USA > Indiana > A history of the North Indiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, from its organization in 1844 to the present > Part 15
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with thirteen members of the faculty, and an income of $23,000 provided 279 students with like facilities." The class of 1871 numbered thirty-three, of whom four were young women, two of them being daughters of Methodist ministers. Young women were admitted to the university in 1867, and in 1871 thirty-five were in attendance. The report of the committee also noted the fact "that at least ten of the principal cities and towns of southeast Indiana" had selected Asbury graduates as principals of their schools. They also this year note the fact that the new building (East College) then un- der construction was ready "for the first tier of joists."39
This new building had been begun in 1870, the people of Putnam county alone having subscribed $50,000 for its erection. The cash, however, did not seem to materialize, for by the time the walls were raised to the top of the first floor, the funds were ex- hausted, and the work had to stop until more funds were raised. Whenever a donation was received the work would be resumed until the money was again ex- hausted, when there would be another pause. For two years this continued, when Jesse Meharry gave $10,000 toward the building, and Mr. W. C. DePauw promised to give enough more to complete the building.40
At the General Conference of 1872 President Bow- man was elected a bishop, and in July of that year Dr. Reuben Andrus was chosen his successor at Indiana Asbury. Dr. Andrus' administration lasted only until 1875, but during these years considerable advance was made along all lines. In 1874 East College was com- pleted at a cost of $125,000, and it was at that time per- haps the most costly college building in the middle west. In 1875 the conference minutes make the follow-
39 Minutes, 1871, 40, 41.
40 Brown, History of DePauw University, 33, 34.
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ing report as to the financial standing of the Uni- versity :
Value of buildings and grounds.
$150,000
Endowment fund invested at 10%
77,002
Endowment fund invested at 8% 3,000
Endowment fund invested at 7%
54,950
Endowment fund invested at 6%
3,500
Recent endowment of Robert Stockwell
25,000
$313,452
In the summer of 1876 Dr. Andrus resigned the presidency and was succeeded by Rev. Alexander Mar- tin, late president of West Virginia University. The country had just passed through a serious financial panic, but in spite of that handicap, East College had been completed and advance along many lines had been made, and in the minutes for 1879 the conference ex- press thankfulness to God "for the steady prosperity which has attended the university during the years of continued financial and business depression." They also note the fact that while nearly all of the Methodist colleges are suffering under a burden of debt and for want of students, Asbury has been slowly advancing in all her interests. The number of students at this time was 509, and the senior class numbered 52. In 1878 a gift of $5,000 in six per cent government bonds was added to the endowment, the gift of General Orr, of La- Porte, and in the minutes of the conference for this year the arrival of four Japanese students is noted, all of them from a school conducted by Rev. John Ing in Japan. Two of these students are now among the best known of the graduates of old Asbury, Viscount Chin- da, Japanese Ambassador to Great Britain, and Mr. Sato, Japanese Ambassador to the United States.
The minutes for 1879 mention a number of gifts to the University: $4,000 from the estate of Mrs.
41 Minutes, 1875, 47, 48.
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Briston, of Highland; $10,000 by Dr. Manners, of New Richmond; $1,000 by Dr. John Simison, of Romney, to be used as a library fund; and $1,000 by Mr. Clem Studebaker, of South Bend. This year a fire destroyed the old college building, and the trustees immediately met and authorized its reconstruction, at a cost of $15,000. In the report of the conference committee on education for 1881, the statement is made that Asbury has for twenty years "graduated more young men and women, and had in attendance upon its work, a larger number of students than any similar institution in Indiana." "Of the nine most influential Methodist pulpits in Indiana, six are filled by gradu- ates of Asbury. Within the past five years, it has had in the United States Congress four sen- ators and five representatives. Among the alumni are numbered the present governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the ex-speaker, three senators, a judge of the Supreme Court, the reporter for the Supreme Court, the assistant secretary of state, and three members of the incoming congress of the United States." "In no state of the Union, except Indiana, does the Methodist Episcopal church have the leading educational institution."42
From time to time the conference minutes made mention of the addition of new members of the fac- ulty. In 1880 the coming of Rev. Edwin Post from Pennington Seminary, in New Jersey, to the pro- fessorship of Latin is noted, and the same year Dr. J. M. Mansfield was called from Iowa Wesleyan Uni- versity to the chair of Natural Science. In 1883 Dr. J. P. D. John was called to the professorship of Ap- plied Mathematics, and Dr. S. L. Bowman to the pro- fessorship of Theology. In 1883 mention is also made of the offered gift of Mr. W. C. DePauw on condition that the sum of $150,000 be raised before the first day
42 Minutes, 1881.
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of August, 1883, and a series of resolutions was passed by the conference, proposing a committee of ten to be appointed by the conference to co-operate with the trustees of the university in raising this amount. The minutes for 1884 note the change in the name of the university from Indiana Asbury to DePauw, and the proposed erection of four new buildings, besides the McKim observatory, the gift of Robert McKim, of Madison. The four new buildings were to be a wom- an's dormitory, a men's dormitory, a law building and a building for the theological school. By 1886 the new buildings were erected and additional grounds had been purchased, the total cost being about $195,00. In 1887 there were 813 students, and the various de- partments of the university were in vigorous opera- tion.
DEPAUW UNIVERSITY
The administration of President Martin ended in June, 1890, by his resignation, though he continued to be a member of the faculty, and professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy. His administration of four- teen years was momentous in the history of the University. When he was elected, East College was not yet completed, and there was a mortgage of $20,000 hanging over the institution, but during his presi- dency that building had been completed and freed from debt; West College had been burned and rebuilt; a dormitory for men and one for women had been constructed; a heating plant, a music building, and McKim observatory were erected; and several new schools had been added, including a theological school, a normal school and a music and art school.
The successor of Dr. Martin to the presidency of the university, was Dr. J. P. D. John, who had been professor of Applied Mathematics since 1883. Dr. John was the first professor in the university to be
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raised to the presidency. He began his administra- tion with the university at flood tide. New men were added to the faculty, including Professor W. V. Brown, who succeeded Dr. John in Mathematics, and Dr. H. A. Gobin was called from the presidency of Baker Uni- versity to be dean of the Theological School, succeed- ing Dr. S. L. Bowman. Professor Tompkins was made dean of the Normal School; Professor DeMotte was professor of Physics; Professor Longdon, recently re- turned from study in Europe, was made professor of modern languages; Professor Weaver was head of the department of history ; and a new dean was chosen for the Law School. In 1892 still others were added to the faculty, including Professor Waldo in Mathemat- ics, Dr. Underwood to the chair of Botany, and Pro- fessor Naylor was called from Indiana University to succeed Professor DeMotte in Physics, who had re- signed to continue his lecture career.
President John remained at the head of DePauw until 1895, and although the number of students con- tinued to increase, the income was not sufficient to meet the obligations. In 1894 and again in 1895 the conference committee on education recommended that North Indiana Conference raise $2,000 for current expenses of the university. In 1896 the vice-presi- dent, Dr. H. A. Gobin, became acting president and two years later president, and again this year the con- ference acceded to the recommendation of their com- mittee to raise $2,000 for current expenses. The con- ference, however, fell far short of raising the amount, as the collection in 1896 amounted to but $854. From this time on, however, there was a steady increase in this collection, the sums contributed for the last twenty years by the North Indiana Conference, for the current expenses of DePauw University, being as follows :
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1897
$1,011
1908
$4,750
1898
1,613
1909
4,697
1899
4,006
1910
4,920
1900
4,413
1911
4,852
1901
4,451
1912
3,822
1902
4,826
1913
4,155
1903
5,209
1914
4,176
1904
2,471
1915
4,679
1905
5,178
1916
4,830
190€
5,333
1907
5,419
Totai
$84,711
The years of President Gobin's administration were from 1895 to 1903, and were crisis years for DePauw. The university did not receive as much from the DePauw estate as had been expected, and the rapid expansion of the two previous administrations had overtaxed the resources, and as a consequence years of reaction followed. In 1899 it was proposed to raise a 20th century thank offering, largely for the purpose of increasing the endowment of DePauw. The North- west Indiana Conference proposed to raise $150,000, and the Indiana Conference voted to raise $200,000. At the conference session of 1899 a long educational report was given, in which an eloquent appeal is made for the enlargement of DePauw. The report states : "We believe the necessity is laid upon us to rebuild, and build higher, the ramparts of DePauw University ; and we will join most heartily in the 20th century movement, to do our full share of providing, at least, $500,000, to be added to the permanent endowment of this great school." In a series of resolutions ap- pended to this report, the conference pledges to under- take the raising of $200,000 as their share of the endowment offering, and also proposes to join with the preachers in the other Indiana conferences to raise $50,000 in addition, to endow a chair in DePauw.
The next year the conference reaffirms their action 43 From Ledger, in Treasurer's office, DePauw University.
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of the year previous in regard to the 20th century fund, and recommends an apportionment of fifteen cents per member for the "Sustaining fund" of De- Pauw University. The minutes also in 1900 announce a gift of $35,000 from Mrs. Meharry Jeffries, and a total sum of $75,000 added to the endowment during the year. The next year a gift of $40,000 is noted from D. W. Minshall, of Terre Haute, and another gift of $10,000 from A. A. Prescott, of Goshen, In- diana. The Minshall family gave in all some $56,000 for the erection of the Minshall Laboratory, which was completed in 1902.
The presidency of President Gobin ended in 1903, and he was succeeded by Rev. Edwin H. Hughes. The university had passed through successfully a very critical period of its history, and dating from the later years of President Gobin's administration new and larger things were opening up for old DePauw. President Hughes secured $50,000 from Mr. Carne- gie for a new library building, and a campaign for a fund for library endowment was successfully carried through. The Mendenhall lectureship was founded by Rev. M. H. Mendenhall of the North Indiana Confer- ence. Of this gift President Hughes said in the obitu- ary to Dr. Mendenhall printed in the minutes: "He crowned the work of his life in behalf of the univer- sity by leaving to it all of his estate for the founding of a lectureship on Revealed Religion, more especially as related to the Bible." Mrs. K. D. Beamer, of Ko- komo, also left $3,000 to endow a lectureship on "Chris- tian Missions," this gift having been secured largely through the influence of Rev. W. D. Parr.
The General Conference of 1908 elevated Presi- dent Hughes to the episcopacy, the third president to receive that honor, and Dr. Francis J. McConnell, who had already won distinction as a preacher and author, was called to take up the work of university leader-
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ship. This administration was distinguished particu- larly by the raising of $500,000 endowment fund, $100,000 of which having been promised by the Rockefeller foundation, on condition that $400,000 ad- ditional be raised. The campaign was thoroughly or- ganized under that wizard of church finance, Rev. C. U. Wade, of the North Indiana Conference, and was completely successful. Of the sum raised in this campaign a very large amount came from the bounds of the North Indiana Conference.
The General Conference of 1912 again came to De- Pauw for a bishop, and Dr. McConnell was the victim. Again the trustees went searching for a president, and after a careful canvass they selected Rev. George R. Grose, pastor of Grace Methodist church, Baltimore, for that distinguished position. Under his leadership DePauw University has forged ahead as never before. Money has come to increase the endowment, new friends have been found, willing to devote their time and money to the university's welfare. A magnifi- cent gymnasium, and student building, known as the Bishop Bowman memorial building, has been erected, at a cost of $100,000; a great pipe organ has been con- structed in the old chapel hall, costing $10,000, the gift of Bishop Bowman's daughter, Mrs. Caldwell; Rector Hall, a new woman's dormitory, which is to cost $150,- 000, is now under construction ;and a new administra- tion building, the gift of the Studebaker family, in honor of their father and mother, to cost $58,000, will be under way this coming spring. The faculty has been greatly strengthened, and standards of scholar- ship raised.
President Grose is the second president of this honored institution to hold membership in the North Indiana Conference.
CHAPTER X.
THE CLOSE OF THE CENTURY.
1894-1900.
The North Indiana Conference during the last decade of the nineteenth century was in a comparatively static condition. In 1894 there were 46,778 members, and 9,756 probationers, and at the conference of 1900 the reported membership was 52,610, an increase of 5,832 for the six years, or an increase of less than one thou- sand a year. The increase in church property was likewise small. In 1894 the valuation of church prop- erty was estimated at $1,427,073, while in 1900 the valuation had increased to but $1,584,525, or an in- crease of $26,242 each year. There was considerable increase in the benevolent offerings, however, the mis- sionary offering showing a steady increase year by year throughout this period. The amount reported in 1894 was $14,951, while in 1900 the missionary collection was $24,100; $2,281 was contributed for church exten- sion in 1894, and $5,000 in 1900; the conference claim- ants collection increased from $5,105 in 1894 to $7,000 in 1900.
The conference session of 1894 convened in Bluff- ton, April 4-9, presided over by Bishop Daniel A. Good- sell. Charles G. Hudson, who has served as secretary of the conference for the past several years, was again elected to that arduous office, though this was to be the last year of his secretaryship. The conference moved along without incident, with the usual reports, and resolutions. A large class of nineteen was received on trial, including R. L. Seamans, Joseph A. Sumwalt, W. B. Freeland, Thomas J. Johnson, E. J. Magor, and El- mer E. Wright. There were at this time the following
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districts, with their presiding elders: Fort Wayne, F. T. Simpson; Goshen, C. G. Hudson; Kokomo, W. S. Birch; Muncie, H. N. Herrick; Richmond, A. E. Mahin, and Warsaw, C. W. Lynch. There were one hundred and seventy-six pastoral charges, and two hundred and twenty-two members of the conference, with thirty- eight probationers.
One of the regular Conference committees during the nineties was one on Popular Amusements. In their report for 1894 the committee "regret the tendency of our young people to form circles for amusement of questionable character, such as select dancing parties, pedro and progressive euchre parties, attending horse races and theaters," all of which, they say, have a de- moralizing effect, and they resolve to discourage such practices, and to promote every organization which tends to elevate the standard of manhood and woman- hood, and they promise to cry out, in pulpit and press against all such things, and to abide faithfully by the discipline. The report of this committee for the next two years was practically the same as the above, though in 1896 the tendency is noted on the part of the "middle aged as well as the young" to engage in questionable amusements, and since this was General Conference year the clause was added, "We hereby de- clare our satisfaction with the law of the church as given in the discipline (paragraph 240) and protest against the removal of what some are pleased to call the "black list"; and the secretary of the conference was instructed to forward this action to the proper authorities of the ensuing General Conference.
The fifty-second session of the conference met in Logansport March 27 to April 1, 1895, Bishop Henry W. Warren presiding. This year a new secretary was elected in the person of L. J. Naftzger, who had served as first assistant secretary for a number of years past. The retiring secretary, C. G. Hudson, had at the pre-
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vious conference been appointed by the bishop, a pre- siding elder, which made his retirement from the sec- retaryship a necessity. A new committee appointed this year was one on sustentation, who reported as follows: "We are convinced that the necessity of the times demand the raising of funds to be used within our conference limits, to supplement the amounts paid by some of the weak charges not able to furnish sup- port, and are important points to Methodism." The committee therefore recommended that a sum of $2,000 be raised in the conference, in the same manner benevo- lences are raised, and they further recommended that a standing committee on sustentation be nominated, consisting of one member from each district, who shall assist the presiding elders in disbursing the funds raised for the purpose of sustentation.1 This was the beginning of this very useful fund, in the North Indi- ana Conference.
During this session of the conference the presiding elder of the Kokomo district, Rev. W. S. Birch, was lying sick "unto death," and his death occurred before the conference adjourned. William S. Birch had been licensed to preach in 1849, and was admitted into full membership of the conference in 1851. He had served some of the most important churches in the confer- ence, and had been presiding elder over four districts, 1861-64, Goshen district; 1870-73, Fort Wayne dis- trict; 1874-76, West Fort Wayne district; 1884-87, Richmond district, and 1891-94, Kokomo district. He had been a member of two General Conferences, that of 1872 and 1876, and was a delegate to the second Ecumenical Conference in 1881. He had held an im- portant place in the conference for many years, and was interested in all that pertained to the welfare and progress of the church.
The next session of the conference was held in Rich-
1 Minutes, 1895, 11, 17, 18.
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mond, in the spring of 1896, and it was at this confer- ence that General Conference delegates were to be se- lected.2 On the first ballot, those receiving fifteen votes or more were as follows: H. N. Herrick, A. E. Mahin, F. G. Brown, W. D. Parr, C. G. Hudson, G. H. Hill, O. S. Harrison, J. A. Lewellen, C. U. Wade, G. N. Eldridge, F. T. Simpson, M. S. Marble, L. J. Naftzger, A. W. Lamport, B. A. Kemp and M. H. Mott. After three ballots the following were elected, H. N. Herrick, Augustus E. Mahin, F. G. Brown, W. D. Parr and G. H. Hill, while C. G. Hudson and J. H. Jackson were elected reserve delegates.3 Previous, in this session the con- ference had gone on record as opposed to the removal of the time limit, the vote standing 102 in favor of retaining the time limit, to 22 against.4 The confer- ence also at this session, had received notice from the Northwest Indiana Conference, that its delegates to the ensuing General Conference, had been instructed to ask for a change of boundary lines between the North and the Northwest Indiana Conferences, so as to give Logansport to the Northwest Indiana Conference, and enough adjacent territory to straighten the bound- ary line. In response to this notice the North Indiana Conference immediately instructed their delegates to oppose any change of boundary lines whatever.5
The ensuing General Conference did not change the boundary between the conferences as the Northwest Indiana Conference had requested. The General Con- ference Journal for 1900 described the boundary as fol- lows: "The North Indiana Conference shall be bounded on the north by the State of Michigan; on the east by the State of Ohio, including Union City; on the South by the National Road from the State line west to Ma-
2 Bishop Thomas Bowman was the presiding bishop.
3 Minutes, 1896, 25, 30, 31.
4 Ibid, 18.
5 Ibid, 15, 16.
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rion county, thence north to the northeast corner of said county ; thence west to the Michigan Road; on the west by said Michigan Road to South Bend, and thence by the St. Joseph River to the Michigan State line, in- cluding Logansport, and all towns on the National road east of Indianapolis."6
During these years the Preacher's Aid Society was making steady gains. In 1895, C. U. Wade, the treas- urer, reported a capital of $18,406, invested in first mortgages, and in real estate, or in good notes. In 1896 the capital had increased to $18,938; in 1898 the sum had grown to $20,508; in 1899 there was $21,935 in the fund, and the amount turned over for the con- ference claimants this year was 1,100; while in 1900 the amount had grown to the goodly sum of $23,606.
The Lay electoral conference which convened in Richmond in 1896, for the election of lay delegates to the ensuing General Conference, in Cleveland, Ohio, passed the following resolutions, which well summar- ize the most important matters which confronted the laymen at that time. The first resolution called for equal lay and clerical representation in the annual con- ference; the second asked that women be eligible to sit as delegates in both the annual and General Confer- ences; the third called for equal lay and clerical repre- sentation in the General Conference; while the fourth stated that they thought it unwise to elect any addi- tional bishops at the next General Conference. The next two resolutions take strong position against the liquor business, the eighth expresses opposition to the removal of the time limit, while the last instructs the lay delegates to oppose any change in the conference boundary.
During these years there was a growing tendency on the part of the conference to watch more closely the educational and other qualifications of the candidates
6 General Conference Journal, 1900, 483, 484.
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for the ministry. In the conference of 1895 and 1896; again at the session in 1897, and still again in 1898, the following resolutions were passed :7
Whereas, The growing list of Superannuates and the meager financial help received by them makes it imperatively necessary to guard more carefully the door of admission into our conference; and
Whereas, There is a growing demand among the people for a greater efficiency in the pulpit and pas- toral work;
Therefore they resolve that the committee on Gen- eral Qualifications call each Presiding Elder before it, in order to ask him questions concerning any candidate for admission into the conference. They further ask that the committee on Qualifications give their whole time to this work, and that they be excused from all other committee work, and they also ask that the com- mittee be instructed to sit behind closed doors.
At the session of the conference in 1899 the fol- lowing resolution was adopted:
Resolved, That the Board of Examination be author- ized to decline to recognize certificates of standing from any and all institutions of learning.
Resolved, That when applicants for admission, on trial fail to reach the required grade in any study or studies, and come up again for admission, they be re- quired to take examination on all the subjects pre- scribed.8
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