History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 18

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1278

USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III > Part 18

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faltered in its support, or in hope of its perpetuity. So long as Newton Institution shall remain, it will bear the impress of his formative hand."

As before stated, the work of the institution was begun October 28, 1825, and the act of incorporation approved February 22, 1826. Eleven trustees were named in the act, viz .: Joseph Grafton, Lucius Bolles, Daniel Sharp, Jonathan Going, Bela Jacobs, Ebenezer Nelson, Francis Wayland, Jr. and Henry Jackson, clergymen ; and Ensign Lincoln, Jonathan Bacheller, Nathaniel R. Cobb, laymen. At the first meeting of the trustees, held in Boston, March 13, 1826, the act of incorporation was accepted, a profes- worship of Biblical Theology established, and the Rev. Irah Chase elected professor. At the annual meeting, in Newton Centre, September 14, 1826, a professorship of Biblical Literature and Pastoral Duties was established, and the Rev. Henry J. Rip- ley elected professor. Six years later, on September 13, 1832, this professorship was divided, and the Rev. James D. Knowles, of Boston, elected to the chair of Pastoral Duties, an office which he ably filled till 1836, when he resigned that he might become the ed- itor of the Christian Review. Yet, at the request of the trustees, he continued his services as professor of Sacred Rhetoric and Pastoral Duties until his death, in May, 1838. The Rev. Barnas Sears was chosen professor of Ecclesiastical History in 1836, and the Rev. Horatio B. Hackett professor of Biblical Litera- ture and Interpretation, in 1839. There were now four professors, and in the adjustment of their work, Barnas Sears was made president and professor of Christian Theology, Irah Chase, professor of Ecclesi- astical History, Henry J. Ripley, professor of Sacred Rhetoric aud Pastoral Duties, and Horatio B. Hack- ett, professor of Biblical Literature and Interpreta- tion. By unceasing and enthusiastic labor, these men were able to do a large part of the work contemplated by the founders of the institution.

But what was done meanwhile for the financial support and general equipment of the institution It has been already stated that the Executive Com- mittee of the Massachusetts Baptist Education So- ciety appointed two sub-committees in the summer of 1825, " one to draw up a general plan for the Institu- tion, and to inquire concerning a suitable place for its location, and the other to solicit donations and subscriptions." The site fixed upon was in Newton Centre, about eight miles from Boston, containing eighty-five acres, on elevated ground commanding a delightful prospect." Upon the summit of the hill was a large dwelling-house, with other buildings, adapted to a genteel country residence. It was known as the "Peck Estate." " The main edifice was of suffi - cient capacity for all the immediate purposes of the institution, and the whole property was purchased for $4250. The necessary alterations in the so-called "Mansion House," were promptly made at an ex- pense of $3748 ; so that the whole cost of the prem-

ises, fitted for use, was $7998." This sum was con- tributed by thirty persons and one missionary society. The committee which solicited and expended this money was composed as follows: Levi Farwell, Jon- athan Bacheller, Nathaniel Ripley Cobb, Heman Lincoln, Ensign Lincoln.

These names should never be forgotten. The men who bore them were distinguished in their day for Christian enterprise and liberality. They were pillars in the churches to which they belonged, and steadfast supporters of the foreign mission work. With moderate incomes, and connected with a denomina- tion of little wealth, they yet had faith to begin a school, which, as they foresaw, would never cease to call for pecuniary assistance. Each of the first three contributed $1070.15 to the sum raised for the pur- chase of the estate and the alterations required in the "Mansion House," while the Lincolns gave respec- tively $500 and $250, as much perhaps, when mea- sured by their ability, as was given by the others ..

Levi Farwell, of Cambridge, whose name stands at the head of this committee, was the first treasurer of the institution, an office which, as Dr. Baron Stow testifies, " he filled eighteen consecutive years, until the time of his death-a period when the institution was an experiment, and, in many minds, of doubtful success ; when it had no endowment, and when the funds for current expenses were often procured with difficulty. Many a time he stood under heavy bur- dens, sometimes bending, occasionally weil-nigh dis- heartened, yet giving money with a liberal hand, and personal service to an extent little known and imper- fectly appreciated." Mr. Farwell was a dignified and courteous gentleman, moving with grace in the best society. For many years he was registrar of Harvard College. In 1833, when the Constitution of Massa- chusetts was so amended that, for the first time, "the support of ministers became wholly voluntary," he was representative from the town of Cambridge, having been elected with reference to his vote and influence in favor of religious equality.

Jonathan Bacheller, of Lynn, was a diligent, clear- sighted, trustworthy man, a Christian of settled prin- ciples and definite aims, who spent little on himself and put much into the treasury of the Lord. He was in business over fifty years, beginning at the age of twenty-two, with a capital of $200. "He accumulat- ed," according to the statement of Mrs. Bacheller, after his death, "about one hundred and fifty thousand dol- lars, one-third of which he gave away while living, one-third he lost in business, and the remaining third he gave away at his decease." His ample forehead, clear eye and firm mouth were expressive of charac- ter, intelligence and efficiency.

Nathaniel R. Cobb was a Boston merchant. He is said to have been a man of great business capacity, of "acute penetration, rapid decision and uucon- querable perseverance." Yet he was less distin- gnished for the rapidity with which he accumulated

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

property than for the method with which he dis- hursed it. His alms were a steady stream, increasing as his means increased. Soon after entering into business for himself he drew up the following docu- ment : " By the grace of God, I will never be worth more than $50,000. By the grace of God, I will give one-fourth of the net profits of my business to chari- table and religious uses. If I am ever worth $20,000 I will give one-half of my net profits; and if I am ever worth $30,000 1 will give three-fourths ; and the whole after $50,000. So help me, God, or give to a more faithful steward, and set me aside. N. R. Cobb." Under these resolutions he way enabled, within thir- teen years to give away more than $40,000.

These three original friends of the institution, Messrs. Farwell, Bacheller and Cobb, gave it, in about equal sums, during life and at death, the aggre- gate of $57,150-a small sum in comparison with the munificent gifts of millionaires in our day-but a generous sum for the time in which they lived and for the property which they possessed. Others gave less, but with egnal love to the institution.

During the first twenty-eight years of its history, the institution had no permanent endowment. It lived from hand to mouth in a constant struggle with want. More than once its trustees were on the point of giv- ing up the enterprise. Less than two years after the seminary was opened, it became evident that the Mansion House would not long accommodate the in- creasing number of students. " In 1827, a committee was appointed to devise a plan for a new building and to procure the means for defraying the expense." The work was accomplished, and "in 1829 the treas- urer reported that such a building had been erected and paid for by subscriptions collected, amounting to $10,594.12. Towards this sum, the Hon. Nicholas Brown, of Providence, gave $4,000." But it was found more difficult to meet the current expenses of the Institution than to obtain subscriptions for the erec- tion of a necessary building. These expenses were constantly increasing. In compliance with a petition addressed to the trustees in 1827, an English and Preparatory Department was connected with the sem- inary ; but after a few years it was discontinued. In- crease in the number of professors was, however, indispensable, and every additional professor cost at least $800 a year. On the 11th of March, 1829, be- tween $5000 and $6000 were reported due to the treasurer, and Professor Ripley was requested to act as agent during his next vacation. In April, 1830, the Rev. E. Nelson was appointed agent to provide for the professors' salaries by procuring subscriptions for the annual payment of fifty dollars a year for five years, and on the 9th of September sixteen shares. enough to support one professor, had been obtained. Soon after it was proposed to raise a sinking fund of $20,000, to support two professors twenty years. On the 13th of April, 1832, the trustees were informed that this sum had been subscribed. But at the same

session they received from Professor Ripley a request for the appointment of a third professor. Thus the struggle between the growing wants of the seminary and the inadequate resources of the Board went on from year to year, and from lustrum to lustrum. Plan followed plan ; expedient succeeded expedient ; the cloth was not enough for the garment. For a short time the Institution was free from debt, but soon its property must be mortgaged, or the work ecase.

In April, 1848, the Rev. T. F. Caldicott was ap- pointed financial agent to raise the sum of $30,000, but his efforts to accomplish this were unsuccessful. In August, 1849, the treasurer was authorized to sell a part of the Institution lands to remove a mort- gage of $10,000 on the property, and soon after ten shares of stock in the Western Railroad, to meet the needs of the treasury. In April, 1851. the Rev. J. W. Parker, D.D., was invited to raise $50,000, but his attempt to do this was attended with only partial suc- cess, for it was seen that the sum was not large enough to place the seminary out of danger. Hence the Rev. Horace T. Love was chosen financial agent on the 23d of February, 1852, and on the 15th of the next month it was voted to raise a permanent fund of $100,000, and the trustees subscribed on the spot $35,000 to- wards this amount. In due time the whole sum, $117,228.38, was raised, and of this $100,000 was made the beginning of an endowment to meet the regular expenses of the school.

But the joy of the guardians of the Institution soon gave way to anxiety and fear. For, contrary to the hopes of many, it soon appeared that the interest of $100,000 would not support a first-class seminary. The foe, which it was fondly thought had been van- quished, was still in the field, and was preparing to come upon them again, "like an armed man." But they naturally dreaded the encounter, and more than ten years were passed in feints and skirmishes and guerilla warfare, before the trustees and friends re- newed the battle in earnest. It was decided in Decem- ber, 1867, that " an additional endowment of $150,000 ought to be raised at an early day," and after two or three unsuccessful experiments, the Rev. W. H. Eaton, D.D., was appointed in December, 1869, to raise money for this endowment. By his well-directed efforts, supplemented, at the last, by the powerful ex- ertions of a few distinguished brethren, especially Gardner Colby, the president of the Board, and the Hon. J. Warren Merrill, the sum of $211,404.00 was raised by subscriptions varying from $1 to $18,000. This was expected to net, after expenses and possible losses, at least $200,000. It was felt to be a great and wise contribution to the cause of sacred learning, and those who shared in it were certainly entitled to re- joice.

In 1866 a new building for the library, chapel and lecture-rooms was completed at a cost of nearly $40.000, and was dedicated on the 10th of September. It was named Colby Hall, in honor of the largest con-

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tributor, Mr. Gardner Colby. In 1870-71 Farwell Hall, the central building, was refitted, provided with a fourth story, mansard roof, and with apparatus for heating it with steam, at an expense of $12,000. In 1872-73 Sturtevant Hall was erected at a cost of about $40,000, more than one-half of which was contributed by Mr. B. F. Sturtevant, of Jamaica Plain. About the same time the Mansion House was taken down and a brick edifice built for a gymnasium.

During the last twelve years the scholarships of the institution have been increased to the number of forty-two ($42,000), a Professorship of Elocution has been founded ($50,000), the Library fund has been raised from $10,000 to $22,450 ; $60,000 have been added by two bequests to the general endowment, and a special bequest of $20,000 towards a new library building will probably be soon paid into the treasury. It may also be stated, in this connection, that a mem- ber of the North Orange Baptist Church, N. J., gave $500 yearly to five students selected by the Faculty, during a period of about sixteen years ; that Mr. D. S. Ford paid for three courses of lectures, delivered to the students by distinguished scholars, at a cost of about $300 a course ; that the Hon. J. Warren Merrill provided five courses of eight or ten lectures each, at a cost of $2700, and that a great number of practical addresses, at once instructiveand inspiring, have been made without charge to the students by ministers and laymen. The following are the names of paid lecturers from a distance : Drs. George P. Fisher, Henry G. Weston, George Dana Boardman, Edwards A. Park, George Ide Chace, Ebenezer Dodge, John A. Broadus, John C. Long, William H. Green, G. D. B. Pepper, Samuel L. Caldwell, James B. Angell, John Hall, Frederick Gardner, David J. Hill, Sclah Mer- rill. The full course of lectures by William Henry Green, D.D., on "The Hebrew Feasts," was published by the Appletons, N. Y., 1885, and the course by President David J. Hill, LL.D., on "The Social Influence of Christianity," by Silver, Burditt & Co., Boston, 1888. The lectures of Prof. George Ide Chace, LL.D., on "The Existence of God," were printed in " A Memorial " after his death, and are worthy of general circulation.

This reference to lectures and addresses by dis- tingnished gentlemen not belonging to the Faculty, during the last twelve years, furnishes a natural point of transition from the financial history of the institution to the enlargement of its curriculum and work. For, in education, buildings and funds are only means to an end, while occasional lectures and addresses have an immediate though intermittent relation to that end. But the character and growth of a theological seminary depend chiefly on its teachers, that is, on the enlargement and improve- ment of their work. This may be easily shown in the present case by tracing the widening range of in- struction in several departments.

At first the Professor of Biblical Literature and In-

terpretation was required to give instruction in Homiletics also. This continued about seven years. During the next twelve years the professor was reliev- ed of his work in the Department of Homiletics, but still had sole charge of the work in Hebrew and Greek literature and interpretation. During the next. twenty-two years he was provided with an assistant instructor in Hebrew, whose service covered a little more than half the academic year. During the eighteen following years two professors were assigned to the Department of Biblical Literature, one for the Old Testament and one for the New, while a course of interpretation in the English Scriptures was given by other officers to those who could not take Hebrew and Greek. Since 1886 two professors have given their whole time, and a third half his time, to the Biblical department. And the amount of in- struction in this department has increased pari passu with the increase of the teaching force. This will not surprise any one who is familiar with Biblical inquiries.

Thus, instruction is now given in the Syriac, Arabic and Assyrian languages, as well as in the Greek, Hebrew and Aramæan. In relation to the New Testament, textnal criticism has been raised during the last fifty years to the dignity of a science, while in relation to the Old Testament it is claiming more and more attention. Hence textual criticism has been introduced into the course of studies. Again, the so-called higher criticism, which discusses all questions respecting the age, character and author- ship of the several books, paragraphs or sentences of Scripture, has become an engrossing study, thrust upon scholars by the advocates of religious evolution. Meanwhile geographical research in the lands of the Bible has been prosecuted with wonderful success, and the fruits of it have a distinct place assigned to them in the curriculum. The topographical sur- veys of Palestine, the exhuming of cities, palaces and temples in Egypt and Babylonia and the deciplier- ing of inscriptions in stone and brick, have cast a flood of light on the sacred record. Jewish Antiqui- ties are revealed, not only by the Bible and Josephus, but also by uncovered pillars and walls.

Again, no regular provision was made in the early years of the seminary for instruction in elocution. Occasionally a small sum of money was contributed by the students, and duplicated by the trustees, for the purpose of securing a dozen or twenty lessons in elocution from some professional teacher; but the state of the treasury forbade anything more than this until, in 1870, the Rev. Alva Woods, D.D., of Provi- dence, established an elocutionary fund of $3000, soon increased by him to $5000. By reason of this fund the senior classes, during the next fourteen years, had the benefit of vocal training once a week by such teachers as Stacy Baxter, Lebrun T. Conlce and L. A. Butterfield. The results were encouraging, but not perfectly satisfactory. Too little time was

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

given to the culture of the voice; and when, by a bequest of Samuel C. Davis, of Roxbury, in 1884, $20,000 was offered to the trustees, provided they would raise $30,000 in addition to this bequest, and with the whole sum of $50,000 establish a Professor- ship of elocution, the condition was fulfilled by the friends of the institution, and since 1885 Mr. S. S. Curry, of Boston, has been Acting Davis Professor of Elocution, to the great advantage of the students.

Looking back over the history of the institution, the following gentlemen have contributed for its sup- port not less than the sums put after their names : Gardner Colby, $100,000; J. Warren Merrill, $50,000; Samuel C. Davis, $30,000 ; B. F. Sturtevant, $24,000; J. C. Hartshorne, $22,000; Levi Farwell, $19,050; Jonathan Bacheller, $19,050; Nathaniel R. Cobb, $19,050; Gardner R. Colby, $11,000; Lawrence Barnes, $10,000 ; George S. Dexter, $13,000; Thomas Nickerson, $9000; J. H. Walker, $7000, and Michael Shepherd, Elijah Corey, Nicholas Brown, H. K. and H. A. Pevear, H. S. Chase, George Cummings, George D. Edmunds, Robert O. Fuller, George Lawton, Alva Woods and Lewis Colby, from $5000 to $8000 each, while hundreds more have given smaller sums with no less sacrifice.

It is needless to describe the increase of work in other departments, but it may be said, with truth, that in every one an attempt has been made to keep pace with the progress of sober, theological inquiry, so that the school may fulfill the purpose of its found- crs. The amount of work to be done has increased as rapidly as the number of teachers who are expected to do it. Neither Dr. Chase nor Dr. Ripley, neither Dr. Sears nor Dr. Hackett, had more instruction upon his hands than any one of the six professors now engaged in service. Yet for many years there were but three professors in the seminary. Then and now the field of investigation was practically unlim- ited. And then, during the first twenty-five years of the seminary, the professors were men of eminent worth and ability. Frequent reference has been made to Dr. Irah Chase, the first professor. It is not too much to say of him that he was distinguished for patient investigation, accurate learning and consist- ent piety. Though slow of speech, what he said was always to the point and worthy of confidence, so that he commanded respect when he did not excite ad- miration. Many of his writings were controversial, but they were models of candor and courtesy. "On all the pages that he has written," said Dr. Hackett at his funeral, "you will search in vain for one cen- sorious word." And Dr. Ripley testified on the same occasion that "religion in him was all. pervading and absorbing." Such a man was the first professor.

labored several years as a missionary pastor in the State of Georgia. In the autumn of 1826 he entered upon his work in Newton, where he filled a profes- sor's chair thirty-four years. As a teacher and writer he was distinguished for exactness of knowledge, soundness of judgment, clearness of expression and sweetness of spirit. He was loved and revered by his pupils, trusted by his brethren and respected by Chris- tians of every name. Firm without being obstinate, he was gentle without being weak. In controversy he united the utmost firmness of mind with a strict adhesion to truth. His commentaries on the four Gospels, on the Acts and on the Epistles to the Ro- mans and the Hebrews, were both scholarly and per- spicuous, while his volumes on Church Polity and Sacred Rhetoric were highly useful. The value of such a teacher's influence is inestimable.

The Rev. James D. Knowles, the third professor, was graduated from Columbian College, D. C., where he also took his theological course. For nearly seven years he was pastor of the Second Baptist Church, Boston, and for nearly six years, until his sudden death (May 9, 1838), Professor of Sacred Rhetoric and Pastoral Duties in Newton. Dr. Baron Stow speaks of his character and attainments in these words : " Hundreds admired him for his superior talent, his pure taste, his literary culture, and his refinement of manners, but only those whom he admitted to his confidence understood the warmth of his heart. With the appearance of cold reserve and self-satisfaction, he was really one of the most simple-hearted and child-like of men. . . . I have never known the man whom I loved more, er who proved himself, on long acquaintance, worthy of greater respect." He was the author of two admirable biographies, one of Roger Williams, and the other of Mrs. Ann Haseltine Jud- son, and he proved himself to be an accomplished teacher.

The fourth professor appointed was Dr. Barnas Sears, a graduate of Brown University and of New- ton Theological Institution. On his return from a considerable period of study in Germany, he was chosen Professor of Ecclesiastical History (1836), a position which he honored with eminent service three years. At the close of this period (1839) he was transferred to the chair of Christian Theology, and, at the same time, made president of the seminary. Nine years later (1848) he resigned the place which he had so ably filled, that he might become secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education. This office be held for seven years and then relinquished it for the presidency of Brown University (1855). The presidency of Brown he held about twelve years, and then (in 1867) became secretary of the famous Pea- body education fund, retaining this position until his death, in 1880, As a teacher of Christian Theology in the seminary, he brought all his varied attain- ments to bear upon the student's mind with remark-

And the second, Dr. Ilenry J. Ripley, was his peer in Christian devotion and learning. A native of Bos- ton and a medal scholar of its Latin School, he was graduated from Harvard College in 1816, and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1819. Then he able skill, and succeeded wonderfully in stimulating

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thought and research. "He made his pupils feel the greatness and the richness of the treasures to be sought in the domain of inspired truth. The peculiar charm of his teaching was due in part to his enthu- siasm, in part to his confidence in the ability of his pupils to judge for themselves, and in part to his habit of pointing out and commending to them the sources of knowledge. They were made to feel that, without concealing his own belief, he would give theni, as nearly as possible, 'all sides of every ques- tion,' and lead them to answers founded on reasons, rather than on human authority." And it will not be deemed superfluous if we add a testimony as to his connection with the Peabody fund. "It is quite doubtful whether any of Mr. Peabody's princely be- quests has been administered more judiciously, or whether ever a great capital devoted to popular edu- cation has been applied more successfully and more effectually than Dr. Sears applied the fund of which he held charge during a most trying and responsible period of over twenty-three years."

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 18

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co Number of Pages: 1278

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1278