USA > Indiana > Indiana Baptist history, 1798-1908 > Part 21
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As to Foreign Missions. The whole amount given from 1825 to 1842 was $795.62; from 1842 to 1852 the per capita was 1.8 cents; from 1852 to 1862, 3.9 cents; from 1862 to 1872, 6.6 cents; from 1872 to 1882, 8 cents; from 1882 to 1892, 9.3 cents; from 1892 to 1902, 9.6 cents, and from 1902 to 1906, 13 cents.
As to the Publication Society. From 1873 to 1882 the per capita was an average of 6.6 cents; from 1882 to 1892, 3 cents; from 1892 to 1902, 2.5 cents; and from 1902 to 1906, 4.7 cents.
The society has been particularly fortunate in hav-
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ing so faithful and wise a representative in the state as our brother, S. H. Huffman. He was a business man and was succeeding in his business, but when the duty of entering upon the work of the Publication Society for Indiana was impressed upon him he "im- mediately conferred not with flesh and blood." He brought his business experience into his new work. It soon became evident to his brethren that he was not making a large Sunday school enrollment his chief purpose; neither was it the securing of large permanent funds for the society. On the other hand they soon saw that what he sought as a chief end was accurate statistics, and especially to interest all Sun- day-school workers in an honest and earnest study of the word of God. Hence the Sunday-school Insti- tutes that were held in all parts of the state, year after year. Those who attended and took part in these institutes are uniformly prompt to testify that they came under the instruction of a teacher who himself knew the Bible with remarkable grasp and clearness both as to the letter and the spirit. After more than twenty years of such labor, Secretary Huffman needs a lengthened period of rest, and as he seeks bodily re- cuperation he has the prayers of his brethren for his speedy and complete restoration.
Woman's work in missions was begun in 1876, the Centennial year. At the Convention in 1878 Miss Eusebia Craven (later Mrs. S. M. Stimson), state secretary, made a report from which it appears that associational secretaries for foreign missions had been appointed in fifteen associations. The contribu-
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MRS. M. E. JEFFREY.
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tions for the year were $691.00 which, the reports say, was "double what was given last year." In 1879 the contributions were $734.00, and seventy-one cir- cles and children's bands had been formed. The re- port also speaks of the raising of $131.43 for the Rosa Adams Bailey memorial bell.
The relative amount of contributions for foreign missions constantly increased; in 1882 it was more than half that raised by the churches in general. In 1906 the relative amounts are these: Contributions in general, $5,151.11; women's contribution, $3,- 564.25.
In 1881 the Home mission women speak in their report of that being the "tenth year of our Society." The contributions for the year were $331.11. There was a rapid increase in their contributions, for in 1882 the sum of the contributions was $697.76; and in 1906 while the general contributions of the churches were $6,269.33, those of the women were $3,710.77.
For sixteen years Mrs. Mary E. Jeffrey, widow of the lamented Rev. Reuben Jeffrey, D. D., has been the State secretary for Indiana of the Woman's Home Mission Society of the West, being elected annually. She has put intelligent leadership, untiring energy and a cheerful christian spirit into the work; and the constantly increasing results are a sufficient evidence of the fidelity with which she has performed her task.
Following the work of women for Home and For- eign misisons was that for State missions. The later form of the constitution of the Convention provides
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for a Woman's Managing Board for State Missions, on a par with the other Managing Boards. In the report for 1898 the board speaks with pleasure and commendable pride of the work of its representative -Mrs. N. B. Leslie-who is one of the State evan- gelists.
The Baptist Young People's Union. This society was organized in 1891, ten years after the Christian Endeavor movement began. The total enrollment in the state, including both Juniors and Seniors was 10,345 in 1906.
The Sunday school work of the Baptists of the State. This began in a primary tentative way in many of the churches before the organization of the Convention ; but not until recent times have the better methods been adopted, and the subject received the attention which its importance demands.
Improved literature has greatly aided in setting and maintaining a higher standard of teaching; church architecture having reference to the Sunday school has greatly improved; and we are approaching the time when as much care will be taken in the Sunday school as in the public school to provide teachers having a liberal education, both intellectual and spir- itual. The average enrollment of the schools of the State from 1887 to 1897 was 40,971; that from 1897 to 1907 was 47,017.
Indiana Baptists have been interested also in differ- ent causes that were for the time only; in 1879 Miss Auretta Hoyt was welcomed by many of the churches as she told of the Freedmen's work as it was being
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carried on at Selma, Alabama, under the superintend- ency of the Rev. Harry Woodsmall, a native of In- diana; and she and he together received $498.91 from the churches that year; and contributions were made regularly as long as Mr. Woodsmall was connected with the work; and the interest was deeper from the fact that several Baptist young women of Indiana were in the work at Selma-most of them from Frank- lin College.
Other efforts for religious education were made; it was no unusual thing for an Association, or two or three Associations, to organize what was called a Con- ference, which met three or four times a year. Both ministers and laymen, both men and women, had part in the exercises which consisted of addresses and papers on the various subjects that would be of interest to the workers in church and Sunday school-such as certain Bible doctrines, church polity, increase of benevolence, Sunday school management, and so on. And at the close of the sessions it was common to pass resolutions expressing the attitude of the Conference on present important issues. Much permanent good resulted from these Conferences. Still another means of arousing and developing religious and denomina- tional thought was the State Ministers' Institute. The sessions lasted several days, and the ablest instructors in the denomination were secured. To mention the names of a few of these would be quite sufficient to give a notion of the standard of the work done: The Rev. N. Colver, D. D., the Rev. Silas Bailey, D. D., the Rev. Ebenezer Dodge, D. D.
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Indiana Baptists had frequently discussed the mat- ter of a Chautauqua or Summer Assembly, and had had some correspondence with the Baptists of Michi- gan as to the feasibility of joining with them at Char- levoix; at length the Convention appointed a com- mittee to look about for a suitable place in the State for such an Assembly. After a long search the com- mittee reported in favor of Pine Lake, near La Porte. The brethren and citizens there pledged themselves for $5,000 for improvements; the offer was accepted, grounds were purchased and platted, lots were put on sale and a large auditorium built and dedicated. For many years the Assembly kept up a Chautauqua course of high order ; but inasmuch as the Baptists of the State did not rally to the resort as it was sup- posed they would, the summer courses were allowed to decline. The grounds are beautiful, and the sum- mer weather there is delightful; many cottages are occupied during the summer months; but at present there is no attempt to maintain a Baptist Institute.
Among the leaders in these various departments of mission work, and that of religious education, there are many who deserve special mention. Some of these will be spoken of at some length; others will necessarily be omitted for lack of sufficient data.
In Foreign missions we think first of the Rev. S. M. Stimson, D. D. This servant of God did a work for Foreign missions that will bear fruit for many years to come. He was a man of faith, and went for- ward in the full assurance that whatever was done for the kingdom of God could not fail of its purpose.
THEREV.S.M. STIMSON
MRS S.M. STIMSON
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He was genial in spirit and so his brethren, young and old, were drawn to him. Soon after he became District Secretary of the Union he settled upon a few fundamental principles that were to have all the em- phasis that he could give them. One of these we can never forget-a contribution from every Baptist in the State made regularly and according to ability. Who that heard him can ever forget his ringing phrase -repeated a thousand times-"let every one of you" ? And there were two or three sermons that he was accustomed to use when he wanted to especially move an audience in favor of missions, and to beget a mis- sionary spirit; one of these was "the valley of dry bones" and another drawn from the character of Daniel, and the brethren who traveled with him from Association to Association would often playfully ask, "well, Doctor, are you going to preach the Daniel sermon today, or the other one?"
He was born in Massachusetts in 1815 and while yet a child came with his parents to western New York. This part of that State was then a wilderness with no churches nor schools nor Sunday; he at- tributes his early religious impressions to the influence of his mother; she was faithful in her instruction and exemplary in her life. At the age of twenty-six he began to have a longing to enter the gospel ministry, and in 1843 he was ordained at the request of the Shelby church of New York. He was pastor of three different churches-one of these he served for six- teen years. In 1873 he was called from the pastorate of the First church, Terre Haute, Indiana, to the Sec-
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retaryship of the Missionary Union, his field being In- diana, and later also Michigan, Southern Illinois and Missouri. He was three times married-last to Miss Eusebia Craven-who was already deeply interested in the mission work of the State. They were mar- ried in 1890; she still survives him. He often spoke of the trials and final successes in his early pastorates. To use his own language:
"Soon after I was ordained about half the church drew off. They shut up the meeting-house for sev- eral months, and we worshipped in the house of an- other denomination. Subsequently they got a minister, and opened the house one Sunday for him and one for me; when the house was opened I was there early and went in and commenced the service. They for- bade me but I went on, making no reply. The thing went on the next two Sundays with the variation that on their day I read the whole of the 119th Psalm for the scripture lesson."
Another experience in New York was this :
"In the fall of my fourth year we found ourselves destitute of fuel, food and clothing and all things to make us comfortable through a long New York winter. I told the deacons about it and they said that they could do nothing, and that if I could not make my living there I would better go where I could. But I determined to hold on, and at last the sunshine came." And he utters this conviction :
"I have always felt that I was called by the Spirit of God to the work that I undertook, and therefore I always expected to succeed."
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Some months before his death he deposited his trav- eling case (which he called his office) in the library of the College, giving directions that it should be opened at the end of one hundred years. He died at Greensburg in 1894, full of years and labors, respected and loved by all who had the privilege of knowing him; and mourned by those who stood in close rela- tionship by the ties of family and kindred.
INDIANA BAPTISTS IN (B) EDUCATION. They early felt the need of educational advantages for their chil- dren, for many of them were themselves liberally edu- cated. No informed person would think of the Hol- mans, the Ferrises, the Morgans, the Hardings, the Richmonds and the McCoys as other than educated men. There were no schools, much less public high schools at that time, and so there sprang up in many quarters academies or seminaries where Baptist youth might enjoy the advantages of learning. The first center about which Baptists rallied for the sake of building up a school was Franklin, in 1834. But this effort will be spoken of at length after all the others have been mentioned.
Elcutheian College was founded in 1848 by the Rev. J. G. Craven and his father, Thomas Craven, for the education of "all colors and both sexes." It was lo- cated at Lancaster in Jefferson county. In 1849 the Rev. J. C. Thompson, of Ohio, came to their assist- ance and with characteristic energy they wrought to- gether to maintain a high standard of scholarship, and christian patriotism. Their anti-slavery conviction was deep and outspoken, and there was an earnest
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desire to give to negro youth the same educational advantages that came to their more favored members of the white race. And if this school had done nothing else, it amply justified its existence in that it gave a liberal training to Moses Broyles, a negro who be- came a real Moses to his negro Baptist brethren of Indiana; he assisted in the organization of many of their churches, and helped effectively in uplifting the spiritual standard of the negro Baptist churches. But the school had very little if any endowment, and it was a hard task to make the income meet the expenses ; and so at length the enterprise was abandoned. The buildings were used for a while by the Baptists of that section in an effort to maintain an Academy; the Rev. Judson Smith, the Rev. J. S. Read, the Rev. W. Brand and the Rev. A. W. Blinn tried, in turn, to draw suffi- cient patronage from the Madison, Coffee Creek and Sand Creek Associations to maintain the school; but none of the efforts was a complete success, for the public high schools were constantly elevating the standard of their work, and tuition was free. But as there were two good buildings, and there was still some feeble hope of reviving the school, still an- other effort was made, this time by Professors F. W. Brown and W. H. McCoy. The same results followed as before and the enterprise was abandoned. The school property was finally sold to two townships of the country for high school purposes. It is said that one of the best teachers the school ever had was Solon B. Campbell, of Vernon, a grandson of Elder John Vawter; and that if his religious convictions had
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been as deep and serious as his power over students was strong, he would have ranked as one of the great educators of the State.
Orland Academy was founded in 1850.
"As a result of the untiring efforts of Captain Samuel Barry, one of the pioneer settlers of Orland, the Orland Academy, or Northwestern Indiana Liter- ary Institute, came into existence. Captain Barry was also active in the organization of the church in 1835, contributing largely of his means, time and energy to those institutions. The early settlers of this community, all of them Vermonters, belonged to a class of people to whom the church and school stood foremost; and side by side arose the stately edifice of the school and the church. The custom in those early days, in the absence of public schools for higher education, was to establish a seminary in various sec- tions, often under denominational control, and this school at Orland was founded in like manner, being originally under the control of the Northeastern Baptist Association, although it received the attention and aid of progressive men of other denominations. It began its career in 1850, and was a success from the beginning. Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin were represented with their brightest young men and young women seeking a higher education. Professor Samuel Harper, a graduate of the University of Michi- gan, then a young man, was the first principal and teacher; he was a successful manager as well as teacher, and under his tuition scores of young men and young women passed from the common schools
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of the country, through his classes, to a completer discipline, greater progress in intellectual attain- ment and higher culture, which have rendered them eminently useful and respected citizens of the coun- try. The Academy prospered equally well under subsequent principals, among whom were Professors Gibson, Barnard, Neighardt, Fast, Gillispie, Williams, Lewis, Cowan and others. But few schools below the rank of college, in Indiana, surpassed this institution of learning. Latin, Greek, French and the sciences fitted students for the universities. In 1878 the school was merged into the graded school system, and thus passed out of history the Northeastern Literary In- stitute."
(This sketch was kindly furnished by a relative of Mr. Harper. Doubtless the establishment of the Tri- State Normal at Angola also led to the decline of the Orland Academy.)
Western Female University. At the annual meet- ing of the Indiana Baptist Educational Society at Ebenezer church in Dearborn county in 1852, the fol- lowing resolution was passed:
"That this Society should take incipient measures to found a school of high order in Indiana for the education of young ladies." and "That brethren Mil- ton Stapp, D. Robinson, J. C. Post, J. P. Barnett, E. P. Bond and W. Brand be a committee to draft a plan for the establishment of such a school, and re- port to an adjourned meeting of the Society."
In the afternoon of the same day the Society met
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and the committee on a school for young ladies, pre- sented their report which was as follows:
"The committee appointed on the resolution (see foregoing resolution) having had the subject under consideration now report that we have not the charter of the Society before us but from our memory of that instrument believe that we have power to establish such an Institution. We would therefore recommend that the resolution and this report be referred to the Board of Directors of the Society who shall take the same under consideration, and establish an institution of the kind, at some proper and convenient place, and that they appoint twenty-four trustees under the Con- stitution of the Society, to carry out and support the wishes of the Society on that subject; and that in making the location the board take into account the amount of subscription they may obtain from suitable places for such an institution, and that said board report their proceedings to the next annual meeting of the Society."
The Society concurred in the recommendations and adjourned to meet in Franklin the last Wednesday in June next in connection with the annual commence- ment of the college. .
The institution was located at La Fayette, and the Rev. A. Tucker and the Rev. David Taylor were en- gaged to raise funds. They soon reported $12,000 pledged. The trustees resolved not to build till at least $25,000 was secured in reliable obligations. The Convention at the session of 1854 passed the following congratulatory resolution :
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"That we regard with the highest satisfaction the increasing interest manifested throughout the country in behalf of female education, and rejoice in the pros- pect of embodying that interest in this state in an in- stitution of learning on the largest and most liberal scale, called the Western Female University-and most heartily approve the resolution of its board to give it a Protestant rather than a Sectarian character."
Using an English phrase, every thing seemed to be in a "blooming" condition ; "Seminary" was not suffi- ciently large in sound, and so "University" was chosen. But alas! the history of "The king of France" was to be repeated. At the session of the Convention in 1855 the following brief but telling report was submitted as to the University: "The attempt to establish a Female Seminary at La Fayette has failed, and the enterprise has been given up."
Ladoga Female Seminary. The failure of the West- ern Female University enterprise at La Fayette had nevertheless aroused a good volume of interest in the subject of a liberal education for the daughters of In- diana Baptists, especially on the west side of the state ; and this general impulse it undoubtedly was that gave the initiative to the organization of the Institution at Ladoga. The following sketch furnished by J. J. W. Billingsley, whose father, A. D. Billingsley, was one of the chief founders and supporters of the school, gives the essential facts connected with the enterprise :
"Judge Glenn, W. Hanna and the Rev. Rees Davis of the Freedom Baptist church; A. D. Billingsley, James McMurry, Mary McMurry, F. M. McMurry,
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Thomas McMurry and Sarah McMurry of the Ladoga Baptist church, and a few enterprising citizens in and around Ladoga united their efforts in the erection of a brick building for the establishment of a female Seminary. From the first it was intended to furnish school advantages at the least possible cost to the young ladies who might want an education, some of whom might be barred from attending other schools, for lack of means. The building was erected and the Seminary opened in 1855. Miss Emily A. Williams was principal, and she had a sufficient number of teachers to assist. The running expenses proved to be greater than had been anticipated, and many of the patrons complained. Next they built a boarding house adjoining the brick building, intending to economize to the utmost the expense account. Still there was a deficit at the end of each year which had to be met, and a few had to meet it. After three or four years Miss Williams resigned, and the Rev. T. H. Ball had the principalship for a year or more; but he also failed to meet expenses.
"Later still the Rev. William Hill and the Rev. J. H. Smith undertook to conduct the school on their own responsibility. They had it in charge as a mixed school for two or three years-possibly longer. At the time it was turned over to Brethren Hill and Smith my father had over $5,000 paid up stock in the Seminary. He set apart the stock dividend, if there should be any in the future, to assist in the education of young ladies who might need assistance ; but later the buildings were sold by Hill and Smith
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to the town of Ladoga. Those who contributed to the construction of the buildings received but little if any- thing for the money expended-except the satisfac- tion of having provided in part for the education of many young ladies. I remember many who in after life proved to be good home makers and faithful mem- bers of society and of the church."
The following resolutions passed by the Freedom Association will throw further light on the condition of the Seminary. The first was passed in 1859 and is as follows :
"Resolved that a committee be appointed to consist of one member from each church of the Association (subject to alteration by the respective churches) to consider and adopt the best and most efficient means to relieve Ladoga Seminary of her present embarrass- ment, such committee to meet at such times and places as they may think proper."
The other was offered by Deacon J. W. Hanna and was passed at the session in 1883:
"Whereas the Ladoga Seminary was largely a crea- ture of this Association, and has failed to perpetuate the purpose for which it was organized, and the prop- erty is leased to other parties; Resolved, That we, the Freedom Association recommend to the board of direc- tors, so soon as the present lease is out to sell the property and turn the proceeds over to Franklin Col- lege."
Those who have been principals of the Ladoga Seminary are Miss Emily A. Williams, the Rev. T. H. Ball, the Rev. Gibbons Williams, Professor Mark
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Bailey, Professor A. J. Vawter and Professors Hill and Smith. The last named undertook a school in the vacant buildings of Franklin College in 1867 and most of their Ladoga Seminary pupils followed them; thus it was that when the College board resumed opera- tions in 1869 there was ready an organized school, with pupils ready for college classes, and some of them for the upper classes.
Indianapolis Female Institute. The work of in- struction in this institution began in 1859 with the Rev. William Gibbons as principal. The standard of instruction was high from the first, and as the school was in the capital city of the State the patronage was liberal; Principal Williams was succeeded by C. N. Hewes, under whose management a large number of students was gathered, and quite a number of the young women completed the course of study. Among the teachers who have become well and favorably known both in and out of the State were Miss A. R. Boise (now Mrs. Dr. Wood), daughter of Professor Boise, so long at the University of Michigan, and later a member of the faculty of the University of Chicago; and Miss Rebecca J. Thompson for over thirty years professor of Mathematics in Franklin Col- lege. The last principal was the Rev. Lucien Hayden, whose wife was closely associated with him in the conduct of the Institute. Instruction was suspended in 1872, the property was exchanged for what was known as the Ray property, and that was exchanged for forty acres of land in the north edge of India- napolis. E. C. Atkins who had been deeply interested
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