, under date of November 30, 1779, he wrote : 
 " We spent an evening [himself and a brother itinerant] at 
 
CoKESBUKY School. 71 
 
 widow Bready's, and had some talk about erecting a Kings- 
 wood School in America." 
 
 A few months later ]ie was in North Carolina, this time in 
 company with liis " gloomy countryman of great piety, great 
 skill in learning, who drinks in Greek and Latin swiftly, 
 yet prays much, and walks closely with God." This pious, 
 learned, gloomy friend was the subsequently very notable 
 John Dickins, a graduate of Eton College, England, one of 
 the most able preachers of the early years of Methodism ; 
 also a skilled business man. He became the founder of the 
 great American publishing house of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. The talked-of Kingswood School for America still 
 occupied the thoughts of Mr. Asbury. 
 
 On the 15th of June, 1780, Mr. Dickins drew up, at Mr. 
 Asbury's request, a subscription to raise funds to erect such 
 an institution. "This," says Dr. Abel Stevens, "was the 
 first project of a literary institution among American Meth- 
 odists." "This," continued Mr. Asbury, "was what came 
 out a college. In the subscription printed by Dr. Coke, 
 Gabriel Long and Brother Bustion w^ere the first subscribers. 
 I trust this [undertaking] may be for the glory of God and 
 the good of thousands." 
 
 Events crowd upon each other. 
 
 The Declaration of Independence, promulgated by the 
 Americans four years before this subscription was dated, has 
 been made effective by the surrender of the British forces at 
 Yorktown. The independence of America is publicly 
 acknowledged by Great Britain and the other great powers 
 of Europe. The late provinces, subordinate to a govern- 
 ment on the other side of the Atlantic, are now sovereign 
 States of the great Confederacy. Methodism in America is 
 an independent Church. The humble unordained preacher 
 
72 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 has ill a day passed tlirongli tlie subordinate offices of deacon 
 and elder by election and the imposition of hands, and now 
 is the regularly consecrated and duly commissioned episcapos 
 of American Methodism, and by the Church and world he is 
 now hailed as Bishop Asbury. He is still, however, the 
 same humble, zealous minister of Christ. The projected 
 school for ISTorth Carolina is not forgotten or given up, 
 though the original subscription has been used for a larger 
 undertaking. 
 
 The English name Kingswood is exchanged for one more 
 euphonious to American ears, Cokesbury. JS'o means are 
 available for determining when this school opened or closed ; 
 that it did open is certain. April 2, 1794, Bishop Asbury 
 entered in his Journal : " Came to E.'s meeting-house, near 
 Hunting Creek, in Surry County, !N". C. After preaching 
 I came to Cokesbury School, near Hardy Jones's. It is 
 twenty feet square, two stories high, well set out with doors 
 and windows. This house is not too large, as some others 
 are. It stands on a beautiful eminence overlooking the low- 
 lands and the Yadkin Eiver." The doors and glazed win- 
 dows attracted the Bishop's attention, as well they might. 
 Few school-houses and churches in North Carolina of that 
 day had them, nor do they all yet have them. 
 
 Three fourths of a century later the writer counted it no 
 small honor to stand in some of the same pulpits that Bishop 
 Asbury occupied in that State, and preach Christ crucified 
 to some of the same hearers who in youth listened to the 
 pioneer Bishop in churches that never had a window, or a 
 shutter to the opening through the logs called a door. The 
 large chimney to the open fire-place, an opening made by 
 cutting out two or three feet of a log behind the preacher, 
 and about on a level with his head, to afford light to read 
 
CoKESBURY School. 73 
 
 the hymns and the text, together witli numerous openings 
 between the logs, afforded free ventilation, as well as admit- 
 ted the voice of the preacher to reach the frequently larger 
 number of hearers without than within. 
 
 Thirty years later the subsequently eminent Dr. Stephen 
 Olin did his first work as a teacher in South Carolina in 
 an academy that had no windows. How welcome to the 
 Church would be a full record of this school, whose edifice, 
 location, and scenery are so minutely described by the good 
 Bishop ; who were its first teachers, who its students, who its 
 patrons and benefactors ! These items of information may 
 never be secured. 
 
 The Bishop visited this seat of learning at a later date. 
 That he approved it, as doing a good work, is evident from 
 the fact that in 1794 he took a presiding elder from his dis- 
 trict, and appointed him the principal of this Cokesbury 
 School. At that date neither custom nor law allowed a 
 preacher to remain in the same charge more than one year. 
 In 1705 James Park located ; tiie presumption is that he did 
 this that he might continue his labors in the Cokesbury 
 School, of which he was made the principal the preceding 
 year. This school is not mentioned by any of our Church 
 historians ; and yet it may have been the pioneer academy, 
 that prepared the way for that greater light which arose in 
 an adjoining county soon after. The North Carolina Uni- 
 versity opened its halls in 1795. In the spring of 1800 the 
 Bishop viisited this, in after years famous, seat of learning, 
 and preached in its chapel. He made this note of the event, 
 a very different one from that made nine years previous, 
 when he visited Yale College, in Connecticut : " We were 
 treated with great respect at the university [North Carolina] 
 by President Caldwell, the students, citizens, and many of 
 
Y4 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 the country people. When the university is finished I shall 
 take notice of it. The Bishop left his blessing and passed 
 on. God's blessing followed. The prosperity of this old 
 home of learning and good morals was somewhat checked by 
 the late internecine war, but seems again to have recov- 
 ered much of its former success. Of Cokesbury School, 
 North Carolina, no additional information has been obtained, 
 though diligently sought. 
 
Bethel Academy. 75 
 
 CHAPTER YIII. 
 
 BETHEL ACADEMY, MOUNT BETHEL, NEWBERRY COUNTY, S. C. 
 
 The subject of scliools early engaged the attention of the 
 people of South Carolina. The General Assembly of 1785 
 chartered three colleges, one at Winnsborough, another at 
 Cambridge, and a third at Charles Town. Cambridge was in 
 Abbeville County, near the future Tabernacle Academy of 
 the Methodist Church. Two years later the 
 
 college of alexandrla. 
 
 was chartered in Pinckney County. This lofty name did 
 not avail to secure its success, and the College of Alexandria 
 died at its birth. The same was true of the college at Cam- 
 bridge. Winnsborough flourished for a time. ' Charleston 
 College still exists. The most useful of the early South 
 Carolina schools was that at Mount Bethel, now to be noticed. 
 Our Methodist historians either failed to notice this institu- 
 tion, or, which is more probable, they applied the language 
 of Bishop Asbury in regard to it to the school of the same 
 name in Kentucky. The editor of the Bishop's Journal, in 
 the index found in the third volume, does this. Misled, 
 probably, by this index, the author of " The Centennial 
 History of American Methodism " has fallen into the same 
 error. 
 
 While at the home of his life-long fiiend, Edward Finch, 
 the sterling Methodist magistrate of Newberry County, S. C, 
 March 7, 1793, Bishop Asbury entered in his Journal : 
 " Preached at F.'s [Finch's]. I consulted the minds of our 
 
76 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 brethren about building a house for Conference, preaching, 
 and a district school ; but I have no ground to believe that 
 our well-laid plan will be executed — our preachers are 
 unskillful, and our friends have little money." 
 
 Passing on amid rain and high waters the next day, in 
 Union County, he seems to have met greater encouragement. 
 He made this entry in his Journal : " I next day preached to 
 a few people at the open meeting-house, with some spiritual 
 opening and sweetness. We were closely employed in writ- 
 ing subscriptions for the district school, and copies of the 
 constitutions." 
 
 These were the inceptive steps in an enterprise that was 
 crowned with a larger measure of success than any other of 
 the good Bishop's educational undertakings. Having taken 
 these steps and received assurances of co-operation from both 
 preachers and people, he left the matter in their hands, and 
 pressed forward on his grand round of visitation to the 
 Churches and Conferences in every State then constituting 
 the Union. 
 
 March 19, 1795, the Bishop is again at the seat of Bethel 
 Academy, South Carolina. The friends of the enterprise 
 have been faithful to the trust. The school building, two 
 stories high, twenty by forty feet on the ground, giving on 
 the first floor two rooms twenty feet square, with a fire- 
 place in each, and the second story divided into dormitories 
 for the use of students, the Bishop finds up and inclosed, 
 and so far completed tliat it can be used for preaching — one 
 of the original purposes for which it was erected. This is 
 the entry in his Journal : 
 
 ''Thursday^ 19th, and the two following days, we had work 
 enough to write subscription papers to be sent abroad for the 
 purpose of collecting one hundred pounds to finish Bethel 
 
Bethel Academy. 77 
 
 Scliool and to secure the land ; but mj expectations are 
 small — the people have so little sense of God and religion. 
 
 " Saturday, I opened the new house [Bethel Academy] 
 with a sermon on 1 Thess. v, 14 ; and on Sunday we had a 
 sermon and a love-feast." 
 
 Tiie language of this quotation, the author of the index to 
 the Bishop's Journal, and also the author of "The Centennial 
 History of Methodism in America," apply to Bethel School, 
 Kentucky. The names of the rivers and of the fords in the 
 vicinity show that this was an error. Saluda, Ennoree, Tiger, 
 and Broad are rivers of South Carolina. So are Crenshaw's 
 Ford, Fish-dam Ford, well-known places in that State. 
 Edward Finch, Esq., has been credited with having given 
 the thirty acres of land surrounding this school edifice, upon 
 which were built residences for the teachers and a boarding- 
 house for the pupils. The Bishop's language indicates that 
 a money consideration was connected with the transaction. 
 
 The next notice of this institution by Bishop Asbury is a 
 little more than a year later. He then wTote, April 30, 
 179G : '* We had a meeting of the trustees of Bethel School, 
 and it was agreed that it should be a free school, and that 
 only the English tongue and the sciences should be taught." 
 
 This feature of the curriculum was soon changed, and, as 
 will soon appear, it became the finest classical school in the 
 State. Eev. Dr. Atkinson supposed the trustee meeting and 
 the rule enacted referred to Bethel School, Kentucky. A 
 careful reading of the Bishop's Journal will disclose the 
 error. 
 
 The decision to make it Vifree school, rendered necessary 
 some provision for supporting the teacher or teachers. The 
 Bishop continues at the last date to record in his Journal : 
 " I drew up an address on behalf of the school, in order to 
 
78 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 raise three hundred dollars per annum to support a president 
 teaclier." With no denominational paper to publish this 
 address, it was copied and sent to the preachers, to be read 
 to the congregations scattered over the large circuits. The 
 preachers were the agents to collect and forward the money 
 to the school. 
 
 Probably this method of support did not long continue. 
 Six years later, at the home of his old friend Edward Finch, 
 Bishop Asbury notices in his Journal this institution for the 
 last time. December 3, 1802, he wrote : " George Douthet * 
 and myself w^ere engaged to put Mount Bethel School in 
 operation. I advised to finish the house for teaching be- 
 low, and for lodging above." -The Bishop preached in Bethel 
 on several future occasions, but this is the last time that he 
 mentions the school in his Journal. 
 
 For nine years it had occupied his thoughts and employed 
 his pen and tongue. Now in operation, he leaves the work 
 in other hands, and the burden for other shoulders. The last 
 quotation from Bishop xlsbury's Journal implies that the 
 opening of Bethel Academy, South Carolina, was subsequent 
 to 1802, when he and George Dougharty w^ere engaged to 
 put it in operation. It is difficult to harmonize this theory 
 with certain well-authenticated facts. 
 
 Professor Maximilian La Borde, M. D., w^ho for nearly 
 fifty years as student, trustee, or professor was const:.ntly 
 connected with South Carolina College, chartered in 1801, 
 and changed to South Carolina University in 18GG, in his 
 able work, " The History of South Carolina College " (8vo, 
 
 * An undoubted error. There was no George Douthet in the South Caro- 
 lina Conference. George Dougharty was at that date the presiding elder of 
 the Sahida District, which included Newberry, tlie seat of BethL-1 Academy. 
 See General Minutes, 1802. 
 
Bethel x\cademy. 79 
 
 p. 463), furnislies these items of iuforination in regard to one 
 of the teachers in Bethel Acadeniy : " Eiisha llanunond was 
 born in New Bedford, Mass., October 10th, 1774. He was 
 graduated at Dartmouth College in 1802. He came to South f 
 Carolina in 1803-4, and was immediately engaged as princi- 
 pal of Mount Bethel Academy, in Xewberry, which was estab- 
 lished by the Methodist Episcopal Church." This, beyond con- 
 troversy, fixes the date of Professor Hammond's connection 
 with Bethel. Another fact, established on the authority of 
 Dr. La Borde, is, that early in January, 1805, a number of 
 young men entered South Carolina College, thoroughly pre- 
 pared, some for the Freshmen and a few for the Sophomore 
 class at Bethel Academy. Sach work would have required a 
 longer period than from 1803-4 to January 1, 1805. 
 
 Albert M. Shipp, \^.\^.^ late president of WoEord College, 
 Spartanburg, S. C, now professor in Yanderbilt University, 
 Nashville, Tenn., in his interesting "History of Method- 
 ism in South Carolina," says that Professor Hammond suc- 
 ceeded Eev. Mark Moore as principal. If so, then Bethel 
 Aciidemy nmst have opened eai'lior than 1802. I incline to 
 the theory, in the absence of positive testimony, that soon 
 after dedication by the Bishop, in 1795, and before the trustee 
 meeting at which it was determined that no tuition fees 
 should be charged, while the building was yet unfinished, a 
 school was opened. In the mild climate of Newberry dis- 
 trict (county) a room twenty feet square, finished on the out- 
 side, having a floor, and a good fire-place well supj)lied with 
 fuel, would not be uncomfortable for a school without ceiling 
 or plaster. This school may for some reason — the resignation 
 of the teachei's, perhaps — have been suspended. In 180S the 
 Bishop and George Dougharty may have been appointed a 
 connnittee to re-organize and put the school again in operation. 
 
80 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 From no one of the five authors now before me, all giving 
 accounts of Bethel School, can I fix the date of its opening. 
 If mj readers are left in the same condition of uncertainty, 
 it will be less surpi-ising, as I take up the subject far remote 
 in time and place, while some of my predecessors wrote near 
 the time and place of the occurrence. 
 
 " The school," says Rev. Professor Shipp, D.D., " was 
 for six years under the rectorship of the Rev. Mark Moore, a 
 man eminently qualified for the post, assisted by two teach- 
 ers, Messrs. Smith and Hammond. At the close of his 
 term of service Mr. Moore resigned, and took charge of a 
 school in Columbia, where, by his infiuence and preaching 
 ability, which was of the first order, he materially aided in 
 the permanent establishment of Methodism. On the retire- 
 ment of Mr. Moore, Mr. Hammond, father of Governor 
 Hammond, took charge of the school, and taught it with sin- 
 gular ability for many years. Mount Bethel was largely 
 patronized, and had students from Georgia and North Caro- 
 lina. A number of the leading men of South Carolina were 
 prepared for college at Mount Bethel." 
 
 This is the substance of all that Methodist writers have to 
 say of Bethel Academy. Fortunately we have more com- 
 plete information from disinterested witnesses without the 
 pale of Methodism. 
 
 Dr. David Ramsey, a High-Church Episcopalian, the his- 
 torian of South Carolina, who wrote at near tlie opening of 
 this century, says : " In I^ewberry District there are two veiy 
 respectable academies. Tliey were originated and have been 
 carried on with much spirit. Bethel Academy is under the 
 patronage of the Methodist Society, and is much indebted to 
 the zeal of the Rev. Mr. Dorothy, deceased. It is situated 
 in a populous, pleasant, and wealthy neighborliood, and as 
 
Bethkl Academy. 81 
 
 tlie gentlemen of the vicinity feel a zeal for its welfare, they 
 keep plentiful boarding at a reasonable price. This academy 
 has seventy or eighty students. It is generally filled by a 
 respectable teacher." 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Dorothy, here so honorably mentioned 
 by Dr. Ramsey, was intended for Rev. George Dougharty, 
 who for several years was an able preacher and presiding 
 elder in South Carolina. He died in 1807. He was Bishop 
 Asbury's principal ministerial helper in building Bethel 
 Academy. 
 
 That distingnislied jurist and Christian gentleman, mem- 
 ber of the Baptist Church, the late Judge Belton O'Neal, in 
 liis "Annals of Newberry," says: " In this part of the district 
 (Newberry) was one of the best classical schools in the upper 
 part of the State. It belonged to the Methodist Church, and 
 from Ramsey's * History of South Carolina' we learn that 
 to the Rev. Mr. Dougharty are we mainly indebted for that 
 fine institution of learning, the Mount Bethel Academy. 
 Elisha Hammond, the father of Governor Hammond, was 
 its first principal teacher." * 
 
 Judge O'Neal proceeds to say : " It gave to the country 
 such men as Judge Crenshaw, Walter Crenshaw, Chancel- 
 lor William Harper, Wesley Harper, John Caldwell, Dr. 
 George Glenn, John R. Golding, Governor Richard Manning, 
 John Brown, Dr. Thomas Smith, of Society Hill, Judge 
 N. R. Evans, of Chester, and Thomas Glover, of Orange- 
 burg. Chancellor Caldwell owed a sort. of divided allegiance 
 to the Newberry Academy and Mount Bethel School, for 
 at both places he received parts of his academic education." 
 
 * This statement is in conflict with tliat of Dr. A. M. Shipp, who makes Pro- 
 fessor Hammond the successor to Rev. Mark Moore. Other circumstances indi- 
 
 c:Ue tlje correctness of Dr. Shipp. Still Judge O'Neal is very higli aulhoritj. 
 4*. 
 
82 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 The Mount Bethel Academy furnished the first students 
 and graduates of the South Carolina College. " I may be 
 pardoned," continues Judge O'Neal, " for recalling to the 
 memories of the people of l^ewberry District the names of 
 two of the principal foimders and patrons of Bethel Academy, 
 Charles Crenshaw (father of Chancellor Crenshaw and Wal- 
 ter Crenshaw) and Edward Finch, both Methodists, and strict, 
 uncompromising Christians. Finch was a magistrate. Many 
 a blasphemer was made to pay a shilling for each profane 
 oath uttered in his presence. The old law, under which he 
 acted so well for the assertion of good morals, still exists, and 
 if it were now and then enforced by our worthy magistrates 
 it would go far to prevent the odious practice of taking the 
 name of God in vain." 
 
 The best test of merit in an institution of learning is the 
 work accomplished, the men it furnishes to the various use- 
 ful vocations. Bethel Academy was most fortunate in the 
 character and achievements of its alumni. The late Dr. La 
 Borde, the eminent historian of South Carolina University, 
 with whom the writer was for some years associated in the 
 faculty of that institution, makes this record of one of the 
 students of Bethel Academy, who was graduated in the first 
 class of the South Carolina College : 
 
 " Most gratifying is it to me to record that the first person 
 admitted to the college is one of its most distinguished 
 alumni ; that to the most attractive qualities of the man he 
 added the highest intellectual endowments; that his genius 
 and learning have adorned the bench of Carolina, and that 
 lie is justly regarded as the Eld on of the State.* I mean 
 William Harper, the late eminent chancellor. The records 
 of the faculty show that he Vv\as the first student admitted to 
 
 * Lord Eldon was among tl-.e raoet distitiguished Chic f- Justices of England. 
 
Bei'iiel Acade^q'. 83 
 
 the College ; his brother, "Wesley, was the second." Every 
 member of the graduating classes in the South Carolina Col- 
 lege (now University) for the years ISOG and 1807 were 
 young men from Bethel Academy, who had there prepared 
 for an advanced standing, and were graduated at the end of 
 one and two years after the college opened, January, 1805. 
 " So thorough a teacher," says Dr. La Borde (see his " Uistory 
 of South Carolina College "), " was Professor Haumiond, the 
 distinguished principal of Bethel Academy, that he became 
 known and honored throughout the State. It was not sur- 
 prising that the tmstees of South Carolina College were 
 anxious to secure his services ; and he was accordingly elected 
 professor of languages in 1805." 
 
 Dr. La Borde did not know Prof. Hammond personally, 
 but he says, "Judge Evans, who was his pupil at Bethel and 
 at Columbia, informed me that his reputation as a teacher 
 was very high. Ilis personal appearance and manners were 
 very captivating, and his popularity for a period of his con- 
 nection with the college was scarcely inferior to that of Dr. 
 Maxey," the first and most popular president. Such was the 
 principal of Bishop Asbury's South Carolina school during 
 the years of its greatest success. Professor Hammond's re- 
 tirement from Bethel Academy, taking with him to Co- 
 lumbia all his ])upils who were prepared to enter the college, 
 seriously embarrassed the school. The neighborhood felt 
 the depressing influence of the change. The trustees found 
 diliiculty in supplying the principalship. 
 
 With the hope of saving the Academy, Professor Hammond 
 resigned his position in the College, and, on the last day of 
 January, 1807, retired from Columbia, and returned to New- 
 berry and resumed his labors in the Academy. In 1815 Pro- 
 fessor Hammond took final leave of the school and removed 
 
84 Eakly Schools of Metuodism. 
 
 to Columbia. lie died in Macon, Ga., on the 27th of Jul}^, 
 1829. 
 
 With varying fortunes Bethel Academy continued until 
 about the year 1820. Rev. Dr. Sliipp records it as ceasing 
 to exist at the last date named. Other authorities considered 
 it as only suspended at its original location, to be re-opened 
 at Mount Ariel, in the adjoining district or county of Abbe- 
 ville, under the name of 
 
 TABERNACLE ACADEMY. 
 
 The accomplished young collegian, Stephen Olin, was its 
 first and most distinguished principal after the re-opening. 
 He was graduated wuth the first honors of the institution at 
 Middlebury College in the summer of 1820. Soon after, an 
 invalid, he started South in quest of health. He sailed from 
 New York city early in the succeeding December for Savan- 
 nah, Ga., supposing a situation as teacher was secured for 
 him. On reaching Augusta, Ga., he learned that, on account 
 of the report which had reached the trustees of his poor 
 health, the school promised him had been given to another. 
 This disappointment left him to seek an engagement else- 
 where. He responded to a call, made through an Augusta 
 paper, for a principal of Tabernacle Academy, the successor 
 to Bethel Academy, South Carolina, and was soon engaged, at 
 seven hundred dollars per -annum and board. On arriving at 
 the seat of the school he found the building a solitary log-house 
 in a grove of pine trees. He describes it thus : " The door 
 was hung on a couple of sticks." A Southern young man 
 would have expressed it by saying the door was hung on 
 wooden hinges. Mr. Olin continues : " The windows were 
 miserable. I draw my table to the wall, where I am supplied 
 with liirht that comes in between the loirs." 
 
Bethel Academy. 85 
 
 This was " tlie okl field school-liouse," now dignified by 
 the name of Academy, because tlie teacher was a collegian, 
 who taught, if required, the higher branches of learning. A 
 better building was soon completed and occupied by the 
 young principal. 
 
 From the first Mr. Olin was delighted with his new home 
 and new friends, and the patrons of the school were not long 
 in discovering that Providence had loaned them for a season 
 no common man. In his sprightly lettei-s to friends he viv- 
 idly describes his situation and surroundings : 
 
 " The institution is wholly Methodist. The trustees are 
 Methodists, according to the straitest sect. I board in a rich 
 family, live better than in Savannah or Augusta, have coffee 
 and "tea in Kew England style, good wheat bread and butter, 
 and a plentiful table. I am become black and brawny even 
 beyond the habits of my kindred. Besides teacliing, which, 
 of course, takes up most of my time, I have become an adept 
 at shooting with a rifle. I wander through the woods for 
 many a furlong with a gun on ray shoulder and a pack of 
 dogs at my heels, and can wind a huntsman's horn, the de- 
 light of * mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound, and curs of low 
 degree.' " 
 
 These divei-sions, and the invigorating climate of upper 
 South Carolina, exercised the most favorable influence upon 
 his delicate constitution, and encouraged the hope of perma- 
 nent and vigorous health. New traits of character were soon 
 to be developed, and new employments to occupy his time 
 and thoughts. He found in South Carolina what he had not 
 sought in his New England home — God's mercy in the for- 
 giveness of sin, and the witness of sonship in Jesus Christ. 
 This happy change he communicated to his father and other 
 friends, and with it the changed plan of life's work. 
 
86 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 The law, as a profession, was given up. By the strong cords 
 of duty he was drawn toward the ministry of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. He was a licensed preacher while yet 
 but a candidate for membership in the Church. He became 
 an earnest revivalist. While he neglected no means to ad- 
 vance his pupils in the various studies upon which they had 
 entered, he was equally zealous in winning them to Christ 
 and full consecration to God. Within a few months after 
 his conversion he was the most popular preacher in the State 
 at camp-meetings and on other great occasions. In all the 
 regions of Abbeville and contiguous counties old people are 
 still found who heard and remember the early sermons of 
 the great Olin, and they never weary in recounting the 
 effects produced by his wonderful ministry. In preaching 
 he never failed to become aroused himself. His hearers 
 were always captives carried away by his magical fascinations. 
 
 At the risk of the charge of irrelevancy I venture to relate 
 the following incident, given to me by an old itinerant, who 
 was an eye-witness of the occurrence. Those who knew the 
 great preacher, eitlier in his earlier or later years, will find 
 no difficulty in crediting the narration. A very short time 
 after Mr. Olin had received license to preach he attended a 
 camp-meeting held in the vicinity of his school, Tabernacle 
 Academy : 
 
 "On Saturday afternoon the presiding elder put him up 
 up to preach. He had spoken, a few times before, to small 
 congregations in school-houses and country churches. JSTow, 
 for the first time, he faces a large audience, in which, or on 
 the capacious stand, according to the custom of that day, 
 were a score or more of the preachers from the circuits 
 around. As the young collegian, and much younger 
 pi-eacher, opened his discourse, his unwieldy form sliook like 
 
Bethel Academy. 87 
 
 an aspen leaf in the wind through embarrassment and nerv- 
 ousness. The preachers around him on the stand for a few 
 minutes found their sympathies most distressingly taxed, 
 and looked for a complete breakdown. In a short time he 
 gained the mastery over himself, and became absorbed with 
 his theme. His control over his hearers became complete, 
 lie swayed them, as himself was swayed, unconsciously by 
 the breathinor thouo:hts and burnintr words that rolled from 
 his lips, fired by tlie live coals from God's altar. The hearers 
 were enraptured, carried away, scarcely knowing whether 
 in the body or out of it. They groaned in agony, w^ept in 
 sympathy, rejoiced in ecstasy, or shouted in triumph, as the 
 tide of feeling rose or receded. The old preachers listened 
 in amazement, mingled with suspicion that the young 
 preacher was on stilts, that the sermon was borrowed ; but 
 whence, no one ventured to guess, they had heard nothing 
 like it before. 
 
 *' The presiding elder was importuned to give another op- 
 portunity to judge of the merit or demerit of the young 
 preacher. Under even more trying circumstances than 
 those of the day before, Mr. Olin agaiu preached. An 
 immense congregation was seated at the hour for morn- 
 ing service on the Sabbath. With much of the timidity 
 of the preceding day, he opened his discourse. The sermon 
 and its immediate effects were indescribable. Criticism w^as 
 disarmed, doubt was excluded. In the estimation of all 
 present Stephen Olin was the greatest preacher in South 
 Carolina, if not in America. From that hour, invalid as he 
 was. Dr. Olin took first rank airiong preachers, and held it 
 until his work was done." 
 
 The late Bishop Wightman said : " Never, in the memory 
 of the oldest Metliodists, had so powerful a preacher burst 
 
88 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 with so sudden a splendor and tremendous an effect upon tlie 
 Churcli." His work as a teacher was equally successful. 
 Tabernacle Academy and its principal became known far and 
 near. Students came from all parts of the South, eager to be 
 pupils of so eminent and widely known a preceptor. At 
 tlie end of about tliree years Mr. Olin resigned the princi- 
 palship, leaving the school in a high state of prosperity. 
 
 After some years of varying success and reverse the loca- 
 tion was found not to be a healthy one. Another removal 
 became necessary. A good site, about two miles distant, was 
 chosen, and a good building erected ; and in its new home, 
 under an old popular Methodist name, it opened as 
 
 OOKESBURY CONFERENCE SCHOOL. 
 
 Under this new name Bishop Asbury's Bethel Academy 
 became the school of the South Carolina Conference. It 
 gives free education to the sons of members of the Con- 
 ference. 
 
 The Conference secured it an endowment of about $18,000. 
 Unfortunately the managers of most of the schools in Soutli 
 Carolina, during the late war, called in their well-invested 
 funds, and with them purchased eight per cent. Confederate 
 bonds. Wofford College sunk an endowment of $100,000, 
 and Cokesbury nearly all it had. Still both went on, and 
 they yet go on with yearly increasing prosperity. 
 
 Professor Prichard, an alumnus of Woiford College, was 
 the principal in 1879. He said, " Tlie situation is the best 
 in the State. Cokesbury is upon high land, a Methodist 
 village free from barrooms, gambling saloons, or other pub- 
 lic temptations to vice." 
 
AsBUKY College. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ASBURY COLLEGE, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. 
 
 In Lis "Annals of Baltimore," Kev. Alfred Griffith says: 
 " In 1816 the Methodists organized a respectable seminary 
 in Baltimore ; Rev. Samuel K. Jennings, M.D., was its prin- 
 cipal. This is the Dr. Jennings of whom Bishop Asbury, in 
 the year 1800, when at Bethel Academy, Kentucky, wrote : 
 " It was thought best, in regard to Bethel, to carry the first 
 design of education into operation, and that we should em- 
 ploy a man of sterling qualifications as president. Dr. Jen- 
 nings was thought of, talked of, written to." Though tilling 
 but a small space in the written history of Methodism, he 
 appears to have been a man of marked ability and of integ- 
 rity, and at one time he was the only Methodist minister 
 of American birth who, within the walls of a college, had 
 followed to completion the regular curriculum, and been 
 honored with the baccalaureate degree. It is said that Dr. 
 Jennings was graduated in the class of 1785, at Rutgers' 
 College. In 1815 Bishop Asbury, while at the Virginia 
 Conference, entered in his Journal : " Dr. Jennings preached 
 us a great sermon on * I am the vine, ye are the branches.' " 
 
 A charter was granted to this school, called by Dr. Griffith 
 a seminary, bearing date February 10, 1818, as Asbury Col- 
 lege, with nine trustees, as follows : George Roberts, Abner 
 Neal, William Wilkins, Philip Littig, William Barker, Sam- 
 uel Harden, Moses Hand, Isaac A. Toy, and John Brice — 
 all (says Rev. Isaac P. Cook, D.D.) leading Baltimore Meth- 
 odists, all now (1883) deceased. 
 
90 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 The editors of the " Methodist Magazine " of 1818, Eevs. 
 Joshua Soule and Tlionias Mason, gave the following notice 
 of this, then, only Methodist college in America : 
 
 It affords us real satisfaction to be able to lay before our readers the 
 following information relative to the Asbury College, recently estab- 
 lished in the city of Baltimore. [Tlie information follows in several 
 pages of laudatory notices of the faculty, and of the prospects of the 
 school.] Many sincere friends of Methodism have long realized the 
 great deficiency in the methods and means of education, and have 
 regretted the want of seminaries under the special direction and super- 
 intendence of that religious community to which they are united. A 
 laudable zeal for the establishment of such institutions is now prevailing 
 in different sections of the United States. The Asbury College has prob- 
 ably exceeded in its progress, considering the short time it has been 
 established, any literary institution in this country. The character of the 
 president. Rev. Samuel K. Jennings, M.D., is too well known to need 
 any recommendation from us. His comprehensive mind, illuminated by 
 science, has long been employed in designing a system on which a knowl- 
 edge of the important branches of literature might be obtained with the 
 greatest ease and facility. The plan and actual operations of the Asbury 
 College will demonstrate that these exertions have not been ineffectual. 
 Professor Blackburn, by long experience, has acquired the talent of 
 making the mathematics both easy and delightful ; an attainment as 
 rare as excellent. And Professor Power, by an unusual attention to the 
 department, has likewise introduced some very valuable improvements 
 in the method of communicating classical learning. 
 
 An additional item of information to the readers of the 
 Magazine was, that there were at that date " about one hun- 
 dred and seventy students and scholars in the seminary, whose 
 progress, taken collectively, surpasses any thing commonly 
 exhibited in public schools." In the third volume of his 
 '' History of the Methodist Episcopal Church," Dr. Bangs 
 mentions, in some twenty-three sad lines, Asbury College, 
 and this Magazine notice : 
 
AsBrRT College. 91 
 
 An effort was made last year to resuscitate the cause of education 
 among us. Dr. Samuel K. Jennings, aided by several benevolent and 
 public-spirited individuals in the city of Baltimore, laid the foundation 
 of a literary institution denominated the Asbury College, and it went 
 into operation under apparently favorable auspices, an account of 
 which was published in the March number of the ' ' Methodist Maga- 
 zine " for this year. With this account, however, the friends of educa- 
 tion, who estimated things as they are, were not much gratified, as it 
 seemed to promise more than could be nitionally expected, and was 
 rather calculated to blazon forth the attainments of the professors than 
 to enlighten the public by a sober statement of facts. It continued for 
 a short time, and then, greatly to the disappointment and mortification 
 of its friends, went down as suddenly as it had come up, nnd Asbury 
 College lives only in the recollection of those who rejoiced over its rise 
 and mourned over its fall— a fatality which has hitherto attended all 
 attempts to establish literary institutions among us. 
 
 The "General Minutes" for the year 1838 contains an 
 obituary notice of that eminent man Rev. Martin Ruter. 
 Among the facts related of him is the statement, " In the 
 year 1818 Asbury College conferred on him the degree of 
 Master of Arts." These items, found in the "Methodist 
 Magazine " for March, 1818, Dr. Bangs's History, as quoted, 
 and the Conference Minutes, comprise all the published in- 
 formation the Church has of Asbury College. 
 
 The only connection that Bishop Asbury had with this 
 undertaking was tlie bringing of Dr. Jennings, a very popu- 
 lar local minister, to Baltimore. The Bishoj) died at or near 
 the date of its opening as a seminary. Learning incident- 
 ally, in March, 1883, that there was at least one man living — 
 he has since died — who knew something of Asbury College, 
 I addressed to Rev. Isaac P. Cook, D.D., who had for more 
 tlian fifty years held the office of local (never was an itin- 
 erant) preacher in tlie cit}^ of Baltimore, a number of ques- 
 
92 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 tions in regard to Asbiiry College. From his obliging re- 
 sponse I condense the additional information given : 
 
 The college was located in a large brick building on the corner of 
 Park Avenue and Franklin Street, since occupied for other purposes. 
 A large private female seminary was connected with it, under the 
 charge of the accomplished daughters of Professor Blackburn. Bishop 
 Asbury found Dr. Jennings a teacher in the South, and urged him to 
 come to Baltimore. As a preacher, always local, he attracted crowds 
 nearly equal to Bascom. His practice as a doctor was immense for the 
 times. In business he was visionary, always making losses, and died 
 reduced, but maintaining his integrity. I heard him preach. He was 
 a noble man. 
 
 The truth of history requires one other item, furnished by 
 Dr. Cook, of Dr. Jennings : " In the radical controversy of 
 1828 he was expelled from our Church and adhered to the 
 seceders. On his dying bed he regretted his severance from 
 our Church as the mistake of his life." This seems not to 
 have shaken the confidence of Dr. Cook in, or lessened his ad- 
 miration of, Dr. Jennings. Brief as was its career, and defect- 
 ive as was its organization, Asbury College did some good 
 w^ork, and aided, as perhaps all its predecessors have done, 
 in preparing the Church for the new and grand era of edu- 
 cation then about to dawn. It graduated a few in arts, some 
 in medicine. Dr. Jennings's specialty ; others here laid a 
 foundation for education, upon which they built in other 
 schools or under private tuition. Dr. Cook gave the names 
 of quite a number of the alumni of Asbury College, among 
 them three, who, at that time, Marcli, 1883, were still living. 
 These were, Kev. Dr. Samuel Kepler, aged seventy-nine, of 
 the Baltimore Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, South, since deceased; Jesse L. Warfield, M.D., 
 aged eighty-two ; and Thomas Littig, M.D., aged eighty- 
 
AsBURY College. 93 
 
 three. Drs. Warfield and Littig married daugliters of the 
 renowned Rev. Thomas E. Bond, M.D., D.D., the champion 
 Methodist editor. 
 
 Other names furnished Dr. Cook by these three then liv- 
 ing alumni were Dr. J. Cader, John Allemong, late veterans 
 of the Baltimore Conference; Rev. Mr. Shafer, who entered 
 the ministry of the Protestant Episcopal Church ; Josepli 
 Neal, son of the trustee, Abner Neal ; and Henry Kepler, 
 brother of Rev. Samuel Kepler, before named. All these 
 were men of prominence in their respective spheres. The 
 old Magazine named three of the faculty. Dr. Cook gives the 
 names of three others. 
 
 The full list, as given by these authorities, consisted of 
 Kev. Samuel K. Jennings, M.D., president, and professor of 
 mental and moral science ; George Blackburn, professor of 
 mathematics; Michael Power, professor of ancient languages; 
 John M. Keogy, professor of English literature. Dr. Hunter, 
 who had spent eight years in Paris, was teacher of the French 
 language. Dr. Cook says, that but few of the professoi-s 
 were Methodists. One was an avowed infidel, one was a 
 Roman Catholic. 
 
 How long Asbury College continued in operation is not 
 certain. Dr. Griffitli says it opened in 1816. It was at work 
 in 1818, as during that year it conferred on Rev. Martin Ru- 
 ter, afterward Dr. Ruter, tlie master's degree. Dr. Cook 
 said, "It died for want of money and of a mongrel religion." 
 It closed the Asbury an period of Methodist schools. 
 
 It is said that Cokesbury College was never chartered by 
 the Legislature or any court. This being true, Asbury Col- 
 lege was the first Methodist college chartered in the United 
 States and in the world. Augusta College, Kentucky, was 
 the second. An item of interest. 
 
94 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE WESLEYAN ACADEMY, NEWMARKET AND WILBRAHAM. 
 
 BY REV. DAVID SHERMAN, D.D. 
 
 Genuine revivals of religion have invariably tended to 
 quicken the intellectual faculties and to promote the diffu- 
 sion of knowledge through society, as well as to improve the 
 taste and purify the heart of the people among whom they 
 have prevailed. The Lutheran Reformation communicated 
 an immense intellectual impulse to Europe, and became a 
 main aid in the revival and diffusion of letters. As the 
 cause extended across the British Channel, the new learning 
 remained intimately associated with the new faith. At a 
 later period, Puritanism aroused the public mind, and planted 
 beside the plain church the little square school-house, the 
 university of the commonalty. Again, Methodism, the warm 
 wave of spiritual life which swept over England and Amer- 
 ica in the eighteenth century, proved an intellectual stimu- 
 lant, penetrating to the very roots of society and stirring to 
 activity the mental and moral faculties of the masses. 
 
 In America, as well as in England, were the disciples of 
 Wesley to become at once an evangelistic and educational 
 force, intent not only upon the conversion, but upon the 
 intellectual and spiritual edification, of the people. The pul- 
 pit was to be supplemented by the school ; the renewal of 
 the heart was to be followed by the cultivation of the intel- 
 
The Wesleyan Academy. 95 
 
 lect, and the harmonious unfolding of the entire powers 
 of the individual. To secure an end so desirable the at- 
 tempt was early made to found literary institutions. If 
 tlie first essays in this direction were not altogether suc- 
 cessful, they served to intensify, among our people, the de- 
 sire for education, and to teach them how to attain ultimate 
 success. 
 
 In this educational movement among the American Meth- 
 odists, the Wesleyan Academy holds a conspicuous and hon- 
 ored place. It was our first successful literary institution ; 
 and, in efficiency and usefulness, it has been excelled by 
 none of the later foundations. In its history there are three 
 marked stages : the first treats of its founding, at Newmarket, 
 N. H., 1817-1823 ; the second, of its removal to Wilbraham, 
 Mass., 1824:-1848 ; and the third, of its rebuilding, 1848-1 885. 
 
 I. THE FOUNDING, 1817-1823. 
 
 Under the lead of Jesse Lee the Methodists entered New 
 England in 1789. Access to the hearts of the people was 
 not easy. They were cool to strangers and extremely suspi- 
 cious of false doctrine and its teachers. And the teachings 
 of the new evangelists were regarded by them as rank 
 heresy. In a soil so hard and a temperature so low, the 
 cause was slow in taking root. So late as 1815 the member- 
 ship east of the Hudson was only eight thousand. In the 
 interior of New England our people were few. On the 
 lower Connecticut, in Vermont, Maine, and the maritime 
 tract extending from Rhode Island to Maine, the numbers 
 were greater. On his first invasion Lee captured Lynn and 
 made a favorable impression on Boston and adjacent towns. 
 At the period here indicated some of the ablest preachers of 
 the Conference were stationed in Eastern Massachusetts and 
 
96 ExVKLY Schools of Methodism. 
 
 New Hampsliire, and tliej were not unmindful of tlie defi- 
 ciencies and needs of tlie denomination, especially in educa- 
 tional facilities. TI13 education of its children had become 
 an important consideration. To send them to institutions of 
 the " standing order " was, in most instances, to lose them ; for 
 those schools were effective proselyting agencies. The alter- 
 native w^as either to see the children drawn away from the 
 faith for which their parents contended, or to found insti- 
 tutions of their own. That they chose the latter need not 
 surprise us. 
 
 In its inception the academy dates back to 1815. In the 
 latter part of that year several of the preachers, the real found- 
 ers of the institution, held a meeting for mutual counsel and 
 for the interchange of religious and literary thought at the 
 house of Eev. John Brodhead, in South Newmarket, N. H., 
 where the questions relating to the founding of a literary 
 institution were recanvassed. The difficulties in the way of 
 accomplishing such a work were carefully considered, and, 
 with the less hopeful of the brethren, had great weight ; but, 
 in the meeting, the sj)irit of faith and courage predominated, 
 and a vote was reached favorable to making the attempt. 
 As a location they thought of no place more suitable than 
 the one where they were then assembled. The selection was 
 conditioned on the co-operation of the citizens of the town, 
 who were to be consulted on the subject by a committee 
 raised for the purpose of carrying out the plan of the preach- 
 ers. The citizens received the proposition with favor, and 
 gave verbal assurances of material aid in furtherance of the 
 enterprise. On condition that the preachers open a school 
 and guarantee instrnction for five years, the citizens would 
 furnish land for a site and contribute liberally to the funds 
 for the erection of the academy building. The proposal was 
 
The Wesleyan Academy. 97 
 
 accepted by the committee, and steps were taken to secure 
 the erection of the academy edifice. 
 
 Meantime the whole matter was brought before the N'ew 
 England Conference at its session in Bristol, H. I., June 22, 
 1816. Though the enterprise was not one of great magni- 
 tude, the resources of the Church were then quite small, and 
 every available help was needed to take it on to completion. 
 The sympathy and aid of the preachers, as the leaders of the 
 people and the parties on whom dependence must be placed 
 for securing students, were indispensable. 
 
 The introduction of the matter to the Conference produced 
 a sensation By some of the members the movement was 
 deemed hasty and inopportune. They were quite sure it 
 was an elephant which would prove difficult to handle. By 
 others a more hopeful view was taken ; the matter was not 
 only timely, but highly important to the welfare of the 
 Church. The courage, foresight, and faith of the body 
 l)roved to be in the ascendant. The words of discourage- 
 ment came from the less conspicuous members ; but when 
 such men as Soule, Iledding, Brodhead, Merrill, and Ruter 
 spoke, the tide was completely turned, and a strong affirma- 
 tive vote was secured. The advocacy of Soule, whose influ- 
 ence as a popular leader and ecclesiastical statesman was 
 then predominant in the Conference, and Buter, the secre- 
 tary, the foremost scholar and the most eloquent preacher of 
 the body, was pronounced and influential. They declared 
 that the committee, in taking the initiative, had done wisely, 
 and ought to be sustained by the Conference and the 
 Church. Without further hesitancy they voted to assume 
 the responsibility of the new enterprise. 
 
 A committee of five — Charles Virgin, Caleb Dustin, Philip 
 Munger, George Pickering, and John Brodhead — was ap- 
 
98 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 pointed to " make such arrangements with the subscribers at 
 Newmarket as they may think best as agents of the Confer- 
 ence." To this committee the citizens gave a formal pledge 
 to furnish a site for the academy, and to contribute to the 
 funds of the institution, while, in behalf of the Conference, 
 the committee bonnd themselves to furnish instruction for 
 five years. Under tliis mutual pledge the site was selected, 
 the requisite subscriptions secured, and the building was 
 erected at an expense of $755, of which $261 were contrib- 
 uted by the ministers. Martin Ruter gave $80, John Brod- 
 head $55, and other preachers lesser sums. The building, 
 still standing and now used as a dwelling-house, was small 
 and plain, but convenient for pui-poses of instruction. As 
 an instructor, the conimittee secured the services of Moses 
 White, a graduate of the University of Yermont, an accu- 
 rate scholar, a superior teacher, and a fine Christian gentle- 
 man, who remained as an instructor until the academy was 
 closed, in 1823, doing very much to promote its interests. 
 The first to come, the last to go — one of the few graduates 
 of the time in the Church whose zeal, intelligence, and serv- 
 ices were invaluable to the cause — he could adopt the lan- 
 guage of Virgil, qumque ipse miserima vidi et quoritm pars 
 magna fui. So excellent a man and instructor, coming in 
 oar hour of need, will never be forgotten by the Church. 
 
 On the first day of September, 1817, the school opened 
 with ten scholars — five male and five female. Among the 
 members at this early date we find the names of Daniel D. 
 and John M. "B redhead, and Edward T. Taylor, the future 
 famous preacher of the Boston Bethel. In the course of the 
 first term the number rose to about thirty, and before the 
 close of the year to near fifty. 
 
 At the ensuing session of the Conference, held June, 1818, 
 
The Wesleyan Academy. 99 
 
 the subject of education came under review, and the com- 
 mittee to whom the interests of the academy were referred 
 decided to commit the wliole to the care of trustees. The 
 act passed by the Legislature of New Hampshire was 
 approved June 23, 1818, and contained, as the first board of 
 trust, the names of John Brodhead, Daniel Fillmore, Amos 
 Biimey, Benjamin Mathews, Alfred Metcalf, John Clark, 
 Eeuben Peaselee, John Mudge, and Joseph B. White. The 
 institution was fortunate in having so good a board of man- 
 asrers, each member of which was a wise counselor and an 
 indefatigable worker. 
 
 "With the above change in the management came another 
 equally important in the board of instruction. Martin 
 Ruter, a man of popular talent and easy manners, a star 
 preacher and an influential member of the Conference, was 
 elected principal or "president." His advent marks a new 
 era in the history of the institution. Among our people he 
 was a flaming advertisement. A man so widely known drew 
 attention to the school, and enlisted many in its favor who 
 had hitherto been indifferent. The attendance at once rose. 
 Eighty were present the first day, many of them from a dis- 
 tance. In the school itself he awakened fresh enthusiasm 
 and large expectations, especially among those studying for 
 the ministry. The example of a self-made man advancing 
 to the front rank of pulpit orators, and assuming the head- 
 ship of our educational interests, suggested large possibilities 
 to those favored with better early advantages. Ruter's 
 studies were varied in theology, history, languages, Latin, 
 Greek, Hebrew, Syriac — what not ? — and science. He at- 
 tempted to incorporate his large ideas into the institution. 
 The plan of study was broad and full. He looked to the 
 early elevation of the academy into a college, and actually 
 
100 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 started a branch academy in tlie neighboring town of Kings- 
 ton. But helpful as he proved to be, Martin Ruter was an 
 expensive piece of ornamentation. If the number of pupils 
 in attendance on the school rose, the bills also accumulated 
 against the treasury. 
 
 In 1819, at the close of Ruter's first year, the whole avail- 
 able property of the institution, including building, books, 
 $1,000 cash donated by Colonel Binney, and a house given 
 by John Mudge, was $5,000. The deficit for the year was 
 $356 95. To meet this, and to secure funds for the improve- 
 ment of the institution. Rev. J. A. Merrill was employed as 
 an agent, who secured contributions to the amount of $1,613. 
 This helped the trustees along another stage, but was quite 
 insufiicient to save the institution. 
 
 In 1820 Ruter resigned, and Moses White again came to 
 the head and was aided by his brother, Rev. J. B. White, and 
 Henry Bulfinch, a graduate of Harvard. The decline from 
 this date was rapid and inevitable. Efforts were again made 
 to collect money, but with small success. The location w^as 
 unfortunate. Exeter Academy was but four miles away. 
 Our people and preachers had lost faith in the new enter- 
 prise. The ultimate appeal was to the Conference ; but the 
 Conference advised the removal to a more favorable locality. 
 The trustees hesitated to give up, but the remonstrances of a 
 committee sent by the Conference brought them to a better 
 mind, and they closed the school, December 30, 1823, with 
 the promise to transfer to tlie new board whatever should 
 remain of the property after paying the debts. 
 
 The attempt at Newmarket was a failure ; it was none the 
 less a success. The place was unsuitable. The ground in 
 the eastern part of New England was preoccupied by earlier 
 institutions. Newmarket was in an out-of-the-way corner. 
 
The Wesleyan Academy. 101 
 
 Above all, our men were not trained to manage educational in- 
 stitutions. But the attempt at Kewmarket helped to awaken 
 an interest in the cause of education among our people, and 
 enabled some of our young men and women to learn the 
 trade of education. It not only gave a fresh impulse to the 
 cause, but also gave us the lirst installment of educated men, 
 who went forth as apostles in this new dispensation of popu- 
 lar education. Though dead, this honored old institution 
 still continues to speak to the generations of our people. 
 
 n. THE BEMOVAL, 1824-1848. 
 
 In the autumn of 1823, while the ilame at Newmarket was 
 yet glimmering in the socket, the trustees were in search for 
 a new location. The Rev. Joseph A. Merrill, one of their 
 number, presiding elder of the New London District, had 
 his attention called to Wilbraham as a place suitable for the 
 academy. He favored the selection, and suggested that the 
 people of "Wilbraham consider the matter, and that in case 
 they would afford material aid, a request be made to the 
 board, who were soon to hold an informal meeting for the 
 purpose of settling this very question. 
 
 Calvin Brewer, who first drew attention to Wilbraham as 
 the new location for the academy, circulated a subscription 
 among the chief citizens, and, with pledges amounting to 
 about $1,000, a request was made to the board, wliich met in 
 Boston during the month of December, to locate the school 
 there. In order to be in time for the meeting of the trust- 
 ees, the messenger, the Rev. Phineas Peck, drove the whole 
 distance of ninety miles with a gig in a day and a half. On 
 reaching the city he found the trustees in session, and found 
 also that they had nearly decided to select Lynn, where the 
 members of the new sect were quite numerous; but, on the 
 
102 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 representations of Mr. Peck, they reconsidered, and gave the 
 preference to Wilbraham. 
 
 On the application of Kev. John Lindsay to the Mas- 
 sachusetts Legislature, an act was approved February 7, 
 1824, creating Amos Binney, Abel Bliss, Abraham Avery, 
 Calvin Brewer, Enoch Mudge, Wilbur Fisk, John Lindsay, 
 Joshua Crowell, and William Rice a body corporate under the 
 name of the Trustees of the Wesleyan Academy, with the 
 usual powers, and the right to hold property, whose annual 
 income should not exceed $10,000. On the 19th of the same 
 mouth the board was organized by the choice of Amos Bin- 
 ney as president and Abel Bliss secretary. Further subscrip- 
 tions, amounting in all to $5,567, were obtained by Calvin 
 Brewer. The lot of land where the academy now stands was 
 donated by David Warriner and William Rice, and plans 
 were at once secured and a contract was made for the erec- 
 tion of an academy building, '' sixty-five feet long by thirty- 
 five wide, two stories high, to be divided into two small 
 rooms and one large hall below, and one large hall, forty-five 
 by thirty five feet, and four drawing-rooms above, with 
 flights of stairs, and a basement eight feet deep under the 
 whole building." The building, costing about $1,000, was 
 ready for dedication in the autumn of the next year. 
 
 Meantime Wilbur Fisk, a young and rising member of 
 the Conference, a fine scholar, an accomplished gentleman, 
 an eloquent preacher, and the leader in our educational work, 
 had been elected principal of the new institution. On the 
 5th of ISTovember, 1825, the day fixed for opening the school, 
 he delivered an address in which he emphasized the value of 
 higher education, and laid down the plan on wliich the Wes- 
 leyan Academy was to be run. The address was very able 
 and was highly appreciated by both the trustees and the 
 
The Weslkyax Acadkmy. 103 
 
 Clnircli at large. It showed the possibility of uniting learn- 
 ing and piety, and earnestly advocated the establishment of 
 a manual-labor department, a feature which was adopted, but 
 early abandoned. The plan of education at Wilbraham, like 
 that at Kewmarket, w^as very broad and comprehensive. Tlie 
 actual course of study was like that of other New England 
 ae^idemies. 
 
 The school opened with only seven scholars. The assist- 
 iint, Nathaniel Dnnn, Jr., was sole teacher until the ensuing 
 spring, Mr. Fisk being detained by the duties of his Ver- 
 fuont district. Mr. Dunn, a fine scholar and faithful teacher, 
 performed a large amount of faithful service in the insti- 
 tution. Under his management the attendance steadily 
 increased. From seven the number swelled to fifty, or 
 more. As no board ing-hou3e had been erected, accommoda- 
 tions were at first found in the families of the village, at one 
 dollar and a quarter per week. 
 
 In the spring of 1S2G the principal removed to Wilbra- 
 ham, and devoted his entire attention to the school. He was, 
 from the first, a man of all service — superintendent, teach- 
 ej", preacher, lecturer, and collector of funds for the im- 
 provement of the institution. His hand was every-where. 
 Among other matters of immediate interest was the erection 
 of a boarding-house. Instead of building anew, the trustees 
 purchased the old Warriner tavern stand, with the far.n 
 attached, and fitted it up for the accommodation of the 
 students at cheap rates. The original cost of the property 
 was $8,500, and the improvements amounted to $l,5nO 
 more. The house was soon filled to overflowing, and accom- 
 modations had still to be sought outside. This led to further 
 enlargement by adding a northern annex, and a third story 
 to the main building. 
 
104: Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 The first house-manager was Ebenezer Tliompson, long 
 the keeper of the village hotel at Concord, Mass., a fine 
 Christian gentleman, greatly liked by the students, but ill- 
 adjusted to the economical scale in use at the academy. Mr. 
 Thompson was succeeded by Solomon Weeks, a prudent and 
 excellent man, a skilled farmer, and a wise manager of the 
 house. The odor of his virtues long remained. Edward 
 Hyde, who died in the boarding-house, a saintly man, Dr. 
 Miles Belden, and Davis Smith, held the position for brief 
 terms. 
 
 The discipline of the school was mild and considerate. 
 Fisk was among the students as a father, inspiring the more 
 apathetic, checking the froward, repressing the vicious. He 
 appealed to them as ladies and gentlemen, and was usually 
 able to bring their better nature to the surface. The age liad 
 not, however, utterly abandoned the rod. Incorrigible sin- 
 ners, instead of being turned away, were treated to stripes, few 
 or many, according to the nature of their crime. The dun- 
 geon was a primitive institution, in the basement of tlie 
 academy, where the more refractory were shut up in total 
 darkness, and fed on bread and water, or subjected to long 
 periods of fasting. The dungeon has disappeared ; but men 
 are still living who endured its trying penalties, and love to 
 tell the story of their privations and cruel wrongs. Many of 
 risk's corrections were private. In extreme cases, however, 
 he brought the culprit before the whole school, in order that 
 others might be w^arned by his example. Such instances 
 were usually impressive and salutary, though he was once 
 completely baffled. The lad had often occasioned him 
 trouble, and when the cup of his iniquity was full, he was 
 told to come the next morning prepared for a birching. 
 After the usual morning devotions the culprit was called to 
 
The Weslkyan Acadkmv. 105 
 
 the floor and treated to a homily on good behavior. Though 
 the other students were serious, tlie guilty one remained in 
 high spirits. Then came down the birch over his devoted 
 shouldere with a hollow, pasteboard sound. His coat was 
 ordered off, when a fresh application of the switch was made 
 with little effect. Every body else winced, but the lad re- 
 mained calm and comfortable. The vest was ordered off, 
 only to find another and another, and then fell down a large 
 atlas, which had served as an impenetrable padding. The 
 whole school broke into laughter. Fisk tried again, but was 
 completely overcome by the repeated roars of laughter, in 
 which he was compelled to join. After recovering his equi- 
 librium, he asked, " Why did you fix yourself up in this 
 way?" " You told me to prepare for a flogging, and I did 
 so," was the cool and meek reply, w^hich again brought the 
 house down. Without further attempt at correction, he was 
 told to resume his seat, as he had earned his liberty. 
 
 In Fisk's time the academy was affected by several tempo- 
 rary crazes, of a financial sort. Manual labor was one of 
 them, in which both the principal and Colonel Binney had 
 faith. The students were set to gardening, and, later, a 
 building was erected for mechanical work. Worst of all, 
 they bought a store, and undertook to play the merchant. 
 In these various attempts they" made nothing; it is much 
 to say they lost nothing. The sheet was balanced, and 
 tlie managers of the institution cured of these various 
 maladies. 
 
 One of the most interesting features of the school in Fisk's 
 time was the religious spirit which characterized it. Reviv- 
 als were enjoyed during each term, and the meetings were 
 marked by constant interest. In 1828 was the great revival. 
 The whole school, and, indeed, the whole neighborhood, 
 
106 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 were moved. For an entire week the regular duties of the 
 school were suspended, and the whole time was devoted to 
 religious services. Nearly every student was converted, and 
 among the converts were some who afterward became famous 
 preachers, as Osmon C. Baker, Moses Hill, Morris Hill, David 
 Patten, and J. B. Merwin. The influence of this revival was 
 widely felt over the Church. The report of it was published 
 in "The Christian Advocate," and students repeated the 
 story far and wide. 
 
 From the opening to the close of Fisk's term the school 
 grew in interest and numbers. He easily stood at the liead 
 of the educational column in the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 At the opening he had seven scholars, and eleven hundred 
 and fifty during his term of service, an average of two hun- 
 dred and twenty-five a year. The departure of the first prin- 
 cipal formed a turning-point in the history of the institution. 
 
 In 1831 Wilbur Fisk was succeeded by William M'Kendree 
 Bangs, a man of many virtues, a fine scholar, and an accom- 
 plished Christian gentleman, though, on account of ill-health, 
 poorly adapted to manage such an institution. After serving 
 only two terms he resigned his position. 
 
 The Rev. John Foster, a self-made man, a good scholar 
 and teacher, but a poor manager, succeeded him in 1832. He 
 Was favored with an excellent corps of teachers, namely, 
 William G. Mitchell, an enthusiast in natural science ; Edward 
 Otheman, an accurate scholar and faithful teacher; Sabura 
 S. Stocking, a brilliant scholar ; William Magoun, an efiicient 
 instructor; and S. P. Dale, an erratic but powerful genius. 
 Though much good work was done under Foster, the school 
 was in a chronic condition of unrest, growing in part out of 
 his poor management, and in part from the opposition of the 
 steward, John W. Hardy. In the summer of 1834 the dis- 
 
The Wesley an Academy. 107 
 
 satisfaction broke into open revolt, resulting in tlie resig- 
 nation of the principal. 
 
 From 1S34: to 18.^1 David Patten was principal. He was, 
 in marked contrast with his predecessor, a man of gentleness, 
 prudence, one of the Academy's own sons, who was greatly be- 
 loved, and reigned in great peace and prosperity. Although 
 not twenty-four when he began, he bore himself with the 
 gravity and equipoise of middle life. As associates in teach- 
 ing he had B. I. Diefendorf in languages, Harvey B. Lane in 
 mathematics, John Roper in natural science, and William H. 
 Bussell in the modern languages ; Minor Raymond taught in 
 the English branches. The chair of the preceptress was occu- 
 pied in succession by Catherine Hyde, Miranda Nash, Susan 
 Allen, and Hannah Thompson, the last a daughter of the 
 first steward, an elegant scholar, and a young lady of genius, 
 who left a decided impression on the pupils who came un- 
 der her instruction. John W. Hardy and William Healy 
 were stewards. 
 
 In 1838 a ladies' boarding-house was erected, east of the 
 street, at an expense of $3,808 43. The spiritual interest 
 remained good, revivals occurring nearly every term. The 
 school had declined in numbers under Bangs and Foster, hut 
 it rallied under Patten, and rose in 1838 to nine hundred and 
 thirty-four by aggregate of terms. This was the culmination. 
 From this point a decline set in which extended down into 
 the administration of Adams. The decline was occasioned 
 by the new school laws of Massachusetts, and the erection of 
 rival institutions. The antislavery battle then in progress 
 was participated in by the teachers and students. 
 
 The administration of the Rev. Charles Adams extended 
 over the period from 1841 to 1845. He was at that time 
 full of vigor, young, active, energetic, and positive. He 
 
lOS Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 loved work, and did a large amount of teaching and lect- 
 uring. Early and late lie was at it, serving for two of his 
 years as stationed preacher, as well as principal. The de- 
 cline which began under Patten continued under Adams. 
 During Patten's last year there were but three hundred and 
 twenty-eight students; under Adams the number rose the 
 first year to three hundred and sixty-one, and tlien fell to 
 three hundred and six, the lowest point. The tide turned in 
 1844, the number being three hundred and twenty. From 
 that point the ascent was steady and continuous. As assist- 
 ants Adams had Bussell, Roper, I. T. Goodnow, who began 
 under Patten, Robert Allyn, fresh from the Wesley an Uni- 
 versity, and John H. Twombly. From the trustee board, 
 John Lindsay, Abel Bliss, Abraham Avery, William Smith, 
 and John W. Hardy retired. John M. Merrick, Minor Ray- 
 mond, Phineas Crandall, Charles Adams, R. R. Wright, and 
 Amos Binney filled the vacancies. The rehgious interest 
 during this period was well sustained. In 1842 there was 
 a revival of marked power, in which Reuben H. Loomis was 
 a chief actor, and Daniel Steele and James M. Wooster were 
 converts. 
 
 The term of Robert Allyn extended from 1845 to 
 1848. Bussell and Goodnow continued as teachers ; Orange 
 Judd, Samuel F. Beach, and Oliver Marcy were new re- 
 cruits. Isabella II. Hill was preceptress, and James Howe 
 and Alexander P. Lane were stewards. Under Mr. Allyn's 
 supervision the school enjoyed a gojd degree of prosperity. 
 The number of students in attendance steadily increased. 
 Tlie three liundred and forty-three of Adams's last year rose 
 to three hundred and eighty- t\vo in Allyn's first year, three 
 hundred and eighty-four in his second, and four hundred and 
 sixty-two in his third, marking a very decided turn in the tide. 
 
The Wesley an Academy. 109 
 
 Special instruction was given, fall and spring, to those design- 
 ing to teach, including lectures on the method of teaching 
 and the qualifications of the teacher. The religions condition 
 of the school was good ; Sabbath observance was enjoined ; 
 and much attention was given to biblical instruction in the 
 Sunday-school. 
 
 At the close of the summer term of 1848 a grand alumni 
 gathering was held in the grove north of the academy. 
 Many former students were present ; memories of old days 
 were revived. Annis Merrill, Esq., of San Francisco, deliv- 
 ered an extended and able historical address. The occasion 
 was one of rare interest, rounding off grandly the second 
 period in the history of this noble and cherished institution. 
 With the increase of numbers, the principal had organized a 
 graduate course, and made arrangements for paying the debt 
 and improving the property. But when just entering upon 
 these schemes he resigned his position. 
 
 in. THE EEBUILDING, 1848-1885. 
 
 The successor of Kobert Allyn was the Rev. Minor 
 llaymond, D.D., a man of marked ability, a clear and logical 
 thinker, a mighty preacher, a born educator, and a man ex- 
 erting an extensive influence among the preachers and lay- 
 men of the Church. His election marks an era in the his- 
 tory of the institution. Old things passed away, all be- 
 came new. Difficulties, which at first appeared insuper- 
 able, vanished at the touch of one able to command the 
 situation, and the institution, assuming larger proportions, 
 came to hold a higher place in the esteem of the public. 
 During the term of his administration — 1848-1864 — every 
 thing was made new — buildings, faculty, trustees, attend- 
 ance, prices. 
 
110 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Minor Kay men d was born, 1811, in Kensselaerville, N. Y., 
 and early joined tlie Methodist Episcopal Church. The ac- 
 count of the ^reat revival at the Wesleyan Academy in 1828, 
 published in " The Christian Advocate," led him to Wilbra- 
 liam, where he remained, as student and teacher, until 1842. 
 Here, again, after six years in the pastorate, he became prin- 
 cipal. 
 
 On entering upon his duties Raymond found a debt of 
 over $8,000, incurred by building the ladies' boarding-house, 
 interest, and repairs. The pi-operty donated by Colonel 
 Binney, located at East Cambridge, was sold for $5,000, 
 leaving still a debt of more than $3,000. In spite of this he 
 determined to improve the buildings already there, and to 
 erect others. 
 
 In 1849 the trustees took steps toward building " Fisk 
 Hall." The principal was authorized to raise money for the 
 purpose, and in March, 1851, pledges had been secured to 
 the amount of $4,100. The treasurer, at the same time, 
 reported a balance in favor of the institution of $1,441 85, a 
 more favorable showing than for twenty years. With such 
 encouragement they proceeded to erect a substantial brick 
 building, two stories, with an elevated basement, containing 
 an ample assembly room, rooms for the two literary societies 
 of the gentlemen, the fine arts, and recitation. The Hall, 
 erected at a cost of $8,000, is a fine monument to the 
 memory of the first principal at Wilbraham. The open- 
 ing address was made by Eev. Joseph Cummings, D.D. 
 The old academy was regarnished, and the ladies' boarding- 
 house was removed, and joined as an L to the gentlemen's 
 boarding-house. In 1854 the laboratory was replaced by an 
 elegant brick structure called, in honor of an early trustee 
 and benefactor, '* Binney Hall." This cost $8,000. In 1856 
 
The Wesley an Academy. Ill 
 
 the new principal's Louse was built, at a cost of $4,000 — paid 
 by Isaac Kich. But this was a year of reverses, as well as of 
 successes. On January 4 the newly titted boarding-house 
 was destroyed by fire, causing a loss of $12,000, the insurance 
 being only $4,000 to meet it. This was a heavy blow ; but 
 the principal did not stop to mourn over the loss. He 
 at once prepared to rebuild on a larger scale, and in im- 
 proved style. On the first day of August there began to 
 arise from the ashes a new brick edifice, two hundred and 
 forty by thirty-eight feet, with an L in the rear, one hundred 
 and forty by thirty-eight feet, three and four stories high, 
 at a cost of $50,000. On the 9th of September this magnifi- 
 cent building was destroyed by the torch of an incendiary. 
 
 To rebuild seemed impossible; not to rebuild was ruin; 
 how to rebuild was a problem. But a new and larger house 
 was erected, at a cost of $75,000. To meet this heavy expense 
 the State granted, in all, $36,000 ; Isaac Rich contributed 
 $40,000, and Lee Claflin $10,000. The new boarding-house 
 was opened in 1861, with a debt of $20,000. 
 
 Dr. Raymond was aided by an able corps of teachers. 
 Bussell and Oliver Marcy ran through most of the period. 
 Fales H. Newhall, George M. Steele, Oliver S. Howe, 
 Henry W. "Warren, S. F. Chester, E. B. Otheman, Emerson 
 Warner, A. D. Vail, N. Fellows, C. N. Stowers, and T. H. 
 Kimpton came in later. The attendance was very large, ris- 
 ing, during some terms, above any point reached under Pat- 
 ten. In 1864 Dr. Raymond resigned ; but Wilbraham, the 
 place of his early attachment, the scene of his grandest labors 
 and triumphs, will retain, in its group of noble educational 
 buildings, his enduring monument. 
 
 Rev. Edward Cooke, D.D., was principal from 1864 to 
 1874. The attendance under him remained very large. He 
 
112 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 enjoyed the advantage of the impetus from tlie administra- 
 tion of his predecessor. It was, too, the flush period after the 
 war. He w^as himself also very active in his work. The 
 courses of study organized by Dr. Eaymond were improved 
 and extended under Dr. Cooke, and special studies were in- 
 troduced. The old church was purchased and utilized as a 
 music hall and gymnasium, and the new stone church was 
 built by aid of the trustees and the New England Confer- 
 ence. The library was enlarged by the purchase of the 
 Chester Field collection, at a cost of $1,500 ; the income of 
 this administration was large ; the outgoes were also large ; 
 and as a result the debt rose from $20,000 to $30,000. 
 
 Rev. [N^athaniel Fellows, a former teacher, was principal 
 from 1874 to 1879. It was the period of the hard times, 
 and of reaction from great prosperity. The academy was 
 no longer advertised by its misfortunes or successes, and so 
 early fell out of sight. The attendance declined. But, in 
 spite of these disadvantages, the financial resources were 
 handled with such prudence and tact that, besides improve- 
 ments in the property, the debt was reduced several thou- 
 sand dollars. The principal liad the entire confidence of the 
 trustees and of the Conference. A healthy and harmonious 
 state of affairs prevailed, and he left with the regrets of 
 trustees, teachers, and students. 
 
 Rev. George M. Steele, D.D., has been principal from 
 1879 to 1885. A man of ripe judgment, an experienced 
 educator, a safe and wise business manager, and a judicious 
 disciplinarian; with tact to deal with students, he has dis- 
 played the instinct and capacity for school administration. 
 He at once improved the boards of instruction and trust by 
 infusing into them fresh blood. Rev. L. Crowell, D.D., was 
 employed to act as financial agent. Money has been raised 
 
The Wesleyan Academy. 113 
 
 to liquidate the debt, and an endowment has been begun. 
 These efforts have done much to bring the academy again to 
 the notice of our people, and thus to secure students in 
 larger numbers. The attendance in 1884 was four hundred 
 and eleven, an average of two hundred and thirty-eight each 
 terra. The institution now more than meets expenses, and 
 will be able in due time to afford some aid to indigent stu- 
 dents by way of scholarships. On the whole, the outlook for 
 the future is highly encoui-aging. This old and honored 
 school is to become larger and more influential than for 
 many years under the inspiration and efforts of the present 
 principaL 
 
114: Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 AUGUSTA COLLEGE, KENTUCKY. 
 
 BY REV. DANIEL STEVENSON, D.D. 
 
 In 1798 the citizens of Bracken County, Ky., secured 
 from the State a grant of six thousand acres of land to 
 enable them to establish Bracken Academy at the town of 
 Augusta, on the Ohio Eiver, at that time the county seat 
 of Bracken County. Tlit^- trustees wisely held this land until 
 prices had so enhanced ats to provide a considerable fund, 
 which was employed in bringing into existence the first in- 
 stitution of learning under Methodist control that accom- 
 plished the work as well as bore the name of a college. 
 
 At the session of the Ohio Conference, held in Septem- 
 ber, 1821, Rev. John Collins and Rev. Martin Ruter were 
 appointed commissioners to attend the Kentucky Confer- 
 ence, which was to be held a little later in the month, and 
 propose that the two Conferences *' unite in the estaljlish- 
 raent of a college." The subject had evidently been consid- 
 ered previously by the members of the Kentucky Conference. 
 They responded that the establishment of such an institution 
 within their own bounds was " expedient and necessary," and 
 that the place where there was " a prospect of the most ample 
 funds for the purpose " was Augusta. Rev. Geo. C. Light and 
 Rev. Marcus Lindsey were appointed to confer with the com- 
 missioners of the Ohio Conference and to take such measures 
 in favor of the contemplated establishment as they might think 
 expedient, without involving themselves or the Conference 
 in expense. On the 15th day of the following December 
 
Augusta College. 115 
 
 the commissioners of tlie two Conferences met at Augusta, 
 and, after an interchange of views between themselves and the 
 trustees of Bracken Academy, expressed themselves willing 
 to make Augusta the seat of the college, provided " assistance 
 could be obtained from the trustees of tlie academy and the 
 citizens in building a college edifice, and giving the institu- 
 tion a start." 
 
 The trustees of the academy adopted a resolution, in which, 
 after declaring that they were of opinion that the funds with 
 which they had been intrusted could not be better appropri- 
 ated than in assisting in the establishment of an institution 
 of the kind proposed, they agreed that the proceeds of the 
 Bracken Academy Fund should be appropriated to the use 
 of such an institution, and paid over to the trustees annu- 
 ally, and that all the original fund, over and above the 
 sum of $10,000 of active capital, should be paid over to the 
 said university, provided that the trustees of the academy 
 should be authorized to appoint three of their own body to be 
 trustees of the university, in conjunction with the trustees 
 who should be appointed by the Church, and that the annual 
 support thus pledged should be appropriated to sustain a chair 
 for the teaching " of the Latin, Greek, and English branches 
 of education." Sometime in the year 1822, probably about 
 the middle, a preparatory classical school was opened in the 
 academy buiying, under the principalship of Rev. John P. 
 Finley. The college was not yet organized, but it became 
 necessiiry for the Conferences to have the Latin and Greek 
 languages, as well as the English branches, taught, that the 
 proceeds of the Bracken Academy fund of $10,000 might be 
 appropriated to the use of the school. 
 
 John P. Finley was the prospective professor of languages. 
 He was a native of North Carolina, and a brother of the 
 
116 Early Schools of Methodism. ' 
 
 widely-known and greatly honored James B. Finley, long a 
 leading member of the Oliio Conference. They were both 
 educated by their father, an almnnus of Princeton College, 
 and for many years a minister in the Presbyterian Church. 
 In 1808 his sons united with the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. The father soon after changed his Church rela- 
 tions, and, to the close of his life, was a minister of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. John P. Finley was licensed 
 to preach in 1810. He taught in various places in Ohio be- 
 fore he was called to Augusta College. In September, 1822, 
 he was admitted on trial into the Kentucky Conference, and 
 was appointed to Augusta College. 
 
 In December, 1822, the institution received a charter from 
 the Legislature of Kentucky, with full authority to confer 
 degrees, the only Methodist college then in existence with 
 such authority. 
 
 The most active and influential man in securing the estab- 
 lishment of the college was Captain James Armstrong, a lay 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Augusta, 
 who had, for a number of years, been a trustee of Bracken 
 Academy, and who, at the time of the contract between the 
 academy and the Conference commissioners, was its treas- 
 urer. He had united with the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 when it had in Augusta but three members. The lirst 
 Methodist preaching was in the Presbyteiiian church. 
 One Sunday morning, when the Methodist preacher ap- 
 proached the pulpit, he found it occupied by the Presbyte- 
 rian pastor, who informed him that he himself expected to 
 preach in the church at that hour. Captain Armstrong 
 thereupon arose and said : " We will retire to the court- 
 house." The Methodist preacher then announced that he 
 would preach in the court-house, and invited all who wished 
 
Augusta College. 117 
 
 to hear him, to retire to that place. Nearly all the congrega- 
 tion left the church and went to the court-house. The next 
 day Captain Armstrong invited the members and friends of 
 the Methodist Church to meet him at a certain place ; and 
 there, after measuring off a lot from his own ground, he 
 began the erection of a Methodist Episcopal church. Yery 
 soon the building was completed and was ready for occupan- 
 cy. Captain Armstrong had borne the entire expense, except 
 the cost of some tin- work, which a Mr. Pattison, who was a 
 tinner and a Methodist, had insisted on doing without com- 
 pensation. 
 
 The old house stands there now, on the bank of the river, 
 with a stone slab on the front wall containing the inscription, 
 " Erected in 1819." It has passed through four floods. The 
 flood of 1884 rendered it unsuitable for further use, and the 
 walls of a new church edifice have just been completed in a 
 higher part of the town. 
 
 As soon as the charter for tlie college was granted by the 
 Legislature, Captain Armstrong undertook, with the assist- 
 ance of a few friends, the erection of the college edifice on 
 a lot of his own ; and, on the 4tli of October, 1823, the build- 
 ing being completed, he conveyed the property to the trust- 
 ees of Augusta College. The building was eighty by forty- 
 two feet. On the first floor was a chapel, forty by thirty 
 feet, with two recitation rooms, thirty by eighteen feet. On 
 the second floor were six rooms. The third story was divided 
 into seven rooms. 
 
 Captain Armstrong lived long enough to see the building 
 occupied by the preparatory school, but not longenonsjh to see 
 the college in full operation. He died in August, 1824, and 
 was buried in the rear of the church wjiich he had erected. 
 
 Mr. Finley continued his labore at the college until they 
 
118 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 were terminated by his death, in May, 1825. His remains 
 rest in the rear of the old church. 
 
 In September following, Kev. Joseph S. Tomlinson, A.B., 
 who had just graduated from Transylvania University, was 
 appointed professor of mathematics and natural philosophy. 
 During the next month Eev. John P. Durbin, A.M., was 
 elected to the chair of Latin and Greek. 
 
 Professor Tomlinson's training had been by one of the 
 most pious and cultivated of mothers. In his twelfth year 
 he joined the Church, at sixteen was licensed to exhort, and 
 at eighteen to preach. He learned the trade of a saddler, 
 and followed it until he entered college. 
 
 Upon the recommendation of the trustees of Transylvania 
 University, young men could be admitted free of tuition as 
 beneficiaries of the Morrison Fund. The Hon. Henry Clay 
 was the administrator of this fund, and a trustee of the uni- 
 versity. It so occurred that on a Saturday night young 
 Tomlinson was to preach at a quarterly meeting in Lexington. 
 Mr. Clay was invited by Eev. Henry M'Daniel to hear the 
 sermon. He did so ; and, after the service, invited the young 
 minister to visit him at his home. Mr. Tomlinson accepted 
 the invitation, and Mr. Clay requested the privilege of pre- 
 senting his name to the trustees for admission to the univer- 
 sity, under the provision of the Morrison Fund. At the 
 opening of the next term Mr. Tomlinson entered the univer- 
 sity, where he at once took high rank as a young man of fine 
 natural ability and of remarkable purity of life and charac- 
 ter. While he was still a student at Lexington, General 
 La Fayette visited the university. Young Tomlinson was se- 
 lected to make the address of welcome on the part of the stu- 
 dents. He was graduated with high honor in 1825. Immedi- 
 ately after his graduation he was elected to a professorship in 
 
Augusta College. 110 
 
 Augusta College, and was very soon admitted on trial into 
 the Kentucky Conference. 
 
 John P. Dnrbin was born in Bourbon County, Ky., in the 
 year ISOO. At tlie age of fourteen he was apprenticed to a 
 cabinet-maker. He was converted in 1818, and soon after was 
 licensed to preach and was admitted into the Conference. In 
 the autumn of 1821 he was stationed at Hamilton, Ohio. 
 While here he availed himself of the advantages of Miami 
 University, at Oxford. He spent the week at Oxford, in the 
 university, and on Friday afternoons returned to his pastoral 
 charge. His removal to another charge, at the end of the 
 Conference year, deprived him of these advantages at Oxford, 
 but, fortunately for him, his next appointment was to Cin- 
 cinnati. Here he was again in the enjoyment of scholarly 
 instruction, in the Cincinnati College, and, at the end of the 
 collegiate year, he received the honorary degree of A.M. 
 In October following he joined Professor Tomlinsou, at 
 Augusta. They were aided by Mr. Ingram, who taught a 
 preparatory school. There was as yet no president of the 
 college. It is probable that Professor Tomlinson was the tem- 
 porary head of the institution, as the professor of mathematics 
 was afterward ex officio vice-president of the college. 
 
 In 1827 Eev. Martin Ruter, A.M., who in 1820 had been 
 elected Book Agent to organize, at Cincinnati, O., a "Western 
 branch of the New York Methodist publishing house, was 
 elected president of the college, with the understanding that 
 he should not enter upon his duties until his successor at the 
 Book Concern should be appointed. Mr. Ruter had been a 
 prominent preacher in Xew England. He was born in Mas- 
 sachusetts, was converted at the age of fifteen, and soon after- 
 ward became a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 The next year he was licensed to exhort, and in the course 
 
120 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 of a few months, to preach. He began his itinerant work in 
 Yermont. During the several years following he labored 
 in Montreal, Canada ; New Hampshire ; Boston, Mass. ; and 
 Portland, Me. In 1818 he was appointed principal of the 
 Newmarket Seminary. While at this institution he received 
 from the short-lived Asbury College the degree of A.M. 
 "While Book Agent at Cincinnati, Transylvania University 
 conferred upon him the degree of D.D. It is believed that 
 he was the first minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 upon whom tliis degree was conferred. 
 
 At the same time that Dr. Ruter was elected president, 
 Frederick A. M. Davis, M.D., was elected professor of chem- 
 istry and botany. He was a resident physician of Augusta, 
 and was of more than ordinary ability in his profession. The 
 full faculty now consisted of Eev. Martin Ruter, D.D., presi- 
 dent, and professor of oriental languages and belles-lettres ; 
 Rev. Joseph S. Tomlinson, A.B., professor of mathematics 
 and natural philosophy; Rev. John P. Durbin, A.M., of 
 ancient languages and Grecian and Roman antiquities ; 
 F. A. M. Davis, M.D., of chemistry and botany ; Arnold 
 Truesdale, preceptor of the academic department ; Thomas 
 H. Lynch, a student, assistant in the academic department; 
 and John Yincent, teacher of the primary school. 
 
 In the board of trustees, as then organized, consisting of 
 twenty-three members, were John Armstrong, president, 
 and Johnson Armstrong, treasurer, both of Maysville, Ky. ; 
 Bishop Joshua Soule, D.D., Rev. O. M. Spencer, Rev. John 
 Meek, Rev. John Collins, Rev. George C. Light, and Rev. 
 Enos Woodward. 
 
 The course of study was full and complete, embracing 
 every thing required by the best American colleges of that 
 day. At the close of the college year, 1831, Professor Durbin 
 
Augusta College. 121 
 
 tendered his resignation. In his travels to advance the inter- 
 ests of the college and to increase its funds, he had become 
 widely known as a man of great personal worth and as one 
 of the most effective pulpit orators in America. Without his 
 knowledge, the United States Senate elected him its chap- 
 lain. In 1832 he was tendered a professoi*ship in the Weslejan 
 University, Connecticut, and soon after was elected, by the 
 General Conference, editor of "The Christian Advocate." 
 He had scarcely been installed in his new position when he 
 was elected president of Dickinson College. About this 
 time he was honored with the title of D.D. Before taking 
 final leave of Dr. Durbin, who rose to such eminence in 
 after years as preacher, college president, traveler, writer, 
 and Missionary Secretary, his lively interest in the spiritual 
 good of the pupils of Augusta College should be referred 
 to. All will be interested in learning that revivals, so com- 
 mon in Methodist schools in later years, were enjoyed in this 
 early Methodist college. 
 
 Under date of January, 1828, Dr. Durbin wrote to "The 
 (christian Advocate : " " This has been one of the best days 
 I have ever seen. We have a most glorious revival. What 
 will be the fruits no man can yet tell. Twenty-two joined 
 this morning, many of them young men and students of 
 Augusta College. I think the revival should be considered as 
 among the students principally. It commenced with them. 
 It would do you good to witness the soundness of their con- 
 version, and the ardor of their triumph. Onr college is 
 prosperous. We have about one hundred students. I had 
 long believed that a college could be made not only the 
 nursery of learning, but of morals and religion. 1 am con- 
 vinced of it more and more every day. I rejoice that we 
 
 have in the West one regulai' college where our youth may 
 6 
 
122 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 be educated, and neither their morals nor their principles 
 corrupted. And yet we do not teach them religion, other- 
 wise than we teach other men, namely, by preaching to 
 them, and endeavoring to walk uprightly before them. I 
 am clearly convinced that our youth should not be taught by 
 any man who is not decidedly pious." 
 
 The next morning he added a postscript, as follows : " I 
 closed my letter last night at nine o'clock. I then returned 
 to the church, and my eyes never beheld such a scene. The 
 house was full of mourners. It is not yet known how many 
 were converted. There are but few students of Augusta 
 College but that are either converted or serious." 
 
 Dr. Durbin was succeeded, as professor of languages, by 
 Kev. B. H. M'Cown, A.M. At the same time Rev. Henry B. 
 Bascom, A.M., was elected professor of moral science. Pro- 
 fessor M'Cown was born in Bardstown, Ky., in 1806. The 
 first Methodist that he ever heard preach was H. B. Bascom. 
 Professor M'Cown w^as educated at St. Joseph's College, a 
 Roman Catholic institution, and was the first person w^ho 
 joined the Methodist Episcopal Church at Bardstown. A class 
 was organized there in 1825, and he was soon after licensed 
 to exhort, then to preach, and, in 1827, was admitted on trial 
 into the Kentucky Conference. Professor Bascom Avas a na- 
 tive of the State of New York. At the age of fifteen he united 
 with the Methodist Episcopal Church. At seventeen he was 
 licensed to preach, and admitted on trial into an Annual Con- 
 ference. He soon began to attract great attention by his elo- 
 quence. In 1818 he was appointed to Louisville, Ky. In 
 1823 he was chosen chaplain in Congress, througli the influ- 
 ence of his life-long friend, Hon. Henry Clay. In 1832 Dr. 
 Rutcr resigned the presidency, with a view of re-entering the 
 pastoral work. He was trnnsf erred to the Pittsburg Confer- 
 
Augusta CoLLEoiL/v^o^ '^ J 123 
 
 ence, where he labored, with distinguished usefulness, until 
 April, 1837. He was then appointed, by Bishop Iledding, to 
 the great mission field just then opening in Texas. It was 
 while in pastoral work in the Pittsburg Conference that he 
 published a revision of Gregory's " Church History." His 
 *' Hebrew Grammar " was published a little earlier. Though 
 a close scholar, he retained all the fire and enthusiasm of a 
 real missionary. 
 
 When, on the eve of starting for Texas, some one reminded 
 him of the distance and of the possible dangers of the field 
 assigned him, his thoughtful response was, " Heaven is no 
 farther from Texas than from Pennsylvania." Toward the 
 last of the year he entered the Republic. His advent was 
 hailed with delight. His labors were incessant, but were soon 
 terminated. He died in Washington, Texas, May 16, 1838. 
 
 When Dr. Ruter resigned the presidency. Dr. Tomlinson 
 was transferred to the chair of natural science and belles- 
 lettres, and was again made responsible for the duties of the 
 presidency. Rev. J. H. Fielding, A.M., who had been a 
 professor, and for a time the president, of Madison College, 
 now became professor of mathematics in the place of Dr. 
 Tomlinson. Professor Fielding retained the professorship in 
 Augusta for a little less than three years. He then resigned, 
 and soon after accepted the presidency of St. Charles Col- 
 lege, Missouri, where he labored with usefulness for a num- 
 ber of years. 
 
 Solomon Howard, an alumnus of the college, was, in 
 1833, principal of the preparatory department. 
 
 In 1834 Frederick Eckstein, Esq., became professor of 
 modern languages ; W. W. Wallingford, English tutor ; Don 
 Raphael Espinoza, teacher of Spanish ; and Noah Archbold, 
 principal of the j)reparatory depai*tment. 
 
124 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 In 1835 Eev. Joseph M. Trimble, A.M., succeeded Professor 
 Fielding in the department of mathematics. He was a native 
 of Ohio, was graduated from Ohio State University, and 
 joined the Conference in 1829. 
 
 The catalogue for the year 1836 gives as the faculty : Rev. 
 J. S. Tomlinson, A.M., president; Rev. H. B. Bascom, A.M., 
 Rev. J. M. Trimble, A.M., and Rev. B. H. M'Cown, A.M., 
 professors ; and Abner Chapman, preceptor of the prepara- 
 tory department.^ 
 
 At the session of the Kentucky Conference for 1841 Tran- 
 sylvania University was, through Dr. Bascom, tendered to 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. The proposition was re- 
 ferred to a committee, which, after full consideration, report- 
 ed, recommending the Conference to accept the offer. This, 
 Dr. Tomlinson, who was one of the committee, opposed, on the 
 Conference floor, as he had done in the committee ; but the 
 report was almost unanimously adopted, and the Conference 
 received under its patronage this old university. 
 
 In the autunm of 1842 Dr. Bascom retired from Augusta 
 College, to accept the presidency of Transylvania University. 
 Professors M'Cown, Kemp, and Lynch accepted professor- 
 ships under him at the same time. The opening at Lexington 
 was brilliant. The friends of the university were cheerful, 
 believing that Transylvania was to become the great univer- 
 sity of the South. The subsequent career of Dr. Bascom is 
 too well known to require further notice here. 
 
 The withdrawal of these men from Augusta made a 
 reorganization of the faculty necessary. The faculty for 
 1842-43 consisted of Dr. Tomlinson, president ; Rev. Edmund 
 W. Sehon, A.M., and Rev. Hermann M. Johnson, A.M., pro- 
 fessors ; and James W. King, principal of the preparatory de- 
 partment. Mr. Sehon never entered upon duty as professor. 
 
Augusta College. 125 
 
 Professor Jolinson was graduated from the Wesleyan Univer- 
 sity in the class of 1839. After graduating he studied mod- 
 ern Greek at Yale College. He resigned a professorship in 
 St. Charles College, Mo., to fill a similar position at Au- 
 gusta. In December, 18-42, Rev. E. N. Elliott was elected 
 professor of mathematics. He had previously taught some 
 time in Bloomington, Ind. Professor Johnson retired from 
 Augusta in 1814, and was for a time in the faculty of Ohio 
 Wesleyan University. He was a very mature scholar and a 
 noble Christian gentleman. He died in 1868, while presi- 
 dent of Dickinson College. Professor Chandler Robbins, 
 A.M., an almnmcs of the Wesleyan University, succeeded 
 Professor Johnson in Augusta. A few others for brief 
 periods were connected with the instructional departments 
 of Augusta. 
 
 The influences which began to be felt in 1842, and which 
 were intensified by the division of the Church in 1844, re- 
 sulted in the repeal of the charter and the suspension of the 
 college in 1849. 
 
 Having followed the several professors to the end of their 
 labors in the college, it remains to say something further of 
 Dr. Tomlinson. He was the first to enter the faculty after 
 the death of the lamented Finley, and, with Dr. Durbin, he 
 organized the college classes. He was the second and last 
 president of the college, and the most distinguished for va- 
 ried learning of all of its oflicers. He stood by the college 
 until its charter was repealed and its doors closed. He was 
 subsequently invited to chairs in some of the best colleges 
 in Ohio. But he saw, and his friends saw, that he was no 
 longer the strong man of his earlier yeai-s. Toward the last, 
 clouds began to settle over his former brilliant intellect. 
 They occasionally lifted, only to return more densely than 
 
126 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 before. Ills mental sufferings became most intense, his life 
 a burden. Reason was at length overthrown, and he fell by 
 his own hand. A most affectionate tribute to his great worth 
 was prepared by his appreciative friend and fellow-laborer, 
 the late Dr. Hermann M. Johnson, president of Dickinson 
 College, and published in Sprague's " Annals of the Ameri- 
 can Pulpit," to which the reader is referred. 
 
 THE STUDENTS. 
 
 Augusta being, for a number of years, the only Methodist 
 school in America (or in the world) having legal authority to 
 confer the baccalaureate and other degrees, students from 
 distant States sought its advantages. The numbers were at 
 no time great, but they included representative young men 
 from the best Methodist families. In 1829 a small class, hav- 
 ing completed the full course, was admitted to tlie degree of 
 bachelor of arts. From that time to the period of suspension, 
 .by the repeal of the charter, a class was graduated every year. 
 One hundred and fifty-three students were thus honored dur- 
 ing the life of the college. Of this number several became 
 distinguished in medical practice, a still larger number as 
 judges and attorneys-at-law, and several in State and national 
 halls of legislation ; thirty-one became ministers, several of 
 whom were called to important posts as presidents or profes- 
 sors in the various Methodist schools that opened soon after 
 their graduation. Quite a number of our most distinguished 
 ministers and other gentlemen of prominence received from 
 Augusta the master's degree. Honoris Causa. In this list 
 are Kevs. H. B. Bascom, Charles Elliott, John H. Fielding, 
 James H. Logan, B. H. M'Cown, and Oliver M. Spencer; 
 Ross "Wilkins, Esq., and Willis Tannehill, Esq. ; Rev. Mar- 
 tin P. Parks ; Waitman T. Willey, Esq. ; Revs. Asbury Ros- 
 
Augusta College. 127 
 
 zel, G. S. Holmes. George Peck, and L. L. Ilamline ; Newton 
 Peck, Esq., and W. R. Harding, Esq. ; Revs. Norvel Wilson, 
 and D. M. Reese, M. D. ; 11. H. Martin, Esq. ; Revs. W. M. 
 Dailey and J. A. Waterman ; J. D. Ramsey, Esq., and J. C. 
 Williams, Esq. 
 
 The degree of D.D. was given to Bishop Elijah Iledding, 
 Bishop William Capers, Wilbur Fisk, Samuel Luckey, 
 Stephen Olin, John L. Blake, and George Peck ; and that of 
 LL.D. to Hon. George Robertson, of Kentucky ; Hon. John 
 C. Wright and lion. Jolin W. Campbell, of Ohio ; Hon. 
 John Boyle, of Kentucky ; Hon. Benjamin Watkins Leigh 
 and Hon. Thomas Ewing, of Ohio ; and to Hon. John Pit- 
 man, of Rhode Island. 
 
 The list of non-graduate alumni is much longer than that of 
 those who tarried to graduation, and includes names, of men 
 living or dead, which have become well and honorably known 
 in all the professions and in various business pursuits. In 
 this list are the names of General Doniphan, of Missouri ; 
 Professor M'Farland, of the Ohio State University ; W. C. 
 Dandy, D.D., of the Rock River Conference; Governor 
 Robert Wickliffe, of Louisiana ; and Bishop R. S. Foster, 
 D.D., LL.D. ; and of others too numerous to mention. 
 
 Methodism, and the country and Church at large, were 
 greatly blessed and benefited by the establishment and con- 
 tinuance, for the fourth of a century, of Augusta College. 
 During its day its work was sublimely grand. Of its achieve- 
 ments, Dr. Redford, the historian of Kentucky Methodism, 
 bears this testimony: "Its faculty was composed of men of 
 piety, genius, and learning; and in all the learned profes- 
 sions in almost every Western and Southern State its alumni 
 may yet be found. It gave to the medical profession, to the 
 bar, and to the pulpit many of their brightest lights." 
 
128 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 A reunion of old Augusta College students was held in the 
 college building on the 17th of November, 1880. 
 
 BUILDINGS, LIBRARY, APPARATUS, ENDOWMENT. 
 
 There was a college edifice, before described; there w^ere 
 two boarding-houses, a library of sixteen hundred Yolunies 
 and two society libraries, and physical and chemical ap- 
 paratus. The basis of the endowment was the Bracken Acad- 
 emy Fund, with which the college opened. The patron- 
 izing Conferences added to this. The whole property was 
 valued at something over $50,000. The income never paid 
 the faculty living salaries. The repeal of the charter ren- 
 dered uncollectable all outstanding notes. The real estate 
 reverted to the Bracken Academy. On the niglit of Jan- 
 uary 28, 1852, the principal building was destroyed by fire. 
 The trustees of the academy, aided by the citizens of 
 Augusta, soon rebuilt the edifice. 
 
 ITS PRESENT MANAGEMENT. 
 
 On the 10th of June, 1879, the writer, a native of Ken- 
 tucky, a graduate of Transylvania University, from 1851 to 
 18G5, a member of the Kentucky Conference of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, South, but since that time a minister 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, leased the property. In 
 1882 he secured the transfer of his lease to the Board of Ed- 
 ucation of the Kentucky Conference of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, under whose management the institution is 
 now conducted, open to both sexes, and prospering under the 
 name of Augusta Collegiate Institute. It is without endow- 
 ment, and depends upon the tuition and boarding fees of stu- 
 dents for its support. 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 129 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 CAZENOVIA SEMINARY. 
 
 BY BOSTWICK HAWLEY, D.D. 
 
 After the destruction, by fire, of Cokesbnry College, at 
 Abingdon, Md., followed, as it was, a few years later by the 
 loss of the second institution of the same name and charac- 
 ter, located in Baltimore, Bishop Asbury concluded that at 
 that time God did not call the Methodists of America to the 
 work of higher education. He, therefore, directed his atten^ 
 tion slowly to the founding of schools for the special pur. 
 pose of meeting somewhat the needs of the people and of 
 improving the standard of the ministry. After his death, 
 the New England Conference took up the work, and in 1817 
 opened a seminary at New Market, N. H. This experiment 
 at that extreme point not proving wholly satisfactory, the 
 school was transferred, in 1824, to Wilbraham, Mass., where 
 it continues to flourish, having an honorable and useful 
 career. 
 
 The old Genesee Conference, including the territory of 
 all western New York, Upper Canada, and part of Pennsyl- 
 vania, began the educational work in 1819, when, in Confer- 
 ence session, it was resolved " to open a seminary of learn- 
 in<r within its bounds." Five of its most influential mem- 
 bers. Revs. Charles Giles, Abner Chase, William Barlow, 
 Jonathan Iluestis, and Thomas Madden, were appointed a 
 committee to report a plan for carrying into effect this reso- 
 lution. A favorable report was made and adopted at the 
 next session of the Conference. About this time, May, 
 
130 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 1820, the General Conference urged the Annual Confer- 
 ences to move in the work of education. The county seat 
 of Madison County, ^N". Y., having been removed in 1817 
 from Cazenovia to Morrisville, the court-house was offered 
 for sale. Cazenovia, where a small society of Methodists 
 existed, was then and for some years later included in Man- 
 lius Circuit, but the society had no regular place of wor- 
 ship. Aided by friends in the surrounding region they 
 secured this substantial building, which was made to serve 
 both for a school and a commodious place for public wor- 
 ship. Here they opened religious services in the spring of 
 1818. It was a successful achievement, effected chiefly 
 under the direction of that quiet but wise man, Rev. 
 George Gary, who became a traveling preacher in New 
 England at the age of sixteen years, and presiding elder at 
 twenty-three. 
 
 The purchase of the court-house aided much the efforts of 
 Messrs. Gary, Giles, and other friends of education in carry- 
 ing througli Conference the resolution to make Cazenovia 
 the seat of the contemplated seminary. Receiving tlie needed 
 repairs and modifications, the building became the home of 
 educational and religious forces long cherished by the students 
 of tlie early and the later years, and where thousands have 
 been educated and hundreds have been converted to Christ. 
 In 1821 a rival for the permanent location of the seminary 
 came to the front. The people of Ithaca, Tompkins County, 
 now the seat of Cornell University, promised a large sub- 
 scription and a building to the Conference, if that place should 
 be selected for the seminary. Moved by this flattering offer, 
 the Conference reconsidered its action of the previous year, 
 and selected Ithaca, and Rev^ Dan Barnes, who had advo- 
 cated the measure, was made the Conference agent to raise 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 131 
 
 the money needed to ratify the engagement and to found the 
 institution. But the efforts of Mr. Barnes and of the citi- 
 zens of Ithaca not being successful, the Messrs. Gary and 
 Giles, who had the advantage of being presiding elders of 
 contiguous districts, one of which included Cazenovia, availed 
 themselves of the provisional action of Conference in the 
 premises, and renewed their efforts in favor of Cazenovia. 
 They raised the means to cancel the bond against the court- 
 house, and to provide for opening the school. 
 
 The Conference of 1823 appointed a committee, consisting 
 of three of its leading members, Charles Giles, George Gary, 
 and Elias Bowen, and six influential laymen, to do^what was 
 deemed necessary to open the institution to pupils. Those 
 associated with these three ministers were Jacob Ten Eyck, 
 David B. Johnson, Charles Stebbins, John Peck, Solomon 
 Root, and Luther Buell. This committee, acting as a board 
 of trustees, empowered Messra. Gary and Giles, who were 
 known to be in accord with the whole movement and with 
 the selection of Ciizenovia as the seat of the institution, to 
 raise money, by donations and by the sale of short scholar- 
 ships, to meet the expenses of opening the school in the 
 court-house. On the 11th of December, 1824, only eight 
 boys were enrolled, because of the impression that it was for 
 boys only. Tliis was before mixed schools and the co-educa- 
 tion of the sexes was popular. But the good sense of Meth- 
 odist women decided, with the acquiescence of the managers, 
 that the Genesee Conference Seminary should open its doors 
 and extend its advantages to all worthy youth, without regard 
 to sex or complexion. Co-education was thus early estab- 
 lislied in central New York, an action that has now for more 
 than sixty years been vindicated on a large scale. During 
 all this time nothing has occurred at Cazenovia Seminary to 
 
132 Early Schools of Mettiobtsm. 
 
 cast a shadow of doubt as to the wisdom of the policy — a 
 policy that has since been adopted by the best academies and 
 colleges in this country. The above-named committee pro- 
 cured from the Legislature a charter, which gave to the insti- 
 tution the name, " The Seminary of the Genesee Confer- 
 ence." Tlie name has very naturally been changed to con- 
 form to the successive names of the patronizing Conferences 
 embracing the institution, such as Oneida, and now Central 
 "New York. But whatever its chartered name, the institu- 
 tion has long been known as the Cazenovia Seminary. Not 
 less denominational in its guardianship, nor less religious in 
 character, 'it is not embarrassed by a distinctively denomi- 
 national or sectarian name. Well were it that all our purely 
 literary institutions were equally and alike unembarrassed. 
 This charter was dated April 6, 1825, naming as trustees 
 Kevs. George Gary and Elias Bo wen, and Henry Wells, Esq., 
 of the Jirst class, to serve one year ; Hons. Charles Stebbins 
 and Jacob Ten Eyck, and Bev. Charles Giles, of the second^ 
 for two years ; and Hon. D. B. Johnson, John W. Peck, Esq., 
 and Luther Buell, for three years. Of this board the major- 
 ity were Methodists, but the others gave their services and 
 made liberal contributions, with equal fidelity, to advance 
 the interests of the school. No denominational institution 
 in this country has had for the period of sixty years a career 
 of greater uniform prosperity. Other institutions of this 
 same denomination have arisen within its patronizing terri- 
 tory, have flourished for a time, and have died ; but this one 
 has continued to prosper. 
 
 A brief statement of the more obvious conditions of its 
 success may be suggestive and instructive. The first favor- 
 ing condition was its location. Madison County is near the 
 geographical center of the State. Cazenovia is the chief 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 133 
 
 town of the county. Conference boundaries liave frequently 
 been changed. The so-called patronizing territory has been 
 diniinislied on all sides ; but the seminary has all the while 
 been centrally located and easy of access. The early tides of 
 settlement set that way, and have largely continued to flow in 
 that direction. Prof. Clements, the present principal, says : 
 
 Cazenovia village, in which the seminary is situated, is in the midst 
 of one of the most fertile and delightful sections of our State. An ele- 
 vation of twelve hundred feet above the sea-level gives it a pure atmos- 
 phere and a healthful climate, and renders it free from many of those 
 fatal diseases that are prevalent in many parts of the country. The 
 well-shaded walks and beautiful groves are inviting. Excellent roads 
 and picturesque hills afford ample opportunities for riding; and the 
 Owagena — a gem of water — furnishes a pleasure resort for those who 
 seek recreation in boating, fishing, and swimming. Both nature and 
 art have l>een lavish in their adornment of the place, and have made it 
 peculiarly adapted to the purposes of a seminary, as it affords opportu- 
 nity for esthetical culture, essential to the full development of youthful 
 mind. The population of the village is about two thousand, and the 
 people are deeply interested in the character and success of the school. 
 
 In its first and subsequent boards of trustees is found an- 
 other element of success. Of those who were the charter 
 members we here give brief portraitures, as draw^n by Rev. 
 Dr. William Reddy : 
 
 Rev. Charles Giles was a man of genius, piety, and power. Born in 
 Connecticut, in 1783, he closed his eventful life in Syracuse, N. Y., 
 August 30, 1867. He was successively connected with the Philadel- 
 I)lii:i, New York, Genesee, Oneida, and Black River Conferences. He 
 illk'd the most responsible positions, including that of presiding elder 
 and of delegate to General Conference. He was a good scholar, rich 
 in facts, brilliant in thought, having an intense love for mankind. In 
 liim intellectual power and emotion were united. 
 
 Rev. George Gary's name was a household word during this period. 
 When but in his sixteenth year his name appeared in connection with 
 
134 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Barre Circuit, Vermont District, New England Conference. In 1813 
 he was ordained elder, and transferred to the Genesee Conference. A 
 man of great shrewdness and a profound judge of human character, 
 he was strong in the pulpit, where, on great occasions, he was over- 
 whelmingly eloquent. He finished his course with joy, March, 1855. 
 
 Rev. Elias Bowen, D.D., was a strong man, long time a presiding 
 elder, positive and strong in his likes and dislikes, and at one period of 
 his life was a foremost witness and teacher of the higher spiritual life. 
 In his earlier ministry he was conservative, and in his later years rad- 
 ical, on the subject of slavery and the Church. He was several times a 
 member of the General Conference. A clear and able writer, he con- 
 tributed largely to the periodical literature of the Church, and pub- 
 lished sermons on education and other important subjects. He wrote 
 a volume entitled "Slavery and the Church." 
 
 Hon. Charles Stebbins was a lawyer, a man of rare judgment, high 
 moral tone, strong social position, and long a friend of the seminary. 
 In 1829 he was called to preside over the Senate in place of Lieutenant- 
 Governor Throop, who had been called to the chair of the executive. 
 He was the secretary of the board of trustees of the seminary at its 
 beginning. For sixty-three years he had the confidence and respect of 
 a large circle of personal friends. He died at Cazenovia, March, 1873, 
 in his 84th year. 
 
 Hon. Jacob Ten Eyck was of Dutch ancestry. He held important 
 ofiices at home, and, in 1844, he was a member of the State Assembly. 
 Noted for his integrity, he was a successful merchant, ever ready to 
 assist those commencing business, and by his opportune advice he con- 
 tributed to lay the foundation of many a young man's character and 
 fortune. With other trustees he gave of his time and money to the 
 seminary. He died of yellow fever, at Savannah, Ga., at the age of 
 sixty-seven years, leaving to his family as his best legacy a high char- 
 acter. 
 
 Hon. David B. Johnson w\t,s a lawyer of eminence. For many years 
 he held the office of district attorney for Madison County. He was 
 also master and examiner in chancery. For a long time he was secre- 
 tary of the board of trustees of this seminary, as he was also attorney 
 for the board, often saving it from serious losses. 
 
 Mr. Jackson, one of the earlier students, remembers tluit, in the 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 135 
 
 spring of 1826, he saw Mr. Johnson, with the late B. T. Clark, plant the 
 elm-tree that now stands in the front of the central seminary building. 
 
 John W. Peck, of Manlius, was an efficient member, and he for 
 awhile served as agent of the institution, doing in each capacity excel- 
 lent service. 
 
 The last of the charter members was Luther Buell, Esq., of Manlius. 
 At the date of the semi-centennial celebration of the seminary he was 
 the only one of the original board left to witness the maturity of the 
 school after a history of half a century. 
 
 Dr. Newell Wright, Dr. Josiah Knowlton, John Williams, 
 Eevs. Drs. Z. Paddock and John Dempster, with others, were 
 at an early date members of the board, and rendered valu- 
 able services. Kev. Fitch Keed was also deeply interested 
 in the seminary, and was a judicious adviser of the originat- 
 ors of the institution. 
 
 Tliis seminary was peculiarly fortunate also in its first 
 faculty of instruction. Rev. Nathaniel Porter, the first prin- 
 cipal, was a native of Connecticut, and, though bereft in 
 early life of his father, he made his way to New York city, 
 where he was converted, under the labors of Rev. John Sum- 
 merfield, in the old John Street Church. At the Wesleyan 
 Academy, which flourished for a brief time in New York 
 city, Mr. Porter prepared for, and entered, Amherst College ; 
 but, for the w^ant of means, he was unable to complete the 
 course of study, and he, therefore, united on trial with the 
 New York Conference, and was appointed junior preacher 
 on the Stamford Circuit, June 1, 1824. After a successful 
 ministry of a few months he was providentially called to the 
 headship of this* new institution, having as his associate Mr. 
 Hart, then a member of Hamilton College. The eight 
 boys with whom the seminary began constituted a nucleus 
 tliat was soon increased to fifty or more, and at the close of 
 
136 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 the first year there were enrolled one hundred and fifty 
 pupils. A man of prepossessing appearance, accomplished 
 manners, and deep piety, Mr. Porter exerted a great infln- 
 ence for good over the pupils and in the community. But 
 failing health compelled him to resign at the end of two 
 years. After a short term of effective services as a 
 preacher he closed his eventful life at Newark, N. J., 
 August 17, 1831. 
 
 The next principal was the late well-known Augustus W. 
 Smith, LL.D., subsequently and for years connected with the 
 Wesley an University, and for a few years with the Naval 
 Academy, Annapolis, Md. His associate teachers were 
 I. M. Willmarth, A.M., George Hastings, Kev. Moses 
 Adams, Kev. Nelson Rounds, A.M., J. W. Tyler, A.M., 
 Mark H. Beecher, and Nancy Bliss. Miss Bliss was the 
 daughter of Abel Bliss, of Wilbraham, Mass., of whom 
 Bishop Asbury said : " He was educated, not spoiled, at 
 Cokesbury College." It was at Wilbraham that tliis lady 
 was educated for the important position of preceptress. 
 Becoming allied in marriage to Rev. William Smith, of 
 Canada, she served faithfully in several important places in 
 that province. During the administration of Dr. A. W. 
 Smith the seminary had great prosperity, and rose to a high 
 rank, so that in 1829 three hundred students were enrolled. 
 
 Says Dr. Reddy, in " First Fifty Years : " 
 
 There is an inspiration in success, and that inspiration is seen in the 
 measures of those then in charge of the institution^ The number of 
 students had so increased that the place was too strait for them. It 
 was, therefore, determined to build larger, and a committee was ap- 
 pointed, consisting of George Gary, Newell Wright, John Williams, 
 and D. B. Johnson, to erect a suitable building for dormitories, a 
 boarding-hall, and a laboratory. The result was the large three-story 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 137 
 
 brick structure adjoining the original building on the west, and having 
 accommodations for about two hundred students. 
 
 In 1831 Prof. Smith was compelled by ill health to retire 
 from the duties of principal, and Professor J. Wadsworth 
 Tyler became principal j^o tempore. Professor Tyler had 
 ample qualifications for the position, and did excellent service. 
 Eev. William C. Larrabee, LL.D., succeeded to the principal- 
 sliip at the beginning of the fall term of 1831. A native of 
 Maine and an alumnus of Bowdoin College, he, at the age of 
 twenty-nine or thirty years, entered upon the very respon- 
 sible duties of the position, having the reputation of a good 
 preacher and teacher, but especially of an administrator, as 
 evinced in the preparatory department of Wesleyan Univer- 
 sity. Under his administration the seminary was so tilled 
 with students as to render another enlargement of the struct- 
 ure necessary. Students came from distant parts of New 
 York, from New England, Pennsylvania, and Canada. Sus- 
 tained, as he was, by an able corps of teachers, he brought 
 the institution to a position unsurpassed by any other of its 
 grade. His associates in instruction were men who rose to 
 positions of eminence, namely : W. H. Allen, LL.D., late of 
 Girard College ; John Johnston, LL.D., of the Wesleyan 
 University; Perlee B. Wilbur, A.M., of Cincinnati Fe- 
 male College; and Orlando Blanchard. Dr. Larrabee re- 
 signed his position in the spring of 1835, and the vacancy 
 was tilled, until his transfer to the Wesleyan University, by 
 Professor John Johnston, Miss Maria Hamilton serving as 
 preceptress. She was soon united in marriage to him, and 
 was, for many years, an ornament in domestic and social life 
 at Middletown, Coim. 
 
 The next regular principal, of longer service, was Rev. 
 George Peck, D.D., a man of scholarly habits, dignitied and 
 
138 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 courteous manners, and devoted to his work. Though not a 
 collegian, nor familiar with the management of a school, he 
 nevertheless took to the duties of the position easily, and was 
 held in esteem by the teachers and pupils. He ranked high 
 all his subsequent life as preacher, editor, and author. He 
 was followed by a list of such scholarly men as George G. 
 Hapgood, D.D., Henry Bannisterj D.D., Edward G. An- 
 drews, D.D., and by other men of ability and adaptation to 
 the work. The corps of professors at that time consisted of 
 men of equal iitness for their work, namely : Henry Bannis- 
 ter, Bostwick Hawley,* Hermann M. Johnston, Edward Ban- 
 nister, H. R. Clarke, George H. Ninde, Miss Livia Guernsey, 
 as preceptress, and others named above. 
 
 Another element of success in the history of this semi- 
 nary was the age, character, and habits of many of its early 
 pupils, who remained long enough to leave a good impres- 
 sion on all. As a general thing the pupils have all along 
 been from excellent families, and were ambitious to improve 
 their opportunities. Among the thousands that have been 
 there educated, some have failed to appreciate and to im- 
 prove the offered opportunities, but this has not been true of 
 the great majority. Indeed, such have been the govern- 
 ment, the examples set by the teachers, and such the moral 
 atmosphere of the school and village, that it could not well 
 be otherwise in the general standing of the students. 
 Strong religious influences prevailed, revivals were frequent, 
 and many trace to this place their profoundest and most 
 enduring Christian experience. Since its opening, in 1824, 
 
 * Mr. Hawley became a pupil of this seminary in the spring of 1831, was 
 here converted and prepared for college, and was here licensed to preach. After 
 graduation from college, he was, for a term of years, a teacher, and thence 
 entered the Oneida Conference as an itinerant minister. 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 139 
 
 at least fourteen thousand youth have up to this date been 
 enrolled as students. Of these, four have been elevated to 
 the episcopacy : Jesse T. Peck, Thomas Bowman, Edward 
 G. Andrews, and William X. Ninde. Four at least have been 
 governore of States, namely : Joseph R. Hawley, of Connect- 
 icut ; Austin Blair, of Michigan : Caleb Lyon, territorial gov- 
 ernor ; and Leland Stanford, of California. The following, of 
 the first decade, became presidents of colleges : Edward Ban- 
 nister, University of the Pacific; Thomas Bowman, Indiana 
 Asbury (now De Pauw) University ; A. W. Cummings, 
 M'Kendree College and University of South Carolina ; B. I. 
 Diefendorf, Fort Plain Female College ; Clark T. Hiniiian, 
 North-western University ; H. M. Johnson, Dickinson Col- 
 lege ; Jesse T. Peck, of Dickinson ; George H. Round, Fort 
 Wayne College ; B. F. Tefft, Genesee College ; P. B. Wilbur, 
 Wesleyan Female College of Cincinnati; Erastus Went- 
 worth, of M'Kendree College ; V. L. Hopkins, Summerfield, 
 Ala., and Apalachicola, Fla. ; D. C. Van Norman, Rutger's 
 Female College; and J. B. Hurlburt, Victoria College. 
 Di-s. S. M. Vail, Henry Bannister, and W. X. Ninde occu- 
 pied chairs in Garrett Biblical Institute. Of the students of 
 tlie first decade were Drs. Luke Hitchcock, L. L. Knox, 
 Bostwick Hawley, and others who filled professorships in 
 various academies and colleges. 
 
 All along in its history this institution has been honored 
 by the graduation of pupils of both sexes who have filled hon- 
 orable and useful positions in life. Principal Clements gives 
 the following corroboration of our statement : 
 
 Among them are those who have filled some of the most prominent 
 positions within the gift of a free people. Legislators, governors, gen- 
 erals, judges, bishops, and litterateurs have received their early educa- 
 tion within its walls. They are found in nearly every part of the 
 
140 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 globe, not only amid the energy and stir of cities, but also on the 
 frontiers, pushing on the car of civilization and progress. No human 
 arithmetic can estimate the intellectual and moral power that such an 
 institution exerts through so large a body of alumni. From careful 
 computation it has been found that more than six hundred young men 
 have here prepared for college, three thousand have been here con- 
 verted to Christ, one thousand entered the Christian ministry, four 
 hundred the law, four hundred the practice of medicine ; more than one 
 thousand are successful business men; fifteen hundred are engaged as 
 teachers in colleges, academies, and other schools; and nearly all have 
 pursued or are pursuing honorable and useful callings. They consti- 
 tute a roll of honor of which the seminary may justly be proud, and 
 which may well bring joy to the hearts of those who have aided in the 
 development of such characters. 
 
 Still another element of success is the uniform religious 
 character of the institution. Of this Rev. Dr. Reddj has 
 written : 
 
 Cazenovia Seminary has ever been distinguished for its strong and 
 healthful religious influence. Multitudes have been born of God within 
 its walls. We have seen how the faith and zeal of its first principal 
 gave the key-note to the religious harmony which has since rung out on 
 the ear of the Church and the world. Mr. Larrabee's views and spirit 
 were akin to those of Mr. Porter, and he gave expression of them in his 
 inaugural address in speaking of '" the influence of religion " in its dis- 
 ciplinary effects on the moral character and habits, and its expanding 
 influence on the mind. Attempts have been made to establish literary 
 institutions on the ground of infidelity, but the efforts have ever proved 
 abortive. Science can never breathe freely except in an atmosphere 
 rendered salubrious by healthful breezes from the Christian paradise. 
 Give us philosophy and religion united. 
 
 In illustration take these two cases : Hon. James Calla- 
 nan, of Des Moines, Iowa, educated at this institution, and 
 the Christian giver of $25,000, in gratitude for advantages 
 there received ; and Rev. Dr. J. P. Newman, who has 
 
Cazenovia Seminary. 141 
 
 arisen to erudition aud masterly eloquence, the foundations 
 of which were laid at this his lionored alma mater. Many 
 other instances of the happy blending of education and relig- 
 ion there nurtured might be cited. Without doubt the 
 positively religious character of the seminary did much to 
 promote its prosperity. 
 
 This school has also had connected with it several literary 
 and religious associations that have contributed not a little 
 to its character and efficiency. The oldest is the Temper- 
 ance Society, organized December, 1830. Very popular at 
 first, it included both teachers and pupils. Its pledge was in 
 accord with the genius of reform at that early time, and was 
 subsequently so modified as to keep in harmony, with the 
 advancing sentiments of the times. For several years this 
 organization served the purposes of a debating society, and 
 continues in active force. 
 
 The seminary Lyceum, which still lives, was organized 
 November, 1833, by the enrolling of the names of nine 
 young men at the first meeting, who also were its charter 
 members, as follows : the late B. F. Tefi*t, D.D., LL.D., ed- 
 itor and author ; Cutler F. Field, attorney at law ; the late 
 Professor W. M. Marsh ; William F. Bailey, son of the late 
 Bishop Bailey, of Canada ; II. F. Martin, attorney ; De Witt 
 C. Yosburg, late of Binghamton, N. Y. ; the late Rev. Pro- 
 fessor George B. Cone ; the late Hon. Charles II. Doolittle ; 
 and Delos Hopkins. The fiftietli^ anniversary of this society 
 was duly celebrated in connection with a recent commence- 
 ment of the seminary. 
 
 The Theological and Missionary Society was organized in 
 1835, for the purpose of affording to candidates for the minist 
 try, and others, special opportunities for improvement within 
 the broad lines indicated by its name. The committee to draft 
 
142 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 a form of constitution were : Anson W. Cummings, tlie pro- 
 jector of this volume ; Silas Fitch,* a useful divine and edu- 
 cator ; and Miss Clark, then of the Free-Will Baptist Church. 
 The now venerable Isaac L. Hunt was its first president. In 
 1841 this society was so modified as to admit to membership 
 resident members of the Annual Conference, when Rev. 
 Elias Bowen, D.D., became president ; Principal G. G. Hap- 
 good, D.D., vice-president; Professor Bostwick Hawlej, 
 D.D., secretary ; and Professor J. L. Alverson, LL.D., treas- 
 urer. Of these later gentlemen Mr. Hawley alone survives. 
 
 The Delta Phi, a secret fraternity, had only a brief exist- 
 ence. The Philomatheian Society, organized in 1843, has 
 had a continuous and useful career, possesses a good library, 
 and has an enrolled membership of more than one thousand, 
 of whom some have risen to distinction as lovers of learning. 
 The Adelphian is the youngest, has an ample and well-fur- 
 nished hall for its meetings, and is in a prosperous condition. 
 
 This brief outline of the origin and history of Cazenovia 
 Seminary shows, in part only, the position which the pio- 
 neers of American Methodism held on the subject of popu- 
 lar and of higher education at a time when those who were 
 ignorant of the origin and genius of this Church derided her 
 ministry, methods, and people. " But wisdom is justified of 
 her children." To-day this Church stands second to no other 
 in her high aims and usefulness in all that constitutes a body 
 of intelligent, scholarly, and useful people. For the promo- 
 tion of these grand aims and results the Cazenovia Seminary 
 ranks high in the corps of agencies. 
 
 * Died since this article was written. 
 
Maine Wesley an Seminary and Female College. 143 
 
 CHAPTER lY. 
 
 MAINE WESLEYAN SEMINARY AND FEMALE COLLEGK 
 
 BY GEXERAL JOHN J. PERRY. 
 
 In 1821 Luther Sampson, of Readfield, in the State of 
 Maine, a respectable farmer of that town, conceived the idea 
 of a school for the better education of persons designing to 
 enter the Methodist ministry. He first set apart one hun- 
 dred and forty acres of land on Kent's Hill, built thereon a 
 house, barn, and other outbuildings, supplied the establish- 
 ment with furniture, farming tools, and stock — the whole 
 costing about $4,500 — to which he added notes of hand 
 amounting to $5,500, making in all $10,000. 
 
 An act of incorporation was procured, under the name of 
 tlie "Eeadfield Religious and Charitable Society," which 
 provided for a board of six trustees. To this board the prop- 
 erty was conveyed in 1821, Mr. Sampson drawing his own 
 deed with an exactness and skill which would have done 
 credit to an expert draughtsman. 
 
 The school was commenced the same year as a manual- 
 labor school, the students working five hours a day to pay 
 for their board. The idea was popular, and there was quite 
 a rush, especially of young men of moderate means, to the 
 school. 
 
 A cheap school building, three stories high, whose walls 
 were of the width of a single brick, was erected by the 
 trnstees. 
 
 The school, from the time it was opened, up to 1825, was 
 taught, first by Mr. Henry Baker, and then by Mr. Sullivan 
 
144: Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Waiigb, a graduate of Bowdoin College, liis father at that 
 time being a resident of Kent's Hill. 
 
 It should be here remarked that Elihu Eobinson had 
 a small private Bchool at Augusta prior to this, which, 
 through the influence of Mr. Sampson, he removed to Kent's 
 Hill. This was the commencement of the " Sampson " 
 School. 
 
 The charter was amended in 1825, and the board of trust- 
 ees enlarged from six to twenty-five, and the name was 
 changed to " Maine Weslejan Seminary." 
 
 The same year Rev. Zenas Caldwell, a graduate of Bow- 
 doin College, was elected principal. Mr. Caldwell was a 
 young man of brilliant talents, the chum of ex-President 
 Franklin Pierce, while in college, and the first Methodist 
 graduate of a college in New England. His administra- 
 tion, as principal of the school, was a marked success. The 
 health of Mr. Caldwell gradually gave way until the fall of 
 1826, when he was obliged to leave the school, and went 
 home to his father's, in Oxford, to die, at the early age of 
 twenty-six. 
 
 At the spring term, 1827, Joshua Randall, Jr., was em- 
 ployed as principal, and there were ninety-one scholars in 
 attendance. He afterward studied law, practiced in Dixfield, 
 Me., and other places, and always held a respectable rank 
 in his profession. A Dr. Stevens was also employed a por- 
 tion of the spring term as teacher in connection with Mr. 
 Randall. 
 
 In the fall of 1827 William C. Larrabee and Merritt Cald- 
 well, then in their junior year in Bowdoin College, were in 
 charge of the school. Dr. Larrabee, in one of his posthu- 
 mous paper.^, says : " Mr. Caldwell and myself entered upon 
 our duties as co-ordinate teachers, with equal authority, and 
 
Maine Wesleyan Seminary and Female College. 145 
 
 the term was a pleasant and prosperous one. The school was 
 large, and we got along in perfect harmony." 
 
 In 1828 Merritt Caldwell, before named, a brother of Rev. 
 Zenas Caldwell, having graduated with high honors, was 
 elected principal, and he held the place continnously until 
 1834, when lie resigned to accept a professorship in Dickin- 
 son College, which place he held up to the time of his death. 
 Mr. Caldwell was a fine scholar, a thorough, skillful teacher. 
 Ilis administration were years of uninterrupted prosperity. 
 His first term was attended by one hundred and twenty-four 
 students, his last by one hundred and seventy-nine. There 
 was a gradual increase in the number of students during his 
 entire administration. 
 
 Among the assistant teachers under Mr. Caldwell were 
 William H. Allen, subsequently professor in Dickinson Col- 
 lege, president of Pennsylvania Agricultural College, and 
 for many years president of Girard College ; Charles Col- 
 lins, who, for a long period, presided over colleges in the 
 Southern and Middle States; and Judge James Bell, a 
 lawyer who, during his life-time, held many important pub- 
 lic trusts, and died a few years since at his home in Skow- 
 hegan. Me. 
 
 Of the many students during Mr. Caldwell's term of office 
 who in after life occupied distinguished positions in the world 
 may be mentioned Gen. Seth Williams, U. S. A. ; ex-Mayor 
 Franklin Mussey, of Bangor; Postmaster-General and United 
 States Senator Timothy O. Howe, of Wisconsin ; Pev. Dr. 
 Joseph Cummings, of the Wesleyan University, and now of 
 the North-western Univei*sity ; Dr. Thomas Sewell, late of 
 Washington ; Bishop Davis W. Clark; ex-United States Sen- 
 ator David H. Armstrong, of Missouri ; Gen. John J. Perry 
 and Hon. E. K. Smai*t, members of Congress from Maine ; 
 
146 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Judges Parker Tuck and Nathan Longfellow; Paymaster 
 Bridges, of tlie United States !N"avj; Rev. Edward Cook, 
 j^resident of Lawrence University, Wilbraham Academy, and 
 Claflin University ; and Hon. E. B. Washburn, ex-Secretary 
 of State, Minister to France, and eighteen years member of 
 Congress. 
 
 Rev. William C. Larrabee, LL.D., the chum of Mr. Cald- 
 well in college, was elected principal to fill the vacancy occa- 
 sioned by the resignation of the latter, and he entered uj)on 
 his duties at the fall term, 1835. 
 
 Rev. Benjamin F. Tefft, D.D., LL.D., since a distinguished 
 teacher, preacher, and author, was Mr. Larrabee's assistant. 
 
 Dr. Larrabee held his position until 1840. Mr. Teift re- 
 mained assistant four years, when he resigned and entered 
 the ministry. Rev. Charles F. Allen, D.D., then an under- 
 graduate in Bowdoin College, took his place and tauglit one 
 term. 
 
 In scholarship and solid learning Dr. Larrabee was not 
 inferior to either of his distinguished predecessors. But in 
 many respects he was unlike either. Merritt Caldwell had 
 a cool, well-poised, calculating mind, and, upon slight 
 acquaintance, appeared distant, and not easily approached. 
 Dr. Larrabee had a genial nature, in which the social ele- 
 ment predominated, and, without form or ceremony, he at 
 once put every one at ease who approached him. As a 
 teacher he was an enthusiast, and his pupils very natui-ally 
 caught the inspiration, and made rapid progress in their 
 studies. In discipline he made little show of the form of 
 government, and it was very seldom that a student took 
 advantage of him. 
 
 As to his success at Kent's Hill, Dr. Tefft, who was so 
 long associated with him, says, in a letter : " The school at 
 
Maine Wesley an Seminary and Female College. 147 
 
 once filled up to its utmost capacity, the whole system of 
 classification and study was revised, and considerably ex- 
 panded; great pains were taken to elevate the standard 
 of scholarship, and rouse the ambition of pupils; a lofty 
 tone of religious and literary feeling prevailed within its 
 walls." 
 
 Dr. Larrabee found the school with one hundred and 
 seventy-four scholars, and left it with two hundred and 
 twenty seven, a record of which any man might feel justly 
 proud. Dr. Larrabee had, also, as an assistant in the classical 
 department, Mr. Andrew M. Walsh, a native of Ireland, and 
 graduate of Dublin University. He was a man of scholarly 
 ability, a perfect cyclopedia of knowledge. 
 
 About this time the institution became involved in deep 
 financial embarrassment. The furniture shop, in which some 
 fifty or sixty students had up to this time worked to pay 
 their board, proved a great financial failure. The goods 
 made therein proved of so poor a quality that they would 
 scarcely bring enough to pay for the stock out of which 
 they were manufactured. The pet scheme of a "man- 
 ual-labor department," desirable as it was, proved a com- 
 plete financial failure, and had to be abandoned by the 
 trustees. 
 
 The institution was heavily in debt, creditors became im- 
 patient, and suits were commenced, executions recovered, 
 and served upon the treasurer. All available funds, consist- 
 ing of notes and accounts, were turned over to the creditors, 
 leaving a large balance of debt unprovided for. 
 
 In the winter of 1841 Kev. Stephen Allen, D.D., then 
 teacher of mathematics in Troy Conference Academy, was 
 elected principal of the seminary. In March following he 
 iciiioved to Kent's Hill and entered upon his work. The 
 
148 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 condition of the institution was a great surprise to liinij and 
 every thing looked discouraging. 
 
 The institution, however, liad become widely known, and 
 had acquired celebrity as a school ; students in large num- 
 bers continued to flock to it, in spite of \ery uninviting ac- 
 commodations, and the school went on performing a grand 
 service by the hard work and sacrifices of the teachers. 
 
 The school again opened with an encouraging number 
 of students. Mr. G. W. Jewett was the cliief assistant, 
 and Miss Mary Ann Moody was preceptress. They were 
 thorough teachers. The term was successful, and the 
 exhibition passed off with the usual eclat 
 
 Mr. Jewett and Miss Moody then resigned, and Charles F. 
 Allen, A.B., a recent graduate of Bowdoin College, was chosen 
 assistant, and rendered excellent service. Mr. Allen subse- 
 quently became a distinguished preacher. He received from 
 liis ahna mater, and also from the Wesleyan University, 
 the honorary title of D.D. Miss Caroline Sturdevant was 
 chosen preceptress. In the fall of 1843 Mr. C. F. Allen 
 having entered the ministry, Henry P. Torsey was chosen 
 assistant. 
 
 At the close of the academic year, June, 1844, tlie princi- 
 pal, finding the financial burden heavier than he could bear, 
 and suffering in health, resigned his office, and entered the 
 ministry of the Maine Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 Dr. Allen was a fine scholar, a faithful teacher, and, not- 
 withstanding the embarrassments which seemed to meet him 
 at every point, did excellent work for the institution. 
 Subsequently, as financial agent, and in the erection of 
 Sampson Hall, he did a grand work, which will long be 
 remembered by the friends of the school. 
 
Maine TVesleyan Seminary and Female College. 149 
 
 Henry P. Torsey, the assistant, was elected principal, and 
 entered upon his duties at the fall term of 1844. B. W. 
 Norris was assistant, and Miss Emma J. Robinson (since the 
 wife of Dr. Torsey), preceptress. Students attending tliis 
 term — males, forty-eight; females, thirty-four. It was a 
 dark day for the institution. It hung, trembling in the 
 balance, between life and death. The trustees became 
 entirely discouraged, and at the session of the Maine Con- 
 ference, at Bangor, in the previous August, resigned the 
 trust to it — in accordance with a provision in the deed by 
 which the real estate of the seminary was held in the con- 
 veyance to them. The Conference promptly declined to 
 accept the trust. 
 
 Soon after the tnistees met at Kent's Hill, and decided to 
 make one more effort to retrieve the affairs of the institution. 
 Eev. Daniel B. Randall, a member of the Maine Conference, 
 was engaged to act as agent to raise money to settle with the 
 creditors of the institution, to beg up the scholarships, and to 
 erect a new seminary building. 
 
 Luther Sampson, the founder of the institution, was then 
 living, and cheerfully concurred with the trustees in cancel- 
 ing certain annuities, which had become burdensome, and 
 advanced $1,500 toward the erection of the new building. 
 Mr. Allen relinquished a claim of §1,000 due him for serv- 
 ices. Rev. Ezekiel Robinson, then and long afterward a 
 leading and influential preacher in the Maine Conference, took 
 a deep and lively interest, and rendered very important aid, in 
 this enterprise. AVith the efficient aid and encouragement 
 rendered him the agent was successful. The debts of the 
 institution were settled at a large discount. The scholar- 
 ships, or claims for tuition, were surrendered, and funds se- 
 cured for the erection of a new building. Henry P. Toi*sey, 
 
150 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 the new principal, then in the vigor of early manhood, com- 
 menced his grand career of thirty-eight years of administra- 
 tion at the head of the school, and resolved not only to save 
 it, but to make it an institution worthy of the denomination 
 and an honor to the State. At this point the seminary 
 made a new departure. The catalogue for the year ending 
 June, 1846, gave pretty sure evidences of returning prosper- 
 ity. The students numbered ninety-eight gentlemen and 
 sixty-five ladies, an increase of eighty-two, tlms doubling tlie 
 number of pupils. The next year the number run up to 
 two hundred and fourteen. In 1848 it had three hundred 
 and fourteen ; and at the end of the decade, 1850, with but 
 two terms in the year, the aggregate attendance was three 
 hundred and two. 
 
 The limits of this article will oblige me to pass over the 
 next decade, from 1850 to 1860, with only brief references 
 to some of the improvements and advances made. 
 
 Dr. Torsey, during these ten years, remained at the liead of 
 the scliool, and had as teacher in the chissical and mathemat- 
 ical departments the Rev. .Francis A. Robinson, A.M., Ph.D., 
 who occupied the position of professor in the school for over 
 twenty years, when he resigned to accept a professorship in 
 the Pennsylvania Agricultural College. He was afterward 
 professor in the R. B. Dunn normal department four years, 
 and one of the most popular teachers in the seminary. Mrs. 
 Emma J. Torsey was preceptress up to 1859, a period of 
 fourteen years. The school became so large that other teach- 
 ers had to be employed, and among them Miss Phronie B. 
 Robinson was a popular teacher of drawing and painting for 
 twenty-four years. In 1856 three hundred and seventy-four 
 students were enrolled. The large increase in the attend- 
 ance of the ladies was owing to tlie establishment of a female 
 
Maine Wesley an Seminary and Female College. 151 
 
 depai'tiueiit, designed to give ladies a tlioroiigli tlirce or four 
 years' course of study. 
 
 The name of the school was al)out this time changed to 
 "Maine AVesleyau Seminary and Female Collegiate Insti- 
 tute," which three last words were afterward changed, by act 
 of the Legislature, to the more sensible name of " Female 
 College," by which it is now known. By this time better 
 scliool accommodations became an absolute necessity. I 
 have before me a circular, signed by Dr. Stephen Allen, 
 agent, under date of May 10, 1856, in which he says: "The 
 friends of the Maine Wesleyan Seminary have recently un- 
 dertaken to erect a new edifice that will contain boarding 
 accommodations for one hundred and fifty students." The 
 building here spoken of, now known as " Sampson Hall," was 
 completed arnd dedicated in 1859. 
 
 By the generosity of individuals, and some of the Method- 
 ist churches, the interior was finished and furnished. This 
 building contains a chapel, parlors, recitation -rooms, and 
 boarding accommodations for one hundred and forty stu- 
 dents, cost over $50,000, and is one of the best school build- 
 ings of the kind in the country. The erection of this edifice 
 was, at the time, a great undertaking, but it was nobly met 
 by the friends of the school. Dr. Stephen Allen, then acting 
 as financial agent, had the oversight of the work, and not 
 only proved himself a good financier, but a safe, prudent, 
 energetic business man. He managed to keep the credit of 
 the institution in good repute, and, with remarkable tact, 
 carried the enterprise through to a successful termination. 
 
 The establishment of a full college course for ladies, con- 
 ferring upon them the degree of Artiinn Baccalcturea^ was 
 a step in advance of any other school in New England. The 
 grand position assumed by this school in regard to female 
 
152 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 education was an " alarm bell " to the regular colleges, who 
 very soon opened their doors to women — not as a matter of 
 choice, but of necessity. 
 
 The lirst college graduate from the institution was Miss 
 Lizzie A., daughter of Dr. Stephen Allen, in 1862, and not a 
 single commencement has since passed without graduating 
 more or less from the college course ; in 1868 thirteen young 
 ladies graduating. And to the credit of its college graduates 
 it should be said, that they stand second to none in literary 
 attainments or scholarship, either as teachers or in the 
 learned professions. 
 
 The next decade, from 1860 to 13Y0, was a period of unin- 
 terrupted prosperity. The spring catalogue of 1860 showed 
 the whole number of students for the year to be four hundred 
 and fifty-two ; that of 1870, five hundred and thirty-two. 
 
 At this time the school had become so large that a new 
 building seenied necessary, as the classes were every-where 
 crowded. And here, again, the friends of the institution 
 came to the rescue. 
 
 Samuel K. Bearce, Esq., a lumber merchant of Lewiston, 
 and a man of wealth, who had already been a liberal donor 
 to the school, and who had for many years been one of tbe 
 trustees, came forward and offered to give some $25,000 
 toward the erection of a new building, provided the sum 
 could be made up to at least $40,000. 
 
 The proposition was met, and the result was the erection 
 of the splendid structure known as "Bearce Hall," costing 
 about $45,000. This is one of the most elegant and beautiful 
 school buildings to be found in the country. Mr. Bearce 
 was one of the best friends the school ever had, and at liis 
 death, in addition to all his former gifts, he left the institu- 
 tion a legacy of $13,000, which it lias since received. In 
 
Maine Wesleyan Seminary and Female College. 153 
 
 the tower of Bearce Hall was placed a large, fine-toned bell, 
 a gift from the Hon. James G. Blaine. 
 
 From 1870 to 1880 the institution continued to prosper. 
 The average number of students per year during this 
 decade was over five hundred and fifty, and in numbers the 
 gentlemen led the ladies only a small per cent. 
 
 In 1882 Henry P. Torsey, D.D., LL.D., who had been a 
 continuous teacher in the school thirty-nine years— one year 
 as assistant, and thirty-eight years as president— declined 
 a re-election. For thirty-eight years he had been annually 
 re-elected by the board of trustees president of the institu- 
 tion. He took the school when it was bankrupt, without 
 suitable buildings or financial credit, and comparatively 
 without pupils or friends, and for years, assisted only by 
 Francis A. Robinson, and his estimable wife, Mrs. Emma J. 
 Torsey, in the teaching department, receiving with them, by 
 way of salaries, nothing but the scanty amounts collected for 
 tuition, amounting to a few hundred dollars, and has brought 
 it up to the rank and condition of one of the most prosper- 
 ous popular literary institutions in the whole country. 
 
 Dr. Torsey possesses naturally a strong, vigorous constitu- 
 tion, capable of great physical endurance, yet the wear and 
 tear to both body and mind of nearly forty years' continuous 
 hard work in this institution was too great a strain upon him, 
 and for several years before he left the school he suffered 
 greatly from bodily indisposition, produced by overwork. 
 
 Dr. Toi*sey has had during his life-time under his care at 
 least twenty thousand students, and, as a popular educator, 
 stands second to none in the country. These students are 
 scattered all over the country, many of them being indebted 
 to the doctor not only for instruction, but for financial aid, 
 when struggling for an education. Many of hit? old pupils 
 
154 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 have acquired eminence and distinction in the literary, pro- 
 fessional, and political world, thereby reflecting great credit 
 on their alma mater ^ and the distinguished teacher, who so 
 long stood at its head. Dr. Torsey is now ^''Emeritus pro- 
 fessor " of metaphysics in the institution, and its acting finan- 
 cial agent, and, although broken down in health, has lost 
 none of his old-time interest in the success of the institution. 
 
 Dr. Torsey was succeeded by Kev. Edgar M. Smith, A.M., 
 as president. Mr. Smith is a graduate of the Wesleyan Uni- 
 versity at Middletown, Conn., of the class of 1871, and was 
 for some time a tutor in that institution. He subsequently 
 entered the regular ministry and occupied some of the most 
 important appointments in the old Providence Conference. 
 In his present position he has already acquired an excellent 
 standing, and shown himself a gentleman well qualified for 
 the responsible trust. He is a fine scholar, an apt, thorough 
 teacher, and popular with his students. 
 
 Rev. Joseph L. Morse, A.M., for years was professor of 
 ancient languages, and was a very thorough, popular teacher. 
 In 1880 he resigned his position to accept a position in the 
 North-western University at Evanston, 111. 
 
 Rev. A. Fittsroy Chase, A.M., was also a successful teacher, 
 as professor of mathematics and English literature for many 
 years. He is now principal of the East Maine Conference 
 Seminary at Bucksport. Among those who have made large 
 contributions to the seminary are the late Luther Sampson, 
 $11,500; Eliphalet Clark, M.D., late of Portland, $50,000; 
 Samuel A. Bearce, late of Lewiston, $35,000 ; Hon. Reuben 
 B. Dunn, of Waterville, $11,000; Hon. William Deering, of 
 Chicago, $11,000 ; Rev. E. Gammon, of Chicago, $7,000. 
 
 The value of the property now owned by the institution is 
 over $200,000, and not encumbered with debts. The legacy 
 
Maine Wesleyan Seminary and Female College. 155 
 
 of the late Dr. E. Clark, of $50,000, will not, probably, uiulur 
 the teriiifi of the will, be available for about ten years. 
 
 The whole number of students who have been, in whole or 
 in part, educated at this institution are over twenty-five thou- 
 sand. Of these about eight thousand became teachers, five 
 hundred clergymen, four hundred physicans, three hundred 
 and fifty attorneys. Three hundred have received diplomas 
 as regular graduates from the courses. 
 
156 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTEE Y. 
 
 THE GENESEE WESLEYAN SEMINARY. 
 
 BY J. E. BILLS, D.D. 
 
 By the division of the Genesee Conference, in 1828, the 
 institution of learning known as the seminary of the Genesee 
 Conference fell into the territory of the Oneida Conference. 
 At the first session after the division, 1829, at Perry, N. Y., 
 on motion of Glezen Fillmore and Loring Grant, a committee 
 was appointed to obtain information, and, at the next session, 
 report a plan for the erection of a seminary within the bounds 
 of the Genesee Conference. The proposition was adopted 
 with enthusiasm, and Glezen Fillmore, Abner Chase, Loring 
 Grant, Asa Abell, and John Copeland were appointed the 
 committee. 
 
 This committee entered vigorously upon its work, canvass- 
 ing the entire territory, and receiving propositions from the 
 towns and villages solicitous of securing the advantages of 
 such an institution. At the next Conference, held in Eoch- 
 ester, 1830, the committee reported that very cordial invi- 
 tations and generous aid had been tendered by the citizens of 
 Perry, Lima, Henrietta, Le Eoy, and Brockport, to secure the 
 location of the seminary at one of these places. 
 
 Having explained the conditions attending the propositions 
 of these several places, the committee concluded by recom- 
 mending Lima, as the most eligible and available place for 
 the proposed school. The committee also recommended that 
 the title of the institution should be Genesee Weslcyan Sem- 
 inary, to be under the control of a board of nine trustees, five 
 
The Genesee Wesleyan Seminary. V67 
 
 of wlioin should be meinbers of tlie Genesee Conference ; 
 the property to be managed by the board of trustees, and 
 the trustees and a board of visitors to constitute a joint board 
 to employ teachers and other agents for conducting the 
 seminary. These recommendations were adopted by the 
 Conference. Lima became the location, and Revs. Abner 
 Chase, Glezcn Fillmore, Eichard Wright, Loring Grant, 
 Micah S eager, Francis Smith, and Messrs. A. A. Bennett, 
 Erastus Clark, and Ruel Blake were elected the first board 
 of trustees. The first board of visitors were Revs. Asa Abell, 
 J. Huestis, Israel Chamberlayne, M. Tooker, and C. Y. Ad- 
 gate, from the Conference ; also Rev. John Barnard, John 
 Lawber, Dr. C. Bannister, and Dr. T. M. Town. The same- 
 Conference appointed Loring Grant, J. Copeland, G. Laning, 
 Mr. Asahel House, and Mr. Frederick House a building com- 
 mittee, with Loring Grant as superintendent of the building, 
 and John Copeland was elected the first agent. 
 
 These boards and committees entered at once upon their 
 several duties. The building was put under contract on the 
 4th of January, 1831, to be completed on the 1st of Marcli, 
 1832. The edifice was to be of stone. The main south 
 front was to be one hundred and thirty feet, with a depth of 
 forty feet, three stories high, with a basement and an observ- 
 atory. There were to be two wings, twenty-four by fifty 
 feet, and two stories high. The cost was something less than 
 $20,000. At the first meeting, the board of trustees was per- 
 manently organized by the election of Rev. Abner Chase as 
 president, and Augustus A. Bennett as secretary. A corre- 
 spondence was opened by the secretary to secure teachei*s to 
 be ready for the opening of the school on the 1st of May, 1832. 
 Uev. John P. Durbin, A.M., tlien professor of languages in 
 Augusta College, was tendered the principalship, but was not 
 
158 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 able to accept the position. On tlie 18th of January, 1832, 
 Eev. John Dempster was elected principal, and Kev. Samuel 
 Luckej was the substitute, if Mr. Dempster sliould decline 
 the position. At the same meeting of the board Thomas J. 
 Rugar, A. B., was elected professor of mathematics ; John 
 Hutton, A. B., professor of languages; D. B. Wakefield, 
 teacher of English ; Lord Sterling, assistant in English ; and 
 Miss Eliza S. Eogers, teacher in the female department. 
 
 The salary of the principal was fixed at $700 ; the teachers 
 of mathematics and languages, each $500 ; the teacher of 
 English, $400 ; his assistant, $200 ; the preceptress, $120 and 
 board; and the agent, $325. The steward. Rev. Loring 
 Grant, was allowed $350, and a home in the institution. At 
 a meeting of the trustees, April 10, 1832, rules were made 
 for the institution, a course of study was prescribed, the prices 
 of board and tuition were fixed, and Dr. Dempster hav- 
 ing declined, Samuel Luckey, D.D., was urged to accept the 
 principalship, which he did, taking a transfer from the New 
 York to the Genesee Conference for that purpose. All the 
 other teachers accepted the positions tendered, and reported 
 for duty at the opening of the term. At this meeting of 
 the board the following announcement was issued : 
 
 The Genesee Wesley an Seminary. — This institution has been 
 established in the town of Lima, Livingston County, N. Y., under the 
 patronage of the Genesee Annual Conference of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church. Its original design contemplates instruction in letters and 
 science, combined with agriculture and the mechanic arts. The means 
 within reach of its patrons have not as yet been sufficient to enable 
 them to carry all these plans into full operation. Yet in furtherance of 
 these plans a board of executive officers has been constituted. A com- 
 manding site and farm have been secured, a commodious building 
 erected, a competent faculty procured, a course of study prescribed, 
 by-laws enacted, and arrangements made to open the school on the first 
 
The Gknesee Wesley ajj Seminary. 159 
 
 Wednesday in May, 1832. It is hardly necessary to add that the prin. 
 ciples which are to govern and characterize the school are perfectly 
 liberal; every thing of a sectarian cast has been excluded from the course 
 of instruction. 
 
 The doors of the Genesee Weslejan Seminary opened as 
 thus announced, though the building was unfinished, and but 
 partially furnished. The grounds had not yet been graded, 
 or the several departments furnished with the needed facili- 
 ties, and the trustees lacked the means to supply these defi- 
 ciencies. The students found that the accommodations 
 were not luxurious, neither were the charges exorbitant. 
 Tuition in the common English branches was $3, and in 
 the higher branches $5, per quai'ter. In the ladies' depart- 
 ment tuition was $3, and music $5, per quarter. Board, 
 w^'th lodging, washing, fuel and lights, was $1 50 per week. 
 Eoom rent, $1 50 per quarter. These prices were so low 
 that they might suggest provision only for juveniles. But 
 the students during the first year were far from being juve- 
 niles. They were young people approaching man's estate 
 and womanhood, and were full of self-respect. 
 
 At the close of the year the faculty reported that the en- 
 rollment had been three hundred and forty-one — two hundred 
 and thirty gentlemen and one hundred and eleven ladies. 
 Classes had been instructed in universal geography, logic, 
 elements of criticism, metaphysics, geometry, surveying, nat- 
 ural philosophy, chemistry, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, rhetoric, 
 history, moral philosopliy, natural theology, algebra, conic 
 sections, astronomy, French, and drawing. During the first 
 year, or at its close, several changes occurred in the faculty, so 
 that at the opening of the second year the roll of instructors 
 stood: Samuel Luckey, D.D., principal; T. J. Rugar, A.B., 
 mathematics ; John Ilutton, A.B., languages ; Elisha Ilyde^ 
 
160 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 primary department; Lord Sterling, assistant; Miss Eliza 
 S. Eogers, preceptress ; Miss Eliza Beecher, assistant ; Miss 
 Caroline E. Webber, teacher of music and drawing. Rev. 
 Gideon Laning and Rev. Wilbur Hoag were added to the 
 list of agents. During this year Professor Hutton retired, 
 and Lockwood Hoyt, A.M., became professor of ancient and 
 modern languages, and literature ; W. H. Goodwin became 
 assistant in English ; William Pengra was steward. Three 
 hundred and seventy-six students were enrolled during this 
 year. The first act incorporating the seminary was not ac- 
 ceptable to the friends of the school, but an amended charter, 
 granted early in 1834, pleased all parties. It discontinued 
 the board of visitors as a part of the corporation, and 
 increased the number of trustees to thirteen. In 1834 Dr. 
 Luckey was permitted to be absent on account of ill health, 
 and Professor Rugar was the acting principal. Dr. Luckey 
 finally retired in May, 1836, to accept the editorship of 
 "The Christian Advocate and Journal." Rev. Schuyler 
 Seager, A.M., became principal at the opening of the term 
 in September, 1837. During the interval Professor Hoyt 
 performed the duties of principal. Steady progress and 
 marked improvement attended the institution through the 
 remainder of the first decade. A few changes in the faculty 
 occurred. Professor Rugar was succeeded in 1835 by John 
 Barker in the chair of mathematics, w^ho acceptably occupied 
 it until 1839, when he was called to a professorship in Alle- 
 gheny College, and to the vice-presidentship of the institution. 
 Rev. George C. Whitlock succeeded Mr. Barker at Lima. 
 Professor Hoyt continued at the head of the department of 
 languages through this decade, assisted at different times by 
 George Loomis and William T. Curtis. In March, 1842, 
 Rev. George Loomis, A.M., succeeded Daniel J. Pinckney, 
 
The Genesee Wesley an Seminary. 161 
 
 as professor of natural science. Miss Eogers resigned her 
 position as preceptress in 1835. Miss Tripliena Holmes tilled 
 the place for one year, and Miss Maria Hyde entered it for 
 two years; Miss Eogers then returned as the wife of the 
 principal, Mr. Seager. They both retired in 1844. The 
 average attendance of students during this period was four 
 hundred and five. In the early morning of May 26, 1842, 
 the seminary building was discovered to be on fire. Its de- 
 struction was the work of but an hour. No lives were lost, 
 and most of the furniture, the apparatus, and library were 
 saved. The town-hall was secured for recitation, the students 
 found accommodations in the homes of the citizens, and the 
 school continued without loss of time. The loss was $25,000, 
 on which there was an insurance of $12,000. The tire was 
 believed to be incendiary, but no evidence to convict the sus- 
 pected party came to light. 
 
 Four days later the deliberations of the trustees were inter- 
 rupted by the announcement that the citizens of Lima had, 
 in valid subscriptions, raised the sum of $5,000. This at the 
 moment seemed like a voice from Heaven calling upon the 
 board to go forward and rebuild. Words of encouragement 
 came from pastors and churches in all parts of the Confer- 
 ence. Twenty-two days later a building committee was ap- 
 pointed and a contract made for the erection of a new build- 
 ing. Tiie men who founded this institution had grown dur- 
 ing the tirst ten years of its history. Their plans for the 
 new editice were correspondingly enlarged. 
 
 The new editice was to have a frontage of one hundred 
 and forty-four feet, with wings ninety-six feet in depth ; 
 all to be four stories high, with basement interimlly greatly 
 improved. Sixty days after the conflagration the corner- 
 stone of this enlarged building was laid. Rev. John Cope- 
 
162 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 land made the prayer, and Principal Seager delivered the 
 address. On the 12th of January, 1843, the new building 
 was opened ; Stephen Olin, D.D., president of the Wesleyan 
 University, delivered an elaborate and masterly address, 
 which appears in the second volume of his published works. 
 To the new and superior quarters provided the school was 
 immediately transferred. It entered npon its new career 
 with Professor Seagar as principal, and Mrs. Seager as pi*e- 
 ceptress. Lockwood Hoyt continued teacher of languages ; 
 George Loomis, of natural science; G. C. Whitlock, of 
 mathematics ; and most of the other teachers as during the 
 former decade. 
 
 The trustees at this period were Schuyler Seager, Thomas 
 Carlton, Asa Abell, John Parker, Gideon Draper, Allen 
 Steele, D. G. Shuart, S. Dusenberre, S. Spencer, Samuel 
 Luckey, J. B. Alverson, John Copeland, and John D. Brown. 
 During the thirteen years including the inauguration of the 
 enterprise, much space has been given to details, names of 
 trustees, officers, and teachers. What was done during these 
 years had a far-reaching influence. This was the formative 
 period. The high character which from the first until the 
 present day the school has sustained is due to the noble men 
 and women who so wisely planned and courageously executed 
 for the moral and intellectual training of its students. 
 
 In its general tone and purposes it is what they made it. 
 The curriculum and methods have been kept up to the 
 progress of the age, but its spirit is the spirit of the fathers 
 and founders. Its true friends must desire the dominance of 
 that spirit to the end. 
 
 During the seven years from the opening of the new 
 building the seminary made satisfactory progress, the high 
 average attendance of students was four hundred and eighty- 
 
The Genesee Wesley an Seminary. 163 
 
 five, many of them mature young ladies and gentlemen. In 
 1845 Mr. and Mrs. S eager vacated the positions of princi- 
 pal and preceptress. George Loomis and Miss Abigail C. 
 Rogers, the sister of Mrs. Seager, were elected as their suc- 
 cessors. They held these positions for three years, and were 
 followed by James L. Alverson, A.M., who for several pre- 
 ceding years had been a teacher in the school, and Mrs. Maria 
 H. Hibbard, who liad been two years preceptress prior to her 
 marriaire to Rev. Dr. F. G. Hibbard. There were but few 
 changes among the other teachers of this period. Stability 
 characterized every department of the institution. 
 
 Near the close of the second decade measures were taken 
 to organize Genesee College as a part of the seminary, and 
 3^et distinct in its essential features. A charter was obtained 
 in 1849, and within two years a president and professors 
 were secured, funds collected, a noble edifice erected on 
 the seminary campus, a large class of students matricu- 
 lated, and a college of high character opened. The good 
 infiuence of the college upon the seminary was strikingly 
 visible. 
 
 The attendance of students in the seminary arose from 
 four hundred and forty-four in 1849, to six hundred and 
 sixty-one the next year, and to one thousand and twenty- 
 nine in 1851, and in 1853 there were enrolled in the semi- 
 nary one thousand and fifty-eight. The elevating influence 
 of the college upon the scholarship of the seminary was 
 another marked feature. 
 
 The third decade, 1851, opened with "the hill" swarming 
 with students. The halls and class-rooms were full. The 
 public exercises of the societies, the anniversaries and com- 
 mencements, were occasions of the greatest enthusiasm. Gen- 
 erous rivalry was visible in the class and lecture rooms, in the 
 
164: Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 essays, declamations, and orations of the students in all de- 
 partments. 
 
 In 1851 Mr. Alverson was transferred from the principal- 
 ship of the seminary to a professorship in the college. His 
 successors in the seminary were Moses Crow, for three years ; 
 then for two years Dr. Sclmyler Seager, who was followed 
 by C. W. Bennett ; then C. R Pomeroy and Zenas Hurd. 
 Mrs. Hibbard retired in 1851 ; Miss Maria Kelley then 
 filled the place for two years, followed by Miss Elizabeth N". 
 Lapham, for eight years. At this period Rev. John Dennis 
 was agent and treasurer of the college, and had charge of the 
 financial interests of the seminary. The average enrollment 
 in the seminary for the third decade was eight hundred and 
 eleven per annum. 
 
 The agitation of the question of removing the college 
 eastward to a more central location had a depressing influ- 
 ence upon both institutions, which was marked by decreasing 
 numbers, and the loss of the enthusiasm of former years. 
 When, in 1871, the college ceased its functions at Lima — it was 
 not removed — the-seminary was staggering under the burden 
 of indifference, neglect, and bitterness, engendered under the 
 influence of the attempted removal of the college. The nar- 
 row limits allowed to this chapter will permit only the brief- 
 est reference to the later years of the seminary. The average 
 enrollment between 1871 and 1881 was three hundred and 
 thirty-six. From 1802 to 1872 the principalship was tilled 
 by Professor William Wells, now of Union College ; C. W. 
 Bennett, Spencer R Fuller, and Herbert F. Fisk, now of the 
 North-western University. Miss Hannah Case, Frances E. 
 Willard, Mrs. ^Y. C. Scylla, Emma L. Waite, and Mrs. Mary 
 E. Stone were successively in charge of the ladies' department. 
 W. P. Coddington, of the Syracuse University ; Charles G. 
 
The Genesee Wesleyan Seminaey. 165 
 
 Hudson ; S. A. Latimore, of Rochester University ; James H. 
 Hoose and George H. Bangs were teacliers in mathematics, 
 natural science, and languages. In 1872 George H. Bridg- 
 man became principal, and Miss Elizabeth Button preceptress. 
 W. E. Thompson, A.M., became teaclier in languages ; Adam 
 C. Works, A.M., mathematics and natural science ; and Mar- 
 Bena E. Pierce and Abby Barry, teachei*s of English. Miss 
 Pierce, now Mrs. W. E. Thompson, retired at the end of two 
 years, when Miss Emma Terry was elected to fill her place. 
 Miss Button resigned, after eight years of good service, and 
 became Mrs. E. T. Green, and Mrs. Anna E. Eice took and 
 still fills her place. Miss Barry retired in 1884, and her suc- 
 cessor is Rev. J. L. Davies, of the Genesee Conference. Called 
 to the presidency of Hamline University, Mr. Bridgman re- 
 signed the principalship, having, with ability, held the office 
 ten years. W. G. Williams nominally held the office of prin- 
 cipal for two years, but rendered only two terms of actual 
 service. Professors Works and Thompson did the work of 
 that department. In June, 1885, Rev. J. D. Phelps, A.M., 
 late of the Cazenovia Seminary, was elected principal, and is 
 now performing the duties of his office. The other teachers 
 are A. E. Colgrove, A.M., Mary A. Nash, W. A. Putnam, 
 Herve D. Wilkins, A.M., and Nellie M. Lake. The present 
 board of trustees are C. W. Winchester, M. C. Dean, O. S. 
 Chamberlayne, Alfred Wright, George H. Dryer, E. H. Lat- 
 imer, A. J. Lorrish, John Dennis, L. T. Foot, Sandford Hunt, 
 J. E. Bills, Edmund Ocumpaugh, Eli Taylor, A. N. Fisher, 
 T. J. Bissell, L. A. Stevens, C. E. Millspaugh, Horace Gil- 
 bert. E. Ocumpaugh is president, L. T. Foot secretary, 
 and J. E. Bills treasurer. In concluding this brief sketch 
 many things press for attention. The semi-centennial of the 
 institution, celebrated in 1880, was an occasion of extraordi- 
 
166 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 narj interest and enthusiasm. In 1875 Dr. Bridgman raised 
 $17,000, and $5,000 has been raised since. These amounts 
 were expended in introducing steam for heating purposes, 
 and in repairing and refurnishing the property. During 
 the summer of 1885, under the leadership of Mr. Alfred 
 "Wright, of Eochester, the buildings were again thoroughly 
 overhauled and put in better condition tlian they ever were 
 before. The rooms were never before so comfortably and 
 elegantly furnished. The endowment consists of a productive 
 farm, and of $65,000 invested upon bonds and mortgages. 
 
 Tliis institution has had a remarkable history ; the impres- 
 sion that it has made upon the ministry, the Church, and 
 upon the lives of thousands in general society, has been pro- 
 found and permanent. Some of the factors contributing to 
 its successful career are worthy of consideration. In the first 
 place, it has been a Christian school. A religious spirit, 
 profound and positive, has pervaded it. The fundamentals 
 of the Christian system have been held without wavering. 
 Revivals have been the order from the first. No year, 
 scarcely a term, has passed that did not record conversions 
 among the students in greater or less numbers — as many as 
 seventy-five in a single term having been saved. Scores who 
 have found Christ as a personal Saviour have entered the 
 ministry. God's blessing has been and will be on a school 
 where such work is done. The scholarship system has 
 aided the seminary. Said Eev. Dr. Dennis, at the semi- 
 centennial celebration : 
 
 One peculiar feature in the founding of Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, 
 and later of Genesee College, was the scholarship basis, by which these 
 institutions covenanted, in consideration of one hundred dollars, to 
 give fre etuition for one student, in the solid branches, either in the 
 seminary or college, in perpetuity. The scholarship system brought 
 
The Genesee Wesleyan Seminary. 167 
 
 into union and sympathy with the new institution a thousand families. 
 These thought and talked, and many of them prated, for the Genesee 
 Wesleyan Seminary, and later for Genesee College. Almost every 
 scholarship holder regarded it as a duty to use these scholarships that 
 no interest might be lost. Many sons and daughters of these, from the 
 mountains and valleys of Northern Pennsylvania and Southern New 
 York, came to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary and Genesee College, who 
 otherwise never would have entered an institution of higher education, 
 and laid broad and deep the foundations of a liberal education. 
 
 There is space for allusion to but one other element of 
 power among the many that challenge attention in this 
 movement, and that is the ability and character of those who 
 have occupied the position of teachers. Many of their 
 names are written on these pages ; there is no occasion to 
 repeat them. They are as familiar, not only to the Method- 
 ist but to the general public, as household words. Where 
 they are generally of so high an order I have not trusted 
 myself to distinguish. I may be permitted to say, perhaps, 
 that it may be doubted if any other institution of equal grade 
 can present an array of names of equal ability and distinc- 
 tion. I will present my own estimate of them in the Ian. 
 guage of Hon. Angus Cameron, United States Senator from 
 Wisconsin, and a former student, in a letter to Dr. Bridg- 
 man, at the time of the semi-centennial celebration. After 
 expressing his regret that Congress would not adjourn in 
 time for him to be present, and indulging in many reminis- 
 cences, he says : " The scliool was then strong in its faculty, 
 and the number and character of its students. I have been 
 acquainted since with college faculties, and have been present 
 at college commencements, but I have never known a faculty 
 that, in ability and scholarship, exceeded that of the Genesee 
 AVesleyan Seminary in the years 1847, '48, '49, nor have I 
 ever seen college students which, as a whole, were superior to 
 
168 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 tlie students of yonr seminary at that time." One might 
 well cover the space to speak of the students that this insti- 
 tution has sent forth ; twenty-seven thousand of them edu- 
 cated, in part or wholly, within its class rooms. Hundreds 
 of them in the front ranks of Church and State. So many 
 of them that are worthy of mention that one hesitates in dis- 
 tinguishing between them. Henry J. Raymond, Orange 
 Judd, W. H. De Puy, D.D., Eleazer Thomas, D.D., J. H. 
 Bayliss, D.D., and S. H. Lowe, in journalism. Senator An- 
 gus Cameron, Judge J^oah Davis, Hon. C. G. Williams, Judge 
 John S. Morgan, William F. Cogswell, Hon. John Yan Yoor- 
 liees, and Judge S. Hubbard, in law. Bishop C. H. Fowler, 
 A. C. George, D. W. Huntley, K. P. Jervis, and a great 
 list of others equally deserving of mention, in the pulpit. 
 S. S. Welles, D.D., LL.D., L. H. Bugbee, D.D., James L. 
 Alverson, LL.D., George Loomis, D.D., C. W. Bennett, D.D., 
 D. P. Kidder, D.D., J. Dorman Steele, and Jabez R. Jaques, 
 D.D., among the educators. Mrs. J. Ellen Foster, Mrs. Belva 
 Lockwood, Mrs. J. H. Vincent, Mrs. Mary Seager Hurd, 
 Mrs. Sarah Pierson Wals worth, and Mary Northrup Yan 
 Benschoten, among the thousands of noble women who have 
 honored their alma mater in the most conspicuous walks of 
 life. And yet these names are but suggestive of the list that 
 might be made, solid men and women, not all of them of 
 equal prominence, but many of them in the widest fields of 
 usefulness. 
 
 This chapter cannot be more appropriately closed than 
 by quoting again from Senator Cameron's letter, where he 
 says : ** The Genesee Wesleyan Seminary has for fifty years 
 been a nursery of sound orthodox religion and education. 
 No man can measure its influence ; its students are in every 
 professsion, and in all occupations, and in every land." 
 
Wesleyan Univebsity. 169 
 
 CHAPTER YI. 
 
 WESLBYAN UNIVERSITY. 
 
 BY EDWARD COOKE, D.D. 
 
 Perhaps no institution of learning in this country possesses 
 greater advantages of location than Wesleyan University, at 
 Middletown, Conn. Beautiful for situation, on the banks of 
 the Connecticut, extending from the water's edge up the ter, 
 races westward to a height of about one hundred and fifty 
 feet above the river, Middletown presents some of the most 
 enchanting scenery to be found anywhere in that far-famed 
 Xew England valley. The place was fii-st settled in 1650; 
 organized as a town, under the good old Puritan code, in 
 1653, taking the name which it still bears ; chartered as a city 
 in 1784, the same year with Hartford and New Haven, and 
 thirty-eight years earlier than Boston. It is easily reached 
 by rail from all directions, and from New York and Hartford 
 by steamers. 
 
 The site on which the university buildings stand, contain- 
 ing about twenty acres, is on- one of the highest and most 
 beautiful streets of the city. It was chosen, and the first build- 
 ings erected, for " The American Literary, Scientific, and Mil- 
 itary Academy," under the direction of the noted Captain 
 Alden Partridge, an early superintendent of the Military 
 Academy at West Point. The academy was auspiciously 
 opened in 1825, though not then chartered by tlie State of 
 Connecticut, and at the close of the first year numbered 
 twenty officers and instructors and two hundred and seventy- 
 two cadets. 
 8 
 
170 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Failing to receive a charter from the General Assembly 
 of Connecticut, with the privileges asked by the trustees, 
 tlie academy was abandoned, and Captain Partridge estab- 
 lished a similar institution at Norwich, Vermont, to which 
 place he removed in 1829. The two four-story stone build- 
 ings, plain but imposing in appearance, erected by the liber- 
 ality of the citizens of Middletown, w^ere left standing unoc- 
 cupied. Several attempts had been made to establish col- 
 leges under Methodist control, but they had proved so 
 many failures. Cokesbury, Asbury, and Madison Colleges 
 all had but a brief existence. Augusta College, in Kentucky, 
 was the first successful attempt ; this had a brilliant history 
 for a few years. 
 
 Leading men in Methodism, both in the ministry and laity, 
 in New York and ISTew England, began to feel that the time 
 had fully come to establish a college or university at some 
 central point in one of these two sections, with an endow- 
 ment that would at once secure for it a recognition among 
 the first of its class. Seminaries of a higher grg,de had for 
 some years been in successful operation at Keadfield, Maine ; 
 Wilbraham, Mass. ; and Cazenovia, N. Y. ; but no provision 
 had been made for completing the education thus begun. 
 Just at this crisis Kev. Laban Clark, D.D., presiding elder 
 of the district including Middletown, learning tliat the Mil- 
 itary Academy was soon to be removed to Yermont, and tliat 
 the trustees would sell the property at a very low figure for 
 a Methodist college, saw a " tide in the affairs of men " which 
 would prove a fortune to Methodism at least, if " taken at 
 the flood," and presented the subject to the New York Con- 
 ference, which assembled in May, 1829. This body enter- 
 t«nined the matter with favor, and appointed Kevs. John 
 Emory, Samuel Luckey, and Hemau Bangs a committee of 
 
Wesley AN University. 171 
 
 inquiry. Tliis committee reported favorably, and recom- 
 mended that the New England Conference be invited to 
 join with the New York Conference in purchasing the prop- 
 erty at Middletown, and establishing the proposed college. 
 The New England Conference, which met a few weeks later, 
 received the proposition with much favor, and appointed, as a 
 committee to co-operate with those appointed by the New 
 York Conference, three of its most influential members, 
 Revs. Wilbur Fisk, D.D., then principal of Wesleyan Acad- 
 emy at Wilbraham, Mass., Timothy Merritt, and Stephen 
 Martindale. This joint committee met soon after, and in- 
 vited competitive offers from towns and cities within certain 
 prescribed bounds. Generous offers were received from 
 Bridgeport and Middletown, Conn. ; Wilbraham, Mass. ; 
 and Troy, N. Y. The trustees of the Military Academy 
 offered to transfer that property, in fee simple, on condi- 
 tions, first, that $40,000 be raised within a s^jecified time, as 
 the beginning of an endowment ; and, second, that the prop- 
 erty conveyed should be used in perpetuity for a college or 
 university. 
 
 The citizens of Middletown promptly subscribed $18,000 
 of the $40,000, and the Conferences, meeting in the spring of 
 1830, decided to locate the institution at Middletown, and 
 took steps to close the contract and to raise the balance of 
 the required endowment. To exercise the governing control 
 until a charter should be secured from the General Assembly 
 of Connecticut a prudential committee was appointed, and 
 twenty-one individuals, residing in New York and New En- 
 gland, were named as the choice for the first board of trustees. 
 By act of May, 1831, the persons thus named were duly 
 incorporated as Wesleyan University. The charter also pro- 
 vided for a joint board, comprised of the trustees and an 
 
172 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 equal number of visitors to be appointed by the " patroniz- 
 ing Conferences" and a prudential committee, with certain 
 powers, who should act in the interim of the meetings of the 
 joint board. This machinery was found too unwieldy in 
 practice, and about forty years later (1870) the charter under- 
 went a revision. The powers of the joint board were con- 
 ferred upon a single board of trustees, to be elected, a part 
 by the trustees, a part by the Conferences, and a part hy the 
 alumni association of the college. 
 
 The first meeting of the trustees and Conference visitors 
 was held at Middletown, August 24, 1830, and had been 
 awaited with intense interest by the Methodist public. A 
 great enterprise had been undertaken, and much depended 
 upon the action taken at this first meeting. Methodist col- 
 leges had previously not been successful, and there were 
 not a few good men in the Church who still believed " God 
 did not call the Methodists to build colleges." 
 
 Twenty of the twenty- one trustees and twelve of the 
 twenty-one Conference visitors were present at this meeting. 
 Tliey were men of years, of experience, earnest, and God-fear- 
 ing. They sought wisdom from on high for the work before 
 them, and the results indicate that the petition was answered. 
 The most responsible as well as the most delicate act to be 
 performed was to select the right man for the presidential 
 chair. The whole field of Methodism, in Europe and Amer- 
 ica, was examined. Dr. Adam Clarke, Dr. Jabez Bunting, 
 and other names of British Methodist ministers were talked 
 of for the position. But before the meeting adjourned all 
 thoughts came back to the choice, first and last, of those vet- 
 erans Laban Clark and Heman Bangs to a member of the 
 board of trustees then present, but not a candidate by any 
 act or word on his part. The ballot was taken, and the Rev. 
 
WeSLEYAN IlNn^ERSITY. 1^3 
 
 Wilbur Fisk, D.D., was chosen the first president of Wes- 
 ley an University. 
 
 Dr. Fisk had already become widely known as the recog- 
 nized educational leader in the Methodist Episcopal Church; 
 a superior organizer, a clear thinker, and an eloquent pulpit 
 orator. East, west, north, and south, all felt that the right 
 man was chosen for the responsible position. 
 
 Dr. Fisk was born at Brattleboro, Yt., August 31, 1792, 
 having descended from the good old Puritan stock. He 
 gave early evidence of great vigor of intellect. He pre- 
 pared for college at the academy in Peacham, and entered 
 the university at Burlington in 1812. But the war with 
 Great Britain caused the classes to be suspended the next 
 year, and he repaired to Brown University, entering as jun- 
 ior, and was graduated with honors in 1815. The law was his 
 chosen profession, but yielding to the pressure of his strong 
 convictions of duty, he exchanged the bar for the pulpit, after 
 having prepared for admission to practice, and chose as the 
 field of his ministerial labor the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 This decision caused him a severe struggle, and brought forth 
 stern remonstrances from friends, who said, *• To bury his 
 brilliant talents in the Methodist connection was a sacrifice 
 which he was not called to make;" but he felt a firm convic- 
 tion that he had a work to accomplish in that Church, and 
 no mere worldly considerations could turn him aside from 
 what he felt to be duty. And now, when the results of his 
 devotion to the cause of higher education are before the 
 world, who can doubt that the liand of God directed his 
 clioice? He was received into the New England Conference 
 in tlie spring of 1818, and for the next three years devoted 
 himself to pastoral and pulpit labor, in which field he at 
 once attracted much public attention by his superior abilities 
 
174 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 as an orator. In consequence of impaired liealtli he was 
 now obliged to have entire rest from all public efforts, and 
 was for two years returned on the Minutes of Conference as 
 a superannuate. Having enjoyed the quiet of his paternal 
 home, with out-door exercise, and freedom from all care dur- 
 ing these two years, he was anxious to resume again his 
 chosen labor, and, young as he was, the Bishop appointed 
 him, at the Conference in 1823, the presiding elder on the 
 Vermont District, which included the whole State east of the 
 Green Mountains and one circuit in New Hampshire. Tliis 
 large field must be traversed four times a year on horseback. 
 The duties of this laborious office he discharged with improv- 
 ing health and increasing popularity till he removed to Wil- 
 braham, Mass., in May, 1826, having sometime previously 
 been elected principal of Wesley an Academy. In this posi- 
 tion he remained five years, exercising those gifts possessed 
 by him in an unusual degree as an organizer, educator, and 
 skillful disciplinarian. These qualities, so marked, brought 
 offers of the presidency of one State University of high 
 standing, and chairs in several colleges, all of which he 
 declined till elected to the proposed university at Middle- 
 town, as previously narrated. This last election he regarded 
 as a call from Heaven. Twice was he elected a Bishop, once 
 for the Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada, and, eight 
 years later, in the Methodist Episcopal Church, but his con- 
 victions remained unchanged, that duty required him to re- 
 main at the university, and, true to duty as the needle to the 
 pole, there he remained till called to his reward above. 
 
 The joint board, at this first meeting, provided for opening 
 at Middletown a preparatory school, and appointed agents to 
 solicit donations and sell scholarships entitling the holder to 
 free tuition. The preparatory classes commenced their work 
 
Wesley AN University. 175 
 
 in October, 1830, under Rev. William C. Larrabee, A.B., aii 
 alumnus of Bowdoin College, as principal. Mr. Larrabee 
 subsequently became noted as a scholar and successful edu- 
 cator, and is remembered with affection by thousands once 
 his pupils. 
 
 The university proper opened September 21, 1831, with 
 the following faculty the first year: Rev. Wilbur Fisk, 
 S.T.D., president ; Augustus William Smith, A.M., professor 
 of mathematics ; Rev. John Mott Smith, A. M., professor of 
 ancient languages; Rev. Jacob F. Iluber, A.M., professor of 
 modern languages; William Magoun, A.M., tutor. 
 
 During the lirst term forty-eight students were matricu- 
 lated, several of tliem coming from other colleges, drawn, 
 probably, by denominational preferences. The first who ma- 
 triculated was destined to fill no small place in the Church 
 of his choice. Converted while a student at Wesleyan 
 Academy, and received on probation by Dr. Fisk at the age 
 of fifteen, he filled the various offices of the Church, from 
 that of an exhorter, at seventeen years of age, to that of 
 Bishop in 1852. Osmon Cleander Baker left college during 
 his senior year, compelled by ill health ; but his name heads 
 the list of honored non-graduate alumni of his alma mater. 
 The first to recite a lesson in college was Elishu Bourna Kye, 
 wlio was graduated in 1835, studied medicine at New Haven, 
 practiced in Middletown, and 1ms made a good record as a 
 physician. 
 
 The first commencement was held August 28, 1833, and 
 six young men received the baccalaureate degree. Daniel H. 
 Chase (still living), Benjamin I. Diefendorf, William Golicar, 
 John Roper, George II. Rounds, and Alexander II. Wright 
 will stand as the pioneers of the large and increasing number 
 of alum7ii. Six under-graduates also delivered addresses to 
 
1Y6 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 fill up the time. Aiiotlier item of some moment at this first 
 commencement is the fact that the subsequently distin- 
 guished Daniel Denison Whedon, D.D., LL.D., delivered his 
 inaugural as professor of ancient classics, successor to John 
 Mott Smith, deceased. 
 
 It would be a pleasing task to narrate the works and lives 
 of these six pioneer graduates, now that all but one have 
 passed beyond this life, and record what they accomplislied 
 for the Church and the world ; but the space allotted to this 
 article forbids. We can, therefore, only refer the reader to 
 what may be found in the " Alumni Record." We have thus 
 far traced the inception and progress until we have seen the 
 university launched on the tide of success, its classes and 
 faculty fully organized, and its first class graduated. We 
 now come to its further develt>pment and growth. Two 
 measures, then innovations upon college usages, were, upon 
 the recommendation of President Fisk, adopted b}^ the uni- 
 versity. The first was, to pass students and admit them to a 
 degree whenever they could successfully stand the required 
 examination, without regard to time. To facilitate this the 
 students were divided into sections or departments of study, 
 instead of the usual four classes, freshmen, sophomore, junior, 
 and senior. This plan, however, did not long remain in 
 force, and there was a return to the usual classification. The 
 other innovation was that of a purely scientific course of 
 study, securing the degree of bachelor of science. This 
 still remains in use, and the plan has been adopted by a 
 large portion of the colleges and universities of the country. 
 Dr. risk was spared to the university nearly nine years, most 
 of the time an invalid, but his services were invaluable. 
 Before his lamented death, February 22, 1.839, much progress 
 had been made in building up and enlarging the foundations 
 
Wesleyan University. 177 
 
 of tlie university. The Endowment Fund had been increased, 
 a respectable library had been secured, a good working appa- 
 ratus had been added, and, not least, the love and confidence 
 of the Methodist people had been gained for the institution in 
 all parts of the country. Six regular classes had graduated, 
 afirofreoratinff one hundred and fifteen, each of whom went out 
 
 OCT O O ' 
 
 ready to promote, as far as able, the interests of his alma 
 mater. A large majority of those engaged in teaching, 
 many entered the clerical profession, others that of law or 
 medicine, and some active business pursuits. 
 
 " In its early days of poverty," says Professor Kice,* " the 
 institution had many faitiiful and earnest friends, among 
 whom Dr. Laban Clark and Eev. Heman Bangs are worthy 
 of special mention ; but to no one was it so deeply indebted 
 as to its president, Dr. Wilbur Fisk. IJis pure and lofty 
 piety, and his gentle and winning manners, endeared him to 
 all who knew him ; while his tact and prudence, his high 
 administrative ability, his thorough culture and extensive 
 reputation, and his untiring efforts in behalf of the univer- 
 sity, soon assured its success, and secured for it general rec- 
 ognition." 
 
 When the long-dreaded event came, and the presidency 
 was really vacant, all felt how difficult it would be to find a 
 successor. To the professors, expressing their feai's to liim 
 on this subject just before his death, his answer was, " It will 
 1x3 easy to find another president, but not so easy to find 
 another father." 
 
 At the meeting of the joint board, August 6, 1839, Rev. 
 Stephen Olin, D.D., LL.D., was elected president. Dr. Olin 
 was a native of Vermont, born March 2, 1797, at Leicester, 
 Addison County, was an alum.nu8 of Middlebury College, had 
 
 ♦"Scribner's Monthly," Septomlior, 1876, 
 8* 
 
1Y8 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 spent most of liis years siiKje graduation in South Carolina 
 and Georgia, either in educational institutions or in the pul- 
 pit, in both of which he had acquired much renown. Princi- 
 pal of the Conference Seminary in South Carolina, professor 
 of English literature in the university at Athens, Georgia, 
 and president of Randolph Macon College, in Virginia, he 
 would come no stranger to the duties required as the success- 
 or of the lamented Fisk. Dr. Olin was at this time on liis 
 travels through Europe, Egypt, Petrea, and the Holy Land, 
 in search of health. Professor Augustus W. Smith, wlio 
 had, since the death of Dr. Fisk, disci larged the duties of 
 president, was requested by the board to continue to act in 
 that capacity until the return of Dr. Olin, who would then, 
 it was expected, assume the presidential chair. But on his 
 arrival, contrary to what had been fondly hoped, lie found 
 his health utterly insufficient for the duties of the office, and 
 on February 20, 1841, tendered his resignation, which was 
 very reluctantly accepted by the board. In this emergency 
 another president must be sought, and the choice fell upon 
 the venerable Dr. Kathan Bangs. Few men, if any, in the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, have rendered more useful 
 service than he. A profound thinker, an able preacher, with 
 vast stores of knowledge in different departments of learn- 
 ing, still Dr. Bangs realized his want of adaptation to the 
 peculiar duties of the presidency of a college. Knowing but 
 little of the student life in the schools, he found the position 
 not in keeping with his own convictions of duty, and re- 
 signed at the close of the year, August 2, 1842. 
 
 In the meantime the university had been steadily advanc- 
 ing, the classes of '40, '41, and '42 being larger than those 
 that preceded. Improvements had been made in and 
 around the buildings ; the campus had been set with trees 
 
Wesleyan University. 170 
 
 and otherwise beautified, and halls provided for the literary 
 societies. A period of rest among his native hills had so far 
 restored Dr. Olin's physical vigor that it was thought, both 
 by himself and friends, that he might undertake the duties 
 of the presidency. He was, therefore, re-elected, August 2, 
 1842, president of Wesleyan University. Prof. William Nortli 
 Eice, Ph.D., in "Scribner's Monthly,'' September, 1876, says, 
 "Dr. Olin's fame as a pulpit orator, and his previous success 
 in similar institutions, caused him to be greeted with an en- 
 thusiastic welcome. His health was so feeble as never to 
 allow him to devote himself as he wished to the work of 
 instruction. He w^as, however, successful in improving the 
 financial condition of the university, and especially in extend- 
 ing its reputation, and his noble and commanding character 
 was itself an inspiration to all the students under his charge." 
 President Olin was spared to the university nine years 
 and died, August 16, 1851. His remains were interred in 
 the college cemetery, where repose the dust of the first 
 president. Fisk and Olin lie in the same lovely spot, 
 loved in life and greatly lamented in death by all who had 
 known them. There were many points of coincidence in 
 the history of these great men. Both were born in Yer- 
 niont, not remote from each other, and were sons of men 
 who had acquired distinction, and sat as judges upon the 
 bench ; both taught for a short time after graduation, and 
 then were impelled, by their own convictions, into the minis- 
 try, and became distinguished as pulpit orators. Both were 
 called to educational institutions in which they achieved 
 marked success, and finished their eminently useful lives in 
 the same official station, died in the same room, and now lie 
 side by side in the repose of death. Notwithstanding these 
 similarities, they were very unlike each other, and unlike 
 
180 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 other men. Each had his points of greatest excellence and 
 greatest power, and they cannot be compared without injus- 
 tice to both, any more than could Cicero and Demosthenes ; 
 nor was either deficient in the qualities in which the other 
 most excelled. 
 
 After the death of Dr. Olin, Pi of. A. W. Smith again 
 acted as president, • and at the meeting of the joint board, 
 August 3, 1842, was regularly elected president of Wes- 
 leyan University. Dr. Smith was a native of Herkimer Coun- 
 ty, 'N. Y., was graduated at Hamilton College in 1825, and 
 soon after became a teacher in the seminary at Cazenovia. 
 On the retirement of Nathaniel Porter, the first principal, in 
 1827, he was elected to succeed him as principal, the duties 
 of which office he continued to perform with great accept- 
 ance till called to fill the chair of mathematics and astron- 
 omy at the opening of Wesleyan University in 183L. A 
 superior scholar and a born teacher, of cultured and pleasing 
 manners, he sustained his chair twenty-six years with distin- 
 guished ability, and won the confidence and affection of his 
 pupils as few have been able to do. In recognition of his 
 superior scholarship, liis alma mater honored him with the 
 degree of LL.D. in 1850. President Smith held the position 
 five years, during which time the institution continued to 
 maintain its high grade of scholarship, and its financial inter- 
 ests were materially advanced by his personal efforts. Pledges 
 were secured amounting to $100,000, and something over 
 $80,000 were collected and added to the endowment of pro- 
 fessorships. An iron fence in front of the campus took the 
 place of tlie unsightly wooden one, and other valuable im- 
 provements were made. 
 
 At the annual meeting of the joint board, August, 1857, 
 Dr. Smith tendered his resignation, and subsequently was 
 
Wesley AN Uxiversity. 181 
 
 elected to the professorsliip of natural philosophy in the 
 United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. Appreci- 
 ating the superior qualifications of Professor Smith, the gov- 
 ernment at Washington, in 1860, appointed him one of the 
 astronomical corps sent to Labrador to make observations 
 upon the solar eclipse. He died at Annapolis, March 22, 
 1866. Thus passed away, nmch lamented, a superior scholar, 
 a rare teacher, and a devout Christian man. 
 
 When President Smith resigned, the university had gradu- 
 ated twenty-five classes, numbering, in all, live hundred and 
 seventy-eight. Among this large body of alumni many had 
 acquired prominence before the public for scholarship, pulpit 
 ability, success in the professions of medicine and law, and as 
 practical educators; and a very general feeling seemed to 
 prevail that the university need not go outside its own alumni 
 to find a man to till the presidential chair. In accord with 
 this sentiment the choice fell upon Rev. Joseph Cum- 
 mings, D.D., then president of Genesee College, at Lima, 
 N. Y. Dr. Cumming3 was born, March 3, 1817, in Fal- 
 mouth, a few miles out of Portland, Maine ; prepared for col- 
 lege at the Maine Wesleyan Seminary, at Readfield ; was grad- 
 uated at Wesleyan University in the class of 1840 ; filled the 
 chair of mathematics and natural science in Amenia Semi- 
 nary for three years ; was elected principal of the same in 
 1843, and conducted tliat then prosperous school for three 
 years more with marked success. In 1846 he was received 
 into the New England Conference of the Methodist Episco- 
 ])a] Church, and spent the next eight years in pastoral labor. 
 In 1853 he was invited to take the chair of theology in the 
 Methodist General Biblical Institute at Concord, N. II. The 
 next year, 1854, he received the doctor^s degree from his 
 alma mater^ and was elected to the presidency of Genesee 
 
182 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 College, at Lima, IST. Y. He conducted the growing inter- 
 ests of that college with the recognized ability that had 
 crowned with success his labors elsewhere, till elected, in 
 1857, to thie chair once occupied by those rare men, Wilbur 
 Fisk and Stephen Olin. The new president entered upon 
 his duties with an open field and inviting prospects. The 
 meuibers of the earlier faculty had all passed away or retired 
 except the veteran professor who had filled with distin- 
 guished ability the chair of natural science since 1835, John 
 Johnston, LL.D., and Professor H. B. Lane, A.M., who had 
 also rendered valuable service in his chair, and especially in 
 the financial interests of the university. Of commanding 
 port, affable in manners, a clear thinker, with executive and 
 financial abilities of a high order, and varied experience in 
 positions previously occupied. Dr. Cummings, as w^as antici- 
 pated by those who knew him most intimatelj^, rendered his 
 administration memorable for efficiency and success, through 
 the comparatively long period of eighteen years. Professor 
 Winchester, in the "Alumni Kecord," 1881-'83, expresses 
 his estimate as follows : 
 
 *' The personal force and energy of President Cummings, 
 his tireless industry, his hearty devotion to the welfare of 
 the college, together with his skill and popularity as an 
 instructor, combined to make his administration, in many 
 respects, a successful one. It was particularly marked by the 
 growth of the material interests of the institution, in which 
 President Cummings always took especial concern. To his 
 labors the college is principally indebted for the line of noble 
 buildinors that now crown the hill." 
 
 In 1868 a tasteful library building, costing $40,000, and 
 capable of containing one hundred thousand volumes, was 
 erected by the late Isaac Rich, Esq., of Boston, and about the 
 
Wesleyan University. 183 
 
 same time he increased his subscription to the endowment 
 fund to $100,000. Observatory Hall underwent important 
 changes, and received one of Alvan Clark's iinest refracting 
 telescopes. A Library Fund, of $27,600, was contributed by 
 the alumni. In 1871 the Memorial Chapel was erected, 
 costing some $60,000, and the same year was completed 
 the Orange Judd Hall of Natural Science, the munificent 
 gift of Orange Judd, Esq., an alumnus of 1847, at a cost of 
 $100,000. In 1872 the curriculum of studies was enlarged 
 and modified by the extension of the elective system, and in 
 the fall of the same year the university was opened for 
 the admission of ladies. His success as the head of the 
 university had secured for Dr. Cummings recognition at 
 Harvard by the honorary D.D. in 1861, and that of LL.D. 
 by the North-western University in 1866. He resigned the 
 presidency in 1875, but continued in charge of the depart- 
 ment of mental and moral philosophy and political economy 
 nearly three years ; then returning to the pastorate, he was 
 stationed successively at Maiden, Mass., and at Harvard Street, 
 Cambridge, Mass. 
 
 In 1881 Dr. Cummings was Elected president of the North- 
 western University at Evanston, 111., and now, with the 
 vigor and energy that characterized his earlier years, he is 
 strengthening the foundations of that large and growing uni- 
 versity. 
 
 At the meeting of the joint board, in June, 1875, another 
 alumnus^ Rev. Cyrus David Foss, D.D., w^as elected to the 
 presidential chair of Wesleyan University. 
 
 Dr. Foss was born in Kingston, Ulster County, N. Y., 
 1831:; was graduated in the class of 1854; was teacher of 
 mathematics in Amenia Seminary two years ; was then elected 
 prinoipiil of the same, which ])osition he resigned at the end 
 
181 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 of the year, preferring the active pastorate. He was 
 received into the New York Conference of the Metliodist 
 Episcopal Church in 1857, and spent the next eighteen 
 years in pastoral charges. When Dr. Foss assumed the 
 duties of tlie presidency the university had been in operation 
 forty-four years, and had graduated forty-two classes. It had 
 made substantial progress in all its departments ; its officers 
 and instructors had increased from five to sixteen, its college 
 edifices from two to seven, its students from forty-eight to 
 one hundred and seventy-six, its library from three thousand 
 to twenty -six thousand volumes, its property, of all kinds, to 
 about $1,000,000. Large expenditures for instruments and 
 cabinets had also been made, adding greatly to the means for 
 instruction. But, notwithstanding tliis favorable showing, 
 President Foss found the university greatly in need of larger 
 resources. Says Professor Winchester, "Alumni Record," 
 1881-83 : " The growth of the endowment during the previ- 
 ous ten years had by no means kept pace with the growth of 
 the unproductive wealth of the college in buildings, collec- 
 tions, and other material facilities. The increase in the num- 
 ber of buildings, and the needful enlargement of the coift-se 
 of study, rendered the annual expenditures, of necessity, 
 greater than ever, while, on the other hand, in the general 
 stagnation of business and financial depression that followed 
 the panic of 1873, the productive property of the college had 
 depreciated greatly in value. The annual expenditure was 
 about $40,000, the annual income, from all sources, only 
 $20,000." In addition to this a debt had been allowed to 
 accumulate, and was rapidly increasing from this annual 
 deficit. Dr. Foss presented the matter to the Conferences, 
 and stated, in 1876, that " only large and generous help, 
 promptly given, could save it from disaster." 
 
Wesley AN Untv^ersity. 185 
 
 In this emergency the friends of the college responded 
 nobly. The trustees put their hands into their own pockets, 
 and' met largely the annual deficit ; the alumni subscribed 
 and paid in nearly $40,000, and others also came to the res- 
 cue with liberal subscriptions. By this promptness the debt 
 was soon paid and danger averted. During the five years of 
 President Foss's administration, and principally through his 
 untiring efforts, about $250,000 were added, by subscription, 
 to the Endowment Fund, and a large portion of it paid in. 
 Professor Winchester, in " Alumni Record," 1881-83, adds : 
 " But it was not financial success alone that marked the ad- 
 ministration of President Foss. A character so noble, a 
 kindness and courtesy so unvarying, an enthusiasm for good- 
 ness so inspiring, a piety so high and pure — these could not 
 fail of their effect upon all who knew him. His influence 
 was itself an education of the best sort." His eminent pul- 
 pit abilities, as well as his success in the pastoral work, 
 received becomint' recoornition bv his alma mater, which 
 conferred D.D. in 1870, and he was honored with LL.D. by 
 Cornell University, of Iowa, in 1879. The General Confer- 
 ence of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in May, 1880, 
 elected Dr. Foss one of its Bishops. This action of the 
 Conference deprived the university of its able and popular 
 president. At the annual meeting of the trustees, in June 
 following, the vacancy thus created was filled by the election 
 of another alumnus to the presidency, Rev. John Wesley 
 Beach, D.D. 
 
 Dr. Beach, born in Trumbull, Conn., 1825, was graduated 
 in 1845, and, like his last two predecessors, taught in Amenia 
 Seminary, was principal of the same for three years, and then 
 devoted himself to the ministry. He joined the New York 
 Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1854, and 
 
186 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 spent twenty-six years in the pastorate and presiding elder- 
 ship, filling some of the principal stations in the New York 
 and ISTew York East Conferences, also the presiding elder- 
 ship on the New York District. In 1872 his alma mater 
 honored him with the degree of D.D. The well-known 
 scholarship of Dr. Beach, as well as his pulpit ability and 
 success in the pastorate, turned attention to him as tlie suc- 
 cessor of Bishop Foss fro the presidential chair. During the 
 early years of his administration large subscriptions were 
 made to the Permanent Fund, and also to tlie Scholarship 
 Fund of the college, which encouraged its friends to hope 
 that the dawn of a still greater usefulness had commenced ; 
 but financial disaster has overtaken some of its most liberal 
 contributors, and it becomes necessary to renew the appeal to 
 the public for immediate aid. President Beach, with heart 
 and zeal, is laboring to repair the financial losses, so that the 
 university may not be obliged to call a halt in its onward 
 progress. 
 
 GENERAL SUMMARY, 1885. 
 
 Whole number of graduates 1,415 
 
 Number of students now in college 193 
 
 Officers and instructors 20 
 
 Real-estate $400,000 00 
 
 Personal property (library, museum, appurtenances, etc.) $109,300 00 
 
 Productive resources (excluding Library Fund) $673,286 58 
 
 Annual liabilities (annuities, prizes, etc.) $754 22 
 
 Volumes in the library 34,000 
 
 Library Fund $1 8,792 00 
 
 Total receipts, including subscriptions for current expenses $46,657 08 
 
 Expenditures, 1884-'85 $44,665 94 
 
Dickinson College. 187 
 
 CHAPTER YIL 
 
 DICKINSON COLLEGE. 
 
 BY PROFESSOR J. H. MORGAN, A.M. 
 
 Dickinson College lias now more than a century of his- 
 tory; her charter bearing the date of 1783, the year in 
 which the independence of the colonies was conceded by 
 England. There are a few older institutions in the country, 
 but none, probably, founded under less favorable circum- 
 stances. The infancy of Dickinson fell on a time, compared 
 with which there has been no other in our history so un- 
 friendly to the nurture of such an infancy. The war for 
 independence had left the colonies impoverished and de- 
 ])ressed, currency almost valueless, credit fallen to decay, 
 commerce spreading scarce a sail, schools for higher educa- 
 tion weak and exhausted, and, worst of all, the problem of 
 government yet to be solved. Under such circumstances a 
 calculating prudence would have counseled delay in founding 
 a college until affairs had once more assumed their normal 
 condition, till credit had been restored, and education had 
 begun to be felt as a want by the people. The clear idea of 
 the needs of the time, and the lofty motives which actuated 
 the moving spirits in the enterprise, apparently so un- 
 promising, are so clearly set forth in the early records of the 
 institution, that in their light it is less a matter of surprise 
 that the effort was made. Says the preamble and enacting 
 clause of the charter : 
 
 Section I. Whereas^ The happiness and prosperity of every commu- 
 nity (under the direction and government of Divine Providence) 
 
188 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 depends much on the right education of the youth, who must succeed 
 the aged in the important offices of society, and the most exalted 
 nations have acquired their pre-eminence by the virtuous principles and 
 liberal knowledge instilled into the minds of the rising generation: 
 
 Section II. And whereas, After a long and bloody contest with a great 
 and powerful kingdom, it has pleased Almighty God to restore to the 
 United States of America the blessings of a general peace, whereby the 
 good people of this State, relieved from the burdens of war, are placed 
 in a condition to attend to useful arts, sciences, and literature, and it is 
 the evident duty and interest of all ranks of people to promote and 
 encourage, as much as in thftn lies, every attempt to disseminate and 
 promote the growth of useful knowledge: 
 
 Section III. And whereas. By the petition of a large number of per- 
 sons ... it appears that the institution of a college at the borough of 
 Carlisle ... for the instruction of youth in the learned languages, and 
 other branches of literature, is likely to promote the real welfare of this 
 State: 
 
 Section V. Be it therefore enacted, and it is hereby enacted by the 
 Representatives of the freemen of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 
 in General Assembly met, and by the authority of the same, that there 
 be erected, and hereby is erected and established in the borough of 
 Carlisle, in the County of Cumberland, in this State, a college . . . the 
 style, name, and title of which said college, and the constitution 
 thereof, shall be, and are hereby declared to be, as is hereafter men- 
 tioned and defined ; that is to say : 
 
 1. In memory of the great and important services rendered to his 
 country by his excellency, John Dickinson, Esq., president of the 
 Supreme Executive Council, and in commemoration of his very liberal 
 donation to the institution, the said college shall be forever hereafter 
 called and known by the name of Dickinson College. 
 
 The official seal of the college — a Bible, telescope, and cap 
 of liberty, witli Pietate et doctrina tiita lihertas as the 
 motto, gives additional evidence that the preservation of 
 their newly acquired liberties was the task they proposed to 
 accomplish by liberal education. Says Dr. Rush, one of the 
 
Dickinson College. 189 
 
 trustees, in an essay addressed to the Legislature, on tlie 
 "Modes of Education Proper for our Republic:" "Let our 
 pupil be taught that he does not belong to himself, but that 
 he is public property." 
 
 Of the leading spirits busied about the parturition of the 
 college, it needs but that their names be mentioned. Their 
 fame is too well assured to make it necessary or even desira- 
 ble that attempt should be made to retell the story of their 
 lives, already the possession of the nation. Dr. Benjamin 
 Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, 
 the chief promoter of the enterprise, by his means and his 
 counsel gave it, through thirty years, enthusiastic service, and 
 in a letter to a friend, twenty-live years after the founding of 
 the college, says : " I feel now all the ardor I felt at its [the 
 college's] establishment." His careful attention to the details 
 of the work of the college was invaluable to it, and his hope- 
 fulness gave inspiration in its darkest hours. His excel- 
 lency, John Dickinson, "the farmer," author of the " Let- 
 ters of Fabius," during the early years of its life, contributed 
 more largely of his means to the endowment of the college 
 than any other individual. His gifts were munificent for 
 his time, and if they seem small when compared with those 
 of a later time, the difference represents not a difference in 
 devotion to the cause, but in means, and in the spirit of the age. 
 
 Through the efforts of Dr. Rush, Charles Nisbet, D.D., was 
 secured as first president of the college. He had been a 
 friend of the colonies during the Revolution, and fifteen years 
 before had been recommended to the trustees of Princeton 
 College by Dr. Witherspoon, " as the person of all his 
 acquaintance fittest " for the first president of Princeton Col- 
 lege, though Dr. Witherspoon himself was finally induced 
 to accept the position. 
 
190 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Dr. Nisbet reached this country in the summer of 1785, 
 and was everj-where treated with the greatest consideration. 
 But there was an herculean task in waiting for him. Al- 
 though school work had been begun at Carlisle, the college 
 had practically yet to be made. The only building at the 
 disposal of the trustees was a house containing four rooms, 
 situated on one of the alleys of the town ; and for nearly 
 twenty years this was the only available building. Profess- 
 ors were to be secured, and, what was more difficult, their 
 salaries provided for. In fact, almost every provision neces- 
 sary for even a decent equipment had to be made after his 
 arrival. 
 
 As might have been expected of a scholarly man, accus- 
 tomed to the habits of scholars, to whom the hardy self-reli- 
 ance of life in a new country was entirely unknown— dream- 
 ing the enthusiast's dream as to the easy sway of reason over 
 the minds of men *' free from the shackles of authority ; " 
 expecting the ideal, but finding the real — as was to be ex- 
 pected, he was not altogether fitted to the work of the Amer- 
 ican pioneer. Yet, be it said to his lasting credit, after the 
 first severe attack of longing for his dear old home, with 
 unswerving fidelity of purpose he addressed himself to the 
 trying duties of his position, doing an amount of work which 
 would seem simply incredible. In view of the small number 
 of teachers, he felt called upon, in bringing the college curric- 
 ulum nearer his ideal, to enlarge the work of his own depart- 
 ment, adding four co-ordinate courses of lectures, and at the 
 request of a class, yet a fifth. It is a picture well worthy of 
 our admiration, this man of pre-eminent scholarship, in a 
 scholarly age, at home in almost all fields of knowledge, 
 bred in the quiet of European university life, faultlessly 
 adjusted to his position as Scottish clergyman, leaving the 
 
Dickinson College. 101 
 
 liomc of liis youth and early manhood — exchanging quiet for 
 turmoil, comfort for discomfort, ease for struggle — throwing 
 the whole energy of a strong massive nature into the pioneer 
 educational work of a new and undeveloped country, and 
 (lying finally without the assurance that he had builded for 
 the generations to come — such was Nisbet's life. He died 
 in 1804 while the college's struggle for existence was yet 
 unsettled, while it was yet to be determined whether it 
 would live or die. He died, but his work remains. The 
 place of the college for which he labored, and hoped, and 
 feared is now assured, and so long as Dickinson College shall 
 live will the name of Charles Nisbet be remembered. 
 
 Though not distinctly denominational, the college was 
 Presbyterian in its administration, and Dr. Davidson, a Pres- 
 byterian divine, was chosen to succeed Dr. Nisbet; but after 
 five years he resigned, to devote himself to the work of the 
 pastorate. 
 
 Jeremiah Atwater, D.D., president of Middlebury College, 
 Vermont, succeeded him in 1809, and his administration 
 gave promise of large success. The number of students 
 rapidly increased, the faculty was strengthened, and the 
 Sophomore was added to the three classes, which till that 
 time had comprised the course. But trouble was brewing. 
 The war with England almost robbed the college of stu- 
 dents, so that degrees were conferred on one class during 
 their absence in the army. A duel in 1815 resulted in the 
 death of a member of the Junior class ; and a lawless spirit 
 prevailing generally seems to have brought the college into 
 disrepute. The latter, however, is in no sense surprising, 
 when the great difficulties encountered in internal adminis- 
 tration are known. By a fatal defect in the charter of the 
 college the trustees were made a final court of appeal in all 
 
192 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 cases of discipline, and seem to have had greater love for 
 authority than wisdom in its use. Under such circumstances, 
 with an appeal from the faculty to the trustees always possi- 
 ble, and with the trustees too often rendering decisions 
 adverse to those of the faculty, it is not strange that things 
 grew continually worse until finally, in 1815, a crisis was pre- 
 cipitated by an order requiring the president and professors 
 to make weekly report to the trustees of every delinquency, 
 the judgment of the faculty, and the extent to which it had 
 been executed. Within three months the president and most 
 of the faculty had resigned. Successors were elected, but 
 in 1816 the college was closed ; and, though opened again, it 
 was generally felt that there were obstacles in the incubus of 
 poverty, and the absence of harmony and vigor in the board 
 of trustees, which no ability of instruction could countervail ; 
 that there was a general tendency to decline, and that the 
 college was doomed. 
 
 During this declension there were, it is true, periods of 
 temporary prosperity, seldom, however, outlasting the tran- 
 sient impulse to which they were due. The most notable 
 instance of this was during the brief presidency of Dr. John 
 M. Mason, from 1821 to 1824. Esteemed the most eloquent 
 divine of his day. Dr. Mason attracted to the college a large 
 number of young men, and some of the best classes ever 
 graduated from the college — notably that of 1823 — belong to 
 this period. Prosperity, however, passed away w^ith the 
 man ; and the guardians of the college, wearying of the effort 
 to prolong its languishing life, were willing to surrender 
 their charge to others. 
 
 At this period of discouragement came overtures from the 
 Baltimore Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 looking to the securing of the college to the Conference. 
 
Dickinson College. 193 
 
 For a long period the Methodists had taken but little ap- 
 parent interest in the work of higher education. Some 
 early enterprises of the kind had resulted so disastrously as 
 seemingly to disincline them to similar undertakings. How- 
 ever this may have been, the Church was beginning to expe- 
 rience a powerful reaction, and schools were being estab- 
 lished here and there under her direct control. As a result 
 of this revival the Baltimore and Philadelphia Conferences, 
 the latter having consented to share in the undertaking, 
 began to form plans for the establishment of a college 
 within their borders ; and attention having been turned to 
 Dickinson, as possible of attainment, negotiations, looking to 
 tliis end, were entered upon, and finally brought to a success- 
 ful consummation. 
 
 In 1833, at the close of the first half-century of the col- 
 lege's life, the trustees met to consider what was best to be 
 dune. After deliberations protracted through a week, it was 
 decided to transfer the college to the Conferences above 
 named. By this transfer the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 became possessed of a college rich in memories of half a 
 century, of a well-stocked library, a fine campus with a com- 
 modious building on it, erected in 1805, and now known 
 as West College, and a small amount of money, sufiicient to 
 pay all debts and make some needed repairs, and to put the 
 campus into such shape that it might grow into beauty. 
 
 The new administrator were in a position to profit by the 
 mistakes of their predecessors. Unity and vigor of govern- 
 ment was secured by the transfer of the college to a single 
 religious body. Before this it had belonged distinctively to 
 no Church, and the fact that Presbyterian influence predomi- 
 nated, only rendered other denominations jealous. Such 
 lireduniinance had Presbyterians obtained in the counsels of 
 
19i Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 the college that the belief yet prevails that the Presbyterian 
 Church surrendered the college to the Methodists, but such 
 was not the case. The accident of superior numbers and 
 resources in the community had rendered them most influen- 
 tial in its administration, but had given theu\ no right not 
 erpially shared by Episcopalians and Lutherans, both of whom 
 were represented in the faculty and in the board of trustees. 
 The Methodist Episcopal Church was not only to govern, 
 but to govern, all consenting to her right. An amended 
 charter was secured. The right of the trustees to act in mat- 
 ters of internal government was greatly lessened. As re- 
 vised, the charter gave the trustees a merely nominal power 
 to act as a court of appeal. In case of formal expulsion 
 only was there a right of appeal from the faculty to the 
 trustees ; and this did not apply to cases of dismissal. Tims 
 was settled the old trouble, and it has been heai-d of no 
 more. 
 
 Counsel was taken also from the previous struggle with 
 poverty, and it was determined not to open the institution 
 until an endowment fund of at least $45,000 should be se- 
 cured. As an earnest, however, of their purpose to open 
 the college at an early day, the new board elected John A. 
 Durbin, D.D., to the presidency. The college was opened 
 in September, 1834, and Dr. Durbin then entered upon his 
 duties, and six professorships w^ere established. George E. 
 Crooks, D.D., LL.D., has well described in his centennial 
 oration before the college, this period and some of the mem- 
 bers of this first faculty, destined to fill so large a place in 
 the history of the college and the Church : 
 
 On a beautiful July morniug in 1834 the writer left Philadelphia, 
 with his parents, for Carlisle. A journey of a day brought the travel- 
 eis to Columbia, and another, of mgi-e than half the night by stage, to 
 
Dickinson College. 195 
 
 Harrisburg. Setting out early the next morning the tedium of the slow 
 progress was relieved by the charm of the conversation of Chief-Justice 
 Gibson, who, though unknown to us, was as affable as an old and cher- 
 ished acquaintance. What a scene of calm repose lay before the won- 
 dering eyes of the city boy ! The old college, graceful in its unadorned 
 simplicity, the budding green of the newly planted trees of the campus, 
 the haze of the blue that softened the aspect of the mountains on either 
 side, made a picture which stamped itself forever on the memory. Nor 
 care, nor grief, nor toil, nor absence can corrode one of its outlines, or 
 dim a single tint. Surely this was "the Happy Valley," shut in and 
 consecrated to quiet meditation and blissful thought ! A school had 
 been opened, and under Alexander F. Dobb, a thorough drill-master 
 of the English style, boys and youth were making good progress in 
 the classics. A sweet homelike feeling pervaded the school, for this 
 wa.s the blossom time of tender hope. The old tree which had borne 
 the blasts of half a century was putting forth the promise of a new 
 fruitage. 
 
 On the 10th of September, the procession of president, trustees, 
 and scholars was formed, and we marched to the plain old church in 
 Methodist Alley, where Dr. Durbin delivered his inaugural address. 
 How many such processions had Carlisle seen, how many openings and 
 rcopenings whose bright promise had faded away into the darkness of 
 the night, and whose broken hopes had saddened devoted hearts I 
 Would this one, bald in its simplicity, foretoken success or failure? It 
 meant success ; not because the new organizers were more tenacious of 
 purpose than the old, but because Dickinson College had now become 
 one in and with itself. Hereafter it was to have but one spirit ; but one 
 purpose, and that avowed; one source of sustenance, the Church, of 
 which it was to be the organ. Poverty was before it, trials were before 
 it, but in all the poverty and all the trials it was understood that Dick- 
 inson College was to live or to die, as it was sustained or not sus- 
 tained by the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Come to me, ye memories of long past years, and bring before me 
 again those beloved, those idolized men, the members of our first 
 faculty. I see Emory, the picture of manly vigor, walking up the 
 chapel aisle, and taking the oath of office administered by Judge Reed. 
 Durbin, whose large, lustrous eyes fascinate the beholder, reads once 
 
196 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 more, with slow and measured accent, the morning lesson from the 
 chapel pulpit, and offers the simple prayer of childlike faith and trust. 
 Caldwell, the Christian Aristides, tender and just, sits again in his 
 chair, and with slow and hesitating speech unfolds the intricacies of 
 mathematics, or clears up a dark point in psychology. M'Clintock, as 
 radiant as Apollo, and as swift, too, as a beam of light, amazes us by 
 the energy with which he quickens our minds. Allen, massive in form 
 and solid as his own New England granite, moves among us to show 
 us how transcendent power can be blended and interfused with a sunny 
 temper. But what shall I say of him, the man of genius of that broth- 
 erhood, whose lips had been touched with celestial fire, orator, adminis- 
 trator, the matchless John P. Durbin? In the class-room his conversa- 
 tion was more brilliant than the text which he explained. His fertile 
 and suggestive mind wandered from point to point, and we sat exhila- 
 rated as new vistas of truth, one after the other, opened before us. Or 
 it is Sabbath morning, and he occupies his throne, the pulpit. The 
 text is, " Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him 
 a name which is above every name ; " the theme, the humiliation and 
 exaltation of Christ. The first propositions are so simple that they seem 
 truisms, the first manner is so didactic that but for the composure of 
 the speaker you would resent the attempt to fix your attention by such 
 methods. Statements are made so obviously convincing that you won- 
 der you had never thought of them before. He holds you, and you 
 cannot choose but listen. All the time the enchanter is weaving his 
 spell about you, and preparing for the triumphant assertion of his 
 power. Suddenly — as suddenly as the lightning's flash — his vehemence 
 and passion burst upon you. The torrents of feeling which he had 
 until now sternly repressed flow forth with irresistible force. He has 
 made no mistake; he has calculated to a nicety his possession of your 
 sympathy, and you are borne along by him whithersoever he will. His 
 port and bearing have changed; his manner is that of one fully con- 
 scious of mastery over the hearts of his fellows, and his voice, vibrant 
 with emotion, searches all the recesses of the soul. You are absorbed, 
 captured, and when all is over you are aware that for a time you had 
 wholly lost consciousness of yourself. 
 
 It abates nothing from these facts that Dr. Durbin's powers as an 
 orator declined after he had committed himself wholly to admiuistra- 
 
Dickinson College. 197 
 
 tive tasks. In his later years he lived among us less as an orator and 
 more as a statesman ; 
 
 *' With . . . shoulders, fit to bear 
 The weight of mightiest mouurchies." 
 
 lie himself never grieved over the change, and welcomed the men who 
 increased in public favor while he decreased; for he was careless of 
 fame, solicitous only to do his appointed work thoroughly well. It was 
 characteristic of him that he destroyed most of his private papers, and 
 forbade the writing of his life. 
 
 The members of our first faculty taught as much by their virtues as 
 by their formal lessons. They have gone to their graves. Allen, the 
 last of the company, whom we had hojxjd to have with us to-day, has 
 joined liis colleagues in the better land. 
 
 This tribute from Dr. Crooks eeems to be tlie individual 
 expression of a general sentiment among those who came in 
 contact with this first faculty. To nothing connected with 
 their college life are the students of that time more quickly 
 responsive than to the memory of that company of young 
 and enthusiastic men, into whose keeping the Church first 
 committed the college. 
 
 After twelve years of administration, in which Dr. Dur- 
 bin's wonderful administrative abilities became clearly mani- 
 fest, he resigned his position, for the sake of his family, and 
 removed to Philadelphia. Robert Emory, D.D., having 
 served the college as professor of ancient languages from 
 1S34 to 1840, and having acted as president of the college in 
 the absence of Dr. Durbin in the East, from 1842 to 1844, 
 was now elected president. Dr. Emory was, in truth, a re- 
 markable man. AVhen called to fill the chair of ancient lan- 
 guages he was fresh from Columbia College, and but little 
 more than twenty yeai*s of -age. He soon showed how 
 worthy he was of a place with the men who gave the college 
 a reputation. His executive power was great and versatile. 
 
198 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 In everj sphere in which he was tried tliere was the demon- 
 stration of ability tliat ranked him with the first in each. 
 At the early age of thirty-four he passed away with the im- 
 pression widely made that, if of his years he left an equal, 
 he left no superior in the Church. Except a brief interval 
 of pastoral service his working life was given to Dickinson. 
 He died in 1848. 
 
 Jesse T. Peck, D.D., succeeded to the presidency, but re- 
 signed at the close of four years. During his administration, 
 Professor Johnson proposed his plan for increasing the 
 endowment fund of the college. As finall}^ matured the 
 plan consisted in selling a very large number of scholarships 
 at little more than a nominal price, the proceeds to be de- 
 voted to the permanent endowment fund. It was expected 
 that the plan would so largely increase the productive funds 
 of the college as to render it in a large measure independent 
 of revenue from students. Thousands of scholarships w^ere 
 sold — enough to seriously lessen the income of the college 
 from tuition of students, but not enough to secure all that 
 was desired in enlarged endowment. Good, liowever, was 
 accomplished. Tuition was made merely nominal, the cost 
 of education was greatly lessened to the student, and the 
 college was again brought prominently before the Church. 
 
 In 1852 Charles Collins, D.D., president of Emory and 
 Henry College, Virginia, was elected to succeed Dr. Peck. 
 "With his election the college entered upon a period of great 
 prosperity, with largely increased numbers of students. After 
 a service of eight years he resigned, and engaged in edu- 
 cational work in Memphis, Tenn., where he died. Hermann 
 M. Johnson, D.D., was his natural successor, and entered 
 upon the duties of his position in 1860, on the eve of that 
 great struggle between the North and South, and which was 
 
Dickinson College. 199 
 
 to try the college most severely, looking, as it did, to both sec- 
 tions for its patronage. Notwithstanding the sudden falling 
 away of students, and the fact that much of the invested 
 funds of the college became, for a time, unproductive, so 
 that salaries fell largely in arrears, the regular work of the 
 college was continued. Hopeful in the midst of difficulty, 
 the faculty remained at their post through some most trying 
 years. To the latest of ^ her history it will be for a praise to 
 them that through all discouragements they gave the help 
 by which, though bowed and staggering, she still kept on 
 her way. As a result of the centennial effort of 1866, $100,- 
 000 was added to the endowment; but Dr. Johnson died 
 suddenly in 1868, not reaping where he had sown. 
 
 In September of the same year Robert L. Dashiell, D.D., 
 was elected president, but resigned four years later to accept 
 the position of Corresponding Secretary of the Missionary 
 Society of the Church, which he held to the date of his 
 death, in 1879. 
 
 In 1872 James A. McCauley, D.D., LL.D., was elected 
 president at a time when the needs of the college were very 
 great, and the means at her command very small. Increased 
 demands were being made on colleges every-where, and Dick- 
 inson seemed for the time unable to meet these demands. 
 So frequently had the college come before the people of the 
 patronizing Conferences asking help, that it seemed hopeless 
 to make yet another appeal. Accordingly, Dr. McCauley 's 
 iirst years were given to a careful administration of the 
 icsources at command, special care being given to the eleva- 
 tion of the standard of scholarship, which had doubtless suf- 
 fered by frequent change of administration. Such was his 
 success that confidence in the future of the college gradually 
 increased, and in 1882 it was felt that the time had come to 
 
200 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 make a material advance. To this end the old buildings, 
 which had been the homes of so many generations of stu- 
 dents, were thoroughly repaired, and a policy of advance in- 
 augurated. No mistake had been made in choosing the 
 time. Friends were raised up to the college in unexpected 
 quarters, and her endowment fund was largely increased, 
 lion. Thomas Beaver, of Pennsylvania, contributed $30,000 
 to this end ; David Carroll, D.D., of Baltimore, contributed 
 $10,000 ; and the friends of the college came to her centen- 
 nial commencement, in 1883, bearing rich gifts in their hands, 
 $40,000 being then subscribed to her funds, and a new build- 
 ing for scientific purposes ordered to be built. In 1884 
 Hon. Jacob Tome, one of the trustees, proposed that this 
 building should be erected at his expense, thus liberating to 
 the use of the college the funds set apart for that purpose. 
 At about the same time Mrs. Helen Bosler was induced 
 to erect a library hall for the college, as a memorial to her 
 husband, James W. Bosler. Another friend placed funds 
 in the liands of the agent of the college for the erection of 
 a gymnasium, stipulating only that liis name be not made 
 known. 
 
 These buildings were admirably adapted to meet the wants 
 they were intended to supply. The scientific building, cost- 
 ing about $30,000, besides physical and chemical laboratories 
 and recitation rooms, provides for a commodious museum. 
 Bosler Memorial Library Hall, costing about $75,000, v/ill 
 furnish accommodation for one hundred thousand volumes, 
 and contains also a capacious assembly hall, suitable to the 
 public exercises of the college. 
 
 President McCauley's administration, lasting longer than 
 any other since Dr. Nisbet's, has seen great good come to 
 the college. Great strides have been made toward putting 
 
DicKixNsoN College. 201 
 
 her ill a position of secured usefulness and independence. 
 In these latter days seems to have come the time wished for 
 by our fathers. The college is established beyond perad- 
 venture. It still has wants ; but these, in time, will have 
 supply. The advance already made, not only in strengthen^ 
 ing the resources of the college, but in inspiring the con- 
 fidence of the intelligent and wealthy section of the Church 
 its mission is to serve, as also in conciliating general good- 
 will, constrains belief that, with fidelity in work and wisdom 
 in administration, advancing years will adequately minister 
 to every want these years may bring. 
 
 9* 
 
202 Eakly- Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTEK YIII. 
 
 ALLEGHENY COLLEGE.* 
 
 BY A. W. CUMMINQS, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 In the spring of 1815 Eev. Timotlij Alden removed from 
 the city of New York to Meadville, Pa. A short time after 
 his arrival he explained, to a meeting of the citizens, that his 
 principal object in coming to the West was to select a suita- 
 able location for a college. The meeting highly approved 
 of the location of such an institution at Meadville. From 
 the fact that the region to be benefited by the institution is 
 principally watered by the numerous streams which make 
 the Allegheny, it was recommended to call the proposed 
 seminary 
 
 ALLEGHENY COLLEGE. 
 
 It was agreed that in due time the institution consist of 
 president, vice-president, professors and tutors ; that Rev. 
 Timothy Alden, late of the city of New York, be the presi- 
 dent, and professor of oriental languages and ecclesiastical 
 history ; that Eev. Robert Johnston be the vice-president, 
 and professor of logic, metaphysics, and ethics ; and that they 
 be the sole instructors for the present in all departments of 
 literature and science. 
 
 These resolves, of that little meeting on the evening of 
 that spring day, 1815, settled the policy of a great under- 
 taking, and President Alden, to whom toil and privation 
 
 * Condensed from Warners, Bears, & Co.'s " History of Crawford County, 
 Pa.," with permiss'on of the publishers. 
 
Allegheny College. 203 
 
 and patient waiting was a real joy, soon started on liis mis- 
 sion to collect the means to make effective the plans thus 
 laid. He ranged through the principal towns of the North, 
 receiving donations, varying from twenty cents, all along to 
 $5, $10, and $100, in casli, and a gift of five hundred acres 
 of land by D. D. Rogers, Esq. The first name on his paper 
 was John Adams, ex-President of the United States, who 
 gave $20. Sixty-six of the solid men of Boston followed, 
 among them the Chantiings, the Davises, the Frothing- 
 hams, the Lorings, the Lowells, the Ticknors, the Greenleafs, 
 the Parkmans, and the Thayers. Then follow the men of Cam- 
 bridge, Charlestown, Dorchester, Salem, Marblehead, Med- 
 ford, Plymouth, etc. Rhode Island, Kew York, Pennsylvania, 
 and other States were visited. The net results of this mis- 
 sion were : land valued at $2,000 ; books, $1,640 30 ; cash, 
 $461 ; total, $4,103 30. A rather small amount of cash with 
 which to found a college; but the real results of this tour 
 are not represented by these figures, for he paved the way for 
 bequests that were princely. Among the donors are names 
 that should be perpetuated ; the learned Dr. Worcester, of 
 Salem, and Dr. Aaron Bancroft were donors, as was Dr. 
 Harris, president of Columbia College. Dr. Nott, of Union 
 College, and Brown and Ives, the patrons of Brown Univer- 
 sity, gave $50 in cash. While President Alden was absent 
 on this mission east, the treasurer's books were opened in 
 Meadville, and the following subscriptions were obtained : 
 Major Roger Alden, Hon. John B. Wallace, and Hon. 
 William Griffith, each $500; Samuel Lord and Daniel Le- 
 Fevre, two hundred and twenty-five acres of land valued at 
 $450 ; Dr. Daniel Bemus, H. J. Iluidckoper, Daniel LeFevre, 
 General David Mead, Hon. Jesse Moore, John Reynolds, and 
 Jared Shattuck, each $300; Hon. Patrick Fan-elly, Samuel 
 
204 . Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 B. Magaw, Colonel Kalpli Marlin, and James White, each 
 $200; Samuel Torbett, $150; Eev. Timothy Alden, $120 
 (in books) ; Joseph T. Cummings & Co., $110 ; Thomas At- 
 kinson and Henry Hurst, each $100 ; Eliphalet Bett, $75 ; 
 James Foster, $60; Daniel Perkins, $05; Moses Allen, 
 James Hamilton, Hev. Robert Johnston, Joseph Morrison, 
 Alexander M'Dowell, Alexander Power, and William W. 
 White, each $50; John Cotton, $40; Lewis JSTeill, $35; 
 David Compton, $30 ; John Johnston and Noah Wade, 
 each $20 ; Hugh Cotton and Hugh Cotton, Jr., each $10 ; 
 total, $5,685, whicli, added to the amount of $4,103 30, 
 collected by President Alden, made up a grand total of 
 $9,788 30. 
 
 When we consider that Crawford County was then but 
 sparsely settled, and its people not yet recovered from the 
 war of 1812, we. must confess that this subscription exhibits 
 a spirit of generous enterprise and rare liberality. 
 
 The securing of a charter was vigorously pushed, but it 
 encountered delay, and did not become a law until March 
 24, 1817. The act of incorporation ordains the establish- 
 ment of an institution for the education of youth in the 
 learned, ancient, and modern languages, in the liberal arts 
 and sciences, and in all useful literature ; with power to 
 " confer on the pupils of said institution such rewards, di- 
 plomas, and degrees in the different liberal arts and sciences, 
 as the faculty and trustees shall think them entitled to ; and 
 to confer honorary degrees according to the general usages 
 and customs of other colleges." The same act appropriated 
 to the college the sum of $2,000, and a further sum of 
 $5,000 was subsequently granted by the State. The charter 
 members of the board of trustees were selected from the 
 counties of Crawford, Erie, Yenango, Mercer, Butler, Beaver, 
 
Allegheny College. 205 
 
 Allegheny, Westmoreland, and Dauphin, and the city of 
 Philadelphia, besides others from Ohio, New Jersey, and 
 Massachusetts. Those residing in Crawford County were : 
 Eoger Alden, William M' Arthur, Jesse Moore, John Brooks, 
 William Clark, Henry Hurst, Sanmel Lord, Samuel Torbett, 
 Ealph Marlin, Patrick Farrelly, Thomas Atkinson, John 
 Eeynolds, Daniel Bemus, William Foster, Daniel Perkins, 
 Kcvs. Amos Chase, Timothy Alden, and Robert Johnston. 
 
 On J::ly 4, 1817, the charter was formally accepted, and 
 under its provisions a complete organization was effected. 
 On July 25, amid much ceremony, was held the first 
 annual commencement of the embryo institution, at which 
 time Rev. Timothy Alden was inaugurated president of 
 the faculty, and professor of the oriental languages, 
 ecclesiastical history, and theology, of Allegheny College. 
 The inaugural ceremonies took place in the old log court- 
 house. It will astonish many of the scliolars of to-day to 
 read the programme of exercises on this occasion: "1. An 
 address in Latin, to the president and professor, announcing 
 his appointment to these offices, by Patrick Farrelly, Esq. 
 2. A reply in Latin, by Mr. Alden, declaring his accept- 
 ance of these offices. 3. A prayer in Latin, by Mr. Alden. 
 4. Sacred music, by a choir of singers, under the direction of 
 Colonel Robert Stockton and Mr. John Bowman. 5. Inau- 
 gural oration in Latin, by Mr. Alden. 6. A Hebrew oration, 
 an English oration, a Latin dialogue, an English dialogue, 
 and an English oration, by the probationers of Allegheny 
 College. 7. Sacred music. 8. An address in English, in ref- 
 erence to the occasion, by Mr. Alden." It is not surprising 
 that Sherman Day, in his '* Historical Collection," should 
 make the following comment regarding this programme : 
 " Mr. Alden was inaugurated amid an astonishing display of 
 
206 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 the dead languages. It should be observed that the lower 
 story of the court-house was the county jail, and, therefore, 
 the prisoners must have had the benefit of this intellectual 
 treat. The college opened in the court-house, which it occu- 
 pied for a brief period, then removed to a frame building, 
 near the south-east corner of Walnut Street and the Dia- 
 mond ; and thence to a frame building on Pine Street, now 
 the residence of Eobert M'Mullen. 
 
 BXnLDING AND GROUND. 
 
 In due time a college building was commenced. Five 
 acres of ground were donated by Samuel Lord, and the 
 present beautiful site in the northern suburbs of the city was 
 selected for the rising institution. The corner-stone of 
 Bentley Hall (so named in honor of Rev. William Bent- 
 ley, D.D., LL.D.), the first public building of Allo^gheny 
 College, was laid in the presence of a large assemblage of 
 the people of Crawford and adjoining counties on July 5, 
 1820. Few are i^ow living who witnessed the imposing 
 ceremonies. Even the names of many prominent in the 
 duties of that day are unknown to the larger portion of 
 the present residents of Crawford County ; but the monu- 
 ment of their philanthropy remains a blessing to the present 
 and to future generations. Eev. President Timothy Alden, 
 after being appointed the Worshipful Master, pro tempore^ 
 of Western Star Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, under 
 whose auspices the stone was laid, gave the history of several 
 articles which w^ere deposited in the stone. 
 
 These consisted of a silver plate, four by six inches in size, 
 handsomely wrought and engraved by Captain Jacob Hull, 
 and presented by him for the purpose ; a bottle containing 
 foreign and domestic coins; a concise history of Alleglieny 
 
Allegheny College. 207 
 
 College ; sundry small rolls of parchments, exhibiting lists 
 of the names of the benefactors and officers of the college, 
 and of the members and officers of the Western Star Lodge 
 and Chapter ; several newspapers giving notices of the pro- 
 ceedings of the board of trustees ; a piece of Plymouth 
 Eock ; a piece of marble broken from a pillar which tradition 
 states to have belonged to Queen Dido's temple in ancient 
 Carthage ; a specimen of plaster from the tomb of Yirgil, 
 presented by J. H. Steele, M.D., of the United States Kavy ; 
 and specimens of the reeds laid three thousand years ago 
 between the bricks in the pyramids, presented by Captain 
 David Molthrop, whose son William accompanied Captain 
 Austin on his expedition to the Euphrates in 1816, and 
 brought those curiosities of antiquity to America. After 
 consigning these several articles to the receptacle awaiting 
 them, Dr. Alden sprinkled the stone with corn, wine, and oil, 
 according to Masonic custom, and pronounced it " well laid 
 and sure." Then, kneeling down, he supplicated the bless- 
 ing of Heaven on the work undertaken, and on the benefac- 
 tors, officers, instructors, and alurrtni of the institution of the 
 present and all future generations, and on the large assem- 
 blage convened on the occasion. He then addressed the peo- 
 ple, reciting briefly the growth, progress, and hopeful out- 
 look of the college, whose charming location overlooking the 
 valley of French Creek seemed destined by nature to be the 
 site of a flourishing scliool, devoted to the interests of the 
 literary, scientific, and moral welfare of the community. 
 
 This being the anniversary Commencement of Allegheny 
 College, the appropriate exercises of the day took place 
 around the corner-stone, over which was erected an arched 
 bower decorated with flowers, prepared by the young ladies 
 of Meadvillc. Of the students wlio took part in that Com- 
 
208 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 mencement Day, more than sixty-four 3^ears ago, but one 
 survives, David M. Farrelly, Esq., the senior member of the 
 Crawford County Bar, though Hon. David Derickson, the 
 orator of the occasion, has only recently passed from the 
 scenes of life. Taking into consideration the fact, that the 
 population of Meadville was tlien but six hundred and sixty- 
 six, and of the whole county nine thousand three hundred 
 and ninety-seven, a proper conception may be realized of the 
 magnitude of the undertaking, and of the public spirit and 
 liberality of the pioneer fathers. 
 
 President Alden's untiring zeal and enterprise convinced 
 people that his project would succeed, and that it was wor- 
 thy of their benefactions. To the scholarly mind of Dr. Al- 
 den the ideal of a first-class college embraced the necessary 
 feature of a great library, and to realize this called forth his 
 most earnest exertions. In happily securing such a collection 
 of books as had few superiors in the country, at that time, 
 the scheme of establishing the college seemed measurably 
 assured of success. The first large contribution was be- 
 queathed at his death, January 29, 1820, by the Rev. William 
 Bentley, of Salem, Mass., who, says the historian Day, had 
 spent his life in amassing one of the most rare collections of 
 theological works in the country. 
 
 Harvard University had set her eyes upon this collection, 
 and, having bestowed the preliminary plum, in the shape of 
 an LL.D. diploma, patiently awaited the doctor's demise. She 
 occupied, however, the situation of Esau before Isaac ; for 
 Dr. Alden had prepared the savory dish, and received the boon 
 and the name ; Bentley Hall now records the gratitude of 
 Allegheny College. This collection embraced all his theolog- 
 ical books. It is said to have contained such a treasure of the 
 ancient Latin and Greek Fathers of the Church as few of the 
 
Allegheny College. 209 
 
 colleges of the United States possessed — all his lexicons and 
 ]3i[)les— and was valued at $3,000. Isaiah Thomas, LL.D., 
 of Worcester, Mass., also donated a considerable collection 
 of miscellaneous literature, valued at $750. Then came the 
 most important bequest of all, that of Hon. James Win- 
 throp, LL.D., of Cambridge, Mass., who, as the " Boston 
 Patriot " of that day said, has bequeathed his library, one of 
 the best private libraries in the Union, to the Allegheny 
 College at Meadville, where the late learned and reverend, 
 and, we will add, uniformly patriotic, Dr. Bentley sent a part 
 of his very valuable collection. The Winthrop collection, 
 containing three thousand one hundred and fifty volumes, 
 was a most rare and costly one, and was valued at $6,400. 
 
 The library was increased to eiglit thousand volumes, val- 
 ued at $20,000, by the labors of President Alden. It was 
 mentioned by ex-Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James 
 Madison as a most valuable collection of books. Through 
 the influence of Dr. Alden donations of land were received, 
 increasing the campus from five to ten acres. 
 
 In the meantime adverse influences had begun to operate 
 against the institution, which tended to check its growth and 
 jeopardize its existence. Within the bounds of the Pres- 
 byterian Synod of Pittsburg, which embraced, including 
 Washington County on the south, all of north-western Penn- 
 sylvania, were already two colleges under Presbyterian pat- 
 ronage — Jefferson and Washington — one or the other of 
 which nearly all the Presbyterian ministers of the region 
 claimed as their alma mater. A general sentiment pre- 
 vailed among tliem that if Allegheny College succeeded it 
 nmst be at the expense of those already established, neither 
 of which had adequate support. They, therefore, withheld 
 their approval in documentary form when assembled in 
 
210 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 presbytery, and for the most part their individual influence 
 in their own congregations ; hence, students were too few 
 to support instructors, and, upon the resignation of President 
 Alden, in ^N^ovember, 1831, all operations were suspended 
 and the college closed. Thus, after sixteen years of inde- 
 fatigable labor and self-sacrifice, the indomitable spirit of 
 Dr. Alden was broken ; but so long as time shall last his name 
 will be handed down from generation to generation as the 
 founder of Allegheny College. 
 
 For two years succeeding Dr. Alden's resignation the col- 
 lege stood a silent monument of noble but unsuccessful 
 efforts in the cause of literature and science. In the mean- 
 time an interchange of sentiment took place between the 
 trustees and some ministers of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, having for its object an arrangement for securing to 
 the institution the patronage of the Pittsburg Conference. 
 
 The Conference met at Meadville in July, 1833. The 
 board of trustees, through an accredited agent, tendered the 
 college to the Conference. After visiting the institution and 
 examining its library and other property, the Conference re- 
 solved unanimously to accept the proposition of the board of 
 trustees by taking the institution under its patronage. It 
 w^as also resolved to make an effort to raise an endowment of 
 $20,000 to aid in sustaining the college, and to found a 
 Roberts professorship, in honor of the venerable Bishop R. 
 R. Roberts, then presiding. 
 
 The following faculty w^as elected under the new^ organiza- 
 tion : Martin Ruter, D.D., president, and professor of moral 
 science; Rev. Homer J. Clark, A.M., vice-president, and 
 professor of mathematics ; Augustus Ruter, A.B., professor 
 of languages. Between twenty and thirty students were en- 
 rolled on opening day, November 4, 1833. 
 
Allegheny College. 211 
 
 From that day lier growth and prosperity have kept pace 
 with the best institutions of the land. President Enter was 
 a man of hirge attainments, of successful experience in 
 schools, first at Newmarket, N. H., afterward at Augusta 
 College, Ky. Dr. Enter remained at the helm but four 
 years ; at the close of each a small class finished the curric- 
 ulum, and took the bachelor's degree. Homer J. Clark, 
 D.D., became president in 1837 ; and from 1838 to 1844 
 State aid, to the amount of $1,000 annually, was regularly 
 received, and the college was prosperous. But upon the 
 withdrawal of the State largess the college was suspended 
 for one year, 1844. Dr. Clark spent that year soliciting aid 
 from the people. He received during the year and safely 
 invested $60,000. He originated the successful " scholar- 
 ship plan," which allows students free tuition in all depart- 
 ments, and secures to the college a corresponding income. 
 
 In 1847 John Barker, D.D., was made president. He was 
 a man of strong mind and of varied learning ; and prosperity 
 attended the college during his administration. Enter Hall, 
 a three-story brick structure east of the main building, at 
 a cost of $6,000, was completed during his administration, 
 which terminated by his sudden death, of apoplexy, in 1860. 
 The next president was George Loomis, D.D., an alumnus 
 of the Wesley an University, of large experience as a popular 
 professor in several institutions. 
 
 During the administration of Dr. Loomis a new building 
 was erected, accommodating over one hundred students with 
 good rooms. It took fire and was consumed in December, 
 1882. Dr. Loomis also secured good additions to the invest- 
 ed funds. After the retirement of Dr. Loomis, Jonathan 
 Ilamnett, D.D., acted as president for one year. 
 
 L. II. Bugbee, D.D., was inaugurated president June 24, 
 
212 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 1875. He was graduated from Amherst College in 1854. His 
 long and varied experience in sch(5ols of various grades, male 
 and female, as well as mixed, well prepared liim for his suc- 
 cessful presidency at Allegheny College. Great improve- 
 ments were made in the buildings by extensive repairs, and 
 Hulings Hall, the gift of Marcus Hulings, was opened as a 
 home for lady students in 1 881. It is the most elegant of 
 the college buildings. 
 
 In 1882 Dr. Bugbee retired, his position becoming un- 
 pleasant in consequence of a want of harmony in the board 
 and faculty. He died in Geneva, K. Y., in 1883. Dr. Ham- 
 nett again served as president jpro tempore while the board 
 was looking for a successor to the lamented Dr. Bugbee. 
 The choice fell upon David H. Wheeler, D.D., LL.D., who, 
 like his predecessor, had long been connected with prosperous 
 schools, and had also been eight for years the editor of '' The 
 Methodist," an independent Methodist weekly newspaper of 
 large circulation published in New York city. Dr. Wheeler 
 has been president for two years. The usual prosperity has 
 been enjoyed by the institution. 
 
 Under Methodist control Allegheny has prospered for more 
 than half a century. The invested funds exceed $160,000; 
 other property is valued at $160,000 ; total, $320,000. 
 
 Its alumni exceeds seven hundred names. Among these 
 are: Hons. David Derickson, John W. Farrelly, William 
 Reynolds, Darwin A. Finney, Pearson Church, Rev. Calvin 
 Kingsley, D.D., Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; 
 Hon. F. H. Piei-pont, ex-Governor of West Virginia ; Revs. 
 Moses Crow, M. A., D.D., Sandford Hunt, M.A., D.D., Alex- 
 ander Martin, M.A., D.D., LL.D., president of Asbury Uni- 
 versity, Greencastle, Ind. ; O. N. Hartshorn, M.A., LL.D., 
 president of Mount Union College, Ohio; James Marvin, 
 
Allegheny College. 213 
 
 M. A., D.D., president of La^vrence University, Kansas ; 
 Albert L. Long, M. A., D.D., professor in Kobert College, Con- 
 stantinople, Turkey; J. Walter Waugh, M.A., and James 
 M. Thoburn, M.A., D.D., missionaries in India; Milton B. 
 Goff, M.A., Pli.D., president of the Western Pennsylvania 
 Uuivei-sity; and W. G. Williams, A.M., late principal of 
 Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, and many others well known. 
 In all departments of life, civil and military, at home and in 
 distant lands, Allegheny College is honored by the record 
 made for her in the lives and deaths of those whom she 
 proudly calls her own. At present nearly the entire body 
 of students is regularly drilled in tactics, and instructed in 
 military science. The signal gun, fired at sunrise, arouses 
 the sleepers of the entire city, and awakens the echoes far 
 down the valley and up the dark ravines. 
 
214 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTEK IX. 
 
 WESTERN RESEllVE SEMINARY. 
 
 BY REV. E. A. WHITWAM, A.M. 
 
 This institution, located at West Farmington, O., is among 
 the oldest in the State. It was at first managed by a stock 
 company, under the name of Farmington Academy, and 
 opened in 1833, in a small brick building. In 1849 the 
 present fine central building was erected, and the name was 
 changed to Farmington Normal School. With the hope of 
 greater usefulness, and to secure means to liquidate the debt 
 incurred for the new building, the* trustees, in 1852, tendered 
 the school, with all its assets and liabilities, to the Erie Con- 
 ference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Though the 
 negotiations were not fully closed, Rev. James Greer, A.M., 
 was appointed, by Bishop Simpson, from the Conference as 
 principal of the school. The next year Mr. Greer was re-ap- 
 pointed by Bishop Baker, and Eev. John C. Ayres was ap- 
 pointed agent from the Conference. In 1854 the name of the 
 school became Western Reserve Seminary. 
 
 Mr. Greer continued the principal, but the agency from 
 the Conference was discontinued for a year. Mr. Greer con- 
 tinued at the head of the seminary until 1861, wiien he was 
 succeeded by Rev. William D. Archibold, A.M., who had 
 rendered five years' good service in the school as professor of 
 languages previous to his election to the principalship. In 
 1868 two boarding halls were erected. The one for gentle- 
 men is two stories high, seventy by thirty-four feet, and pro- 
 
Western Reserve Seminary. 215 
 
 vides rooms for fifty young men. The other, for ladies, is a 
 very superior edifice, three stories high, and eighty-four by 
 thirty feet on the ground. It is the gift of Rev. Mr. and 
 Mrs. J. B. Corey, of the East Ohio Conference. The pres- 
 ent principal succeeded Rev. A. E. M'Bride, A.M., in 1884. 
 The prospects of the school were never brighter than now. 
 The curriculum has been thoroughly revised, bringing it up 
 to the latest standards in the best schools. There are seven 
 courses of study, each leading to its appropriate degree. 
 Western Reserve Seminary is a child of the Church. With 
 no sectarian bias, each student feels that the atmosphere of 
 the school is religious. A constant religious influence is felt 
 among the students. In such circumstances discipline is 
 easy, and devotion to study is insured. Ladies and gentle- 
 men enter the same classes, are candidates for the same hon- 
 ors, and the presence and influence of each is an inspiration 
 to the other. Mutual sympathy and respect unite teachers 
 and students more like one family than simply as a school. 
 The institution being on the Painesville and Youngstown Rail- 
 road, is very accessible to the people of the Western Reserve 
 and of other parts of the State. It is the only Methodist 
 school in north-eastern Ohio, and in this territory there is 
 but one other having authority to confer degrees. It is now 
 doing college work, and many think that in name, as well as 
 in work, it should be known as a college. This subject is 
 now before the board of trustees. 
 
 The ladies are under the special charge of the preceptress, 
 but meet the gentlemen at the recitations and lectures, in the 
 chapel, and at the tables in the common boarding hall. The 
 moral tone of the village is high. Public opinion has 
 thwarted all attempts to introduce saloons, billiards, or other 
 forms of gambling. If there are tipplers in the place, they 
 
216 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 must go four miles away from the village to secure the means 
 of gratifying tlieir appetites. 
 
 The three principal buildings and grounds are estimated at 
 $20,000, and there is a small endowment of $2,700, with 
 $2,300 more pledged. The enrollment for the last year was 
 one hundred and lifty-six ; with ten thousand, three hundred 
 and fifty from the beginning. Many of these have filled 
 honorable places in the various professions, in churches, and 
 the business enterprises of the country. The school has 
 always been in charge of an able, faithful board of instruct- 
 ors, and has been a constant blessing to the " Western Re- 
 serve." The people are now becoming wealthy, and they 
 should endow this institution so liberally as to insure its 
 success in all coming years. 
 
 The teachers now in the school are : Eev. E. A. Whitwam, 
 A.M., president ; Mrs. O. A. Whitwam, M.L.A. ; Miss Sara 
 A. Collins, A.M. ; Mr. Harry Allen ; Mr. O. A. Burnette ; 
 Miss R. Effie Farley. 
 
NoKWALK Seminary. 217 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 NORWALK SEMINARY.* 
 
 BY EDWARD THOMSON, A.M., PH.D. 
 
 At an early day an enterprising colony from Connecticut 
 settled in Huron County, O. The village founded by them 
 took the name of their old New England home, Norwalk. 
 Being a cultivated people, of education and piety, a school 
 for their children became a first necessity. They founded 
 *' Norwalk Academy" at about 1825. With the hope of ex- 
 tending its usefulness under the inspiring influence of that 
 sterling evangelist, Rev. Henry O. Sheldon, this school was 
 tendered to the Oliio Conference, in the year 1833, and Rev. 
 Jonathan E. Chaplin became its principal. He was born in 
 Chaplin, Windham County, Conn., in 1789. While he was 
 quite young his parents removed to the State of New York, 
 lie studied law, and for a time practiced at BiifF<ilo. He 
 wrote and published a pamphlet, under the title " True 
 Glory," in defense of the famous Hartford Convention. 
 This fastened upon him, among his legal confreres^ the sou- 
 hriquet '* True Glory." During the war of 1812, Mr. Chap- 
 lin served as aid-dc camp to General Porter on the North- 
 ern frontier, and fell into intemperate habits. After the 
 war he removed to Urbana, O. A terrible cyclone passed 
 over the place, sweeping away every thing in its coui*se, 
 except his cabin. So wonderful a providence greatly 
 
 • The first part of this article was written for this work ; the latter part \% 
 copied, by permissioi), from the "Life of Bisliop Thomson." Cincinnati: 
 Cranston & 8towe. 
 10 
 
218 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 affected liim, resulting in his conversion and consecration to 
 the ministry. He became a noted temperance worker. His 
 lectures were sometimes like a tempest (says Kev. W. H. 
 Eaper), sweeping every thing before them. Scores in the 
 judicial circuit where he practiced law were reclaimed from 
 intemperance by his irresistible appeals. Bishop Harris says 
 he was the best classical scholar he ever knew. His fame as 
 a scholar and refined Christian gentlemen reached the trust- 
 ees of the Conference Seminary at Nor walk. They elected 
 him its principal in 1834. The next year he joined the 
 Oliio Conference, but continued at the seminary. 
 
 The school was prosperous, with an average attendance of 
 over one hundred students. Among Mr. Chaplin's pupils 
 were some who, in after years, became widely known and 
 very distinguished. In this list is Bishop W. L. Harris, John 
 H. Pitzel, George W. Brown, all living ; George W. Breck- 
 enridge, Thomas BarkduU, and others. Among the early 
 teachers at Norwalk Seminary were Mr. Darwell and Misses 
 Langford and Loveland. In 1836 the seminary building was 
 destroyed by fire — a heavy loss to the trustees and conmm- 
 nity. The school was, however, continued in extemporized 
 accommodations. Immediate measures were taken to rebuild 
 on a larger scale. After the fire Mr. Chaplin resigned, and 
 spent several years in the active work of the ministry. His 
 hist work was in the office of president of the Wliite Pigeon 
 branch of the State University of Michigan. Here he died 
 a most triumphant death in September, 1846. His successor 
 at Norwalk Seminary was Bev. Edward Thomson, M.D., 
 better known as Bishop Tliomson, D.D., LL.D. At the 
 Conference of 1838, held at Tiffin, O., Dr. Thomson was 
 a]^pointed principal of Norwalk Seminary. Here he be- 
 gan his literary career and work as an educator, for wliich 
 
NoRWALK Seminary. 219 
 
 he seems to have been especially fitted by nature and by 
 grace, and in which he was destined to achieve such brilliant 
 success. Some of his friends felt that he ought not to leave 
 the pastorate, and that he was not qualified for the place, 
 since he had never been a teacher of youth. lie, however 
 entered upon the duties of the position with a modest yet 
 cheeiful confidence in his ability to achieve success. He 
 knew, perhaps, better than anj' one else, what he lacked of 
 the requisite qualifications, and applied himself diligently to 
 the study of those branches of learning with which he was 
 not sufficiently familiar ; and with close thought, quick per- 
 ception, retentive memory, and untiring application he be- 
 came well rounded in all the departments of scholastic knowl- 
 edge. And thus he pursued his studies, ever adding to his 
 stock of literary and scientific acquisitions, and never for- 
 getting what he had learned. He made himself proficient 
 in helles-lettres and psychology, two departments in which 
 he was especially interested ; but whatever he studied he 
 mastered. 
 
 It was late in the autumn of 1838 that Dr. Thomson went 
 to Norwalk. Alexander Nelson, afterward a traveling 
 preacher, and now an honored member of the North Oliio 
 Conference, worthily bearing the title of Doctor of Divinity, 
 accompanied him as assistant teacher. To Dr. Nelson the 
 author is indebted for many facts, hereafter stated, relative 
 to the seminary. 
 
 The opening of the school had been delayed because the 
 new building was not ready for occupancy. The edifice 
 was forty by eighty feet, three stories high. The two sec- 
 tions on the lower floor contained each a school-room and 
 two recitation-rooms. In the second story were two large 
 roomy, one for chapel purposes, the other for the ladies' 
 
220 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 classes. The third story was divided into dormitories. When 
 the new teacliers arrived the seminary building was only 
 inclosed ; hence the school term had to be opened in a 
 private dwelling. The pupils at first were twenty or 
 twenty-five boys from the village of Norwalk. In the course 
 of two months the school-room in the west wing and two 
 recitation-rooms wei'e finished and furnished, and the school 
 was transferred to the new building. By the end of the year 
 the entire edifice was completed and occupied. 
 
 In the autumn of 1839 the ladies' department was opened, 
 with Mre. A. Nelson as preceptress, and Miss A. E. Morri- 
 son, her sister, as assistant — ladies of superior qualifi- 
 cations, who had had experience in teaching in the Eastern 
 States. 
 
 The seminary, which had been increasing in number and 
 in popularity, now took advanced ground, and became more 
 generally known and patronized. The catalogue of 1842 
 sums up the number of two hundred and sixty-five male and 
 one hundred and twenty-six female students, making the 
 total number for the year three hundred and ninety-one. 
 The departments of teaching at first took wide range, all the 
 branches of study being attended to by the two first instruct- 
 ors. Afterward, as teachers were added, the number of 
 branches to each was reduced. Hence, at first, Dr. Thom- 
 son's department was belles-lettres, physics, and Latin ; Mr. 
 Nelson's was mathematics, natural science, and Greek. 
 Thomas J. Pope, an advanced scholar, subsequently a mem- 
 ber of the North Ohio Conference, was engaged to teach 
 some classes, and afterwai'd James Mitchell, an adept in 
 mathematics, was engaged, and E. W. Doan was made an 
 assistant in the lower English branches. H. S. Bradley was 
 soon secured to occupy tlic cast room on the lower floor. lie 
 
NoRWALK Seminary. 221 
 
 subsequently entered tlie ministry, and rose to great useful- 
 ness in the Central Ohio Conference. 
 
 A Mr. Sayre, a graduate of Kenyon College, was employed, 
 but, after a few montlis, he took a fever and died. Then a 
 Mr. Olney, a graduate of Ohio University, was engaged. 
 After a short time he resigned, to prepare himself for the 
 ministry at Lane Seminary, Cincinnati ; but he died before 
 he was able to enter upon his ministerial duties. Shortly 
 after this Kev. Ilolden D wight, a graduate from the Wes- 
 leyan University at Middletown, Conn., and wife, experi- 
 enced teachers from the East, came to Norwalk, and were 
 added to the teaching force at the seminary. In the fall of 
 1842 Professor Nelson and his wife received an urgent call 
 from the trustees of Worthington Female Seminary to come 
 and take the charge of that institution, which was under the 
 supervision of the Ohio Conference. 
 
 After due deliberation they accepted the invitation, ten- 
 dered their resignations to the tmstees of Norwalk Seminary, 
 and their connection with the latter was dissolved. In after 
 years Mr. Nelson entered the ministry, and became a popular 
 pastor on the most important stations. He was twice a dele- 
 gate to the General Conference, and, wherever he was placed, 
 was a useful instrument in the hands of God. Ilolden 
 D wight and his wife took the places of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson 
 when they departed for Worthington. For a few months 
 Mrs. Thomson, wife of the principal, acted as preceptress and 
 teacher of French. The trustees at this time were : Timothy 
 l>akcr, Piatt Benedict, A. E. Sutton, D. Squire, Thomas 
 Dunn, and Walter Osburn. Tuition was $2 a quarter in the 
 primary department; higher English, $4; mathematics, $5 ; 
 Latin and Greek, §5; French, Spanish, and Italian, S5 ; orna- 
 mental branches, $5 ; music, piano, $10. An historical and 
 
222 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 geological society was established in April, 1842, witli 
 •A. Nelson, president; H. Dwiglit, secretary. A literary 
 association, known as the " Athenian Society," was formed 
 among the students, and, for a series of years, was continued, 
 with great profit to those who took part in its exercises. 
 Among those who composed it we find the names of L. A. 
 Iline, L. B. Otis, W. H. Hopkins, and others, who subse- 
 quently made their mark upon the world as men of mind 
 and worth. 
 
 In 1840 the North Ohio Conference was organized, and 
 Dr. Edward Thomson was elected its first secretary. He 
 was well qualified for such a position. Accurate, careful, and 
 an excellent penman, all his minutes were well kept. He 
 held the position four years, and then declined a re-election. 
 
 In 1842 the Ohio Wesley an University was chartered by 
 the Legislature, and was located in Delaware, near the center 
 of the State. At the first meeting for business of the board 
 of trustees Dr. Thomson was elected president of the in- 
 stitution. But as nothing was contemplated for the present, 
 except a preparatory school, the services of the doctor were 
 not immediately required ; hence he continued as principal 
 at Norwalk for a longer time. The finances of the seminary 
 were at this time in a bad condition. The debts on the old 
 building, together with those of the new, became so oppress- 
 ive that the minds of the trustees were filled with appre- 
 hension. For the purpose of aiding them to meet those 
 pressing demands a society was organized in the autumn 
 of 1842, known as the " Norwalk Education Societj^," the 
 object of which was to raise funds for the liquidation of the 
 debt of the seminary. Rev. Adam Poe was elected presi- 
 dent, and otlier ofiicers and agents were appointed. But the 
 funds came in tardily and in small amounts, and the debts 
 
NoRWALK Seminary. 223 
 
 still remained, growing more and more burdensome. In the 
 fall of IS-iS the North Ohio Conference elected its first del- 
 egates to the General Conference, and Dr. Thomson, the 
 youngest member of the delegation, was the first chosen. 
 The other delegates were elected in this order: John IJ. 
 Power, Adam Poe, Elmore Yocum, and William Kiinnells ; 
 reserve delegates, H. M. Shafer and L. B. Gurley. 
 
 The attachment of Dr. Thomson to Ohio and to his Con- 
 ference was very decided. It is, perhaps, not generally 
 known that two very tempting offers were made him while 
 at Norwalk, either of which, if accepted, would have de- 
 prived the Ohio Conference of his invaluable services. 
 Transylvania University and the State University of Michi- 
 gan both invited him, to fill the presidency of the former, 
 and the chancellor's position in the latter. His salary at 
 Norwalk, at that time, was but $600, while either of the 
 ])laces inviting him would have given two or three times 
 that sum at least. 
 
 D. L. B. Gurley says : " I was his near neighbor at Nor- 
 walk and his presiding elder. He showed me the invitation 
 from the first named, and asked my advice. I referred to 
 the condition of the South. The slave question was then 
 being agitated. I dreaded the influence of a residence in a 
 slave State, and urged him to give a prompt refusal, which 
 he did. The proposal from Michigan came not long after. 
 He was very much inclined to accept ; but the General Con- 
 ference was to meet in the following May, and I advised 
 him to wait until it was over, and to say that, unless the 
 (leneral Conference disposed of his services otherwise, he 
 v/oukl accept." 
 
 At the General Conference of 1S44 L. L. Hamlin e, editor 
 of the " Ladies' Hcpository," was elected one of the Bishops 
 
224 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 of the Cliiircli, and tlie friends of Dr. Thomson in the del- 
 egation from the North Ohio Conference immediately put 
 him in nomination for the chair which was thus vacated. 
 The doctor was already known as a good writer. He liad 
 contributed articles for the Church periodicals, and one or two 
 of his addresses had been printed and circulated in pamphlet 
 form. In the East he was then but little known ; but as lie 
 was named for the position of the editorship by the Oliio 
 delegates, and Ohio wais then, as now, strong in strong men. 
 Dr. Thomson was elected. At the close of the academic 
 year he tendered his resignation of the principalship with 
 great regret on the part of all. 
 
 A gentleman of Norwalk, well versed in all matters per- 
 taining to educational interests, and especially to Norwalk 
 Seminary, speaking of Dr. Thomson, says : " He was a man 
 of fine literary attainments, of ripe scholarship, of pleasing 
 address, of refined and gentlemanly manners, and of purity 
 of life and character." Referring to this opinion, Dr. A. 
 Nelson says : " He also might have added, for management 
 of scholars and power over youtli, exercised with prudence 
 and skill, he was rarely ever equaled, and never excelled." 
 
 The Eev. John Burgess, M.D., of Keokuk, Iowa, furnishes 
 a description of the doctor at Norwalk : " In 1839 I entered 
 the Norwalk Seminary, in Huron County, Ohio, under the 
 presidency of Dr. Edward Thomson. Never can I foi'get 
 the noble reception and kindly welcome I received when I 
 handed him a letter from my father committing me to his 
 special care. No parent could have shown more interest for 
 my physical, intellectual, and spiritual advancement than did 
 he during all the time of my attendance at school. The 
 doctor, in addition to all my regnlar class advantages, took 
 me under his private instructions, and at extra hours heard 
 
NoKWALK Skminary. 225 
 
 mc recite to him ; so that at a much earlier date he advanced 
 me to higher classes than I otherwise would have reached. 
 Never did I know any person more attentive to the welfare 
 and progress of all his students." 
 
 " In the seminary Dr. Thomson was assisted by three of the 
 choice men of earth, as faithful, competent teachei*s, Alexan- 
 der Nelson, II olden Dwight, and Horatio S. Bradley. He 
 left imperishable impressions for good upon hundreds of 
 youthful minds and hearts, which are now, and will be for 
 all time, developing for human happiness, lie touched chords 
 in our heai-ts which are still vibrating, and will continue 
 through endless ages. Eternity only will circumscribe the 
 gracious influences then set in motion by that holy man of 
 God. O what gems will sparkle in his crown of rejoicing ! " 
 
 Rev. Ilolden Dwight, A.M., a man of education and schol- 
 arly ability, succeeded Dr. Thomson as principal of the Nor- 
 walk Seminary ; but the claims of the creditors became so 
 pressing, and their demands so urgent, that nothing would 
 satisfy them but money or the institution itself. Hence the 
 building was sold for the benefit of the creditors, and Nor- 
 walk Seminary ceased to exist. Very few, if any, of the 
 institutions of this grade and length of duration ever turned 
 out more eminent young men or more discreet and well-edu- 
 cated young ladies than did this institution. Every depart- 
 ment of society in Ohio, as well as in other States^ has been 
 beneiited by those w^ho received their training in Norwalk 
 Seminary. Some became statesmen, and entered Congress 
 and the State legislative halls. Hon. Charles Foster, late 
 Governor of Ohio, and Bishop W. L. Harris, D.D., LL.D., 
 with hundreds of others, received their academic educiition 
 
 at N(M'walk Seminary. 
 10* 
 
226 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTEK XI. 
 
 McKENDREE COLLEGE. 
 
 Section 1. 
 
 BY A. W. CUMMINGS, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 A Methodist Seminary was opened bj Edward E. Ames, 
 — Bishop Ames of later years — in Lebanon, St. Clair County, 
 111., in 1828. A substantial frame building, two stories high, 
 with an attic and wings, was erected for its use on a large, 
 well-shaded lot of rolling land. In the center of the build- 
 ing was a spacious chapel. This, for twentj-iive years, was 
 the only place in the village for public religious services. In 
 the rear was a large dining-room. The wings, with the second 
 story of the main building and the attic, provided recitation 
 rooms, a library room, and several rooms for students. In 
 this chapel room several of the early Bishops and fathers of 
 Illinois Methodism did some of their best work. From it 
 arose to Heaven as " effectual, fervent prayer " as ever " en- 
 tered the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth." 
 
 Many a man now distinguished in some one of the pro- 
 fessions or other walks of usefulness here found the Saviour. 
 In 1830 the name of the institution became M'Kcndree Col- 
 lege, Bishop M'Kendree having made to it its then largest 
 gift, four hundred and eighty acres of unimproved land. A 
 (iharter, after several denials, was obtained from the State. 
 
 Tlie granting of this charter constituted an era in Illinois. 
 So controlling was the opposition to colleges, both in and out 
 of the Legislature, that charters had been refused, though 
 often sought. In 1834 the Baptists, Congregationalists, and 
 
M'Kendree College. 227 
 
 Methodists desired each a college charter. By uniting their 
 influence in and out of tlie General Assembly a bill was passed 
 chartering three colleges : M ' Kendree, for the Methodist 
 Church ; Shurtliff, for the Baptist Church ; and Illinois, for 
 the Congregational Church. 
 
 To secure the requisite aid to found colleges in communi- 
 ties or in a State so hostile to them was no small endeavor. 
 Nor;e but moral heroes would have undertaken it. 
 
 Fortunately leading men of the Illinois Conference from 
 the first warmly espoused the cause of the college. The 
 Bishops, on their annual visitations, always had an encourag- 
 ing word for the infant institution. The Church at large 
 was committed to the cause of denominational schools. Each 
 General Conference from 1784 had urged to action in this 
 field. That of 1820 advised the establishment of at least one 
 school of high grade within each Annual Conference. 
 
 Until 183G the institution had been conducted ' by a single 
 teacher. Then Annis Merrill and James W. Sunderland be- 
 came professors, and, two years later. Rev. John TV. Merrill 
 became president. These were men in the vigor of early 
 manhood, all graduates from the Wesleyan University, with 
 a diploma signed by the hand of Wilbur Fisk, S.T.D. A lib- 
 eral curriculum was arranged, and, in 1841, a class of seven 
 talented young men were admitted to the Baccalaureate. The 
 event was memorable, tlie future was very bright. Clouds, 
 however, were gathering over the State, and soon darkened 
 the college sky. A monster system of internal improvement- 
 had been devised by the Legislature. One thousand three 
 hundred and forty-one miles of railroads had been surveyed. 
 Millions of dollars were borrowed and expended ; the State 
 became involved to the amount of $15,000,000, and had not 
 one mile of completed railroad or canal, or any other valuable, 
 
228 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 to sliow for it. In 1841 the wliolc scheme collapsed. The 
 State was bankrupt. Carried away by the prevailing hallu- 
 cination, the trustees of the college attempted a grand endow- 
 ment scheme by the sale of cheap scholarships on credit, and 
 by an extensive land agency. All the schemes failed. The 
 college was without means to pay its teachers, and, in 1844, 
 closed its doors. 
 
 Immigration to the State ceased in consequence of its 
 heavy indebtedness. Land nearly ceased to have a market 
 value. The people who owned land could raise large crops, 
 but, with no demand at home, or means to reach an outside 
 market, their products were almost valueless. 
 
 When the college ceased operation, it seemed that the sus- 
 pension would be perpetual. It would, probably, have been 
 so, but for the faith and efforts of one man. In the winter of 
 1846 Rev. Davis Goheen, an invalid local preacher, late of 
 Pennsylvania, but then settled at Lebanon, published, through 
 " The Christian Advocate" at New York, an appeal to min- 
 isters then in the pastoral work, but who had had some ex- 
 perience as teachers, detailing the causes that led to the sus- 
 pension of M'Kendree College, and giving a plan by which it 
 could be re-opened and saved to the Church. He asked for 
 volunteers to serve for five years as professors on the smallest 
 allowance fixed by the Discipline for pastoral support. To 
 this appeal about twenty-five favorable responses were made. 
 From these volunteers, after a careful inquiry as to the fitness 
 of the men for the work, Erastus Wentworth, A.M., Spencer 
 Mattison, A.M., both of Troy Conference ; A. W. Cummings 
 A.M., of the Black River Conference; and William Good- 
 fellow, a probationer in the Ohio Conference, were chosen as 
 a faculty. The salaries fixed by the trustees, acting as the 
 board of stewards, was, for the president, $400 ; each of the 
 
M'Kendree College. 229 
 
 two professors, $350 ; and, to Mr. Goodfcllow, principal of 
 the preparatory school, a bachelor, $100, and board at a cost 
 of about $75 per annum. To raise this allowance the prin- 
 cipal reliance was upon what was known as " The Confer- 
 ence Financial Plan for the support of M'Kendree College." 
 The plan was for each class-leader in the Conference to col- 
 lect an aggregate of twenty-Jwe cents quarterly from his class, 
 and, through the presiding elders, forward it to the college 
 treasurer. So populous was Methodism in the State, even at 
 that early date, that twenty-five cents quarterly from each 
 class-leader, with the small sum received for tuition, would 
 have met the claims of the faculty at M'Kendree. The 
 preachers and presiding elders earnestly took hold of this 
 plan ; but so poor were the people, and so scarce was money, 
 that it required much talking and begging to secure the 
 quarters. The following characteristic letter, copied verba- 
 tim from an old scrap-book, into which it was pasted nearly 
 forty years ago, illustrates this : 
 
 "^Mwe 24/A, 1847. Sangamon rouNTT, III. 
 
 •'Dear Brother Wentworth : After toiling hard, begginnf and 
 complaining long and loud to the scattered remnants of the Blooming- 
 ton District, I have collected five dollars more for the support of the 
 professors in 'old M'Kendree,' and I inclose it in this scrawl, but I 
 confess I am heartily ashamed of the little pitiful sum, and I am de- 
 termined to keep the subject before the Church, and will 'torment 
 lliem before the time.' Yours in love and esteem, Affectionatcl}^ 
 
 "Peter Cartwrioht." 
 "Pleasam Plains." 
 
 The sum, of coui*se, was less than " the plan " called for. 
 To aid it, and also in securing students, Mr. Goheen, through 
 his friend the late Dr. Lore, then in pastoral work in the 
 Philadelphia Conference, begged money and purchased a 
 
230 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 second hand printing-press, upon which was printed the " Illi- 
 nois Advocate and Lebanon Journal," edited by the faculty, 
 and the printing was done by students. Only those connect- 
 ed with the enterprise can estimate how greatly these small 
 collections aided the college : not only in paying the teachers, 
 but in educating the people to love and support that college. 
 
 At. each Quarterly Conference the presiding elder, in a 
 speech upon the interests of Methodist education, called upon 
 the class-leaders for the quarter, and the class-leaders upon 
 their classes. These opportunities w^ere improved to allay 
 prejudice and awaken interest. An increase of money and stu- 
 dents was the result. The college re-opened in October, 1846. 
 During the year thirty-eight students were enrolled, all but 
 one in the preparatory department. The tuition for the year 
 amounted to about $500. The Conference financial plan did 
 the rest. Before the financial plan had time to yield results, 
 Rev. George W. E-obbins, the venerable presiding elder of 
 the Lebanon District, went with a farm wagon through some 
 of the neighborhoods of his district gathering in supplies for 
 the professors' tables. 
 
 By such efforts and labors was M'Kendree College saved 
 to the Church. At the date of re-opening, the college was 
 indebted $5,800. For a portion of this, executions had been 
 issued, and the property, buildings and campus, sold, and the 
 day of redemption would soon pass. How this debt could 
 be paid and the property saved only one man in the com- 
 munity or State saw. To the faith of Davis Goheen the 
 way was easy. One hundred and sixty acres of the M'Ken- 
 dree land remained unsold. This, in fee simple, was deeded 
 to Professor Cummings; thus secured, he and' that noble old 
 Methodist friend, the late Nathan Horner, borrowed, upon 
 their individual note, money to redeem the property. The 
 
M'Kendkee College. 231 
 
 land was divided into tracts of ten or more acres, and before 
 tlie note was due, was sold to German immigrants, tlien fast 
 filling up that part of the county in which Bishop M'Ken- 
 dree located his section of land. The property was saved, 
 and money left for other purposes. A second note was 
 made, and $950 more borrowed. With this the greatly de- 
 preciated paper of the broken Shawneetown Bank was pur- 
 chased, and the large debt to that institution was paid. At 
 the end of three years the college was free from debt, and 
 was so prosperous that a new college building was contem- 
 plated. To-day, to extinguish a debt against a Methodist 
 college of $5,800, would be too insignificant a matter to be 
 worthy of mention ; to the friends of M'lvendree College, 
 forty years ago, it was a formidable undertaking. Its accom- 
 plisliment was an occasion of thanks to God, and to all who 
 had aided its accomplishment. On January 20, 18^9, a meet- 
 ing of the citizens in the college chapel passed this resolution : 
 
 "" liesolved^ That, in view of the necessities of M'Kendree 
 College, we deem it essential that immediate steps be taken 
 to secure the erection of a college edifice, at a cost of about 
 $10,000, and that we pledge the citizens of Lebanon for one 
 filtli of that sum, and that we will contribute thereto in pro- 
 portion to our several abilities." 
 
 After discussion this was unanimously carried. $2,000 
 seemed a large sum for a village of a few hundred inhabit- 
 ants, who had never been able to provide a church edifice for 
 themselves, or a school-house for their children. To raise the 
 $2,000 it was felt that one man, of more means than any 
 otlier in the church, must pay $500, and othere in proportion. 
 It was also felt that of such an advance ui)on what he had 
 ever done, tlicre was not much ho]>e unless some unusual 
 iiifiuence was employed. The subscription was drawn, and 
 
232 Early Schools of Methodism. • 
 
 signed first by two of the poorly paid professors, wlio signed 
 jointly, tlms : Wentwortli and Cummings, $500. Oar 
 worthy brother James Riggin followed with $500. Then 
 came a trustee with $300, and another with $200. Here 
 was three fourths of the required sum. More than the lack- 
 ing $500 was pledged, and all in due time was paid. 
 
 The newspapers of St. Louis, but twenty miles distant, and 
 the papers of Illinois generally, mentioned the liberal action 
 at Lebanon, and prepared the way for Rev. Mr. Goodfellow's 
 successful mission to raise the balance demanded. 
 
 On the day of the next annual commencement the corner- 
 stone of the new edifice was laid. On the same day, suffer- 
 ing in health from excessive labors. Dr. Wentwortli resigned 
 the presidency. The trustees on the same day filled the va- 
 cancy by the unanimous election of Prof. Cummings. This 
 honorable position Dr. Cummings had declined five years be- 
 fore, and still doubted his adaptation to the work. The presi- 
 dency then required full work in the lecture room, preach- 
 ing every Sabbath, often at points to be reached on horse- 
 back, by stage, or a buggy, as also the editing of the college 
 paper, the " Illinois Christian Advocate." The action of the 
 students requesting his acceptance, and two months later the 
 action of his Annual Conference, expressed by a unanimous 
 rising vote, so far overcame his reluctance that at the open- 
 ing of the term he entered upon the duty. In this new rela- 
 tion Dr. Cummings served the college two years. In 1854, 
 with the hope of regaining his health in that fine climate, he 
 accepted the presidency of a large flourishing female college 
 in East Tennessee, and the next year the same position in 
 the Holston Conference Female College, at Asheville, North 
 Carolina. At the close of the w^ar he removed to Soutli 
 Carolina; w^as then in charge for a time of the Metliodist 
 
M'Kendree College. 233 
 
 Female College at Spartanburg, afterward filled, for five 
 years, a professorship in the old State University ; then the 
 presidency of the same. In 1877 he was transferred, by 
 Bishop Harris, to the Genesee Conference, in which he is 
 now a supernumerary, with his home at Wellsville, N. Y. 
 
 Daring the writer's connection with the college the fol- 
 lowing work was accomplished : The property was redeemed 
 from the hands of the sheriff ; the old debts were paid ; a 
 new edifice was erected ; the income paid current expenses ; 
 the perpetuity of the institution was secured ; a large num- 
 ber of young men were started upon a course of liberal edu- 
 cation; twenty of them completed the scientific course of 
 study, and fifteen the full classical course. The honorary 
 M.A. was conferred upon the Revs. D. D. Lore, James Lea- 
 ton, J. C. Berryman, W. W. Mitcliell, and upon Dr. D. M. 
 Cooper. The D.D. upon Revs. William Nast, of the " Chris- 
 tian Apologist;" John Dempster, founder of our Biblical 
 schools; and D. P. Kidder, of Garrett Biblical Institute. 
 The LL.D. upon Governor A. C. French, of Illinois ; Pro- 
 fessor John Johnston, of Wesleyan University ; and Rev. Pro- 
 fessor W. C. Larrabee, of Indiana Wesleyan University. No 
 teachers ever achieved success under greater discouragements 
 than did the faculty of M'Kendree College, that volunteered 
 to work five years for a bare living, upon the most econom- 
 ical scale. For that success they were largely dependent 
 upon the cordial co-operation of the resident board of tmst- 
 ees, those grand laymen : Nathan Horner, and his son Judge 
 H. n. Homer, Benjamin Hypes, Joseph Hypes, H. K. Ash- 
 ley, Rev. Davis Goheen, Rev. David Chamberlin, and Crispin 
 Cunningham, Esq. 
 
 Several of the alumni of these years became widely known 
 and very useful men. Reuben Andrus, D.D., was at the 
 
234 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 liead of several noted schools, among tliem tlic Indiana As- 
 biiry University. Hiram Sears, A.M., "W. M. M'Elfresh, 
 and John Leeper, became leading men and presiding elders 
 in their Conferences. Professor C. Wesley Jerome became 
 a noted woj*ker in State and National Sabbath-school Associa- 
 tions, and he has long been the senior professor in the State 
 Normal University. Hon. J. J. Rinaker distinguished him- 
 self as a general in the Union army. Hon. S. L. Bryan be- 
 came eminent at the bar, upon the bench, and in the Senate. 
 Hon. W. A. J. Sparks was for several terms in Congress, 
 and filled several other positions under the general govern- 
 ment. R. M. Moore, Oliver Jones, W. H. Corrington, H. 
 C. Fike, W. S. Pope, and many others, were influential 
 teachers. There was not one of the graduates of these years 
 who did not make a good record in life. 
 
 Section II. 
 BY PROFESSOR SAMUEL H. DENEEN, A.M., PH.D. 
 
 Rev. Peter Akebs, D.D., was chosen president in the 
 autumn of 1852, and held the office five years. Daring his 
 incumbency a second attempt to endow the college by the 
 sale of scholarships was made, and signally failed. The old 
 college building, that had so long done good service, was 
 consumed by fire. The present spacious chapel building 
 was provided, in response to the call for help by Dr. Akers. 
 Rev. Dr. W. R. Davis, senior professor, performed the duties 
 of president during the first of the year 1857-58, and in the 
 spring the office was filled by Rev. N. E. Cobleigh, D.D. 
 Dr. Cobleigh made at once an appeal to the Soutliern Illinois 
 Conference and the citizens of Lebanon and vicinity for an 
 endowment of at least $20,000. This good work was 
 
M'Kendree College. 235 
 
 coiTiplcted in 1860. It relieved the college from immediate 
 pressure, and assured its permanence. Dr. Cobleigli re- 
 tired in 1863, and the well-known Kobert Allyn, D.D., 
 LL.D., accepted the presidency and held it eleven years. 
 Dr. Allyn made progress in sinking the debt upon the col- 
 lege, and, under his advice, the institution was opened to 
 ladies. In 1874 Rev. John W. Locke, D.D., a graduate of 
 old Augusta College, succeeded Dr. Allyn. He had been 
 four years president of Brookville College, Indiana ; twelve 
 years professor in Indiana Asbury University, and for a short 
 time was president of Baker University, Kansas. During 
 his presidency a commercial department was opened ; the 
 endowment was increased by the bequest of Mrs. James 
 Eiggin of $23,000, and of Dr. N. M. M'Curdy of $25,000. 
 
 Dr. Locke's successor was Ross C. Houghton, D.D., who, 
 not pleased with the financial outlook, was never inaugurated, 
 and, at the end of one year, left the position for Daniel W, 
 Phillips, D.D., the first alumnus of the college honored with 
 that responsibility. During the presidency of Dr. Phillips 
 the old debt of $7,000 was paid. He retired with honor in 
 1883, and was succeeded by the present incumbent. Rev. 
 William F. Swahlen, A.M., Ph.D. He is a graduate of the 
 University of Pennsylvania, an accomplished scholar, and an 
 experienced educator. 
 
 FINANCIAL HISTORY. 
 
 The first attempt to endow the college has been mentioned 
 in the lii*st part of this article. At that time " the national 
 road " was in process of construction. It was confidently 
 expected that its completion would greatly enhance the value 
 of Illinois lands and augment its population. The land 
 agency of the college was undertaken at that time. But the 
 
236 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 bill for the completion of that great work was vetoed by 
 President Jackson. Financial disasters followed, and con- 
 tinued through the administration of President Yan Buren. 
 It was during this fearful crisis in all business interests that 
 the college was suspended. In 1854 a committee, consist- 
 ing of Dr. James Leaton, Rev. W. L. Deneen, and Judge 
 W. H. Underwood, reported a plan to raise an endowment 
 of $100,000 by the sale of perpetual scholarships, transfer- 
 able only to the college, and available only to the children of 
 the purchasers. These safeguards were, most unfortunately, 
 afterward removed by the college trustees, and the usual dis- 
 aster followed. A large number of the scholarships were 
 sold, mostly on unsecured notes, and but few of them ever 
 paid for. 
 
 The late Governor French, law professor in the college, 
 found, on careful examination, that for each dollar received 
 from this source one dollar and two cents had been paid by 
 the college. A large increase of students was the only ben- 
 efit from this scheme. 
 
 The creation of a permanent endowment is due to Dr. 
 Cobleigh. By his exertions about $22,000 was secured. 
 From the centennial offerings of the Southern Illinois Con- 
 ference $2,500 were added. Bequests and other gifts bring 
 up the sum to $75,000. But about half of this is yet yield- 
 ing interest. The tuition and interest of invested funds pay 
 expenses. The entire property and funds of the college now 
 foot up $135,000. 
 
 GROUNDS AND BUILDINGS. 
 
 The college park contains seventeen acres, thoroughly 
 shaded by forest trees of natural growth. Its charms attract 
 the attention of all visitoi*s. It is never seen to greater ad- 
 
M'Kendree College. 237 
 
 • 
 
 vantage than in June, during commencement week. It is a 
 Mecca to those who, in their early years, had trodden its 
 walks or reclined beneath its stately trees. The buildings 
 are plain, substantial structures, well adapted to the purposes 
 for which they were erected. The foundation of the prin- 
 cipal building was laid during the administration of Presi- 
 dent Wentworth. It was planned, superintended to com- 
 pletion, and opened for use by President Cummings. It is 
 three stories, of brick. The first and second stories are each 
 divided into four large rooms for recitations ; the third is 
 divided into two noble halls for the gentlemen's literary so- 
 cieties. The chapel building is two stories ; the audience 
 room, one of the largest in the State, is on the upper floor. 
 The lower story gives rooms for the library, the cabinet, and 
 the ladies' literary society. The Commercial Hall building is 
 but one story, elegantly finished and furnished. 
 
 THE LIBRARY, 
 
 though not large, is valuable. Standard books of reference 
 were principally purchased. Most of the books have been 
 received as donations. The largest gift of books was by the 
 late Kev. Dr. Robert Emory. 
 
 LITERARY SOCIETIES. 
 
 The Philosophian was founded in 1837, the Platonian in 
 
 1840, the Cleonian in 1869. These societies have elegant 
 
 halls and are well managed ; they are the pride of the 
 college. 
 
 THE CABINET 
 
 has been gathered from many parts of the globe. South 
 America and the Old World have made their contributions. 
 It is increaj>ing in value every year. 
 
238 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 ALUMNI. 
 
 This roll contains about four hundred names. Each year 
 since 1841, except the years 1846 and 1855, has added to it. 
 The candidates for enrollment in this list came from the 
 most energetic and best families of Illinois and contiguous 
 States. They are now found in all the professions, and are 
 filling many of the places of honor among men. When 
 dangers threatened the country they were ready to receive or 
 repel the blow. They filled all stations in the army to pre- 
 serve the Union, from the private to the major-general. The 
 recital of their deeds of daring forms an interesting chapter 
 in the history of the college. 
 
 LIST OF PKESIDENTS. 
 
 Revs. John Dew, J. W. Merrill, D.D., J. C. Finley, M.D., 
 Erastus Wentworth, D.D., Anson W. Cummings, LL.D., 
 Peter Akers, D.D., N. E. Cobleigh, D.D., Eobert Allyn, 
 LL.D., John W. Lock, D.D., E. C. Houghton, D.D., D. W. 
 Phillips, D.D., and W. F. Swahlen, Ph.D. 
 
 LIST OF PROFESSORS. 
 
 Annis Merrill, M.A., H. H. Horner, M.A., Eev. G. L. 
 Eoberts, M.A., Eev. Spencer Mattison, M.A., Oran Faville, 
 LL.D., Eev. G. G. Jones, M.A., S. W. Williams, M.A., A. 
 A. Scott, M.A., S. H. Deneen, Ph.D., James W. Sunderland, 
 LL.D., J. L. Scripps, M.A., Eev. E. Z. Mason, LL.D., Eev. 
 E. C. Merrick, M. A., E. M. Moore, M.A., O. Y. Jones, M.A., 
 Eev. Joseph Harris, M.A., James Leaton, D.D., W. E. 
 Davis, D.D., F. O. Blair, M.A., Eev. E. E. Edwards, Ph.D., 
 Lucy J. Eider, M.A., E. B. Waggoner, M.A., Hon. A. C. 
 French, LL.D., Sarah A. Barnes, M.A. 
 
Amenia Seminar 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 AMENIA SEMINARY. 
 
 BY ALBERT 8. HUNT, D. D. 
 
 This institutioir is located at Amenia, Dutchess County, 
 N. Y. Amenia is historic ground for Methodism. George 
 Whitefield preached liere in July, 1770, only a few weeks 
 before his death. Bishop Asbury visited the town from time 
 to time, attracted by the prominence and steriing worth of 
 the society, which was the outgrowth of a class organized by 
 Freeborn Garrettson. Here, in 1808, Asbury presided over 
 the New York Conference, which -held its session in the old 
 " Round-top School-house," and, in 1813, he and M'Kendree 
 were present at the meeting of the same body in the new 
 church, erected during the previous year. 
 
 The seminary was opened in the autumn of 1835, under 
 tlie direction of a board of twenty-three trustees. The school 
 building, three stories high and sixty feet in length, was erected 
 during the preceding summer on a rise of ground formerly 
 known as Cook's Hill. A second building was soon erected, 
 and then a third. The Hon. George G. Reynolds, now of 
 Brooklyn, but a native of Amenia, was for a time a teacher 
 in the seminary, while yet an under-graduate at the AVesleyau 
 University. In a letter to Rev. Joseph Cummings he says : 
 " I remember that the two men who originated and consum- 
 mated the undertaking were George Ingraham and Joseph D. 
 Hunt. But for them Amenia Seminary, as we knew it, would 
 never h.ave existed." Mr. Ingraham was one of the purest 
 and best men I ever knew. He was discreet, well balanced. 
 
240 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 full of sympatliy for the young, and, more than all, a ^lan 
 whose godliness was decided and winning. For fifteen years 
 as trustee and as president of the board of trustees his best 
 efforts were devoted to the welfare of the institution. 
 
 Judge Reynolds has associated my father with Mr. In- 
 graham, and historic truth would be measurably violated if I 
 failed to respect his statement, but it would not become me 
 to enlarge upon it. The two, perhaps, never met, except in 
 church, without exchanging views upon the interests of 
 Amenia Seminary. Mr. Ingraham died in 1849, and Mr. 
 Hunt in 1864. 
 
 The first steward of the seminary was David Clark. After 
 five years he accepted a similar position in the Genesee Wes- 
 leyan Seminary, at Lima, N. Y. In 1840 Mr. Clark was suc- 
 ceeded by Hiram Yail, one of the original ti-ustees. In this 
 position his rare executive abilities had a large field and con- 
 stant exercise. If orderly and respectful, students found no 
 better friend than " Uncle Hiram ; " but the mischievous and 
 idle were very likely to learn his honest estimate of them. 
 
 The first principal of the seminary was the Rev. Charles 
 K. True, A.M., and his associates in the faculty were Fred- 
 erick Merrick, Joseph True, Daniel P. Kidder, Amos Prin- 
 dle, and Miss Lavinia Barker. Mr. True was a graduate of 
 Harvard College, where he distinguished himself as a public 
 speaker, taking a prize for his impressive delivery of Paul's 
 address before Agrippa. He was converted at Eastham 
 camp-meeting, on the day that he was twenty-one j^ears of 
 age. From that time he was an earnest Christian. He re- 
 mained at Amenia but a single session, leaving in the spring 
 of 1836. It is a pleasure to be able, in this connection, to pre- 
 sent a few paragraphs from the pen of Mrs. Dr. D. P. Kidder, 
 who was a scholar at Amenia while Dr. True was in charge : 
 
Amenia Seminary. 241 
 
 " I was enrolled," she sajs, " as a pnpil in Amenia Seminary 
 the first day of its opening. Living within the bounds of 
 the New York Conference, I liad caught some of the enthu- 
 siasm spread througli the country by the preachers concern- 
 ing a new Methodist school in our midst, and so, guided by 
 tlie public announcement of the time of opening, took the 
 journey of forty miles across the Connecticut hills to be 
 present on the day specified. Arriving in the village the 
 evening previous, the brightness of anticipation was consider- 
 ably dimmed by finding, instead of a school ready to receive 
 its pupils, an unfinished building, with no room in readiness 
 for use. though one of the school-rooms was in such a condi- 
 tion that we could assemble in it for enrollment and organi- 
 zation. Instead of private students' rooms, the unfinished 
 chapel was temporarily used for a girls' dormitory, and our 
 beds were spread upon its floor, these beds serving, also, as 
 seats in our study liours. I think eighty students were en- 
 rolled the first day, and, notwithstanding the disorder and 
 inconvenience of all our surroundings, the school work sys- 
 tematically began. 
 
 " Mr. True, the principal, and Mr. Merrick, his associate, 
 were e([u:il to the emergency, and, by the kindliness of their 
 manner, and the interest they awakened in us for study, we 
 soon became an orderly company, prosecuting our work as if 
 the circumstances were favorable to student life. It is due 
 to the memory of Mr. True to say, that from no other teacher 
 did I ever receive such an inspiration for study and develop- 
 ment, and his Christian influence over me was ecpially im- 
 pressive and favorable. I remember well the first prayer- 
 meeting held in the parlor of the seminary as soon as tlie 
 room was ready for use. The principal manifested no less 
 interest in the spiritual than in the mental development of 
 
242 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 tlie young persons under his charge, and his loving way of 
 presenting those higher claims upon them was fruitful in 
 good results. Those parlor prayer-meetings were occasions 
 never to be forgotten by many in attendance ; and seeds were 
 sown in them, that opening term of the seminary, which have 
 borne fruit the intervening half-century." 
 
 After Mr. True left Amenia he was engaged for the most 
 part in pastoral work until 1849, when he became professor 
 of moral science and heUes-lettres in the "Wesleyan Univer- 
 sity. Here he remained for about ten years, when lie 
 returned to pastoral service. Dr. True died in 1878, while 
 in charge of a church in Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 The Eev. Frederick Merrick succeeded Mr. True as prin- 
 cipal, in the spring of 1836. The Rev. D. P. Kidder, A.B., 
 was the teacher in ancient and modern languages, who, 
 when he resigned to enter the itinerancy, was succeeded by 
 William W. Marsh, A.B. Davis W. Clark, A.B., had 
 charge of the department of mathematics; Lorenzo W. 
 Blood, and later William S. AViley, taught the English 
 bi'anches. Miss Almena M. Pelton, who taught the orna- 
 mental branches, was the preceptress for a brief jjcriod, when 
 the position was filled by Miss Lavinia Barker. Miss Mar- 
 cella E. Russell and Mr. Amos Prindle acted as assistant 
 teachers for a portion of the time, and upon the resignation 
 of Miss Pelton, Miss Marianne Clark, daughter of Rev. La- 
 ban Clark, became the teacher of music and painting. 
 
 Mr. Merrick was two years in office, and proved himself 
 admirably fitted for his position. The trustees, his associ- 
 ates in the faculty, and the students were deeply imj^ressed 
 by his kindly and scholarly ways. He left Amenia for 
 Ohio, where, in connection, first with the State University at 
 Athens, and th^n with the Ohio Wesleyan University, at 
 
Amenia Seminary. 213 
 
 Delaware, he has rendered honorable service for nearly half 
 a century. Dr. Merrick writes as follows, concerning the 
 seminary at this period : 
 
 The trustees were men of marked intelligence and enterprise, and of 
 sterling worth. My associates in the faculty were industrious, cultured, 
 and efficient. After fifty years' experience in teaching I must place my 
 Amenia students among the best it has been my privilege to instruct. 
 Some of them have become quite eminent. The most notable event 
 during my connection with the institution was the religious revival, 
 during the winter of 183G-37. Its history is wortiiy of being written in 
 detail, but I have no time to do it. It was eminently the work of the 
 Spirit. It began without any special services, and moved on with but 
 little of human instrumentality. The work was deep and thorough, 
 and most of the students not before converted were converted during 
 its progress. Many of the young men became ministers of the Gospel, 
 and a singular number of the young women became ministers' wives. 
 It was a timely lesson and experience to myself, as well as to some of 
 my colleagues. 
 
 It should be stated as a somewhat important fact in the 
 history of the seminary, that during the principalship of Mr. 
 Merrick it was chartered by the regents of the University of 
 the State of New York. 
 
 The immediate successor of Mr. Merrick was the Rev. Davis 
 W. Clark, A.B. He was a native of the Island of Mount 
 Desert, Me., and a graduate of Wesleyan University. He 
 had been for two years a member of the board of instruc- 
 tion as teacher of mathematics, in which department he 
 achieved decided success. He began at this time the prepa- 
 ration of a work on algebra, which was given to thfe press 
 a few years later. The Rev. Edward Cooke, A.B., was 
 the teacher of natural science from 1838 to 1840. Rev. 
 Stephen M. Yail, A.B., taught the ancient languages in 1838, 
 ll<jv. Edward E. E Bragdon in 1839, and Rev. Joseph Den- 
 
244 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 ison, A.B., for the remaining years of Mr. Clark's admin- 
 istration. Wlien Mr. Cooke resigned, Eev. Joseph Cum- 
 mings, A.B., succeeded him. Other teachers, during por- 
 tions of this period, were Mr. Daniel Shaw, Collingwood 
 Rutherford, Oliver E. Brown, John H. Twomblj, William 
 S. Coggeshall, and Geo. G. Eejnolds. Miss Lavinia Barker 
 continued to act as preceptress until nearly the close of Mr. 
 Clark's period of service, when Miss Samantha Brightnian 
 succeeded her. Miss Catharine F. Park and Mrs. Caroline 
 G. Eandall successively acted as teachers of music and draw- 
 ing. The seminary was prosperous in every respect during 
 this administration. Its numbers increased, its high standard 
 of scholarship was well maintained, and several revivals of 
 religion occurred. Among the converts received into the 
 Church on one Sabbath in 1840 were Elizabeth A. Yail and 
 Andrew J. Hunt, who in after years became respectively the 
 preceptress and the principal of the institution. Mr. Clark 
 joined the New York Conference in 1843, and his successful 
 career, as pastor, editor, and Bishop, is a matter of familiar 
 Church history. 
 
 Mr. Clark was succeded in office by the Bev. Joseph Cum- 
 mings, also a native of Maine and a graduate of the Wcslcyan 
 University. He had been for three years very successful and 
 popular as the teacher of the natural sciences. When he be- 
 came principal he taught moral science and the higher classes 
 in mathematics. In every department he disj)layed the rare 
 gifts which in after years gave him distinction in higher 
 institrftions. 
 
 When Mr. Cummings became principal, the Rev. Erastus 
 O. Haven, A.B., became the teacher in natural science. 
 Richard Ingraham, A.B., was for a year the teacher of an- 
 cient languages, and then the department became the charge 
 
Amenia Seminary. 245 
 
 of Thomas P. Underwood, A. B., all graduates of the Wes- 
 leyan University. The position of preceptress continued to 
 be tilled by Miss Brightinan until 1845, when Miss Margaret 
 Marshall succeeded her. Mrs. Randall held the position slie 
 accepted under Mr. Clark for most of the time, and then 
 Miss Electa W. Coles became teacher of instrumental music. 
 Mr. Coggeshall remained in charge of the department of En- 
 glish literature. During Mr. Cummings's administration the 
 practice was adopted of giving diplomas to those who com- 
 pleted a prescribed course of study. 
 
 Rev. Erastus Otis Haven, who became the principal of 
 the seminary in 1846, was born in Boston, Mass., and w^as 
 graduated at the Wesleyan University in 1843. While he 
 was at the head of the institution Thomas P. Underwood, 
 Alexander Winchell, Gilbert Haven, William M. Ingraham, 
 Andrew J. Hunt, Miles Grant, Horatio N. Powers, and Al- 
 bert S. Hunt were members of the faculty for longer or 
 shorter periods. Miss Anna E. Adams and Mrs. Caroline G. 
 Randall successively filled the position of preceptress, with 
 Miss Elizabeth A. Yail, Miss Julia F. Lines, Miss Elizabeth 
 W. Goodsell, and Miss Helen M. Bird as associate teachers. 
 
 Mr. Haven did not come to his position as a stranger, for 
 he had been two years a member of the fiiculty. He was a 
 man of remarkable versatility, and seemed able, without ap- 
 parent effort, to do any thing and every thing well. If he 
 was seldom brilliant in address, he was always lucid. xYs a 
 preacher, he was a great favorite with the students and with 
 the entire community. He governed well, but made no 
 show of authority. In his autobiography we have his views 
 < m the government of college boys ; and those who know 
 the history of his principalship at Amenia know very well 
 that he did, in one or two marked instances, make it clear 
 
240 Eaklt Schools of Methodism. 
 
 that, even in preparatory scliools, the most successful govern- 
 ment is that which controls by inspiring the students with a 
 high sense of honor among themselves. The seminary pros- 
 pered in all respects under his oversight. He joined the 
 New York Conference in 184:8, and, like his distinguished 
 predecessors, has been so constantly in prominent positions 
 tliat it is not needful even to give an outline of his career. 
 After thirty-three years of active service he died in Oregon, 
 in 1881, while on an episcopal visit to that State. 
 
 Concerning this period a few words from Bishop Foss will 
 be most welcome. He says : 
 
 Amenia Seminary, in its best days, was electric with marvelous in- 
 fluences for good — intellectual, moral, and spiritual. Its routine work 
 of instruction was well done — generally very well — but this was tran- 
 scended by greater work in the development of character. Its faculty 
 was pervaded by a high enthusiasm for the best attainments in mind 
 and heart, and the ennobling contagion seized and transformed many 
 a listless and wayward student. Into this garden of choicest influ- 
 ences, at the age of fourteen, I was led, together with two of my 
 brothers. Erastus O. Haven, a genial gentleman, an elegant man of let- 
 ters, and mellifluous orator, was my first principal. Among the teach- 
 ers (academy teachers were not ' ' professors " in those primitive times) 
 were the quiet, saintly invalid, "Uncle Tommy" Underwood; the 
 suniiy-faced, golden-haired, witty, brilliant Gilbert Haven; and the 
 slender, perpendicular, enthusiastic William M. Ingraham, fresh from 
 college, only twenty years of age, such a prodigy (to me) in mathe- 
 matics (my favorite department) that he easily took rank as first among 
 my demi-gods, so that many years later his presence before my pulpit 
 would embarrass me more than that of almost any other man. 
 
 Mr. E. O. Haven was succeeded, as principal, by his brill- 
 iant and scholarly cousin, Rev. Gilbert Haven, to whom 
 Bishop Foss alludes. The following named persons were his 
 associates : Thomas P. Underwood; James E. Marsh, his col- 
 
Amenia Seminary. 247 
 
 loi^e classmate ; Alexander WinclicU, the now distinguished 
 scientist; Horatio N. Powers, George G. Jones, and Jolm 
 W. Beach. Mrs. Caroline G. Randall was preceptress ; and 
 Miss Susan M. Field, Miss Elizabeth A. Yail, Miss Julia F. 
 Lines, Miss Elipha B. Allerton, and Miss Frances J. Merrill 
 were also members of the faculty. 
 
 Mr. Gilbert Haven was born in Maiden, Mass., and pursued 
 his studies at Wilbraham and Middletown, where he was grad- 
 uated in 1846. He came from the university to Amenia, and 
 for two years taught the ancient languages with an enthusi- 
 asm which won the highest success. Like Clark, Ciunmings, 
 and E. O. Haven, who preceded him in the principalship, he 
 was licensed to preach after coming to Amenia. His earliest 
 efforts in the seminary chapel were doubtless able, but to the 
 students they were not always interesting. His sentences 
 were long and involved, and his rhetoric, though often spark- 
 ling, was still in strong contrast with the colloquial, limpid 
 style of his cousin. Every body knows that in later life lie 
 was, botli in his addresses and his sermons, quite able to make 
 himself promptly and perfectly understood, but it was not so 
 Avhen he began his ministry. As a teacher of moral science 
 and tlie helles-lettres he had great success, and his administra- 
 tion of the affairs of the institution received and deserved 
 high commendation. He left Amenia and joined the New 
 England Conference in 185L Few men in this land, or in 
 tlie world, have been as widely known and as tenderly loved 
 as he ; and his life of great achievements ended triumphantly 
 in ISSO at the place of ]iis birth. 
 
 Mr. Haven was followed by Rev. John W. Beach, M.A., 
 who, like all his predecessors, except the Urst, was edu- 
 cated at Middletown. His associates were H«)ratio N. 
 Powei*8, Edwin H. Cole, Jasper Tenney, Andrew J. Hunt, 
 
248 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Simeon F. Chester, Thompson II. Landon, Ralph C. Har- 
 rison, and Henry I. Taylor; and, in tlie female depart- 
 ment. Miss Elizabeth A. Yail, Miss Elipha B. Allerton, 
 Miss Frances J. Merrill, Miss Louisa E. Landon, Miss Cor- 
 nelia E. Eichards, Miss Sarah North, and Miss Eliza S. 
 Mitchell. Miss Yail and Miss Landon successively filled the 
 position of preceptress. Mr. Beach had already gained a 
 very honorable reputation in the seminary, not only for his 
 skill in teaching, but for his ability as a preacher; and, dar- 
 ing the three years that the institution was under his over- 
 sight, its well-earned popularity was not only maintained, 
 but increased. The number of scholars was never larger 
 than during his administration. He joined the New York 
 Conference in 1854, and, after a quarter of a century of 
 service in the pastorate, was elected, in 1880, to succeed 
 Bishop Foss as president of the Wesley an University. 
 
 The Rev. Andrew J. Hunt, A.M., was elected to fill the 
 vacancy occasioned by the retirement of Mr. Beach. For 
 the first time in the history of the seminary the principal 
 was a member of an Annual Conference, rendering service 
 under Episcopal appointment. The gentlemen associated 
 with Mr. Hunt were Raljih C. Harrison, Cyrus D. Foss, 
 Edward B. Otheman, Albert D. Yail, and Henry I. Taylor ; 
 while the ladies were Miss Louisa E. Landon, Miss Sarah 
 North, Miss Sarali J. Ingraliam, Miss Adelaide E. Beecher, 
 and Miss Mary B. Rundall. Miss Landon was the precep- 
 tress during the first, and Miss Rundall during the second, 
 year of his administration. Of him I- could say much, for I 
 knew much about the spirit and aim of his work ; but he 
 was my only brother, and it will better become me to be 
 silent. He wrote w^liile he was principal : "My ideal of the 
 Christian school-master presents him as at once pastor, teach- 
 
Amkn[a Skmixakv. ' 249 
 
 cr, and friend — watching over a flock, teaching and training 
 scholars, and, above all, loving the dear boys, and rejoicing 
 with them in their youth and growing manhood." 
 
 One who was associated with him at Amenia may be per- 
 mitted to pay his tribute to his friend. Bishop Foss says : 
 
 Andrew J. Hunt was one of the best and ablest men I have ever 
 intimately known. As teacher, principal, preacher, and pastor, his 
 work in the seminary was of the choicest quality. The unostentatious 
 and unconscious influence of genuine manliness drew to him both col- 
 leagues and pupils with cords soft as silk and strong as steel. Round- 
 about common-sense, combined with artistic fine sense ; will-strength, 
 tempered with almost womanly delicacy ; accurate scholarship and wide 
 culture; deep devotedness and lofty adoration; genuine humanness 
 and meek saintliness, met and mingled in the character of this choice 
 friend and colleague of my early manhood. 
 
 I have long believed that only the early and helpless wreck of his 
 health debarred him from an honored place among the very foremost 
 pastors and educators in the land. Where **the inhabitants never say, 
 I am sick," he has his opportunity. 
 
 Mr. Hunt retired from the principalship in the spring of 
 1856, having held the office for two years. Several times 
 after this he made fruitless efforts to do the work of a well 
 man, and after a quarter of a century of such service as 
 those can render " who only stand and wait," he passed 
 away. 
 
 All efforts to And catalogues covering the period we have 
 
 now reached have proved unavailing, but a few facts have 
 
 liecn gathered from other sources. Mr. Hunt was succeeded 
 
 by Rev. Cyrns D. Foss, who had been for nearly two years a 
 
 inomber of the faculty. He and his two brothers pursued 
 
 tlicir i^reparatory course at Amenia and were graduated at 
 
 Miildlctown : Archibald two 3'cars before him, jnid Williaiii 
 11* 
 
250 -Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 two years after him, and each of the three with the highest 
 honors of his class. The new principal, being but twentj- 
 two years of age, was much the youngest man who had occu- 
 pied the position, but he duly appreciated the dignity and im- 
 portance of the trust committed to him. He was conscien- 
 tious and thoroughly in earnest, and his pupils gained enlarge- 
 ment and inspiration from his teachings and his life. He was 
 exceedingly popular in the pulpit, and sermons which he 
 preached in the seminary chapel and elsewhere in the vicin- 
 ity are still remembered for their remarkable unction and 
 power. His eagerness to enter the pastoral work made him 
 unwilling to remain at Amenia after a single year of service, 
 and accordingly he joined the New York Conference in 1857. 
 What he has been doing since then is known to the entire 
 Church. 
 
 Mr. Foss was followed by Eev. John W. Armstrong, a 
 member of the Black Eiver Conference. Mr. Armstrong was 
 a native of England, but came to this country in his boy- 
 hood. He had been identified successfully with the Gouver- 
 neur, Falley, and Cazenovia Seminaries, either as principal or 
 instructor. At Amenia he proved himself to be a man of 
 large acquirements and of decided ability. 
 
 The wide-spread depression in the business world, wdiich 
 followed the panic of 1857, doubtless had its influence in pre- 
 cipitating a crisis in the affairs of the institution. The seri- 
 ous embarrassment, however, which marked this period of 
 its history, it is believed, was the outgrowth of two radical 
 facts, namely : that the property was owned by a stock com- 
 pany, and that the patronage of the New York Conference, 
 valuable as it was in many respects, was yet more nominal 
 than real. This is not spoken in the spirit of criticism, and 
 it is useless to declare " what might liave been." It is well 
 
Amenia Seminary. 251 
 
 known tliat, after a successful and even brilliant history of 
 more than twenty years, the seminary passed into private 
 hands. 
 
 The fortunes of the institution from that time until now 
 have been varied, but the plan of this volume forbids us to 
 trace its history under its changed auspices, and, if it were 
 not so, the necessary data for continuinpj the story of its work 
 are wanting. 
 
 It would be pleasant, before concluding, to pay tribute to 
 the fidelity and success of such teachers as Daniel P. Kidder, 
 Edward Cooke, Stephen M. Vail, Joseph Denison, Alexander 
 Winchell, William M. Ingraham, Horatio N. Powers, and 
 others, who, at different periods, were members of the fac- 
 ulty at Am<?nia. They have all been conspicuous in other 
 fields of Christian endeavor. But- it may be doubted whether 
 they have ever made friends who will cherish their memory 
 more fondly than it is cherished by certain well-meaning but 
 often thoughtless boys, who tested their patience aforetime 
 at Amenia. 
 
 This paper would be un pardonably deficient if it failed to 
 allude to the bright succession of Christian women who filled 
 the honorable position of preceptress. Their names have 
 been given in preceding paragraphs, and it is a matter of 
 regret that our limits forbid us to enlarge upon their rare 
 merits. If they were not all equally gifted and equally 
 successful, still eacii rendered useful and honorable service, 
 and the influence exerted by two or three of them was truly 
 extraordinary. 
 
 The names of Amenia students who liave become useful, 
 and even distinguished, in the various walks of life, would 
 crowd many pages. Bishop Clark declared that he met his 
 scholars wlierever he went. They occupy positions of dig- 
 
252 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 nitj and trust in Church and State, in our own land and in 
 other lands, a great and goodlj company. 
 
 Dr. Alexander Winchell, of the Michigan University, 
 writes to me: 
 
 How beneficent has been the influence of the old seminary! An 
 institution which supplied the highest grade of academic instruction 
 to hundreds of pupils for many years in succession, at cheap rates, 
 without ostentation or extravagance, and won the hearts of all its 
 pupils, and inculcated and exemplified the noblest principles of virtue 
 and religion, was one worthy of perpetuation. It performed an office 
 wliich I venture to think is not as well filled by the more costly and 
 ostentatious schools which have superseded it. As we, who have been a 
 part of that history, look back over the thronged procession of earnest 
 young people, how guileless and high-toned they seem. They were 
 hot with the fire of youth, but how few were their infractions of duty! 
 how venial were the peccadillos which they committed. Undoubtedly 
 the character and intent of the earliest promoters of the institution gave 
 it a bent and predisposition which lacked attraction for the self-indul- 
 gent and the trifling. The seminary exerted a selective agency in call- 
 ing into its service and under its instruction a grade of moral and in- 
 tellectual endowment best fitted to become of substantial service to 
 Christian civilization. Thank God for what Amenia Seminary has 
 been ! 
 
 We repeat the names of the Amenia principals : Charles 
 K. True, D.D., Frederick Merrick, Bishop Davis W. Clark, 
 D.D., Joseph Cummings, D.D., LL.D., Bishop Erastus O. 
 Haven, D.D., LL.D., Bishop Gilbert Haven, John W. 
 Beach, D.D., LL.D., Andrew J. Hunt, A.M., Bishop Cyrus 
 D. Foss, D.D., LL.D., John W. Armstrong, D.D. Com- 
 ment would be superfluous. The bare list is eloquent. 
 
AsBUKY College of De Tauw University. ^53 
 
 CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 ASBURY (X)LLEGE OF DE PAUW UNITKRSITY. 
 
 BT MISS IRENE HABTIN. 
 
 The pioneer Methodist preachers of Indiana were wise 
 men in their day and generation. In more than one respect 
 tlieir counsel and actions went far, not only toward planting 
 the religion of Clirist in their own borders, but also toward 
 the early development of the rich resources of the State. 
 Nor was this influence confined to Indiana. Their spirit 
 largely pervaded the farther West, and tended to give it that 
 influence in Church and State which justly belongs to the 
 great heart of the nation. This was not the result of any 
 scheme or plan, in questionable aspects of those words, but 
 the legitimate consequence of that divine guidance which is 
 promised and given to those who, with single eye, desire to 
 know and do that which will best promote the glory of God 
 and the good of mankind. 
 
 The course which they were led to take in regard to edu- 
 cation illustrates and confirms these statements, and is a fit 
 example of what might be shown in other matters also. The 
 records show that at the first session of the Indiana Confer- 
 ence the relation of the Church to this great interest was 
 considered, and the duty of the Church to do something for 
 its promotion was deeply felt. As yet, however, Methodism 
 in this State was comparatively weak, and the same, only in 
 larger degree, might be said of the other Churches. Its 
 preaching places were few and far between, its membei-ship 
 dwelt in the " log-cabin," and its ministers were rich in the 
 
254 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 possession of a good liorse and a capacious pair of " saddle- 
 bags" — one end of wliicli contained the needful changes of 
 linen, and the other the preacher's Bible, hymn book, Dis- 
 cipline, and a few good books for study or for sale. 
 
 The State University had been recently established, and 
 had practically been taken possession of by those unfriendly, 
 if not hostile, to Methodism. Misrepresenting its doctrines, 
 ridiculing its usages, and denouncing its preachers as ignorant 
 and fanatical disturbers of the peace and order of society, 
 these good people complacently arrogated to themselves a 
 monopoly of learning, and the exclusive ability and right to 
 teach in the departments of advanced instruction. It is a 
 fact that, although Methodism had in its ministry and mem- 
 bership and friends nearly as many as all the other Churches 
 in the State, they were, by careful management, excluded 
 from any representation in the board of trustees, or the chairs 
 of instruction in the chief institution of learning, established 
 and maintained at the expense of all the people in the Com- 
 monwealth. 
 
 The right adjustment of this matter was felt, by those 
 subjected to the outrage, to be the first thing that ought to 
 be attempted. A respectful memorial was, therefore, drawn 
 up by the Conference, and a committee appointed to present 
 the same at the next session of the Legislature. This was 
 accordingly done. The deputation was respectfully received, 
 their statement, which none could call in question, heard, 
 and the subject duly referred to a committee. The matter 
 was allowed to slumber till near the close of the session, 
 when, finding nothing was likely to be done, friends of the 
 petitioners became somewhat urgent for a redress of the 
 grievance. Their natural importunity was resented, and the 
 only answer v.hich their just complanit received was, " The 
 
AsBURY College of De Pauw Univeesity. 255 
 
 Methodist Church has only one man in tlie country iit to fill 
 a professor's chair." This was understood to refer to Hon. 
 Chief Justice M'Lean, of the Supreme Court of the United 
 States. The taunt was, in after years, sought to be explained 
 as a mere jest, but at the time it was felt, as it was no doubt 
 intended to be, simply as adding insult to injury. Under the 
 circumstances, Methodism had no option but to start a college 
 of its own. How very serious such an undertaking was will 
 best be understood when we remember how sparsely settled 
 Indiana was ; that it was still a frontier State, but recently 
 admitted into the Union ; that its fields were uncleared, its 
 swamps undrained, and its rivers and streams unbridged. 
 The settlers had scarcely built their cabins, inclosed their 
 fields, or opened up the highways. The " itinerant " — liter- 
 ally traveling — preachers had* frequently to find their way 
 through pathless woods, to wade a waste of water, to swim 
 swollen streams, and sometimes to camp out at night with 
 tlie stars for lamps, the blue arch of heaven for canopy, and 
 the howling of wolves for music. These are almost the 
 identical words employed by the venerable Aaron Wood, still 
 in the ranks, in giving an account at my father's fireside of 
 a night spent on one of the northern prairies by himself and 
 Ijishop Asbury. Yet, nothing daunted, these high-hearted 
 and earnest ministers of Christ, with faith in God and man, 
 and wise prevision of the wants of the Church in the " great 
 valley " of the world, resolved at once to address themselves 
 to the work. 
 
 After various delays and all sorts of obstnictions and op- 
 position, they at last secured a charter from the Legislature. 
 Various names were considered and seriously canvassed, but, 
 after considerable deliberation, the infant institution was in- 
 troduced to the world under the ample and high-sounding 
 
256 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 title, " The Indiana Asbury University." It may be said to 
 liave been founded in 1835, when, in the fear of God and in 
 dependence npon him for direction and success, the Indiana 
 Conference, after three years of serious discussion, resolved 
 to begin the enterprise. It was two years later before the 
 charter was gotten through the Legislature. On the 10th of 
 January, 1837, it received the signature of tlie governor, and 
 on the 20th of June, 1837, the corner-stone of the first, and 
 for many years the only, college building, was laid with im- 
 posing ceremonies and an eloquent address by Dr. Henry B. 
 Bascom, afterward Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 South. 
 
 The hand of a gracious providence is clearly seen in all 
 these movements. Those men saw in the word of God and 
 in the history of the Church their warrant and encouragement 
 to undertake this work. They saw that spiritual culture and 
 mental illumination not only go hand in hand, but the latter 
 is the inevitable and legitimate result of the former ; that 
 sanctified Christian education is as essential to the building 
 up of the Church of Christ in the world as is conversion. 
 In short, that the Church which neglects its duty in this re- 
 spect, or trusts in any other agency to do its share in this 
 business, is doomed to extinction. Trusting to the family, 
 the pulpit, and the Sunday-school for the religious training 
 of the youth in their earlier years, they felt that their higher 
 education should be carried on under distinctly religious in- 
 fluence and direction. The constant tendency of State col- 
 leges to discourage every thing like an earnest Cliristian life 
 has shown the wisdom of their action, and the gracious spir- 
 itual results of that action have amply confirmed and justi- 
 fied it. 
 
 Various places contended for the location of the institution. 
 
AsBURY College of De Pauw University. 257 
 
 Many considerations led to the selection of Greencastle, at 
 that time an inconsiderable village about thirty-eight miles 
 directly west of Indianapolis, and the chief town of Putnam 
 County. The ground originally was heavily timbered, the 
 soil rich and underlaid by limestone, the surface somewhat 
 rolling, and the surrounding region healthy and beautifully 
 picturesque. A place better suited or more inviting for 
 quiet and successful study is nowhere to be found. 
 
 The first faculty entered upon duty September, 1839. It 
 consisted of the following, namely : Eev. Matthew Simp- 
 son, D.D., president and professor of mathematics ; Rev. 
 Cyrus Nutt, A.M., professor of languages; Rev. John 
 AVeakly, principal of preparatory department ; John Wheel- 
 er, tutor. 
 
 In a year from the above date Rev. W. C. Larrabee, A.M., 
 was made professor of mathematics and science, and in 1842 
 Rev. John Wheeler, A.M., was elected to the chair of Latin, 
 Professor Nutt' retaining that of Greek. At the same time 
 Charles G. Downey, A.M., was elected to the chair of natural 
 science. Professor Larrabee retaining that of mathematics. 
 In 1844 Professor Nutt resigned the chair of Greek, and 
 Rev. B. F. Teft, D.D., was chosen to succeed him. Pro- 
 fessor Nutt was a graduate of Allegheny College, class of 
 1837, and was properly regarded as the first teacher of the 
 college — his private school in Greencastle having been 
 adopted as the preparatory department. He was long and 
 honorably engaged in the work of education in Indiana. In 
 1861 he was elected president of the State University, which 
 position he retained until within a few months of his death, 
 which took place in 1875. Those who had made light of 
 Methodist teachers were glad to secure his valuable services 
 to save their institution from collapse. 
 
258 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 On July 18, 1843, Dr. Simpson tendered liis resignation, 
 having been elected editor of the " Western Christian Ad- 
 vocate." He was born at Cadiz, Ohio, June 20, 1811, of 
 Scotch-Irish descent, and accomplished the course of study 
 at Madison College, near Pittsburg, Pa. In 183Y he was 
 elected vice-president and professor of natural science in Al- 
 legheny College, whence he was transferred, as above, to the 
 head of what w^as destined to become the great Methodist 
 school of the West. In 1852 he was elected Bishop, and in 
 that office he served God and his generation until, in 1884, 
 he fell asleep in Christ. Under his administration the col- 
 lege received an impetus which, with ever-increasing power, 
 it still continues to'* enjoy. 
 
 Eev. Lucien W. Berry, A.M., was elected president July 
 14, 1849. He was a native of Alburg, Vermont, born in 
 1815 ; entered the Indiana Conference in 1838 ; continued in 
 charge of the college about six years, w^hen he w^as transferred 
 to the presidency of Iowa Wesleyan University. Here he re- 
 mained three years, w^hen he took charge of an incipient col- 
 lege at Jefferson City, Mo. He died at Cincinnati, July 23, 
 1858. 
 
 On July 15, 1850, Joseph Tingley, A.M., was elected 
 professor of natural science. Professor Downey having re- 
 signed ; as did also Dr. Teft, in 1850, who was succeeded by 
 Eev. Henry C. Benson, A.M. In 1852 Miles J. Fletcher 
 was made professor of English literature, and the same year 
 Saniuel A. Lattimore, A.M., was chosen to fill the vacancy 
 caused by the resignation of Prof. Benson. In July, 1853, 
 Rev. William [N'ast, D.D., was elected professor of German ; 
 and, July, 1859, Professors Wheeler and Fletcher having 
 resigned, Eev. E. E. Bragdon, A.M., was elected professor of 
 Latin, and Eev. Bernard II. Nadal, A.M., professor of En- 
 
AsBURY College of De Pauw University. 259 
 
 glisli literature. At tlie same time Professor H. B. Hibben 
 was made adjunct professor of languages. 
 
 President Berry having resigned, Rev. Daniel Curry, D.D., 
 was elected president August 17, 1855. Dr. Curry was born 
 near Peekskill, X. Y., November 26, 1809 ; was graduated 
 from the Wesleyan Univei*sity, 1837; was principal of the 
 Troy Conference Academy, professor in the Georgia Female 
 College, filled, as pastor, several of the principal charges in 
 Georgia and New York Conferences, until, as above, he was 
 chosen president of the college at Greencastle. He remained 
 here three years, when he re-entered the New York East 
 Conference, and is well known as a man tried and found 
 fait) if ul in the vanous departments of Church work, especially 
 as an editor and writer of books. 
 
 Professor Downey resigned in July, 1857, and Dr. Nadal 
 on June 29, 1858, and Professor Bragdon at the same date. 
 In July, 1857, Dr. Cyrus Nutt was made professor of math- 
 ematics ; Miles J. Fletcher, professor of helles-lettres and his- 
 toiy ; Benjamin T. Hoyt, A.M., professor of Latin ; and H. 
 B. Hibben, adjunct professor of Latin. 
 
 On June 28, 1859, Rev. Thomas Bowman, D.D., was in- 
 augurated president, to succeed Dr. Curry, and continued in 
 charge until May, 1872, when he was elected Bishop. Dr. 
 Bowman was born near Berwick, Pa., July 15, 1817 ; was 
 graduated at Dickinson College in 1837 ; joined the Balti- 
 more Conference in 1839 ; taught for some time in his almor 
 mater • was president of Dickinson Seminary for ten years; 
 liad charge of the institution at Greencastle, as above, for 
 fourteen years, and is at this writing (1885) the beloved and 
 honored senior Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 In June, 1860, Professor Lattimore resigned the chair of 
 Greek, and Dr. Nutt that of mathematics. August 28, 
 
260 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 1860, Eev. Philander Wilej, M.A., was elected to succeed 
 Professor Lattimore, and Eev. John W. Locke, A.M., to suc- 
 ceed Dr. Nutt. June 24, 1863, Professor Hojt was trans- 
 ferred to the chair of lelles-lettres and history, Rev. John A. 
 Reubelt, D.D., to that of Latin and German, and L. L. 
 Rogers, A.M., made adjunct professor of Latin, who, in 
 1869, succeeded to the full duties of that chair. Dr. Reubelt 
 having resigned. On June 30, 1869, John C. Ridpath, A.M., 
 was elected professor of English literature and normal instruc- 
 tion. June 29, 1870, John- E. Earp, A.M., w^as elected pro- 
 fessor of modern languages and Hebrew. June 18, 1871, 
 the first ladies were graduated from the university, having 
 been admitted to all its departments four years previously. 
 In June, 1872, Dr. Locke resigned the chair of mathematics, 
 and Rev. Patterson M'Nutt, D.D., was elected to fill his 
 place. 
 
 On July 13, 1872, Rev. Reuben Andrus, D.D., was elected 
 to succeed Bishop Bowman as president. We are not in 
 possession of the date of his birth, or the cliief facts in his 
 life. He filled a term of three laborious and useful years. 
 Under his administration there were no changes, either in 
 the way of resignations or additions to the faculty. He 
 resigned, to re-enter the pastorate, September, 1875, and at 
 the same date Rev. Alexander Martin, D.D., LL.D., the 
 present incumbent, w\as elected as his successor. 
 
 President Martin was born in Nairn, Scotland, January 
 22, 1824 ; was graduated from Allegheny College in 1847 ; 
 w^as received into the Pittsburg Conference, and appointed 
 professor in the North-west Virginia Academy the same 
 year. Served for several years as secretary of the West Yir- 
 ginia Conference, was stationed at Charleston, Moundsville, 
 Parkersburg, and Wheeling. Served ten years as professor 
 
AsBURY College of De Pauw UnivepwBity. 261 
 
 of Greek in Alleglieny College. Organized, and for seven 
 years presided over, the West Virginia State University, and 
 on his resignation there was elected to his present position. 
 His administration was for a time embarrassed by the fact 
 that students were crowding to the halls of the college in 
 greater numbers than there were means to provide for their 
 proper instruction. Sometime before the authorities re- 
 solved not to charge tuition fees, so there was no income 
 from that source. The rate of interest on vested funds was 
 steadily diminishing, the erection of an expensive building, 
 costing over $100,000, absorbed, as a loan from the Endow- 
 ment to the Building Fund, some $18,000. About one-half 
 of the remaining endowment was, for live years, rendered 
 unproductive by the railroad in whose bonds it had been 
 invested being put into the hands of a receiver, and, on the 
 whole, the institution had to pass through deep waters. 
 Had it not been that very considerable additions were being 
 secured to the endowment and other funds, tlie prospect 
 would have been gloomy. 
 
 But in the darkest hour, God put it into the heart of 
 Hon. W. C. De Pauw to respond to appeals from many quar- 
 tei-s to lift, as he was well able, the institution not only out 
 of its monetary embarrassments, but to make it not only a col- 
 lege, which it always had been, but a university, in fact as 
 well as name, and with all the departments which justify any 
 school to be so called. It would occupy too much space to 
 enter into the negotiations which eventuated in this happy 
 result. In the university founded by Mr. De Pauw, the 
 " Asbury College of Liberal Arts," with its four departments 
 of instruction — classical, philosophical, scientific, and that of 
 literature and art — continues to occupy the place of honor as 
 the center of the other schools, and the foundation on which 
 
262 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 they rest. These are schools of theology, law, military sci- 
 ence and tactics, music, the fine arts, horticultm-e, the nor- 
 mal school, and the preparatory school. Negotiations are 
 being had whereby, it is hoped, the " School of Medicine " 
 will be organized at an early day. The grounds of the uni- 
 versity embrace about one hundred and fifty acres. The 
 east college, built in 1876, is an imposing, tasteful, and spa- 
 cious structure, one hundred and twenty-six feet long by 
 ninety-four wide, and four stories high. It is finished with 
 mansard roof, and ornamented by three handsome towers. 
 The west college, erected in 1879, is even more capacious, 
 and finely arranged for university work. Besides these there 
 are four other fine buildings, recently erected, including the 
 M'Kim Astronomical Observatory, and some structures of 
 less account. The attendance of students is steadily increas- 
 ing, being, in 1884:-85, six hundred and eighty, the number 
 of graduates the same year, sixty-two. 
 
 In the faculty of instruction and government more than 
 fifty professors and teachers are employed. The alurnni 
 are now filling the most exalted positions in all parts of the 
 land. Colonel James Harlan, of Iowa ; Judge Dunbar, of 
 Kentucky ; Chancellor Sims, of Syracuse University ; Pro- 
 fessor S. A. Lattimore, of Rochester University ; Governor 
 Porter and Senator Yoorhees, of Indiana ; Governor Booth, 
 of California ; and scores of others equally conspicuous are 
 graduates of earlier years. The alumni now number about 
 one thousand, besides many thousands more who, in greater 
 or less degree, have been partakers of the benefit. They are 
 found in all parts of the world, and in all the industrial pur- 
 suits as well as the liberal professions of life. 
 
Victoria University. 2G3 
 
 CHAPTER XIY. 
 
 VICTORIA UNIVERSITY, CANADA. 
 
 BY PROFESSOR NATHANIEL BURWASH, 8.T.D. 
 
 The first year of the organization of American Methodism, 
 under Coke and Asbury, witnessed the formation of Method- 
 ist classes by settlers in the wilds of Upper Canada. Three 
 yeai-s later the itinerants followed, and in 1791 a circuit was 
 reported, with five classes and one hundred and sixty- five 
 members. For forty years the work of Methodism in this 
 new country was missionary and evangelistic, building up a 
 Conference of some fifty ministers, providing for the relig- 
 ious wants of more than ten thousand members of the Meth- 
 odist Church, and about one fourth the population of the 
 country. The time had now arrived for the organization, 
 consolidation, and perfecting of the work founded by tliese- 
 forty years of heroic labor. 
 
 In 1828 the American Methodists, following the example 
 set by John Wesley in 1784, recognized the separate political 
 relations of their brethren in Canada, and placed them in that 
 position of brotherly independence which left them free to 
 work out, without embarrassments, the problems assigned by 
 Divine Providence. The year after their separate organiza- 
 tion they addressed themselves to their task in a manner that 
 proved them to be thoroughly competent for their work. At 
 the Conference of 1829 two things were projected destined 
 to exert a most helpful influence on the future of Canadian 
 Methodism. These were a connectional newspaper and a 
 
264 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 seminary of learning for the education of tlie joutli and 
 ministry of tlie Church. 
 
 These measures, wise and necessary under any circum- 
 stances, were imperatively demanded by the peculiar politico- 
 religious condition of the country at that time. Those were 
 the days of State Church in Canada, when it was of the 
 highest importance that the sentiments of the rising genera- 
 tion should be formed upon principles of civil and religious 
 liberty, and that the voice of that sentiment should express 
 itself, through educated men and by tlie public press, in such 
 a way as to be heard and felt in all the land. The connec- 
 tional paper was the first and easiest part of the project. 
 Providence had raised up and trained the man for the work in 
 Egerton Ryerson, who had already distinguished Jiimsell: by 
 his writings on behalf of the civil and religious rights of the 
 Methodist people. A subscription of a few hundred dollars to 
 procure the needed outfit served at once to bring into the field 
 an engine of mighty moral power in the history of Canada. 
 
 To found the seminary of learning was a task not" so easy 
 of completion. The Methodists of that time numbered few 
 men of wealth — principally farmers, still engaged in the strug- 
 gle to create productive homesteads out of primitive forests. 
 To raise the $50,000 needed to build and equip their semi- 
 nary was a more gigantic undertaking than would be the 
 raising of two millions by the United Canadian Methodism 
 of to-day, or of twenty millions by the wealthy Methodism of 
 the United States. But to these fifty men of faith the task 
 was God's command, and it must be done. If the work 
 placed in their hands by God was to be carried forward, a min- 
 istry so educated as not to be disparaged by the side of the 
 university men supplied to the Anglican and Presbyterian 
 Churches from the old seats of learning in Great Britain 
 
Victoria University. 265 
 
 must be secured for Methodism. If, in the councils of the 
 nation and in the great politico-religious questions of the day 
 they were to make their influence felt, their sons must be 
 educated. Under this supreme sense of duty, as it must then 
 have appeared to these fifty men, the work was undertaken, 
 and, in seven years from the time of its fii-st mention in Con- 
 ference, was completed free from debt. Of the effort put 
 forth to bring about such a consummation, some idea may be 
 formed from a few sentences of a letter written by the 
 chairman of the board engaged in erecting the building, to 
 the Rev. Egerton Ryerson, who was then in England solicit- 
 ing funds and a royal charter for the institution : " You must 
 stay in England until the money is got. Use ever}^ effort, 
 h;irden your face to flint, and give eloquence to your tongue. 
 This is your calling. Excel in it ! Be not discouraged with 
 a dozen refusals in succession. The money must be liad, and 
 it must be begged. My dear brother, work for your life, and 
 I pray God to give you success. Do not borrow, if possible. 
 Reg, beg, beg it all. It must be done." 
 
 Such was the spirit of conviction, and such the effort of 
 ihusc founders of our Church. 
 
 Tlie institution thus founded was opened for academic 
 work June 18, 1836, with the Rev. Matthew Ricliey as prin- 
 cipal. Mr. Ri(;liey \vi\s a native of Ireland. Classically edu- 
 cated in the land of his birth, and converted under the minis- 
 try of Methodism, about twenty years before this time he 
 emigrated to America, and, in the maritime provinces, conse- 
 crated his rare gifts of eloquence to the work of the minis- 
 try. Ue was a master in pulpit eloquence. Splendid in 
 diction, rich and beautiful in thought, luminous in exposi- 
 tion of truth, association with him was in itself an inspiring 
 
 cduaition to the young men of that day. At the close of 
 12 
 
2G6 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 the first year tlie new academy numbered one hundred and 
 twenty students on its roll, and was fully organized under 
 tlie royal charter granted October 7, 1836, by his majesty 
 King William TV. ; and was, by the aid of a royal grant, free 
 from debt. During the three years of Mr. Eichey's presi- 
 dency the Church already began to reap the fruits of her 
 enterprise in the addition to the ranks of the ministry of 
 such names as G. K. Sanderson, James Spencer, and I. B. 
 Howard, all trained in the academy, and in after years doing 
 honor to their alma mater. In 1839 Mr. Richey was suc- 
 ceeded by the Eev. Jesse Hurlburt, M.A., a graduate of 
 Wesleyan University, Middletown, a finished scholar, and a 
 very able educator. Associated with him was also another 
 gentleman, tlien just beginning a distinguished career as an 
 educator, the Eev. D. C. Yan Norman, M.A. Under their 
 control the academy continued to increase in popularity and 
 usefulness both to the Cliurch and to the country. It was 
 during this period that the Eev. H. B. Steinhauer, himself 
 an Indian of pure blood, laid the foundations of that schol- 
 arship which served him so well in the translation of the 
 entire Scriptures into the Cree language of our north-west- 
 ern plains, as well as in his long and successful work as a 
 missionary teacher and preacher. The mention of such 
 names as Lieutenant-Governor Aikins, Lieutenant-Governor 
 Eichey, M. B. Eoblin, Esq., Horace Yeomans, Esq., Colonel 
 Stonghton Dennis, A. E. Yan Norman, and O. W. Powell ; 
 with such ladies as Mrs. Nathan Jones, the Misses Adams, 
 Mrs. Youmans, Mrs. Judge McDonald, and Mrs. I. B. How- 
 ard, will show, to those acquainted with the inner history of 
 Canadian Methodism, as well as with our political and social 
 life, how important was the work of this period, and how 
 wide-spread its influence. 
 
YicroKiA University. 267 
 
 After five years of successful academic work, during which 
 liundreds of youth of both sexes aud various religious dciioui- 
 inations received a substantial education, Upper Canada Acad- 
 emy, by act of the Provincial Parliament, was endowed with 
 university powers, and became, under its extended royal char- 
 ter, Victoria College, on August 27, 1841. In October of 
 that year the Rev. E. Ryerson, D.D., was appointed the first 
 principal of the college, and professor of moral philosophy, 
 and on the 21st of that month opened the session, and com- 
 menced his duties by a public address to the students. This 
 was the first opening in Ontario o£ an institution authorized 
 to confer degrees. Queen's College and University (Presby- 
 terian) was opened on the 7th of March, 1842 ; and King's 
 College, the then provincial college under the control of the 
 Church of England, on the 8th of June, 1843. To the 
 Methodist Church belongs the honor of leading the way in 
 university work in "Western Canada. 
 
 During the first year tlie management of the incipient 
 university devolved upon the Rev. Mr. Hurlburt. In June, 
 1842, Dr. Ryerson, released from external laboi*s which had 
 devolved upon him, devoted himself more fully to his college 
 work. The occasion was marked by an inaugural address 
 more formal and comprehensive than that of the preceding 
 October, and setting forth the conception entertained by the 
 new president of the university training required by the 
 Canadian student. On two points he anticipates the great 
 movement of university reform of modern times. The first 
 is the prominent position which he assigns to the English 
 language and literature as elements of a university educa- 
 tion. At the close of several pages devoted to this subject, 
 lie says : "What I have said is designed to show that I do not 
 uudurvjihic the English classics, and the philosophical and 
 
268 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 literary resources of our own language, and that youth who 
 cannot acquire the mastery of other tongues ought not to be 
 excluded from the invaluable mines of wisdom and knowl- 
 edge which are contained in their own tongue." 
 
 The second is the appreciation of the physical sciences. 
 On this point he says : " The ph^^sical sciences have, as yet, 
 received little attention in our higher schools in this prov- 
 ince. Instruction has been chiefly confined to the classics, 
 and students have acquired little or no knowledge of natural 
 philosophy, chemistry, mineralogy, geology, astronomy, etc., 
 except what they have obtained in another province or in a 
 foreign country. If one branch of education must be omit- 
 ted, surely the knowledge of the laws of the universe is of 
 more practical advantage, socially and morally, than a knowl- 
 edge of Greek and Latin." 
 
 The magnificent modern courses of science in our universi- 
 ties have not passed beyond the limits here sketched. In 
 commencing his work Dr. Ryerson was supported by a staff 
 of men distinguished for learning, but still more for individ- 
 ual abilit}^ as educators. Mr. Hurlburt became professor of 
 the natural sciences. Mr. Yan Norman, distinguished as a 
 grammarian, became the professor of classics. To these 
 were added Mr. William Kingston, M. A., whose reputation 
 as professor of mathematics was well known to some thirty 
 successive classes of students in the halls of Victoria. In 
 addition to these an English master was employed ; the sec- 
 ond of these, the Rev. James Spencer, M. A., was well known 
 afterward as a man of mark in Canadian Methodism, and 
 editor of the " Christian Guardian." Dr. Ryerson evidently 
 understood that the strength of an institution of learning 
 lies not so much in magnificent buildings or expensive 
 equipments, as in men of rare ability as teachers, and in the 
 
YicTORTA University. 269 
 
 selection of these he was singularly fortunate. Around such 
 a college president, and such a faculty, there gathered at 
 once the strongest young mind of the country. The names 
 of Rev. S. S. Nelles, D.D., LL.D., Rev. William Ormiston, 
 D.D., LL.D., Rev. W. S. Griffin, D.D., Hon. Senator Brouse, 
 M.D., Hon. William McDougall, C.B., Judge Springer, M.A., 
 J. E. ITodgins, M.A., LL.D., deputy minister of education, 
 J. L. Biggar, M.P., will be recognized as men eminent in 
 Church and State, and in college life and work, all of whom 
 were students of this period. Of Dr. Ryerson's work, as col- 
 lege president, Dr. Ormiston writes: 
 
 In the autumn of 1843 I went to Victoria College, doubting much 
 whether I was prepared to matriculate as a freshman. Though my 
 attainments in some of the subjects prescribed for examination were 
 far in advance of the requirements, in other subjects I knew I was 
 sadly deficient. On the evening of my arrival, while my mind was 
 hardened with the importance of the step I had taken, and by no 
 means free from anxiety about the issue, Dr. Ryerson, at that time 
 principal of the college, visited me in my room. I shall never 
 forget that interview. He took me by the hand, and few men could 
 express as much by a mere hand-shake as he. It was a welcome, an 
 encouragement, an inspiration, and an earnest of future fellowship and 
 friendship. It lessened the timid awe I naturally felt toward one in 
 so elevated a position. I had never before seen a principal of a col- 
 lege; it dissipated all boyish awkwardness, and awakened filial confi- 
 dence. He spoke of Scotland, my native land, and of her noble sons, 
 distinguished in every branch of philosophy and literature; specially 
 of the number, the diligence, the frugality, self-denial, and success of 
 her college students. In this way he soon led me to tell him of my 
 parentage, past life and efforts, present hopes and aspirations. His 
 manner was so gracious and paternal, his sympathy so quick and gen- 
 uine, his counsel so ready and cheering, his assurances so grateful and 
 inspiring, that not only was my heart his from that hour, but my future 
 career seemed brighter and more certain than it had ever appeared 
 before. 
 
270 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Dr. Ryerson was at that time in the prime of a magnificent man- 
 hood, his mental powers vigorous and well disciplined, his attainments 
 in literature varied and extensive, his experience extended and diversi- 
 fied, his fame as a preacher of great pathos and power widely spread. 
 ... As a teacher, he was earnest and efficient, eloquent and inspiring. 
 His methods of examination furnished the very best of mental disci- 
 pline, fitted alike to cultivate the memory and strengthen the judg- 
 ment. All the students revered him, but the best of the class appreci- 
 ated him most. His counsels were faithful and judicious ; his admoni- 
 tions paternal and discriminating, his rebukes seldom administered, but 
 scathingly severe. No student ever left his presence without resolving 
 to do better, to aim higher, and to win his approval. 
 
 The presence of such a man, surrounded and supported by 
 able instructors in various departments of learning, was suf- 
 ficient to give great popularity to this first Canadian college, 
 and quickened the spirit of the whole people in the direction 
 of higher learning, until, by 1843, there were three colleges 
 in active operation in Ontario, besides McGill in Quebec. 
 An effort was made at this early date to combine the three 
 colleges of the western province in a provincial university. 
 The Hon. Mr. Baldwin introduced a bill for university con- 
 federation, but the defeat of the ministry prevented its becom- 
 ing a law. The attempt was renewed in 1846, with no bet- 
 ter success, and when a university bill was finally passed, in 
 1849, it included but one of the three colleges. The effort 
 was renewed in 1853, but the new bill was so indefinite in 
 its provisions that interested parties were able to exclude the 
 Methodist and Presbyterian colleges. 
 
 Meantime the first principal, Dr. Eyerson, was called to 
 the chief superintendency of education for the province. 
 His place was filled by the Rev. Alexander MclSTab, D.D., 
 under whose administration the college held a good position 
 for four years, numbering, in 1848, one hundred and forty 
 
Victoria Univeksitv. 271 
 
 students. During this period Judge Springer, Rev. Dr. 
 Orniifiton, Rev. Professor Wright, Dr. Cameron, and Mr. 
 Cauipboll were graduated in arts. 
 
 The resignation of Dr. McNah, in 1849, closed the fii-st 
 period of the history of Victoria College, in which the insti- 
 tution was limited to purely college work, that is, the train- 
 ing of students in the elements of a general and liberal edu- 
 cation, leading to the B. A. degree. 
 
 Disturbing influences connected with the resignation of 
 the T)rincipal, and an interregnum of a year and a half, dis- 
 persed the students and seriously interfered with the future 
 pi'ospects of the college. The Methodists were anxious to 
 fall in with the popular movement for a national university. 
 Negotiations were commenced with that in view, and a bill 
 obtained authorizing the removal of the college to Toronto. 
 The government of the day did not, however, prove to be 
 suflieiently earnest in purpose to carry the matter to comple- 
 tion, and the only result was the abortive affiliation bill of 
 1853. Meantime the leaders of Methodism felt that the 
 position won by such noble and self-sacrificing efforts in the 
 past must not be abandoned, and a young minister just or- 
 dained, a graduate of Wesleyan University, Middletown, 
 and one of the first under-graduates of Victoria under Dr. 
 llyerson, was called to preside over the destinies of the 
 ^[ethodist college in September, 1850. This was the Rev. 
 S. S. Nelles, M.A., with whose name the history of Victoria, 
 in its growth toward univei-sity status, is most intimately 
 henceforward associated. The young principal was then but 
 twenty-seven years of age ; an excellent scholar, mi eloquent 
 preacher, and a most successful and thorough teacher, but 
 with a task before him of great difficulty. The college 
 treasury was empty. There was absolutely no endowment. 
 
272 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 The buildings and furniture, after fifteen years of constant 
 wear by hundreds of students, were sadly in need of repair 
 and renewal. The able professors of other days had betaken 
 themselves to otlier v/ork, and there were scarcely thirty stu- 
 dents (but two matriculated) to respond to his first call of 
 college opening. To raise funds for an endowment sufficient 
 to bring the annual income of the college up to $5,000, 
 to organize an efficient staff of professors, to attract and 
 organize students once more into the relations of college 
 life, in fact to resuscitate the college, was the work before 
 him. Meantime the Eevs. John Eyerson, Dr. E. Eyerson, 
 Eichard Jones, and Dr. Green, J. P. Eoblin, M.P., John 
 Counter, Esq., and Eev. William Case, of the original 
 founders, were still members of the corporation, and af- 
 forded counsel and support, while Dr. Wood, Dr. Eice, and 
 Mr. Musgrove, wlio represented English Methodism, and 
 three old students, Messrs. Sanderson, Biggar, and Powell, 
 were added to the corporation and lent their help to the ef- 
 fort. The first struggle was for financial relief. Tliis was at- 
 tempted in September, 1851, by the inauguration of what 
 was known as the scholarship scheme — an effort to raise 
 $50,000 by the sale of five hundred scholarships, good for 
 free tuition in this college for twenty -five years from date. 
 At the following Conference, consisting of, all told, one hun- 
 dred and fifty ministers and preachers, ninety of these schol- 
 arships were sold to ministers, and between three and four 
 liundred in all were disposed of, realizing about $30,000 in 
 principal, but depriving the institution of all income from 
 fees for twenty-five years to come. But if not a grand suc- 
 cess in raising funds, the scholarships were a means of 
 increasing the number of students. Meantime the board 
 were successful in bringing to the support of tlie principal 
 
YlCTOKIA U^lVEliSlTY. 273 
 
 three very able members of the former staff : Professor 
 Kingston, in mathematics ; Professor John Wilson, in clas- 
 sics; and Professor John Beattj, M.D., in natural science. 
 These men were as varied in gifts and scholarship as the 
 departments over which they presided. Professor Kingston 
 was an embodiment of the exactness of mathematical science, 
 and no student could pass through his liands without learn- 
 ing to deiine and demonstrate. Professor Wilson, of Trinity 
 College, Dublin, was famed for the unfailing accuracy and 
 extent of his scholarship, for his line literary taste, and for 
 the beautiful Christian perfection of his character, which was 
 a constant living lesson to all the boys. Dr. Beatty was a 
 scientist, a politician, a man of the world, and a leader in the 
 Church, one of those clear, active, versatile, and strong 
 minds that young men delight to follow. When at the head 
 of all these was placed the learning, the philosophical acu- 
 men, tlie brilliant eloquence, and the administrative ability 
 of the president, Victoria found a staff which, for the pur- 
 poses of college discipline, could not easily be excelled. 
 Meantime, under their hands, the gathered masses of raw 
 material soon began to organize into a well-defined college 
 life. The number of students rose to nearly three hundred, 
 and the regular under-graduate classes, which had all disap- 
 l)eared save one during the intei'regnum, were again filled 
 out. At this formative period, when the traditions which so 
 ])owerfully regulate student-life were being established, it 
 w;\s the blessed fortune of the college to be visited with a 
 j^'reat revival. An old student, Kev. G. R. Sanderson, was 
 pastor. About a dozen faithful, godly young men, the 
 l^o^;t of whom are prominent leaders in the Churcli to-day 
 (four have been Conference presidents), formed a band for 
 
 prayer and work among their fellow-students. When the 
 12* 
 
27tt Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 work began, not twenty-five per cent, of the students were 
 professing Christians. At the end not five per cent, were 
 left unmoved by the power of saving grace. Out of the 
 fruits of that revival came a score of ministers, a number of 
 Conference presidents, one of our general superintendents, 
 and a large number of the leading Christian laymen of our 
 Church to-day. But, better even than that, the ablest, old- 
 est, and most advanced students all converted, a high moral 
 and religious tone became an established tradition of the 
 college, continuously maintained through the thirty classes 
 that have graduated out of college to this day. There has 
 been very little serious difiiculty about the discipline of the 
 institution from that day to this. It was about this time 
 that Kev. Dr. Rice became associated with the institution as 
 moral governor and chaplain, and by the great force of his 
 religious character did much to establish and perfect the 
 religious life commenced in the great revival. 
 
 The period had now arrived for the expansion of the col- 
 lege life and work into that of the university. In the his- 
 tory of American colleges this process has been accom- 
 plished in various w^ays. According to the earliest method, 
 the institution became a university without ceasing to be a 
 college. The compactly organized arts faculty, with its four 
 under-graduate classes engaged in the work of a common lib- 
 eral discipline and foundation of intellectual culture, contin- 
 ued to be the center. To this were added other faculties of 
 divinity, law, medicine, engineering, and more recently 
 science and philosophy, affording opportunity for post-gradu- 
 ate study and special attainments, according to individual 
 preferences and requirements. The German universities 
 liave been the models of this development, although tliey 
 have long since relegated the foundation work to tlie gymna- 
 
VicTOEiA University. 275 
 
 sium, and confined tlie university to what with ns would be 
 post-graduate work. In this way they have escaped some of 
 the great difficulties which have affected our work in the 
 New World. Foremost of these is the difficulty of reaching 
 the most perfect culture and discipline with too great a 
 number of students. Much depends upon the ability of the 
 president as an administrator, organizer, and educator. But 
 our very ablest presidents find five hundred students too 
 many, and most can effect the best results with less than two 
 hundred. The German university has only to deal with 
 trained students — men whose general intellectual discipline 
 and culture is already established. 
 
 A second line of university development, in which the 
 London University has taken the lead, has been on the prin- 
 ciple of optional courses. Proceeding on the principle that 
 intellectual culture and discipline may be attained by the 
 pursuit of almost any branch or branches of science, it com- 
 bines and fuses college and university, builds a school of all 
 sciences and all learning, and expects the raw students to 
 attain college discipline and intellectual culture from such a 
 selection of studies as their individual abilities, tastes, or pur- 
 poses for future life may lead them to prefer, lliis theory 
 has, perhaps, not affected the colleges of the United States as 
 much as the Canadian. Its great danger is, of course, one- 
 sided development. Lastly, we have now, beginning in 
 America, the effort to distinguish the work of the univer- 
 sity from that of the college, and to assign them to entirely 
 separate departments, as in the Johns Hopkins University. 
 
 The university development of Victoria College was at 
 first along the old-fashioned line, and fortunately in such a 
 way as not to interfere with college work. A faculty of 
 medicine was established in 1S54, but in the city of Toronto, 
 
io 
 
 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 and witli an entirely independent teaching staff and financial 
 management. A similar faculty of law was added in 1860, 
 and a faculty of theology in closer relations to the college in 
 1871. During all this time the faculty of arts adhered faith- 
 fully to the old college discipline of classics, mathematics, 
 and philosophy, wuth a moderate addition of modern litera- 
 ture and science. The number of under-graduates in arts at 
 no time exceeded one hundred and fifty, and no Canadian 
 college did more thorough work along this line than Yicto- 
 ria. Her university work in distinct lines gave her the 
 advantage of moral influence and support in the country, as 
 her graduates in medicine alone now number over a thousand. 
 Victoria has, however, shared with all other American insti- 
 tutions the influence of modern ideas, and has felt the press- 
 ure of the claims of modern science. As early as 1856 the 
 introduction of Dr. Whitlock, formerly of Genesee Wesleyan 
 Seminary and College, into the staff in the department of 
 natural philosophy gave an impulse in that direction. He 
 was a man of rare genius — a philosopher rather than a pro- 
 fessor, who thought aloud before his class, and suffered them 
 to imbibe the fire of his own spirit. He was followed, in 
 1864, by Dr. Harris, now of Amherst College, a man who had 
 tlien just graduated from a German university, and who 
 molded students with a strong hand, leaving on all his men 
 a very decided impress of the culture of physical and chem- 
 ical science. Meantime other changes favored this incipient 
 tendency. Professor Bain succeeded Professor Kingston in 
 tlie chair of mathematics, bringing from Europe the modern 
 taste for the employment of mathematics as tlie instrument 
 of scientific investigation. A chair of English literature 
 was established in the hands of Professor Reynar, and a new 
 impulse given to that department, as well as to modern liter- 
 
YiCTORiA Univeksity. 277 
 
 ature generally. Finally, in 1873, Dr. Haanel took charge 
 of the department of science. Bringing with him the most 
 accurate scholarsliip, and employing it with an ability and 
 enthusiasm rarely equaled, what was a chair, under his hand 
 soon expanded into a department, presenting a complete 
 curriculum in science, embracing varied work in mathemat- 
 ics and modern literature, and rendering necessary the chair 
 in natural history and geology, now filled by Dr. Coleman, 
 and the erection of Faraday Hall for the science depart- 
 ment. While maintaining its conservative character, and 
 adhering more closely than most to the old fixed curriculum, 
 Victoria University has thus carefully adapted itself to 
 modern requirements, and to-day offei*s a varied field of uni- 
 versity options in the college course, with some facility for 
 post graduate work in both science and theology, of which a 
 number of her graduates have already availed themselves. 
 
 These steps in advance were not taken without involving 
 considerable financial embarrassment. In 1860 an effort was 
 made to claim the relations to the provincial university sys- 
 tem, to which the early history of Victoria University fully 
 entitled her. But the effort, while resulting in good to the 
 university work of the country at large, brought Victoria 
 merely a slightly increased subsidy from the public funds. 
 A considerable debt had accumulated during the ten years of 
 struggle in which Dr. Xelles and his staff had been enira"^ed 
 to secure a position as a university, and which was wiped out 
 by the energetic efforts of the lie v. Dr. Aylesworth between 
 the years 1802 and 1805, and the college placed in a position 
 to make income equal to expenditure. Scarcely, however, was 
 this effected, when, in 18G8, a combination of adverse forces 
 in Parliament depi-ivcd both Victoria University and Queen's 
 College of the annual grants which for twenty-seven yeara 
 
2TS Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 tliey had received from the government ; and financial ruin 
 once more stared om- college in the face. At this juncture 
 the late Dr. Punshon became associated with Canadian 
 Methodism. He at once threw his influence into the effort 
 made by President Nelles for the college endowment. The 
 Conference seconded and supported the work, its mem- 
 bers for several years taxing their salaries to meet the annual 
 deficit. In a few years an endowment of $100,000 was 
 raised, more than replacing the grant so unceremoniously 
 withdrawn. At the same time the growing necessities of 
 the university began to attract the attention of broad- 
 minded, generous, and wealthy men. The late Edward 
 Jackson led the way in this work. The theological depart- 
 ment was projected under his patronage, he and his equally 
 generous and devoted wife contributing, by gift and bequest, 
 $30,000 for this purpose, resulting in the appointment of the 
 writer as dean of the faculty of theology and professor of 
 biblical and systematic theology. A few years later another 
 gentleman, a partner and life long friend of Mr. Jackson, 
 Dennis Moore, Esq., contributed $25,000 to assi-t in the ex- 
 tension of the department of science. The death of Dr. 
 Pyerson was the occasion of a worthy memorial effort, now 
 nearly completed, to endow the chair of moral philosophy, 
 which he had filled during his presidency, with the sum of 
 $35,000. The late Sheriff Patrick has also left a bequest of 
 some $20,000, so that at the present time the assets of the 
 college are about $250,000, and the annual income about 
 $20,000. 
 
 The last event in the history of Victoria University is a 
 result of Methodist Union. In 1857 the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church in Canada established the Belleville Seminary, 
 which, in 1857, was enlarged to Albert College, and in 1871 
 
YlCTORIA UxiVEIiSITY. 279 
 
 endowed with a charter conferring full university powers. 
 In 18S4, the year of the consummation of the Methodist 
 Union, the number of graduates in the various faculties had 
 reached a hundred, and the institution was doing excellent 
 college work in the bachelor of arts curriculum. This work, 
 with a member of the staff, the Rev. Dr. Badglej, and the 
 university functions, were transferred to Victoria University, 
 strengthening its influence, and centering the entire interest 
 of the new Church in Ontario and Quebec in the one uni- 
 versity. 
 
 In summing up the work of fifty years, thirty-five under 
 the presidency of Dr. Nelles, we find that in our institution 
 nearly five thousand students have been educated, eighteen 
 hundred of whom have graduated in arts, medicine, law, 
 divinity, or science, many of these taking degrees in two or 
 more faculties. The present staff numbers nine professors in 
 arts, five in theology, two strong faculties in medicine, one 
 in Toronto and the other in Montreal, and an able board of 
 examiners in law. The roll of students last year numbered 
 four hundred and forty-nine, and the graduates in all the fac- 
 ulties one hundred and six, including five honorary degrees. 
 
 Our limited space prevents more than reference to the 
 growth of college societies, periodicals, and other accompani- 
 ments of a vigorous college life. The college never Wiis 
 more thoroughly efficient in all its departments, and its 
 steady growth promises for it a future of assured success and 
 blessing to the country. 
 
280 Eaely Schools of Metuodism. 
 
 CHAPTER XY. 
 
 GOUVERNEUR WESLEYAN SEMINARY. 
 
 BY A. W. CUMMINGS, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 The Black Eiver (now Northern New York) Conference 
 was formed from the Oneida in 1836. Its first care was to 
 provide a seminary of learning for its youth. To a conven- 
 tion of the Potsdam District, called in the spring of 1837 by 
 its presiding elder, He v. John Loveys, Rev. Reuben Rey- 
 nolds, in charge of the Gouverneur Circuit, reported, that 
 from various interviews with leading citizens of Gouverneur, 
 and with trustees of the institution, he thought that the high 
 school there could, on favorable terms, be secured to tlie 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. It was well located on the 
 park, in the center of the village, had a good brick building — 
 a center with two wings — all two stories high. Tlie proposi- 
 tion to receive this school, if tendered, was favored by the 
 convention. The people of Gouverneur were refined, moral, 
 and cultivated. There were no Methodists in the village, 
 but they were numerous in the country around. The ten- 
 der of the school in due time was made to a committee 
 empowered to act for the Church within the Potsdam Dis- 
 trict. The contract was soon closed, and the school became 
 the property of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The 
 preachers of the district made an active canvass for students, 
 that an impressive opening might be made. 
 
 Rev. Jesse T. Peck, then in the fifth year of his ministry, 
 was made the principal of the school, wliicli, by a subsequent 
 act of the Legislature, became Gouverneur Wesley an Semi- 
 
GouvERNEUR Wesleyan Seminary. 281 
 
 nary. Mr. Peck was chosen because of his known energy 
 and ability, and especially as it was thought that he, more 
 easily tlian any other available person, could meet the antici- 
 pated opposition from friends of the Cazenovia Seminary in 
 the Conference. Dr. George Peck was then the principal at 
 Cazenovia. Eev. Stephen Allen, A.B., (now Dr. Allen, of 
 the Maine Conference) and Miss Adelaide Sturtevant were 
 the other teachers. The school opened in August, 1837, 
 with a large attendance of students, male and female. To 
 the Conference, that met a little later in the month, at Pots- 
 dam, a most cheering report was made of the successful 
 opening. Not without some doubt as to the wisdom of 
 establishing a Conference seminary at a point so remote from 
 the center, the Conference took the school under its official 
 patronage. Before the first term closed the attendance of 
 students was so large that another teacher was required. 
 A. W. Cummings, who at the Conference in August had 
 been received on trial and appointed pastor of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church at Martinsburg, the county seat 
 of Lewis, and who was expected to continue his services 
 as the principal of the Collinsville Institute in the same 
 county, was chosen teacher of mathematics in the new 
 seminary. Upon the recommendation of his presiding el- 
 der, Eev. George Gary, Mr. Cummings was released from 
 his pastoral work by Bishop Hedding, and appointed to the 
 seminary. 
 
 The opening of this school constituted an era in Northern 
 New York Methodism. Having a Methodist school at their 
 doors, many families, who would scarcely have thought of 
 sending their children a hundred miles to Cazenovia, and 
 probably would not have sent them to a school of one of the 
 rival Churches, sent them to Gouverneur. During the first 
 
282 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 term more than one hundred pupils were enrolled in the 
 various classes. 
 
 The spirit of revival came upon the seminary. Many of 
 the students were truly pious when they entered ; most of 
 those not so were during that revival brought to the 
 (Saviour. The writer spent seven years in that school. 
 Nearly fifty years have passed since his entrance there, but 
 the events of that revival winter were so daguerreotyped 
 upon his heart that time will never efface them. The 
 school was full, but there was no diminution, as some feared 
 there would be, in the attendance at the noble Cazenovia 
 Seminary. The educational work at Gouverneur was nearly 
 a clear gain. Before the days of railroads students rarely 
 went over fifty miles from home to school. A circle with a 
 radius of fifty miles encircled the homes of most pupils in 
 any of the schools. . Hence the wisdom of the prudent mul- 
 tiplication of Methodist schools. How wonderful was the 
 influence of our early schools at Cazenovia, Wilbraham, 
 Kent's Hill, Lima, and Amenia upon the Church and minis- 
 try of Methodism ! "When in 1818 Wilbur Fisk entered the 
 Methodist ministry the Church had not a half-dozen regular 
 graduates in its ministry. Now what an army of scholars ! 
 The first year of the seminary closed with two hundred and 
 fifty-two students enrolled. During the next year Mr. Allen 
 retired from the faculty, and Erastus Wentworth, A.B., while 
 principal of the Lowville Academy, in Lewis County, N. Y., 
 was chosen to fill his place. Miss Sturtevant also retired, 
 and was succeeded by Miss Lydia Fisk. The last hours of 
 the year 1838 were spent by the teachers and students at the 
 seminary chapel in the services of a watch-night. It was 
 the last time the chapel was used. From the opening of the 
 seminary under Methodist auspices, it had been occupied 
 
GouvEKNEUR Wesleyan Seminary. 283 
 
 for all reliorioiis services of the school and church in Gon- 
 verneiir. It was a large well-arranged audience room in the 
 center of the main building. 
 
 On the evening of January 1, 1839, Mr. and Mrs. Peck, 
 Professor Wentworth, and the lady teachers were spending 
 a social evening, by invitation, at the home of Mr. Cum- 
 mings. At about 11 o'clock P.M., while at the supper ta- 
 ble, an alarm of lire was heard. Rushing to the window 
 that opened toward the seminary, but a few yards away, 
 flames were seen bursting from the windows of a student's 
 room in the west -wing of the building. The rapid ringing 
 of the school-bell soon' brought to the scene of disaster 
 most of the male citizens of the village. The night was 
 intensely cold, and, with no appliances for extinguishing the 
 fire, the teachers, students, and village people present could 
 only fold their arms, and calmly await the complete demo- 
 lition of the edifice around which so many hopes clustered. 
 While all in silence were thinking. What next ? in thrilling 
 tones Mr. Peck announced the school would be resumed at 
 the close of the holidays and be continued as usual. To all 
 this was a most cheering announcement, and each probably 
 thought. How and where ? There was a general desire for 
 the continuance of the school at Gouverneur. The citizens 
 made liberal personal subscriptions, and at a called town meet- 
 ing voted to raise $2,000 to aid in rebuilding. Mr. Peck at 
 once visited Ogdenslnirg and other towns in St. Lawrence 
 and Jefferson Counties soliciting aid to rebuild. The re- 
 sponse, for those early days of poverty, was most generous. 
 
 In Ogdensburg resided two very worthy and somewhat 
 wealthy gentlemen, both, at the time, candidates for nomina- 
 tion, by a convention soon to assemble, to seats in Congress. 
 Mr. Peck first called upon the Hon. Judge Fine, reputed to 
 
284: Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 be a liberal and noble Christian gentleman. He surprised 
 Mr. Peck with a cheerful subscription of $200. He next 
 visited the rival for Congressional honors, the Hon. Henry 
 Yan Rensselaer, who, without a moment's hesitation, wrote 
 his name for $400. Others in Ogdensburg gave smaller, 
 yet liberal, sums, amounting to over $1,100. Other places 
 gave generous encouragement. Thus assured, the trustees 
 determined to proceed in the preparation to erect a new 
 building. Mr. Cummings was excused from school duties, 
 and detailed to secure the material, that the construction 
 might begin as soon as the weather of spring would permit. 
 As his duties would require the service of a horse and 
 sleigh in winter, and a bugg}^ in summer, his salary was 
 raised to $400 per annum. This was more than would 
 have been his Disciplinary allowance in pastoral work. 
 Time was too precious, and the necessities of the case too 
 urgent, to allow of the delay of making brick in the spring. 
 The students then in school would submit to the inconven- 
 ience of the extemporized school-rooms to the end of the 
 school year, but they would not return for the next year 
 unless better accommodations were provided. Euilding 
 could not, in that boreal climate, begin earlier than May. 
 The building must be ready for occupancy by September 1. 
 Brick could not be made in time for tins. A frame build- 
 ing was not thought of ; a stone edifice was determined 
 upon. A large mass of red sandstone was known to exist 
 about five miles distant, in a forest of heavy timber.. This 
 quarry had never been opened. On the first day of Febru- 
 ary, 1839, before it was fairly light, Mr. Cummings was 
 moving in his sleigh toward the stone quarry. On his way 
 he secured the company and aid of all the men he could in 
 opening the new quarry. The stone was found in a lodge 
 
GouvEKNEUR Wesleyan Seminary. 285 
 
 varying from twenty to forty feet high, surmounted by 
 banks of snow and earth four or five feet deep. Snow 
 upon the level was from three to four feet deep. A point 
 of easy approach with teams was selected, and two or three 
 rods square denuded of snow and ice. Protected by an early 
 snow, the ground was not very deeply frozen. Stone was 
 found in abundance, of good quality. The work of the day 
 was experimental, and considerably shook the faith of some, 
 who had very confidently affirmed that stone, in that climate, 
 could not be quarried in winter without great expense. The 
 work went on until a few cords of stone were ready for the 
 teams. A favorable contract was then made for the delivery 
 on the building lot of the stone required to erect a seminary 
 edifice three stories high, sixty-four by forty-four feet on the 
 ground. 
 
 The securing of the stone on reasonable terms was re- 
 garded as a favorable start in the rebuilding. A contract was 
 closed for the construction of the walls, plastering and other 
 work, including the material. All parts of the edifice being 
 ])rovided for, Mr. Cummings gave his attention to increas- 
 ing the subscriptions so encouragingly opened by Mr. Peck. 
 For those days, and the circumstances of the country, the 
 response to the call for help was liberal and generous. There 
 were then no railroads in that region. The surplus of the 
 farm must be conveyed a long distance on a sleigh in winter, 
 or wagon in summer, to market, and then sold at a low 
 price. The people handled but little money. When the 
 school year closed, in July, the new edifice was in such a 
 stage of progress that all felt that it would be ready for the 
 opening in September. Tlie new building, very commodious, 
 and adapted to the wants of a large school, having in it no 
 dormitories, was dedic.;ted before the new school year began. 
 
28G Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 The term opened prosperously, with the same teachers, ex- 
 cept that Miss Frances A. Wentworth took the position at 
 the head of the female department, vacated by Miss Fisk. 
 Before the year closed Mr. Peck accepted the charge of the 
 Troy Conference Academy, at West Poultney, Vermont. 
 His removal was generally regretted by the friends of the 
 Gouverneur Seminary. Without superior educational ad- 
 vantages or attainments, by hard study and untiring devo- 
 tion to any work assigned him by the Church, he always 
 achieved at least average success. Mr. Wentworth, within a 
 few months, joined Mr. Peck in his new Held of labor. 
 Eev. L. L. Knox, A.M., succeeded Mr. Peck as principal, 
 and Kev. Edward Bannister, A.M., took the position of Mr. 
 Wentworth in the school. These were both alwinni of the 
 Wesleyan University, of fine scholarship, and in all other 
 respects well adapted to the offices tliey filled. At the open- 
 ing of the school year for 1841 Miss Ann E. Bowen, daughter 
 of the late distinguished Dr. Elias Bowen, became precep- 
 tress. Miss Bowen, at the end of the winter term, became 
 the wife of Mr. Knox, and they both witlidrew from the 
 school at the close of the year 1842. 
 
 Mr. Knox was transferred to the Oneida Conference, and 
 rendered good service in pastoral work for several years. He 
 was for a time principal of tlie East Maine Conference Sem- 
 inary, then served for some years as professor in Lawrence 
 University, Wisconsin. The school year for 1842 opened 
 with Kev. A. W. Cummings, A.M., as principal ; E-ev. Edward 
 Bannister, A.M., teacher of languages and natural science ; 
 Mr. H. D. Laudy, A.M., French and drawing ; Mrs. Laudy, 
 teacher of music and painting ; and Miss Elizabeth Manner- 
 ing was the preceptress. She was a highly accomplished 
 Christian lady, and filled her poi^ition mobt satisfactorily. 
 
GouvERNEUB Wesleyan Seminaey. 287 
 
 At the close of the winter term the public exercises of the 
 iisiiul exhibition were concluded by the performance of the 
 marriage ceremony by the principal, and Mr. Bannister and 
 ^liss Mannering became husband and wife. They traveled 
 life's journey together for about thirty years, he first reach- 
 ing the end. Dr. Bannister was a man of estimable charac- 
 ter, and died in California, while president of the University 
 of the Pacific. A similar service closed the public exer- 
 cises of a year previous. Mr. Knox and Miss Bowen were 
 then the parties, and Mr. Cummings the celebrant. This 
 school year closed prosperously. The attendance of students 
 was very large, and the revival that had distinguished each 
 winter was enjoyed during the winter of 184:2-'43. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Bannister retired at the close, and he became pastor 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Ogdensburg. 
 
 The school year of 1843 opened with a large attendance 
 of students, indeed as full as was desirable. The faculty 
 consisted of Rev. A. W. Cummings, A.M., principal, men- 
 tal and moral sciences; Sanford Halbert, A.M., mathemat- 
 ics; Caleb S. Sanford, A.M., ancient languages; Hyacinthe 
 D. Laudy, A.M., French and drawing; Mrs. H. D. Laudy, 
 nmsic, piano ; Miss Charity A. Ingerson, preceptress ; Miss 
 Ann E. Horr, primary class. 
 
 The preceding year was filled with afilictions to the prin- 
 cipal. The first great sorrow of his life was the death of a 
 little son, an only child, of great promise, not quite four 
 years of age. Next came the death of his pious mother, fol- 
 lowed by the death of his wife, who had been the compan- 
 ion of his school- boy days, his youthful associate in the Sab- 
 bath-school and in the church, and who for six years, as his 
 l>ctrothed, had patiently waited the arrival of full manhood 
 and the consummation of his plans of education for the 
 
Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 fruition of tlieir liopes. Forty years of busy life, in various 
 portions of America, aud in various fields of active employ- 
 ments, have never fully dispelled tlie clouds that then over- 
 shadowed him. His first marriage was purely an impulse of 
 the heart. In his subsequent the affections were more 
 tander the control of judgment. In both, safe results were 
 attained. 
 
 The school year of 184:4-'45 opened in September with the 
 same teachers as the former year, except that Principal Cum- 
 mings entered upon pastoral w^ork in the Black River Con. 
 ference, and Rev. John W. Armstrong took his place in the 
 seminary. Mr. Armstrong held the principalship for five 
 years ; he then spent a few years in pastoral work, afterward 
 taught in several schools, and died while principal of the nor- 
 mal school at Fredonia, N. Y., in 1878, at the age of sixty- 
 five years. Dr. Armstrong was succeeded by Prof. William 
 W. Clark, a graduate from the "Wesleyan University in the 
 class of 1848, who had rendered two years of good service 
 in tlie seminary as professor of mathematics. He was prin- 
 cipal three years, and at the same time filled the chair of 
 ancient languages. In 1853 he accepted a professorship in 
 the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, where he continued about 
 ten years, including one in Genesee College. He resigned 
 his professorship in bad health, and died in Rochester, N. Y., 
 in 1869. 
 
 Rev. Eli C. Bruce, A.M., a graduate of the Wesleyan 
 University, became principal of the seminary in 1853, as the 
 successor to Prof. William W. Clark. Mr. Bruce had had 
 several years experience in the ministry as a member of the 
 Black River Conference, including two years that he served 
 as principal of the Red Creek Union Academy, N. Y. He 
 took high position at once as a good scholar, discreet mana- 
 
GouvERNEUE Wesleyan Seminaky. 289 
 
 ger of students, and as a successful teacher. His associates 
 in the work of instruction were Professors Samuel D. Barr 
 for three years, teaching mathematics and natural science ; 
 then, in the same branches. Professor Charles W. McCarty, 
 Hev. Andrew Eoe, three years. A part of this time Albert 
 E. Corse taught the common and higher English branches. 
 
 During the first year of Professor Bruce's principalship 
 Miss Cordelia M. Ingerson, who in 1839 entered the seminary 
 as a student, with a brother and three sisters, filled with abil- 
 ity the oftice of preceptress. Miss Angeline Munson fol- 
 lowed her for two years, then Miss Louise Payne for one 
 year. The next two years Miss Julia Runyon filled the 
 olfice, and was succeeded during the last of Mr. Bruce's seven 
 years as principal, by Miss Julia A. Wilson. Miss Malona 
 M. Smith taught writing, drawing, painting, and book-keep- 
 ing. Rev. Andrew Roe, A.M., was graduated from the Wes- 
 leyan University in the class of 1837. At the opening of 
 tlie fall term of that year he entered the seminary as the pro- 
 fessor of mathematics and natural science. In 1858 Miss 
 Julia A. Wilson became preceptress, and Mrs. Professor Roe 
 teacher of English literature, and assistant in Latin. In 
 1800 Dr. Bruce entered again the pastorate, and Professor 
 Roe was called to the principalship. Rev. Melville D. Kin- 
 ney, A.B., Rev. Otis S.Graves, and Miss Susan S. Thomas, 
 at the same date, became teachers. The fall term under the 
 new administration opened very prosperously with a large 
 number of students. A new and complete graduating course 
 was instituted for such as would not enter college. In this 
 course Miss Lucy A. Yan Duzee has the honor of being the 
 first graduate. During Mr. Roe's first year as principal 
 three hundred and ten students were enrolled. The next 
 
 summer extensive repairs were made upiai the old stone 
 13 
 
290 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 building erected in 1839, under the superintendence of Dr. 
 A. W. Cummings. The chapel was replastered and painted ; 
 and a primary room, with improved seats, was fitted up in 
 the seminary building. 
 
 At the opening of the fall term of 1861 William Osband, 
 A.B., succeeded Mr. Kinney, and his accomplished wife 
 became preceptress. They were graduates of Genesee 
 College. They continued three years in the seminary with 
 increasing success. During Mr. Roe's administration valua- 
 ble additions were made to the library and apparatus. lie 
 resigned at the close of the school year in 1863. Rev. G. G. 
 Dains, A.M., was the next principal and the last while the 
 school remained at Gouverneur. The history of this school 
 under its new name, and at its new home, is condensed from 
 the educational number of the " iSTorthern Christian Advo- 
 cate " of December, 1883. Before inviting attention to the 
 brief chapter upon Ives Seminary, some few of the students 
 at Gouverneur are introduced as witnesses to the good work 
 there accomplished. 
 
 THE STUDENTS 
 
 of the Gouverneur Wesley an Seminary were mostly the 
 children of the prosperous farmers scattered over those five 
 dairy counties, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton, Jefferson, and 
 Lewis, in New York, and the province of Ontario, in Canada. 
 The boys had been inured to labor on the farms, and the 
 young ladies had been the aids to their mothers in domestic 
 cares and labors. When the opportunity came to spend a 
 few terms or years in a higher institution of learning they 
 improved it, not merely in acquiring the accomplishments to 
 shine in the drawing-room, and to be leaders in fashionable 
 circles, but to secure the preparations of heart and mind for 
 
GouvEBNEtJB Wesley AN Seminaky. 291 
 
 life's duties. Yery many of the young men found it neces- 
 sary to supplement the aid received from home in paying 
 their expenses, by the rewards of their own labors through 
 the long vacation as teachers or in other employments. The 
 energy and health developed by such activities and self-reli- 
 ances generally bore fruit in after life. 
 
 Looking over the list of students for two years, unfortu- 
 nately the only catalogues of the Gouverneur Seminary 
 which have survived the changes and removals of the more 
 than forty years since I left Gouverneur, I am almost ready 
 to accept as true a remark in a letter recently received from 
 one of the students of those early years, given as a proverb, 
 " It is unfortunate for a boy in this country to be born of 
 rich parents." William Bourne, Walter B. Allen, George 
 Seymour attained high position and wealth as merchants in 
 their native county, St. Lawrence ; Charles Cone, as a rail- 
 road man, in Chicago ; Charles Parsons, as a banker, in West- 
 ern New York. Levi Parsons died early in St. Louis, Mo., 
 but he lived long enough to demonstrate his capabilities for 
 success and the yearnings of his heart for a life of usefulness. 
 From the class of young men in the Sunday-school <^ one of 
 the large Presbyterian churches, he became one of the lead- 
 ers in a colony, who formed a new and useful church in that 
 great city. Charles Graves became prominent in the minis- 
 try of the Baptist Church, Levi W. Norton and Bradley 
 Phillips in the Presbyterian Church. In the ministry of 
 Methodism the following rendered at least good average serv- 
 ice : William Peck, brother of the Bishop ; Adam C. Green, 
 Isaac Sprague, Morenus Thrasher, Justin T. Alden, G. W. 
 Plank, A. O. Wightman, A. S. Wightman, E. G. Derby, 
 Otis M. Legate, Samuel W. Bowdish and two brothers. 
 J as. A. Dean was graduated from the Wesleyau Univensity, 
 
292 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 and became prominent in Methodism as a teacher, preacher, 
 and author. John B. Cocagne (Cokine) served as mission- 
 ary to the French population of l^ew York and of other 
 cities. He was lost at sea on a voyage to his native France. 
 Stillman Dean became distinguished as a physician and 
 author. Edward Ci*ary, George Morris, Charles Rich, Dex- 
 ter E. Wright, W. li. Wallace, B. H. Vary, David A. Stewart, 
 Frederick Bissell, Chancey Smith, all made good records at 
 the bar, and several of them upon the bench of New York, 
 and in other States. Charles T. Pooler became widely 
 known as an author and distinguished teacher. A. J. Co- 
 nant, A.M., the sixth in the line of descent from Roger 
 Conant, the first governor of the Massachusetts colony settled 
 at Salem, on the completion of his academic studies in the 
 seminary devoted himself to art studies in New York city 
 for twelve years. In the successful practice of his chosen 
 profession he spent twenty-five years in St. Louis, Mo. He 
 devoted much time and money to the study of the antiqui- 
 ties of the Mississippi Yalley. One of his papers upon that 
 subject was published in several of the languages of Europe 
 by learned societies of the continent. In 1879 he published 
 an embellished 8vo. volume, " Foot-Prints of Vanished Races 
 in the Mississippi Yalley." His home is now in New York. 
 The young ladies of the few first years of Gouverneur 
 Seminary, with changed names, mostly became lost to the 
 ken of their former teacher. Miss Mary Alexander, the 
 daughter of one of the best friends of the seminary, became 
 the wife of Dr. E. Wentworth, and died at Carlisle, Pa. 
 Miss Charity A. Ingerson was long preceptress at Gouver- 
 neur and in other schools. She is now the wife of David A. 
 Stewart, and resides at Minneapolis, Minn. Iler sister, Cor- 
 delia, also preceptress at Gouverneur, has for many years been 
 
GouvERNEUR Wesleyan Seminary. 293 
 
 the useful wife of the Presbyterian pastor at Camden, N. Y. 
 Miss Fiorilla Alexander founded and controlled, to the time 
 of her death, a ladies' seminary in Lebanon, Illinois. She 
 was the wife of Dr. Cummings, president of M'Kendree Col- 
 lege. She died in 1852. A memoir of her was published 
 by the Southern Methodist Publishing House, under the 
 title, *'The Hidden Life Exemplified." Kev. Dr. Bruce 
 makes honorable mention of Alborn M. Fradenburg, Charles 
 IL Guile, ^y. F. Ball, E. G. M. Hall, E. S. Cheeseman, as 
 able and useful ministers. Yirgil C. Hart is well known as 
 missionary to China. W. A. Brownell, Ph.D., stands high 
 as a teacher. Hon. N. M. Curtis, Harlow Goddard, and 
 T. W. Osborn distinguished themselves in the Union army, 
 as well as in civil life. Miss Malona M. Smith was an able 
 teacher of painting in the seminary. Miss Mary E. Walling 
 was a foreign missionary of the Baptist Church. Professor 
 Eoe mentions E. Horr, D.D., Eev. J. H. Merritt, Kev. H. 
 W. Coyden, of the Presbyterian Church ; Rev. J. S. Blan- 
 ton, of the Baptist Church; Rev. S. N. Rulison, of the 
 Episcopal Church ; Dr. O. H. Blanton and Dr. C. M. Wilson, 
 as having been leading students during his administration. 
 Northern New York and the world owes much to the Gon- 
 verneur Wesleyan Seminary. 
 
294 Eably Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTEE XYI. 
 
 IVES SEMINARY* 
 
 Ives Seminary, of the Northern ISTew York Conference, 
 located at Antwerp, Jefferson Co., N. Y., is the connectional 
 school of the Conference, bearing the same relation to it that 
 Cazenovia Seminary does to the Central New York Confer- 
 ence, or Lima Seminary to the Genesee Conference. It is 
 the outgrowth of Gonverneur Wesleyan Seminary, and to 
 see its historical connection therewith we must go back to 
 the year 1837, when the Black River Conference took the 
 Grammar School of Gouverneur under its patronage as their 
 Conference Seminary, with Kev. Jesse T. Peck, afterward 
 Bishop, recently deceased, as the first principal. This semi- 
 nary remained under the patronage of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church until 1869, at which time the building and facil- 
 ities being deemed inadequate to the wants of the institu- 
 tion, it was transferred to Antwerp, with the acquiescence of 
 the alumni. The following persons were principals of the 
 seminary while at Gouverneur : 
 
 Rev. Jesse T. Peck (elected Bishop in 1872), 1837-1840 ; 
 Rev. L. L. Knox, 1840-1842 ; Rev. Anson W. Cummings, 
 1842-1844; Rev. J. W. Armstrong, 1844-1850; Professor 
 WiUiam W. Clark, 1850-1853 ; Rev. E. C. Bruce, 1853-1860 ; 
 Rev. A. Roe, 1860-1863 ; Rev. G. G. Dains, 1863-1868. 
 
 With such a succession of eminent drincipals tlie institu- 
 tion acquired an excellent and enviable reputation, and many 
 an alumnus of prominence and influence in different parts 
 * From the " Northern Christian Advocate." 
 
Ives Seminary. 295 
 
 of our great country looks back witli profound satisfaction 
 to the days spent within the walls of the old Conference 
 Seminary at Gouverneur. 
 
 In the year 1868, under the administration of Rev. Lcrauel 
 Clark, presiding elder of Ogdensburg District, who acted in 
 behalf of the Conference, upon conditions submitted by Di-. 
 I. S. Bingham to the stockholders of the Antwerp Liberal 
 Literary Institute, July 25, and by them accepted, their very 
 substantial stone building, one hundred and five by fifty 
 feet, and three stories high, with its ample grounds and ap- 
 purtenances, valued at $17,500, were made a gift in perpetu- 
 ity to the Conference upon the simple condition that they 
 maintain a school of academic grade ; and at the next session 
 of the Legislature the name was changed to the Black River 
 Conference Seminary. 
 
 In the fall of 1868 the Black River Conference Seminary 
 was opened in its new location at Antwerp, with Professor 
 G. G. Dains as its principal. In 1870, under the supervision 
 of Rev. Lemuel Clark, the new and beautiful boarding and 
 ladies' hall, seventy-two by forty-three feet, four stories high, 
 was commenced, and at length completed, costing $14,000. 
 Thus it will be seen the seminary has buildings not only im- 
 posing in appearance, but abundantly large to afford accom- 
 modations and facilities for a first-class Conference seminary. 
 This noble property, as it stands to-day, with its apparatus 
 and furniture, is worth, at a moderate estimate, $4:0,000. 
 
 The princi])als who have presided over the seminary since 
 its location at Antwerp are as follows: Rev. G. G. Dains, 
 1S68-1869; Rev. E. C. Bruce, 1869-1871; Professor S. M. 
 Coon, 1871-1872 ; Professor J. R. Gordon, 1872-1873 ; Rev. 
 G. G. Dains, 1873-1875; Rev. M. A. Yeeder, 1875-1878; 
 Rev. G. G. Dains, 1878-1880 ; Rev. C. E. Hawkins, 1880-1885. 
 
296 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 In the spring of 1873 the trustees, impressed with the 
 importance of placing the seminary upon a sound financial 
 basis, gathered a meeting of the chief citizens of Antwerp, 
 together with a number of the preachers, which continued 
 two days, and to which they had invited the late Rev. E. O. 
 Haven, D.D., then secretary of the Board of Education of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. As a result of their delib- 
 erations it was resolved to raise a fund of at least $30,000 — 
 a portion of which should be used to pay the debt of tlie 
 school and the balance to be invested as a permanent fund 
 for its support. Hon. W. Ives, of "Watertown, N. Y., 
 promptly headed the subscription w^ith $8,000, and the trust- 
 ees and citizens of Antwerp about $2,000 more. 
 
 At the ISTorthern New York Conference, just at hand, this 
 action was heartily indorsed, and the Eev. E. E. Kellogg 
 (recently deceased) was put into the field as agent to raise 
 the money, the subscriptions to become binding when the 
 sum of $20,000 was reached. For two years he labored 
 faithfully in this work, obtaining in all about $26,000. At 
 the Conference in 1875 a desperate effort was made to push 
 the amount up to $30,000, and, from motives of economy, 
 the aojent was discontinued. Meantime the actual liabilities 
 of the seminary had accumulated until they reached the 
 sum of $14,000, leaving a balance for endowment, after all 
 debts were paid, as it would appear, of $16,000. It should 
 be stated, however, that a pending subscription of $2,000 
 was never secured ; that the remaining $14,000 was in 
 pledges of the preachers and people, quite a portion of 
 which, in view of the financial pressure which rested upon 
 the country, together witli other causes wiiich might be 
 named, was never realized. 
 
 From this frank statement of facts, by one who has had 
 
Ives Seminary. 297 
 
 ample but painful opportunity to know, it will appear that 
 what was meant to be an endowment fund of $12,000 or 
 $14,000 has actually been consumed in meeting the running 
 expenses of the seminary, so that now we have not a dollar 
 of endowment. It is not known, however, but b}^ few, that 
 over and above all his former gifts, the Hon. W. Ives paid 
 last year (with the aid of three or four other trustees, who 
 gave about $350) the sum of between $3,000 and $4,000 to 
 liquidate the last dollar of indebtedness upon our Conference 
 Seminary. 
 
 It is proper to state that the name, " Ives Seminary," was 
 given to the institution in 1873, when, on account of State 
 legislation, it became necessary to sever its connection with 
 the Conference to secure the aid which the State bestows 
 upon schools of academic grade from the Regents' funds, 
 and also in honor of the man who has given so many thou- 
 sand dollars for its support. The seminary now, and for 
 the last three years, has been placed by the trustees and the 
 Conference under the able management of Rev. C. E. Haw- 
 kins, through whose persevering and encouraging efforts the 
 school has been carried along free of any debt, and is having 
 a larger number of scholars and a greater degree of prosper- 
 ity than ever before. The tide evidently is turning in favor 
 of Christian schools, and the people show' an increasing de- 
 sire to send their sons and daughters to our Conference 
 Seminary. 
 
 The faculty for 1885 were : Rev. James E. Ensign, A.M., 
 principal ; Mrs. J. E. Ensign, B.P., preceptress ; Rev. George 
 E. Ilutchings, A.M., Prof. Charles L. Williams, Prof. 
 Charles W. Smith, Miss Emilie Benner, Miss Lucy M. Wig- 
 gins, Mrs. Annis Sterling Hall, Frank L. Mead, I. E. Mai-sh, 
 
 C. W. Smith, and Miss Anna L. Johnson, instructors, 
 13* 
 
Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTER XYII. 
 
 PENNINGTON SEMINARY. 
 
 BY THOMAS HANLON, D.D. 
 
 While the !N"ew Jersey Conference was yet a part of the 
 Pliiladelphia, that Conference resolved to found a Conference 
 Seminary, and raised a committee to ask for contributions 
 and fix upon a location. Pemberton and Pennington both 
 took a lively interest in securing the new seminary. While 
 this question was pending New Jersey Conference was set 
 off from the Philadelphia, in 1837. 
 
 When New Jersey Conference was only two years old, 
 mainly through the efforts of Kev. John K. Shaw, an itiner- 
 ant minister of precious memory, and Eev. Henry Baker, a 
 local preacher of spotless character, still living in Penning- 
 ton, it was determined to locate a seminary in Pennington, 
 Kew Jersey. 
 
 Early in the month of May, 1839, the corner-stone was 
 laid. Bishops Hedding and Waugli officiating. Bishop Hed- 
 ding made the principal address, which is remembered at 
 this date, by those who heard it, as a very able effort, showing 
 education to be one of the good and perfect gifts of God, 
 and that it should always be under religious control. 
 
 In the spring of 1840 the seminary was opened. Howard 
 Bishop, a graduate of Eutgcrs College, New Jersey, eminent 
 both for piety and learning, took charge, temporarily, of the 
 school until a principal was elected. He was a man of rare 
 qualifications for his work. He was a born teacher. He 
 
Pennington Seminary. 209 
 
 died early, but tlie sweet fragrance of his saintly life still 
 linirers as a rich benediction to the school. 
 
 In the autumn of 1840 Edward Cook, D.D., was elected the 
 fii-st principal of Pennington Seminary. Dr. Cook was born 
 in New Hampshire, in 1812, and was graduated at Wesleyan 
 University in 1838. He remained at the head of the school 
 for seven years. His administration was very successful ; he 
 was especially fortunate in having associated with him How- 
 ard Bishop, already named. Dr. Cook was sprightly,^ very 
 alert, genial, and firm in discipline, a good teacher, an able 
 preacher, and a good business manager. In 1847 Dr. Cook 
 was succeeded by Stephen M. Yail, D.D., who afterward be- 
 came the fii-st professor of Hebrew in our first Theological 
 Seminary at Concord, New Hampshire. Dr. Yail was born 
 in the State of New York, in 1818, was graduated at Bow- 
 doin College in 1838, and at the Union Theological Semi- 
 nary, New York city, in 1842. He entered the New York 
 Conference, and remained in the pastoral work until called 
 to the presidency of Pennington Seminary, where he re- 
 mained only two years, when, at the urgent solicitation of 
 that great man of God, Dr. Dempster, the founder of our 
 theological schools, he entered upon his work as teacher of 
 Hebrew at our Biblical Institute at Concord, where he re- 
 mained nineteen years. Dr. Yail was a scholarly and genial 
 man, much beloved and respected as the head of the school. 
 He wjis succeeded, in 1849, by J. Townley Crane, D.D., who 
 was born in New Jersey in 1819, and was graduated at Prince- 
 ton College in 1843. He was engaged in the pastoral work 
 as a member of New Jersey Conference when elected prin- 
 cipal of Pennington Seminary. The firet marked feature of 
 Dr. Crane's administration was the purchase of the seminary 
 from the stockholders. This purchase by the Conference 
 
300 Early Schools of Mkttiodism. 
 
 was made about 1850. Up to that date the school buildings 
 were owned by stockholders, but the 'New Jersey Conference 
 had charge of the school. In 1853, under Dr. Crane, and 
 mainly by his energy, a large addition was built for the ac- 
 commodation of lady students. Previously the school had 
 been exclusively for boys. The addition was completed with 
 great dispatch, and opened in the winter of that year for 
 lady pupils. The number entering was large, almost filling 
 the new building. In 1852 the Alpha Omega Society was 
 organized, and a beautiful hall for this was erected. This is 
 the oldest of the three literary societies of the seminary, and 
 it has had a very vigorous history. Thus it will be seen that 
 the seminary, during Dr. Crane's administration, passed 
 through two important epochs, namely, the purchase of the 
 property by the New Jersey Conference and the addition of 
 the female department. Dr. Crane gave nine of the best 
 and most effective years of his busy and useful life to this 
 institution. He was an able preacher, temperance lecturer, 
 teacher, and author. His manner was most agreeable, his 
 life full of sunshine and good cheer. 
 
 In 1858 Dr. Crane re-entered the pastoral work, and Isaac 
 W. Wiley, M.D., afterward Bishop of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, was elected president of the seminary. Dr. 
 Wiley brought with him a great deal of prestige ; he had 
 been missionary to China ; he ranked high as a preacher, and 
 as such was already widely known. The patronage of the 
 seminary was at once unusually large, even beyond the capac- 
 ity of the buildings. The Callilogian and Philomathean So- 
 cieties were founded during this administration. In 1863, 
 owing in part to bad health. Dr. Wiley, to the great regret 
 of the friends and patrons of the school, resigned the pres- 
 idency and returned to pastoral work. He was born in 
 
Pennington Skminary. 301 
 
 Fennsylvania in 1825, was graduated in medicine in 1840, and 
 went iis missionary to China in 1850, where he spent four 
 yeai*s. He was elected president of Pennington Seminary in 
 1858, to the editorship of the "Ladies' Eepository" in 1864-, 
 and to the episcopacy in 1872. In this last high office he 
 served the Church laboriously for over twelve years, when, 
 in China, he fell asleep in Jesus. There, in our beautiful 
 mission cemetery, his body rests beside the remains of his 
 first wife, awaiting the resurrection of the just. 
 
 In 1863 Rev. D. C. Knowles, A.M., was placed at the head 
 of the institution, where he remained for four years, when 
 he entered pastoral work. 
 
 Thomas Hanlon, D.D., was called to the presidency in 
 1867. During the centennial year of American Methodism, 
 1866, efforts were made to raise funds for enlarging the 
 school buildings. These efforts justified the trustees in 
 building a chapel and in adding a wing on the west of the 
 school edifice. This wing was one hundred feet long, forty 
 feet wide, and four stories high, and was exclusively devoted 
 to the accommodation of a ladies' department. A large in- 
 crease of students resulted from these improvements. Dr. 
 Ilanlon remained at the head of the school six years, when 
 he resigned to gratify his yearning desire for the pastoral 
 work, to which he had formerly given fifteen yeai*s of active 
 service. Ho was succeeded in the presidency of the semi- 
 nary by Rev. Joseph A. Dilks, a native of New Jersey, and 
 an alumnus of Wesleyan University. Mr. Dilks had, for 
 the three preceding years, been vice-president of the institu- 
 tion. He was an able teacher, a good scholar. He en- 
 tered active work in the New Jersey Conference in 1876. 
 
 Dr. Ilanlon was now recalled to the seminary. He was 
 born in New York city in 1832, entered the New Jersey 
 
302 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Conference in 1853, was graduated at Princeton College in 
 1863, returned to the cliarge" of the seminary in 1876, where 
 lie continues to the present, having rendered sixteen years of 
 service. During his present incumbency many valuable im- 
 provements have been made. Mansard stories have been 
 added to the middle section and to the east wing of the 
 edifice, giving it a far more symmetrical and imposing archi- 
 tectural appearance. New and beautiful halls have been 
 built for the Philomathean and Callilogian literary societies. 
 Water, hot and cold, has been introduced into all parts of the 
 buildings, furnishing bath-rooms and other conveniences 
 demanded by modern taste. All the buildings are now 
 heated with steam and lighted with gas, and their exterior 
 and interior appearance much improved. Gymnasiums have 
 been built and fully equipped for the ladies and gentlemen. 
 Tlie most perfect sanitary arrangements, both for the health 
 and comfort of the students, have been made. 
 
 A complete commercial college has been added to the al- 
 ready numerous courses of instruction. Within the year 
 $25,000 have been spent in making these great improve- 
 ments. In fact the seminary, in all its conveniences and 
 comforts, has been made all that its friends and patrons could 
 desire. For these reasons, as well as for its high character 
 as a school of intense religious life and sound learning, the 
 prospects of the seminary were never so bright as now. All 
 we can ask for now, more than we have, is that some good 
 friend of Christian learning will give us an ample endow- 
 ment. This we hope to have in the near future. 
 
 One of the striking features of Pennington Seminary has 
 been its intense religious life. No Conference seminary 
 has better fulfilled the design of its founders, which was that 
 it might promote sound learning and deep piety in its pu- 
 
Pennington Seminary. 303 
 
 ])ils. There has not been a year in its history in which there 
 lias not been a religious revival of more or less power. This 
 valuable fact in the history of the seminary is to be ac- 
 counted for in part by another striking fact, namely, that 
 from the first it has, in a remarkable degree, been a school of 
 the prophets. The records will show that in forty-seven 
 years of the seminary history, there have been enrolled as 
 students at least six hundred young men and ladies who 
 have entered the Gospel ministry or foreign mission fields. 
 At this writing we have alurani in Bulgaria, India, Japan, 
 Africa, and South America. And for many years, Mrs. Dr. 
 Baldwin, now of Boston, Mass., did distinguished mission work 
 in China. The number of students preparing for the ministry 
 and foreign mission work is constantly increasing. We have 
 forty-three such enrolled at present, about twenty-five per cent, 
 of the whole number now in attendance. Of these forty-three 
 students about one fourth expect to enter some foreign mission 
 field. In our own country our alumni in this holy calling 
 are numerous and widely scattered. One third of the minis- 
 ters of the New Jersey Conference are alumni of Penning- 
 ton. Many of them are in the Philadelphia Conference, and 
 a few of them scattered throughout all the Conferences. 
 There is not a territory that has not some of our students in 
 the work of teaching or preaching. Thus it will be seen 
 that Pennington Seminary has had an intense religious life. 
 
 We cannot, in this brief article, even name all our distin- 
 guished alumni J I will name those especially whom I person- 
 ally know, remarking that any omissions I may make will bo 
 due to my limited knowledge of the eai-lier alumni, and to 
 the fact of limited space allowed me for this article. J. M. 
 Buckley, D.D., LL.D., now editor of " The Christian Advo- 
 cate," is a distinguished journalist, writer, lecturer, preacher, 
 
304 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 and debater. He was born in Kew Jersey about 1837, edu- 
 cated at Pennington Seminary and Wesleyan University, 
 and studied theology at Exeter, IST. H. He joined the New 
 Hampshire Conference in 1858, and has served as pastor 
 some churches in New Hampshire, Detroit, New York, and 
 New York East Conferences. He was elected editor of " The 
 Christian Advocate" in 1880, and re-elected in 1884. He 
 has shown himself to be as able on the editorial staff as he 
 was in the pastorate. Professor Borden P. Bowne, now of 
 the Boston University, is a very distinguislied scholar. He 
 ranks among the first metaphysicians in this or any other 
 country. He is also the distinguished author of " Philosophy 
 of Herbert Spencer," "Studies in Theism," "Metaphysics," 
 and " Introduction to Psychological Theory." He is a native 
 of New Jersey, was graduated at Pennington Seminary in 
 1866, and at New York University in 1871, studied in Ger- 
 many two years, and was elected to his present chair in Boston 
 University in 1876. J. A. Lippincott, now chancellor of the 
 Kansas State University, was born in New Jersey and edu- 
 cated at Pennington Seminary and Dickinson College. He 
 served a few years in the pastoral work as a member of the 
 Newark and Central Pennsylvania Conferences. The most 
 of his life has been spent in teaching. He has taught in Pen- 
 nington Seminary, Lippincott Collegiate Institute, Baltimore, 
 the New Jersey State Normal and Model Schools, Dickinson 
 College, and in Kansas State University, where for four 
 years he has filled the office of chancellor with acceptability 
 and usefulness. Kev. Edwin Post, A.M., Professor of Latin 
 in De Pauw University, Indiana, where he has served for 
 several years with marked efficiency, is an eminent Greek 
 and Latin scholar. He is a native of New Jersey, was grad- 
 uated at Pennington Seminary in 1867, and at Dickinson 
 
Pennington Seminary. 305 
 
 College in 1871. He taught the classics at Pennington for 
 some years with eminent efficiency. 
 
 J. T. Edwards, D.D., now president of the Chamberlain 
 Institute and Female College, Eandolph, N. Y., has long 
 occupied a conspicuous place in the educational work of the 
 Church. He was born in New Jersey in 1838, was graduated 
 at Pennington Seminary in 1856, and at Wesleyan University 
 in 1860, was teacher in Amenia Seminary, also in East Green- 
 wich Seminary, was afterward president of the same, and in 
 1870 was elected president of Chamberlain Institute, where 
 he still remains. He did distinguished service in the late 
 civil war, both as a private and as an officer. He has served 
 as State senator several sessions in the State of New York, 
 and, during one session of the Legislature, was chairman of 
 the Committee on Education. 
 
 Kev. D. C. Knowles, A.M., was born in Kew Jersey in 
 1836, was graduated at Pennington Seminary in 1860, was 
 teacher in Troy Conference Academy, Pittsburg Female Col- 
 lege, and Pennington Seminary, and is now the president of 
 the New Hampshire Conference Seminary. He also served 
 as private and officer in the Union army. 
 
 Wm. P. Headden, Ph.D., was born in New Jersey about 
 1850, was graduated at Pennington in 1869, and at Dickin- 
 son College in 1872. He is an eminent chemist, and has 
 taught in the University of Pennsylvania, the Naval Acad- 
 emy at Annapolis, and is now professor in the Hiff Univer- 
 sity at Denver, Colorado. 
 
 Milton S. Yail, A.M., son of Stephen M. Yail, D.D., was 
 graduated at Pennington Seminary in 1869, and at Columbia 
 College about 1874. Mr. Yail is at the head of our school 
 in Japan, under the presidency of Kev. Dr. Maclay. B. G. 
 Peck was graduated at Pennington Seminary, 1879, studied 
 
306 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 law and was admitted to the bar, but afterward accepted a 
 responsible position under tlie government at the head of 
 the Indian schools in Washington Territory. Rev. Joseph 
 A. Dilks, A.M., already referred to, was a student in Pen- 
 nington Seminary. John Russell Hanlon, A. M., now vice- 
 principal of the seminary, is a graduate of Yale College, and 
 doing effective work in the cause of Christian education. 
 It will be seen from the preceding list of names that the 
 seminary has not only directly, but indirectly, been a great 
 power in the educational work of the Church. 
 
 Pennington Seminary is also distinguished for the elo- 
 quent preachers among her alumni. In this list we place 
 the names of Alphonso Willetts, D.D., J. M. Buckley, D.D., 
 LL.D., George W. Batchelder, A.M., Henry Baker, A.M., 
 A. J. Palmer, A.M., J. T. Dobbins, A.M., Joseph Knowles, 
 D.D., Robert L. Stratton, D.D., William Y. Kelley, D.D., 
 and Geo. K. Morris, D.D. These brethren, except George 
 W. Batchelder, have been called from Conference to Confer- 
 ence to fill leading pulpits. Mr. Batchelder died too early to 
 take any Conference transfers. He closed his ministry at the 
 early age of twenty-eight. It is, perliaps, not too much to 
 say of him, that since Summerfield he has had no superior, 
 for his age, in the American pulpit. In form, in gesture, in 
 countenance, in saintliness of expression bordering on the 
 supernatural, in clear and original thought, in graceful utter- 
 ance and manner, in the white-heat earnestness that consti- 
 tutes the very soul of eloquence, George W. Batchelder will 
 always, perhaps, stand alone in the memory of those who 
 heard him. 
 
 Our seminary has long been noted for its missionary spirit. 
 More than twenty years ago Miss Esther E. Jerman went 
 out from us in the class of 1859. She married S. L. Bald- 
 
Pennington Seminary. 307 
 
 win, D.D., and, with him, for many years did conspicuous 
 missionary service in China. Since her return to our shores 
 she has done equally effective service in her appeals to large 
 audiences in behalf of China. 
 
 Miss Lucilla A. Green, M.D., Miss Edna Taylor, Miss 
 Emma Knowles, Miss Mary C. Elliott ; and Messrs. \Yilliam 
 Stephens, John Webb, William Bruer, and George Greening 
 have all gone out from this seminary to India ; the four gen- 
 tlemen and Miss Taylor under Bishop Taylor. 
 
 Milton S. Yail and Mrs. Julia Soper entered our mis- 
 sionary work in Japan. William Sumner, M.D., and Will- 
 iam P. Dodson have gone to Central Africa under Bishop 
 Taylor. Lincoln E. Brown and Miss Laura J. Hanlon en- 
 tered the work in South America, also under Bishop Taylor. 
 
 More and more the spirit of Christ is taking possession of 
 the students, constraining them to carry the Gospel into the 
 regions beyond. 
 
 Of the under-graduates now here eight or ten expect to 
 enter foreign missionary work. Time, and space for this ar- 
 ticle, prevent me from mentioning the hundreds of our 
 alumni who have distinguished themselves in law, medicine, 
 and general business pursuits. We have in the present Legis- 
 lature of New Jersey several of our aluinni, namely : The 
 Hon. Messrs. Chattle, Yanderbilt, and Cranmer in the Senate, 
 and the Hon. Messrs. Allcott and Baird in the House of 
 licpresentatives. The Hon. Robert L. Taylor, one of our 
 alumni^ has for years been a member of Congress in the 
 House of Representatives, from East Tennessee. 
 
 General James T. Rusling was born in New Jei-sey in 1834, 
 was graduated at Pennington in 1849, and at Dickinson in 
 1852. He taught in Dickinson Seminary, studied law, and was 
 admitted to the bar in 1857. He entered the Union army as 
 
308 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 first lieutenant in 1861, and retired from the service in 1867, 
 as brevet brigadier - general. He was appointed United 
 States Pension Agent for New Jersey in 1869, and held the 
 office till it was abolished, in 1877. He has been a trustee of 
 Dickinson College and Pennington Seminary for many years. 
 General Eusling is a writer of considerable repute. His 
 style is clear, racy, and scholarly. His articles in "The 
 Christian Advocate," the " Methodist Quarterly Review," 
 and " Harper's Magazine " have attracted much attention. 
 
 George G. Green, M.D., was a student successively at Fort 
 Edward Institute, Pennington Seminary, and Dickinson Col- 
 lege. He studied medicine at the University of Pennsyl- 
 vania ; entered upon a remarkable business career at Wood- 
 bury, N. J., in 1873. He then began to give his whole atten- 
 tion to the manufacture of patent medicines. In less than 
 twelve years he has amassed a fortune of about $2,000,000. 
 
 Dr. Green is a warm friend of his alma mater, and one 
 of its trustees. While a student here he founded the Philo- 
 mathean Society, and was its first president. To this society 
 he has donated a valuable library, called the George G. 
 Green Library. In our recent improvements, costing 
 $25,000, Dr. Green is one of our most generous benefactors. 
 
 I close this paper with one other item, and, though last 
 mentioned, it is by no means the least of the good things to 
 be said of Pennington Seminary. It is this : We never 
 close the doors of the school against a worthy young man or 
 woman seeking an education because he or she is poor. 
 Helping this class to the great extent we have, has been a 
 great tax on our revenue and kept us poor. 
 
 It is safe to say that in the forty-seven years of our his- 
 tory we have spent not less than $50,000 in helping to edu- 
 cate worthy young men and women. But, while we have 
 
Pennington Seminaey. 309 
 
 been kept poor, we have made the world richer by giving 
 to it hundreds of preachers and teachers who never could 
 have given their lives to these noble missions had not Pen- 
 nington Seminary given them this timely help as they came 
 to us from the shops and fields seeking an education. It 
 is partly because of this fact that God has so eminently 
 blessed us with spiritual blessings, and is now blessing us 
 with friends of ample means, who, I believe, will yet give 
 Pennington Seminary an ample endowment. 
 
 I here aflSx the names of the present board of trustees, to 
 whom so much is due for our present greatly improved and 
 very promising condition. 
 
 Board of Trustees. — President, Hon. C. E. Hendrick- 
 son. Mount Holly ; secretary and treasurer, Hon. William H. 
 Skirm, Trenton ; Kev. E. H. Stokes, D.D., Ocean Grove ; 
 General Clinton B. Fisk, Seabright; Eev. D. H. Schock, 
 Asbury Park ; General J. F. Eusling, Trenton ; James S. 
 Kiger, Esq., Trenton ; Rev. A. E. Ballard, Ocean Grove ; 
 Rev. J. Lewis, D.D., Burlington ; Rev. W. ^Y. Motfett, Red 
 Bank ; Rev. J. M. Buckley, D.D., LL.D., New York city ; 
 Hon. W. S. Yard, Trenton ; Rev. J. B. Graw, D.D., Bev- 
 erly ; G. G. Green, M.D., Woodbury ; J. Ronan, Esq., Tren- 
 ton ; C. Myers, Esq., New Brunswick. 
 
310 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTEK XYIII. 
 
 THE SCHOOLS IN BEREA, OHIO. 
 
 BY REV. A. SCHUTLER, LL.D. 
 
 The village of Berea, O., was organized as a community 
 in 1836. This community was formed after the model at 
 Jerusalem, as given in the Acts of the Apostles, where the 
 disciples had all things common. But as the millennial age 
 had not yet dawned, it was found that man is, by nature, 
 both too selfish and too indolent for such experiments to suc- 
 ceed. After a short trial, not exceeding two years, the ex- 
 periment was abandoned as impracticable. There have been 
 four schools of higher grade in Berea — three successive, 
 Berea Seminary, Baldwin Institute, and Baldwin University, 
 and one, German Wallace College, which was opened a few 
 years after Baldwin University. We propose briefly to 
 sketch the history of Berea Seminary, Baldwin Institute, and 
 Baldwin University, alluding only incidentally to German 
 Wallace College. 
 
 Berea Seminary. 
 
 Berea Seminary was chartered by the General Assembly 
 of the State of Ohio in March, 1837. It was found that 
 further legislation was needed, and the charter was amended 
 by an act giving further rights. The charter, as amended, 
 gave ample authority to the incorporators, twelve in number, 
 among whom were Henry O. Sheldon, John Baldwin, Ed- 
 ward Thomson, and Ansel J. Pope. The property consisted 
 of five hundred acres of land on the east branch of Bocky 
 River, twelve miles south-west from Cleveland. The land 
 
The Schools in Berea, Ohio. 311 
 
 had one hundred and fifty acres under improvement, a good 
 water-power, a saw-mill in operation, and a valuable stone 
 quarry. The stock was in one thousand shares, estimated at 
 $50 each, of which not more than ten shares could be held 
 by the same person. The plan was to build and sustain a 
 " working school " with the profits of the property, return- 
 ing the capital to the stockholders, or affording them a safe, 
 and at the same time a philanthropic, investment. The plan 
 was proposed by Josiah Holbrook, who first conceived it in 
 1820, to start a lyceum village, which was to be the foster 
 community to the seminary. 
 
 We quote from a circular, without date or signature, sup- 
 posed to have been issued in 1841 : 
 
 This village is the first in the projected connected series of Lyceum 
 Villages, forming desirable residences for the patrons of the moral and 
 scientific enterprises of the age, and for families who wish to give a 
 practical and business education to their children. These villages are 
 designed especially to assist the education of teachers, promote scien- 
 tific exchanges over the worid, and thus encourage the study of the 
 works 2k\i(i word of God, and cultivate the spirit of *' peace on earth and 
 good- will to men." It is expected that every teacher in the schools, 
 and every scholar of sufl[icient age, will spend »ix hours each day at 
 work. Boys and young men, girls and young ladies, will be suitably 
 employed at various mechanical arts, particularly the preparation and 
 labeling of specimens in geology, botany, natural history, etc., for 
 sale and exchange. The wages paid is according to the amount of 
 word done. 
 
 This certainly is suflaciently ndUve ; but one wondere 
 where the time for study and recitation is to come from, to 
 say nothing of eating and sleep, if six hours are to be spent 
 each day at labor. We also quote from the fragment of a 
 pamphlet issued about the same time, having neither title- 
 
312 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 page, (late, nor name of author, but whicli is understood to be 
 the work of Eev. H. O. Sheldon : 
 
 The object of the establishment of the *' Lyceum Village " and " Be- 
 rea Seminary " is to assist in spreading knowledge and holiness over 
 our globe ; to redeem man from ignorance and vice. We live in an age 
 unparalleled in the history of man. The elements of society arc fer- 
 menting. The foundation principles, which have stood for ages, are 
 giving way. Light is bursting upon the human intellect. Coming 
 events, a mighty train, are casting their shadows upon us. . . . 
 
 In this eventful age the bells of duty are ringing to action; the tocsin 
 calls loud upon all the civilized world to join the crusade against ig- 
 norance ; while the white flag of peace is planted upon the battlements 
 of crumbling fortresses, and promises, ere long, to wave triumphant 
 over a regenerated world. Within the last twenty-five years the plan 
 which we have the pleasure to present to your consideration has been 
 in substance suggested to the minds of several persons in different cir- 
 cumstances, at different times, unknown to each other. Every part of 
 this plan has, in the mean time, triumphantly stood the rigid test of 
 experiment. 
 
 Concerning the location of Lyceum Village, I may be permitted to 
 say, a train of remarkably striking providences singularly directed to 
 the place. These facts have not been given to the public, but they 
 have been given to various individuals, all of whom have expressed the 
 highest interest at their recital. Berea (the name given to the village, 
 as singular as its location, was providential) is sometimes called the 
 ** Lyceum Village," from its being founded by the author of the 
 lyceum system for lyceum operations. . . . 
 
 In the system of instruction pursued at the Berea Seminary we follow 
 nature. At the period of his birth man is entirely uneducated. He 
 has a physical, mental, and moral nature, all requiring education. It 
 is well-known that one part of man can be educated to the neglect of 
 the others, which must remain comparatively feeble. I venture the 
 assertion there is little or no valuable education but self-education. 
 
 I must not forget to say, we shall pay particular attention to female 
 education. I believe the time has gone by when Americans believe 
 ** women have no souls," though many of them are educated much as if 
 
The Schools in Berea, Ohio. 313 
 
 they had none, but were mere humming-birds, destined to command 
 admiration for their music or their feathers. 
 
 These extracts show tlie spirit of the enterprise ; that it 
 liad both ideas and energy, and that it was bound to suc- 
 ceed. The first and only principal of Berea Seminary was 
 Alfred Holbrook, son of Josiah Holbrook. Alfred came on 
 horseback from Indiana. Weary and sick, he stopped at Mr. 
 Baldwin's, where he found welcome and care. He was soon 
 enlisted in the enterprise of Berea Seminary. He was an 
 enthusiastic and successful teacher, and left his impress upon 
 his students. Mr. Baldwin gave him a house as a wedding 
 ])resent, but, as this was not conveniently situated, he gave 
 him another. 
 
 Berea Seminary was opened in the fall of 1840, and con- 
 tinued about six years, when it was suspended. Baldwin 
 Institute was opened April 9, 1846. It was conducted 
 largely on the normal plans for the training of teachers for 
 tlieir work. Tlie attendance was large for the time, fre- 
 (jucntly exceeding one hundred, and great good was accom- 
 plished. 
 
 Baldwin Institute. 
 
 In the spring of 1844, John Baldwin attended a quarterly 
 meeting at Brighton, Brooklyn Circuit, Norwalk District, of 
 which Eev. Thomas Thompson was the presiding elder. 
 The sermon impressed Mr. Baldwin deeply, and at the close 
 of tlie services he addressed Elder Thompson thus : " I have 
 been thinking about that text and sermon, and it strikes me 
 you ought to come to Berea, and I think you will say I am 
 not mistaken when you do." In accordance with this invita- 
 tion. Elder Thompson called on Brother Baldwin when on 
 
 his way to his next quarterly meeting, which was held at 
 14 
 
314 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Brunswick. I quote from Elder Thompson's memorandum, 
 which he prepared at the request of Dr. W. C. Peirce : 
 
 On arriviug, I found Brother Baldwin shearing sheep, all alone in a 
 brush pasture of some fifteen or more acres. He had his fleeces 
 spread just where they were dropped, remarking that he believed in all 
 God's creatures enjoying all the liberty Providence designed. He 
 therefore, with a lump of salt, caught one where he could, stripped it 
 of its coat, and let it go. He then said, " Seven years ago, when the 
 community broke up, I was $4,000 in debt, and every body said, 
 ' Baldwin is gone up ; ' but I took the matter in prayer to the Lord, 
 and promised him, if he would help me out of that difiiculty, I would 
 give all but mush and potatoes to the cause. Immediately that text 
 you preached from last Sabbath came into my mind, ' If any of you lack 
 wisdom, let him ask of God.' I never went near constable, sheriff, or 
 court. It is true, they got one farm from me, but I got another in its 
 place. I stuck to my work, dug out one ton of stones after another, 
 and paid off one ten dollars of debt after another, till they thought it 
 best to let me alone. Now I am out of debt, and have more than I 
 need. I want you to tell me what to do with it.' I asked him, ' What 
 do you wish to do with it ? ' He replied, ' I should like to start a 
 school to educate missionaries, and give the rest to support them in the 
 field.' I replied, 'Give your property for general education, educate all 
 the youth, and the Lord will make more missionaries than you can. 
 We need a literary institute on the Reserve.' " 
 
 Mr. Baldwin acted in accordance with the suggestion of 
 Elder Thompson, and a circular was sent out to all the pre- 
 siding elders of the Conference. Four out of seven re- 
 sponded favorably. Elder Eaymond suggested the propriety 
 of calling a convention of the preachers of the Conference. 
 The call was made, and more than thirty preachers were 
 present at the convention at which the matter was dis- 
 cussed in all its bearings. The result is shown in the fol- 
 lowing letter, which we find in the records of Baldwin 
 Institute : 
 
The Schools in Berea, Ohio. 315 
 
 MiDDLEBURY, September 24, 1844. 
 To THE Ministers of the North Ohio Conference ; 
 
 Very dear Brethren : Feeling that I am under very deep obliga- 
 tions to Almighty God for his mercies, which have followed me, through 
 the instrumentality of the Methodist Episcopal Church, from my youth, 
 and believing, with the venerated Wesley, that it is the Christian's duty 
 both to get and give all he can, I have come to the conclusion to devote 
 to the cause of religious education and the missionary enterprise a cer- 
 tain piece of land containing fifty acres, including grindstone quarries 
 and water privileges, described below, on which I hereby agree to erect 
 a building, to be of brick, seventy-two by thirty-six, the plan of said 
 building to be furnished and site located, worth from $2,500 to $3,000, 
 to be finished in the fall of 1845. John Baldwin. 
 
 Notwithstanding considerable opposition, the Conference 
 accepted Mr. Baldwin's proposition. A charter was grant- 
 ed by the Legislature of Ohio in December, 1845. The 
 board of trustees was organized January 21, 1846. Berea 
 Seminary was suspended, and Baldwin Institute was opened, 
 April 9th, with a male and female department. 
 
 The first faculty of the institute consisted of Rev. H. 
 Dwight, A.M., principal and teacher of ancient languages 
 and natural science; Alfred Holbrook, teacher of mathe- 
 matics and English branches ; Mrs. Almena M. Dwight, pre- 
 ceptress and teacher of French and ornamental branches ; 
 and Miss Cornelia Van Tyne, teacher of the primary depart- 
 ment. Miss Julia Sheldon was also preceptress. 
 
 The first catalogue gives the number of students: gen- 
 tlemen, sixty-one; ladies, thirty-nine; total, one hundred. 
 Professor Dwight, the first principal, died before the close 
 of the first year, and was succeeded by Alfred Holbrook, as 
 acting principal. The following gentlemen have also been 
 principals of the institute : Lorenzo Warner, M.D., Rev. O. 
 T. Reeves, A.B., W. L. Uarris, I>,\)., G. M. Barber, A. M., 
 
316 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 and Alexander Nelson, D.D. The second year of tlie in- 
 stitute the students numbered : gentlemen, one hundred and 
 two ; ladies, eightj-seven ; total, one hundred and eighty- 
 nine. For the year 1854 and 1855 the catalogue shows : gen- 
 tlemen, one hundred and thirty-nine; ladies, ninety-nine; 
 total, two hundred and thirty-eight. There have been 
 twelve alumni of the institute, the first class graduating in 
 1850, and the last in 1855, when the institute was changed 
 into Baldwin University. 
 
 Baldwin Univeesity. 
 
 The following statement may be found in the first annual 
 catalogue of Baldwin University : " Considering that an 
 institution of still higher grade, under the patronage of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, was needed in the Western 
 Reserve, the trustees, acting under the direction of the Con- 
 ference, recently effected a change of charter, by which uni- 
 versity powers were secured." 
 
 Rev. John Wheeler, D.D., was the first president of the 
 university. He was assisted by eight professors and teach- 
 ers, among whom we find Jeremiah Tingley, A.M., Rev. 
 W. H. Barnes, A.B., G. H. Hartupee, A.B., Miss Rosanna 
 Baldwin, A.B. 
 
 In 1858 a German department was opened, under the 
 instruction of O. Henning, Ph.D. From 1859 this depart- 
 ment was under the charge of Rev. Jacob Rothweiler. It 
 grew rapidly, till, in 1853, it was organized as a separate 
 institution, with the title of "German Wallace College," 
 in honor of Hon. James Wallace, who donated the building 
 occupied by the college. This college is still in a flourish- 
 ing condition. It furnishes the houses occupied by the pro- 
 fessors, controls a prosperous orphan asylum, and in 1881: 
 
The Schools in Berea, Ohio. 317 
 
 finished a fine boarding-hall for students. The relation be- 
 tween Baldwin University and German Wallace College is 
 very intimate — the university furnishing instruction for both 
 institutions in mathematics and natural science, and the col- 
 lege in Greek, German, and French. Students in either 
 institution are entitled to free tuition in the other. The 
 two are virtually one. 
 
 In 1865 a College of Pharmacy was organized, in connec- 
 tion with the university, for the thorough preparation of 
 dniggists for their business. L. S. McCulloch, M.D., was 
 the soul of this entei-prise. lie had a large establishment 
 for the manufacturing of drugs, in which the students of 
 ])harmacy were practically trained. Dr. McCulloch's build- 
 ing was destroyed by fire, but the department was continued 
 for several years and then suspended, chiefly on account of 
 the difficulty of securing suitable instruction for the students. 
 A Commercial Department has been sustained from the be- 
 ginning. 
 
 In addition to his original grant, Mr. Baldwin paid, for 
 many years, the salary of one of the professors. In the 
 winter of 1867 Mr. Baldwin donated to the university forty 
 acres of stone quarry, worth, at least, $2,000 an acre. This 
 princely gift has placed the institution on a solid foundation 
 — literally, has founded it upon a rock. lie has also given 
 $4,000 to the ladies' hall, and a thousand acres of land in 
 Louisiana. Dr. Wheeler retired from the presidency in 
 1870, and was succeeded by Rev. W. D. Godman, D.D., 
 under whose administration the institution prospered for five 
 years. 
 
 In the fall of 1874 a plan was set on foot to consolidate 
 Baldwin University with the Ohio Wesleyan University, 
 at Delaware, Ohio, by transferring the control of Baldwin 
 
318 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 University to the trustees of the Ohio Wesleyan University. 
 Dr. Godman was led to favor this plan, which was strongly 
 urged by some of the trustees of Baldwin University, among 
 whom was Horace Benton. It was strongly opposed by 
 Lyman Baker and other trustees. Mr. Baldwin was appealed 
 to by both parties. Among those who advised Mr. Baldwin 
 against the project were Rev. William Nast, D.D., president 
 of German Wallace College, and Bishop Simpson. I quote 
 from a letter from Bishop Simpson to Mr. Baldwin, dated 
 JSTovember 19, 1874 : " I wish to say to you : 1. That I do 
 not wish to advise you against doing any thing for Dela- 
 ware that you wish to do. I wish it all possible prosperity. 
 2. But I could not advise you to take property once deeded 
 to Baldwin away from Berea, for which you had labored, 
 and to which place people had moved and bought property, 
 from the fact that you had founded an institution there." 
 
 Mr. Baldwin decided against the project, and the scheme 
 failed. Dr. Godman resigned the presidency in the spring of 
 1875, and was succeeded by A. Schuyler, LL.D. In the 
 last ten years an elegant stone building, worth at least $30,000, 
 lias been erected and furnished, and is now occupied by the 
 preceptress and the lady students. 
 
 The following have been members of the faculty of the 
 university at various periods : Presidents : John Wheeler, 
 D.D., W. D. Godman, D.D., and A. Schuyler, LL.D. 
 Preceptresses: Miss Emily A. Covil, Miss Bosanna Bald- 
 win, Miss Mary A. Proctor, Mrs. W. C. Peirce, Mrs. J. 
 Wheeler, Mrs. A. Schuyler, Miss Elizabeth Hall, Miss An- 
 gela R. Houghton, Miss Ellen H. Warner, Miss Clara Schuy- 
 ler, Miss Anna M. Thomson. Professors: T. Tingley, 
 A.M., W. H. Barnes, A.M., G. H. Hartupee, A.M., E. J. 
 Cutler, M.D., W. C. Peirce, S.T.D., A. Schuyler, LL.D., J. 
 
The Schools in Bkrea, Ohio. 319 
 
 Eothvreiler, D.D., R B. Pope, D.D., B. J. Hoadley, A.M., 
 P. AV. Mosl)lech, Ph.D., M. J. Flannerj, A.M., J. W. White, 
 Ph.D., Ellen IL Warner, A.M., A. D. Knapp, A.M., E. 
 Thomson, D.D., Maggie P. Safford, A.M., A. S. Newton, 
 A.M., Clara E. Schuyler, A.M., C. Rienieiischneider, Ph.D., 
 D. Torbet, A.M., Y. Wilker, A.M., J. Dodge, Ph.D., William 
 Kepler, Ph.D., A. Mattison, A.M. Fine Arts: Miss E. A. 
 Morrison, Miss S. P. Adams, Miss S. A. Storer, Miss C. 
 Adams, Mrs. S. P. Barnes, Mrs. M. E. Schneir, Miss L. 
 M. Plimpton, Mrs. L. D. Peirce, L. A. Tuttle, Miss M. 
 M. Gardiner, Mrs. M. Flannery, F. M. Davis, Miss A. 
 McGrangli, J. Hart, Mrs. Leonard, Miss E. Castle, J. Berr, 
 Miss Mattie Bigelow, Miss Mary Bigelow, Mrs. N. M. 
 Watson, Miss Cora E. Peirce, Miss Lena Davis, W. R. 
 Grannis. Pharmacy: J. Wheeler, D.D., W. C. Peirce, 
 S.T.D., E. J. Cutler, M.D., L. S. McCuUough, M.D., 
 M. V. B. Clark, M.D., Mrs. W. D. Godman, M.D., F. M. 
 Coates, M.D., E. Thomson, D.D., D. Torbet, A.M., H. S. 
 Frances, B.S. 
 
 The alumni number as follows: In cursu: gentlemen, 
 one hundred and seventy-nine ; ladies, one hundred and 
 thirteen; total, two hundred and ninety-two. In honore: 
 gentlemen, thirty-one ; ladies, two ; total, thirty-three. To- 
 tal alumni^ three hundred and twenty-live. Of the alumni 
 forty are ministers, ten physicians, twenty lawyers, fifty 
 teachers, twenty-two druggists, fifteen missionaries, one hun- 
 dred and sixty-eight in business. Many students wlio have 
 not graduated are now useful citizens, engaged in the activi- 
 ties of life. AYe close with a sketch of the life of the 
 founder, Hon. John Baldwin. 
 
 John Baldwin, the honored founder of Baldwin University, 
 was born October 13, 1790, and died December 28, 1884, 
 
320 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 and consequently readied the ripe age of eighty-five years, 
 two months, and fifteen days. Though for several of the last 
 years of his life he was feeble in body, yet he retained to the 
 last the vigor of mind which characterized his life. He had 
 ardent impulses and a strong will. His desire for usefulness, 
 which was the ruling passion of his life, was manifest to tiie 
 day of his death. He was ambitious in two respects — to 
 promote religion and to provide means for a higher educa- 
 tion. These two aims he combined in one, which he styled 
 " Christian educationP To the promotion of Christian 
 education he devoted the energies of a powerful will and a 
 long life. 
 
 Intellectually and spiritually he was a growing man to the 
 last. His most intimate friends observed, with admiration, 
 the increased liberality and breadth of view which he mani- 
 fested during the last twenty years of his life. No doubt 
 this personal growth was, in great measure, due to the bless- 
 ing of God resting upon him as a reward of his benevolence. 
 Father Baldwin's success is to be attributed to the fact that 
 he has labored in harmony with the will of God, as that will 
 has been made known to him by the indications of provi- 
 dence. He prayed for direction, and when his prayers were 
 answered, as he believed they would be, and as he had a riglit 
 to expect, he acted accordingly. His early opportunities for 
 improvement were not favorable ; but, having a Strong thirst 
 for knowledge, he applied himself with great diligence, in 
 spite of obstacles which to a less energetic nature would 
 have seemed insurmountable. He acquired a knowledge 
 of English grammar while engaged in making shingles. 
 With his book open before him he would read a sen- 
 tence, and repeat it to the music of the mallet and the 
 drawing knife. 
 
TiiK Schools in I>ekka, Ohio. 321 
 
 At lengtli liis stock of knowledge was sufficient to enable 
 liim to teach scliool. It may be mentioned, as characteristic 
 of the man, that at one time two schools were offered him 
 — one in a good neighborhood, with advanced scholars and 
 good wages, and the other in an obscure neighborhood, with 
 rough, backward scholars, and much lower wages. In ac- 
 cordance wnth his predilection for missionary work, lie chose 
 the latter as a field affording greater opportunities for use- 
 fulness. His choice wa^ wise. His religious zeal was blessed 
 in the conversion of a large number of his scholars. After 
 spending five years in teaching he married a wife who has 
 proved a helpmate for him. He removed to Berea in 1828, 
 and with two othei*8, projected a community in which, as with 
 the early Christians, all things should be common. The plan 
 failed, as a matter of course, and left Mr. Baldwin deeply 
 in debt, but rich iii experience. As a man of fiiith and 
 pi-ayer he applied to God for relief. He asked for w^isdom, 
 and obtained it. The value of the stone underlying Berea 
 was impressed on his mind, and he saw in this a means, not 
 only of relieving himself from the burden of debt, but of 
 making himself greatly useful. He consecrated himself anew 
 to God, and vowed to devote his property to the work of the 
 Church. Nor did he forget his vow when prosperity again 
 smiled upon him. 
 
 After consultation with Rev. Thomas Thompson, he re- 
 solved to devote his property to the higher education of the 
 young people of the Church, especially in view of preparing 
 missionaries for work in heathen lands. He offered a valu- 
 able property to the North Ohio Conference, which was ac- 
 cepted, and the school duly opened, in 1846, under the name 
 of Baldwin Institute. It may be remarked that this was not 
 
 the name chosen bv Mr. Baldwin. He proposed " Kings- 
 14* " • ^ 
 
322 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 wood Institute," in imitation of Mr. Wesley's school ; but in 
 this he was overruled by his friends. 
 
 At this time, as might be expected, Mr. Baldwin was full 
 of his plans for Christian education. As out of the abun- 
 dance of the heart the mouth speaketh, we may know wliat 
 was in Mr. Baldwin's heart b}^ knowing that his constant 
 themes were salvation, full and free ; Christian education for 
 the young people ; and the salvation of the heathen through 
 the agency of missionary effort. 
 
 It may safely be said that the school he has founded 
 has not disappointed his expectations. God's work, in 
 all its freedom, fullness, and power, has steadily gone 
 forward in Baldwin University. More than twent}^ of its 
 students are now missionaries in foreign lands, fifteen of 
 these being alumni. From Baldwin University has sprung 
 German Wallace College, so important to German Method- 
 ism. The two are virtually one, and one of considerable 
 strength. 
 
 In 1854 Abel Stevens, the renowned historian of Method- 
 ism, in a steam-boat trip on the lakes met with Mr. Baldwin, 
 of whom he gives a graphic account in the "National Maga- 
 zine," of which he was editor. He says : 
 
 We were hardly on board when ray friend introduced me to a pas- 
 senger who I saw at a glance was a character. He wore a hat that cer- 
 tainly had not been brushed for six months, and it might have been as 
 many years old; it was high, and, falling slightly aback, disclosed as 
 genuine a Yankee contour as ever the "London Punch" or "Yankee 
 Notion " portrayed — that prominence of the nas.il region, those lines 
 radiating from the eyes and extending to the ears, those thin but tough 
 integuments, and that indescribable expression of easy self-possession, 
 of mingled "cuteness" and good humor, which have become the moral 
 and physiognomical characteristics of Brother Jonathan the world over. 
 His shoes were rough, heavy clumps of leather, that certainly had never 
 
TnE Schools in Berea, Ohio. 323 
 
 known blacking; his coat and pantaloons were black woolen of the 
 coarsest, strongest texture; his shirt-bosom and collar were unstarched, 
 coarse cotton, and he wore no stock. He evidently did not relish the 
 delectation of shaving, and his speech was the very perfection of nasal 
 drawl; yet there was something exceedingly interesting about him. He 
 announced himself tp me, when introduced, as a Yankee of the seventh 
 distillation ; he seemed to be conscious of his appearance, and to enjoy 
 the practical joke it was playing upon the world. For, after all, he 
 stood before me a genuine man — a man who had nobly fought with 
 misfortune, and had won the day; a man who is religiously upright, 
 whose energies are expended in doing good in the noblest way, 
 by promoting education and virtue ; whose name is on an important 
 institution of the West; and who was now actually on his way to the 
 Chippewa camp-meeting to obtain two or three young Indians whom he 
 wished to educate at his own expense for the benefit of their race. . . . 
 God bless you, John Baldwin, with your big heart and generous deeds I 
 
 The friends of Mr. Baldwin will recognize the correctness 
 of the portrait. 
 
 In this sketch we should not fail to mention his work in 
 the South. At the close of the civil war he became deeply 
 interested in the educational wants of the South. Ilis let- 
 ter to Dr. Newman, then at New Orleans, will explain 
 itself : '• I have bought the Darby plantation of seventeen 
 liundred acres, in St. Mary's Parish, La., live miles above 
 Franklin, on the Teche, for $20,000. I have deposited the 
 money in the bank, and sent my son to perfect the title. 
 There is a fine site of thirty or forty acres on the banks 
 of the river, comprising some fifteen or twenty buildings 
 which the brethren of the Mississippi Mission Confer- 
 ence can occupy for religious education as soon as they 
 choose, provided no distmction is made on account of sex or 
 color." 
 
 Mr. Baldwin, however, learned from experience that it is 
 better to keep the races apart, in the work of education. His 
 
324 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 school in the South, at Baldwin, La., is now open only to 
 white young people. This is well enough, as a school for 
 colored people is now open in the same place, and is flourish- 
 ing under the care of Dr. Godinan. 
 
 For the last seventeen years Father Baldwin has passed fre- 
 quently from North to South, and back again. This habit 
 has enabled him to avoid tlie extremes of climate, and prob- 
 ably has had a beneficial influence upon his health, and has, 
 no doubt, in the providence of God, aided in prolonging his 
 life to such a good old age. Father Baldwin died in the 
 faith in which he lived ; but he has left a name that will 
 never die. He rests from his labors, and his works follow 
 him. He will receive his rewai'd at the resurrection of the 
 just. 
 
The East Greenwich Academy. 325 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE EAST GREENWICH ACADEMY. 
 
 BY PROFESSOR 0. W. SCOTT. 
 
 This institution takes its name from the village in which 
 it is located. East Greenwich is fourteen miles from Provi- 
 dence, R. I., and fifty-six from Boston ; beautifully situated 
 on the western shore of Karragansett Bay. The academy 
 buildings crown a hill which rises above the village, giving 
 the advantage of a partial isolation, and are surrounded by 
 well-kept and extensive grounds. From the observatory 
 may be seen the cities of Providence, Fall River, Warren, 
 Bristol, and Newport ; while a nearer view embraces forests 
 and fields, gardens and beautiful homes, and the sparkling 
 waters of the bay, with white sails passing to and fro. When 
 we consider the acknowledged healthfulness of this section 
 of country we can but see that Nature has given every possi- 
 ble advantage. 
 
 In looking up the history of this school we are led to con- 
 sult a work prepared by Dr. Daniel Greene, covering 
 the history of the town from 1677 to 1877 — two centuries. 
 In October, 1802, a few individuals procured a charter 
 of incorporation from the General Assembly " for the estab- 
 lishment of a classical school to be called Kent Academy," 
 taking this name, Kent, from that of the county. This 
 proved to be the first successful school of high order in the 
 State. 
 
 The preamble and articles of association were drawn up 
 by Hon. Ray Greene, and indicate a wise foresight and a 
 
326 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 liigli appreciation of Christian education. The eight men 
 express themselves " anxious to promote the happiness of 
 posterity, and to continue the blessings of a free and equal 
 government ; " and also quaintly express themselves as hoping 
 " that such an institution will be productive of the advantage 
 to East Greenwich and its vicinity of introducing a settled 
 minister of the Gospel to preach in the meeting-house, which 
 is now so seldom improved." Thus we see tliat at the be- 
 ginning of the century, "education was the handmaid of 
 religion." 
 
 The association purchased a lot containing " one acre and 
 twenty rods," and soon erected upon it a building " about 
 sixty feet long, and thirty feet wide, and two stories high." 
 In August, 1804, it was found to have cost $3,733 65, the 
 entire expense being divided into one hundred shares, taken 
 originally by about sixty subscribers. Governor William 
 Greene was the first president of the board of trustees, and 
 Eichard Mathewson and Stephen Arnold were "principal 
 agents," while the committee in charge of the building in- 
 terests were William Greene, Wanton Casey, and William 
 Greene Spencer. Concerning the furnishing of the new 
 academy we give the following extract from the record of 
 1804: "The maps and globes were splendid articles, and 
 were imported from Europe. The maps were on a large 
 scale, four by five feet, and elegantly mounted, and the 
 twenty-four-inch globes were the best that could be pro- 
 cured." 
 
 The first curriculum was very unpretentious, and is now 
 quite a curiosity. The following is taken from the records 
 of the board of trustees in the year 1808 : 
 
 '' Besolved^ That the following be rates of tuition for the 
 quarter commencing the 21st of March, 1808: 
 
The East Greenwich Academy. 327 
 
 Reading and Spelling $2 00 
 
 Reading, Writing, and Spelling 2 25 
 
 Arithmetic, with Book-keeping 2 50 
 
 English Grammar 3 00 
 
 Composition and Speaking 3 00 
 
 Latin and Greek Languages 3 00 
 
 Logic and Criticism 3 00 
 
 The principles of Astronomy and Geography, with the use of globes 3 50 
 
 The fifty cents additional in the last item was for the use 
 of the globes! Comparing the above with the present 
 courses of study, we get an idea of the progress made in 
 passing years. 
 
 The first principal of the academy was Abner Alden, A.M. 
 lie was an excellent teacher, and conducted the school suc- 
 cessfully for several years. He was succeeded by Joseph L. 
 Tillinghast, and he, in rapid succession, by Aaron Putnam, 
 Ezekiel Kich, A.M., James Underwood, A.M., Eev. Daniel 
 Waldo, A.M., who died at the age of one hundred and four; 
 Benjamin F. Allen, A.M., Nathan Whiting, A.M., Charles II. 
 Alden, A.M., Eev. Ebenezer Coleman, A.M., Christopher Eob- 
 inson, A.M., lie v. Henry Edes, A.M., Penuel Corbett, A.M., 
 George W. Greene, A.M., Joseph Harrington, A.M., Joshua 
 (). Coburn, A.M., and Thomas P. Rodman, A.M. This brings 
 us to the year 1836, about which time an effort was made to 
 establish a school of higher grade, under the patronage of the 
 Methodist Society, but, failing in this, the academy passed 
 into other hands. From 1836 to 1839 Joshua O. Coburn (the 
 second term) and Rev. James Richardson served as prin- 
 cipals. In 1839 the institution was sold to Rev. Daniel G. 
 Allen, an alumnus of Middletown College. For two yeai*s 
 lie conducted a very prosperous school, and then, in 1841, he 
 sold the establishment to the Providence Conference of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
328 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 It is well to notice, at the close of this first era, that dur- 
 ing all those early years, and while laboring under the dis- 
 advantage of a constant change of teachers, this school 
 " maintained its first principles," always calling to its aid 
 men of culture and piety. It did much toward supplying tlie 
 State witli leaders, from governor down through the profes- 
 sions to the teachers in the common schools, thus earning, by 
 its faithful formative work, a place for old *' Kent Academy " 
 in the annals of history. 
 
 After the school became the property of the Providence 
 Conference a new charter was obtained from the Legislature, 
 and its name was changed to " Providence Conference Sem- 
 inary," and Kev. B. F. Tefft, A.M., was appointed principal, 
 with Daniel G. Allen and Joshua Newhall assistants, and 
 Miss Lavinia Livermore preceptress. The appointment of 
 Dr. Tefft gave great satisfaction to Khode Island Methodists, 
 and his administration was marked by increased patronage, 
 an improved course of study, and most encouraging pros- 
 pects. But he was sought as a preacher by various churches, 
 and at the end of one year he resigned his position to take 
 charge of one of the Methodist Episcopal churches in Bos- 
 ton, Mass. 
 
 Kev. G. F. Poole was appointed to the vacancy, but the 
 school did not prosper as its friends had hoped and expected, 
 and at the end of the year the trustees leased the seminary 
 to Rev. Daniel G. Allen, who again called Mr. Newhall to 
 his assistance. As Professor Allen had previously owned 
 the institution and successfully presided over it, the trustees 
 looked for increased prosperity ; but at the expiration of one 
 year Professor Allen resigned, in order to take charge of his 
 farm in the neighborhood. Professor Allen was succeeded, 
 in 1844:, by Be v. George B. Cone, A.M., a graduate of Wes- 
 
The East Greenwich Academy. 329 
 
 leyan University, class of 1837. He liad been occnpied in 
 teaching since leaving the university, and brought to the 
 seminary qualities which insured a successful administration. 
 As the number of students increased from term to term, and 
 it became difficult to procure suitable accommodations, it was 
 decided to erect a boarding-house. This building was three 
 stories in height, and of sufficient dimensions to accommodate 
 about one hundred students. The boarding pupils, from 
 this date, came under the care and supervision of the 
 teachers. 
 
 After serving the school most acceptably in all its depart- 
 ments, in 1847 Professor Cone received a call to take charge 
 of a school in Georgia, which he accepted, and Rev. William 
 Bagnall, A.M., was elected principal. True to the " itiner- 
 ancy," however, he resigned after one year, and returned to 
 pastoral work, but finally settled down to literary labor in 
 New York city. Rev. Robert Allyn, A.M. (afterward 
 D.D., LL.D.), became principal in 1848. Professor Allyn's 
 success as a teacher, both before and after his graduation at 
 Wesleyan University in 1841, had been such as to inspire the 
 friends of the seminary with high hopes, and grandly did he 
 meet all expectations. He was supported by a generous 
 board of trustees, an able corps of teachers, and a large at- 
 tendance of students. This prosperous condition continued 
 throughout the six years he was connected with the seminary, 
 all departments feeling the influence of his master-hand. 
 Dr. AUyn's ability was recognized outside of the school, and 
 for two years, while he was principal, he represented the 
 town in the State Legislature. But when, in 1854, he ac- 
 cepted the office of commissioner of public schools for the 
 State of Rhode Island, he resigned his position. His suc- 
 cessor was Rev. George W. Quereau, A.M., another alumnus 
 
330 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 of Wesleyan University. He had been an assistant principal 
 in tlic seminary for two years previous, and hence was ac- 
 quainted with its plans and methods, and the school continued 
 to prosper under his leadership. During Professor Allyn's 
 administration the necessity of a new academic building had 
 become so apparent that he had interested himself in plan- 
 ning for its erection. Professor Quereau, with the trustee!^, 
 took up the work so successfully, that in the summer of 185S 
 the new building was completed and dedicated, after which 
 Professor Quereau resigned his office, to which Bev. Micah 
 J. Talbot was elected. At this period few schools in the coun- 
 try possessed a finer equipment than this. The new edifice, 
 costing more than $20,000, w^as of brick, large and elegant in 
 its proportions, and containing ample recitation rooms, office, 
 library, reading-room, cabinet, principal's room, and one of 
 the finest seminary chapels in New England. In 1859 the 
 services of Professor Eben Tourjee, who has since gained a 
 world-wide reputation, were secured as musical director ; and 
 as the facilities for obtaining a musical education were thus 
 greatly enlarged, the name of the school became, by legisla- 
 tive act, " Providence Conference Seminary and Musical In- 
 stitute," thus giving to the school the honor of opening the 
 first conservatory of music in America. 
 
 Although Professor Tourjee was called to a broader field, 
 the impetus he gave to this science is still seen in the unusu- 
 ally fine advantages offered to students. 
 
 In 1862 Eev. B. D. Ames, an alurrmus of Middlebury 
 College, took charge of the seminary, acting as principal 
 with good success until 1864, when Rev. James T. Edwards 
 was elected to that office. He served six years, and during 
 this period the general prosperity of the school continued. 
 Dr. Edwards served as a member of the State Senate three 
 
The East Greenwich Academy. 331 
 
 years, and became well-known as a popular educator and cit- 
 izen. When, in 1870, he became president of the Chamber- 
 lain Institute, within the bounds of the Erie Conference, 
 Rev. David H. Ela was elected to fill his place. In 1871 a 
 class numbering twenty was graduated, the largest that had 
 ever left the institution. In 1873 Professor Ela returned to 
 pastoral work in the New England Conference, and Eev. 
 Francis D. Blakeslee became his successor. At this time the 
 seminary passed somewhat under the control of the trustees 
 of the Boston University, and assumed the character of a 
 preparatory school for that institution. For two years this 
 arrangement continued, but not meeting the expectation of 
 either party, the connection was dissolved by mutual agree- 
 ment, Professor Blakeslee being retained as principal of the 
 seminary. For eleven years, in all. Professor Blakeslee held 
 the position, this being the longest period, by far, that it was 
 held by one man. He was popular and beloved by his stu- 
 dents, and during the years of his administration there was 
 a constantly increasing attendance, and the classes which were 
 graduated compared most favorably with those from similar 
 institutions throughout the country. But for a number of 
 years preceding and during this period the school had been 
 burdened with debt. As the years passed, instead of being 
 diminished, this increased, as repairs were made or additional 
 expenses in other directions incurred, until tlie friends of the 
 seminary became greatly discouraged and alarmed as to its 
 future. 
 
 Owing to these circumstances, in 1884 the school passed, 
 by purchase, into the hands of a stock company, whose offi- 
 cers are as follows : Smith S. Talcott, president ; Rev. 
 Henry D. Robinson, vice-president ; Rev. Henry W. Conant, 
 secretary ; Rev. W. M'Kendree Bray, treasurer and financial 
 
Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 agent. This company assumed the debt, and elected the 
 Rev. Oliver H. Fernald principal of the school, the name 
 of which was changed, by legislative act, to "The East 
 Greenwich Academy." 
 
 During that academic year the financial prospects so im- 
 proved as to give great promise of increased usefulness. 
 The total number of students was five hundred and ninety- 
 five. In July, 1885, Professor Fernald resigned, and Rev. 
 Orange W. Scott, then pastor of Centenary Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, Binghamton, N. Y., was elected his suc- 
 cessor. Aside from this change there were but two others 
 in the board of instniction. The faculty, as it now stands 
 (1886), is as follows : Rev. O. W. Scott, principal ; Rev. Wm. 
 Rice Newhall, A.M., Frank E. Hathorne, John B. Hambly, 
 George W. Ehler, C.E., Prentis S. Daniels ; Miss Mary F. 
 Redington, preceptress ; Mrs. May E. Newhall, M.E.L., 
 Miss Josie E. Reynolds, Miss Helen A. Partridge, Mrs. Ma- 
 bel D. Hathorne, Miss F. Y. Russell ; John McLeod, steward ; 
 George B. P. Hudson, librarian ; Mrs. M. A. Schoonover, 
 matron. 
 
 It is believed that this list of teachers will compare fiivor- 
 ably with that of any similar institution. There are now 
 ^ve regular courses of study, namely : college preparatory, 
 Latin scientific, scientific, academic, industrial science. Be- 
 sides tliese there is English preparatory, one year, for thor- 
 ough drill in the English branches. 
 
 The institution awards eight diplomas. Another feature 
 worthy of mention is the kindergarten department, under 
 the Froebclian method, for cliildren under seven years of 
 age. Elocution is also made something of a specialty, under 
 a competent instructor. 
 
 Instead of the " one acre and twenty rods " first purchased, 
 
The East Greenwich Academy. 333 
 
 tlie grounds now contain five acres, divided into play-grounds 
 and lawn, well cared for and beautifully shaded. Upon these 
 grounds stand the boarding-hall, the academy, and the 
 "Winsor House," where the principal and several other 
 teachers live. The boarding-hall is supplied with hot and 
 cold water and bath-rooms, while all the buildings are warmed 
 with steam and lighted with gas. The institution has a good 
 philosophical and chemical apparatus, a stereopticon, electric 
 machine, etc. The reading-room is well supplied with valu- 
 able papers and periodicals— daily, weekly, and monthly — 
 from different parts of the country. 
 
 There are three literary societies connected with the acad- 
 emy, two for gentlemen and one for ladies. As has always 
 been the aim of the institution, the government is mild yet 
 firm, and such as to aid students in developing self-govern- 
 nient, without which all other is insufiScient. One other 
 fact should be emphasized, namely, the decided religious in- 
 fluence exerted upon all who enter the scliool for instruction. 
 Recognizing that " the fear of the Lord is the heginnhvg of 
 wisdom," earnest efforts are made to inculcate correct moral 
 sentiments, to raise the standard of action, and lead to a gen- 
 uine Christian experience. 
 
 In these days, when the Bible is being driven from our 
 public schools, and there is a tendency to undervalue " foun- 
 dation principles," it must be gratifying to Christian parents 
 that they may place their children in an institution where 
 education is not altogether secular. 
 
 We can hardly close this brief history without special ref- 
 erence to those who have gone out from this institution to 
 places of honor in the world. Among those who have taught 
 here and been called to higher positions in educational work, 
 may be specially mentioned Dr. Tefft, who became educator, 
 
334 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 pastor, consul, and editor in due course of time ; Dr. Allyn, 
 Dr. Torsey, who had charge of the commercial department of 
 this school, and afterward became the distinguished principal 
 of the Maine Conference Seminary ; Professor Tourjee, now 
 at the head of the Boston Conservatory of Music ; and Dr. 
 Edwards, of the Chamberlain Institute. Among others who 
 were students or members of the alumni^ may be named 
 Dr. W. F. Warren, president of Boston University ; Bishop 
 W. F. Mallalieu ; Dr. -Charles F. Payne, president of the Ohio 
 "Wesleyan University ; Dr. S. F. Upham, Dr. W. F. Hatfield, 
 Eev. William T. Worth, of Boston, Rev. I. J. Lansing, of 
 Brooklyn, and many other ministers in the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church. But the pulpit has by no means absorbed all the 
 talent here developed. Graduates of this school have been 
 well-known in public life, such names as that of Senator An- 
 thony being conspicuous. Representatives, judges, lawyers, 
 physicians, and teachers by the score may be found whose 
 names appear in the " catalogues " issued year by year. Many 
 of them still remember their alma mater^ and as they meet 
 young people, hesitating as to a future course of study, di- 
 rect them to the halls where they found helpful instruction 
 in by-gone days. This kindly interest is greatly appreciated 
 by those now in charge of the school. To those waiting for 
 an opportunity of doing more for the institution we will 
 say that the library shelves are waiting to be filled with good 
 hooTcs suited to the demands of the students. The " Con- 
 gressional documents," now occupying considerable space, 
 are not read with avidity by the present generation ! But if 
 these could be supplemented by the best productions of mod- 
 ern (or ancient) thought, many a mind would be directed and 
 strengthened which must now wait for the hoolcs until the 
 time to enjoy them is past. It would seem that this, and 
 
The East Greenwich Academy. 335 
 
 every school, should at least possess the works issued by its 
 own ahtmnL " A word to the wise is sufficient." 
 
 In closing we would say, that the present outlook of this 
 honored institution is very promising. Its financial interests 
 are in the hands of competent Christian gentlemen, who 
 have determined to place it where it can do the best work for 
 God and humanity ; and the corps of teachers in their em- 
 ploy are such as can and will develop all the resources at 
 their command for the best good of those under their in- 
 struction. 
 
 AVith the liberal patronage and support of the Church 
 most deeply interested, there will surely be a new era of 
 prosperity in the years to come ; and we look to see this 
 school celebrate its one hundredth' anniversary in the not re- 
 mote future with the descendants of those who founded old 
 " Kent Academy," and a multitude of later friends, amid 
 well-earned congratulations and songs of praise and victory. 
 
336 Eably Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. 
 
 BY REV. PROFESSOR WILLIAM G. WILLIAMS, LL.D. 
 
 This largest and most successful school in the Methodist 
 Episcojjal Church is located at the famous White Sulphur 
 Springs, in the beautiful central city of Delaware, O. With 
 the hope of providing a Saratoga in the West, in the year 
 1833 two enterprising citizens, Thomas W. Powell and Co- 
 lumbus W. Kent, erected, on a lot of ten acres, an elegant 
 structure, at an expense of about $25,000, including cost of 
 ground. This was opened as a hotel, under the name of the 
 Mansion House. This fine property was, in the year 1841, 
 transferred by Mr. Powell, who had become the sole propri- 
 etor, to a board of trustees, in trust for educational purposes, 
 under the joint control of the Ohio and North Ohio Confer- 
 ences of the Methodist Episcopal Church. By subsequent 
 purchases the college campus was increased to about twenty- 
 five acres, not including the grounds of Monnett Hall. A 
 special charter, conferring university powers, was granted 
 by the Legislature in March, 1842. This charter was so 
 amended as to give the control, through a board of twenty- 
 one trustees, to the four Ohio Conferences, instead of the two 
 which covered the whole territory when the first charter was 
 obtained. At the first meeting of the board of trustees the 
 Rev. Edward Thomson, M.D., was elected president of the 
 university, with the understanding that the appointment was 
 for tlie time but nominal, as the college was not yet pre- 
 pared to open its doors. A preparatory school was but in 
 
Ohio Wesleyan University. 337 
 
 operation, under the able management of Rev. Solomon 
 Howard, A.M. 
 
 The university opened November 13, 1844, with the fol- 
 lowing board of instruction : Rev. Edward Thomson, M.D., 
 president ; Rev. Herman M. Johnson, A.M., professor of 
 ancient languages ; Rev. Solomon Howard, A.M., professor 
 of mathematics ; William G. Williams, A.B., principal of the 
 preparatory department ; Enoch G. Dial, assistant in the pre- 
 paratory department. Dr. Thomson was detained by other 
 duties from entering upon duty in the university for nearly 
 two years. But twenty-nine students presented themselves 
 for enrollment in the college. After examination, these 
 were assigned to the freshman, sophomore, and junior classes, 
 giving the professors full work, though their classes were 
 small. At the opening only males were admitted to the 
 privileges of the university. 
 
 The salaries paid, or rather promised, the faculty, were 
 gauged by the resources which the board hoped to have at 
 their command by the end of the year. The president's sal- 
 ary was Hxed at $800 ; the professoi-s were to be paid $600 
 each, and the teachers in the preparatory department $400 
 and $350 respectively ; but it was many years before even 
 these meager salaries were paid as they became due. 
 
 The increase in the number of students was quite as rapid 
 
 as was desirable with the limited means of the university to 
 
 support a sufficient number of teachers. The catalogue 
 
 enrollment for the first year was one hundred and ten ; for 
 
 the year 1850 it was two hundred and fifty-seven ; the next 
 
 year showed five hundred and six names on the books. This 
 
 sudden increase was due to the system of cheap scholarships 
 
 tliat year put into successful operation. Four thousand 
 
 scholarships were sold; by this measure the income of the 
 15 
 
338 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 school and attendance of students were greatly increased. 
 These scholarships are still held by thousands of families. 
 The result is a large attendance. At no time, not even dur- 
 ing the dark days of the Rebellion, has the enrollment gone 
 as low as before the inauguration of the system. 
 
 The number of teachers was from the first too small for 
 the work imposed on them. The increase in number of stu- 
 dents necessarily brought increase in the faculty. The aca- 
 demic course, a few generations ago, embraced but little 
 more than the languages and mathematics. In our century, 
 the marvelous development of natural science has opened a 
 much wider field ; and the modern colleges have recognized 
 the rightful place of these subjects as a part of the academic 
 curriculum. 
 
 In the faculty of the Oliio Wesleyan University tliere 
 has been a remarkable permanence. There have been 
 but three presidents. Edward Thomson, D.D., LL.D., the 
 first president, was by birth an Englishman, but by growth 
 and education an American. He received a good classical 
 training, and afterward graduated in medicine in Philadel- 
 phia. In 1832 he entered the ministry in the Ohio Confer- 
 ence. In 1838 he entered the Norwalk Seminary as princi- 
 pal. His success here pointed him out as the fittest man for 
 tlie presidency of the university. For fourteen years he 
 filled and graced this ofiice. No college president in tlie 
 Church has shown larger administrative abilities, or won a 
 more enviable place in the affections and admiration of 
 college and Church alike. In 1860 he was called, by the 
 General Conference, to edit " The Christian Advocate" in 
 New York ; and again, in 1864, to the higher office of Bishop 
 in the Church. He died suddenly in Wheeling, W. Ya., 
 March 22, 1870. Bishop Thomson's publications are nnmer- 
 
Ohio Wesleyan University. 339 
 
 0U8, and his literary remains yet in manuscript are very 
 extensive. 
 
 Rev. Frederick Merrick was educated in the Wesleyan 
 University, Middletown, Conn. In 1836 he became prin- 
 cipal of Amenia Seminary, New York ; and, in 1838, pro- 
 fessor of natural science in Ohio University, Athens, and 
 rhember of the Ohio Conference. In 1843 the Conference 
 appointed him financial agent of the Ohio "Wesleyan Uni- 
 versity, to which institution he has since that time devoted 
 his life. In 1845 he was elected professor of natural sci- 
 ence, and was made acting president for the year until Dr. 
 Thomson entered upon duty. In 1851 he was transferred 
 to the chair of moral philosophy, and, on the resignation of 
 President Thomson, was chosen as his successor. He held 
 this office for thirteen years; and then, in view of failing 
 strength, in 1873, he resigned the presidency and was aj)- 
 pointed lecturer on natural and revealed religion. This 
 relation to the college he still sustains. 
 
 Eev. Chas. II. Payne, D.D., LL.D., was graduated in 1856 
 at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. A vigorous 
 thinker, an accomplished speaker and writer, and a devoted 
 pastor, he has served some of the leading Methodist Episco- 
 pal churches in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati. It 
 was from this last city that he was called to the presidency 
 of the university in 1875. He took his seat the following 
 year. His administration began in the gloomiest days of finan- 
 cial depression ; but the growth of the university during his 
 administration has been very rapid and great. A quickened 
 interest for the university was felt throughout the Church ; 
 the four Conferences were stimulated to renewed efforts for 
 the endowment; the school was advertised on a much more 
 liberal scale than before, and, not least, the university and the 
 
340 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 female college were united. This measure, whicli had long 
 been advocated and worked for by many friends of both 
 schools, was at length accomplished in 1877. 
 
 The professors who have held chairs in the university are : 
 
 Kev. Herman M. Johnson, D.D., professor of ancient lan- 
 guage and literature. He was a graduate of Wesleyan Uni- 
 versity, Middletown, Conn., and before coming to Delaware 
 had held the chair of ancient languages in St. Charles Col- 
 lege, Missouri, and in Augusta College, Kentucky. Profess- 
 or Johnson had abilities, as an instructor, of the first order. 
 After six years' service here he accepted the professorship of 
 philosophy in Dickinson College, and was afterward raised 
 to the presidency. In this office he died in 1868. 
 
 Rev. Professor Solomon Howard, D.D., LL.D., had been 
 at the head of the preparatory school for two years be- 
 fore the organization of the college faculty. At that time 
 he was appointed professor of mathematics, but held the 
 office for only one year. He was subsequently, for some 
 years, principal of the Springfield Female College, and be- 
 came president of the Ohio University, at Athens, in 1852. 
 He died in California in 1873. 
 
 Rev. Professor Lorenzo D. McCabe, D.D., LL.D., came 
 into the faculty as the successor of Professor Howard. He 
 was graduated at the Ohio University in 1843. He then be- 
 came a member of the Ohio Conference, and preached one 
 year ; but, in the year 1844, was appointed to the chair of 
 mathematics and mechanical philosophy in his alma mater. 
 In 1845 he was called to the same chair in the Ohio "Wes- 
 leyan University ; and, in 1860, was transferred to the chair 
 of biblical literature and moral science. In 1864, by a re- 
 arrangement of the college work, his chair was named " phi- 
 losophy." To this department he has since given his entire 
 
Ohio Wesley an University. 341 
 
 services, except in the years 1873 to 1876, during which he 
 was also acting president. 
 
 Rev. Professor William G. Williams, LL.D., was gradu- 
 ated at Woodward College, in Cincinnati, in 1844, and 
 the same year was appointed to a place in the new faculty of 
 the university as principal of the preparatory department. 
 In 1847 he was promoted to the adjunct professorship of 
 ancient languages, and, in 1850, to the full chair of Greek 
 and Latin languages. This appointment he held until 1864, 
 when his chair was divided, and he became professor of Greek 
 language and literature. In 1872 Professor Williams was 
 appointed the acting professor of Hebrew language and lit- 
 erature. In 1856 he became a member of the Central Ohio 
 Conference, of which body he has for twenty-live years been 
 the secretary. 
 
 Rev. Professor William L. Harris, D.D., LL.D., was 
 educated at Norwalk Seminary, and joined the Michigan 
 Conference in 1837. By the division of the Michigan Con- 
 ference he fell, in 1840, into the North Ohio Conference. 
 After preaching two yeai-s at Toledo he accepted the princi- 
 palshipof Baldwin Seminary, at Berea. In 1851 he was re- 
 called to Delaware, as principal of the academical depart- 
 ment, and was the next year appointed professor of natui*al 
 sciences. In this chair he remained eight years, till 1860. 
 In the meanwhile, by the division of the North Ohio Con- 
 ference, Professor Harris .had become connected with the 
 Central Ohio. In 1860, by the appointment of the General 
 Confej-ence, he became one of the secretaries of the Mission- 
 ary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1872 
 he was elected to the Episcopate. 
 
 Rev. Professor William D. Godman, D.D., was the second 
 graduate of the university, in 1846. He entered the min- 
 
342 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 jstry in the Korth Ohio Conference, but, in 1849, served 
 the university for one year as principal of the academical 
 department. He was then president of the Worthington 
 Female College for some years, and afterward professor of 
 Greek for awhile in the North-western University, at Evans- 
 ton, 111. From thence he was called to a chair in his alma 
 mater. Dr. Godman is now at work in the South. 
 
 Rev. Professor Francis S. Hoyt, D.D., was graduated at 
 "Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., and shortly after 
 became president of the Willamette University, Oregon. In 
 1860 he was called to the chair of natural science in the 
 Ohio Wesleyan University, and served in this department for 
 five years. In 1865 he was transferred to the chair of theol- 
 ogy and biblical literature, in which he remained for seven 
 years. In 1872 Professor Hoyt was elected editor of the 
 *' Western Christian Advocate," at Cincinnati, which office 
 he filled twelve years. 
 
 Eev. Wm. F. Whitlock, D.D., was graduated at the Ohio 
 Wesleyan University in 1859, and was appointed tutor in lan- 
 guages. In 1864 he was promoted to an adjunct professor- 
 ship of Latin, and, in 1866, received the appointment to the 
 full professorship. In this chair he has since remained. 
 
 John P. Lacroix, Ph.D., D.D., was graduated from the 
 Ohio Wesleyan University in 1857. A descendant of an old 
 Huguenot family, the French was his vernacular language, 
 and he had also acquired the German. In 1864 he was made 
 adjunct professor of French and German in the university, 
 and, in 1866, was raised to the professorship of modern lan- 
 guages and history. In 1879 he visited Europe in quest of 
 health, but returned to die at his home. 
 
 Rev. Hiram Perkins, M.A., is another graduate of the 
 class of 1857. He served the university five years as tutor. 
 
Ohio Wesleyan University. 343 
 
 and then became adjunct professor in mathematics and as- 
 tronomy. In 1867 he became full professor. 
 
 "Wm. O. Semans, M.A., was graduated in the same class. 
 He taught eight years in different schools, and then was hon- 
 ored with a chair in his alma inater^ where he yet remains. 
 
 Professor Edward T. Nelson, M.A., Ph.D., was graduated 
 from this university in 1866. He then entered the Sheffield 
 Scientific School, and was graduated Ph.D. in 1869. He 
 taught the natural sciences three years in his alma mater, 
 then three years in Hanover College, Indiana, until recalled 
 to his old college as the alum^ni professor of natural history, 
 so named because the chair was endowed by alumni. 
 
 The matriculation books of the university show that more 
 than eight thousand students, not including ladies, have been 
 enrolled. Of these, one thousand and twenty -five remained 
 to graduation. In these Western States the channels of 
 business are so wide and inviting that it is difficult to induce 
 students to stay for a degree. To this must be added the 
 consideration that a very large number of the matriculants 
 arc poor, and are under the necessity of earning the means 
 of support in college by manual labor or by teaching. It de- 
 mands an extraordinary strength of character and zeal for 
 learning, for such persons, already competent to the active 
 duties of life, to remain in school from four to seven years. 
 Yet, of the seven thousand who have gone out under gradu- 
 ation, a large number have taken advanced courses of con- 
 siderable extent. The latitude of choice offered in the sc\'- 
 eral courses of study enables a student to shape his work in 
 school with reference to his anticipated business needs, and 
 so to acquire a rcsixjctable education without taking a degree. 
 
 More than two hundred have entered the ministry ; more 
 than two himdred are professors or teacliers ; nearly as many 
 
344 Early Schools of MpyrnoDisM. 
 
 have entered the practice of law, and about fifty the practice 
 of medicine. The remainder are found in various other call- 
 ings, many having held offices under the State and national 
 governments. These graduates are now widely scattered. 
 
 The university is under the auspices of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, but it is not sectarian in its teachings. It aims 
 to be evangelical, yet liberal ; and has always had a fair patron- 
 age from other Protestant Churches, and even from the 
 Catholic Churcli. Weekly meetings for prayer are main- 
 tained by each class separately, and one weekly meeting for 
 all students in common who choose to attend. The propor- 
 tion of religious students in the college classes increases with 
 the advancement of the class ; and few pass through the col- 
 lege course without becoming hopefully pious. 
 
 The religious zeal of the students led to the establishment 
 in the university, and the successful working for a long time, 
 of a Missionary Lyceum. From this association, and largely 
 through influences there begotten, a goodly number of the 
 graduates have been led to devote themselves to the foreign 
 missionary work.* For some years a Young Men's Chris- 
 tian Association has been sustained in the school. Of the. 
 young men preparing for the ministry those who are licen- 
 tiates are faithful in evangelical work in the city and in the 
 neighboring country. 
 
 LITERARY SOCIETIES. 
 
 The students have five literary societies. Of these the 
 Zetagathean, the Christomathean, and the Athenian are con- 
 
 * One of this number, Rev. Dr. Scott, of the India Mission, has sent to the 
 university a complete pantheon of the idols of Hindostan. Tliey are in mar- 
 ble, gilt, about sixty in number, and constitute, perhaps, the finest collection in 
 the United States. Tiie Lyceum has many other symbols from heathen lands. 
 
Ohio Wksleyan University. 345 
 
 fined to the college classes. They have well-furnished halls. 
 The Meleterian and Philomathean societies are sustained bj 
 the students in the preparatory classes. 
 
 The ladies of Monnett Hall have two literary societies, 
 with large and tastefully furnished halls. The beneficial in- 
 fluence of these upon the members is very decided. 
 
 The Greek-letter societies have eight chapters in this uni- 
 versity. Their influence is regarded as salutary. 
 
 COURSES OF STUDY. 
 
 At the organization of the university there was but one 
 course of study adopted, substantially the same as had ob- 
 tained for generations in the usages of colleges. Its basis 
 was the classic languages. The study of Greek and Latin 
 occupied most of the time in the preparatory classes, half of 
 the time in the freshman and sophomore years, and one 
 third of the time for the last two years of the course. And 
 this general arrangement continued with gradual modifica- 
 tions till the year 1868. This, which was called the " clas- 
 sical course," or the " regular course," was the only one for 
 which a degree was conferred. 
 
 In 1868 a scientific course was first established in this 
 
 university. It threw out the Greek language entirely, but 
 
 required Latin and one modern language. In addition to 
 
 this, a certain amount of deviation from the studies of the 
 
 regular course was allowed in the sophomore and the junior 
 
 years in favor of modern languages, or additional scientific 
 
 studies. This is a safe coinpromise, and allows a sufficient 
 
 latitude of election, without, at the same time, prescribiuir a 
 
 coui*se which can be cjilled partial or one-sided. The degrees 
 
 given in the classical course are bachelor of arts, and, throe 
 
 years afterward, master of arts ; in the scientific course, bach- 
 15* 
 
346 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 elor of science. A second degree has not yet been established 
 for the last course. 
 
 The normal department has been revived, and a fair 
 course of study, extending through three years, has been pre- 
 scribed, adapted especially to those who would fit themselves 
 for teaching in the common schools. It is the hope of the 
 university to make this course both attractive and useful to 
 this large class of youth. A professional certificate, but no 
 degree, is given to those who complete this course. All the 
 above courses are now open to ladies. 
 
 INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS. 
 
 Nearly all students in this institution are upon scholar- 
 ships, and the income for meeting current expenses is derived 
 almost exclusively from interest on the Scholarship Fund. 
 The actual endowment is now above one third of a million 
 dollars, and each of the patronizing Conferences is at w^ork 
 to endow additional professorships. A number of special 
 gifts in cash, lands, or in legacies have been made. 
 
 Mr. Jedediah Allen gave a tract of land that brought 
 $18,000; Thomas Parr ott, Esq., bequeathed $20,000; John 
 E. JVright, $25,000, and secured from others $5,000 ; Phin- 
 eas P. Mast, Esq., has paid $10,000, besides other benefac- 
 tions. The last three are trustees. Mrs. Eliza Chrisman, 
 now of Topeka, Kan., has paid $10,000, and pledged $10,000 
 to the chair of biblical literature. Other generous gifts 
 swell the above to about $200,000. The library and cabinet 
 of natural history have been greatly enriched by purchases 
 and donations. 
 
 Originally no provision for ladies was made by the univer- 
 sity, but by the purchase, in 1853, of the residence of the 
 late William Little, Ohio Wesleyan Female College acquired 
 
Ohio Wesleyan University. 347 
 
 a local habitation and a name. The price paid was $7,000 
 for the seven acres, and about the same for an additional 
 three acres. The grounds were beautiful and romantic, and 
 the house large and commodious; yet more room was de- 
 manded -svithin the first year. 
 
 New and elegant buildings have been erected. Of the 
 many who contributed to this cause, particular mention 
 should be made of Miss Mary Monnett (Mrs. John Bain), a 
 pupil of the school, who, in 1857, gave $10,000 toward the 
 building, and in recognition of her benefaction the entii-e 
 building is called 
 
 Monnett Hall. 
 The first president of this branch of the university was 
 Professor Oran Faville, M.A. ; and Mrs. Maria M. Faville 
 was the first preceptress. The formal union of the two insti- 
 tutions took place in 1877. Since then the doors of this 
 great university have .been open to ladies. This action 
 secured the university a large increase of students, friends, 
 and income. The distance of the principal buildings is at- 
 tended with some inconveniences. But the advantages from 
 the union are so manifest and so great, that, in summing up 
 the result, minor inconveniences can be patiently adjusted or 
 quietly ignored. Co-education in Delaware is an unqualified 
 success. 
 
348 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXL 
 
 CINCINNATI WESLEYAN COLLEGE FOR YOUNG WOMEN. 
 
 BY MRS. McCLELLAN BROWN, VICE-PRESIDENT. 
 
 " Our daughters as corner-stones hewn after the fashion of a palace." 
 
 — PsA. cxliv, 12. [Rev. Ver.] 
 
 It is one of the most notable facts in the history of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church that she was the first to offer woman a 
 liberal collegiate education. The Cincinnati Weslejan College 
 for Young "Women was founded in 1842, being the first regu- 
 larly chartered college for women in the world. It was not 
 narrowly sectarian, from the first having had every religious 
 creed represented in its board of trustees, its faculty, and its 
 roll of pupils ; but the enterprise was Method istic in its finan- 
 cial basis, and in its able defense against pessimism. Hence 
 this historic college is one of the proudest achievements of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. A few institutions for the 
 exclusive education of girls were founded prior to that date, 
 but nothing affording the facilities for a liberal education. 
 There were schools and academies to prepare young men for 
 college, and for commercial and industrial pursuits. An 
 occasional persistent young woman found access to these, 
 ant! laid the foundation for a liberal culture. The schools 
 for girls were of a similar order, whether called academies 
 or colleges. At that time, it must be remembered, there was 
 not a public high school west of the Alleghany Mountains. 
 A scheme for planting a college with all the facilities and 
 equipments necessary for the broadest culture for women 
 was entirely new. It opened the whole question of possi- 
 
Cincinnati Wesi-eyan College for Yoing Women. 3-1:9 
 
 bility, feasibility, and practicability of preparing young 
 women intellectually for wider fields of usefulness and for 
 self -competency. This subject was canvassed widely in the 
 newspapers of the country. It was conceded that the scheme 
 embraced a broad education in respect to the number of 
 studies involved, the manner in which they should be prose- 
 cuted, the conferment of collegiate degrees, and the conse- 
 quent ability for positions and professions, debarred, by com- 
 mon usage, from the sex. Pessimists deplored the threaten- 
 ing revolution. But it came — a revolution which bore on 
 its breast an impetus and power for the truest progress. It 
 carried into the very foundations of society a respect for 
 learning and aspiration, for intellectual development and dis- 
 cipline. It brought the fine arts into the household, and by 
 implication introduced to the model home, the sciences, not 
 physical alone, but practical and spiritual. It awakened the 
 dormant social existence to the high value of remote as well 
 as intimate human relations — to an enlarged view of the hu- 
 man race through history, literature, language (that magical 
 key to intellectual power and enjoyment), and through phi- 
 losophy, which is the condition of all science. These subjects, 
 when understood only by men, moved the external world in 
 material lines of progress ; but when introduced to the brain 
 and province of women, they thrilled along the nerves of 
 the inner life of the nation, impelling the right reason in 
 every advance movement for the betterment of social con- 
 ditions. This was truly an epoch of power in our civili- 
 zation. 
 
 Mrs. Mary C. Wilber, widow of the first president of the 
 Wcsleyan College, says : **With the old traditions reaching 
 back through the ages, with the startling newness of the idea 
 that women needed equal culture of mind and heart witii 
 
350 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 men, to enable them to be truly 'corner-stones' in their 
 homes, in the Church, and in the State, it was not singular 
 that the plan proposed met with opposition. The prudence 
 of such an enterprise was questioned in the strongest terms. 
 It was regarded as inconsistent with conservative customs, 
 and hostile to true orthodoxy. But," Mrs. Wilber goes on to 
 say, " the originators of this enterprise were earnest men ; they 
 were also practical men, who, clearly perceiving the path of 
 duty, could not be discouraged by obstacles, turned aside 
 by either self-interest or opposition. They were convinced 
 that a higher intellectual and moral education for women was 
 indispensable to the continued existence and prosperity of 
 our government ; that it would be a powerful influence for 
 good in the home, in social life, and in all benevolences. 
 They believed in the elevation of women through education, 
 which is development; through labor, which is salvation; 
 through legal rights, which are only freedom to develop and 
 save. They believed these aims to be part of the mission of 
 Jesus upon earth, and authorized by him, inspired of God, 
 they are as sure of fulfillment as any portion of his law. 
 They were men of faith, men of prayer, men of deeds, who 
 believed in the immortality of the soul, the relation of each 
 individual to God, whom they revered. Such were the 
 founders of the first regularly chartered college for women 
 in the world." 
 
 These men were : Bishop Thomas A. Morris, president ; 
 board of trustees — Adam IT. Riddle, treasurer ; Samuel Will- 
 iams, secretary ; Josiah Lawrence, Asbury M. Scarles, John 
 Elstner, Harvey Decamp, Joseph G. Rust, John Dubois, 
 John Reeves, William Woodruff, Jabez Seegar, George W. 
 Townley, and ten ex-officio members of the Ohio Conference. 
 The executive committee: Rev. John F. Wright, Samuel 
 
Cincinnati Wesleyan College for Young Women. 351 
 
 "Williams, Adam W. Riddle, Asbury M. Searles, and Harvey 
 Decamp. 
 
 Perlee B. Wilbur, A.M., D.D., an alumnus of tlie Wes- 
 leyan University, for some years a teacher in the Cazenovia 
 Seminary, at the time a member of the Virginia Conference, 
 was the first president. He, with his accomplished and tal- 
 ented wife, educated at the Cazenovia Seminary, conducted 
 the new college with vigor and skill seventeen successful 
 years. 
 
 The effect of this movement was ahnost electrical upon 
 the educational world. The needs and demands for better 
 culture among women being canvassed so widely, aroused 
 the enlightened communities to an increased interest in edu- 
 cational institutions for both sexes. Seminaries and colleges 
 increased their facilities, and new institutions were founded 
 more numerously than in any previous era. In the last 
 thirty-five years colleges have been established for women in 
 this country and Great Britain — some of them have been 
 well equipped and endowed, while the Cincinnati Wesleyan 
 has pursued a career of usefulness unparalleled in history. 
 
 President Wilbur died June 11, 1859. Rev. Robert Allyn, 
 of the New England Conference, was elected his successor 
 until 1863, when Rev. Richard Rust, D.D., was chosen to the 
 presidency. 
 
 During the year 1860 Bishop Clark was efficient in effect- 
 ing the sale of the original property, on Vine Street, and, 
 after paying an indebtedness which had embarrassed the 
 institution, applied the surplus toward the erection of the 
 elegant new building upon the present eligible site, donated 
 by the Methodist Episcopal Churclies of Cincinnati. 
 
 Rev. Lucius II. Bugbee, D.D.. assumed the duties of the 
 presidency in the new edifice in 1868, and continued iu 
 
862 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 efficient management until 1875, when Eev. D. H. Moore, 
 D.D., of the Cincinnati Conference, succeeded to the office, 
 and soon afterward secured subscriptions for tlie college 
 from the citizens of Cincinnati to the amount of about 
 $25,000. Kev. Kichard Kust, D.D., Jr., became the next 
 successor to the presidency for the years 1880 and 1881, 
 when an indebtedness had accumulated for which the entire 
 college property was pressed to sale. 
 
 In August, 1882, tlie present president. Rev. W. K. Brown, 
 D.D., member of the Pittsburg Conference, and having 
 acquired a reputation as a successful church financier, was 
 informed of the perilous condition of the institution through 
 Dr. J. M. Walden, president of the board of trustees. He 
 went to Cincinnati, and, with Bishop I. W. Wiley and Dr. 
 TValden, looked over the whole field and pronounced the 
 institution redeemable. He undertook the work immedi- 
 ately, first securing a subscription of $10,000 from a friend, 
 Dr. C. G. Hussey, of Pittsburg. Pa., and afterward the 
 required subscription of $65,000 from friends of education, 
 chiefly in Cincinnati. One third of this was collected and 
 paid, the building renovated, and the school opened with 
 vigor the following September, 1882. Since that date he 
 has collected the remaining subscriptions, paid the debt, and 
 managed the incomes to meet the expenses of a prosperous 
 and continually growing school. 
 
 The property is valued at about $225,000, and is all clear 
 of debt, except two lots at the south end of the lawn, which 
 will be redeemed soon. The grounds are two hundred and 
 eighty-five feet front, by one hundred and fifteen feet deep. 
 The building stands on an elevation, twenty-five feet from 
 the avenue, named for the college, Wesley. Tlie structure 
 is an imposing combination of Gothic "and Corinthian archi- 
 
Cincinnati Wesley a.n College for Young Women. 353 
 
 tectiire. There are two entrances front, three stair- ways, 
 and spacious halls and parlors of the most commodious style. 
 It is one hundred and seventy-two feet front by sixty feet 
 deep, with a south-west wing, forty by thirty feet in size. 
 The rooms are designed for two students ; they have good 
 light, very high ceilings, and excellent ventilation. Wesley 
 Avenue is one of the most beautiful and quiet streets of the 
 city, having no business places whatever — only private resi- 
 dences, which are all new and very elegant, and easily acces- 
 sible to all parts of the city. 
 
 The character of the work done by the Cincinnati Wes- 
 leyan has made its impress, not only upon tlie vicinity where 
 it is located, but upon the Church at large, which marches to 
 the step of woman's improved powers to do its work intelli- 
 gently and systematically. It has made its impress upon 
 general education, which waits upon woman's transforming 
 touch ; upon civil methods, which respond to the public sen- 
 timents of reform, the obligations of morality, and the arbi- 
 trations of equity in a new and more effective sense than 
 ever before. Women have been made acquainted with sci- 
 ence and philosophy in their practical applications ; with 
 languages, and their influence upon the inner life of a peo- 
 ple ; with the treasures of history, and the appropriation of 
 its lessons ; with the best and purest literature, and the devel- 
 opment of its fields ; with the arts of music, painting, and 
 decoration, and their practical application in domestic as 
 well as in the artistic world ; and, chief of all the acquire- 
 ments, women have been made acquainted with themselves, 
 as independent, responsible intelligences, having God's own 
 image upon, the intellect as well as the heart, and God's 
 injunction to discipline and use, according to the gift of 
 pei*8onal power and opportunity. Not in the sheltered home 
 
354 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 alone have the acquirements and influence of these "Wes- 
 lejan students been felt most potentially. Brave and earnest 
 women have made some of the most desirable ways of earning 
 a living where loss of fortune has necessitated. They have 
 carved the path, and secured the right for others to follow. 
 Some have become eminent professors of colleges and prin- 
 cipals and founders of successful seminaries in different parts 
 of the world. Scores have become missionaries in all the 
 open fields of the world, Europe, India, China, Japan, Soutli 
 America, and Mexico. Ladies from these eminent Wes- 
 leyan halls have graced the highest social circles of Britain, 
 France, and Eome, and presided in every representative ofii- 
 cial home of the United States, from the greater than baro- 
 nial country homestead, to the more than royal White House 
 at Washington, where one has made an immortal record of 
 moral courage — Mrs. Lucy Webb Hayes. A number have 
 acquired a national reputation in fields of literature, pliilan- 
 thropy, and civil reform works. Their names are household 
 words, and the children of the generation are called for 
 them. 
 
 The Alumnse Association of the Wesleyan College was 
 founded in 1852, the first among women. It was incorpo- 
 rated with the usual powers and privileges, and has ever 
 been, and still is, a great fortress to the institution. The 
 latest movement of the association is for the endowment 
 of the college as a university for women. 
 
TuE Newark Wesleyan Institute. 356 
 
 CHAPTER XXIL 
 
 THE NEWARK WESLEYAN INSTITUTR 
 
 BY DANIEL P. KIDDER, D.D. 
 
 The year 1816 witnessed the first effort to establish an 
 educational institution in the interest of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church in the northern half of New Jersey. During 
 that year the subject was so successfully agitated that a valid 
 stock subscription of $10,000 was secured for the purpose. 
 The city of Newark was, from the first, fixed upon as its 
 proper locality.- 
 
 mCORPOEATION. 
 
 On the 21th of November, 1846, the subscribing stock- 
 holders met in the Clinton Street Methodist Episcopal Church 
 of the city named, and elected a board of trustees. The elected 
 trustees proceeded to incorporate the institution under the 
 title of " The Newark "Wesleyan Institute for Male and 
 Female Education." 
 
 Measures were immediately tiiken to enlarge the stock 
 subscription, to select and purchase an eligible site, to plan 
 an edifice adapted to the object, and to contract for its 
 erection. 
 
 CORNER-STONK LAYING. 
 
 So vigorously were these important measures prosecuted, 
 that on the 23d of September, 1847, the corner-stone of the 
 Newark Wesleyan Institute was laid, with imposing ceremo- 
 nies and under the most favorable auspices. On the 5th day 
 of November following, the cupola of the institute towered 
 above the city of Newark. 
 
356 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 From a prospectus, issued in 1848, the following descrip- 
 tion of the building is taken : 
 
 It is of brick, seventy-five feet in length by fifty-five in width. It is 
 three stories high, and surmounted by a fine observatory. The location 
 of the building is at once convenient and admirable. It stands upon 
 an elevated site, between High and Shipman Streets, on the second 
 block south of the court-house of Essex County. The site extends 
 from street to street, and the building, being placed centrally, has 
 two equal fronts, with front yards extending to the street on both 
 sides. 
 
 This arrangement is in harmony with the fundamental design of the 
 institution, to furnish equal facilities for male and female education. 
 It, moreover, avoids the objections heretofore existing against the or- 
 ganization of similar institutions. The building is so constructed as 
 to furnish two entire suits of apartments, connecting together only at 
 the principal's room, the parlor, the recitation rooms, and the chapel. 
 Thus young gentlemen and young ladies who may be members of the 
 institute will approach it from different streets and enter at opposite 
 sides. Their study rooms will be entirely separate, and they will only 
 meet hi the presence of their teachers ; yet they will be subject to the 
 same government, and under the influence of a common discipline. 
 
 This institute is designed to be purely literary in its character, al- 
 though it will not seek to promote literature at the expense of Chris- 
 tianity. Acknowledging the connection that ever ought to exist be- 
 tween Learning and her handmaid, Religion, it will recognize and incul- 
 cate the common and fundamental principles of Christian truth, free 
 from sectarianism. 
 
 Its name, Wesleyan, is designed as at once a suitable tribute to the 
 memory of a distinguished promoter of Christian learning, and a frank 
 indication of the Church by which its moral and Cliristian character 
 will be guaranteed to the public. 
 
 OPENING. 
 
 On the 30th of August, 1848, the formal opening of the 
 institute took place. From an account of the proceedings 
 
The Newark Wesleyan Institute. 357 
 
 published by the "Newark Daily Advertiser" the following 
 statements are condensed : 
 
 " The exercises of the opening of the Newark Wesleyan 
 Institute proved an occasion of high gratification to a numer- 
 ous assembly. At an early hour the beautiful chapel of the 
 institute, capable of containing not less than four hundred 
 persons, was tilled with an intelligent audience of ladies and 
 gentlemen. 
 
 " The services were introduced with a lesson from Script- 
 ure read by Rev. T. Sovereign, and prayer was offered by 
 Rev. Dr. Charles Hall. The inaugural address of Mr. Sidera 
 Chase, the principal, then followed. 
 
 "It was a chaste and classical production, evincing high 
 scholarship combined with thoroughly practical views of life 
 and its duties. It was delivered in a good style of elocution, 
 and listened to with profound attention. Mr. Chase first 
 drew a graphic sketch of society, and of the evils which mar 
 and threaten its well-being. He then proceeded to show 
 what constitutes true education — physical, intellectual, and 
 moral. All these phases of education should be combined 
 for the complete training of the individual. Mr. Chase's 
 address well sustained the general impression of his fitness 
 for the honorable and responsible position he is called to 
 occupy. 
 
 " Rev. D. P. Kidder, president of the board of trustees, then 
 explained briefly the general plan of the building and the 
 comprehensive system of education to which it is adapted. 
 From his remarks the following particulars are condensed as 
 items of general interest : 
 
 "This large and imposing edifice has been constructed after no exist- 
 ing model. Its plan wa,s devised expressly in view of its p.irticular 
 oljjccts. Two leading ideas are indicated throughout the whole struct- 
 
358 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 ure. The first is that of a complete classification of scholars according 
 to their advancement and the studies they pursue. By means of this 
 the time and efforts of both pupils and teachers are turned to the 
 greatest account, and to secure it, not less than eight distinct schools 
 are provided for in this one building. These different apartments em- 
 brace the several divisions and grades in which the school is to be 
 classified. By simply closing the folding-doors of the school-rooms 
 six more apartments may be created whenever necessary. 
 
 "The second leading design of the building is an easy reunion of all 
 the classes at proper times and for important purposes. The daily ex- 
 ercises will be commenced at the chapel, by reading the Scriptures and 
 prayer, the whole school being assembled. Here, also, the merit-roll 
 will be periodically read and familiar and scientific lectures delivered. 
 
 " In the recitation rooms scholars of both sexes, in the higher grades 
 will meet their instructors, subject to a natural and powerful stimulus 
 to correct demeanor and scholar-like bearing. 
 
 " There will be observed on the walls of the building a lib- 
 eral provision of blackboard, so that every scholar may have 
 ample room for practice, and every science be reduced to dem- 
 onstration. All the school-rooms are furnished with rotary 
 chairs of proper sizes, and closets for the reception of hats 
 and cloaks. Instruction in linear drawing and in vocal nmsic 
 are to be free in all the divisions of the school. 
 
 " The parlor will serve as a reception room for visitors and 
 for social interviews between the more advanced scholars 
 and their teachers and friends. It contains cases for books, 
 minerals, and shells. The building will be heated throughout 
 by furnaces located in the basement. 
 
 " At the close of the public services," says the report, '^ the 
 gentlemen and ladies present passed through the building at 
 pleasure, making their observations at different points, from 
 the commanding observatory downward. There seemed to 
 be a universal expression of admiration for the appearance of 
 the edifice and the prospect it commands at every window." 
 
The Newark Wesleyan Institute. 359 
 
 organization and school-work. 
 
 On the 6th of September, 1848, the work of instruction 
 commenced, with more than two hundred pupils in attend- 
 ance. Before the close of the year additions to the number 
 of scholars had been made, until nearly the entire capacity of 
 the building had been filled. The second annual catalogue 
 of the institute enumerated four hundred and twenty-eight 
 pupils, that of the third year four hundred and thirty-three, 
 and that of the fourth year four hundred and thirty-four. 
 The institution was thoroughly organized on the system con- 
 templated in the plan of the building. Instruction was given 
 by an able faculty, composed of fourteen teachers. The 
 course of study was ample and systematically progressive 
 from a first primary grade to a graduation in the normal de- 
 partment, which, in point of fact, was the first normal school 
 organized In the State of New Jersey. 
 
 From the chapel services, with which each school day was 
 opened, the teachers and scholars of the different grades were 
 dismissed to their several rooms. In the parlor any trustee, 
 parent, or visitor could find a schedule indicating the recita- 
 tion and teacher for each department and room at any hour 
 of the day. Clianges of exercises in the different rooms 
 were simultaneous, and signaled by tlie striking of a gong. 
 Friday afternoons public literary and musical exercises were 
 lield in the chapel, which had a strong influence in develop- 
 ing every department of study. On those occasions, whicli 
 were largely attended by visiting friends, the standing of 
 the pupils was announced. 
 
 The success of the instructional work of the institute was 
 marked from a very early day in its history, so that it be- 
 came no infrequent occurrence to receive visitors from dis- 
 
360 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 tant States to study tlie pUn of tlie building, the system of 
 instruction, and the results. 
 
 The moral tone of the school was uniformly high. Indeed, 
 the religious element was so influential that a case of disci- 
 pline became a matter of surprise. 
 
 INSTEUOtOKS. 
 
 The highest praise has always been considered due to 
 Principal Chase for his great skill and efficiency in organiz- 
 ing and conducting the institute during the five years of his 
 connection with it. In his arduous work and unsparing zeal 
 he was supported by able teachers, several of whom in after 
 years became celebrated in important spheres of public life. 
 Of these mention may be made of the Rev. Drs. F. S. Hoyt, 
 N. J. Burton, and J. L. G. M'Kown ; Profs. B. Starr and G. 
 B. Sears ; also, of the lady teachers, Mrs. Green, who became 
 the wife of the Hon. Mr. Stoughton, and Miss Sperry, who 
 became the wife of Rev. Dr. Maclay. Mrs. Maclay died, as a 
 missionary in Japan, after many years of effective service in 
 that country and China. It was with great regret on the 
 part of the trustees that declining health made it necessary 
 for Mr. Chase to resign the principalship in 1853. He was 
 dismissed with resolutions of high encomium. 
 
 Prof. Starr was promoted to the office, which he ably filled 
 till the summer of 1856. Iluring the scliool year following. 
 Revs. R. T. Taylor and J. H. Knowles acted as joint prin- 
 cipals. 
 
 STUDENTS. 
 
 It is impossible to mention the many students of the New- 
 ark Wesleyan Institute, during the nine years of its action, 
 who subsequently became honored and useful citizens in the 
 various walks of life. The following, and probably some 
 
The Kewakk Wesleyan Institute. 361 
 
 others, became ministers of the Gospel: W. E. Duryee, 
 II. Luinmis, D. II. Parish, II. M. Simpson, S. M. Stiles, 
 W. AVood, J. IL Vincent, and G. II. Whitney. The last 
 two named are justly celebrated for the influence they have 
 exerted in educational spheres. 
 
 PUBLIC APPROVAL. 
 
 Probably no institution of learning in the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, if in any other, ever rose more rapidly into 
 j)rominence, or, in its early period of action, gave more brill- 
 iant promise of large and continued usefulness. In evidence 
 of this the following specimen notices from the newspapers 
 of the time are inserted, together with tw^o out of several 
 successive series of resolutions passed by the New Jersey 
 Annual Conference: 
 
 The following is taken from the " Newark Daily Adver- 
 tiser:" 
 
 Newark Wesleyan Institute. — The following extract is from a 
 Boston paper of last week. It shows the opinion of an intelligent 
 Now Englander respecting an institution that has sprung up in our 
 midst: ''The best-arranged edifice and system of education for aca- 
 demical training that has ever come under our notice is the one bearing 
 the title at the head of this article, and situated in the beautiful city 
 of Newark, N. J. A new and imposing edifice has been constructed 
 after the most approved model, and with every modern improvement 
 and facility for health and comfort. As Providence evidently designs, 
 it is prepared for the simultaneous education of both sexes, and yet is 
 defended from all the objections that attach to the large public acade- 
 mies of this character. The faculty is large, and of a superior charac- 
 ter. The principal, Sidera Chase, A.M., has been for a number of 
 years in charge of a i>opular ladies' academy in Middletown, Conn., and 
 commences his new relation with a well-earned reputation for scholar- 
 ship, tjict in teaching, and amenity of manners." 
 16 
 
362 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 The Kew York correspondent of the "Pittsburg Chris- 
 tian Advocate " spoke of the institution as follows : 
 
 A week or two since we enjoyed the pleasure of a visit to the Newark 
 Wesleyan Institute. Rev. D. P. Kidder, our excellent Sunday-school 
 editor, had much to do in getting up this institution. We wish to call 
 the attention of our friends to its plan and arrangement, especially 
 those who are planning seminaries in our Church. We regard it as a 
 model institution, embracing a better system, combining more advan- 
 tages, and at a less expense, than any other institution we have ever 
 seen, and they are not few in number. 
 
 The whole expense of the institution, including lots in the city of 
 Newark, building and furniture, will not exceed $15,000, and yet the 
 building is so arranged that four hundred students may be accommo- 
 dated and instructed ; and that, too, with no more teachers than half 
 that number of students usually require. 
 
 Equally favorable notices were published in the " Ladies' 
 Repository," of Cincinnati, and the " Sunday-School Advo- 
 cate," of New York. 
 
 Action of the New Jersey Conference. 
 
 April 24, 1850. 
 Your committee take pleasure in expressing their satisfaction at the 
 high degree of prosperity enjoyed by the Newark Wesleyan Institute. 
 It has been communicated to us that at the present time the institution 
 not only has three hundred scholars enrolled upon its lists, but also a 
 large number of applicants for whom in the proper departments it has 
 not room. In view of the powerful influence for good which such an 
 institution, conducted on Christian principles, cannot fail to exert, we 
 hail it as a valuable auxiliary in the great cause of Christian education, 
 and wish it continued success. 
 
 April 17, 1856. 
 
 Whereas, The Newark Wesleyan Institute, during the eight years of 
 its existence, has demonstrated a large capacity for usefulness; and, 
 
 Whereas, From its central position in the northern half of the Confer- 
 ence, and to a large and growing population it appears extremely desir- 
 
The Newark Wesley an Institute. 363 
 
 able that its original design should be carried out, particularly in the 
 erection of a boarding department ; therefore, 
 
 Resolved^ 1. That, should the trustees of the Newark Wesleyan Insti- 
 tute resolve on endeavoring to increase the accommodations of the 
 institution by erecting a boarding department or otherwise, the Con- 
 ference will cordially sanction the enterprise. 
 
 Besohedy 2. That should the trustees for this purpose deem it proper 
 to appoint an Rgent for the sale of stock or scholarships, or for the 
 collection of funds, the Conference will recommend such agent to the 
 co-operation and support of our churches and people generally, and es- 
 pecially in the northern half of its territory. 
 
 Elected as representatives of stock — M. E. Ellison, C. S. Vancleve ; 
 appointed visitors — I. W. Wiley, D. D. Lore, J. T. Crane. 
 
 EMBARRASSMENTS. 
 
 It seems, indeed, to have been a cruel fate that allowed an 
 institution of such demonstrated capacity and promise of 
 usefulness to struggle with embarrassments of any kind. 
 Yet it came to pass that for lack of a comparatively small 
 amount of funds it was compelled to forfeit its well-earned 
 position, and surrender its corporate existence. That this 
 was not done without earnest efforts to avoid that catastro- 
 phe is shown by the following extracts from an appeal made 
 especially to the Methodist Episcopal churches of Newark, 
 which extracts also embody an official statement of certain 
 portions of its history. 
 
 On November 26, 1855, a called meeting of the pastors 
 and official members of the Methodist Episcopal churches of 
 Newark was held, at which the trustees of the Newark Wes- 
 leyan Institute made a full statement of its affairs and claims 
 for pecuniary relief. That statement in full stands recorded 
 in the Journal of the institute, but it can only be represented 
 liere by brief extracts: 
 
 The institute was incorporated with a capital stock of $20,000. This 
 sum was deemed a low estimate for the necessary expenses of the under^ 
 
364 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 taking. But it was found necessary to commence operations with about 
 half of the desired amount. Up to the present time the amount received 
 on stock account is $12,067. The following expenditures have been 
 made: for site, $3,851 88; building, fences, etc., $13,210 91; furniture, 
 $1,601 30; interest, $760 93; insurance, $60; total, $18,485 02. 
 
 The average cost for teachers' salaries and current expenses has been 
 about $5,000. This sum has been generally met by our assets from tui- 
 tion. Had there been no losses from bad debts, and no expense for 
 interest, the excess of tuition receipts would have been nearly sufficient 
 to cover all expenses. But as affairs have turned out, the result of our 
 operations for the last three years has been a gradual increase of debt, 
 so that now the liabilities of the institution are not far from $8,000. 
 
 A careful review of the history of the institute for the seven years 
 of its actual operation shows conclusively the important facts, first, 
 that such an institution was greatly needed; second, that it has been 
 very useful. On these points it may be remarked that the voluntary 
 movement by which this institute was called into existence had a very 
 obvious effect in awakening greater activity and decided improvement 
 in the public schools of the city. At the same time the institute 
 has furnished facilities for education altogether above the range of 
 the public schools. It has been instrumental in fitting several young 
 men for college, in graduating several young ladies, and in giving in- 
 struction to large numbers of youth now engaged in the active duties 
 of life. 
 
 It has at times been blessed with the awakening influences of the 
 Divine Spirit, and pupils of both sexes have been converted while en- 
 joying its privileges. Indeed, several of its students have already gone 
 forth as ministers of the word of life, both in our own country and in 
 regions far remote. 
 
 Few educational institutions have, in the same length of time, at- 
 tained a higher rank. Indeed, the Newark Wesleyan Institute is already 
 widely known and thoroughly commended, having again and again, 
 by the best of judges, been pronounced a model school. 
 
 When the institution opened, Methodism in Newark was compara- 
 tively feeble. We had but three churches besides the German, and 
 about one thousand two hundred members. Now we have eight 
 churches, with two thousand five hundred members, and two thousand 
 
The J^ewark Wesleyan Institute. 365 
 
 two hundred and twenty-two Sunday-school scliolars, irrespective of 
 German and mission Sunday-school scholars, 
 
 Witiiout entering into further details, the trustees find themselves 
 compelled to inform their friends that a period has arrived when some 
 decided movement must be made in favor of the Newark Wesleyan In- 
 stitute, or its future cr»ntinuance will be thrown into jeopardy. Our 
 own convictions are, that the objects of the institution are of such im- 
 portance as to fully justify large sacrifices in order to maintain and per- 
 petuate it. But such an undertaking cannot be accomplished without 
 a concurrence of views and a union of effort upon a somewhat extended 
 scale. A literary institution in the interests of the Church should not, 
 and cannot of right, be dependent on individuals, but should be placed 
 in a position in which the whole Church will feel an interest and respon- 
 sibility in it. To secure this is what we ardently desire, and what we 
 regard as every way practicable. 
 
 Within the northern half of the New Jersey Conference are about 
 fifteen thousand members of our Church, and four times the number of 
 its friends having no other literary institution under their control or 
 patronage, save the Pennington Seminary, on the opposite side of the 
 State. To the majority of this large and growing population this in- 
 stitute is centrally situated. At the same time there is an equal Meth- 
 odist population in New York and Brooklyn, a share of whose patron- 
 age might be easily secured had we boarding accommodations. 
 
 The question now arises, whether measures may not be taken to enlist 
 the zeal and concentrate the energies of the Conference and its friends, 
 in conjunction with the local strength of Newark, to enlarge, maintain, 
 and per|)etuate the Newark Wesleyan Institute. If this be done, it is 
 certain that Newark must take the lead, and show an example of be- 
 nevolence and zeal in the cause of education that will challenge the 
 sympathy and co-operation of the surrounding community. For estab- 
 lishing a strong academic institution in this central region of the 
 Church and country we now have the great advantages of a choice lo- 
 cation, a good building, an organized faculty, a superior system of in- 
 struction, and a large numlx?r of j)upils already in training. These are 
 results that cannot be secured for any new enterprise without the lapse 
 of years, together with an expenditure of money and of effort far greater 
 than will be necessary to place this institute in an independent position. 
 
366 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 To the future Newark Conference this institution will be very cen- 
 tral, and, if it be sustained and enlarged, there will be no difficulty in 
 concentrating upon it the Conference support and patronage. If, how- 
 ever, the Newark Wesleyan Institute, after so fair a beginning, shall be 
 suffered to go down or pass out of our hands, whatever place may be 
 selected for a Conference seminary this will not. Indeed, such an event 
 would be a serious hinderance to the establishment of any similar insti- 
 tution in this region for the next quarter of a century. 
 
 At the end of these and many more similar arguments a 
 perfect unanimity of sentiment prevailed, and the most cor- 
 dial resolutions were passed in favor of maintaining, enlarg- 
 ing, and perpetuating the institution. Unhappily, however, 
 after trial, the subscriptions fell short, and the trustees felt 
 compelled to sell out the property in 1857 for the sum of 
 $18,000. With that sum they liquidated their obligations 
 and closed up the transactions of the corporation with prompt- 
 ness and honor. For long, faithful, and disinterested services 
 in that trusteeship the names of the following laymen de- 
 serve to be passed down to posterity with the highest com- 
 mendation, namely : John Hartshorne, David Campbell, Will- 
 iam G. Lord, D. M. FitzGerald, J. B. Pinneo, James Jack- 
 son, and Benjamin J. Wood, while several others honorably 
 filled shorter terms of service. 
 
 SUCCESSION. 
 
 It is a gratifying fact that, although sold out by its orig- 
 inal stockholders, the Newark Wesleyan Institute, so far 
 from becoming extinct, has had continuous succession as an 
 active agency of Christian education. Its succession has, in 
 fact, been twofold, first in the Newark Academy^ which 
 purchased and still occupies its property ; and, second, in the 
 Centenary Collegiate Institute, of the JSTewai'k Conference, 
 located at Hackettstown, N. J. 
 
The Newark Wesley an Institdte. 3G7 
 
 Newark Academy. 
 
 The Newark Academy was founded as far back as 1702. 
 Its location for many years had been on Broad Street, on the 
 Bite now occupied by the United States post-office and gov- 
 ernment building. In the year 1857 it was transferred to 
 the more eligible site previously occupied by the Newark 
 Wesleyan Institute, where it has been continued ever since 
 in successful operation as an institution for boys and young 
 men. In the year closing in June, 18^5, it had one hundred 
 and eighty students. 
 
 Its successive principals have been Kev. F. A. Adams, 
 Messi-s. S. A. Fan-and, Ph.D., C. M. Harrison, and C. M. 
 Davis, with Major Hopkins as an associate principal. 
 
 At the present time, as for the last ten years, the institu- 
 tion is under the able management of Dr. Farrand, who 
 temporarily retired from the principalship in 1865. 
 
 Its course of study, beginning with the English branches, 
 includes all that is necessary for the most thorough prepara- 
 tion for college, the scientific school, or for business life. 
 The institution now enjoys an enviable reputation throughout 
 the State, and in States adjoining. Best of all, the moral 
 and religious influence of the school in molding the char- 
 acters of its pupils forms its most prominent characteristic. 
 
 Centenary Collegiate Institute. 
 
 The history of the second line of succession of the New- 
 ark Wesleyan Institute commenced with the action of the 
 Newark Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in 
 1806, when, after due consideration, it was voted to " recom- 
 mend the erection of an academic institute that shall be an 
 honor to the Church and a blessing to future genertions." 
 
Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 In September, 1859, the corner-stone of the Centenary 
 Collegiate Institute, at Ilackettstown, was laid by Bishop 
 Simpson. In September, 1874, the institution was dedicated 
 and opened for school work, under the presidency of Eev. 
 George H. Whitney, D.D. Dr. Whitney has held the of- 
 fice of president from tliat time to the present. 
 
 The building was erected at a cost of nearly $200,000, and 
 was considered the most complete, and costly, in all respects 
 of any that had been built within the connection devoted to 
 ** seminary work." Since the opening about $15,000 addi- 
 tional have been expended in improvements, such as a gym- 
 nasium for young men, a gymnasium for j^oung ladies, bath- 
 rooms, apparatus, chemical and philosophical, a room for 
 library, reading-room, and museum. Besides, several very 
 valuable cabinets, etc., have been presented by friends. Wliile 
 from the start the school has always been well patronized, 
 during the past four years the building, though accommodat- 
 ing nearly two hundred students, has been crowded, and more 
 than one hundred have been refused admittance from lack of 
 room. 
 
 The institution was opened with a debt of $45,000. During 
 the first two years the debt was reduced to $36,000. Six years 
 later Mr. George I. Seney voluntarily oflTered Dr. Whitney 
 $15,000 if the balance of the debt should be raised. The 
 offer was accepted, and within a few months the $36,000 
 were canceled, and not a dollar of debt has since been added, 
 all recent improvements having been paid for as soon as 
 completed. 
 
 Too much could hardly be said of the high intellectual, 
 moral, and religious standard tliat lias been continuously 
 maintained by this important institution, or of its brilliant 
 prospects for long-continued usefulness. 
 
Boston University. o69 
 
 PART III. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FOUNDING AND EARLIEST HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL OP 
 THEOLOGY OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY. 
 
 BY PRESIDE^er WILLIAM P. WARRBN, S.T,D., LL.D. 
 
 For the origin of this mother of our Theological Seminaries 
 we must go back to the first Centennial Jubilee of Universal 
 Methodism. In the spring of 1833, the year of that jubilee, 
 a " Convention of ministers and members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church in New England " was called " to consider 
 the expediency of establishing a Methodist theological insti- 
 tution." It iifet on the 24:th of April, in the Bromfield 
 Street Church, Boston, and, after a two-days' session, issued 
 an " Address to the Ministers and Members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church in New England," earnestly recommending 
 the proposed measure. Centenary offerings were asked for 
 the purpose of founding the contemplated school. The ad- 
 dress filled about three columns of the local church organ, 
 *' Zion's Herald," and produced a profound impression. 
 !Many, it is true, were not prepared to welcome the new 
 movement; but, with. few exceptions, the leading minds, 
 l)oth in tlie ministry and laity, favored it. 
 
 To continue and complete the work thus inaugurated the 
 convention proposed the formation of a society, in which 
 tlie adjacent Annual Conferences should be equall}^ repre- 
 sented, and which should serve as their conunoii organ in 
 
 IG* 
 
370 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 locating, organizing, and endowing the new institution. It 
 solicited at the hands of the Conferences the appointment of 
 committees of five to co-operate with a like committee from 
 the Convention in the organization of such a society, and, 
 committees having been appointed a few weeks after by the 
 "New England and New Hampshire Conferences,* the three 
 delegations met in Bromfield Street Church, August 28 
 and 29, and founded the "Wesley Institute Association." 
 There were subscribed on the spot $1,800, another address 
 immediately issued, and tlie agitation proceeded most favor- 
 ably. A special column was assigned to the new school in 
 the authorized form for centenary subscription papers, and 
 in some cases, as at Providence, it was found that of the of- 
 ferings and subscriptions a larger part was devoted to this 
 object than to any other. 
 
 In the spring of 1840 both Conferences again took favor- 
 able action, in which they were joined by the Maine. All 
 passed, among others, the following resolution : 
 
 " I^esolved, That this Conference approve of the design of 
 the Wesley Institute Association to establish the contemplated 
 institution in New England on the general model of the Wes- 
 leyan School in London [finally located at Eichmond], and 
 that we will sustain the association, and heartily co-operate 
 w^ith the friends of the enterprise in the accomplishment of 
 their important object." 
 
 Each of the Conferences elected their five delegates to rep- 
 resent them in the association. In the Maine Conference, 
 60 great was the unanimity, that not one voice was raised 
 against the movement. Over $1,300 were subscribed on 
 the spot, and ten young men presented themselves as candi- 
 dates for admission so soon as the school should be opened. 
 
 * Tlic Maine was the only otlier Conference at that time in New England. 
 
Boston UNivERSiroii^jOH^^^^^^' 371 
 
 Meantime several favorable offers of locations had been 
 received, one from representatives of Boston and vicinity, 
 one from Newbury, Vt., and one from Billerica, Mass. The 
 offer from the citizens of Newbury was of a site and build- 
 ings equal to those of the Newbury Seminary, on condition 
 that $15,000 were pledged toward the endowment of the 
 new school. In a meeting of the association, held on the 4tli 
 of November, 1840, the proposition from Newbury was ac- 
 cepted, a board of trustees elected, and financial agents ap- 
 pointed to solicit additional funds. At the same meeting 
 Rev. John Dempster, A.M., of the Black Eiver Conference, 
 was elected professor of systematic theology, and Rev. John 
 W. Merrill, A.M., then president of M'Kendree College, 
 pi'ofessor of sacred literature. This was the first theological 
 faculty in the history of American Methodism. 
 
 Unfortunately the finances of the new enterprise would 
 not admit of an immediate commencement, and the profess- 
 01-8 elect remained at their former posts. The financial 
 agents having regular pastoral charges, could do but little for 
 the cause ; and thus the spring of 1841 found the school still 
 unopened. Meantime the friends and representatives of 
 Wesleyan University began to agitate the question of carry- 
 ing the theological institution to Middletown, Conn., and 
 making it a department of the university. A recommenda- 
 tion to that effect was carried through the Providence, New 
 England, and Maine Conferences ; and when the Wesley 
 Institute Association met in Plymouth, N. II., September 15, 
 they deemed it expedient, in view of this Conference action, 
 and the report that $*20,000 had been offered for a building 
 in case the school could go to Middletown, to rescind their 
 former action by which the location had been fixed in New- 
 bury. They appointed a committee to confer with the au- 
 
372 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 tliorities at Middletown, with full power to transfer and make 
 over to the university all funds, notes, subscriptions, etc., 
 held by the association for the benefit of the projected school. 
 They even gave authority to this committee to make any 
 changes or modifications in the constitution of the society 
 requisite to the legal and effectual carrying out of this plan ! 
 As but six members of the association were present at the 
 meeting, this remarkable action was afterward sharply criti- 
 cised. On the 20th of October, however, the committee 
 met in Boston, and, after conference with Dr. Bangs, then 
 president of the university, transferred all centenary and 
 other funds and pledges in possession of the association to 
 Wesleyan University, on two simple conditions : first, that 
 the new theological department should be opened at once ; 
 and, second, that previous collegiate education should not be 
 required for admission. Thereafter all protests against the 
 action of the meeting at Plymouth were useless, and, its mis- 
 sion apparently accomplished, the Wesley Institute Associa- 
 tion disappeared from view. The university redeemed its 
 pledge by announcing in l^Tovember the opening of a biblical 
 department. Nevertheless, no separate theological curricu- 
 lum being provided independent of the regular collegiate 
 one, and no new instructor being added to the faculty, it was 
 soon seen that nothing had been accomplished toward the 
 establishment of the desired ministerial school. 
 
 But while the funds of the original centenary organization 
 had taken this unexpected course, its ideas and spirit and 
 plans had kept to the original line. They were at tliis very 
 time working themselves out at Newbury, the originally de- 
 termined location. Newbury Seminary, at that time one of 
 onr strongest educational institutions, contributed at the very 
 outset not a little to the centenary movement in favor of es- 
 
Boston University. 373 
 
 tablishing a theological school. Many of the best arguments 
 in the Chnrch papers were dated from that literary center. 
 Its bid as a location for the projected school was the earliest 
 and best. To prepare the way for its coming the Theo- 
 logical Society of Newbury Seminary was organized Sep- 
 tember 11, 1840. By constitutional provision the principal 
 of the seminary, if a member of the New Hampshire Con- 
 ference,* was to be president, the stationed preacher vice- 
 president. This placed Professor Osmon C. Baker, A.M. 
 (the late Bishop), at the head of the new organization. The 
 object of the society was the ministerial training of its mem- 
 bers under the oversight of these experienced officers. For 
 a time its exercises consisted of essay-writing, criticism, dis- 
 cussion, preaching, etc. Encouraged, however, by the Wes- 
 ley Institute Association's acceptance of Newbury as the lo- 
 cation of the theological school. Professor Baker and his 
 associates added, in tlie spring of 1841, an extended course 
 of lectures and theological text-book instruction. On rec- 
 ommendation of the Conference the department was still 
 further developed by the addition of facilities for the study 
 of Hebrew. Rev. Henry W. Adams, A.B., a graduate of 
 Middletown, was the instructor in this branch. The follow- 
 ing year Professor Willett resigned his chair in Wesley an 
 University and accepted the professorship of Hebrew in what 
 was now called 
 
 The Newbury Biblical Institute. 
 
 A few montlis later Professor Willett established a theo- 
 logical organ, known as the "Newbury Biblical Magazine." 
 Preparations were made to erect a hall for the theological 
 students. Some of the materials were purchased, but it 
 * The Vermont Conference was not set off jiniil 1844. 
 
374 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 beino: tlibnsrlit wiser to wait the more definite action of the 
 Annual Conferences, the work was postponed. For imme- 
 diate use a portion of the existing seminary building, which 
 had previously been occupied by the ladies, was set apart for 
 the institute, and on the 29th of September, 1843, formally 
 dedicated. Professor Baker delivered the dedicatory address, 
 his theme being "The Call and Qualification of the Christian 
 Minister." At this time twenty students were in attendance 
 upon the institute. 
 
 In 1844 Professor Baker resigned his principalship of the 
 seminary and professorship in the institute to enter upon the 
 regular work of the ministry. Not long after a committee 
 of Newbury brethren visited the Boston Preachers' Meeting 
 to secure their co-operation in inviting the Rev. John Demp- 
 ster, at this time stationed in New York, to the chair vacated 
 by Professor Baker. The Boston brethren consented ,to 
 unite in the call, on condition that the school should be 
 made a general one for all the New England Conferences, 
 and that its future location shold be left to the determination 
 of the Conferences or their representatives. These conditions 
 were acceded to, and Mr. Dempster entered upon his duties 
 at Newbury. To carry out the new programme loyally, the 
 trustees of the Newbury Biblical Institute met in May, 1845, 
 at Winchester, the seat of the New Hampshire Conference, 
 and requested Professor Dempster to visit the other New 
 England Conferences as their agent, and seek their concur- 
 rence in tliree propositions : 1. That the patronizing Confer 
 enccs should all have an equal representation in the boai'd of 
 trustees ; 2. That the location of tlie school should be deter- 
 mined by the Conferences or by their trustees ; and, 3. That 
 $37,000, in addition to the $12,000 already subscribed for 
 the Newbury Institute, should be raised as an endowment. 
 
Boston University. 375 
 
 The New England, New Hampsliire, and Providence Con- 
 ferences readily accepted these propositions, and appointed, 
 as requested, five trustees each, to act with the trustees of 
 the Newbury Biblical Institute. This was a resumption of 
 the original plan, set aside by the irregular, if not illegal, 
 action of the Plymouth session of the Wesley Institute Asso- 
 ciation. The constitution of that association had provided 
 that the supervision of the future institution should be in 
 the hands of the Conferences, each appointing five of its 
 governing board. It had also left the decision of the ques- 
 tion of location to a body (the association itself) in which 
 each Conference was equally represented. About the same 
 sum had likewise been fixed upon at the outset as necessary 
 for the first endowment of the school. Thus the original 
 movement of the centenary year, recovering itself from all 
 losses and delays, held once more on its way. 
 
 About this time the trustees of the Newbury Biblical 
 Institute discovered, that by the terms of their charter so 
 considerable an increase of their number as that contem- 
 plated in their proposition to the Conferences, was impracti- 
 cable. With commendable magnanimity they therefore ac- 
 cepted the recommendation of the Vermont Conference, and 
 transferred their work to the hands of the trustees appointed 
 by the Conferences. Dr. Dempster took the field as finan- 
 cial agent, and the thus re-organized institute of Newbury 
 became thereafter 
 
 The Methodist General Biblical Institute. 
 
 The task of raising $37,000 at that time for such a pur- 
 pose was no easy one. Even Dr. Dempster failed. lie ditl 
 his utmost for a full year, even visiting Great Britain, and 
 soliciting from friends of American Methodism there, but 
 
376 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 still tlie sum total fell vastly short of the desired amount. 
 In the spring of 184Y, however, an eligible offer of location 
 and building having been received from citizens of Concord, 
 N. H., the trustees accepted the same, elected a faculty, and 
 on the 1st of April re-opened the school with three professors 
 and seven students.* A charter was procured from the 
 General Court of Kew Hampshire (approved July, 13, 1847), 
 and thus the idea of the centenary convention of 1839 en- 
 tered upon a new stage of its destined realization. 
 
 In explanation of the slowness of the movement up to 
 this point, many things should be remembered. First, it 
 required time to create a public sentiment in favor of such 
 an innovation upon the past practice of Methodism with 
 respect to ministerial training. This, however, was not so 
 great a hinderance as the general poverty of our people. A 
 generation ago our cause w^as in most places in New England 
 in all the weakness of its first beginnings. Yery few could 
 do more than meet the ordinary calls of charity and of 
 church work. Again, it was the period of the great anti- 
 slavery agitation, which led to the Wesleyan secession in 
 New England, and to the rending of the entire denomination 
 into two vast fragments. It was, furthermore, the time of the 
 great Millerite frenzy of 1843, and its most damaging reac- 
 tions thereafter. Many of the warmest friends of the school 
 
 * The following were the heroic professors who sacrificed the honors nnd 
 emoluments of the best pulpits of their day to build up, amid incredible obstacles, 
 the Concord Biblical Institute: John Dempster, D.D. (years of service, 1847- 
 1852); Osraon C. Baker, D.D., afterward Bishop (1841-1852) ; Cli.^rles Adams, 
 D.D. (1847-1849); Stephen M. Vail, D.D. (1849-1867): John W. Merrill, D.D. 
 (1854-1867); and David Patten, D.D. (1854-1867)— the last also serving in the 
 new faculty in Boston. Isaac Rich, Esq., the Hon. Jacob Sleeper, and the 
 Hon. Lee Claflin, later tlie founders of the Boston University, were the lirst 
 large pecuniary benefactors of the school. 
 
Boston University. 377 
 
 had to firive their best thonf^ht and work to the defense of 
 tlie people against this popular delusion. In addition to all 
 these things, the support of newlj established academies, and 
 the endowment of Wesleyan University, then scarce a 
 decade old and greatly embarrassed, were connectional bur- 
 dens of special urgency, taxing to the utmost the benevo- 
 lence of the Church. Under all the circumstances, the chief 
 wonder is that the project of founding a theological semi- 
 nary was not at an early period entirely abandoned. 
 
 The success of the school in its new location was such as to 
 meet all reasonable expectation. Considering the means and 
 circumstances of the institution, a most honorable record was 
 achieved. It graduated two hundred and ten students, an 
 average of over ten per annum. It educated in part over 
 ^ve hundred and seventy ministers, an average of nearly 
 thirty a year. These men are scattered through twenty-live 
 ^r thirty of our Annual Conferences, at the head of foreign 
 missions, in prominent educational institutions, and even in 
 the Wesleyan ministry of British America and the mother 
 country. " One third of the New England Conference," said 
 a writer in 1866, " and two thirds of the New Hampshire, 
 are from this institution, while twenty -three more are in the 
 Providence Conference. To take Concord out of New En- 
 gland," he adds, " would be to ruin New England Methodism." 
 
 During all these years the school was constantly on the 
 verge of bankruptcy. Its chief dependence was the pittance 
 annually collected by the members of the eight patronizing 
 Conferences. To facilitate the work of securing an endow- 
 ment, as well as to obtain the advantage of a metropolitan 
 location, the question of removal to Boston was frequently 
 discussed. Once and again the trustees and patrons were de- 
 terred from action, first, by the financial crises of the country, 
 
378 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 then bj the repeated disasters by fire which overtook our 
 academy at Wilbraham. The approach of the centenary of 
 American Methodism, however, in 1866, afforded just the 
 needed opportunity. Liberal subscriptions were solicited 
 and obtained, a new board of trustees organized under a 
 Massachusetts charter, and, in 1867, the scliool, with all its 
 trusts and traditions, was transferred to Boston. Such was 
 the origin of 
 
 The Boston Theological Seminary, 
 
 under which new name the school was carried on from 1867 
 till 1871-72. The prosperity of the re-organized institution 
 during this period is shown by the following annual totals of 
 students in attendance : thirty-two, forty-four, fifty-nine, 
 eighty-one, ninety-four. During this time, under a new 
 faculty, many of the ablest and most learned of American 
 divines, of various evangelical denominations, were employed 
 as lecturers extraordinary, missionary instruction was intro- 
 duced, a library fund collected, two scholarships founded, 
 and an annual report printed, now of no inconsiderable his- 
 toric value. During the year 1871 the seminary was legally 
 transferred to the trustees of the newly founded Boston Uni- 
 versity — the first completely organized university, with all 
 the faculties, in universal Methodism. Since that time au- 
 thentic accounts of its growth and work may be found in 
 the published annual reports of the president of Boston 
 University, and in the quadrennial reports of the trustees of 
 the university to the General Conferences of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, printed in the Journals of said Con- 
 ferences. 
 
 Briefly sketched, such is the story of the rise and early 
 fortunes of our earliest institution for the training of Chris- 
 
Boston University. 379 
 
 tian ministers. Its foundei*s fouglit the battle for all that 
 were to follow. Its relation to the institutions at Evanston 
 and Madison is almost directly parental. To found the for- 
 mer Dr. Dempster resigned his position of honor and influ- 
 ence at Concord, and went forth to recommence the struggle 
 of his life in the great West. Happily Providence had bet- 
 ter things in store for him. A saintly widow consecrated 
 her ample fortune to the work, and he was privileged to or- 
 ganize, upon a financial basis such as he had never dreamed 
 of before, the Garrett Biblical Institute. The founder of 
 the Drew Theological Seminary was a parishioner of the 
 same heroic pioneer during the years immediately preceding 
 liis exchange of the pulpit for the championship of the New 
 England Theological School. The prominence of the name 
 of Dimiel Drew upon Dempster's earliest subscription book, 
 shows when and how that intelligent interest in ministerial 
 education was cultivated which culminated, in 1866, in the 
 munificent foundation at Madison. It is also a pleasing 
 coincidence, that the first two anniversary orators at Concord 
 afterward became, in precisely the same order, the first two 
 presidents of Drew Theological Seminary. 
 
380 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTEE n. 
 
 GARRETT BIBLICAL INSTITUTE. 
 
 BY HON. JUDGE GRANT GOODRICH. 
 
 In 1853 there was but one theological school in the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. This was founded through the 
 labors of Rev. John Dempster, D.D., at Concord, New 
 Hampshire. The Methodists of America were slow to ap- 
 prove such schools, and it was felt that special safeguards, 
 providing against apprehended dangers, were necessary. 
 Mrs. Eliza Garrett, of Chicago, by the death of her husband, 
 had become possessed of a large property in the city of 
 Chicago, and, being without children and desirous of advanc- 
 ing the Kedeemer's kingdom, determined to devote two 
 thirds of her property to such uses as seemed most likely to 
 promote that object. She sought the advice of various 
 friends in whose judgment she had confidence, but none of 
 their suggestions met her entire approval. In consulting 
 ariotlier friend, her attention was called to the founding of a 
 theological school. That, she replied, had been the subject 
 of lier own thought ; the pious and heroic men who had 
 spread the Gospel with such wonderful success over a wide 
 and sparsely settled country, among a people largely deprived 
 of the means of education, deserved and should receive all 
 honor; but the more settled condition of the people would 
 lead to higher education and intelligence, and they would tlien 
 demand a ministry of higher culture, and to the training of 
 such a ministry she would devote her property. In Decem- 
 ber, 1853, a will was drawn to carry this design into effect. 
 
Gaerett Biblical Institute. 381 
 
 Several coincidences indicate that her inspiration to this 
 noble purpose was from on high. About this time Rev. D. P. 
 Kidder, D.D., being informed of her intention, visited and en- 
 couraged iier. Also, in the succeeding winter, Dr. Dempster, 
 in pursuance of a plan to found such a school in the West, 
 visited Chicago, and, on learning the purpose of Mrs. Gar- 
 rett, was introduced to her, and, on consultation, said : " The 
 will of the Lord is clear, I have been directed of him, though 
 I knew it not." He desired to commence at once, but the 
 debts of the estate could not be paid under two years, and 
 until that time Mrs. Garrett could give no aid. Dr. Demp- 
 ster was not content to wait, and in December, 1853, he 
 called a meeting of a few friends of the enterprise, and pro- 
 posed, if they would furnish a building and §1,600 a year, 
 he would become responsible for all other expenses. This 
 they promised to do, and in January, 1854, a wooden build- 
 ing, adequate to accommodate forty students, was finished, 
 and the school was opened, under the charge of Rev. John 
 Dempster, D.D., Rev. William Goodfellow, A.M., and the 
 Rev. William P. Wright, A.M. The first term opened with 
 four and closed with sixteen students. The direction was 
 confided to a committee until the commencement of the term, 
 in 1856, when the government and property were passed 
 over to the trustees named in the charter. In November, 
 1855, its founder, after a brief illness, passed from earth to 
 heaven, with the exclamation upon her dying lips, " Bless 
 the Lord, O my soul ! " 
 
 The provisions of the charter, and the action of the Gen- 
 eral Conference on the petition of the trustees, effectually 
 insure fidelity to the doctrines and discipline of the Church. 
 The charter requires three of the trustees to be ministers and 
 three laymen, all to be members of tlie Methodist Episcopal 
 
382 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Church, and to be elected by the Kock Kiver Conference. 
 The policy of so limited a number of trustees, and of con- 
 fining the election to the Kock Kiver Conference, has been 
 questioned ; but we are certain that the history of the insti- 
 tution will justify the wisdom of these provisions. Uniform 
 experience demonstrates that a small board of trustees is 
 more efficient than a large one. They should always be se- 
 lected for their sound judgment, intelligent devotion to the 
 Church, and ability to give that large amount of time and 
 personal attention to their duties which can alone insure 
 success. While thus securing efficiency in the conduct of 
 financial affairs, the charter gives the patronizing Confer- 
 ences a supervision of the institution, by the appointment 
 of two visitors from each, who have the right to participate 
 in the examination of the students, to inquire into the 
 teaching, and to submit such advice to the trustees as 
 they deem proper. These supervisory powers are practi- 
 cally more conserving and controlling than one or two votes 
 in a large body of trustees. The charter shows what careful 
 provisions against doctrinal errors and misteaching have 
 been made. Kegarding the school as connection al, and that 
 all possible safeguards might be thrown around it, the trust- 
 ees, before the election of any professors, except Dr. Demp- 
 ster, petitioned the Bishops for their counsel in organizing 
 the institution, the selection of its teachers, and the general 
 plan of its management. This petition was referred to the 
 General Conference of 1856, which recommended that the 
 Bishops act as an advisory committee to counsel the trustees 
 of the Garrett Biblical Institute, and such other similar in- 
 stitutions as may exist, but disapproved the undue multipli- 
 cation of such schools. 
 
 In accordance with such action, the Bishops advised that 
 
Garrett Biblical Institute. 383 
 
 no teacher be elected without their approval, and that every 
 teacher, before entering upon his duties, should sign a 
 declaration of his approval of the doctrines and discipline 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. These recommenda- 
 tions were approved by the trustees, and have been care- 
 fully observed. 
 
 In 1865 the number of students had so increased that the 
 original building became inadequate for their accommoda- 
 tion, and, as a pious woman had founded the school, an 
 appeal was made to the women of the Church to erect a 
 more commodious building, to be dedicated as a memorial to 
 Barbara Heck. The Rev. James S. Smart was secured as 
 agent, and his labors were so successful that on the 12th of 
 July, 1866, the corner-stone of a handsome brick building 
 was laid, which was finished, furnished, and dedicated, July 
 4, 1867, at a cost of $57,000. Of the cost of the building, 
 however, $25,000 remained unprovided for, which the trust- 
 ees were compelled to assume. This edifice ^Heck Hall) con- 
 tains a chapel, library, recitation rooms, and fifty-seven rooms 
 for students. These accommodations have heretofore proved 
 sufficient, but the institution has so grown in favor with the 
 Church, and the number of students has so multiplied, that 
 an additional building, specially for chapel, library, and lect- 
 ure rooms, is greatly needed. It is hoped the friends of min- 
 isterial education will speedily furnish the necessary funds ; 
 for it is the fixed policy of the trustees to sell no part of the 
 endowment property, and not to encumber it for current 
 expenses, or for the erection of buildings. 
 
 The financial history of the institute has been one of 
 marked vicissitude, but under the unremitting labors and 
 skillful management of the trustees, the generous liberality 
 of the Church, and the blessing of God, it has been one of 
 
384 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 marvelous success. The endowment left by Mrs. Garrett 
 was in real estate, most of it in the business part of Chicago. 
 "When it passed from the executors of Mrs. Garrett to the 
 trustees it was mostly unproductive. The trustees put as 
 much of it as possible under ground rents, in which they 
 were satisfactorily successful; but the financial embarrass- 
 ments of 1857 compelled the lessee of the most valuable part 
 to give up his lease in the succeeding year. In 1860 the 
 wigwam in which Mr. Lincoln was nominated was erected 
 upon it at a comparatively nominal rent. This building was 
 afterward purchased, and converted into business tenements, 
 but was burned in 1867. In 1870 a block of brick stores 
 was built upon it at a cost of $65,000, which, with $25,000 
 assumed in the erection of Heck Hall, and $2,000 paid on 
 the purchase of the wigwam, constituted an indebtedness of 
 $92,000. This building, with two other brick stores, was 
 swept away in the great fire of October, 1871, leaving most 
 of the property not only unproductive, but encumbered with 
 the whole debt of $92,000. This great calamity left the 
 financial affairs of the institution in a most deplorable condi- 
 tion. But by the generous liberality of the entire Church 
 in its contributions for the relief of the suffering brethren of 
 Chicago, the institute realized as its share $62,500, and the 
 trustees, as the only means of paying the debt and securing 
 the support of the school, erected in 1872 a larger building at 
 a cost of $110,000. For the ensuing year the property 
 yielded an income of $25,000 ; but the panic of 1873 so bank- 
 rupted lessees and depressed rents that in 1878 we had run 
 behind $1,500, and the estimated deficiency for the ensuing 
 year was $5,000. The trustees called the faculty together, 
 and having submitted the financial condition, informed them 
 that they had resolved to sell none of the property and to 
 
Garrett Biblical Institute. 385 
 
 contract no liabilities for tlie current expenses of the school ; 
 tliat the only way it could be continued was by an appeal to 
 the Cliurch for relief; and if that failed, the school must be 
 closed until its endowment could be relieved of incumbrance. 
 A meeting of the friends of the institution was then called, 
 and it was resolved to make an appeal to the Church to can- 
 cel the indebtedness and increase the endowment. The fac- 
 ulty generously contributed one fourth of their salaries ; but 
 little progress was made until, by appointment of the Rock 
 River Conference, in 1879, the services of the Rev. W. C. 
 Dandy, D.D., were procured. He entered upon the work 
 with a thorough appreciation of its importance, and prose- 
 cuted it with an intelligent zeal, an earnest but kind persist- 
 ency which gave him a wonderful success, not only in obtain- 
 ing pecuniary relief, but in awakening an interest in behalf 
 of ministerial education in the Church at large. Among the 
 numerous gifts obtained during this period was the noble 
 benefaction of Mi*s. Cornelia Miller, of Iowa, of $30,000 for 
 the endowment of the chair of practical theology. Through 
 Dr. Dandy's labors and the fortunate sale of some riparian 
 rights we are able to make the gratifying announcement 
 to the Church that all the debts of Garrett Biblical Institute 
 have been paid. Reliable progress is also being made toward 
 a handsome increase of the endowment, and the income will 
 be adequate to meet all current expenses, unless an unforeseen 
 depreciation in rents should occur. It is earnestly hoped, 
 that as the wants of the school are constantlv increasinor, the 
 worthy example of Mrs. Miller will be followed by others, 
 that thus the institute may be placed fully abreast with all 
 the requirements of the age. 
 
 Recognizing, as we do, these signal manifestations of 
 
 divine favor to this school of the prophets, we renew to its 
 17 
 
386 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 present and future governors and teachers the exhortation 
 which was addressed by the committee who organized Garrett 
 Biblical Institute, and directed the first years of its history, 
 when they surrendered its control to the charter trustees, 
 *^ That learning however profound, human wisdom however 
 deep, the skill of logic and the grace of eloquence how- 
 ever polished, without the kindled fires, the baptismal unc- 
 tion of the Holy Ghost, are vanities and worse than vanities, 
 in fitting the minister of the Gospel of Christ for his holy 
 calling. ... Let all learning and science, however varied 
 and profound, be regarded as valueless to the commissioned 
 of Heaven, only so far as they arm him with more potency to 
 wield the mighty truths and unfold the saving mysteries of 
 the Gospel of Christ. Let Christ, the Divine Redeemer, and 
 his vicarious sacrifice, liis atoning and purifying blood, be 
 ever recognized and proclaimed as the only source of salvar 
 tion to a fallen world. In dread of the final judgment we 
 adjure you to fail not." 
 
 Trustees. — Hon. Grant Goodrich, president; Orrington 
 Lunt, secretary and treasurer; Luke Hitchcock, D.D., Eev. 
 E. H. Gammon, William Deering, R. D. Sheppard, D.D. 
 
 Official Board of Counsel. — The Bishops of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Faculty. — Henry B. Ridgaway, D.D., president; Pro- 
 fessors Miner Raymond, D.D., LL.D., Charles F. Bradley, 
 B.D., Milton S. Terry, D.D., Charles W. Bennett, D.D. ; 
 Robert L. Cumnock, A.M., elocution ; Rev. Milton S. Yail, 
 A.B., Greek. 
 
 Among the retired professors, Henry Bannister, D.D., and 
 Francis C. Hemenway, D.D., both deceased, each gave twen- 
 ty-five of tlie best years of life to tliis institution, Daniel P. 
 Kidder, D.D., fifteen years, and Bishop Ninde nine years. 
 
Garketit Biblical Institute. 387 
 
 Alumni. — A class of six was graduated from this school in 
 1858. Each year since has added to the list of the alumni. 
 Of the three hundred and twenty-seven graduates, the follow- 
 ing have become distinguished in the various fields of labor 
 assigned them : 
 
 J. Watson Waugh, D.D., North India ; James S. Chadwick, 
 D.D., New York ; Charles H. Fowler, D.D., LL.D., Bishop 
 Methodist Episcopal Church ; Darius H. Muller, D.D., East 
 Ohio; P. T. Wilson, M.D., North India; James H. Mess- 
 more, D.D., North India ; N. H. Axtell, D.D., Rock River ; 
 O. J. Cowles, D.D., Kansas; George E. Strobridge, D.D., 
 New York ; John Boucher, D.D., Indiana ; J. C. Hart- 
 zell, D.D., Louisiana ; Joshua H. Rigby, D.D., Upper Iowa ; 
 Wilbur F. Yocum, D.D., president Fort Wayne College; 
 W. H. H. Adams, D.D., president Illinois Wesleyan Uni- 
 versity ; Nathan Bur wash, S.T.D., professor of theology in 
 V'ictoria University ; Spencer Lewis, B.D., China Mission ; 
 Edward L. Park, A.M., B.D., president of Simpson Col- 
 lege, and many others. 
 
388 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 DREW THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 
 
 BY HENRY A. BUTTZ, D.D. 
 
 The Drew Theological Seminary is the result of the 
 Centennial celebration of American Methodism in 1866. The 
 General Conference of 1864, in its arrangements for the 
 Centennial, expressed the desire that the educational interests 
 of tlie Church should share largely in the contributions of 
 the people. 
 
 The necessity for a forward movement in educational 
 work, especially in the department of ministerial education, 
 was felicitously expressed by the Rev. Dr. Abel Stevens, in 
 1865. 
 
 In his " Centenary of American Methodism " he thus writes 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church : " It should especially 
 enlarge its means of ministerial education. It has done a 
 great work in the mere conquest of the popular prejudice 
 against theological schools. It has provided (as we have 
 seen) two such institutions — one in the north-east, and one in 
 the north-west ; it needs at least three more immediately — 
 one in the middle east, one in the middle west, and one on 
 the Pacific coast. It should have them at latest within five 
 years, and its proposed Centenary Fund will probably enable 
 it to provide them even earlier." 
 
 In the year 1866, Mr. Daniel Drew, a layman of New 
 York city, proposed to give $500,000 for the purpose of 
 founding, in or near New York city, a theological seminary 
 for the Methodist Episcopal Church. This most generous 
 
Drew Theological Seminary. 389 
 
 offer was received with profound satisfaction and deep grati- 
 tude by the Church, and plans to put into effect this purpose 
 of Mr. Drew were at once considered. 
 
 The first matter which engaged his attention was the selec- 
 tion of a suitable location. After a careful investigation of 
 the various places which were suggested, it was decided to es- 
 tablish the institution at Madison, N. J., about twenty-seven 
 miles from the city of New York. The site chosen was the 
 valuable property known as the " Forest," belonging to the 
 Gibbons estate. It is a most beautiful and healthful spot, 
 about three hundred and seventy-live feet above tide-water, 
 and admirably adapted, in all respects, for the purposes of an 
 institution of learning. 
 
 On the grounds was the stately building known as the 
 " Mansion." It was found admirably adapted to the needs of 
 the school, its rooms large and high, having ante-rooms suit- 
 able for studies and offices for the professors; it also afforded 
 ample room for the library, which was to be one of the finest 
 theological reference libraries in the country. 
 
 The ninety-five acres of land that comprised the tract af- 
 forded fine locations for the residences of the faculty and for 
 the dormitories. The grounds "are laid out with great taste 
 and attractiveness, the original model being one of the finest 
 of the English baronial estates." 
 
 Over $270,000 were spent by Daniel Drew in the pur- 
 chase of these grounds, the erection of the necessary addi- 
 tional buildings, and in securing the valuable collections of 
 books that now compose the library. 
 
 The seminary was incorporated by the Legislature of New 
 Jersey on the 12th of February, 18G8. Tlie purposes of the 
 institution were quite clearly outlined in the charter, which 
 in its second section is as follows: 
 
390 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 2. And !)€ it enacted, That the objects and purposes of the said cor- 
 poration are the establishment, maintenance, and support within the 
 State of New Jersey of a theological faculty and seminary, and of theo- 
 logical instruction and education therein, under the direction and 
 supervision of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church in the United States, and in consonance with the doctrines and 
 discipline of the said Church, with power to confer on graduates of 
 said seminary proper degrees in theology, and to exercise the preroga- 
 tive of a university in conferring honorary degrees in theology upon 
 clergymen, with power also to oi^anize faculties of arts, law, literature, 
 and medicine at such time as the said corporation may see fit, and to 
 that end to appoint professors in said faculties, and through them to 
 provide instruction in the arts, law, literature, and medicine, and to 
 confer degrees in the same, and to use and exercise all the powers and 
 functions of a university; and said corporation is hereby authorized 
 and empowered, whenever it shall desire so to do, to change its cor- 
 porate name to that of the Drew University; said change to be effected 
 by filing in the office of the Secretary of State, of this State, a cer- 
 tificate signed by the president of the board of trustees for the 
 time being, by order of said board, of their intention so to change said 
 name, and upon the filing of said certificate said corporation shall 
 thenceforward be known by the said name of the Drew Univercity; 
 p7'ovidedy that said change of name shall not in any wise affect the title 
 to any of the property of the corporation ; but said corporation shall 
 have and enjoy all its franchises, property, rights, and privileges, and 
 have succession in all respects as if its name had not been changed. 
 
 It thus appears that the school was founded to promote a 
 higher training for the candidates for the Methodist minis- 
 try. While all the powers of a university were conferred 
 upon the trustees and faculty by their charter, they have ad- 
 hered thus far closely to its primary object. None are ad- 
 mitted from the Methodist Episcopal Church except those 
 who are local preachers, or who are recommended by a Quar- 
 terly Conference as suitable persons to study for the minis- 
 try. Students from other denominations are only admitted 
 
Drew Theological Seminary. 391 
 
 on receiving satisfactory credentials of their standing in tlie 
 Cluirch from which tliey come. Thus the ministerial and 
 religious aspect of the school is strictly guarded at the door 
 of enti-ance. 
 
 The seminary was formally opened on the 6th of Novem- 
 ber, 18C7. The exercises were held in the morning in the 
 Presbyterian church, w^hich that society had generously 
 tendered for that purpose, and in the afternoon in the Man- 
 sion on the seminary grounds, known as Mead Hall, a 
 name given to it in recognition of the maiden name of Mrs. 
 Drew. The large assembly present, including Bishops, cler- 
 gymen, and laymen, with many ladies, showed a wide-spread 
 interest in the occasion. The faculty present at the time 
 consisted of John McClintock, D.D., LL.D., president, and 
 professor of practical theology ; Bernard II. Nadal, D.D., 
 professor of historical theology. In carrying out the plan of 
 the trustees, two members of the faculty, a professor of exe- 
 getical theology, and a professor of systematic theology, with 
 such additional instruction as might be needed, remained to 
 be secured. The faculty, as constituted at the opening of 
 the second seminary year, in the autumn of 1868, was as 
 follows : 
 
 Rev. John McClintock, D.D., LL.D., president, and pro- 
 fessor of practical theology ; Rev. B. H. Nadal, D.D., professor 
 of historical theology ; Rev. R. S. Foster, D.D., LL.D., pro- 
 fessor of systematic theology; James Strong, S.T.D., pro- 
 fessor of exegetical theology ; Rev. Henry A. Buttz, M.A., 
 'adjunct professor of Greek ; James II. Worman, M.A., 
 librarian. 
 
 In the spring of 1869 the fii-st class (numbering nine) was 
 graduated from the seminary, and from that time until 
 now the institution has gone steadily forward in its work of 
 
392 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 training young men for the ministry of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church. Up to the present time some three hundred 
 and fifty graduates have gone into the ministry, and in addi- 
 tion a large number, who were not able to complete the full 
 course. They are in the East and West, the JSTorth and 
 South, and the school has furnished a large and successful 
 working force in the various mission fields of the Church. 
 In the brief period of its history, Drew Theological Seminary 
 has trained about one thirtieth of the present itinerant min- 
 istry of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 In Febniary, 1870, the first president, Rev. Dr. Jolm 
 McClintock, died, and in the summer of the same year Dr. 
 iNadal was also removed by death. They were held in high- 
 est esteem, and their loss was deeply deplored, not only by 
 the friends of the seminary, but by the whole Church. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Foster became the successor of Dr. McClin- 
 tock in the presidency, and Dr. J. F. Hurst succeeded Dr. 
 I^adal in the chair of historical theology. At a later period, 
 Dr. D. P. Kidder became professor of practical theology, 
 and Rev. Henry A. Buttz, professor of New Testament 
 exegesis. 
 
 On the election of Dr. Foster to the episcopacy, Dr. J. F. 
 Hurst was elected president, which office he held until his 
 election to the episcopacy, in 1880. Bishop Hurst w^as suc- 
 ceeded in his professorship by Dr. George R. Crooks, and 
 Dr. Kidder, who resigned the professorship of practical the- 
 ology in 1880, was succeeded by Dr. S. F. Upham. In 
 the same year Dr. Henry A. Buttz became president of the 
 institution. 
 
 The faculty, as now constituted, is as follows : 
 
 Rev. Henry A. Buttz, D.D., president, and professor of 
 New Testament exegesis ; James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., 
 
Drew Theological Seminary. 393 
 
 professor of exegetical theology ; Rev. John Miley, D.D., 
 LL.D., professor of systematic tlieology ; Rev. George R. 
 Crooks, D.D., LL.D., professor of historical theology ; Rev. 
 Samuel F. Upham, D.D., professor of practical theology, and 
 librarian ; Professor J. P. Silvernail, A.M., special instructor 
 in elocution. 
 
 Li the interval between these periods, instruction in the 
 various departments has been furnished by Revs. S. L. Bald- 
 win, D.D., J. T. Gracey, D.D., H. C. Whiting, Ph.D., C. R. 
 Barnes, M.A., S. Parsons, M.A., W. L. Hoagland, M.A., 
 W. W. Martin, M.A. 
 
 In the spring of 1873 a great financial disaster fell upon 
 the seminary. Mr. Daniel Drew, the generous founder of 
 the institution, failed in business, and hence he was unable to 
 pay the endowment which he had pledged for its suppoi-t. 
 
 Mr. Drew had, however, before his misfortunes, done a 
 work wliich will bear his name and influence for coming 
 generations. He had purchased the property, he had put 
 upon it extensive improvements, he had supported the semi- 
 nary for nine years, expending upon it about $500,000. 
 He never ceased to deplore his inability to sustain the semi- 
 nary. Tlie shock to the trustees and faculty and friends was 
 very great, but, not daunted by the difficulties, the president 
 of the seminary. Dr. Hurst, and the trustees and friends, 
 came boldly forward, and the school was not compelled 
 to diminish its working force or to abridge its work for a 
 Fingle day. 
 
 Led by the indomitable energy of Dr. Hurst, the trustees 
 and friends devoted themselves to the task of restoring its 
 endowment. By the spring of 1880 the work was practi- 
 cally accomplished, and Dr. llurst, whose energy and wisdom 
 
 had done so much toward securing this result, had tlio satis- 
 17* 
 
394 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 faction of seeing, before his elevation to the episcopacy, 
 the institution restored to more than its original financial 
 strength. 
 
 The library of the seminary from the first attracted the 
 attention of the management of the seminary. A nucleus 
 of a fine theological library was formed before the endow- 
 ment was swept away, and it lias been largely increased from 
 tiine to time. It is especially rich in Methodist literature, 
 and in hymnology. The trustees have determined on the 
 erection of a new fire-proof library building, of stone, with 
 reading-room and all modern appliances, for the preservation 
 of their treasures, and the work has already begun. When 
 this is completed the library facilities of the seminary will be 
 among the best in the country. Its text- books in bibliog- 
 raphy and lexicography, botli general and special, in English, 
 German, and French, are quite complete. Tlie Greek and 
 Latin Fathers, Abbe Migne's edition, make the set of patris- 
 tics perfect, while in exegetical theology the collected works 
 of the Eeformers, and the Codices, largely enhance the value 
 of tlie library to the student and literary man, to whom, in 
 the future, much more than in the past, is this library to 
 become the literary Mecca of our Church historians and 
 our theologians. Its collection of histories connected with 
 Methodism, used by Dr. Abel Stevens in the preparation of 
 his works, and the Creamer collection of hymnology, are 
 priceless. To these are added the library of the late Dr. 
 McClintock, and the collection of the late Rev. John D. 
 Blain, which, with the valuable contributions made by a 
 number of generous friends, constitute the Drew Library, 
 which, in connection with the equally accessible library of 
 the professors, numbers about twenty-five thousand volumes. 
 
 The seminary is devoted to the interests of the Methodist 
 
Drew Theological Seminary. 39[i 
 
 Eiscopal Church, and offers abundant facihties for the 
 thorough education of its ministry. 
 
 Its trustees are elected by the General Conference; the 
 faculty is elected by the trustees, on the nomination of the 
 Board of Bishops ; and the doctrines and discipline of Meth- 
 odism are taught and enforced. 
 
 Within twenty-seven miles of New York city, very ac- 
 cessible to the metropolis, and to the Book and Mission 
 Rooms of the Church, Drew Theological Seminary opens its 
 doors to welcome the coming ministry of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and to prepare them, with the divine 
 blessing, for their sacred work. 
 
396 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CENTRAL TENNESSEE COLLEGE. 
 
 BY PRESIDENT J. BRADEN, D.D. 
 
 In 1865 the Missionary Society of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church intrusted to Bishop Clark $10,000 for the 
 establishment of a Freedmen's school somewhere in the 
 South-west. In the early autumn of that year he authorized 
 Eev. John Seys, D.D., and Eev. O. O. Knight, to open a 
 Freedmen's school in Clark's Chapel, Kashville, Tenn. The 
 work of preparation was intrusted to Mr. Knight, who with 
 his own hands prepared seats and other furniture. 
 
 The first teachers were Messrs. Seys and Knight, assisted 
 by Mrs. Mary Murphy, Mrs. Julia North, Misses O. D. Bar- 
 ber, Julia Evans, Nettie and Mary Mann, and a little later 
 Miss Emily E. Preston. All these assistants were colored 
 persons, with but very limited education, mostly acquired 
 after the issue of the Emancipation Proclamation. The pu- 
 pils were of all ages and sizes. Children, parents, and grand- 
 parents were in the same classes. They were poorly clad, 
 homeless wanderers from the plantations of their old mas- 
 ters, and now sheltered in the barracks of the army, or the 
 abandoned cellars, garrets, or houses of those who had fled 
 through apprehension of arrest by the government. Never 
 did teachers have more earaest pupils. The w^hole chapel, 
 including basement, was soon crowded, While the other 
 
Central Tennessee College. 397 
 
 teacliei*s taught the spclHng-book, primer, and easy readers, 
 Dr. Seys endeavored to impart to the numerous exhortei-s 
 and local preachers some knowledge of the doctrines of the 
 Bible, and of the Discipline of tlie Church. The following 
 specimen of the preaching, quite common then, was heard 
 by the writer soon after his arrival in Nashville, in 1867 : 
 
 " My brethering, I ha'n't got no book larnin', book 'ligion. 
 I has de ole cornfield 'ligion, and you'll find de tex' some- 
 whar' in de lids ob de Bible, and it am dis : ' Let me die de 
 death ob de righteous man, and let my last end be like 
 hisen.' " 
 
 This boast of the superiority of the "cornfield 'ligion" 
 was to propitiate the large part of his hearers, who were as 
 ignorant as himself. This preacher soon after learned to 
 read the Bible ; this, of course, changed his estimate of the 
 superiority of the "cornfield" to the book religion. 
 
 During the spring of 1866, Bishop Clark having deter- 
 mined to locate a permanent school at Nashville, a board of 
 trustees was appointed, and a charter for a college was 
 secured. This was accepted by the Freedmen's Aid Society, 
 which undertook to support the teachers, and otherwise aid 
 the institution. This work has gone on for nineteen years. 
 Hundreds of young men have been trained for the ministry, 
 scores for the practice of medicine, and thousands for teaching 
 in the public and private schools of the land. The church 
 becoming entirely too small, the school, in September, 1866, 
 was moved into a building known as the " Gun Factory." 
 This building was erected by the Confederates iis an armory, 
 but the near approach of the Union forces, after the fall of 
 Fort Donelson, stopped the work, and led to the abandon- 
 ment of the building. It was turned over to the school 
 trustees by the Freedmen's Bureau. The government fitted 
 
398 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 lip tlie rooms, the trustees provided desks at an expense of 
 over $2,000. The services of Dr. Sejs and Mr. Knight were 
 required in other fields. Rev. W. B. Crichlaw was appointed 
 pastor of Clark Chapel, and at the same time took charge of 
 the school, with the teachei^s before named as assistants. 
 Over eight hundred pupils were enrolled for this year, 
 mostly in the primary grades. A few had advanced to the 
 study of grammar, geography, and perhaps physiology. 
 The ages of the scholars were becoming more like those of 
 ordinary schools. The government having ceased the sup- 
 ply of rations, the parents learned that freedom imposed the 
 necessity of labor for a living. Under what was called 
 " Eadical Eule," good systems of common schools were insti- 
 tuted in several of the Southern States. 
 
 General John Eaton, afterward connected with the Depart- 
 ment of the Interior at Washington, became the State super- 
 intendent of education for Tennessee. Under his influence, 
 the Legislature enacted a good public-school system for the 
 whole people. The city of Nashville also reorganized its 
 schools, making provision for the colored as well as for the 
 white children. The Church, relieved of this work of pri- 
 mary instruction, devoted the means thus saved to the prepa- 
 ration of teachers for the schools. To develop the principle 
 of self-help, a fee of one dollar per month was charged by 
 our school for tuition. Paying for education was a new 
 thing to the Freedmen. It was not surprising that, under 
 tliis pay system, the enrollment for the year 1867-68 was 
 but about two hundred. The city free schools were filled to 
 overflowing. At the opening of the school year, September, 
 1867, Rev. J. Braden, A.M., was placed in charge of the insti- 
 tution, with Mrs. Mary Murphy, Miss Emily E. Preston, and 
 Mrs. Sarah J. Larned as assistants. Tlie school in name was 
 
Central Tennessee College. 399 
 
 a normal and theological school, without students qualified 
 for either. The majority of the pupils were in primary 
 studies. The few more advanced were too young to preach 
 or teach. A change of location became necessary. The 
 " Gun Factory," though built for Confederate war purposes, 
 the United States authorities ordered delivered to its private 
 owners. The trustees began to look for a permanent site 
 for the college. There was then great opposition to the 
 education of the colored people. A site in Nashville was, 
 after much delay, secured; that is, it was purchased, and 
 the sum of $8,258 50 paid for it ; but when it became known 
 that a school for Freed men was to be established on it, an 
 appeal was made to the Chancery Court. The court set 
 aside the sale, and ordered the purchase money returned to 
 tlie trustees of the college. 
 
 After some delay, another lot, of about two acres, was pur- 
 chased, in the south-eastern part of the city limits, with a 
 large brick house upon it. This was fitted up for a school, 
 and in November, 1868, the school, under control of Rev. G. 
 W. llartupee, Mr. Braden having resigned the position, re- 
 opened in this building. Classes were formed in the com- 
 mon English branches, also in algebra and Latin, and there 
 were a few students in the Bible and Church Discipline. 
 More room being demanded, the Freedmen's Bureau erected 
 on this lot a three-storj brick building, which during the 
 winter was ready for use. The Bureau also repaired the 
 building purchased with the lot, and erected a two-story 
 building for a chapel, and for dormitories. These improve- 
 ments, costing over $20,000, were all conveyed to the college 
 trustees by the United States government. The number of 
 students the first year in these premises was over one 
 hundred. 
 
400 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 The next school year, 1869-YO, the departments becaine 
 more defined. Tlie teachers were Rev. J. Braden, president, 
 and in charge of the theological and preparatory depart- 
 ments ; Misses Maggie J. Herbert, Mary C. Owen, Jennie S. 
 Herbert, Mrs. L. C. Braden, Miss J. S. Avery, and Mrs. 
 George Bryant, assistants in the other departments. 
 
 During the year one hundred and ninety-two students 
 were enrolled. The school years 1870-74 exhibited a steady 
 growth, though the frequent changes of teachers and incon- 
 stancy of the students were felt to be great drawbacks to 
 progress. The stay of students in the school was influ- 
 enced by their lack of means, and also by the fact, that, in- 
 competent as they were, they could secure employment in 
 teaching, with fair wages. That being the case, they did not 
 see why they should longer confine themselves to school. 
 There was a great demand for preachers. Many of the pious 
 young men left school far too soon, to respond to calls for 
 the pulpits of the Church. Hence, year after year, the more 
 advanced students in the common English branches, or in 
 the preparatory department, left the school for these open 
 and inviting fields. Only two of the twenty-eight in tlie 
 preparatory department between 1870 and 1873 ever reached 
 the freshman class. Higher qualifications for tlie pulpits 
 and schools were needed, but they had to struggle on with 
 such as they could get. 
 
 When the Freedmen's Bureau finished the two brick 
 buildings, in 1869, it was thought that there would be abun- 
 dance of school-room for a long time. But the buildings 
 soon filled up, so that rooms which were intended originally 
 for two students, were occupied by from three to five. This 
 was the best that could be done. A new building must be 
 had or the school must suffer. Under the advice of Dr. R. 
 
Central Tennessee College. 401 
 
 S. Rust, a band of singers, known all over the country as 
 " The Tennesseeans,'' went out under the direction of Mr. J. 
 W. Donavin, and by their fine rendering of the religious 
 plantation melodies of the old slavery times, raised in three 
 years about $18,000. This, with aid from the Freedmen's 
 Aid Society, through Dr. Rust, erected a four-story brick 
 building, fifty-two by ninety feet, costing about $20,000, 
 which for the time being amply met the needs of the school. 
 
 In the year 1874 the first college class was formed. It 
 consisted of Miss Araminta P. Martin and George E. Terrass. 
 The former was graduated in due time ; the latter left school 
 before the close of the year, and never returned. As the 
 students advanced in knowledge, it was natural for them to 
 become impressed with the needs of their own people. The 
 large death-rate of the I^egroes attracted attention. The 
 inquiry into the causes led to the discovery that multitudes 
 of them were living in places utterly unfit for human habita- 
 tion. They were crowded together in open buildings, or in 
 damp cellars, or in buildings with no ventilation. In such 
 homes, with coarse food poorly prepared, and with igno- 
 rant nurses, it is less wonder that they died, than that any 
 of the sick recovered. It was found, also, that it was not 
 always possible to get medical attendance. Some physicians 
 would never go till the money was paid for the visit. This 
 was often very difiicult for the poor people to do, and 
 many died because they did not have medical attendance. 
 Young men asked, " Can we become doctors ? " There 
 were two large medical schools in Nashville, but no colored 
 student could be admitted. There were no medical schools 
 in the South, and but few in the North, that the Negroes 
 could attend. ^ 
 
 A Christian family living in the North, who had long 
 
402 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 sympatliized with the slave in bondage, and rejoiced in his 
 freedom, learned of this necessity, and Rev. Samuel Me- 
 harrj, of Shawnee Mound, Indiana, paid the expenses neces- 
 sary for beginning the Meharry Medical Department. This 
 contribution was followed by others from the same donor, 
 and from his brothers, Mr. Hugh Meharry, Rev. Alexander 
 Meharry, of the Cincinnati Conference, and David Meharry, 
 with which ground was purchased and an elegant four-story 
 brick building erected for a medical college. This family 
 has continued to aid in the support of the school, and, since 
 the death of Rev. A. Meharry, his widow has nobly con- 
 tributed to a work in which her sainted husband took so 
 lively an interest. Rev. G. W. Hubbard, M.D., was ap- 
 pointed dean of this department. There were few physicians, 
 at first, who were willing to be known as lecturers in a med- 
 ical school for ISTegroes. There were, however, noble spirits 
 that dared to enter this work, and did so for low compensa- 
 tion, in order that they might help an oppressed and ignorant 
 people. W. J. Sneed, M.D., and K G. Tucker, M.D., of 
 Nashville, entered this work. 
 
 These were Southern men ; had been in the Confederate 
 army during the war ; yet, recognizing the necessity, tliey 
 entered this work at the risk of losing their practice among 
 the w^hites. The first graduate from this medical school was 
 James Monroe Jamison, in February, 1877. For many years 
 the medical schools of the city had been sending out scores 
 and hundreds annually, but never a son of Ham. Now a 
 real Negro was to graduate at a medical college in this city, 
 wliere Negroes had been bought and sold by hundreds. One 
 of these ex-slaves has passed through his course of study, 
 and is to receive his degree. The chapel was crowded, and 
 after he had delivered his thesis and had received the class 
 
Central Tennessee College. 403 
 
 address from Dr. Tucker, and his degree from President 
 Braden, the applause which greeted the new-made doctor 
 was very hearty and prolonged. The event was rendered 
 further notable by the presence and address of Bishop Gil- 
 bert Haven, than whom the Freed men had no truer friend. 
 
 Dr. Jamison practiced successfully in Xashville for several 
 years, and then went to Topeka, Kansas, where he is still 
 practicing. The Medical Department had scarcely been insti- 
 tuted before there was an inquiry about law. The Negro 
 against the wliite had no chance in the courts, for, somehow, 
 the former always had a bad case, and the latter always a 
 good one. 
 
 In 1879 the Law Department was organized, with E. L. 
 Gregory, Esq., dean. Hon. John Lawrence was associated 
 with him in the faculty for this year. J. L. Whitworth, 
 B.S., B.L., and Hon. James Trimble, were afterward added 
 to the faculty. The attendance has been small, never reach- 
 ing more than eight or ten, and only one has graduated, 
 Joseph n. Dismukes, 1883, who has practiced successfully 
 in Kansas and Tennessee. The department is thoroughly or- 
 ganized, and is no expense to the Church. 
 
 It was the desire of the teachers in the college to impart a 
 more practical education to the students. Many of the young 
 women know comparatively nothing of domestic duties. 
 
 In the autunm of 1883 Rev. Atticus G. Haygood, D.D., 
 agent of the Slater Fund, made an appropriation for an In- 
 dustrial Department. Miss S. A. Bai-nes, preceptress, assisted 
 by Miss L. H. Hitchcock and Miss M. E. Young, took charge. 
 The young women were taught sewing, mending, darning, 
 and making garments. At the National Teachers' Exhibi- 
 tion, at Madison, Wisconsin, specimens of their work attract- 
 ed attention for its excellence. Other aid from the Slater 
 
404 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Fund, in 1884, enabled the department to secure sewing- 
 machines and teach their use. This, with a teacher in cut- 
 ting and fitting, enabled the young women to place speci- 
 mens of mending, darning, crocheting, lace work, also gar- 
 ments cut and made by themselves, with specimens of fancy 
 work, in the World's Exposition at New Orleans. Other 
 needful industries will be taught as soon as the means can be 
 secured. 
 
 Two years ago Messrs. Allison and Smith, of Cincinnati, 
 Ohio, donated through Rev. Dr. (now Bishop) Walden, a 
 neat job press. The young men were organized into an In- 
 dustrial Department, under Dr. G. W. Hubbard, and soon 
 were able to print the " College Record," a small monthly 
 paper, and do such job work as cards, programmes, etc. Dr. 
 Hay good and the Slater Fund came again to our help. Ad- 
 ditional type and a larger press were secured, and also in- 
 struction from a practical printer. The young men have, 
 the past year, printed two monthly papers of four and eight 
 pages, and a large amount of miscellaneous matter. Some 
 of them have been offered positions in printing offices as 
 regular printers. In the line of carpentry something has 
 been done. Out of the slender resources of the college a 
 shop was fitted up, and four benches put in. These were 
 insufficient, but they developed the fact that some of the 
 young men were as anxious to know how to do carpenter 
 work as others were to study medicine or law. 
 
 Another building was erected, and more benches set up. 
 By the aid of the Slater Fund a suitable instructor has been 
 engaged for the past two years with most encouraging re- 
 sults. It is due to all parties concerned to say, that this In- 
 dustrial Department is due very largely to the aid furnished 
 by the Slater Fund, through the general agent. Rev. Dr. 
 
Central Tennessee College. 405 
 
 A. G. Hay good. The commencement of the Medical Depart- 
 ment of 1885 witnessed the graduation of eight young men. 
 The theses of the graduates were of a high order, and de- 
 livered in excellent style. The appearance of the whole class 
 was that of gentlemen. They had all received a thorough 
 English education ; most of them had studied the prepara- 
 tory college course, and one had graduated and received his 
 A.B. There have been enrolled over three thousand dif- 
 ferent pupils since the opening of the school. To one who 
 has watched the progress of the school, day by day, the 
 progress may seem slow ; but, when it is remembered that 
 these students going out into successful professional life 
 were, a few years ago, the property of others, and com- 
 pelled to be ignorant by law, the progress is simply wonder- 
 ful. They went to work expecting to conquer. They have 
 passed from the primary school up through the several grades 
 to the college. They have passed on into the professional 
 schools, and filled their places in all these grades and pro- 
 fessions with credit. From the auction-block to the rostrum, 
 from the shambles to the professor's chair, all within these 
 few years. They have advanced, not only intellectually, but 
 in social and moral life. 
 
 The teachers and friends of the colored people are occa- 
 sionally shocked by the lapse of some of the most promising 
 ones. The Negro has his full share of the fallen nature of 
 the human race. The idea that this is a Christian school, 
 supported by the contributions of Christian men and women, 
 is kept before the students. They are required to attend 
 church and Sunday-school, and also the Wednesday night 
 prayer meeting. They are forbidden to use tobacco or intox- 
 icating liquors. The majority of our students are adults. 
 Some have families for whom they must provide ; some are 
 
406 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 preachers in charge of circuits, who can get away from their 
 work only for a very short period ; others are teachers, who 
 can come to school during their winter's vacation ; and many 
 others are farmers, wlio run into school during the few 
 months that they cannot work on the farm. 
 
 While this shows the desire for learning on the part of 
 the students, it also reveals the obstacles in the way of thor- 
 ough and regular classification, and the impossibility of hav- 
 ing large classes in the college course, or in any of the pro- 
 fessional schools. 
 
 The Theological Department. 
 
 The necessity for a more intelligent ministry was impera- 
 tive. Many of the canditates for the ministry at the close of 
 the war were not able to read. They needed primary in- 
 struction in the common English studies, yet they were ad- 
 mitted into the Conferences as the best that could be done. 
 Some of these came to school. Their biblical instruction 
 was of the most elementary character. The progress in real 
 theological study was very slow, as the greater part of the 
 w^ork for these students was to learn to read, write, and get 
 some knowledge of arithmetic. As students advanced, the 
 course of study was gradually increased, till the whole course 
 of systematic, historical, pastoral, and dogmatic theology, 
 with Greek and Hebrew, was embraced. In 1882 the first 
 graduate, Julius J. Holland, in this department received his 
 diploma, with the degree B.D., he having received the de- 
 gree of A.B. in 1881. R. Harper and E. Tyree were grad- 
 uated the next year in the shorter course, and received cer- 
 tificates of graduation. 
 
 In 1883 Rev. D. M. Birmingham was appointed dean, and 
 succeeded admirably in organizing the department, when, to 
 
Central Tennessee College. 407 
 
 tlie regret of all, he was compelled, at the end of the fourth 
 month, to leave the work. Professor Patterson, who has 
 long been connected with the college, supplied his place the 
 balance of the year. L. M. Ilagood and A. W. McKinnej 
 received certificates of graduation at the end of this year. 
 In 1884 Rev. R. "W. Keeler, of the Upper Iowa Conference, 
 was appointed dean, and entered upon the work with enthu- 
 siastic zeal. He succeeded in getting the department into 
 good working order. 
 
 The most important factor in the real elevation of the 
 Negro, and in the solution of many of the problems con- 
 nected with his dwelling in this country, is the pulpit. No 
 labor or expense should be spared to make it a power for the 
 highest good. Over two hundred students have been 
 enrolled in the department of theology, and the average 
 attendance for sixteen years is twenty-eight. These students 
 are scattered through eight or more Conferences of our own 
 Church, and in nearly as many more of the other branches 
 of Methodism, as well as a few in the Baptist, Presbyterian, 
 and other Churches. They occupy positions in the pastorate 
 in cities like St. Louis, Louisville, Nashville, and Cincin- 
 nati. They are principals of institutions of learning, presid- 
 ing eldei*s, secretaries of church societies, and successful 
 preachers of the Gospel in most of the Southern States, and 
 in some States north of the Ohio. 
 
 If this school had done nothing more than give this band 
 of earnest ministers to the Church, that alone would have 
 remunerated all the outlay for buildings and support which 
 the Church has made. 
 
408 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 CLARK UNIVERSITY. 
 
 BY PRESIDENT REV, E. 0. THAYER, A.M. 
 
 Bishop Davis W. Clakk, D.D., was one of the founders, 
 and the first president, of the Freed men's Aid Society of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. In his episcopal tours he 
 traversed the war-devastated South, and in his pathway- 
 sprang up churches and schools for all classes of people. 
 Clark ^University is only one of the institutions established 
 by his wisdom and fostered by his zeal. He recognized 
 Atlanta as the best location in the South for a large univer- 
 sity. He early formed a purpose to make Clark Univer- 
 sity a training-school for ministers and teachers ; and at his 
 death he left a generous legacy for the accomplishment of 
 one of the cherished purposes of his life. 
 
 Others took up the work as he left it, and have brought it 
 to a condition of success that surpasses even Bishop Clark's 
 fondest hopes. Bishop Gilbert Haven, with his statesman- 
 like foresight, saw the possibilities of such a school in 'the 
 central South, and he laid the foundations broad and deep, 
 and planned a superstructure that many of his coadjutors 
 called visionary. But the rapidly rolling years are proving 
 that he had the eye of a prophet, as well as of a statesman, 
 and with it saw a greater future for Atlanta and the South, 
 and the Freedmen, than most of his contemporaries. By 
 his own personal effort, at the risk of his own private 
 resources, and in spite of opposition, he purchased four hun- 
 dred and fifty acres of land, within two miles of the heart of 
 
Clakk University. 409 
 
 tlie city, which is rapidly spreading to and around the prop- 
 erty. In a few years this will furnish an endowment that 
 will make Clark University a permanent educational center 
 from which shall radiate the light of wisdom and salvation 
 to generations yet unborn. 
 
 Bishop Haven lived long enough to stand on the founda- 
 tion walls of Chrisman Hall, and look out upon the beauti- 
 ful city of Atlanta, and rejoice that its citizens could see 
 from their windows the stately structure reminding them 
 that the colored man had friends who were trying to make 
 him worthy of freedom and suffrage. From there he went 
 to his Northern home, and soon joined Bishop Clark in his 
 eternal rest. He left the work incomplete, but God raised 
 up others to carry it on. 
 
 Rev. R. S. Rust, D.D., as field superintendent and secre- 
 tary, had been toiling on, all these years, and had seen these 
 noble co-workers fall at his side. Though almost heart- 
 broken at the loss of Bishop Haven, whom he loved as a 
 brother, and shoulder to shoulder with whom he had been 
 carrying heavy burdens, he bravely assumed all responsi- 
 bilities, and endeavored to carry out all the Bishop's great 
 plans. ** Chrisman Hall must be finished " were his words. 
 Mrs. Eliza Chrisman, in whose honor the building was 
 named, had donated §10,000. Dr. Rust assumed the remain- 
 ing $20,000, and the work was done. Bishop Warren was 
 next assigned to the Southern field, and entered, with his 
 large heart and earnest soul, upon the work of finishing the 
 superstmcture so well begun by his predecessors. Gammon 
 Hall and the industrial department stand as monuments of 
 
 his zeal and wisdom. 
 18 
 
410 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 STEPS OF PROGRESS. 
 
 But we must leave this general survey of the work and its 
 leading spirits, and, retracing oar steps, look at the history 
 more in detail. 
 
 The university began as a primary and normal school in 
 1869. The third annual report of the Freedmen's Aid Soci- 
 ety says that Atlanta was chosen as the location for a normal 
 school, " that it might give tone and influence to our move- 
 ments all over the State ; for Atlanta is the gate- way to the 
 South, and exerts a controlling influence over it." At this 
 time the society supported primary schools in nearly all the 
 large towns of the State, thus making Clark University the 
 center of the system. It is a matter of regret that lack of 
 funds has compelled the society to abandon all but two of 
 these feeders of the university. The first sessions were held 
 in Clark Chapel, under the supervision of Kev. J. W. Lee, 
 whose name is still held in affectionate remembrance by 
 scores of men and women who received their first inspira- 
 tion for lives of Christian usefulness from his instructions. 
 Press of ministerial duties to which his life was devoted 
 compelled Mr. Lee to surrender the work to Rev. D. 
 W. Hammond, who selected as his assistants Miss Leila 
 Fuller and Miss Mary Dickinson. During this year a 
 large brick school-house was purchased for $5,000. For 
 tome reason the school again changed leaders, Miss Lou Hen- 
 ley becoming principal. Late in the year 1870, Mr. Uriah 
 Cleary assumed the master's ferrule, and ruled over one 
 hundred and thirty students, with the assistance of Mrs. Lida 
 E. Lee and Miss Sarah Echelberger. In February, 1872, 
 tlie school, with its teachers, Mrs. Mary and Miss Oldfield, 
 under the principalship of Rev. I. Marcy, A.M., passed 
 
Clark University. 411 
 
 under the control of the city of Atlanta, according to an 
 agreement by which the latter received the use of the school- 
 house, and in return paid the salaries of the teachers, who 
 were still to be selected by the society. This was considered 
 an advantageous arrangement, as it left the society free to 
 use its funds in establishing a theological school, in compli- 
 ance with the wishes of Bishop Clark, who had left, by will, 
 an endowment fund of several thousand dollars. Accord- 
 ingly the Clark Theological Seminary was opened in Febru- 
 ary, 1872, with Eev. L. D. Barrows, D.D., as dean, in a new 
 building purchased for the purpose. In describing this 
 opening the annual report thus enthusiastically speaks : " The 
 grounds are ample for any additional buildings that may 
 be hereafter required. The entire property is well adapted 
 to the design in view, and its purchase marks a new era in 
 our rapidly advancing Southern work. The fulfillment of 
 fond hopes is about to be realized in the better preparation 
 of the scores who are yearly entering our ministerial ranks." 
 Little did these earnest men realize how soon these grounds 
 would become too small to accommodate the rapidly expand- 
 ing university, and the *' school of the prophets " be lodged 
 in a mansion nearly large enough to cover the whole site. 
 God had provided greater things than man's feeble faith 
 could anticipate. 
 
 Rev. E. Q. Fuller, D.D., of sainted memory, llevs. J. H. 
 Knowles, A.M., and Rev. J. W. Lee, A.M., assisted Dr. Bar- 
 rows in his important work. Dr. Fuller was always a warm 
 friend of the school, advocating it in the North, securing 
 students, advising in all its steps of progress, and giving 
 generously from his own scanty means. lie deserves some 
 memorial on its campus as a token of gratitude from those 
 to whose service he gave his labors and his life. 
 
412 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Twentj-six students were enrolled during the first month, 
 several of whom are now occupying prominent positions in 
 various Southern Conferences. Dr. Barrows, who was but 
 temporarily in the South for his health, returned to his 
 Northern home during the year, hoping to continue in his 
 chosen life-work ; but soon he was called to his heavenly 
 reward and rest. Rev. J. W. Lee was again called to stand 
 in the breach, which he did manfully, in connection with 
 other duties, till the fall of 1874, with Professor Gosling 
 and Mrs. Lee, when Rev. I. J. Lansing, A.M., was elected 
 president. 
 
 In the meantime the city had purchased the old school- 
 building, and the society no longer furnished teachers for 
 the public schools. Accordingly, under Mr. Lansing's presi- 
 dency, the various courses of study were reorganized, and 
 the theological school again became one of the departments 
 of a university. The reputation of the school began to 
 spread, students came crowding in, and a new frame build- 
 ing was erected to accommodate the increase. Mr. Lansing 
 resigned at the close of his second year, much to the regret 
 of all, but he felt that his call was to the pulpit and nut to 
 the school -room. He has frequently since employed his 
 oratorical powers in awakening sympathy and securing aid 
 for the Freedmen. 
 
 Mr. Lansing's assistants were Professor Watson, Mrs. 
 Lansing, and Misses Alice Buck and Martha Smith. 
 
 The one year of the presidency of J. Y. Martin, A.M., was 
 distinguished by the securing of a charter granting full 
 university powers. The names of the first board of trustees 
 under this charter were Gilbert Haven, Richard S. Rust, 
 Mary J. Clark, Eliphalet Remington, Joseph H. Chadwick, 
 Washington C. De Pauvv, Henry K. List, Eliza Chrisman, 
 
Clark University. 413 
 
 Robert T. Kent, Charles O. Fisher, John C. Kimball, Josiah 
 Sherman, Theodore G. Eiswald, William H. Crogman, 
 James Mitchell, Henry R. Parmenter, George Standing, 
 James Y. Martin, Seaborn C. Upshaw, and Erasmus Q. Ful- 
 ler. During tliis administration W. H. Crogman, A.M., be- 
 came a teacher in the college. At the present time (1885) 
 he holds the position of professor of ancient languages and 
 litei-ature. He has achieved fame for himself, his race, and 
 the university by his eloquent addresses in Plymouth Church, 
 Brooklyn, and at the national educational assemblies at Ocean 
 Grove and Madison. Miss Mary C. Owen also did excellent 
 service under Professor Martin and his successor. 
 
 In the fall of 1877 Rev. R. E. Bisbee, A.M., was chosen 
 president. He had as assistants Professor and Mrs. Crog- 
 man, Mrs. Bisbee, F. A. Rogers, M.D., Miss Florence Mitch- 
 ell, Miss Mary C. Owen, and Miss Sibyl E. Abbott. The 
 frequent changes of adminstration and faculty, the crowded 
 quarters, the vicinity of well-equipped and well-endowed in- 
 stitutions, and other causes, had a depressing effect upon 
 the growth of the young university. Mr. Bisbee, in spite of 
 these difficulties, infused new life into every department, 
 raised the standard of scholarship, and was the first to send 
 out some graduates from the normal and college preparatory 
 departments. The fii*st catalogue was published in 1879. It 
 showed an attendance of one hundred and seventy-nine, 
 twenty-nine of whom were in the academic classes, and four- 
 teen in the theological department. 
 
 The corner-stone of Chrisman Hall was laid by Bishop 
 Simpson and Dr. Rust February 3, 1880. The address of 
 the Bishop was worthy of the man and the occiision. Among 
 other hopeful prophecies he said: *' And this college to day 
 looks on the foundation of a building more beautiful, more 
 
414 Eaely Schools of Methodism. 
 
 commodious, larger and grander than the first buildings of 
 any of the institutions connected with our Church with 
 which I was acquainted in my youth, and though the begin- 
 ning be small, what is the promise ? Look at these broad 
 acres, look at that large area ; see the institution as it stands 
 on this eminence and looks upon the beautiful city of At- 
 lanta. All those acres, except the college campus, will one 
 day be occupied by citizens who shall rejoice in its progress. 
 ... I have no doubt that there are young people in this 
 assembly who will live to see the period when there shall be 
 other edifices, large and beautiful and commodious, in the 
 campus with this structure, and will live to see its alumni 
 scattered all over the land." The good Bishop himself lived 
 to see that bright day when a large part of his prophecy was 
 fulfilled. 
 
 On the 16th of October, in the same year, Clirisman Hall 
 was dedicated. It was a memorable day in the history of 
 the school. Dr. Eust made an eloquent introductory speech, 
 and Bishop Warren gave the principal address. Bishops 
 Wiley, E. O. Haven, and Turner assisted in the services. A 
 very large number of prominent Southern clergymen and 
 citizens were present. Governor Colquitt, Senator Brown, 
 Dr. Hoyt, editor of the " Western Advocate," and Bishops 
 Wiley and Haven made interesting speeches. This inter- 
 change of sentiments among such prominent men of both 
 sections, awakened new interest in Clark University and the 
 cause of education. Bishop Warren, in his address, thus 
 appropriately alludes to the lady in whose honor the hall 
 was named : " Tliis building is monumental and significant 
 in another particular, namely, that a woman, Mrs. Chrisman, 
 takes her grand part in the development and glory of the 
 future by contributing from lier private nieans one third of 
 
Clark ITnivfrsity. 415 
 
 the cost. It is fitting that the Bishop, who held womanhood 
 so sacred, who was ever ready to write, speak, and act tliat 
 all her rip;hts should be secured, and who looked upon her 
 love as so divine that it could never know a change — fitting 
 that he should have a woman come to his aid in the grandest 
 work of his life." 
 
 In reply to a request for a poem. Dr. Hust received the 
 following letter from John G. Whittier, and it was read at 
 the dediciition : 
 
 Daxvers, Mass., dth month, 26, 1880. 
 
 My Dear Friend: I wish I could do what thee asks for; but I urn 
 compelled, by the state of my health, to forbear making any literary 
 engagements. I have long suffered from overtask, and must not prom- 
 ise what it might be physically impossible for me to perform. For the 
 cause's sake, for the good Bishop's sake, and for thy own (for I know 
 thee as a devoted friend of the poor and oppressed), I would gladly 
 answer otherwise. 
 
 The moral and intellectual education of the Freedracn is the special 
 and imperative necessity of our day. If Christian love and charity did 
 not prompt it, duty to ourselves and our country would demand it. 
 The very life of the nation depends upon it. 
 
 With all my heart I bid the Freedmen's Aid Society of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church "Godspeed " in its holy work. 
 
 Thy friend, John G. WnrmER. 
 
 After a successful service of three years, Mr. Bisbee re- 
 signed, and Rev. E, O. Tiiayer, A.M., for six years principal 
 of Bennett Seminary, Greensbo rough, N. C, was elected 
 presideiit. During the first four years of this administration 
 the following persons have served as instructors : Rev. W. 
 P. Thirkicld, A.M., B.D., dean of school of theology; Will- 
 iam II. Crogman, A.M., professor of ancient languages ; 
 Edith L. Smith, A.M., professor of English literature; Rev. 
 C. J. Brown, A.M., professor of sciences ; Misses Florence L. 
 
416 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Mitchell, S. E. Abbott, A.M., and Zella F. Adams, B.L., 
 preceptresses ; John W. Cardwell and "W. A. Heath, instruct- 
 ors in English department; Misses A. G. Gibbs, C. M. Blunt, 
 and Minnie I. BajHss, instructors in music ; Z. T. Spencer, 
 S. A. Camp, W. F. Wheeler, W. H. Thayer, W. P. Sloan, 
 and B. F. Hoyt, instructors in industrial department. 
 
 The department of industrial education has been develo]>e(i 
 so far as to win from Rev. A. G. Haygood, D.D., tlie enco- 
 mium that " Clark University is second only to Hampton in 
 this line." The carpenter shop contains an engine, saws, 
 lathes and planers, and full sets of tools. The young men 
 plan buildings, and have erected a large number of cottages. 
 The carriage shop is constantly employed filling orders for 
 carriages and wagons, thus furnishing instruction and em- 
 ployment to a large number of students. Tlie harness and 
 shoe shops are also in operation. The printing-office issues a 
 biweekly paper, and prints catalogues, and does all the work 
 of a large printing establishment. The " Model Home," 
 the conception and inauguration of which Clark University 
 claims, gives instruction in the art of housekeeping in all 
 its branches and details. The sewing-school teaches dress- 
 making, millinery, and all kinds of plain and fancy sewing. 
 Other departments will be added as the interests of the stu- 
 dents seem to demand. 
 
 December 16, 1883, ground was broken for Gammon Hall 
 by Bishop Warren, assisted by the members of the Savannah 
 Conference, then in session in the city. One third *of the 
 cost of the building, and an endowment fund of $20,000, 
 were donated by Rev. E. II. Gammon, of Batavia, 111. Mr. 
 Gammon is a superannuated member of the Maine Confer- 
 ence, who, being compelled to give up the ministry" on ac- 
 count of throat disease, has accumulated a fortune, and now 
 
Clark IJNivEKsrn'. 417 
 
 uses it as a faitliful steward of the Lord in helping to fit 
 otliers for the work that was denied himself. Thus the 
 voice taken away is being multiplied many hundred-fold, 
 and a thousand trumpets instead of one shall give forth the 
 Gospel sound. Bishop Warren shouldered the heavy bur- 
 den of raising the remaining two thirds — over $16,000. It 
 took months of hard work in lecturing and soliciting, but 
 success was won. Scoi-es of Methodist preachers helped 
 liim from their scanty salaries, and thus gained an inter- 
 est in the great work of training ministers for this Southern 
 field. 
 
 On May 12, 1883, the corner-stone was laid, with appro- 
 priate ceremonies, by President Thayer. Bisliop H. M. Tur- 
 ner, D.D., LL.D., delivered a very eloquent address, followed 
 by Rev. E. Q. Fuller, D.D., in a very timely speech on the 
 education of women. December 15 of the same year the 
 building was dedicated. Bishop Warren and Dr. Rust 
 made the principal addresses. Bishop Warren has since left 
 the South for his episcopal residence in Colorado, but Gam- 
 mon Ilall stands as a monument to his zeal and devotion in 
 the Southern work. 
 
 The Ganunon School of Theology began work in its new 
 
 hall in October of 1883, with Rev. W. P. Thirkield as dean, 
 
 and an attendance of nineteen from four Sonthern States. 
 
 During the second year there were twenty-nine students 
 
 from six different States, showing the wisdom of those who 
 
 located the school in Atlanta because of *' its accessibility to 
 
 the whole South." By another act of generosity of our 
 
 benefactor, Mr. Gammon, another professorship has been 
 
 established, and the third year opens with flattering prospects. 
 
 Tinis, at last, has Bishop Clark's idea of a theological school 
 
 at Atlanta been realized, even more gran<lly than his faith 
 18* 
 
418 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 allowed him to consider as possible so early in the history of 
 the university. 
 
 As a last item of interest in this general survey of the 
 progress of Clark University, it may be proper to mention 
 that Mr. Gammon has pledged one half the cost of "Warren 
 Hall, and a portion of the remaining half is also pledged. 
 Doubtless before these pages are in print the walls will be 
 rising, and thus another mile-stone of progress be fairly 
 reached. The new hall is to be used for girls' dormitories 
 and for a general refectory. 
 
 PRESENT PROPERTY. 
 
 The university now owns four hundred and fifty acres of 
 land, valued at $80,000, located just outside the city limits, 
 and rapidly rising in value. Most of it is wooded, and all 
 richly varied with hills and vales and running streams — a 
 natural park. Chrisman Hall is an imposing structure of 
 brick on a basement story of granite. It contains forty dor- 
 mitories, teachers' apartments, chapel, school-rooms, and other 
 public rooms. It is located on an eminence in full view of 
 Atlanta. Gammon Hall is a four story brick building 
 trimmed with stone, of chaste and beautiful architecture, 
 very appropriate to its use. There are in it thirty-two large 
 dormitories, a lecture room, four recitation rooms, and three 
 large apartments for library and offices. Thei^e are also two 
 shops and a barn, and dormitory for the Industrial Depiirt- 
 nient, the " Model Home," two residences for professors, and 
 five cottages for married theological students, all of which 
 were built by carpentry students. The " theological cot- 
 tages " were projected by Dean Thirkield, and erected with 
 money obtained by him from Northern friends. 
 
Bakee Institute and Claflin University. 419 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 BAKFIR INSTITUTE AND CLAFLIN UNIYERSITY. 
 
 BY REV. LEWIS M. DUNTON, A.M. 
 
 When Rev. T. Willard Lewis and Rev. Alonzo Webster 
 opened their evangelical labors among the colored people of 
 Charleston, S. C, at the close of the war, they found quite a 
 number of pious, talented, young colored men, with some 
 little education. With suitable previous training and educa- 
 tion, they saw that these could be most usefully employed 
 as agents for the elevation and evangelization of others of 
 their race, many of whom were hungering for knowledge 
 and thirsting for the waters of life. A school was found 
 essential to the complete success of their interesting work. 
 These teachings of Providence led to the founding of 
 
 BAKER THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 
 
 In the spring of 1866 a meeting was duly called at the 
 usual place of meeting, and Alonzo Webster, D.D., Rev. T. 
 W. Lewis, A.M., Rev. Samuel Western (a venerable, always 
 free, colored man), Joshua Wilson, Charles Holloway, H. J. 
 JVIoore, and M. G. Camplin, M.D., were selected as trustees 
 for the proposed institution. As temporary quarters for the 
 school the famous Ball Mansion, at the corner of East Buy 
 and Vernon Streets, was secured by the trustees. The main 
 edifice was used for teachers' residences, class-rooms, and 
 boarding-hall. The servants' quarters in the rear were used 
 as dormitories. 
 
 The following teachers were employed : Rev. T. Willard 
 
420 EAiiLY Schools of ME*rHODisM. 
 
 Lewis, A.M., president ; Alonzo Webster, D.D., and C. P. 
 Wolliaupter. The teachers soon found as many students 
 eager for instruction as they had time to devote to them, as 
 Messrs. Lewis and "Webster had large pastoral charges to 
 visit, and much preaching in and about Charleston w^as 
 expected of them. At the end of about three years the 
 school w^as transferred to better quarters on Lynch Street, 
 where it remained until, in 1870, it became a department of 
 Claflin University, at Orangeburg. The early records of 
 Baker Theological Institute were destroyed by the fire that 
 destroyed the main building of the school at Orangeburg ; 
 but it is well known that at least twenty of the most promi- 
 nent and useful ministers in the South Carolina Conference 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with as many others 
 who became teachers and laborers in other departments of 
 usefulness, received their early training in this school, while 
 it remained at Charleston. 
 
 It was soon discovered, in the progress of the reconstructed 
 Methodism in South Carolina, that the educational depart- 
 ment of church work demanded a larger field than the city 
 of Charleston afforded. 
 
 For some years before the war a good female college had 
 been conducted at Orangeburg, on the South Carohna Kail- 
 road, about fifty miles below Columbia, the State capital. 
 The school had large, well-shaded grounds, good buildings, 
 affording accommodations for a large boarding-school. The 
 location was so far removed from the coast and the swamps 
 as to be safe from yellow fever, malarial diseases, and as to 
 enjoy a pure atmosphere, good water, a salubrious climate, 
 and fine agricultural lands. This property was purchased 
 for educational purposes under the direction of the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church. A libei*al charter was obtained from 
 
Baker Institute and Claflin University. 421 
 
 the State, that designated as trustees Alonzo Webster, T. 
 Willard Lewis, Samuel Weston, R. K. Scott, Thomas Phil- 
 lips, Abram Middleton, Simeon Corley, and J. A. Sasportas. 
 Under this charter the board met at Omiigeburg, January 3, 
 1870, with the following officers : Rev. T. Willard Lewis, 
 president ; Rev. Samuel Weston, vice-president ; Rev. A. 
 Webster, secretary and treasurer. At this meeting Rev. 
 Alonzo Webster, D.D., was duly elected president of the 
 university. H. J. Moore and E. A. Webster were members 
 of the faculty. A course of study was prepared, and the 
 school opened nnder favorable circumstances. Three hun- 
 dred and nine students were registered the first year. 
 
 Mainly through the untiring efforts of Dr. Webster, an 
 act was prepared and passed through the Legislature of the 
 State, approved March 12, 1872, locating one department of 
 the State Agricultural College at Orangeburg, in connection 
 with Claflin University. An experimental farm adjoining 
 the Claflin campus, and containing about one hundred and 
 sixteen acres, was purchased. Dr. Webster had the manage- 
 ment of both departments, and they have worked in har- 
 mony until the present time. In Dr. Webster the Freedmcn 
 have found a personal friend, the cause of education a vigor- 
 ous and generous supporter, and the Church an earnest and 
 able advocate and defender. 
 
 At the annual meeting in June, 1874, Dr. Webster tendered 
 his resignation as president of Claflin University, and Rev. 
 Edward Cook, D.D., of Massachusetts, was elected to All the 
 vacancy. Dr. Cook having had experience in the manage- 
 ment of schools of a high grade, was well qualified to carry 
 forward successfully the work so well begun, which he did 
 for ten years. In 1876 the main building was consumed by 
 lire. But throuf'h the active exertions of Dr. Cook and other 
 
422 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 friends of the enterprise, one brick building was immediately 
 erected, and others, of inferior quality, have been added. 
 
 In June, 1883, Eev. Lewis M. Dunton, A.M., of 'New 
 York, who had been engaged in Church and educational 
 work in the State, was unanimously elected vice-president ; 
 and in June, 1884, on account of the protracted feebleness of 
 Dr. Cook, he was elected president of the university, and in 
 November following, president of the Agricultural College 
 and Mechanics' Institute. 
 
 There has been a healthful and gradual growth of the 
 school up to its present proportions. Others, besides those 
 whose names are mentioned here, labored for the prosperity 
 of the school, but space forbids mention of their worthy, self- 
 sacriiicing, and even heroic deeds. 
 
 There are at present four courses of study, college, scien- 
 tific, normal, and grammar. Attention is given to music 
 and drawing. The average attendance of students is about 
 three hundred. Since the organization of the school, there 
 have been forty-five graduates from the normal and eleven 
 from the college courses. 
 
 INDUSTRIES. 
 
 In addition to the experimental farm, there are about 
 sixty-eight acres, mostly under cultivation. In the fall of 
 1883 a liberal appropriation was made to the institution by 
 the trustees of the John F. Slater Fund in order to promote 
 industrial education. Accordingly, a good shop was built 
 and furnished with tools suitable for ordinary carpenter 
 work, and the manufacture of plain furniture. 
 
 A printing department was established in 1885, job-work 
 is neatly done, and a so-called college paper published. 
 
 The Woman's Home Missionary Society of the Methodist 
 
Baker Institute and Claflin University. 423 
 
 Episcopal Church erected the Simpson Memorial Home on 
 land adjoining the Claflin campus, in 1885. All necessary 
 appliances for housekeeping are provided, and girls, in addi- 
 tion to their regular school duties, receive daily instruction 
 in cooking, cutting, sewing, and general domestic econom}^ 
 The general boarding department is managed on the club 
 plan, the students doing the work under the direction of a 
 matron, and thus the expense of board is reduced to actual 
 cost, and, at the same time, experience and instruction are 
 given them in the art of housekeeping. 
 
 Among the most liberal benefactors of the institution, and 
 the one from whom it derived its name, was the Hon. Lee 
 Chiflin, of Boston, Mass. Since the decease of his father, the 
 Hon. William Claflin, ex-governor of Massachusetts, has con- 
 tinued to foster the school. 
 
 The entire management has been committed to the Freed- 
 men's Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
 nothing prevents its continued growth except the lack of 
 adequate buildings. The prayer of those who are most 
 familiar with the needs of the institution is, that some one 
 possessed with means will be led by God's Spirit to provide 
 for another building. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 BY REV. D. P. KIDDER, D.D., 
 
 CORRESPONDING SEORETART OF THE BOARD OF EDCOATION OF THE M. E. CHURCH. 
 
 As it was found impossible to include in the volume on the 
 " Early Schools of Methodism " more than a few sample sketches, 
 it was determined to supplement the text with the present 
 Appendix. Its object is to exhibit, in a condensed form, the 
 following several showings: 
 
 I. A list of the schools that were established in the direct 
 interest of the Methodist Episcopal Church, but that ceased to 
 exist during the first century of its history. 
 
 II. A list of private and local schools established indirectly 
 in the same interest. 
 
 III. A classified list of the institutions of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church in actual existence at the beginning of 1886. 
 
 While it is not claimed that the several lists are perfect, it 
 may be stated that no pains have been spared to make them so. 
 If any errors are found in them, they will be chiefly those of 
 omission due to the neglect of parties that ought to* have been 
 interested to make known any facts not here stated. Hence 
 the aggregates deducible from the lists, whether considered 
 separately or combined, will be found below rather than above 
 the actual facts. 
 
 Briefly stated the following facts appear. Notwithstanding 
 all the efforts in behalf of education made by the early fathers 
 of Methodism in America, not one of tlie schools founded by 
 them between 1784 and 1819, or during the first third of our 
 first century, became permanent. Yet, notwithstanding the fail- 
 ures and discouragements of thirty-five years, the Church rallied 
 to educational effort from 1820 onward with an ever-growing 
 success. While the results can never be fully stated, yet the 
 oflicial showing made by the Board of Education to the General 
 Conference of 1884 is full of significance. The following is a 
 
Appendix. 
 
 425 
 
 snmmaiy exhibit of the statistics of our literary and theolog- 
 ical institutions then in actual operation: 
 
 Clau or iMtrmmoM. 
 
 No. 
 
 V.luf of 
 
 BaildiDir* 
 
 Md Ground*. 
 
 Endow, 
 ments. 
 
 DebU. 
 
 ^1 
 
 StndenU 
 LMtYear. 
 
 StndenU 
 from the 
 Beginuing. 
 
 Theological Institutions 
 
 ID 
 
 45 
 
 1 
 
 »9 
 
 $440,500 
 
 4,433,"4 
 
 1,855,400 
 
 680,000 
 
 175,626 
 
 6,060,976 
 
 273,700 
 
 18,000 
 
 5,000 
 
 $36,000 
 
 i56i8oo 
 
 62,000 
 
 2,500 
 
 48 
 
 135 
 101 
 
 547 
 14,375 
 10,729 
 
 162,273 
 
 219,953 
 
 23,978 
 
 4,537 
 
 Colleges and Universities 
 
 Female Colleges and Seminaries. 
 Foreign Mission Schools 
 
 
 »4» 
 
 $7,584,640 
 
 $7,031,176 
 
 $592,474 
 
 »,405 
 
 28,691 
 
 4i3>9'6 
 
 Creditable as the above aggregates are, the list from which 
 they were derived took no note of institutions that, for any 
 cause, had ceased to act under the ownership of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. It is, therefore, now seen to be due to his- 
 tory to call attention to the fact that during the century closed 
 in 1884, there had been in action not less than 84 other institu- 
 tions which, for various reasons, had ceased to be enumerated. 
 Some had been unfortunately located, some had gone into 
 other ownership, some had been absorbed in larger institu- 
 tions, and some had become extinct from unknown causes, 
 not, however, without having done good service in their day. 
 Thus a grand total of 225 institutions had been founded in the 
 direct interest of the Methodist Episcopal Church, while 58 
 more had been opened by friends, and in many cases ministers, 
 of tlie Church, although held in private ownership. The full 
 history of those numerous schools can never be written, 
 neither, probably, can their full influence for good be ade- 
 quately estimated. Yet it seems fitting to hand down to pos- 
 terity, at least, the following condensed record of their names 
 and localities, together with the year of their origin, and, when 
 known, of their close. 
 
 It would have been gratifying to find data showing how 
 many teachers were actually employed and how many students 
 were taught in the schools in question. In some cases the facts 
 are known, but they are wanting in so many others that no 
 attempt has been made to give statistics on those points. 
 
 Conjecture, based upon known facts and certain laws of 
 average, indicate that in the 84 Church schools that were, but 
 
426 
 
 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 are not now, in existence, not less than 300 teachers were 
 employed, and 88,000 different students taught. Accepting 
 these figures as a minimum estimate, and adding them to the 
 actual statistics of 1884, it is proved that the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, notwithstanding the feebleness of its beginnhigs 
 and all the embarrassments and disabilities it had to encounter, 
 employed, in the literary institutions of her first century, more 
 than 17,000 teachers, and taught more than 500,000 students. 
 In these figures no note is taken of the teachers employed and 
 the students taught in the 58 schools established and con- 
 ducted indirectly in the interest of the Church. 
 
 On the safe basis proposed, educational statisticians will 
 have no difficulty in showing at various epochs of our second 
 century the aggregates attained by future progress. 
 
 From the list of our schools in 1886 it may be seen that the 
 short period of two years marks decided progress in the num- 
 ber of the schools of the Church, and it may be remarked that 
 equal, if not greater, progress has been made in the payment of 
 debts and the increase of endowments during the same period. 
 It is to be hoped that all forms of substantial progress will be 
 even greater in the years to come. 
 
 LITERARY INSTITUTIONS OWNED OR CONTROLLED BY THE 
 METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH PRIOR TO 1884, CHRONO- 
 LOGICALLY ARRANGED. 
 
 N*MK OF Institution. 
 
 Location. 
 
 Pkbiod. 
 
 Ebenezer Academy 
 
 Brunswick County, Va 
 
 Abingdon, Md 
 
 Surry County, N. C 
 
 Jessamine County, Ky 
 
 Uniontown, Pa 
 
 1784— 1 8oo 
 1785—1795 
 1790— 
 1790-1798 
 1792 — 1826 
 
 
 
 Bethel Academy 
 
 Union School 
 
 Cokesbury College 
 
 Mount Bethel Academy 
 
 Asbiiry College 
 
 Baltimore, Md 
 
 Newberry County, S. C 
 
 Baltimore, Md 
 
 1795— 1796 
 1797— 1820 
 1816 — 1820 
 
 Wesleyan Academy 
 
 Wesleyan Seminary 
 
 Augusta College 
 
 White Plains Academy 
 
 New Market, N. H 
 
 New York city, N. Y 
 
 Augusta, Ky 
 
 White Plains, N. Y 
 
 1817— 1823 
 1819— 1824 
 1822—1849 
 
 Jackson, Ala 
 
 LTniontown, Pa 
 
 1825-1845 
 1827—1832 
 
 Madison College 
 
Appendix. 
 
 427 
 
 Nams or iManrcTioN. 
 
 Tuscaloosa Academy 
 
 Randolph-Macon College 
 
 la (.irange College 
 
 Norwalk Seminary 
 
 Newbury Seminary 
 
 Amenia Seminary 
 
 Cokcsbury High Scho«il 
 
 1 alley Seminary 
 
 Gouverneur Wesleyan Seminary 
 
 Kmory and Henry College 
 
 \V eslcyan Female College 
 
 Worth ingt on Female College 
 
 Centenary Institute 
 
 I'.erca Seminary 
 
 Rock River Seminary 
 
 \S esleyan Female College 
 
 Newark Wesleyan Institute 
 
 1 'aris Seminary 
 
 Whitewater College 
 
 Springfield Wesleyan Seminary 
 
 I'.altimore Female College . . . . 
 
 New York Conference Seminary 
 
 Genesee College 
 
 I )anvillc Seminary 
 
 ( .reenlield Seminary 
 
 Portland Academy 
 
 Ohio Conference High School 
 
 ) Baldwin Institute 
 
 1 'rookville College 
 
 I'crry Academy 
 
 1 ioonifidd Male and Female College 
 
 Fort I'lain Seminary 
 
 Female Collegiate Institute 
 
 I armer Academy 
 
 I'hornton Academy 
 
 .Mi>souri Conference Seminary 
 
 ( iriji^nn City Seminary 
 
 S.iuthem Illinois Conference Female Academy 
 
 Irviiin Female College 
 
 Conference Seminary 
 
 r.ron>on Institute 
 
 'I roy University 
 
 I'uget Sound Institute. 
 
 1- vansville Seminary 
 
 ll..r.i.line Lniversity Preparatory 
 
 M.r-hall College 
 
 Mumn Academy 
 
 i' ultun Seminary 
 
 I 'anvillc Academy 
 
 Inland Female t ollcge m 
 
 I'liic Mount College 
 
 \\ ilherforcc University 
 
 1 >anville Seminary 
 
 l\cx:kport Collegiate Institute 
 
 I "attic (;round Institute 
 
 Henry Seminary 
 
 M.tnsiicld Classical Seminary 
 
 V alparaiso College 
 
 (lali-sville University 
 
 Willoughby Collegiate Institute 
 
 Mexico Academy 
 
 Stockwell Collegiate Institute 
 
 Central ( »hio Conference Seminary 
 
 Springfield Academy . 
 
 Stockton Female Institute 
 
 W . .1 . . \ -ndcmy 
 
 ' Conference Seminary 
 
 ' iiid Fcnjalc College 
 
 ^..i.iiiti.. Illinois Female College 
 
 A l>;ona College 
 
 Location. 
 
 Tuscaloosa, Ala 
 
 Ashland, Va 
 
 La Grange, Ala 
 
 Norwalk, O 
 
 Newbury, Vt 
 
 Amenia, N. Y 
 
 Cokesbury, S. C 
 
 Fulton, N. Y 
 
 Gouverneur, N. Y 
 
 Emory, Va 
 
 Macon, Ga 
 
 Worthington, O 
 
 Summerfield, Ala 
 
 Berea. O 
 
 Mount Morris, 111 
 
 Wilmington, Del 
 
 Newark, N. J 
 
 Paris, 111 
 
 Centerville, Ind 
 
 Springfield, Vt 
 
 Baltimore, Md 
 
 Charlotieville, N. Y.. 
 
 Lima, N. Y 
 
 Danville, 111 
 
 Greenfield, O 
 
 Portland. Ore 
 
 Springfield, O 
 
 Berea, O 
 
 Brookville, Ind 
 
 Perry, N. Y 
 
 Bloomfield, Ind 
 
 Fort Plain, N.Y 
 
 Santa Clara, Cal 
 
 College Corner, Ind.. 
 
 Thornton, Ind 
 
 Jackson, Mo 
 
 Oregon City, Ore..,. 
 
 Belleville, III 
 
 Mechanicsburg, Pa... 
 
 Bethany, Pa 
 
 Point Lluff, Wis 
 
 Troy, N. Y 
 
 Olympia, W. T 
 
 Evansville, Wis 
 
 Red W'ing, Minn 
 
 Marshall, 111 
 
 Marion, Ind 
 
 Lewiston, HI 
 
 Danville, Ind 
 
 Poland, O 
 
 Manhattan, Kan 
 
 Xenia, O 
 
 Danville, N.Y 
 
 Rockport, Ind 
 
 Battle Ground, Ind... 
 
 Henry, 111 
 
 Mansfield, Pa 
 
 Valparaiso, Ind 
 
 Galesville, Wis 
 
 Willoughby, O , 
 
 Mexico, N . Y , 
 
 Stockwcll. Ind , 
 
 Maumce City, O , 
 
 Springfield. N. V 
 
 Stockton, Cal 
 
 Waterloo, Wis . . 
 
 Ovid, N. Y , 
 
 Olney. Ill 
 
 Salem, 111 
 
 Algona, la 
 
 PCKIOO. 
 
 1827— 
 
 1830 1845 
 
 183I — 
 
 1833— 1848 
 
 1833— 1868 
 
 1835-1874 
 
 1836— 1845 
 
 1836—1868 
 
 1837—1868 
 
 1838—1845 
 
 1839—1845 
 
 1839—1874 
 
 1840 1845 
 
 1840— 1846 
 
 1840 — 1878 
 
 1841 — 1880 
 1847-1857 
 1848—1860 
 1848— 1860 
 1848—1866 
 1849—1883 
 1850—1866 
 1850—1870 
 1851— 
 1851- 
 185I-1874 
 1852- 
 1852—1856 
 
 1852 — i8t;o 
 
 1852—1866 
 
 185^—1860 
 
 1853—1872 
 
 1854— 
 
 1855- 
 
 1855—1864 
 
 1856— 
 
 1856— 
 
 1856—1858 
 
 1856—1860 
 
 1856-1861 
 
 1856—1863 
 
 1856—1863 
 
 1856— 1864 
 
 1856—1868 
 
 1856 — 1870 
 
 1857— 
 
 1857—1860 
 
 1857—1864 
 
 1858— 
 
 1858—1860 
 
 1858—1862 
 
 185&— 1863 
 
 1858—1866 
 
 1858— 1866 
 
 1853-1871 
 
 1859- 
 
 1859—1864 
 
 1859 — '872 
 
 1859-1874 
 
 1859—1883 
 
 1860—1862 
 
 1860—1874 
 
 1861— 1872 
 
 1862—1864 
 
 1865- 
 
 1865— 
 
 1866— 
 
 1866— 
 
 1866— 
 
 1872— 
 
428 
 
 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 B. 
 
 SCHOOLS CONDUCTED IN THE INTEREST OF THE METHODISr 
 EPISCOPAL CHURCH UNDER PRIVATE OWNERSHIP PRIOR TO 
 1884, CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED. 
 
 Namk of Institution. 
 
 Oakland Female College 
 
 Jonesville Academy 
 
 Springfield Female College 
 
 Bakersfield Seminary 
 
 Preparatory School 
 
 Flushing Female Institute 
 
 Asbury Seminary 
 
 C/Corgetown Seminary 
 
 Hempstead Seminary 
 
 Morgantown Female Seminary 
 
 Bordentown Female College 
 
 Charlotte Boarding Academy 
 
 Cumberland Valley Institute 
 
 Indiana High School 
 
 North-west Virginia Academy 
 
 Pennington Female Seminary 
 
 Sacramento Seminary 
 
 Santa Cruz Academy 
 
 Wesleyan Seminary 
 
 Olin and Preston Institute 
 
 Rogersville Seminary 
 
 Church Hill Insfitute.. 
 
 Female Collegiate Institute 
 
 Fulton Seminary 
 
 Spring Mountain Academy 
 
 Indiana Female Coll ge 
 
 Linden Hill Academy 
 
 Mount Carmel Academy , 
 
 Shelby Seminary 
 
 Wellsburg Female Academy 
 
 Wesleyan Female Institute 
 
 Cottage Hill College 
 
 Susquehanna Seminary 
 
 North-western Female College 
 
 Mansfield Female College 
 
 Ashland Collegiate Institute 
 
 Asbury Female Institute , 
 
 Valley Female Institute 
 
 Bloomington Seminary 
 
 Griggsville Seminary. 
 
 La Fayette Female Institute 
 
 Lebanon Female Institute 
 
 Mineral Point Seminary 
 
 Mount Vernon Academy 
 
 Walworth Academy 
 
 Mount Ida Female College 
 
 Alameda Collegiate 1 nstitute , 
 
 Emory Female College 
 
 Fairfield Seminary 
 
 Fairmount Male and Female Seminary 
 
 Attica Academy 
 
 Farmer's Academy 
 
 Coolville Seminary 
 
 Fau Claire Wesleyan Seminary 
 
 West River Classical Institute 
 
 Richmond College 
 
 Red Creek Academy 
 
 Wesley Academy 
 
 Location. 
 
 Hillsborough, O 
 
 Jonesville, N.Y.... 
 
 Springfield, O 
 
 Bakersfield, Vt 
 
 Middletown, Conn.. 
 
 Flushing, N. Y 
 
 Chagrin Falls, O. , 
 
 Georgetown, 111 
 
 Hempstead, N. Y... 
 Morgantown, Va. . . 
 Bordentown, N. J.. 
 Charlotte, N. Y . . . 
 Mechanicsburg, Pa. 
 
 Brookville, Ind 
 
 Clarksburg, W. Va. 
 Pennington, N. J.. . 
 Sacramento, Cal. . . , 
 
 Santa Cruz, Cal 
 
 Peoria, 111 
 
 P.lacksburg, Va 
 
 Rogersville, N. Y. .. 
 New Canaan. Conn. 
 
 Santa Clara, Cal 
 
 Lewistown, 111. 
 
 spring 
 
 Mount, O, 
 
 Indianapolis, Ind 
 
 New Carlisle, O 
 
 Mount Carmel, 111 
 
 She.byville, LI 
 
 Wellsburg, Pa 
 
 Staunton, Va 
 
 York, Pa 
 
 Binghamton. N. Y 
 
 Evanstnn, 111 
 
 Mansfield, O 
 
 Ashland, N. Y 
 
 Greencastle, Ind 
 
 Winchester, Va 
 
 Bloomington, Ind.. .. , 
 
 Griggsville, 111 
 
 Washington, D. C 
 
 Lebanon, 111 
 
 Mineral Point, Wis 
 
 Mount Vernon 111. . , . 
 
 Walworth, N. Y 
 
 Davenport, la 
 
 Alameda, Cal 
 
 Carlisle, Pa 
 
 Fairfield, N. Y 
 
 Fairmount, Pa 
 
 Attica, Ind , 
 
 College Corner, Ind 
 
 Coolville, O 
 
 Eau Claire, Wis 
 
 West River, Md 
 
 Richmond, O 
 
 Red Creek, N. Y 
 
 Wesley, Ind 
 
Appendix. 
 
 429 
 
 c. 
 
 CLASSIFIED LIST OP EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF THE METH- 
 ODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH EXISTING IN 1886. 
 
 Theological Inatltutions. 
 
 NaMS of iNBTITUTIOIf. 
 
 Boston Uni. School of Theol 
 Centenary Biblical Institute, 
 Drew Theological Seminary, 
 Gammon Ih.Sch., Clark Uni, 
 Garrett Hiblical Institute... 
 Swedish Theological Semi'y. 
 
 LoCATIOtf. 
 
 IJoston, Mass. 
 Baltimore, Md 
 Madison, N. J. 
 Atlanta, Ga... 
 Kvanston, 111 
 Evanston, 111. 
 
 1847 
 1872 
 1866 
 1883 
 1856 
 1883 
 
 FllXaiOBNT OB PatMCIPAL. 
 
 Rev. William F. Warren. S.T.D. 
 Rev. William M. Frysinger, D.D. 
 Rev. Henry A. Buttz, D.D. 
 Rev. W. P Thirkield, A.M:, B.D. 
 Rev. Henry B. Ridgaway, D.D. 
 Rev. A. Ericson. 
 
 Colleges and Universities. 
 
 Albion College 
 
 . Allegheny College 
 
 Baker University 
 
 • Baldwin University 
 
 Blue Mountain University.. 
 
 Boston University 
 
 Central Tennessee College. 
 
 Central Wesleyan College.. 
 
 Ch.'iddock College 
 
 Claflin University 
 
 Clark University 
 
 Cornell College 
 
 Dakota University 
 
 De Pauw University 
 
 Dickinson College 
 
 Ea.si Tenn.Wes. University. 
 
 Fort Wayne College 
 
 Gcrm.in College 
 
 German-English College... 
 
 German W.iTlace College... 
 
 Hamline University 
 
 Hedding College 
 
 Illinois Wesleyan Univers'y. 
 t Iowa Wesleyan University. 
 
 Lawrence University 
 
 Lewis College . . . 
 
 Little Rock University 
 
 M'Kendree College 
 
 Meth. Epis. College of Neb. 
 
 Moore's Hill College 
 
 •"Mount Union College 
 
 New Orleans University... 
 
 North-western University.. 
 
 Ohio Wesleyan University. 
 
 Philander Smith College, . . 
 
 Rust University 
 
 Simpson Centenary College. 
 
 Syracuse University 
 
 Texas Wesleyan College... 
 
 University of Denver 
 
 I'niversity of the Pacific. .. 
 
 University of Southern Cal . 
 
 ^'pper Iowa University ... 
 
 Wesleyan University 
 
 1^ Willamettr University 
 
 Wiley University 
 
 ! Albion, Mich 
 
 IMeadville, Pa 
 
 jBaldwin City, Kan... 
 
 Berea, Ohio 
 
 La Grande, Oregon. . 
 
 Boston, Mass 
 
 Nashville, Tenn 
 
 Warrenton, Mo 
 
 §uincy. 111 
 rangeburg, 8. C 
 
 A tlanta. Ga 
 
 Mount Vernon, Iowa. 
 
 Mitchell, Dak 
 
 Greencastle, Ind 
 
 Carlisle, Pa 
 
 Athens, Tenn, 
 
 jFort Wayne, Ind 
 
 I Mount Pleasant, Iowa 
 
 JGalena, 111 
 
 ; Berea, Ohio 
 
 Hamline, Minn. 
 
 Abingdon, 111. .. 
 
 Bloomington, III 
 
 Mount Pleasant, Iowa 
 
 Aupleton, Wis 
 
 Glasgow, Mo 
 
 Little Rock, Ark 
 
 Lebanon, 111 
 
 York, Nebraska 
 
 Moore's Hill, Ind... 
 
 Mount I'nion, Ohio.. 
 
 New Orleans, La 
 
 Evanston, 111 
 
 IDelaware, Ohio 
 
 I Little Rock, Ark..... 
 
 Holly Springs, Miss,. 
 
 Indianola, Iowa 
 
 'Syracuse, N. Y 
 
 Fort Worth, Texas .. 
 
 Denver, Col 
 
 San Jose, Cal 
 
 , Ix)s Angeles, Cal 
 
 Fayette, Iowa 
 
 I Middletown, Conn . . . 
 I Salem, Oregon 
 ! Marsh 
 
 , < »rego 
 all, 1 e 
 
 1861 
 
 18.13 
 1858 
 1845 
 
 Rev. 
 
 Rev 
 Rev 
 Rev 
 
 18761 Rev. 
 1869' Rev. 
 1866, Rev. 
 i864lRev. 
 18531J. B. 
 t86giRev. 
 1869 Rev. 
 i8s7|Rev. 
 1885 Rev. 
 i837iRev. 
 1833 Rev. 
 1867; Rev. 
 i846IRev. 
 1873; Rev. 
 
 1868 Rev. 
 i864lRev. 
 
 1854 Rev. 
 1875 Rev. 
 
 1855 Rev. 
 1850 Rev. 
 1849 Rev. 
 
 1866 Rev. 
 1 88a Rev. 
 i8a8 Rev. 
 1880 Kev. 
 1854 Rev. 
 1846 Rev. 
 1873 Rev. 
 185s Rev. 
 184a Rev. 
 1877 Rev. 
 
 1869 Rev. 
 
 1867 Rev. 
 
 1870 Rev. 
 1880 Kev. 
 1880 Rev. 
 tSsi Rev. 
 1880 Rev. 
 1857 Rev- 
 1831 Rev. 
 1844 Rev. 
 
 873 Rev. 
 
 L. R. Fiske, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 D. H. Wheeler, D.D. 
 W. H. Sweet, D.D. 
 W. Kepler, Ph.D. 
 
 G. M. Irwin, A.M. 
 William F. Warren, 8.T.D. 
 J. Braden, D.D. 
 H. A. Koch, D.D. 
 De Motte, LL.D. 
 L. M. Dunton, D.D. 
 
 E. O. Thayer, A.M. 
 William F. King, D.D. 
 William Brush, D.D. 
 Alex. Martin, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 J. A. McCauley, D.D., LL.D. 
 lohn F. Spence, S.T.D. 
 W. F. Yocum, D.D. 
 William Balcke, A.M. 
 Emil Uhl. 
 William Nast, D.D. 
 G, H. Bridgman, D.D. 
 Joseph S. Cummings, D.D. 
 W. H. H.Adams, D.D. 
 J. T. McFarland, Ph.D. 
 
 B. P. Raymond, A.M., Ph.D. 
 Addis Albro, M.S. 
 
 E. S. Lewis, A.M. 
 
 Wm. F. Swahlen, A.M., Ph.D. 
 
 Edward Thomson, Ph.D. 
 
 L. D. Adkinson, A.M. 
 
 O. N. Hartshorne, LL.D. 
 
 A. F. Hoyt, B.D. 
 
 Jos. Cummings, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 C. H. Pavne, D.D., LL.D. 
 Thomas Mason, A.M. 
 
 W. H. Hooper, A.M. 
 
 E. L. Parks, A.M., B.D. 
 
 Charles N. Sims, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 A. A. Johnson, D.D. 
 
 David N. Moore, D.D. 
 
 C. C. Stratton, A.M., D.D. 
 
 M. M. Bov.ird. A.M. 
 
 John W. Bissell, D.I). 
 
 John W. Beach, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 Thomas Van Scoy. A.M., D.D. 
 
 N. D. Clifford, A.M. 
 
4ao 
 
 Eakly Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Female Colleges and Seminaries. 
 
 Name of Institution. 
 
 Location, 
 
 fa 
 
 Pbesidknt or Principal. 
 
 
 Beaver, Pa 
 
 1853 
 1842 
 1866 
 1866 
 1854 
 1847 
 1851 
 1854 
 
 Rev, R, T. Taylor, D.D. 
 
 Cincinnati Wesleyan Coll.. 
 De Pauw College 
 
 Cincinnati, Ohio 
 
 New Albany, Ind 
 
 Carmel, N. Y 
 
 Hillsborough, Ohio.. 
 
 Jacksonville, III 
 
 Auburndale, Mass,. . . 
 Pittsburg, Pa 
 
 Rev. W. K. Brown, D.D. 
 Rev. L. M, Albright, A.M. 
 
 Drew Sem. and Female Coll. 
 Hillsborough Female Coll.. 
 
 Illinois Female College 
 
 Lasell Sem, for Young Worn. 
 Pittsburg Female College . . 
 
 George Crosby Smith, A.M. 
 Rev, J. F, Loyd, A.M. 
 Rev. W. F, Short, A.M., D.D. 
 Charles C, Bragdon, A.M. 
 Rev. I. C. Pershing, D.D, 
 
 Classical Seminaries. 
 
 Albion Seminary 
 
 Andrews Institute 
 
 Ashland C0II.& Normal SchM 
 Augusta Collegiate Institute 
 
 Baldwin Seminary 
 
 Bennett Seminary 
 
 Brown Seminary 
 
 Carleton Institute 
 
 Cazenovia Seminary 
 
 Centenary Collegiate Inst. . 
 
 Chamberlain Institute 
 
 Claverack Acad.& H.R.Inst. 
 
 Cookman Institute 
 
 East Maine Conf, Seminary. 
 
 Ellijay Seminary 
 
 Epworth Seminary 
 
 Forest Home Seminary. . . . 
 Fort Edward Collegiate Inst, 
 (jenesee Wesleyan Seminary 
 
 Gilbert Seminary 
 
 Grand Prairie Sem, Com. Col. 
 
 tireenwich Academy 
 
 Haven Normal School 
 
 Holston Seminary 
 
 Houston Seminary 
 
 Ives Seminary 
 
 Jennings Seminary 
 
 ICingsley Seminary 
 
 La Grange Seminary 
 
 I^ewis Collegiate Institute. . 
 Maine Wes.Sem.& Fem.Coll. 
 Marionville Collegiate Inst. 
 
 Meridian Academy 
 
 Morristown Seminary 
 
 Mount Union Seminary 
 
 Mount Zion Seminary 
 
 Napa Collegiate Institute.. 
 N.H.Conf. Sem. & Fem.Col. 
 
 Ogden Seminary 
 
 Pennington Seminary 
 
 Powell's Valley Seminary . . 
 
 Roanoke Seminary 
 
 Rust Normal Institute 
 
 Salt I.ake Seminary 
 
 Sheridan Academy 
 
 Simpson Institute 
 
 Troy Conference Academy. 
 
 Tullahoma College 
 
 Umpqua Academy. 
 
 Albion, Iowa 
 
 Andrews Inst., Ala.. 
 
 Ashland, Oregon 
 
 Augusta, Ky 
 
 Baldwin, La 
 
 Greensborough, N. C. 
 
 Leicester, N. C 
 
 Farmington, Mo 
 
 Cazenovia. N. Y 
 
 Hackettstown, N. J.. 
 
 Randolph, N. Y 
 
 Claverack, N. Y 
 
 Jacksonville, Fla 
 
 Bucksport, Me 
 
 Ellijay, Ga 
 
 Epworth, Iowa 
 
 Headland, Ala 
 
 Fort Edward, N. Y., 
 
 Lima, N. Y 
 
 Baldwin, La 
 
 Onarga, 111 
 
 East Greenwich, R. I, 
 Waynesborough, Ga., 
 New Market, I'enn . 
 
 Houston, Texas 
 
 Antwerp, N. Y 
 
 Aurora, 111 
 
 Bloomingdale, Tenn., 
 
 La Grange, Ga 
 
 Lewiston, Idaho 
 
 Kent's Hill, Me 
 
 Marionville, Mo 
 
 Meridian, Miss 
 
 Morristown, Tenn 
 
 Mount Union, Ala, . . 
 
 Mount Zion, Ga 
 
 Napa City, Cal 
 
 Tilton, N. H 
 
 Ogden City, Utah.... 
 Pennington, N, J . . . . 
 Wellspring, Tenn. . . , 
 
 Roanoke, Va 
 
 Huntsville, Ala 
 
 Salt Lake City, Utah 
 
 Sheridan, Oregon 
 
 Logan, Ala 
 
 Poiiltney, Vt 
 
 Tullahoma, Tenn 
 
 Wilbur, Oregon 
 
 Edward P. Fogg, A.M. 
 
 Rev. J. S. Blair, A.M. 
 
 Rev. W. G. Royal, A.M. 
 
 Rev. Daniel Stevenson, D.D. 
 
 Rev. W. S. Fitch, A,M, 
 
 Rev. Wilbur F. Steele, A.M., B.D. 
 
 Henry F. Ketron, A.B, 
 
 Miss Eliza A. Carleton. 
 
 Rev, I, N. Clements, A.M. 
 
 Rev, George H. Whitney, D.D, 
 
 Rev, Jas, T, Edwards, A,M., D.D. 
 
 A, H, Flack, A.B, 
 
 Rev. Samuel B, Darnell, B.D. 
 
 Rev. A. F. Chase, A. M. 
 
 Rev. R. H, Robb. 
 
 George W. Jones, Ph.B. 
 
 C. J. Hammitt, B.D. 
 
 Rev. Joseph E. King, D.D. 
 
 Rev. J, D. Phelps, D.D, 
 
 Rev. W. D. Godman. D.D. 
 
 Rev. E. McClish, ED. 
 
 Rev. O. W, Scott, A,M. 
 
 Rev. J. N. Cardozo. 
 
 S. P. Fowler, A.M. 
 
 C, W. Campbell, Ph.B. 
 
 Rev. J. E, Ensign, A.M. 
 
 Rev. J. B, Robinson, D.D. 
 
 Joseph H. Ketron, A.M. 
 
 O. D, Wagner, A.B. 
 
 Rev. Levi Tarr, A.M. 
 
 Rev. E. M. Smith, A.M. 
 
 S. C. Leavell, A.M. 
 
 Prof. Brooks. 
 
 Rev, J, S, Hill, A.M. 
 
 Rev, James Rogers, A.M. 
 
 Rev. R. Johnston. 
 
 A. E. Lasher, A.M. 
 
 Rev. D. C. Knowles, A.M. 
 
 Rev. A. W. Adkinson, A.M. 
 
 Rev. Thomas Hanlon, D.D. 
 
 James F. Swingle, A.M. 
 
 Rev, J. E. Deacon. 
 
 Rev. A. W. McKinney, A.B. 
 
 Rev. T. C. Iliff, A.M. 
 
 Rev. W. T. Van Scoy. 
 
 M. F. Parker, A.B, 
 
 Rev, Charles H. Dunton, A.M. 
 
 Rev. R. Pierce, D.D. 
 
 Henry L. Benson, A.M. 
 
Appendix. 
 
 Classical Seminaries — Continued. 
 
 431 
 
 Namks of Ii«stitctio>«. 
 
 Vt. Meth. Sem. & Fern. Coll. 
 
 Wesleyan Academy 
 
 Western Reserve Seminary. 
 VV'est Tennessee Seminary.. 
 West Tenn.Prep'tory School 
 West Texas Conf. Seminary. 
 
 Warren Seminary 
 
 Will'msport Dickinson Sem. 
 Wilmington Conf. Academy. 
 Wyoming Seminary.. 
 Xenia Seminary 
 
 Montpelier, Vt 
 
 { Wilbraham, Mass 
 
 West Farmington, O. 
 Hollow Rock, Tenn. 
 
 Mason, Tenn 
 
 Austin, Texas 
 
 'Fullen's, Tenn 
 
 Williamsport, Pa 
 
 Dover, Del , 
 
 .Kingston. Pa 
 
 IXenia, Ohio , 
 
 1834 
 1824 
 1820 
 1874 
 1877 
 1878 
 1883 
 1848 
 1873 
 1844 
 1850 
 
 Pbssidsht OS Pbincipal. 
 
 Rev. E. A. Bishop, A.M. 
 
 Rev. Geo. M, Steele, S.T.D., LL.D. 
 
 E. A. Whitwam, A.B. 
 
 Rev. E. E. Alexander. 
 Rev. T. M, Dart. 
 Rev. J. W. P. Massey, A.M. 
 Rev. Edward J. Gray, D.D. 
 M. L. Gooding, A.M. 
 Rev. L. L. Sprague, A.M. 
 W. H. DeMotte, LL.D. 
 
 Foreign Mission Schools. 
 
 Girls' School 
 
 Theological School 
 
 Girls' School 
 
 Anglo-Chinese College. 
 
 1 biblical Institute 
 
 Hoys' High School. . 
 w ' „„j rr.-i..' 
 
 Women's and Girls' School. 
 
 Girls' Hoarding School 
 
 Girls' Boarding School 
 
 Fowler Training School 
 
 Girls' Boarding School 
 
 Wiley Institute 
 
 Girls Boarding School 
 
 Boys' F'oarding School 
 
 Training Sch' I for Bible Worn 
 
 Girls' School 
 
 Baldwin Schools 
 
 Theol. Sem. & Normal Sch'l 
 
 Crirls' Boarding School 
 
 Girls' Boarding School 
 
 Siplcr Board'g Sch'l for Girls 
 
 Girls' School 
 
 Boys' Mcmori.il School 
 
 Girls' High School 
 
 Centennial High School 
 
 Girls* High School 
 
 Boys' High School 
 
 ( iirls' Boarding School 
 
 Philander Smith Institute.. 
 
 Girls' High School 
 
 (iirls' Boarding School 
 
 Girls' Boarding School 
 
 Poona School 
 
 Girls' Boarding School 
 
 Anglo- Japanese I'nivcrsity. 
 Philander Smitli Bib. Inst.. 
 
 Girls' Hoarding Schools 
 
 Girls' Boarding School 
 
 Caroline Wright Seminary. 
 
 Cobleigh Seminary 
 
 G'nW Hoarding School 
 
 Mexican School of Theology! 
 
 Girls' Boarding School 
 
 Girls' Hoarding School I 
 
 Girls' Boarding School j 
 
 Girls' Hoarding School I 
 
 Girls' Boarding School j 
 
 Martin Mission Institute... 
 1 heological School I 
 
 Loftcha, Bulgaria. . . 
 
 Sistof, Bulgaria 
 
 Rangoon, Burmah . . 
 
 Foochow, China 
 
 Foochow, China 
 
 Foochow, China 
 
 Foochow, China 
 
 Chinkiang. China. . . 
 Chung-king, China. 
 
 Kiukiang, China 
 
 Kiukiang, China 
 
 Peking, China 
 
 Peking. China 
 
 Tientsin, China 
 
 Tientsin, China 
 
 Wuhu. China 
 
 IJangalore, India 
 
 Bareilly, India 
 
 Bareilly, India. 
 
 Bijnour, India 
 
 Hudaon, India 
 
 Calcutta, India 
 
 Cawnpore, 1 ndia. . . . 
 Cawnpore, India. . . . 
 
 1 ucknow, India 
 
 Lucknow, India 
 
 Moradabad, India... 
 Moradabad, India.. . 
 Mussoorie, India. . . . 
 Nynce Tal, India.. . 
 
 Paori, India 
 
 Pithoragarh, India. . 
 
 Poon.i, India 
 
 Sitapur, India 
 
 Tokio, Japan 
 
 Tokio. Japan 
 
 Tokio, jap.in 
 
 Fukiioka, Japan 
 
 Hakodate, Japan 
 
 Naga-saki, Japan 
 
 Nagasaki, Japan 
 
 I'uebia, Alexico 
 
 Puebla, Mexico 
 
 Pachuca, Mexico 
 
 City of Mexico, Mex. 
 
 Montevideo, S. A 
 
 Rosario, S. A 
 
 Frankfort, Germany 
 Upsala, Sweden 
 
 1859 
 1883 
 
 1883 
 i88s 
 1872 
 
 1880 
 1871 
 1884 
 1884 
 1875 
 1885 
 1874 
 1877 
 1866 
 
 18831 Miss Schenck. 
 
 1883'Rev, S. Thomoff, B.D. 
 
 1 88 1 Misses Warner and M'Kesson. 
 
 i88ilRev. G. B. Smyth. 
 
 1872 Rev. F. Ohlinger. 
 
 Rev. G. B. Smyth. 
 
 Misses Fisher and Jewell. 
 
 Miss Robinson. 
 
 Misses Wheeler and Howe. 
 
 Rev. C. F. Kupfer. 
 
 Mrs. C. F. Kupfer. 
 
 Rev. J. H. Pyke. 
 
 Mrs. Jewell and Miss Sears' 
 
 Rev. F. D. Gamewell. 
 
 Miss E. U. Yates. 
 
 Mrs. Jack.son. 
 
 Rev. J. A. Richards. 
 
 Rev. T. J. Scott, D.D. 
 
 Misses Sparkes and English. 
 
 Miss Goodwin. 
 
 NTrs. Cumberland. 
 
 Misses Layton and Hedrick. 
 
 Rev. F. W. Foote. 
 
 Misses Easton and Harvey. 
 
 Rev. B. H. Padley. 
 1884] Misses Thoburn and Rowe. 
 1884! Rev. E. W. Parker. 
 1868 .Misses Downey and Seymour. 
 1884 Rev. D. L. Tompkins. 
 18S4 Misses Knowlcs and Mansell. 
 1884 Mrs. Whitby. 
 1884 Mrs. Grant. 
 18S4 Rev. A. S. E. Vardon. 
 i884|Mrs. Lawson and Miss Jacobs. 
 i879|Rev. R. S. Maclay, D.D. 
 i88.s! Rev. M.S. Vail. 
 iP84JMis.ses .Spencer, Atkinson, Watson. 
 i884lMiss Gheer. 
 
 i88o'Mis.ses Hampton and Hewitt. 
 1881. Rev. Charles Bishop. 
 1879! Misses Russell and F.verding. 
 1874 Rev. S. W. Siberts, A.M. 
 1884 '"^Ijss Warner. 
 1874 Miss Hastings. 
 1884 Misses Loyd and Le Huray. 
 1884 Miss Guelfi. 
 1874 Mis.ses Chapin and Denning. 
 1858 Rev. L. Nippert, D.D. 
 18831 Rev. J. E- fedman. 
 
432 Early Schools of Methodism. 
 
 Medical Schools. 
 
 Schools of Medicine are connected with Boston University, Hamline University, North- 
 western University, Syracuse University, University of Denver, and the Central Tennessee 
 College. That of the latter is entitled the Meharry Medical College, after its founder. 
 
 Schools of Law 
 
 Are connected with Boston University, Illinois Wesleyan University, North-western Uni- 
 versity, and Syracuse University. 
 
 Schools of Music and Art. 
 
 Academy of Music and Art in Illinois Female College ; College of Music in Boston Uni- 
 versity ; College of Music and Art in Illinois Wesleyan University ; College of Fine Arts in 
 Syracuse University ; Conservatory of Music in Pittsburg Female College. Other schools of 
 music and art are believed to exist, but have not been reported. 
 
 THE END. 
 
' >'vEKvS^ 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA ^.IBRARY 
 BERKELEY 
 
 Return to desk from which borrowed. 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 ' 15 1948 
 
 
 372 -2PW1 5 
 JUL 2 8 1972 5# 
 
 LD 21-100m-9,'47(A5702sl6)4' 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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