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

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1. - ... . .,,, . ., .. K -0 1 X.--ff I r 1-,,4p5fji1'I'--f'W' A135-:Jef-.I ' Af-, -77 ,X ,t 'l' Fl- '-1 , .ff. E' T . .F VE., 1514, Y... '34 :Fifi , 3 a characteristic of the President. Preoccupied with high thoughts, he was very forgetful of names, f., yet so friendly in his disposition Geology and Natural History. There was no organ or piano in town when he came. X fy r. H..:fH:f',' , that it was his habit to speak to V :gg TVL1-445,25 X' .f?.j,'7 -.5 I .,.-L, everybody he met. Out for his 3, fy --. . Niifgkqp ji: as 1 ,gr-fsgggc iii! daily walk, he repeatedly met the 'jj Sr, late Judge Steele, then a young ' ,WH ,,,,gg I ,U .rw my ' -1 5 - - tt 2, rp. -93,1 .1 lf! I ,g:5.ff,. man, with the salutatlon Good , 115' ,Q 1i,tfQgjwQ,g'J ,:,,-'sa rf , -- 1: ,L fag . . ,, ggfigffilx gvf rui u l morning! What IS your name? ---feng., - . swf -cz ' - vi f-5 55. ff--' x . -g 1:41 5, ,- . M . . - .1 - - iff? 1 , - 'af f'ef :af f ff Fdllf- Weary of the -repetition, young Music Han Steele ventured one day to give a new name, John Smith. The new name surprised the President and jogged his memory. Fixing his piercing eyes on the young man he said, john Steele, how you do liell' The musical interest of' the early Oberlin must be credited to the efforts of George N. Allen, who was appointed teacher of Sacred Music in IS37, and later was elected Professor. He had been a pupil of Lowell Mason, of Boston, and was naturally a musical genius, but his compensation was only half a salary, as there was added to his duties, at first, the superintendence of the Preparatory Department and, later, instruction in The Trustees had decided that it piano music. Prof. Allen trained the choir of the church. ln 1841, of this and later concerts paid for of the older professors. He saw provided. was inexpedient for the college to afford instruction in an orchestra of wind and stringed instruments, and led a concert was given at Commencement. The proceeds an organ for the church, the chapel bell, and portraits that pianos were purchased and competent instructors By uniting with the college literary societies, he secured the frame structure known as the Music l-lall, about the size of the Laboratory, which stood on the west side of South Professor Street, not far from the site of Baldwin Cottage. Here he trained classes in vocal music and laid the foundations for the future Conservatory. The Oberlin hymn Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone,', and the tune to which it is sung, which Professor Allen com- posed, have kept his name in remem- , brance among his successive genera- tions oif' students. A new college chapel was completed in IS55. On the first floor were offices, lecture rooms, a literary society room, and a library. The auditorium was on the second floor with the platform at one end, Qld Laboratory I4

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Q do four cents an hour. To equalize matters somewhat, the price of board was seventy-five cents a week for young women and a dollar for young men. When Professor Finney found the chapel of Colo- nial l-lall too small for the growing community, he took occasion to say at a Sabbath service-- Brethren, the Lord's work in this place demands of us a house of wor- ship that will accommodate the people, and whatever the Cabine' H311 Lord's work requires of us we can do. We must build a church. Now come together tomorrow at one o'clock, all of you, and we will talk this over, for it can be done. It was the greatest enterprise the colony had undertaken. ii'lii Professor Finney gave more than any one else. Other professors sub- iii? scribed 5200.00 each, from their meager salaries, and most of Q.. 9 Q 0 them doubled the amount later. It was decided that the building should be plain, but substantial and large, since it was the only it ' ' f f V church in the community. The colonists had little money, but they had willing hearts. Those who had teams hauled loads of brick, ' stone, and lumber over roads which were almost impassable at President Finney times. A year was spent in gathering materials and letting contracts. ln June l842 the corner stone was laid and the commencement of 1843 was held in the church, though it was not quite finished. The building embodied Professor Finney's ideas and he preached in its pulpit thirty years. There was no larger or better audience room west of the Alleghanies, when it was built. Professor Morgan was associated with Professor Finney in the pastorate of the church, usually preaching at the second service and supplying the pulpit in Mr. l7inney's absence. No persons had so large a share in shaping the Oberlin of .fi the past as these two men. Though always warm friends they were , very different in characteristics and attainments. Professor Finney it was not a college graduate, but a man of great originality. He was ,,l' f - . 1 the author of a new system of theology much discussed in the early days of Oberlin. He had had a legal training which made him ii 'fi l , invincible in argument. l-le attacked the sins and shames of the day A without mercy. 'V Professor Morgan was a graduate of Williams college, broad Professor Mwgan in his scholarship and of wide reading. It was said of him that he could give instruction in any branch of the college curriculum with- out an hour's notice, but his sedentary habits were not in accord with the college ideal of Learning and Labor. The fact weighed upon Professor Finney's mind and, as he was wont to bring all his burdens to the Lord in prayer, he offered this petition- O Lord, brother Morgan knows more than any of us, but he is so lazy. Volumes could be collected of President Finney's funny sayings. Many of those reported are no doubt apochryphal, but the following incident really occurred and illustrates - I3

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1, ...Q 1. sa a 1 The Campus in 1860 in the rear of which was a gallery. It was constructed outside and in like a church, and unfortunately its acoustic properties were poor, until it was reconstructed by throwing out an addition at the side to give a platform for the faculty, and arranging the seats in semicircular rows rising at the back. Every student had then a good view of the stand and could distinctly hear the speaker. It had a seating capacity of only nine hundred and the need of more ample quarters was felt before the fire of l903 destroyed the building. The anti-slavery sentiments of the colonists were widely known. Oberlin was a noted station on the Underground Railroad to Canada. It was a city of refuge from which no fugitive was ever taken back to a life of bondage. In l.858 occurred the Oberlin-Wellington rescue of john Price, from his slave holding captors. This violation of the Fugitive Slave Law was taken bythe owner of John Price tothe Circuit Court of Cleve- land, and indictments were served upon twenty-four citizens of Oberlin and thirteen of Wellington. Fourteen of them, refusing to give bail, were held as prisoners in Cleveland jail for nearly three months. Among them were some of the most prominent and highly respected citizens of Oberlin. Professor H. E. Peck was a member of the college faculty, M. Fitch, superintendent of the large Sunday School, and Ralph Plumb, a lawyer. When the Civil War broke out and Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers, Oberlin was prompt to respond. Slavery was in rebellion against the government and slavery must be put clown. One hundred and thirty students were ready to go, but only one hundred could be received. For two days there were no college exercises. Groups of women gathered in the recitation rooms and made suits of gray cloth for the volunteers. Thus uniformed they were accompanied to the station by almost the entire body of citizens. They were mustered into service as Company C of the 7th Regiment, Ohio I5