Oberlin College - Hi-O-Hi Yearbook (Oberlin, OH)

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'PIONEER REMINISCENCES. . 15 Rev. Wolcott B.'W'illiams, of the Theological Class of i53, said at the dedication of Council Hall: I . I suppose inquiry will be made to what became of Mr. Ship- herd. I will tell you. One day While he was here, he came home and said to his Wife, tWhat if we goto Michigan and found another college? After consultation, she agreed to do it, and they went to Michigan, and laid the foundation of Olivet college. I think Ober- lin did not, at that time, look very favorably upon other enterprises of that sort. I remember hearing from Oberlin people, expressions of Wonder and sympathy for Mr. Shipherd, after he Went away, and some time later, at Thanksgiving meeting held here, Bro. Pease thanked God that he chad gone to Michigan, had the ague, and got back alivef Meanwhile, Bro. Shipherd had found the site of Olivet, by losing his Way. When he got there with his colony, he found a house built, but it was not large enough to accommodate them, so they got some hay and made a bed out of doors. Mrs. Shipherd said to him, after looking over the ground, 4 Your college looks a great-deal better on paper than it does out here in the woods? tiThey stayed there till the next Spring, when he died. I have seen his grave, and on the head-stone is his age, 'forty-four yearsf We were in the habit of calling him tFather Shipherd,' and yet he was only in the prime of life. He Was hardly more than a young man in years, yet he had founded two colleges. I-Ie had done a great work. U V -: 1: Mr. Shipherd's one fault was an excessive virtue. He would never' accept a larger salary than 55400 a year, and on this meagre basis he had to take care of six bouncing boys. Wlieii he died Mrs. S. came back to Oberlin and battled for herself and family in a way which amazes us of today. She kept twelve boarders at one time, outside of her own family, and did all the Work herself! The sons are all living to-day, three of them being successful business men in Cleveland. I . Mr. P.,P. Stewart was a man of great largeness of heart-always doing for the poor. At one time, While he was in charge of the boarding hall, he rose after prayers one morning, when the students had Hnished their customary repast of graham .bread, thin gravy and salt, and made a speech something like the following: , Brethren, I have been thinking of a way in which We can bless others by the exercise of a very small sacrihce on our parts. I have

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For purposes of reference the following table, prepared by Prof. Fnosr, for the Jubilee Notes, is introduced at this point: OBERLlNlENSlUlVl EXCERPTA ANNALIUM. - PRENATALIA. 1800 Beginning of revivals after forty years of spiritual dearth. 1808 Beginnings of missionary effort among students of Williams. 1820 Cctv-cal Beginnings of Temper- ance Reform. ' 1821 Conversio of F inney. 1828 Cctv-cctj A New School Theology recognized in New England. 1831 Garrison's Liberator started. 1832 Nov.- SIIIPIIERD AND STEWART UNDER THE HISTORIC ELM, CON- SEGRATE THE GROUIND FOR A CHRIS- TIAN TOWN AND COLLEGE. ' NATALIAJ-1833. Apr. 10th.-PETER P. PEASE BEGINS TIIE CLEARING. ' June.-First National Temperance Convention. Oct. 2.-Pro-slavery mob at Chatham St. Chapel, New York. Dec.-American Anti-Slavery Society formed. Arthur Tappan, Presi- dent. SCI-IOOL OPENED AT ORER- LIN WITH 4-1 STUDENTS FROM 7 STATES. AD MAJORA BNITENS. 1834 May.-Arrival of Professors Dascomb, Waldo and Branch, and their wives. Oct.- FIRST ' SENIOR PREP. Ex. Greek and Latin Orations. Finney's Revival Lectures pub- lished in New York and abroad. 1835 Trustees vote to admit colored students. ARRIVAL Or ANTI-SLAIIERY STU- DENTS FROM LANE AND HUDsoN. ARRIVAL or TVIAHAN, FINNEY, MORGAN AND COWLES. Society of ll quiry CY. M. C. A.j formed. 1836 Oberlin- Church with others forms a Congregational Associa- tion. , 1836 JAMAICA MISSION founded. QMore than 37 missionariesj 1887 Financial failures involve the College in debt. 1838 Oberlin Evangel-ist Started. Q24 vols.j 1839 Q.1f.lI. SOc'yfOrrn'd. Later,QA. 1841 TIIE DEGREE or A. B. FOR THE FIRST TIME CONFERRED ON VVOMEN. ABISTED CAPTIVES returned. DI MISSION founded. Q15 mis- sion aries. J 18-13 INDIAN NLISSIONS founded. Qlllore than 30 missionaries. J 1814 OLIVET IPOUNDED, THE FIRST OF soME 25 COLLEGES IVIIICII ARE TIIE OFFSPRING or UDERLIN. 18-16 FINNEY,S THEOLOGY. Repub- lished in England in 1851. AMERICf1N BTISSIONARY ASSOCIA- TION EORMED. L. L, S. Society formed. 1817 Oberlin students rejected as missionaries by American Board. 1851 SALEOESCIIOLARSHII-s INCREASES T1-IE NUMBER or STUDENTS FROM, 571 to 1020. f 1854 Chapel erected. 1856 .Elioian Society formed. 1858 Kidnapped boy rescued atWel- lington. PROrEssoRs AND OTHERS IMPRISONED UNDER FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW. 1860 Second Church formed. 1861 APRIL 20.-ENLISTMENT OF Co. C. 1865 Ladies' Hall completed. 1866 First volume of Cowles' Com- mentaries. I 1867 Churches take action agrinst Secret Societies. 1869 FAIRCHILDIS IVIORAL PHILOSOPHY. A. Z. Society formed. v 1871 III National Council lays the corner stone of Council Hall. 1874 UniOn'LibraI-y Assoc'n formed. April lst.--First No. 0bl'TL'i'Il,R6'Ll'L?'lU 1881 CHINA BAND formed. 10 mis- sionaries start for Africa. 1882 Three months' Liquor War.- Special law secured for college towns. I

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16 OBERLINIANA. concluded to let you all know the result of my meditation, and it is this: Can we not substitute parched corn for our graham diet, and thus save something with which to feed G,od's lambs?'l The proposition did not meet with favor, however,-the students believing it necessary to draw the line right between graham and parched corn. ' I The following incident further illustrates the privations incident to the early life: ' One of the Theological Professors went to a brother out of town, who had a team, and told him he wanted some wood drawn, but that he had no money, and asked him how he should pay him. The good brother replied that he would draw wood for him for one day for nothing, and then pointing to his bare feet said: HBut you see I need pay for my work. The Professor imme- diately jumped from his horse and pulled off his shoes and throwing them to him said: H Here, take these: I have another pair and can ride barefootf' The following will illustrate the spirit which actuated the early students. It was related by Rev. E. B. Fairfield, D. D., of '45, at the dedication of Council Hall: t 'L I can but very imperfectly express what I felt on the occasion of my coming to Oberlin. Cincinnati I-Iall was just passing away. I came here a' young man, poor, and with nobody to help me, one hundred and iifty miles from home. After I had been here three months, I started to go back home, with two dollars in my pocket. It was a smallksum to go so far with, but I went, making the dis- tance on foot. After I reached home I said to my father, 'I want to go back to Oberlin, and I want you all to gof So I came back, and not long after the family all camef' One of the iirst colonists coming from Massachusetts, in 1834, built a log cabin that year, near Oberlin, 13x16 feet within its walls, with single roof. In the summer he built aframe barn 30x40 and could not obtain sufiicient help to raise it without calling on the students. A pig-pen that he afterwards built between his house and the street, and larger than his house, was often mistaken for his house, and people coming to see him generally knocked Hrst on the door of the pig-pen. His only vehicle for a number of years, for use on his farm, or for riding for business or pleasure, was a two- wheeled cart, drawn by oxen.