USA > Maine > History of the Baptists in Maine > Part 32
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Meanwhile the small number of students for the minis- try in the academies and in the college awakened anxiety. In 1891, the number of students receiving beneficiary aid from the Education Society had fallen to nine. In the pre- vious year no new application for aid had been received, an experience the Society had not known since 1867. Of course students for the ministry requiring aid from the Society did not comprise the whole number of those who were at this time looking forward to the work of the Christian ministry as their life work. But the entire number of ministerial students, it was ascertained, was inconsiderably small in proportion to the immediate and pressing demand for trained laborers. It was believed, however, that certain forces were already in operation which could hardly fail to increase the number of students for the ministry. Earnest prayer was being offered to this end. The young people's movement was calling the attention of many to the needs of the churches and to the responsibilities resting upon the churches with refer- ence to this matter. There was also an increasing inter-
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est in general education, which in itself was favorable, it was thought, to an increase of ministerial students. The expectations raised by these and other considerations were in part fulfilled. In 1895, the number of students for the ministry aided by the Maine Baptist Education Society had risen to sixteen, and the appropriations that year amounted to $1,117,70. But unhappily this increase was only temporary. In 1901, the number had fallen to seven, and in 1903, to five.
This state of things has very naturally led to serious inquiry as to the cause or causes of the fact that so few young men in a course of liberal study in our institutions of learning have the Christian ministry in view. This inquiry indeed has become a general one, for a like state of things exists elsewhere. In the report of the board of the Maine Baptist Education Society for 1903, attention was called to the fact that education societies in other States reported a similar steady decrease in the number of applicants for aid. Among the reasons given for this decrease by those who had thoughtfully considered the matter were : 1st. The large number of unemployed min- isters in the country ; 2nd. The brief period of active ser- vice in the ministry, inasmuch as the churches desire only young men for pastors; 3rd. The meager compensation during this brief period as compared with that received in other callings requiring the same ability and training. These reasons have not equal weight, and one of them, the large number of unemployed ministers, may have little, if any, force in Maine. But there can be no doubt that other callings, for many reasons, have for some time been more forceful and are more forceful still.
Where is the remedy for this state of things ? If there are hindrances in the churches themselves, these hin- drances should be removed. There should also be unceas- ing prayer to the Lord of the harvest that he send forth more laborers into the great harvest field. Has not prayer for this object been much less frequent in recent years than formerly? Have we at the present time as many
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family altars in Christian homes at which such prayers were formerly wont daily to be made?
The Maine Baptist Education Society, since its organiza- tion at Waterville in 1819, has certainly justified the hopes of its founders. It may not have accomplished all that was possible in such an organization, but its officers have been men of ability and consecration, who have given to the work whole-hearted service. The Society has not only aided a large number of young men in their preparation for the work of the Christian ministry, but it has directed the attention of the members of Baptist churches in Maine to the work of education in general, and especially since the change in its by-laws in 1872, when it became one of the objects of the Society "to foster, in all proper and legal ways, our educational interests in the State." From that time the Maine Baptist Education Society has been a potent factor in all the educational plans and purposes of the Baptists of Maine. During this time the federation of our educational institutions, suggested by Dr. Champ- lin, has been accomplished, and has attracted attention throughout the denomination.
Unquestionably the progress that is noticeable in the work of the Society in the early part of the period under review was due in a large measure to the intelligent ser- vice rendered by the secretary of the Society, Rev. George W. Bosworth, D. D., then pastor of the Free St. church, Portland. For eight years, until his removal from the State, in November, 1865, he was the leading spirit in all the deliberations of the Society and in all its work. He saw the needs of the churches with reference to an edu- cated ministry, and his interest and his energies were enlisted to a remarkable degree in awakening the atten- tion of his brethren throughout the State to the import- ance of seeking out and encouraging young men whom God had called to his service. He brought to his task strong convictions with reference to the gospel as the power of God unto salvation, a deep and abiding love for the work of the Christian ministry, and large success in
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prosecuting it. His removal from the State was a loss to our educational interests that was long deeply felt.
Dr. Bosworth was succeeded in the secretaryship of the Society by Rev. H. A. Hart, pastor of the Baptist church in Yarmouth, who held the office only a single year, and was succeeded by Rev. B. F. Shaw, pastor of the Baptist church in Waterville, who served the Society the same length of time. In 1869, Rev. C. M. Emery, pastor of the Baptist church in Thomaston, was elected secretary, and retained the position until 1875, rendering faithful, unre- mitting attention to the duties of his office. He was followed by Rev. Henry Crocker, pastor of the Baptist church in Damariscotta, who served the Society until his removal to Vermont in 1879, admirably meeting all the requirements of the position. For five years, Rev. W. O. Ayer, pastor of the Baptist church in Skowhegan, con- tinued the work of the secretaryship, rendering efficient service until his removal to Massachusetts. He was suc- ceeded, in 1884, by Rev. E. S. Small, pastor of the Bap- tist church in Livermore Falls, who not only faithfully discharged the present duties of the secretaryship, but directed his attention to the Society's past, and in the annual reports of the board from year to year placed on record many important facts connected with the history of the Society. Continued ill health compelled him at length to leave the work of the ministry, and he was suc- ceeded in 1889 by Rev. C. C. Tilley, pastor of the Bates St. Baptist church, Lewiston. On account of his removal to Massachusetts, Mr. Tilley retained the office only a lit- tle more than a year, and Rev. C. E. Owen, pastor of the church in Gardiner, was called to the position. Happily the Society has been able to retain his services to the pres- ent time, and with painstaking devotion Mr. Owen has given much attention to the broadening aspects of the educational work of the Baptists of Maine.
By the enlargement of its work in 1872, the Maine Bap- tist Education Society assumed a prominence in our State denominational affairs which it had not secured in its ear-
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lier history. Hitherto it had served the churches in aiding young men who were preparing themselves for the work of the Christian ministry. A better trained and more effective ministry was in this way provided than other- wise would have been possible. But while not losing sight of its original purpose in securing and bestowing bene- ficiary aid, the Society by enlarging its aims and efforts has now for a generation performed a service of which the fathers did not even dream. It has taken the lead in our various educational enterprises and given to them most hearty and efficient support. In this, we may well believe, there will be no backward steps as the years come and go, and the Society, continuing to foster the various educational interests of the Baptists of Maine, should wit- ness larger achievements than those already secured.
CHAPTER XXIII.
COLBY COLLEGE.
When Mr. Colby, Aug. 10, 1864, offered to give to Water- ville College $50,000, on condition that the friends of the college should raise $100,000, an effort was already in progress to increase the funds of that institution. Only a few months before, the Legislature of the State came to the aid of the college by passing an order giving the col- lege two half townships of land, on condition that added gifts amounting to at least $20,000 should be secured. Dr. Champlin was endeavoring to meet this condition when Mr. Colby came to Waterville and made his own proposal concerning the enlargement of the college funds.
The Civil War was still in progress. The great, indeci- sive battles at the Wilderness, Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor had just been fought, and Gen. Grant had entered upon his long struggle for the possession of Petersburg. The time was not a favorable one, but President Champlin and his associates in the faculty entered upon a vigorous canvas of the State in order to meet the conditions which Mr. Colby and the State had imposed. There were few men of large wealth in the Baptist ranks in Maine, or among the graduates and friends of the college, and it was not an easy task to meet these conditions. Many a long and weary journey was made to obtain even a small sub- scription. But the subscription list gradually lengthened. If there was disappointment in one place there was encour- agement elsewhere. "It averaged well," Dr. Champlin said, and with steadfast purpose he continued his work.
The prospect brightened with the surrender of Lee's army at Appomattox and the close of the Civil War ; and at length the glad announcement was made that the entire
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MEMORIAL HALL, COLBY COLLEGE.
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sum of $100,000 had been subscribed. Mr. Colby's offer required that the whole $100,000 should be paid and in the hands of the treasurer of the college before the second $25,000 of his own subscription became due. At the meet- ing of the Maine Baptist Convention held in Saco, June 19, 1866, Dr. Ricker, in presenting the report of the com- mittee on education, reminded the Convention that of the actual collection of $100,000 required by Mr. Colby's sub- scription there was still lacking a considerable fraction. On this account, he said, the college was a sufferer to the extent of nearly $2,000 a year, and he urged the importance of pushing the work of payment to an early completion. It was pushed, and the entire amount of the subscription, $150,000, together with the two half town- ships of land donated by the State, came into the posses- sion of the college.
Dr. Champlin, to whom the success of this effort meant so much, now suggested to the trustees of the college that in recognition of Mr. Colby's gift the name of the college should be changed to Colby University. This suggestion was without Mr. Colby's knowledge. Not even a hint of such a proposal had in any way reached him. The suggestion was received by the trustees of the college with enthusiastic unanimity, and Jan. 23, 1867, an act was obtained from the Legislature of Maine by which Water- ville College became Colby University.
But added facilities were needed as well as a larger endowment. A proposal to erect on the college grounds a Memorial Hall, in lasting remembrance of the sons of the college who had sacrificed their lives in the service of the country during the Rebellion, was received by the graduates and friends of the institution with very deep interest, and the funds were easily obtained. The corner stone of the building, designed for chapel and library uses, also to furnish a hall for alumni reunions, was laid Aug. 14, 1867, and the building, substantially built of stone and chaste in design, was dedicated Aug. 10, 1869.
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Later a memorial tablet, containing the names of the twenty students and alumni of the college who died dur- ing the Civil War, was placed on the eastern wall of alumni hall, bearing the following inscription written by President Champlin :
Fratribus Etiam in Cineribus caris Quorum Nomina infra Incisa sunt Quique in Bello Civili Pro Reipublicae Integritate Ceciderunt Hanc Tabulam Posuerunt Alumni.
Above this tablet, in an alcove, was also placed a fine copy in marble of Thorwaldsen's celebrated Lion of Lucerne, made by Millmore of Boston, and adapted to its new use by the substitution of the shield of the United States for that of Switzerland in the original. The money for this artistic memorial was secured by Prof. Charles E. Hamlin, to whom this service, from high patriotic motives, was a labor of love most enthusiastically performed.
August 2, 1870, the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the college was observed in connection with the annual commencement. President Champlin delivered an histor- ical discourse in which he reviewed the facts concerning the beginnings of the institution. The college had been founded, but it still had needs. "We need immediately," he said, "an additional building for a cabinet and labora- tory. We ought, also, to have a foundation for a scientific department. There is a growing demand for instruction in the application of the sciences to the various arts of life. Who will lead off in establishing such a founda- tion ? I know of no greater service which one could do the institution than to found two or three professorships in the practical sciences." Not all the added facilities, which the president here indicated, were at once secured, but a beginning was made at this commencement in 1870. At the meeting of the trustees on the morning after the delivery of this discourse, ample provision was made for the erection of a building for the department of natural
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science, as well as for other improvements. From Mr. Gardner Colby, Hon. J. Warren Merrill of Cambridge, Mass., ex-Gov. Abner Coburn and Hon. William E. Wor- den, class of 1836, came $10,000 each. President Champlin added $1,000, and the alumni $9,000. From these funds a stone edifice, designated Coburn Hall, was erected. This building was completed in 1872, and furnished four rooms for lectures and laboratory work, also a hall for collections in geology and natural history, and the Hamlin collection of the birds of Maine.
At the same time the chapel was remodeled for reci- tation uses, at an expense of $6,000. This building now received the name Champlin Hall. Then the North Col- lege received attention. This also was remodeled, the expenditure amounting to $8,500, and, in recognition of the self-sacrificing services of the first president of the college, the improved structure very appropriately received the name Chaplin Hall.
In 1871, the college was opened to young women on the same terms as to young men, the college offering to all students alike its regular and select courses.
A year later, in July, 1872, President Champlin asked to be relieved of the heavy burden which he had so long and so successfully carried. The funds for the enlarged facil- ities which the college now offered had been secured for the most part by himself, and the various improvements that had been made had been carried forward under his personal supervision. Very naturally, at his time of life, he desired a release from the burden of anxiety and care which he had so heroically borne. The work to which he had devoted himself with such singleness of purpose had been accomplished. Another and a younger man was needed in order to carry the institution forward along the upward way upon which it was moving. The trustees, however, deemed it advisable that Dr. Champlin should remain at his post a year longer, and he acceded to their request. Faithfully he served the college during this added year, and then, having completed thirty-two years
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of untiring labor, he was relieved of his task, and retired to private life.1 The trustees, in accepting Dr. Champlin's resignation, placed on record an expression of their grat- itude to Dr. Champlin for the long-continued, diligent and laborious services which he had rendered as an instructor, and for the singular devotedness to the general interests and welfare of the University which he had manifested.
Dr. Champlin was succeeded in the presidency, in 1873, by Henry E. Robins, D. D., who at the time of his elec- tion was pastor of the First Baptist church in Rochester, N. Y. His qualifications for the position were many. With educational problems he had for some time been busy.' Possessing a keen, vigorous intellect, he delighted in influencing and stimulating young men and young women seeking an education. He felt the importance of right thinking in order to right living, and no place seemed to offer to him such facilities for Christian service as a Christian college. Alert, energetic, magnetic, he impressed everyone with the earnestness and seriousness of his high purpose in life and with the desire to awaken and cultivate such a purpose in others.
At once President Robins placed himself in sympathetic touch with the churches in the State. He possessed not only an attractive personality, but rare gifts in public address. For several years the number of students in the college had averaged less than fifty. The number soon began to enlarge, interest in the college being awakened not merely because of the better facilities which it afforded for obtaining an education, but also because of the attrac- tive qualities of its president.
1 In 1874, Dr. Champlin removed to Portland, which was henceforth his home. Here he devoted himself to various literary labors, and here he ended his earthly life March 15, 1882. Mr. H. W. Richardson, editor of the Portland Advertiser, and a graduate of the college, said : "The service which Dr. Champlin rendered to the college and to his gener- ation is not measured or even indicated by a list of his published works. He was not merely, or even primarily, a literary man. He was pre-eminently a man of affairs,-a man who would naturally have become a great merchant or a successful politician. His tendencies were all practical. He edited Greek and Latin text-books, because, in the place where he found himself, that was the thing to do. When he left the professorship of ancient languages, he turned to other studies without regret, and with the same industry and sound appreciation of the requirements of his new position."
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New life was infused into all the departments of instruc- tion. Activity everywhere was manifested. The cur- riculum was enlarged, elective courses of study were introduced, and under the inspiring direction of the presi- dent the college became a scene of busy endeavor on the part of the faculty and students. New and better equip- ment was added. The South College was remodeled and made more convenient for dormitory purposes. Attention was paid to physical training as well as to the training of the intellect. The library was placed under the charge of Prof. Edward W. Hall, and through his intelligent, careful, unremitting labors soon reached such a degree of excellence that Hon. John Eaton, the United States Commissioner of Education, who visited the college in 1877, made honorable mention of the library in his annual report.
In 1879, the college enrolled 157 students. April 2, 1879, Mr. Colby died, and in his will he bequeathed to the col- lege $120,000, $20,000 of which was to be set aside as a scholarship fund for needy students. By this generous sum the benefactions of Mr. Colby to the college were increased to the amount of $200,000. But this did not rep- resent Mr. Colby's financial assistance to the institution. Others were influenced by him to add to the resources of the college. It was not merely his example, but in many cases his earnest, enthusiastic presentation of the needs of the college which brought many thousands of dollars into the college treasury. President Robins, at the com- mencement in 1879, in his baccalaureate sermon, paid a eloquent tribute to the memory of Mr. Colby.
By labors the most arduous and intense, the health of President Robins was at length seriously impaired. He had literally sacrificed his life in his whole-hearted devo- tion to the interests of the college, and in 1880-81, he was compelled to withdraw from the duties which he had assumed in order to find needed rest and recuperation. This in a measure was secured, but only in a measure. He returned to his task, but it was soon evident that he
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must have an entire release from the care and responsi- bilities of the presidency, and reluctantly he presented his resignation, to take effect at the close of the college year 1881-82. With very great regret the trustees yielded to the president's request.1
A successor to Dr. Robins was found in George Dana Boardman Pepper, D. D., professor of theology in Crozer Theological Seminary. Dr. Pepper was not a stranger in Maine. He was pastor of the Baptist church in Water- ville, 1860-1865. With intellectual gifts of the highest order, familiar with educational work and especially with the work at Colby, he was summoned back to Maine for added service. The choice was a wise one. Dr. Pep- per had at once the confidence of the denomination, and with the hearty co-operation of his. associates in the fac- ulty he entered upon his task with entire singleness of aim and the most thorough devotion to the cause of Christian education. During his administration the institution con- tinued in its upward way. Larger financial resources came to the college. Ex-Gov. Abner Coburn died Jan. 4, 1885. For forty years he had been a trustee of Colby, succeeding his honored father, and for the last eleven years of his life he was chairman of the board. For many years he had been a generous benefactor of the college, and by his will he added to these benefactions the munificent sum of $200,000. This generous gift to the college was accom- panied by other gifts to various missionary, educational and charitable institutions, the various bequests amount- ing to upwards of eleven hundred thousand dollars. "It was clearly his supreme wish," wrote Dr. Ricker, "that what of his estate could be reasonably spared for objects of Christian benevolence should be made to tell to the
1 Dr. Robins removed to Rochester, N. Y., where he was made professor of Christian ethics in the Rochester Theological Seminary, but although this relation continued until 1903, Dr. Robins' health did not permit him to perform the duties of his office. Only at rare intervals has he returned to Waterville, but when he has found it possible to make his way back to the scene of his heroic efforts, he has received from the friends and alumni of Colby a most enthusiastic and appreciative welcome. At no time has he ceased to keep in closest touch with the college.
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utmost upon the welfare of the race";1 and Dr. Ricker adds concerning Governor Coburn's gift to the college : "Had his last and largest gift to it never been made, he would still have been remembered as one of its stanchest and most efficient patrons. But that gift was simply mon- umental, and fitly crowned all his previous services for the college." 2
During the administration of President Pepper, the number of young lady students increased so largely that it became necessary to make some provision for suitable dormitory accommodations, and the dwelling on College avenue, occupied by Professor Briggs in the earlier history of the institution, was secured by the college for this pur- pose in 1886.
In order to promote the efficiency of the college, new professorships were added as the financial means of the college warranted, and in various ways the equipment of the college was greatly strengthened. But the burden which the work of administration placed upon the presi- dent proved too heavy even for one so strong in physical resources as President Pepper, and in 1889, failing health, as in the case of President Robins, compelled him to pre- sent his resignation in order to obtain needed relief. With great reluctance it was accepted. The burden which the presidency imposed, Dr. Pepper believed, should be laid upon a younger man, and he suggested the appointment of Prof. Albion W. Small, then occupying the chair of history in the college ; and he was accordingly made Dr. Pepper's successor.
Dr. Small, a graduate of the college in the class of 1876, was the first graduate of Colby who was made the head of the college. He entered upon the duties of his office in August, 1889. One of his earliest acts was to preside at the laying of the corner stone of the Shannon Observa- tory and Physical Laboratory, a building made possible by the generous gift of Col. Richard C. Shannon of New
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