USA > Indiana > Indiana Methodism : being an account of the introduction, progress, and present position of Methodism in the State; and also a history of the literary institutions under the care of the church, with sketches of the principle Methodist educators in the state . . > Part 23
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While the Conference felt that, on many accounts, it would be desirable to have an institution of learning un- der its own control, yet it was thought if we could get any thing like an equitable share of privileges in the State University at Bloomington, that that would meet the wants of our people for several years; and accord- ingly, at the Conference of 1834, it was resolved to memorialize the Legislature on that subject. A memo- rial from the Conference, and similar memorials from dif- ferent parts of the state, numerously signed, were sent up to the Legislature. The memorialists did not ask that the University be put, either in whole or in part, under the control of the Church; they simply asked that the trustees of the University should be elected for a def- inite term of years, and the vacancies, as they occurred, should be filled by the Legislature, and not by the re- maining members of the Board of Trustees.
The memorials were referred to an able committee of the Legislature, but from some cause the committee never reported. It was easier to strangle the report in the committee, than to justify a refusal of the reforms asked by the memorialists. Failing in their efforts to secure a reform in the manner of controlling the State University,
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the members of the Conference turned their thoughts earnestly toward the founding of a literary institution of high grade, under the control of the Church. At the session of the Conference of 1835, a plan was agreed upon for founding a university.
Subscriptions were taken up and proposals made from different parts of the state, with a view of securing the location of the university. Rockville, Putnamville, Greencastle, Lafayette, Madison, and Indianapolis were the principal competitors. Rockville presented a sub- scription of $20,000; Putnamville, about the same amount; Indianapolis and Madison, $10,000 each ; and Greencastle, the sum of $25,000; and at the session of the Conference in Indianapolis, in 1836, the university was located at Greencastle. At the next session of the Legislature the institution secured a liberal charter, un- der the name of
INDIANA ASBURY UNIVERSITY.
THE first meeting of the Board of Trustees was held in 1837, when it was resolved to open the Preparatory Department, which in due time was done under the principalship of Rev. Cyrus Nutt, a graduate of Alle- ghany College. Rev. M. Simpson was elected President of the University in 1839; and the first regular Com- mencement was held in 1840, when President Simpson was duly inaugurated; the charge being delivered by Governor Wallace.
NEW ALBANY SEMINARY.
THIS institution came under the care of Indiana Con- ference in 1837. In May, 1837, William H. Goode, who was traveling Lexington Circuit, was elected Prin- cipal of New Albany Seminary, and, by the approval of
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his presiding elder, Rev. C. W. Ruter, who supplied his place on the circuit, entered immediately upon his duties as the successor of Philander Ruter, A. M. And at the ensuing session of the Conference, which was held in New Albany in the Fall of the same year, Mr. Goode was appointed in charge of the Seminary. Preferring the pastoral work, he resigned before the next session of the Conference, and was succeeded by George H. Harri- son, A. M., who continued in charge of the Seminary for several years; and, although the Seminary was dis- continued as a Conference institution, and ceased, it, nevertheless, accomplished great good in its day, and showed that the Methodist Church was then, as now, the real friend of Christian education.
That errors were committed in the early management of our denominational schools, is now apparent. The efforts of the Church were too much divided, and the schools did not rest on a sufficiently solid pecuniary basis. New Albany Seminary is worthily succeeded by
DE PAUW COLLEGE FOR YOUNG LADIES,
IN the same city. The College is a credit to the city, and an honor to its noble founder and patron, whose name it bears. Other seminaries and colleges, local in their influence, but useful in their day, sprang up in dif- ferent parts of the Conference, and flourished for a while; but as the system of public schools improved, and graded schools were established, the demand for Church sem- inaries was less, and the Church is wisely concentrating on a few of her more central and important institutions.
WHITEWATER COLLEGE,
AT Centerville, with a branch at Richmond, flourished for some years, and had the efficient labors of Cyrus
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Nutt, D. D., and of Wm. H. Barnes, A. M., and other efficient educators ; but was finally discontinued as a. Church school.
Similar schools sprang up in each of the conferences, and, after flourishing for a season, were discontinued ; and, although their discontinuance was a source of morti- fication to their immediate friends, perhaps they each accomplished more good than they cost; and, while they expired, their fruit remained.
Fort Wayne College was founded in 1846; Brook- ville College in 1851, and Moore's Hill College in 1853.
THE educational record for Indiana (1870) stands as follows :
Indiana Asbury University : Professors, 7; students, 344; value of property, $101,000; active endowment, $105,000; total value of property, $206,000.
INDIANA CONFERENCE.
DE PAUW COLLEGE for Young Ladies : Teachers, 9; scholars, 137; value of property, $50,000. Rockport Collegiate Institute : Teachers, 4; students, 98; value of property, $30,000.
NORTH INDIANA CONFERENCE.
FORT WAYNE COLLEGE : Teachers, 10; students, 250; value of property, $50,000.
SOUTH-EASTERN INDIANA CONFERENCE.
BROOKVILLE COLLEGE: Teachers, 6; students, 150; value of property, $27,000. Moore's Hill College : Teachers, 9; students, 365; value of property and endowment, $53,520.
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NORTH-WEST INDIANA CONFERENCE.
STOCKWELL COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE : Teachers, 7; stu- dents, 150; value of property, $40,000. Valparaiso College : Value of property, $30,000. Battle-ground Institute : Value of property, $10,000. Danville Acad- emy: Value of property, $20,000. Dayton Academy : Teachers, 2; students, 100; value of property, $5,000.
There are sixty professors and teachers employed in colleges and academies in Indiana under the care of the Church, and nearly two thousand students receiving collegiate and academic training in these institutions.
VALUE OF SCHOOL PROPERTY.
Indiana Asbury University.
$206,000
Fort Wayne College.
50,000
Brookville College.
27,000
Moore's Hill College
53,520
De Pauw College for Young Ladies.
50,000
Stockwell Collegiate Institute
40,000
Dayton Academy.
5,000
Rockport Collegiate Institute.
30,000
Valparaiso College
30,000
Battle-ground Institute.
10,000
Indiana Central Female College.
11,000
Danville Academy.
20,000
Total
$532,520
The above exhibit is incomplete, owing to the im- possibility of obtaining full information; but it serves to show that Methodists are doing a reasonable share toward the education of the youth of the State. Many of the most efficient teachers in our graded schools, and a number of the superintendents of the schools in our cities, are graduates of Methodist colleges.
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CHAPTER XVII.
Indiana Bishops-R. R. ROBERTS-Licensed to Preach, and admitted into the Conference-Circuits and Stations filled-Elected to the Episcopacy-Removes to Indiana-His Personal Appearance-Ex- tract from " The Fallen Heroes of Indiana Methodism," by Hon. R. W. Thompson-Funeral Services at Greencastle-Erection of a Monument-MATTHEW SIMPSON-Enters the Ministry-Elected President of "Indiana Asbury University "-Elected Editor of the Western Christian Advocate-Elected Bishop-His Services in the Cause of Education-He visits Europe-His Services during the War-E. R. AMES-His Ancestors-His Early Life-Opens a High -. school at Lebanon-Elected "Corresponding Secretary of the Mis- sionary Society "-Elected President of " Indiana Asbury Univer- sity "-Elected Bishop-His Personal Appearance-His Manner of Preaching.
INDIANA BISHOPS.
BISHOP ROBERTS.
ROBERT RICHFORD ROBERTS, although not a na- tive of Indiana, and never a member of an Indiana Conference, is, nevertheless, claimed as an Indiana bishop, because he was a citizen of Indiana during nearly the whole term of his episcopate. His mortal remains rest in Indiana, and his worldly substance was all de- voted to the support of Christian education in Indiana. Bishop Roberts was a native of Frederick, Maryland. He was born August 2, 1778. He was converted in the fourteenth year of his age, and licensed to preach, and admitted on trial in the Baltimore Annual Conference, in the Spring of 1802. He traveled consecutively Car- lisle, Montgomery, Frederick, Pittsburg, and Wheeling
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Circuits. While in charge of the latter circuit, in 1808, he attended the session of the General Conference in Baltimore, and took part in its deliberations, participat- ing in the famous debates on the question of making the presiding eldership elective. At the close of the Gen- eral Conference, Bishop Asbury stationed him in the city of Baltimore. In 1809, he was reappointed to Balti- more. In 1810, he was stationed at Fell's Point, and in 1811, at Alexandria. In 1812, he was stationed at Georgetown, District of Columbia, and during this year he made the acquaintance of President Madison and his estimable lady, by whom he was highly esteemed. He was accustomed to visit them, and was received with the freedom and cordiality of private friendship. In 1813 · and 1814, he was stationed in Philadelphia. In 1815, he was presiding elder on Schuylkill District, which in- cluded the city of Philadelphia. In 1816, he was elected to the episcopacy. The following fact, doubtless, contrib- uted to the election of Mr. Roberts : There being no bishop present at the session of the Philadelphia Confer- ence, which was held just previous to that of the Gen- eral Conference, Mr. Roberts, according to the provisions of the Discipline, was elected to preside, although the youngest presiding elder in the Conference. During the session of the Conference many of the delegates to the General Conference, from New England and New York, who were on their way to Baltimore, stopped to look in upon the Philadelphia Conference ; and beholding the dignity, ease, and propriety with which he presided, were convinced that he was a suitable man for the episcopacy. His elevation to the episcopacy was unlooked for as well as unsolicited by him. In December, 1819, Bishop Rob- erts removed from Shenango, his old home in Pennsyl- vania, where he resided a short time after his election to
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the episcopacy, to Lawrence County, Indiana. This was in the third year of his episcopacy. The mildness of the climate, the fertility of the soil, and cheapness in living, appear to have been the motives by which he was actuated in coming to Indiana. Although his circuit was the continent, and his exposures and perils great, he was permitted to die at home, which solemn event occurred on the 26th of March, 1843.
Bishop Roberts was a man of fine physical appear- ance. He would attract attention in any company. He sat, stood, and moved with great dignity, in private and public, without any apparent effort, or any stiffness of manner. He was five feet ten inches in height, with a heavy, robust frame, tending, in later years, to corpulency. God had called him to a work which demanded great phys- ical as well as mental and moral force, and he endowed him for his vocation. His manner was always easy, and is, perhaps, as well expressed by the terms simplicity and naturalness, as by any others. His piety was deep, ar- dent, and uniform. He loved the social means of grace, as the class and prayer meetings, where he seemed to forget all official position, and appeared in the simple light of true Christian character. His piety was cheerful and active. The field of his labor was a continent, and, like Paul, he pressed to regions beyond, that he might preach the Gospel where Christ had not been named, that he might not build on another man's foundation. As a preacher, his manner was earnest rather than impas- sioned. His thoughts came readily, and were always clothed in appropriate language. He was a natural ora- tor. His voice was full, and its tones rich and melodious. He commenced with a pitch of voice that all could hear, and his delivery was quite uniform. It was a full cur- rent from the beginning, and flowed on evenly to the
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end; and one felt that, impressive as his effort was, there was with him a large amount of reserved power. His sermons were practical and experimental. His thoughts were in sympathy with real life, and, hence, there was a freshness about his sermons that was always refreshing.
In his address on "The Fallen Heroes of Indiana Methodism," delivered before the "Indiana State Meth- odist Convention " in Indianapolis, in October, 1870, Hon. R. W. Thompson said of Bishop Roberts :
"I knew Bishop Roberts well-most intimately, con- sidering the disparity in our ages. I had many oppor- tunities of studying his character as it was developed in his intercourse with the world; and, all things con- sidered, I do not hesitate to say, that for all the highest excellencies, for a profound knowledge of mankind, and the motives and springs of human conduct; for a deep, true courage; for pure Christian charity; for all, indeed, that goes to raise man up to the true standard of no- bility, he may be entitled to stand in the foremost rank among all the men I have ever known. In the domestic circle he was as playful, simple, and ingenuous as a little child, fond of anecdotes, and somewhat skilled in telling them. Those of you who knew him well, remember that sly humor that twinkled in his face, and lit it up with animation and life, when he was recounting some rich and racy scenes he had observed in frontier life. In recounting these he seemed to be a boy again. But even in his playful moods he was 'every inch a man,' such a one as we may not soon 'look upon his like · again.'"
Nobody could look at the benignant expression on Bishop Roberts's 'face without seeing that he was full of kindness and benevolence; gentleness beamed from every feature. I once witnessed an exhibition of these
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characteristics that made so strong and lasting an im- pression on my mind that I can not now omit it.
There resided in Lawrenceport-to which place the bishop had removed-a gentleman who had once been a Methodist preacher, and was still a member of the Church, but actively engaged in business. For some cause, which I have forgotten, he was induced to speak in unkind and rather harsh terms of the bishop, being a hasty and impetuous man. The bishop heard of it; and one night, when I was at this gentleman's house, he surprised him by suddenly stepping in. After a kind salutation, and a brief conversation upon ordinary topics, during which my friend was greatly embarrassed, the venerable old man turned directly to him and said : " Brother -, I am told that you have spoken un- kindly of me, and have called over to say to you what I thought I could best say in the presence of another, which is that I do not feel offended, but mortified, not on my own account, but yours. I am old enough to be your father, and on that account you ought not to speak harshly of me. But more especially ought you not to do so when you consider that I have given you no occa- sion for it. I never did you an injury, or wished you any harm; on the contrary, I have always treated you with kindness. But I am too old to quarrel, and in- capable, I trust, of resentment. I have, therefore, called without an invitation, not to speak unkindly to you in return, but to say that I willingly forgive you, and will pray that God will also do so; having only one request to make, which is that you will not say hard things about me any more, as you ought not to say them about any body." Instantly observing how completely his ad- versary was discomfited by this Christian, paternal lec- ture, and as if to relieve him from his humiliation, he
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said, "Now, brother, we will pray together;" and he put up such a prayer to the Throne of Grace-so gentle and kind and spiritual-that my friend expressed his sorrow in copious tears. On rising from his knees, the bishop bade us good-night, and retired without another word of reference to the difficulty. That was the end of it.
As to the bishop's preaching, Hon. Mr. Thompson bears the following testimony :
" The first sermon I ever heard preached in Indiana was by Bishop Roberts, nearly forty years ago. I had just then settled in the county where he resided; and when it was announced that he would preach at Bono, near his home, I went there to hear him. I have not yet forgotten the impression under which I went. Hav- ing been raised an Episcopalian, I had acquired certain ideas of a bishop, which filled my mind. I had fre- quently heard the venerable and most excellent Bishop Mead, of Virginia, and the hand of the more venerable, and not less excellent, Bishop White, of Pennsylvania, had rested upon my head in the ceremony of confir- mation. To these distinguished men I attached a degree of honor and respect far above that which I was in the habit of feeling for ordinary individuals. And thus im- pressed, I frankly confess that I was prompted by some little curiosity to see what sort of a man a Methodist bishop of Indiana could be. The weather was pleasant, the congregation large for the times, and the preaching out of doors in a beautiful grove. At the beginning of the sermon I stood at the outside of the audience; from which point, for the first time, my eye rested upon the venerable form of the noble old man, than whom, among all the varied associations of three-score years, I have never known a nobler or better. His gray locks were thrown back so as to expose to full view his magnificent fore-
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head and brow, which were stamped with the unmis- takable marks of thought and intellectual power. My whole attention was at once arrested, and I drank in every word, as it fell from his lips, with the deepest and most intense interest, edging myself along to get nearer, as if drawn to him by a cord that was too strong to be resisted or broken. His introduction was in soft, but distinct tones, as though he were a father addressing kindly admonitions to his children. It was most fitly spoken in that almost conversational style for which he was eminently distinguished, and which he universally adopted at the commencement of his sermons. But as he advanced, he grew and strengthened and warmed up with his subject, and displayed such eloquence and power and vigor of thought, as has not often been heard in Canterbury, or York, or Cambridge, or St. Peter's. His clear and musical voice was re-echoed by the silent grove, and not one who was brought under its spell remained unmoved by its pathos. He did not employ tropes and figures by way of ornament to his discourse, but, grappling his subject like a giant, he portrayed the majesty, power, and love of God in breathing words and burning thoughts, that sank into the hearts and souls of his hearers. At one time his style was simple, yet always terse, exact, and perspicuous. At others he rose to the very highest summit of eloquence, and descended again, with a natural ease and dignity that far surpassed all the teachings of the schools. Dealing for a moment with common events, so as to arrest the attention and excite the earnestness of his hearers, he would, without artistic action or display, carry them with him, by a sort of magic influence, into the loftier regions of thought and reason, exhibiting, as he pro- gressed, no less familiarity with the classic imagery of
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Milton than with the inspired and majestic thoughts of St. Paul."
On the 18th of January, 1844, the remains of Bishop Roberts were disinterred, and removed to Greencastle. On the following day they were, by order of the trustees of the University, reinterred in the college campus. The religious services were conducted by Rev. John Miller, which were followed by an appropriate address by Professor W. C. Larrabee. The preachers of the four Indiana conferences united in erecting a beautiful marble monument over his grave, at a cost of four hundred and twelve dollars. The monument was erected by J. W. Weir & Brother, of Indianapolis. The work having been completed according to contract, its erection was cele- brated on the 18th of May, 1859, in the following order : A procession was formed at the " First Church," in Green- castle, under the direction of Professor Miles J. Fletcher, and marched to the college campus, where a platform and seats had been prepared. The music was led by an excellent choir. Appropriate portions of Scripture were read by F. C. Holliday. Prayer was offered by Profes- sor Cyrus Nutt and W. C. Smith, and an appreciative and richly historical funeral address was delivered by Rev. Aaron Wood. The mortal remains of the bishop's wife, who survived him several years, sleep by his side, and through the liberality of J. S. M'Donald, Esq., of New Albany, a substantial iron fence incloses their last resting place.
From the commencement of his ministry, and down to his election to the episcopacy, Mr. Roberts filled a class of prominent appointments, including the cities of Baltimore, Washington City, and Philadelphia. For twenty-seven years as a bishop he traveled over the set- tled portions of this country, when the facilities for trav-
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eling were far different from what they are now. He was a model Christian gentleman, alike at home in the parlors of the wealthy and in the cabins of the frontier settlers. His qualities of person, mind, and heart fitted him well for his position as a Methodist bishop, whose diocese was a continent. He was "given to hospitality," and he showed his appreciation of learning by making "Indiana Asbury University " his heir, so that what little means he had accumulated will continue to promote the interests of sanctified learning as the years roll by.
BISHOP SIMPSON.
REV. MATTHEW SIMPSON was elected to the episco- pacy in 1852. Although his father died when he was young, yet, acting upon the advice of judicious friends, and prompted by a strong desire for learning, he suc- ceeded in securing a collegiate education. He was con- verted in his youth; and, yielding to his convictions of duty, he entered the traveling ministry, in the Pittsburg Conference, in 1833. In 1839, he was elected President of Indiana Asbury University, which position he con- tinued to occupy until 1848, when he was elected editor of the Western Christian Advocate. He filled this position until 1852, when he was elected bishop.
Dr. Simpson, as President of Indiana Asbury Uni- versity, did the cause of Methodism in general, and Methodist education in particular, in Indiana, a very great service. Denominational education among us in Indiana, as has been noted elsewhere, was the result of an inveterate prejudice against Methodism. Dr. Simp- son's attainments as a scholar, and his ability both as a platform speaker and a preacher, gave him great influ- ence throughout the state as a representative man, and enabled him utterly to destroy many of the erroneous
Wie
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impressions that designing men had made on the public mind. As President of the University, Dr. Simpson dis- played great financial skill and executive ability. For some time the endowment was inadequate to meet the current expenses of the institution, on the most econom- ical scale ; but such was the popularity of the Faculty, under the leadership of Dr. Simpson, that the income from the endowment fund was cheerfully supplemented by contributions for current expenses, from nearly every pastoral charge in the state. His influence over the stu- dents was almost unbounded. They not only respected and admired him-they loved him; and when absent only a few days they would, on his return, make some public demonstration of joy. As editor of the Western Christian Advocate, he met the largest expectations of the Church. The Church was fortunate in selecting him as one of her bishops. He brought to the duties of the episcopal office the same tireless energy, comprehensive plans, and singleness of purpose, that had characterized him as President of the University and editor of the Western Christian Advocate. A prince of preachers, Bishop Simpson's fame is more than national. His visits through Europe, as the representative of American Meth- odism, enabled him to make a profound impression on the public mind, and his sermons were every-where regarded as models of pulpit eloquence, combining, in a larger de- gree than almost any other man, scholarly culture, logical accuracy, and impassioned delivery. The bishop retains his habits of study. His versatility of talent, and his ability and willingness to work, are equaled by few. American Methodism has thus far been pre-eminently fortunate in the selection of her bishops. The office and the times have called for remarkable men, and the Church has furnished them. Bishop Simpson rendered
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