USA > Virginia > Virginia Baptist ministers. 4th series, 1885-1902 > Part 16
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he then felt, for the first time, that he could think for himself on a philosophical problem. He was greatly influenced by Dr. McGuffey also in the matter of public speaking. The professor was a great believer in the extempore method; that is, in free speaking without manuscript after a thorough mastery of the subject. He would say that thus the language was better and the style actually more concise, and he sustained his view by reasons based on the working of the mind. We all know that John A. Broadus was not only a perfect mas- ter of assemblies, but an earnest advocate of free speak- ing both in his lectures and in his book on preaching.
After all, not metaphysics but language was his forte. It is stated that when he entered the University he did not know a letter in the Greek alphabet, but in two years had mastered the language so as to graduate in it with high distinction. In this department of study, and in other directions, he was powerfully impressed by the mind and heart of Gessner Harrison. This great teacher had studied medicine, but when Professor Long was about to return to England he said to the trustees there was no need to look far away for a successor, since one of his former students was admirably fitted to fill the place. The hint was acted on, and Gessner Harrison revolutionized the study of the Ancient Languages in the entire South. He established the principles of these languages through a wide induction from their litera- tures, substantially as the laws of Natural Science are learned by the observation of phenomena, and his great work. on Greek Prepositions was read with delight by that American scientist, Lieutenant Matthew Maury, who, no Grecian, yet was interested in it for its scientific character. His Latin Grammar, if not suited for a text- book, and if sometimes fanciful, is yet a profoundly philosophical book, and I well remember finding it,
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though difficult, the reverse of dry. Dr. Harrison not only thought for himself, but was an original investiga- tor, and in some particulars anticipated, by several years, the conclusions of the greatest German philologists. He was full of good sense and quiet humor. I remember his saying once to the class: "Gentlemen, I think Kikero is the right pronunciation,* but do not pronounce it so when you go from here, for then people who do not know will think you don't know." Learned in the classic tongues, he was direct in his style, a lesson naturally learned from the Greek, and there was a beautiful, homely simplicity and strength in his character. It could. not but be that the young man who was his pupil and almost son, and for a decade directly associated with him, should be greatly influenced by him, and, while no imitator, reproduce some of his finest qualities of mind and heart. Indeed, Broadus' indebtedness to both of these teachers was often gratefully and publicly acknowl- edged, while the dedication of his "Commentary on Mat- thew" to the memory of Gessner Harrison was as heart- felt as it was beautiful.
Many things as he did well, he was not a universal genius, and had not a turn for mathematics. At one point in the course, he was overwhelmed with discour- agement and actually wept. It was not the need of hard, persevering, painful labor that daunted him; but there are problems in the higher mathematics that do seem to baffle the nonmathematical mind, no matter how long or earnestly wrestled with. At this point the gentle and learned Courtenay, who adorned that chair, knowing how fine a student he had to deal with and his conspicuous success in other lines, so heartened and helped him, that in due time these apparently inaccessible heights, which have proved actually inaccessible to many, were trium-
*Of the name of Rome's great orator.
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phantly scaled. Dr. Broadus once said to me: "I have forgotten my mathematics, but the discipline gained in the study is invaluable."
Great as was his indebtedness to these teachers, it must not be overrated. Let it but be remembered how many other men had equivalent advantages without the fruits borne by him, and it will then be seen how strong and fine was the original fiber of the man himself. Super- added to other gifts, he had what in many respects excels them all-a genius for hard, persevering labor. He had already his feet on the rounds of "the ladder of St. Au- gustine," and perfectly descriptive of him is a verse of the poet slightly paraphrased :
"The heights by this great man reached and kept Were not attained by sudden flight, But he, while his companions slept, Was toiling upward in the night."
Hard student as he was, he did not neglect other means of improvement. A good debating society may be made as useful to a student as the teaching of the classroom. His mind is whetted by collision with other young minds, he learns self-control, how to speak, how to argue, and how to answer an opponent. Broadus was a member of the "Jefferson," generally the largest and most important of the two Literary Societies, and the vigor and keenness of his speeches are still remembered by fellow-members now themselves men of mark, who even then predicted for him a great future.
And not only in things of the intellect, but as a Chris- tian he took a high and decided stand, and was serious, earnest, irreproachable. He attended and participated in the weekly prayer-meeting and, for at least a part of the time he spent at the University, conducted a Sunday school in a destitute neighborhood. Very likely also he preached sometimes to the servants. This last, with hard
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study, was a fine preparation for the ministry to which he was looking forward. Dr. McGuffey used to say : "Read Butler's 'Analogy' and preach to the negroes." Perhaps, however, his chief usefulness at this period was due to example. It was impossible to know him and associate piety and dullness. Indeed, it must have been patent to all that this faithful servant of God was also one of the very best and most successful of students, for he had no superior, and perhaps but one equal. But his religion was cheerful and bright, so that even the younger and gayer men, instead of being repelled, were positively attracted to him and learned to love as well as revere him. Thus he was, in that interesting community, a power for piety and hard work.
The following passage taken from a tribute by Frank H. Smith, Professor of Natural Science at the Univer- sity for nearly half a century, gives a vivid picture of Broadus at that time: "My first meeting with him was in October, 1849, at the students' weekly prayer-meeting, then held on Sunday afternoons in the parlor of Mr. Addison Maupin. It was just after my first matricula- tion at the University. At a certain stage of the meet- ing, a student of striking personal appearance, and bright, dark eyes glowing with the light of intellect, rose to speak and drew the attention of all. I was at once impressed with the force, propriety, and simplicity of his brief ut- terances. There were a maturity and sense in what he said that marked him as no common student. We were thereafter thrown much together. We often met at Dr. Gessner Harrison's house, being attracted thither by simi- lar reasons. In that drawing-room young Broadus could gratify, besides, his uncommon taste for and enjoyment of instrumental and vocal music. Indeed, he was quite a singer himself, and while, like some others of us, he had no great voice, he more than made up for the defi-
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ciency by the thoroughness of his knowledge of the art of music and the precision of his execution-qualities which, as I afterwards found, belonged to all that he did in every department of effort. We were both members of what at that day was almost the only outlet of regu- lated vocal energy, the chapel choir.".
Broadus took four years at the University, when he might have made the Master's degree in three. This was wise, because work done with deliberation is better done. Rapid acquisition of knowledge has something of the nature of cramming which gets up subjects for only mo- mentary use. Then, too, the time needed at the Univer- sity of Virginia for good results depends much on the amount of previous and special preparation, of which he seems to have had little. Besides, the added year enabled him to take certain studies and review others, especially philosophy, and his home and dearest interests being at the University, he had reason to prolong rather than shorten his stay.
His graduation essay was remarkable and revealed the influence of the teaching in Philosophy. What he once said of another was true then of him, that men often do some of their best work in early life, availing themselves of all their finest thought acquisitions. His graduation was quickly followed by his marriage to Miss Maria, eld- est daughter of Professor Gessner Harrison, and his or- dination to the gospel ministry. This service took place at New Salem Church in 1850, about a mile and a half from his birthplace and early home.
Well do I remember my first meeting with Broadus. We were both teaching in Fluvanna County, Virginia, he a private school at General Cocke's place, "Bremo," and I (just graduated from Richmond College) an "old field school" in the Fork neighborhood. We met in 1850 at the James River Association. I then for the first time
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heard him preach, his text being, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?" and a very bewitching ser- mon it was. But no less a spell did he cast over me by his manner and conversation. He accepted me at once as a friend, perhaps for my father's sake, and I loved him at once for his own. He had come on horseback and I in a buggy with Mr.' Henson, father of Dr. P. S. Henson, who, seeing how agreeable it would be to us both, very amiably gave his seat in the carriage to Broadus and took the horse, which was rather a hard trotter. That long ride together, which, however, seemed short, being so pleasant, cemented our friendship more than brief interviews during a series of years could have done. It is certain that from that date he was an elder brother to me and treated me with such frank kindness that I always felt perfectly free in my intercourse with him. His six years of seniority and more than propor- tional attainments inspired my respect, but all fear was cast out by perfect love, while he from that time to our last meeting in the autumn of 1887 ever called me "George" in a way that was music to my soul.
One little incident of that day is worth mentioning. We stopped by a wayside spring to drink, and when I insisted on serving him first he made a mock bow nearly to the ground, accompanying it with some playful pro- test before accepting the gourd. Not more refreshing was the water of that spring than the gaiety which nat- urally welled up in him whenever he was with intimate friends and the pressure of work and care was for the moment removed. This capacity of his, so pleasant to all who enjoyed his companionship, was invaluable to himself as relieving the strain on life's "silver cord."
During his stay in Fluvanna, he preached several times at the Brick Church, people gathering from far and near to hear him, and as the pastorate was vacant, he was in-
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vited to it. It was a position pleasant and important, but one of the brethren, shrewder than the rest, saw that the brilliant young preacher was destined to a lofty flight and could not, under any circumstances, have long re- mained there. In fact, he was probably already engaged to return to the University as Assistant Professor of An- cient Languages. At his suggestion, the Fork Church called his brother-in-law, the late Rev. William A. Whitescarver, whom he ever addressed as "Will," who served itlong and well.
While teaching at the University he was pastor of the Charlottesville Baptist Church. A member of his Greek class, and also of his congregation, I had excellent oppor- tunities to know him. His leading traits then were a purpose to excel in his work, a thirst for learning for its own sake, a desire for usefulness and fine tact. He would sometimes send me a note inviting me to his study on the lawn, and I have now before me a clear picture of him as he would be at his table covered with lexicons and other books of reference, a shade over the lamp and one over his eyes, intense seriousness in his face; in a word, the typical hard student. He already had the stoop of the man who sits much at a desk, and when in repose his face seemed almost sad. There was much to do, for, besides the preparation of two sermons for Sunday and other pastoral duties, there was the getting ready to meet his classes and the drudgery of correcting not less than a hundred exercises every week. Besides all this, he was constantly adding to his knowledge and laying broad and deep the foundations for the future. Specially was he at work on New Testament Greek, bringing to it his thorough acquaintance with classic Greek and using all the best helps. He said to me at that time: "Though I may not become an authority, yet I wish to be able, for myself, to form an independent judgment on all
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questions of New Testament interpretation." As yet not many books were on his shelves, but he was already be- ginning to gather a first-rate library, getting exactly the tools he needed and only the best.
In the classroom he simply followed the tradition of the University, rigidly questioning and insisting on ex- actly correct answers, correcting mistakes, yet using the utmost politeness to every student, no matter how idle or dull. His dignified mien prevented disorder and his keen wit would have quelled it had it appeared. Any slight annoyance he could abate by a playful subacid remark.
Some incidents of this period may be noted. On his return from the Baptist General Association at Freder- icksburg, he reported to me the sermon he had preached. Text : "What lack I yet?" For evangelization of the world, we lack (1) Men, (2) Money, (3) Prayer. I cried out, perhaps impertinently, against such a perver- sion of the text, alleging a dictum of my father, that the exact meaning of a text in its connection should be given, and the sermon be in accordance with that meaning. My superior in years and learning not only took the criti- cism very kindly, but ever afterwards, when he had a chance to honor the critic or his sons, would tell the story. In his book on preaching, he tells of that sermon. One day a friend wrote him somewhat thus: At least now that Brother X (a preacher of ability and note) is dead, you might take that reference to his sermon out of the next edition of your book. "No," he replied, "the reference was to my own sermon." It seems that there was more than one sinner.
When he got back from the first meeting of the South- ern Baptist Convention that he ever attended, and which was held in Baltimore, I found him much depressed. Said he, "I have done it. Something I have feared has
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already come to pass." He then explained that a certain Baptist minister was known to feel hostile to the Uni- versity and specially to Dr. Harrison, and that some of the hostility, he had felt, was likely to be transferred to himself as so closely connected with both. In the Con- vention a slight passage at arms had occurred between the two-really nothing in itself and meaning nothing to the brethren at large, who were ignorant of the preced- ing circumstances and so without the key to the situa- tion. The question before the body was between annual and biennial sessions, and Broadus, not knowing the con- victions and wishes of the Boards and their secretaries, put in a plea for biennial meetings. Said he, in illustrat- ing his argument, "If the session were annual, I would not go when the place of meeting was distant, knowing that next year it would probably come nearer." The other brother took the opposite side and said that even when the distinguished gentleman from the University could not attend, the meeting might still be held, where- upon Broadus, stung by the sarcasm, appealed with some warmth to the President for protection against such per- sonalities. The incident, trifling in itself, would hardly be worth mentioning but for the opportunity of referring to Broadus' subsequent course towards this individual. He seemed determined to disarm him of prejudice if any really existed, and during a long course never failed to say, as he most truthfully could, the kindest and most complimentary things concerning him on every suitable public occasion. It was very interesting to me, the only other person in the secret.
Once he and another went out to spend the evening and night at the hospitable home of Rev. William P. Farish, about four miles from the University. At a pause in the conversation, the other got hold of a quarto dictionary and, treating the company as his class, began
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to ask for the spelling and meaning of words, taking care to select the hardest ones for Broadus. Great was the surprise of the others that he could neither spell nor de- fine every word, but he was much amused, and then, as ever afterwards, was quite willing for all to know that he did not know everything. On a much later occasion some one was speaking glibly of a gargoyle. "What is a gargoyle?" he asked, "I do not know," whereupon it turned out that the person using it had a rather vague idea of its meaning, and the dictionary was referred to.
Still, there were few things which a cultured man ought to be acquainted with that he did not know even then, and he was a keen, though kindly, critic. When at a Ministers and Deacons' Meeting in Charlottesville, Brother Whitescarver had used one of the words incor- rectly, he said : "Obtain an object, attain an end;" and, about the same time, to me, Chry'sos-tom, my dear fel- low, not Chry-sos'tom."
Pressed as he was with double duty, his preaching reached the high-water mark, and the little Baptist Church of Charlottesville was always crowded, the con- gregation including numbers of students and often pro- fessors as well. Never can I forget how I would sit en- wrapped in his eloquence which was scarcely surpassed afterwards, however much he may have grown. I think that later his sermons became more didactic and perhaps richer in the exposition of Scripture, but, oh, there was then a freshness and fervor and a flow of thought and language, and sentences from his lips are still in my memory as if heard yesterday.
He was also even then a teacher in the pulpit, and de- livered on Sunday nights a course of lectures on the Epistles of Paul, not dwelling so much on details as seek- ing to show the movement of thought and general scope of each letter, and, as a help, he had printed a scheme of
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the lectures. These were very popular, in the good sense of the word, with the more thoughtful part of his audi- ence.
Nor did he confine his labors to the pulpit, but was a good pastor, in his own way, not so much by visiting, which was impossible, as by seeking here and there to put things in motion or have others better done. Some young ladies collected a little fund, enabling him to put good literature where it would be useful. Each of these had a little note in his hand asking for a contribution, with the characteristic request: "Please do not give un- less you really wish to." He printed and circulated a little tract of his own on "Giving," to promote mission collections. When I took charge of a large Sunday school class of young ladies, he gave me Robinson's "Harmony of the Gospels"-his own gift.
His pastorate gave the Charlottesville Church an im- petus which it has felt ever since. The increase of the congregation led to the building of the spacious house which that body still occupies. A number of young men of the congregation, since useful in various fields, en- tered the ministry and were ordained during this pastor- ate, and many other persons had their lives shaped for weal and usefulness through his ministry. He soon be- came the most important man in this limited but inter- esting community, as he afterwards was in others much larger.
From the first he exalted God's Word, seeking to know its contents and meaning and promoting in every way its reverential and faithful study. Hearing that Rev. Dr. Stockton, a Methodist minister of Baltimore, was pub- lishing the Bible in several separate volumes and in the, then little used, paragraph form, he was much interested and entered into correspondence with him to offer co- operation and to avail himself of the advantage offered.
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His address on "Reading the Bible," delivered soon after before the Y. M. C. A. of Lynchburg, is truly masterly and practically helpful. The very title, as well as that of his book on "Homiletics," is significant. He always preferred the most every-day words. It was somewhat the fashion then to decry the use of Biblical Commen- taries, but he warmly favored it, believing that even a poor Commentary, properly used, might be helpful, both to get at the meaning of the text and to impress the text itself on the mind. He used to urge the reading of the Book of Revelation, even if all of it was not understood. My own experience as a child showed me how impressive and useful certain parts of the Bible were when read rev- erently, though with an imperfect conception of their meaning.
Having preached and delivered an address on edu- cation in Richmond on the occasion of the meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, he won all hearts and began to receive calls to large and influential churches. Among these invitations was one to serve Grace Street Church, Richmond, during the year or more of the pastor's absence in Europe, the pastor himself, Dr. Kingsford, earnestly desiring Broadus for his substitute. The reason he assigned to me for not accepting this other- wise pleasant position was that where a substitute at all succeeded there was always danger of unpleasantness for church or pastor. But, after all, why should he leave Charlottesville for any pastorate elsewhere? He had al- ready made his life plan, viz., to be a pastor for several years and then devote himself to teaching. And how marvelously did this early formed life scheme and his University preparation dovetail into the need that was arising and the place which God was preparing for this divinely prepared man !
My own years after leaving the University were spent in Baltimore and Staunton, but I kept in touch with my
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even then revered friend, often my mentor, through cor- respondence, and, specially while in the latter city, by means of exchanging visits, while he was University of Virginia Chaplain and pastor in Charlottesville. I greatly regret the loss of his letters of that period. Sev- eral of us students, but specially William. Dinwiddie (afterwards so able and useful as a Presbyterian minis- ter) and I, were much troubled on the subject of future punishment, and certain writings of John Foster had done us both harm. While pastor in Baltimore, I was still greatly distressed in seeking to form a Theodicy and find a solid basis for my faith. Perhaps I had been too daring in my speculations, but it was impossible to preach even on the simplest subject without feeling the ground firm under my feet down to the bed rock. This reference to myself must be pardoned, as necessary to explain a part of what follows. Broadus wrote suggesting that, instead of Foster, a more healthful writer, such as Dr. Arnold, should be read, and mentioned a volume of Archbishop Whately, in which this life is considered as the mere childhood of our being and, therefore, the period of trust in our Heavenly Father as to many dark and mysterious subjects. He made a playful but not uncomplimentary thrust, suggesting that my mind somewhat resembled John Foster's, only that the mold was smaller and a bit dented. Without accepting this view as far as a com- pliment is implied, I rejoice in that, whereas that great thinker's habitual mood was gloomy and pessimistic, my own, since I got out of the fogs of youthful doubt, has been, thank God, habitually bright and cheerful.
If Broadus himself had ever been much troubled with : doubts or intellectual difficulties, they must have been very early gotten rid of, and, as he had no undesirable eccentricities, there was, from the first, as ever after- wards, absolutely nothing in his mental attitude or char-
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acter or conduct to diminish his influence and power for good, so that all the good he did, and how much and of how many kinds it was, remained clear gain, with no tare to be deducted. Almost equally was it in his favor that he understood his limitations and knew what he could not, quite as well as what he could, do. His having been the first of our preachers to come before the public with the halo of a splendid University career on his head, was undoubtedly much in his favor at the start, but it would have availed little but for his sterling qualities of mind and heart and the acquisitions of that career.
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