History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 50

Author: Williams, Chase & Co., Cleveland (Ohio)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Williams, Chase & Co.
Number of Pages: 1100

USA > Maine > Penobscot County > History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches > Part 50

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The founders of this seminary were led to undertake its establishment from a deep conviction of its necessity. This is evident from the following passage in one of their earliest publications: "In an almost continuous range of settlements, extending from the Connecticut to the St. Croix River, there are at least 200,000 souls either en- tirely or in a great measure destitute of well-instructed re- ligious teachers. This numerous and rapidly increasing population must waste away for successive generations in all the darkness of religious ignorance and the guilt of sin, unless immediate, extraordinary, and vigorous exer- tions shall be made to enlighten and save them."

This scene of wide-spread moral desolation could not be viewed with indifference by such as understood the value of religious institutions. The affecting necessities of so many of their fellow-creatures became the theme of frequent conversation and prayer to benevolent indi- viduals in the then District of Maine, and led at length to the adoption of measures calculated to afford relief.

THE MAINE CHARITY SCHOOL.

As early as 1810 an association was formed in Port- land called "The Society for Promoting Theological Ed- ucation." It was designed to afford aid to indigent young men in obtaining an education for the gospel min- istry, with a view principally to the supply of the newly- settled parts of Maine. This was one of the earliest education societies in the United States. It was incor- porated in 1812, soon after which vigorous measures were taken to carry into effect the principal object of the society.

After much thought and a somewhat extended corres- pondence, not only in this country but in England, it was concluded that this object could not be obtained without the establishment of a literary and theological institution. Accordingly a committee was appointed by the directors of the society, with instructions to establish as speedily as possible the proposed seminary. Through the efforts of this committee a charter was obtained from the Legislature of Massachusetts in February, 1814, des- ignating certain individuals as "Trustees of the Maine Charity School,"-for this was then, and is now, the legal title of the Institution,-and clothing them with the most ample powers. It may be questioned whether an instrument of more liberal import or of greater value was ever given to a public institution.

By the provisions of the charter the number of trus- tees is limited to fifteen, who are to have perpetual suc- cession, with power to fill vacancies in their board. They may hold property to an amount sufficient to pro- duce a clear annual income of $15,000. They may es- tablish a seminary for literary and religious purposes, on

*By the Rev. Enoch Pond, D. D., of the Seminary, from his His- torical Address at the Semi-centennial Anniversary in 1870, by permis- sion. The lucid paragraphs of the venerable Doctor stop with that headed "Acknowledgments to Benefactors." He has also no respon- sibility for the sub-headings of the chapter.

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any principle, and to any extent which seems to them necessary in order to carry into effect the design of the founders, and are vested with all the powers and privi- leges possessed by trustees of the most favored literary and benevolent institutions in New England.

On the ground of this charter the trustees are com- petent, whenever they shall have the means, to establish not only a Theological Seminary, but an English or Classical School, a Teachers' Seminary, or even a Col- lege,-anything of the kind which can be conducted with an income of $15,000 a year.

The first meeting of the trustees was held in Mont- ville, Waldo county, at the house of Major Samuel Moor, in May, 1814,-when Rev. Edward Payson was elected President of the Board, Rev. Eliphalet Gillet, Vice-President, Rev. Kiah Bailey, Secretary, and Samuel E. Dutton, esq., of Bangor, Treasurer.

OPENED AT HAMPDEN.

The founders of the proposed seminary might have located it in the western and more thickly settled part of Maine, but they determined, in military phrase, to march to the front, and plant it in the midst of those spiritual wastes which it was intended to build up. Ac- cordingly, a temporary arrangement was effected between them and the trustees of Hampden Academy; and the Seminary was opened at Hampden in October, 1816. During the first year it was under the immediate instruc- tion and government of Mr. Jehudi Ashmun, the late devoted and deeply-lamented Colonial Agent at Liberia.

FULLER ORGANIZATION.

The Seminary was originally founded on the plan of the English dissenting institutions. It was intended chiefly for those who, in consideration of their age or other circumstances, wished to enter the ministry without a collegiate education. The prescribed course of study was literary and classical, as well as theological, and was expected to occupy four years. The studies of the first two years were to be chiefly classical; those of the last two years were professional, including systematic and pastoral theology, ecclesiastical history, homiletics, etc.

In June, 1817, the Seminary was regularly organized according to this plan, and the several departments of instruction were filled. The Rev. Abijah Wines, of New- port, New Hampshire, was appointed Professor of The- ology, Mr. Jehudi Ashmun Professor of Classical Litera- ture, and Mr. Cheever Preceptor of the Preparatory School.

It does not appear that the Seminary owned any build- ings or lands in Hampden. The students boarded and studied in private families, and recited in some part of the academy building. But in 1819 a lot of land con- taining about seven acres, favorably situated in Bangor, was given to the Seminary by the late Isaac Davenport, esq., of Milton, Massachusetts. This land-now so green and beautiful, covered with Seminary buildings and gardens, walks, and trees-was then pretty much in a state of nature, and was not, probably, of great value. It has since become of inestimable importance to the Seminary.

REMOVAL TO BANGOR.

In the autumn of 1819-the year in which this plat of ground was secured-the seminary was removed from Hampden to Bangor. There were several bids for the Seminary among the towns, particularly Hampden, Castine, Brewer, and Bucksport, but Bangor bid the highest, and this circumstance, together with the dona- tion of land, induced the trustees to plant it here.

Bangor, though so favorably situated at the head of navigation on the Penobscot River, was then compara- tively a small place, containing only about 1,200 inhabit- ants. There was no meeting-house in the town, and never had been. The people were blessed with an ex- cellent minister .- the Rev. Harvey Loomis, -who preached first in a hall over a store at City Point, and then in what was afterwards called the old court-house.

THE EARLY PROFESSORS.

The same year in which the Seminary was removed to Bangor, Professors Wines and Ashmun resigned their places, and were no longer connected with the institu- tion. After leaving the Seminary, Professor Wines labored some twelve years in connection with the Con- gregational church and society on Deer Island. In the last years of his life his reason became impaired, and he died in the asylum at Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1833. Professor Wines was chiefly distinguished as a theologian of the Hopkinsian stamp. He was a plain, direct, and pungent, though not eloquent preacher. He had a high sense of the sacredness of the ministerial office and of the importance of decision and fidelity in the execution of it. Though a man of plain and simple habits, he had a large heart. He detested everything mean, sordid, or covetous. He cast his bread upon the waters, hoping-whether it returned to him or not-that it might be a means of salvation to perishing men.

The career of Mr. Ashmun, after leaving the Seminary, is so well known, and his character has been so fully ex- hibited by his eloquent biographer, Dr. Gurley, that little need be added here. Suffice to say that, after vari- ous enterprises and vicissitudes, he embarked for Africa in June, 1822. On his arrival at Liberia, he became principal agent for the colony; in which office he con- tinued to labor-through evil report and good report, but with an unshaken confidence in the goodness of the cause-for about six years. Worn out, at length, with toils and anxieties, and with repeated attacks of disease, Mr. Ashmun returned to this country in the summer of 1828. But he came home to die. He sur- vived only a few weeks, and his remains lie interred at New Haven, Connecticut. A simple but beautiful monu- ment has been erected over them by the managers of the American Colonization Society, bearing the simple name of "Ashmun." This monument will perish; but the name of Ashmun never. It is indelibly engraven on the heart of Africa.

By the resignation of Professors Wines and Ashmun, the Seminary was bereft of both its instructors. But the vacancies were soon supplied. In March, 1820, the Rev. John Smith was inaugurated Professor of The-

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ology, and Rev. Bancroft Fowler as Professor of Classical Literature; and the Seminary went into operation in its new location, Bangor.

THE SEMINARY BUILDINGS.

The institution had received, as I have stated, a desir- able plat of ground, but it had no buildings as yet, either for teachers or pupils. The professors lived each in his own hired house, and the students studied and boarded as they had done at Hampden, in private families. For a time they met for recitations and worship in the old court-house, and then a room was hired for them in a brick house on Main street belonging to Mr. Alexander Savage. It stood on the spot now occupied by Dr. J. C. White's elegant new block of stores.

On the 2d of August, 1820, was the first anniversary of the Seminary in Bangor, when six young men received diplomas and went forth into the world as ministers of Christ. Only two of them are now living. The vener- able Elijah Jones, more than forty years pastor of the church in Minot and for many years a trustee of the Seminary, was one of them.

The first building erected for the Seminary in Bangor was called a chapel. It was occupied by the preparatory school, and also for recitations and worship by the theo- logical students. It was built in 1823, and stood on the south side of Hammond street, in what is now Vice- President Hamlin's garden. It was a great convenience to the infant Seminary ; but after several years it took fire and was consumed.

The next building erected was called the "Commons House," and was finished in 1827. It was intended as a boarding house for students, and also to furnish them with studies and dormitories. It continued to be so oc- cupied for about ten years,-until the large brick edifice was erected,-when the "Commons House" was re-mod- elled and made into two professors' houses. It has been occupied by two of the professors and their families to the present time.

CHANGES OF PROFESSORS.

In 1825 Professor Fowler resigned his office and re- turned to the labors of the ministry. He was a ripe scholar, had been a tutor in two colleges, and a pastor at Windsor, Vermont, before coming to the Seminary. After leaving the Seminary he was settled and dismissed three times. He was a good writer of sermons, but his manner in the pulpit was not agreeable, and therefore, as a preacher, he was not popular. He did not pass with the public for what he was worth. He died at Stock- bridge, Massachusetts, April 5, 1856, having sustained an excellent Christian character to the last.

Professor Fowler was succeeded by the Rev. George E. Adams. He had been a teacher in the Seminary for a year or more, and was elected to the professorship of sacred literature in 1827. He continued in office about two years. In December, 1829, much to the re- gret of the trustees and of all the friends of the institu- tion, Professor Adams resigned his place, and entered on the duties of the pastoral office at Brunswick, where -I had almost said-he still remains; where, could the

wishes of his friends prevail, he would remain to the end of his days .*

The late Dr. Smith continued in office as professor of theology till his death, which occurred in the spring of 1831. He was a sound and able divine, a clear-headed, warm-hearted, devout, and good man. He was a native of Belchertown, Massachusetts, a graduate of Dartmouth college, and a student in theology of the late Dr. Em- mons, of Franklin. He was greatly respected wherever known; and the trustees of the Seminary have left upon their records a merited testimonial of his worth. His end was remarkably peaceful. His only anxiety on leav- ing the world was for his beloved Seminary, and the last intelligible words that he was heard to utter were those of prayer on its behalf. "God bless the Seminary. Thou wilt bless it and keep it; I give it up to Thee. I can do no more for it. Thou canst do all things."

These anxieties of the dying professor were not alto- gether without reason. He knew the situation in which he was about to leave the Seminary. Without an in- structor, he presumed, of course, that the students would soon be scattered; and when they should again be col- lected and the course of instructions be resumed, no one could tell. He felt, however, that to leave it in the hands of God was infinitely safe. He could trust it there, and he would trust it nowhere else.

EMBARRASSMENTS.

The Seminary had now been in operation more than a dozen years, and the principal changes through which it had passed have been briefly sketched. Its greatest em- barrassments all the way had been of a pecuniary char- acter. It is painful to read the records of the trustees, and see to what straits they were often reduced. The struggle, at times, was one of life or of death. In De- cember, 1830, the trustees voted "that unless means for the future support of the Seminary shall be obtained be- fore the Ist of September next, it will then be expedient to suspend instruction in the theological department, until such means shall have been secured." Nevertheless, the Seminary was not suspended. The course of instruction was continued till the decease of Dr. Smith; and, up to that time, more than sixty young men had received diplo- mas, besides a considerable number who had left the in- stitution before their term of study was closed. The greater part of these have finished their course. But some are still with us, are with us here to-day, occupying important stations in the church, an honor to their pro- fession and to the Seminary, and blessings to the world. Seri in cælum redeant.

CHANGES OF PLAN.

I have said already that this Seminary was instituted on the plan of the dissenting colleges in England, having a four years' course of study,-the first two chiefly classical, and the last two theological. Up to the year 1827 the Seminary had been conducted on this plan, but in that year it underwent an important change. The classical department was separated from the theological; the terms of admission to the Seminary were raised; and the course

* Dr. Adams is about to remove to Orange, New Jersey.

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of study and the period of it were made similar to those of the older seminaries in the United States. Indigent students, who before had been supported from Seminary funds, were now received as beneficiaries of the Ameri- can Education Society. Many excellent individuals, who before had stood aloof from it and doubted as to the wisdom of its operations, from this time became its de- cided friends.

In this year, also, another change took place. The trustees of the Seminary invited the General Confer- ence of our churches to send a committee year by year to visit the institution, to look into its affairs, to attend its anniversary exercises, and to make report as to its condition and prospects. The invitation was accepted, and from that time to the present a board of visitors has been regularly appointed. This arrangement we have regarded as one of great importance. It connects the Seminary with the churches, and brings it under their direct supervision. Should anything wrong be done at the Seminary, or any error or irregularity be tolerated, the case would be at once reported to the churches, where it might be corrected.

The death of Dr. Smith, in the spring of 1831, left the Seminary without an instructor, and for several months (aside from the classical school) there was no public in- struction here. But in the autumn of this same year (1831) the Rev. Alvan Bond, of Sturbridge, Massachu- setts, was elected Professor of Sacred Literature ; and be- fore winter he was on the ground with his family, and commenced giving instruction in that department.

NEW PROFESSORS.

In the following spring the Rev. Enoch Pond, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, was elected Professor of The- ology, and entered upon his duties in June, 1832.

The prospects of these new professors, at the time, were not flattering. The Seminary was without funds, though not without debts; the library consisted of but a few hun- dred volumes; and the students were chiefly scattered. But the institution had a good charter, it was favorably located, and the necessity for it was deeply felt. And some things took place almost immediately to give en- couragement. The late Mrs. Phebe Lord, of Kenne- bunkport,-a name never to be spoken but with honor,- gave a thousand dollars to increase the library; and, at its annual meeting in June, 1832, our General Confer- ence voted to raise $30,000, in four annual instalments, to increase the Seminary funds. This money was chiefly paid, and with it our large and commodious brick edifice was erected for the convenience of students, and the current expenses of the institution were borne.

A principal anxiety of the new professors at this time was on the question of students. Under the previous administration no college graduates had been connected with the Seminary, and it was feared that they would turn from it in future. But this anxiety was soon relleved. In 1833 several college students entered; and, in the autumn of 1834, out of a class of nineteen, seven were graduates of Bowdoin College. Among the graduates who first entered were Henry Storer, Franklin Yeaton,

Cyrus Hamlin, Benjamin Tappan, jr., Ebenezer G. Par- sons, Samuel C. Fessenden, Albert Cole, and Charles C. Taylor. I mention the names of these brethren that I may express to them publicly, or to such of them as are still living, the obligation which the Seminary is under to them for the stand which they took on this occasion. They did it certainly under some sacrifice of feeling. They did it from a sense of duty and for the public good, and they actually did more to advance the interests of the Seminary, at that time, than though they had given us thousands of dollars. They set an example which had influence; they turned the incoming tide in our favor; and, from that time to this, the question of students has given us but little trouble.

The only circumstance which, at this period, seemed to cast a cloud over the prospects of the Seminary was the failure of Professor Bond's health; which, much to his own sorrow and that of the trustees, constrained him to resign his office. This event took place in the spring of 1835. He was afterwards settled in the ministry at Norwich, Connecticut, and has proved himself to be a most faithful and devoted pastor. He still lives to labor for Christ, though not in the active duties of the ministry.

The vacancy occasioned by Professor Bond's resigna- tion was soon and happily filled. In June, 1835, Rev. Leonard Woods, jr., of New York, was elected Professor of Sacred Literature, and entered on the duties of his of- fice in the autumn.

FINANCIAL.

This year also was signalized by the largest subscrip- tion to the funds of the Seminary that had ever been made. In conformity with a resolution of the General Conference of our churches, passed in June, 1835, an ef- fort was made to raise one hundred thousand dollars, to be paid in four annual instalments, for the purpose of completing the endowment of the Seminary. This prop- osition was met with unexampled liberality. One gentle- man in Bangor subscribed between sixteen and seven- teen thousand dollars; another, seven thousand; another, four thousand; several, two thousand; and many men in Bangor, Portland, and other places subscribed a thousand dollars each. Within six months after the resolution was passed, the whole sum, and more than all, was sub- scribed.

The friends of the Seminary supposed at that time, that its endowment was complete, and that its pecuniary embarrassments were at an end. But subsequent events soon showed the instability of human affairs, and how little dependence can be placed upon the brightest earthly prospects. This great subscription was raised in a time of speculation and of high fancied and seeming prosper- ity. In the pecuniary reverses which followed, and the consequent depreciation of almost all kinds of property, many individuals who had subscribed liberally and in good faith, found themselves unable to meet their en- gagements, or even to pay their honest debts. The sub- scription, therefore, was greatly impaired, and the Semi- nary was thrown back into necessities and straits.

Of the subscription of 1835, not much more than a third was ever realized. And what was paid came not

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promptly at the time specified, so that it could be calcu- lated on and invested. It was paid irregularly, as individ- uals were able, and as property could be sold and con_ verted into money. Still, the subscription was a great blessing to the Seminary. It enabled the trustees to erect and furnish buildings, to make additions to the library, and to meet the current expenses of the institution during the years of pecuniary revulsion and distress which fol- lowed the expansion of 1835. Without it, it is hard to see how the Seminary could have been kept in operation during those distressing times.

AN ADDITIONAL PROFESSOR.

Until the year 1836 there had been but two professors in the Seminary,-one of theology and one of sacred literature. In July of this year the Rev. George Shep- ard, of Hallowell, was elected Professor of Sacred Rhet- oric. The supposed endowment on which he was ap- pointed failed ; but the Professor did not fail. He entered upon his duties the succeeding autumn, and was an inestimable blessing to the Seminary. In the same year (1836) a large and commodious boarding-house was erected, containing not only accommodations for board, but rooms for the convenience of students in case of sickness.

MORE CHANGES.

At this time a change was made in the manner of boarding students,-one which has since been copied by several other institutions. Instead of hiring a steward to take charge of the new house and board the students at a price, the whole was put into the hands of the stu- dents to manage it for themselves. They hire a matron to do their work, make their own purchases, regulate their bill of fare, and assess the expense. This plan has worked admirably from year to year. The boarders have none to complain of now but themselves.

Up to this time, almost from the first, there had been a Classical School in connection with the Seminary, where students were prepared for theological studies without a collegiate education. As it had been sustained at considerable expense to the Seminary, and as the necessity for it had comparatively ceased, it was no longer continued.

DR. TALCOTT COMES.

In August, 1839, Professor Woods was induced to resign his office, and accept the presidency of Bowdoin College. On the same day on which his resignation was accepted the Rev. Daniel Smith Talcott, of Newbury- port, was chosen his successor. Professor Talcott soon entered upon the discharge of his duties, and was inau- gurated at the anniversary of 1840. I hardly need say that he has continued in office-greatly to the comfort of his colleagues and the credit of the institution-to the present time .*

THE SEMINARY SAVED.

I have said that the endowment of the professorship of sacred rhetoric, made in 1835-36, failed. The subscriptions were not paid, and could not be. Owing

to this cause, in part, but more to the personal celebrity of Professor Shepard, he was repeatedly assailed with invitations to remove to more imposing and lucrative positions. The most formidable of these assaults was made in the spring of 1847, when he was urged by the offer of a very large salary to become pastor of the Pil- grim Church and Society, in Brooklyn, New York. Professor Shepard had pledged himself to go, unless his professorship could be speedily and solidly endowed ; and a large committee had come from Brooklyn to see that the separation was effected. Under these circum- stances, it was necessary that the friends of the Semi- nary should bestir themselves, and so they did; and in the course of one week a sufficient amount was raised, chiefly by the liberality of friends in Bangor, to en- dow the professorship. I have ever regarded those sub- scribers, and especially the Hon. George W. Pickering, who, almost without solicitation, pledged and secured $5,000, as entitled to the credit of saving the Seminary. For if Professor Shepard had resigned at that time, the other professors would have done the same, and the Seminary, to all human appearance, had been irrecover- ably ruined; but the subscription was raised, and the institution was saved. And only two years afterwards, in 1849, another subscription of $34,000 was raised, for the purpose of endowing the other two professorships. In the same year, too, legacies to the amount of $12,000 were received from the late Waldo family of Worcester. The sum of $8,000-making $20,000 in all-had been previously received from that excellent family. One of our professorships now bears, and some one of them we hope may ever bear, the honored name of Waldo.

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History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 50

Author: Williams, Chase & Co., Cleveland (Ohio) Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Cleveland, Williams, Chase & Co. Number of Pages: 1100

Author: Williams, Chase & Co., Cleveland (Ohio)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Williams, Chase & Co.
Number of Pages: 1100