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a Cornell University 
 y Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924031451044 
 
C0.e« Onwe^s*. U-'V 
 

 t^2y(^L^-t^ 
 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY 
 
 .-*^, 
 
 ERASTDSO. HAVEN, D.D.,LL.D 
 
 ONE OF THE BISHOPS OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHUECH. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 THE REV. O. C. STRATTON, D.D., 
 
 PKESIDENT OF THE CKIVKKSITT OF THE PACIFIC. 
 
 WITH AN INTEODUCTION 
 
 BY 
 
 THE REV. J'VM^B U C K L E Y, D.D., 
 
 EDITOR QF THE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE, 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 PHILLIPS & HUNT. 
 
 CINCINNATI: 
 
 _V\rALDEN & STO'WE. 
 
 1883. 
 
cornell\ 
 
 UNIVERSiTYj 
 .LIBRARY 
 
 Copyright, 1883, by 
 JVI^RY F. HAVEN", 
 
 New Yobk. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 GENUINE aiitobiographies have a peculiar charm. 
 They are the most original of all writings. Many 
 books are made of books — the hashed meats of previous 
 feasts. Only a few add to the stock of information. Tlie 
 little streams giishing from the hill-sides collect into the 
 brooks and make the rivers. Without the lives of individ- 
 uals there could be no history of nations, religions, wars. 
 
 This book has sprung from a desire on the part of the 
 writer to express liis views about men and their actions, so 
 miscellaneous that they could not be embodied in essays, 
 lectures, reviews, or any other form than the one chosen. 
 
 As it regards the imputation of vanity, that attaches no 
 more to an autobiography than to a poem, an oration, or a 
 sermon. "What are you that you should presume to inflict 
 your poetry or discourse of any kind on the public ? It is 
 the neplus ultra of presumption for any one man to stand 
 up before a congregation and do all the talking for an hour. 
 And yet it is common. No man, by writing about himself, 
 can make himself appear greater or stronger or better than 
 he is. Self-flattery is as easily detected as any other kind 
 of adulation, though by far the most common. The writer 
 
b PEEFACE. 
 
 of this volume possesses no exemption from it. He sees it 
 in the best of men and women, and in some more than 
 others. Hence it is apt to be least in one who has sense 
 enough to analyze his own experience thoroughly, and to 
 talk of himself candidly, if his real object is not to court 
 praise or favor, but to strengthen the thoughts which he 
 thinks are true, and to weaken what he believes to be false. 
 This is really the object of the writer of this book. 
 
 E. O. H. 
 
 So penciled Bishop Haven on a scrap of waste paper, 
 possibly upon his knee, at some odd moment when, in a 
 reflective mood, he was accounting to himself as well as to 
 others for giving his life its present form. The editor has 
 aimed to complete the projected plan, permitting the author 
 to speak when that was possible, sometimes from his Jour- 
 nal, at others through his correspondence, and then through 
 his friends; and speaking himself only when that was 
 necessary to fill the outlines and complete the picture — 
 that is all. 
 
 The small service has been a labor of love ; and the re- 
 ward, and none could be higher, the consciousness of hav- 
 ing grown wiser and better in fellowship with the thoughts 
 and spirit of a great and good man, and the hope of profit- 
 ing others in the same way. 
 
 No little aid has been rendered the editor by Dr. Win- 
 cbell, of Michigan University ; Dr. Marcy, of the North- 
 
PEEFACE, 7 
 
 western University ; Dr. Bennett and Rev. E. C. Curtis, of 
 Syracuse University ; Dr. D. P. Kidder, Corresponding Sec- 
 retary of the Board of Education ; and Kev. C. T. Moss, of 
 Elmira, N. Y., as well as by the members of the Bishop's 
 family, who have furnished letters and other memorabilia, 
 and by his own associates of the Faculty at home, who 
 have sometimes taken extra burdens that he might be free 
 for this work. 
 
 A volume of lectures and sermons on educational and 
 other subjects is in process of preparation, and may be ex- 
 pected next year. C. C. S. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 It has been said that no thoroughly honest autobiography 
 was ever written ; faults are concealed and virtues made 
 prominent ; or, if this be not done, the fear of it leads the 
 writer of his own life to the other extreme : he hides his 
 better qualities, underestimates his praiseworthy actions, and 
 makes his weaknesses and defects conspicuous. 
 
 Doubtless, there is much truth in this assertion. The 
 power to judge one's seK impartially is given to but f e-w;, 
 and of those who possess it the number who can make a 
 faithful transcript of that judgment is small indeed. One 
 of the chief difficulties in the way of a truthful autobiogra- 
 phy is the liability of rekindling the fires of prejudice and 
 passion, fighting battles over, and regarding former friends 
 or enemies in the exaggerated light of partisan recollec- 
 tion. 
 
 Another saying concerning this kind of composition is 
 that there never was an utterly dull and uninteresting auto- 
 biography. The personal element cannot be obliterated ; 
 it gives a tone and color to every paragraph. Says a critic, 
 " Of utterly lifeless biographies there have' been many, but 
 a tame account of one's own actions and experiences it 
 
10 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 would be hard to find." I think this to be quite near the 
 truth. There may be long passages of desert, where noth- 
 ing grows and where no water flows ; but an oasis will 
 appear here and there. Something will make the heart of 
 the writer to glow and cause his eye to kindle, and when 
 this effect is produced upon the writer it is not unlikely to 
 be communicated to the reader. 
 
 Is there not an element of profound conceit in the mind 
 of him who supposes that his life has been of such impor- 
 tance as to justify the publication of an autobiography ? 
 Is it not better to leave to friends the disposal of any 
 materials which may have accumulated, and thus avoid the 
 appearance of thinking too highly of one's self ? To these 
 natural questions it may be replied that all successful men, 
 all men of sustained effort, must esteem themselves and 
 their efforts to be of importance. In the most spiritual it 
 can be traced as easily, and operates as powerfully, as in the 
 worldly ; the difference being that the spiritual, being con- 
 secrated to God, value their works in their relations more 
 than themselves, as the end of their working and thinking. 
 A self-esteem which is wholly subordinate to God and duty, 
 and never forgets the rights or wantonly disregards the 
 feelings of others, is a noble and elevating emotion. John 
 Foster has shown, in his inimitable essay on " A Man's 
 "Writing Memoirs of Himself," that men should reflect 
 upon the past, and that wisdom, growth, and improvement 
 depend much upon the extent and kind of the influence 
 
INTKODUCTION. 11 
 
 which these reflections exert upon the mind. "Whether, 
 then, a man should write his own life is to be determined 
 by whether his life has been of sufficient importance to 
 his fellow-men to justify its preservation in this form ; 
 whether it contains facts or illustrates principles which 
 will help those who read it in the struggle of life ; and 
 whether the writer has a circle of friends or readers who 
 will read what he has written. 
 
 I have read with care the work which these remarks are 
 designed to introduce, and have reached the conclusion 
 that the life herein portrayed should have been written ; 
 that the deeds therein recorded are worthy, the events de- 
 scribed are interesting and important ; that the principles 
 illustrated are helpful, and that the author has a wide circle 
 of friends who will read with interest his frank estimate 
 of himself. 
 
 The style is like its author, simple, clear, and straight- 
 forward. It is the flowing of a brook through the meadow, 
 not the dashing of a cataract down the mountain-side. It 
 is remarkably colloquial and familiar. Published after the 
 recent death of the writer, it may seem to lack seriousness ; 
 but it should be remembered that when he wrote it he had 
 no expectation of speedy death. Moreover, it is cheerful- 
 ness, not levity, which pervades these pages, and as the 
 reader moves forward he will feel that it is an earnest but 
 very kindly spirit with whom he is communing. 
 
 Bishop Haven speaks with great freedom of the pubhe 
 
12 rNTRODUCTION. 
 
 men with whom he mingled, and the events in which he 
 took part in Church and State, but never with harshness. 
 iN'o hitter and uncharitable remarks such as those brought 
 to light in the Journals and Letters of Thomas Carlyle, 
 Bishop WUberforce, and some other noted men not long 
 deceased appear here ; nor has the editor found it necessary 
 to conceal or modify expressions of severity or censure. 
 No mass of unpublished materials filled with venom against 
 opponents and suspicions of professed friends, of com- 
 plaints against society, the Church, or Providence, will be 
 unearthed to show that he whose spirit seemed so gentle 
 was at -heart an untamed tiger. All that he has left shows 
 that he- was one of the most transparent men who ever 
 lived, having much tact, but not cunning or unscrapulous. 
 
 The work will be found valuable for the light which it 
 sheds upon the recent history of this country, of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, and of the progress of education 
 in the United States. The sketches of travel in foreign 
 lands, the opinions of many practical topics, such as the 
 Government of Literary Institutions, the Training of 
 Youth, the Management of Families, Habits of Study 
 and Eeading, Public Speaking, and many other themes 
 of general interest, together with the description of promi- 
 nent persons, give a freshness and piquancy to the narrative 
 not often found in similar works of the same class. 
 
 The reader will perceive that the Autobiography is in- 
 complete. The editor, the Kev. C. C. Stratton, D.D., 
 
INTEODUOTION. 13 
 
 President of the University of the Pacific, has supplemented 
 the materials left by Bishop Haven in a maimer which 
 leaves nothing more to be desired as respects clearness and 
 fullness. 
 
 Who can measure the iniiuence of such a character upon 
 the State, the Church, or upon individuals? the friend 
 who instructs, inspires, and guides ; the counselor who ad- 
 vises 80 unobtrusively as never to excite opposition and to 
 allow the person advised to fancy that he is the author of 
 what he receives ; whose acts are the best commentary 
 upon his theories of life and duty. In his pastoral work, 
 the subject of this volume is said, by those who knew him 
 in that capacity, to have been a wonderful union of dignity 
 and familiarity, able and willing to converse with the 
 youngest child, the most ignorant laborer, or the most 
 learned professional man among his hearers or in the com- 
 munity where he lived. It is represented to have been a 
 pleasing spectacle to behold him in the society of those who 
 had heard him with delight in the pulpit ; the same sim- 
 plicity, freedom from assumption, and quiet cheerfulness 
 characterized him every-where. 
 
 As an educator, he had vast opportunities. Whether we 
 look at him in the little school which he taught in his 
 native State, a description of which is so graphically given 
 in the autobiography, or in the important academy where 
 his marked abilities were first exhibited on a large scale, or 
 in the universities in which he was professor or president, 
 
14 INTRODUCTION". 
 
 the extent and salutary character of his influence become 
 apparent. 
 
 The wisdom and charity of his administration doubtless 
 saved many a youth from expulsion, who, under a more 
 rigorous or less considerate control, would have been dis- 
 graced and, perhaps, ruined. His personal friendship, 
 kindly sympathy, and safe example, his familiar and 
 friendly conversation, and the spirit which he infused into 
 every part of the institution over which he presided, made 
 a stream of benignant forces which must flow on forever. 
 It may be affirmed that every student who passed under 
 his molding hand was calmer, gentler, more disposed to 
 refinement, religion, and a life devoted to clear thinking, 
 right living, and pure feeling than under ordinary circum- 
 stances he would in all probability have been. 
 
 But these thousands of young men are now teachers, 
 physicians, ministers, lawyers, merchants ; some of them 
 statesmen, and the majority of them parents. Wherever 
 they are, there Pastor, Professor, President, Bishop E. O. 
 Haven is still at work. Through them, no less than 
 through his lineal descendants, "He being dead yet 
 speaketh." I know that this is true of all men, and 
 especially of all educators. Yet such was the personal 
 character of him of whom I write that it was true in a 
 greater measure of him than of most others. This esti- 
 mate is made in the full recognition that there have been 
 those whose dominant intellect overpowered the inferior 
 
INTRODUCTIOBT. 15 
 
 minds with wHch they mingled, seeming to take them 
 captive and bind them in chains never to be broken. The 
 most permanent effects, however, are not produced in this 
 way, but by the "geniaL culture of kindly intercourse," 
 when the intellectual force and acquirements of the mentor 
 are sufficient to command respect in every subsequent stage 
 of development. 
 
 On other occasions I have expressed the opinion formed 
 during years of acquaintance, which began and progressed 
 under such circumstances as to lead to intimacy, and it would 
 be presumption to detain the reader from the enjoyment 
 which awaits him in the book itself. I may be pardoned 
 if 1 present him in miniature as he appeared to me. His 
 mind was as clear as the purest crystal, and there was in all 
 its operations nothing inscrutable or perplexing. In his 
 character no prominent inequalities appeared, and he was 
 not perceptibly eccentric. The play of his fancy was con- 
 stant and sparkling, his humor was chaste and delicate. 
 Nothing coarse passed his lips ; he never hinted what he 
 did not dare to say. His language seemed to be the exact 
 expression of his thought. In ease and promptness of 
 adaptation to the most diverse occupations he was really 
 great. He wrote with great facility, and spoke extempora- 
 neously in a manner which interested all who heard him. 
 Always a rapid reader, he read very discursively, and had 
 the power to assimilate and recall. Generally he knew 
 where he first saw the statement of a fact, and could give 
 
16 INTRODUCTION". 
 
 the authority with every quotation. In conversation he 
 could listen or speak by the hour as circumstances might 
 require or suggest, but he was not a monologist. 
 
 His moral and social qualities were such that none ever 
 heard his motives questioned, his conduct condemned, or 
 his kindness or sterling honesty doubted. 
 
 He was a man to be respected, loved, trusted, and 
 honored; bearing disappointment meekly, aifliction pa- 
 tiently, and honor without ostentation. Though long in 
 positions which gave him official power and compelled 
 him to use it, the hand of authority was always covered 
 with a glove, and its pressure was removed as soon as its 
 work was done. Yet he was not a coward ; he knew what 
 he believed, and was ready to avow the grounds of his con- 
 viction. Peace was his aim, the atmosphere of peace his 
 delight, but he would not seek it by treason to his princi- 
 ples or to his friends, or barter his own self-respect for 
 flattery. 
 
 Here, as elsewhere, I find a sorrowful pleasure in paying 
 a tribute to his memory for kindness and for words of 
 counsel fitly spoken in critical periods of my life. 
 
 J. M. Buckley. 
 
 Office of the Ohristian Ad/vocate. ■ 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Paob 
 
 Anoestby and Eablt Life 19 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 OOLLEQE CaBEEE. 65 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 First Experience as an Educatoe 67 
 
 CHAPTER IT. 
 Pastoral "Work 84 
 
 CHAPTER T. 
 First Term in Michigan ITNivEEStTY 102 
 
 CHAPTER vr. 
 Bditob of "Zion's Herald." 114 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 Peesidbht op MicmdAN TTniteesitt. 141 
 
 CHAPTER Vin. 
 Dr. Winohell's Account, 155 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Pbksidbnt op North-western Uniybrsitt 175 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Seoeetart op the Board op Education 1 85 
 
 2 
 
18 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Paoi 
 
 Chancelloe op Stbaouse TJniteesity 199 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 European Toue. 206 
 
 CHAPTER Xni. 
 The General Confeeencb 233 
 
 CHAPTER Xlf. 
 Episcopal Work in the East anb Sodth 250 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Episcopal Woek on the Pacific Coast, and Closing Scenes 213 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 General Estiuate of Bishop Haven's Chaeactgb 295 
 
ATJTOBIOGEAPHT 
 
 OF 
 
 ERASTTJS O. HAYEK 
 
 CHAPTEK I. 
 
 ANCESTRY AMD EAELY LIFE. 
 
 I WAS bom in Boston, Massachusetts, Nov. 1, 1820. 
 John G. Saxe (with whom I spent one year in col- 
 lege) has written : 
 
 " Once born in Boston needs no second birth; " 
 
 a happy hit at both the vanity and heterodoxy that are 
 supposed to be indigenous in that city. Some one has 
 said that he is never in the company of native Boston- 
 ians without perceiving that they feel for him a sort of 
 compassion that he should have begun his existence else- 
 where. I was not aware of its superiority when I left it, 
 at the age of four, and though I subsequently spent some 
 eventful years in my native city, it was after a thorough 
 jostling about in Connecticut, New York, and Michigan, 
 which had shaken out of me all provincial prejudices that 
 I might unconsciously have absorbed. I have long ago 
 come to the conclusion that about the narrowest kind of 
 pride is that which hovers about a birthplace. Americans 
 ought to be free from that kind of prejudice. The first 
 
20 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 ancestor of whom I know any thing (subsequent to Adam, 
 Noah, and Japheth) was one Eichard Haven, who appeared 
 on the New England shore in 1644, a man grown, of an 
 uncertain age. He seems to have been a novus homo, 
 though he had an ancestry. One of his sons was named 
 Nathaniel, who had several children, one of whom was 
 named Moses. The fifth son of Moses was named Gideon, 
 who lived to be ninety-five. He was alive in my boyhood, 
 my great-grandfather. He had a son named Jotham, who 
 was the father of my father, also named Jotham. I am, 
 therefore, in the sixth generation that have lived in Amer- 
 ica. It has been conjectured that this Eichard Haven, of 
 1644, must have been a Hollander, converted by the Puri- 
 tans, because the name was thought to be Dutch and not 
 English ; biit in 1878 I found a family by the name of 
 Haven in London, one of whom told me that her father 
 was bom and died in that city, and that she believed his 
 father was a "Welshman, as her grandmother certainly was 
 "Welsh. "Why may it not be the same name as Evans ? 
 Nothing is more likely than that a cockney should pro- 
 nounce it Hevans, and then drop the s. Heaven is not an 
 uncommon English name, and '^JE^ coelo discendit '■Gnoihi 
 seauton} " Haven, then, may mean a fallen angel. But it 
 may not be impossible to rise again. Lord Brougham, in 
 his autobiography, remarks that he came near being the 
 son of another mother. There is no pride more foolish 
 than that of ancestry, especially if there is nothing in it to 
 be proud of. All blood comes together at last. The only 
 ancestors I feel sure of above Eichard are Noah and Adam. 
 The Havens, I believe, were the first American family to 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEW. 21 
 
 hold a grand convention of all related to their first common 
 American ancestors. This was held in 1844, the second 
 centennial of th^ landing of their Pilgrim father, in the 
 town of Framingham, Mass., where old Richard died. 
 The convention filled a large chnreh, and made quite a local 
 sensation. Of course, they had among them many men of 
 high degree. It was said, however, that none had been 
 suspended between the heavens and the earth. I was not 
 there, being too busy in my new place of labor to spare the 
 time, though I sent them a " hymn," which, I believe, 
 arrived the day after the aSair, so that its sweetness was 
 never wasted on the desert air. 
 
 It was to a local antiquarian by the name of Josiah 
 Adams, Esq., of Framingham, a lawyer, and a man of good 
 strong sense, who had manied a Haven, that the. family 
 was indebted for the genealogical investigations that led to 
 these meetings. Similar meetings have since been held by 
 many American families. With great good sense the last 
 meeting of the kind, held in 1849, by the Havens, ad- 
 journed for one hundred years ! I do not expect to attend 
 it, as the Spiritualists say, " in this form." 
 
 All the American Havens seem to have been prosperous 
 in the affairs of the world down to Jotham the first — my 
 grandfather. He had a beautiful wife and a large family, 
 but no " real estate," so called. His latest years he spent 
 in Boston as a kind of retail crockery-shop-keeper, or rather 
 his wife, a singularly beautiful woman even in her old age, 
 attended the shop while he whiled away his declining 
 years, assisted by the most thrifty of his remarkable family 
 of sons. Among his sons was a seventh, in right line, 
 
22 AUTOBIOGRAPinr OF 
 
 whose touch used to cure scrofula, paralysis, and other dis- 
 eases, though he never had any faith in it, nor would take 
 any money for it, but credulous people would beg for them- 
 selves or their sick children to be touched and healed. His 
 eight boys and two daughters had principally to carve their 
 own way to fortune, and nobly, too, all who lived long 
 enough did it. Among them were four who deserve men- 
 tion : the eldest, Jotham the second, who was my father, 
 a genuine Yankee in the good sense of the word, resolute, 
 alert, prosperous — a farmer, a store-keeper, a skilled user 
 of machinery, and even inventor, a Methodist local preacher, 
 and ever active in body and mind tiU his death, at the age 
 of nearly seventy-seven. Next to him was Rev. Kithredge 
 Haven, a noted Universalist minister of Shoreham, Vt., 
 who died in 1877, much respected, at the age of eighty- 
 four. Next to him was Gilbert Haven, Esq., a justice of 
 the peace, a custom-house officer of Boston, one of the no- 
 blest men that ever walked, who died in Maiden, Mass., 
 about 1870. He was the father of Kev. Gilbert Haven, 
 one of the 'Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 The fourth of this illustrious family of sons who deserve 
 especial mention was Franklin Haven, Esq., one of the 
 "solid men of Boston," a man who confined himself to 
 financial business from his youth, and was quietly one of 
 the foremost authorities in that Mne in New England. He 
 held high offices and filled places of great responsibility, 
 such as President of Merchants' Bank for many years. Pres- 
 ident of the Central Illinois Eailroad, Chairman of the 
 Back Bay Lands Commission, manager of the estate of 
 Daniel Webster, etc. 
 
EEASTnS O. HAVEN. 23 
 
 Wlio that has any sense does not believe in hereditary 
 influence ? The elements of the ancestry reappear in the 
 offspring, but often so changed and disguised that it is 
 practically folly to predicate much of good or evil, of 
 strength or weakness, from those who have gone before. 
 It is a thing to be noted, but not to prophesy about. My 
 father worked his own way, from a poor boyhood away 
 from home, to a prosperous manhood, so that when he was 
 less than twenty-five years of age he owned a good farm, 
 all covered by his herds well stocked, had married a worthy 
 wife, and was better off than though he had inherited a 
 fortune without the talent to take care of it. About this 
 time he came under the influence of some Methodist and 
 Baptist preachers, who together were holding " reforma- 
 tion meetings," as they used to call them then, in Lempster, 
 N. H., where he lived. He was converted, was baptized 
 as a Baptist, but joined the Methodist Society — ^the first of 
 his family to break away from the Puritan or Congrega- 
 tional Church. Soon one brother became a Universalist, 
 another a Methodist, and another a Unitarian. The change 
 in him seems to have been unusually radical. Though no- 
 body then taught that profound piety was incompatible 
 with dram-drinldng, he voluntarily discarded the use of in- 
 toxicating drink, and also the use of tobacco, and as he 
 began to read the writings of John "Wesley, adopted largely 
 his views of life and duty. For more than half a century 
 he was a local preacher, probably preaching thousands of 
 times — almost always for no pecuniary reward. All that 
 he received during his whole life would not pay his actual 
 traveling expenses. I verily believe that had he given him- 
 
24 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 self wholly to business and let preaching alone he wonld 
 have been a millionaire, instead of living economically and 
 dying worth about $12,000 ! When he left Boston to enter 
 the ministry he was making money rapidly, and he was 
 always economical. But what of that? He obeyed his 
 conscience. What good would more money have done him 
 or his? Local preachers like him have wrought a great 
 work in this land. There is much unwritten history, as 
 there is much undiscovered gold. It is a solid fact for our 
 young ministers to think about, that formerly among the 
 Methodists there were many preachers who neither asked 
 nor expected nor received pecuniary payment for their 
 labor. I have always admired that theory and have largely 
 practiced it. 
 
 My mother was, of course — well, was there ever a jnan 
 capable of writing a eulogy who had not a remarkable 
 mother ? I did not see her imtil she was a mature wom- 
 an, for she was thirty-three when I was bom; but I 
 know how the red-cheeked, blue-eyed, healthful young 
 woman must have looked. She, also, was compelled to be 
 self-reliant, for she had taken the place of a mother to a 
 large family of younger sisters and brothers, on account of 
 the illness of her mother, and had lived some years on an 
 island in Boston harbor, where all the ships going in and 
 out stopped, which gave her a large acquaintance with the 
 people of many nations. What a memory was hers ? A 
 living concordance of the Bible, exhaustless in narrative ; 
 an omnivorous reader ; a woman who pianed her faith to 
 no master ; of stoical temperament, fearless of death, de- 
 spising shams, faithful as the magnetic needle. She had 
 
EKASTUS O. HAVEN. 25 
 
 her faults, of course, but I am not going to try to find 
 them. She lived a long life and died as a Christian, and now, 
 many years after both she and my father have passed away, 
 it is a source of much of the sweetest joy I feel to know 
 that their latest years were in some good degree made happy 
 by my apparent prosperity and personal attentions. I never 
 had a success while they lived that did not derive the greater 
 part of its gratification from the pleasure I thought it 
 would give them, and when they left the world I seemed 
 to have come to the edge of a precipice, with none between 
 me and the plunge. 
 
 I suppose it would be timely now to tell where and how 
 I was bom. Eight here comes not exactly the j)ons asino- 
 rum — no such bridge should guard the castle of an axito- 
 biography — but the first difficult spot in the road. I can 
 turn aside into a green and glittering generality, as biogra- 
 phers usually do, or I can walk straight on through the 
 truth. I believe I will keep in the road, and then readers 
 will have something to think about. 
 
 Much of the time my father, though a laborious me- 
 chanic and farmer, was accustomed to keep a Journal, writ- 
 ten partly in stenography and partly in a plain hand. After 
 his death curiosity led me to examine the entries covering 
 the time of my birth, and I found a narrative which aston- ■■ 
 ished me. His Joirmal is full of the relations of Christian 
 experience and of his work as a class-leader and local 
 preacher. Formerly religious persons crowded their Jour- 
 nals full of pious expressions. It seems that at that time 
 my mother had not become a decided Methodist, and she 
 was somewhat j^lous of his frequent absences from home, 
 
26 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 and of his religious iatimades with " the brethren and sis- 
 ters " who were active in the same work. In a time of de- 
 pression, not uncommon, I suppose, to women in such a 
 condition, she had a season of weeping and sorrow, and, 
 as the Journal quaintly says, exclaimed, " she wished she 
 had never seen a Methodist." My good father was deeply 
 grieved, and there was a time of family sorrow and much 
 religious conversation and prayer, all minutely described in 
 the " Journal," the upshot of which was a full reconciliar 
 tion, and such an ecstasy of joy on the part of my mother 
 that she averred " her child was bom without giving her 
 any paia." The good nurse who attended her was full of 
 pious expressions, and my advent into the world, it is 
 gravely recorded, made no interruption in the religious joy 
 of the mother, and seems to have been piously welcomed 
 by the little household. Could the unconscious child have 
 imbibed any of the influences of the atmosphere about 
 him? 
 
 One incident more, connected with my infancy, which I 
 have heard my mother relate, perhaps desei-ves mention. 
 When a few weeks old the " census man " called to take 
 the number of persons in the household. My mother, after 
 mentioning the father and herself and the three other chil- 
 dren, and perhaps the nurse, held me up and said, " Here is 
 another that we haven't named yet." The man looked a 
 few seconds carelessly, and exclaimed, " Ah ! he wont live 
 a week ; I guess we wont count him," and made no entry 
 in his book. So far as I know, I am the only person then 
 living in the country that was refused a place in the census 
 of 1820. Keally all accurate statists ought to notice, in 
 
EBASTUS O. HAVEN. 27 
 
 making their calculation, that the population of the 
 United States for 1820, instead of being 9,638,131, as 
 usually stated, was really 9,638,132, or subsequent cen- 
 suses for a number of decades should be proportionally 
 diminished. 
 
 In the spring of 1825, when I was four and a half years 
 old, my father and his family removed from Boston. This 
 historical landmark enables me to give some certain testi- 
 mony about infantile memory. I have a distinct recollec- 
 tion of as many as five objects and five events connected 
 with those four and a half years. I remember the house I 
 lived in, the school I attended, the teacher, a stable on fire, 
 a walk through the streets at night with my sister when we 
 were turned out of the house by the fire, a negro who 
 showed us the way, and " the man who had a wooden leg " 
 who received us into his house for the night. Some of 
 the sights I remember were not seen by others of the fam- 
 ily and have never been spoken of, so that I am sure that 
 my memory clearly retains much of my experience before 
 I was four and a half years old. Among these recollec- 
 tions is a vivid picture of the whole of the infant school 
 undergoing an indiscriminate feruling on the hand — slight, 
 no doubt, but none the less fearful to us ; also of receiving a 
 reward book from my teacher and carrying it home, arriv- 
 ing when all were seated at the dinner-table. The compli- 
 ment from my mother, a little uneasiness that followed 
 because my plate was not ready, and the remark from my 
 mother that " a boy who had a new book ought not to be 
 troublesome," are as vivid in my mind now as any event of 
 yesterday. Indeed, I have a full and long recollection of 
 
28 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 the place and history from which I was taken at the age of 
 four and a half years. 
 
 The zeal of my father in Christian work which led him 
 in those days, before railways were known, to take long 
 walks Saturdays and Sundays to the surrounding villages 
 to preach and found classes, recommended him as a suitable 
 person to become a "traveling preacher." Years after 
 this, when I came back to Boston to live, I found several 
 persons who attributed their conversion to him. Fre- 
 quently in the surrounding country I heard allusions to 
 his abundant labors. He joined the New England Con- 
 ference on trial in the spring of 1825, and was appointed 
 to preach in Plymouth, the very spot where the Pilgrims 
 had landed two hundred and five years before. I suppose 
 there was no Methodist " meeting-house " in old Plymouth 
 then. Indeed, there were scarcely a dozen in all New En- 
 gland. How well I recollect the voyage by water from 
 Boston to Plymouth, and the sea-sickness of my mother 
 and older sister, and how I went to sleep and woke up and 
 was not sick, and the strange gentleman who talked with 
 me on deck, and gave me an orange — the first I recollect — 
 and how the bright evening sun shone on the dancing 
 waves ! Have httle ones no memories ? I know better. 
 And how they all used to pity me then because I was so 
 small and pale and probably would not live long. 
 
 Previous to this time, according to the testimony of my 
 mother, I had read through the entire Bible, though I 
 have no recollection of that early reading, and the story 
 seems to me almost incredible, yet I suppose it must be true. 
 
 My fifth birthday occurred about the middle of the 
 
EBA8TUS O. HAVEN. 29 
 
 year we lived in Plymoutli. I have never been in that 
 shrine of New England worshipers since, and yet I remem- 
 ber it distinctly — as it was ia the year 1825-26. We occu- 
 pied half of a house on the main street, the other haK being 
 held by a small family, of whom I remember only an old 
 lady, who thought she had " sinned away the day of grace, 
 and was a reprobate." I suppose she was insane, and how 
 I feared to meet her alone ! My father used to say there 
 were no reprobates, and to declaim against her delusion, 
 but I did not hear that he succeeded iu removing it. The 
 sharp and intellectual yet despairing look of this woman 
 made so deep an impression on my memory that I have 
 thought of her when reading Dickens' description of one 
 of his characters in " Bleak House," or the description by 
 H. H. in her " Bits of Travel," of a woman who loved the 
 man that married her sister. The minister by mistake 
 mentioned her name in the marriage ceremony instead of 
 the bride's, when she shrieked and fainted, l^ever after 
 that, though she lived to be eighty, did she smile or enter 
 into conversation. So this old woman, whom I used to 
 meet, felt that the seal of damnation was upon her, and 
 lived in solitude and despair. What tragedies we meet in 
 common life ! In the days of stem Calvinism the idea of 
 being a " reprobate " was not uncommon to lunatics. The 
 early Methodists attacked Calvinism with persistent energy. 
 While there I went to a dame's school, where I used to 
 read and spell and write passages of the Bible. The good 
 mistress used to allow me and my associates to spend hours 
 looking out of the windows, first on one side of the room 
 and then on the other. When looking out on the landward 
 
30 AUTOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 side she regaled us with the promise that we should ride 
 with her when her carriage came. It was a splendid coach 
 " drawn by four white horses, with black manes and long 
 black tails." I have spent hours looking for it, but it never 
 came. I presume it is stiU near one of " the castles in Spain." 
 When looking on the other side, which opened on the sea, 
 we were to have a sail in her grand ship, expected every 
 day. I have no recollection how the land side looked, but 
 I can see now, as more than half a hundred years ago I saw, 
 that broad bay, and the half dozen ships — ^as they seem to 
 me now, grand and beautiful — ^but I suppose they were 
 really fishing smacks or schooners. Is that picture indeli- 
 bly printed on my brain ? Or has the soul in some way 
 obtained this vision ? I remember my mother told me to 
 commit to memory the story of Ananias and Sapphira, 
 in the fifth chapter of Acts, and repeat it to my teacher, 
 but she did not take the hint. She passed it on to her 
 neighbor. And to-day I feel no regret at the illusion. 
 Those invisible horses and ships, so far as I know, did me 
 no harm. It was certainly better than solitary confinement, 
 or enforced idleness, or over study. The good woman did 
 the best she could, and probably did many good things 
 which I have forgotten. It so happens that I remember 
 only the never-seen coach with the four long black-tailed 
 white horses, and the ship expected to sail into that beau- 
 tiful bay. I remember, too, how Plymouth Kock looked 
 then, and how my mother told me that the Pilgrims prayed 
 there two hundred years before. This last event may be 
 partly the product of late thought ; all the rest is certainly 
 genuine memory, and I think that I remember how the 
 
EEASTTTS O. HAVEIT. 31 
 
 rock looked when I was five years old, never having seen 
 It since. 
 
 How shall we understand this ? Are a few impressions 
 made so deeply on the young brain that all future growth 
 retains them, as a materialist would say ? Or are certain 
 thoughts and f eehngs so strong, even in early life, as never 
 to be forgotten ? Parents and teachers should remember 
 that undying impressions are often! made on the minds of 
 young children. 
 
 During this year at Plymouth I formed my first friend- 
 ship outside the family and the school. There were a couple 
 of ladies living by themselves in a house near by on the 
 other side of the street. Them I often visited by myself, 
 and was always welcomed. Many a nice bit of cake or 
 candy I got there. It seems now that the conversation 
 used often to take on this form: 
 
 " Well, Master Otis, what are you going to be when you 
 are a man ? " 
 
 " A preacher, ma'am." 
 
 " What are you going to preach ? " 
 
 " Faith and repentance." 
 
 Then followed the universal applause and a piece of gin- 
 gerbread, or an apple, or perhaps simply bread and molas- 
 ses. This was the only outside l^elp I ever had in studying 
 for the ministry. I would not hint that preachiag and the 
 " loaves and fishes " are always so near together, but this 
 was an ever-open way to these good ladies' hearts, and also 
 to their pantry. I remember once on my way to this 
 " House of the Interpreter," I saw what seemed to me a 
 more beautiful apple, or orange, or something better than 
 
32 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 I ever had seen before. It lay right in the pathway and 
 shone like an apple of gold. I picked it up and, child- 
 like, put it to my mouth, and with one good muscular effort 
 buried my teeth in it, when, lo ! ten thousand needles went 
 through my jaws, and soon the pestilential virus reached 
 my eyes, and I wheeled around, and by the time I reached 
 my mother I did not know but that I was burning to a 
 crisp. As the young cricket thought when a cabbage leaf 
 fell, it seemed as though the end of the world had come. 
 I have never seen a red pepper since without thinking of 
 the place where the Pilgrims landed. Farewell, old Plym- 
 outh, but if I live long enough I hope yet to see thee 
 again, and note what appearance thou hast to old eyes as 
 well as young. Like the Pilgrims,. I emigrated to thy ro- 
 mantic shores and indulged in pleasant dreams, but early 
 left them for the sterner work of life. 
 
 In the spring of 1826 my father was appointed to Fal- 
 mouth, a town on the ocean shore, only a few miles from 
 Plymouth, and again our removal was by water. Of the 
 year spent in that old town, never seen by me since, ex- 
 cept at a distance from a yacht on the ocean, with a party 
 entertained by Hon. Oliver Hoyt in 18Y0, I have vivid 
 recollections. The church, the good " deacon," (Sweet, I 
 think it was,) who sat in the church with his little tight 
 cap on his head; the ships that used to lie half keeled over 
 on the mud when the tide was out ; the catching of crabs 
 with a spear, which I used to witness, done by older boys ; 
 the strange old couple I used to visit, the man beiag totally 
 deaf and his wife totally blind, (very convenient perhaps ;) 
 the first money I ever earned, being one cent for riding 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 33 
 
 on a plow half a day to make it dig into the ground, and 
 how after earning it I went half a mile to spend it for a 
 candy kiss, and ate the candy before I reached home ; 
 these and many other things are not to be forgotten. Are 
 they not as important as half the things written in history? 
 I attended two schools this year. The dame's school I 
 have utterly forgotten ; but the first male teacher, John 
 C. Parker, I can never forget. About 1860 he called on 
 me in Boston, evidently proud to claim me as a pupil, and 
 certainly I feel grateful to him as a teacher. I was his 
 youngest pupU, the school being made up of sailors and 
 the sons and daughters of sailors, some in adult years. 
 The gentle and quiet corrections he gave me, and the evi- 
 dent pride with which he showed off my precocity, have 
 never passed out of my memory. Wishing to verify a 
 date, I wrote him a letter and received the f ollov?ing kind 
 and flattering reply, which does him so much honor that 
 I will venture to introduce it : 
 
 Falmouth, Mass., Janua/ry 39, 1876. 
 Chancellok E. 0. Haven : 
 
 Dbab Feiend : Yours of the 15th inst. I received witli pleasure 
 and satisfaction. The first, that you remember me with love and 
 not with fear. In the second place, that you have arrived at your 
 present height of attainments through your own exertions and good 
 conduct. You were right as to time ; it is just fifty years, as it was 
 1827, and the same dominical letter then as now. 
 
 I look back on time and say, Is it possible that fifty years have 
 gone since I kept my last school in Yeaticket ? It seems but as 
 yesterday, or a dream in the night. 
 
 31st. , whom you recollect, is dead, and I am sorry to add, 
 
 went to a drunkard's grave. 
 3 
 
"A AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 I recollect the observation of Kev. Mr. Woodburj-, the day he 
 examined the school. He asked me who that bright-eyed boy was 
 that answered so promptly in Colburn's Arithmetic, and I told 
 him it was the son of Mr. Haven. He said, "That boy will make 
 his mark." If I live to see the twelfth of next month, I shall then 
 be eighty-four years old. Ton will excuse the trembling hand- 
 writing. AfEectionately yours, 
 
 John C. Parkeb. 
 
 Thougli dated 1876, I thmk the above was written in 
 1877, a natural mistake. 
 
 The fifty years do not seem to me " like a dream in the 
 night," except when I exercise a sudden glance. If tlie 
 old gentleman had undertaJcen to write out his remi- 
 niscences he would have found that a single life compre- 
 hends a. multitude of incidents. 
 
 It hngers in my recollections that about this time I 
 found great diversion in what seemed to others deliberate 
 lying — not for seK-gratification, not to escape punishment, 
 for the risk was great — ^but for the simple pleasure of see- 
 ing the expressions of wonder that were excited by my 
 marvelous tales. It was regarded as a monstrous deprav- 
 ity. But it is a step on a possible side-track in the devel- 
 opment of every active mind, at that stage where the fancy 
 is strong and usurps the place of memory. A healthy 
 mind will outgrow it. I have noticed the manifestations 
 of it in many children, and in some of larger growth. A 
 good way to deal with it is actually to encourage the story- 
 telling propensity, but also to awaken a clear recognition 
 of the difEerence between fancy and fact. If a child per- 
 sists in it beyond a certain degree, a little essence of birch 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 35 
 
 externally applied worked well in former times, and prob- 
 ably would be a good medicine now. But it should be 
 administered by a wise physician. 
 
 In this town I remember something like an early relig- 
 ious experience. My father, in his earnest manner, was 
 exhorting serious persons in the congregation to "come 
 forward to the altar," or to the penitents' seat, to ask for 
 the prayers, of the Church. I well remember his earnest 
 plea, and my willingness, were it only proper for one so 
 young, to obey. 
 
 At tlie close of this second year in the Conference my 
 father found his health unfavorably affected by his new 
 labors, and withdrew from the Conference, retaining his 
 ministerial standing, being subsequently ordained as an 
 elder in the Methodist Episcopal Church. After a few 
 months near Boston the family removed to Weston on the 
 very day I was seven years old. Here my father had pur- 
 chased a farm of seventy-five acres having a beautiful va- 
 riety of woodland and marsh, hill and valley, a good house 
 even then probably a hundred years old, and a fine barn, 
 with the rippling brook running before our door that nov- 
 elists usually describe. Here I was initiated into all the 
 mysteries and labors of the best kind of agriculture then 
 practiced in this country. A New England farmer's boy 
 in those days had to work. I was the oldest boy at home, 
 and often my father was absent on long preaching tours, 
 and the care of the home devolved on me. For months at 
 a time I took care of a horse, a yoke of oxen, and some 
 eight or ten other cattle, all put in the bam and carefully 
 fed every night and attended to in the morning ; besides 
 
36 ATJTOBIOGRAPHT OF 
 
 walking a mile to scliool and back again every day. In 
 the summer I shared in the work of the farm. All 
 prognostications of my early death disappeared, and I soon 
 found perfect health, so that a physician was consulted in 
 my behalf only once till long after I left my father's home. 
 At this time I walked two and a half miles to see the doe- 
 tor about a sore throat. He prescribed, as usual in those 
 days, an emetic. I innocently took the powder, and in 
 about an hour earnestly begged my mother if ever another 
 was prescribed to let me die rather than take the remedy. 
 I have never had occasion to swallow one since. My hard 
 work on a farm probably saved my life and gave me 
 health. 
 
 I ought not to pass by the seven years spent in "Weston, 
 from seven to fourteen years of age, without mentioning 
 some few matters that illustrate truths of importance to all. 
 Weston, as we may judge by its name, was originally on 
 the extreme western edge of civilization and eastern edge 
 of the " great American desert," being fourteen full miles 
 from Boston ! The great West, desert and all, has been 
 receding ever since. When I knew it, it was an obscure 
 country town with a church, originally Puritan, but then 
 Unitarian, in the center ; a Baptist church not far off, and 
 a little Methodist church on the extreme northern edge, 
 near the home of Bev. George Pickering, a quaint old 
 Maryland Methodist preacher, who had ni3,rried a Yankee 
 wife, and was well known for half a century in all IN^ew 
 England, for many years as " Father Pickering." He in- 
 deed was a character ; tall, straight as an Indian, his curly 
 and long white hair trimmed and clipped regularly once a 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVElSr. 37 
 
 year. He was withal regular as a clock, and a truly brill- 
 iant preacher. He was grandfather of the notorious George 
 Francis Train, who seems to have inherited his grandfather's 
 genius without his faith and common sense. "When my 
 father moved into the edge of the town, about a mile from 
 this church, his house became the center of a new life. My 
 father had a way of his own. He, almost if not quite alone 
 in that little town for a year or two, voted the Democratic 
 ticket. In less than seven years it had the majority. He 
 heard of "William Lloyd Garrison's work, subscribed for 
 " The Liberator," and immediately called some friends to- 
 gether who organized an abolition society, which made him 
 president : the first society of the kind in Massachusetts 
 outside of Boston. His house soon became a place for 
 neighborhood prayer-meetings and preaching, and a revival 
 sprung up in which a multitude were converted. One 
 man, William Daggett, who was then keeping a tavern in 
 the neighborhood, was converted, and immediately poured 
 out all his rum and other liquors, opened a temperance 
 house, and from that time till an advanced old age was an 
 earnest Christian, spending the last part of his hf e in Bos- 
 ton. This revival was in the year 1830, under the minis- 
 terial charge of Eev. Daniel FiUmore. During this meet- 
 ing I was myself the subject of a Christian experience 
 which may seem to some an ordinary matter, to others too 
 marvelous to believe. I had been for about two weeks 
 attending these prayer-meetings, mostly at our house, some- 
 times elsewhere. Many professed conversion. Young as 
 I was, certainly not more than eleven and perhaps a year 
 younger, I was deeply anxious and in great trouble. I 
 
38 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 recollect little of that, but only that one evening in meet- 
 ing I was in great fear and distress, weeping and praying, 
 when Mr. Fillmore said that God was willing just now to 
 save aU who would believe in Christ, adding, " I once knew 
 a person who said in a prayer, ' Lord, I know thou canst 
 save me ; Lord, I know thou wilt save me ; ' and was able 
 immediately to add, ' Lord, I know thou hast saved me.' " 
 I immediately knelt with others and commenced to repeat 
 the prayer. At the second repetition, quicker than a flash, 
 all my grief and fear were gone, and a joy utterly inex- 
 pressible filled me. I made no demonstration, uttered no 
 word, nor was any thing said to me. I was too young to 
 attract attention. But all that night long, unless my con- 
 sciousness deceived me, I had no sleep. I was kept awake 
 by joy. The next day I informed my mother, and was 
 congratulated on ray conversion. 
 
 This experience, so marked at so early an age, is, perhaps, 
 the clearest conviction written on my memory. I have 
 indulged in all kinds of thought and belief and no-belief 
 on religious themes. I have read the ablest books on all 
 phases of religious, philosophical, and scientific investiga- 
 tion, but never have forgotten nor lost the impression of 
 this childhood experience. In thinking of it I have often 
 been reminded of what I saw stated as a fact, I think, in 
 Hare's " Chemistry," that if an old, battered, and smoothly 
 worn silver coin is exposed to high heat, just before it reaches 
 the melting-point the original impression wiU stand out and 
 can be read. The impress of the stamp goes through the 
 heart of the coin. So was it with that experience. I 
 should have to be annihilated and recreated to forget it. 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN". 39 
 
 In those days it was not common for children to be ad- 
 mitted to Church membersliip, and I soon began a course 
 of life which, on account of a tender conscience, was par- 
 ticularly painful and unsatisfactory. Through acquaint- 
 ance with older boys I learned all the mischief and wick- 
 edness that boys know. Some have said that the country 
 is a worse place for boys than a city. There is some 
 ground for the opinion. In the city there is a choice of 
 society. The vicious congregate, and the virtuous help 
 each other. In a small village all in a neighborhood form 
 one group, and it is hard to rise above or escape the influ- 
 ence of the general average. On this account it is better 
 to have a school or college in a city than in a thinly inhab- 
 ited spot. In scholarship I found no superior, and but few 
 equals ; in sports I was always at home, but often I found 
 myself suffering keen condemnation for what I supposed 
 and felt to be wrong. 
 
 One time I well remember, when about a dozen years of 
 age, my father intrusted me to drive the horse with a grist 
 of corn to a mill about two miles distant and back, with the 
 particular charge not to admit any other boy to ride with 
 me. I think now it was a hard condition, for how could I 
 well help it ? On my way an old companion saw me, and, 
 being larger than myself, insisted upon jumping aboard, 
 which, indeed, I made no great effort to prevent, but could 
 not have prevented without a fight. We had a fine time, 
 and while the grist was grinding made a long excursion 
 about the pond. On our return the miller was gone, who 
 was to have turned the horse around in rather a dangerous 
 spot. My companion insisted upon taking the reins, and 
 
40 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 succeeded in backing the wagon, meal, horse, and all, over 
 the bridge and under the perilous mill-wheel ; (" overshot," 
 1 believe, though just then I was decidedly imdershot ;) lie 
 leaped ashore, and I went into tlie stream. The miller 
 came mnning from his house, and w^e were rescued. The 
 meal was not much hurt, though the wagon was broken, 
 and I rode home horseback with the bag beneath me. Now 
 comes the part most painf al to me. On that homeward 
 ride I probably suffered about as much as Napoleon after 
 the battle of "Waterloo, proportionately to my size. The ■ 
 practical question was how to smooth things over and es- 
 cape a flogging at home. I really believe now that had I 
 thought the truth would have been tolerated, or iu any way 
 pardoned, I would have told it ; but I manufactured a pure 
 lie : "I had had no company. The miller was busy, and 
 would not turn the horse for me. The horse was refract- 
 ory and immanageable." And thus I escaped with a 
 whole skin. 
 
 Many a night after that, " saying my prayers " seemed a 
 mockery. Family prayer seemed to me hypocrisy. I be- 
 came restless, unhappy, dejected. Finally one night, after 
 early retiring and hours of sleepless weeping, I called my 
 mother to me and made known the facts. She left me 
 with scarcely a word, and I simply heard, a moment or two 
 after, my father remark, in true Yankee dialect, " I guess 
 he's had the worst on't," and that was the last and only 
 allusion to the disaster of the grist-mill I ever heard. But 
 I have not forgotten it, nor the peace I found in confession. 
 With me from the beginning morality and religion have 
 been indissolubly joined. 
 
EKASTUS. O. HAVEN. 41 
 
 I have written these things simply to indicate what some 
 seem never to have appreciated, that childhood nature 
 needs careful treatment. Some people, I fear, soon and 
 entirely forget their childhood — if they ever had any. I 
 have seen some over-severe critics and governors of chil- 
 dren and youth who either never committed any of the 
 faults of children themselves, or are strangely oblivious of 
 their own history. I dp not wish to represent myself as 
 exceptionally conscientious or virtuous in early years. I 
 was by no means a model boy. I was full of sport, and 
 often did many an act violative of right and worthy of 
 punishment. Children, especially at school, are apt to have 
 a moral standard qiiite different from that of the teacher's. 
 I well recollect once showing a number of larger boys how, 
 by putting their hands on a rope at the same time, they 
 could slip it over a catch and fasten the school-house door, 
 so that the teacher could not open it to come out when 
 they made a loud noise, and then no one of them would 
 have done it. They accepted my morality, and it was a 
 huge delight to me to see the teacher pull and twitch, and 
 throw his whole force against the door till the rope broke. 
 Then we went in, and all of them, while the teacher was 
 white with rage, were questioned : " Did you fasten that 
 rope ? " " No, sir," was the unanimous reply. I was too 
 young to be suspected, but, of course, I should have said, 
 " JSTo, sir ! " Such is a boy's conscience. 
 
 One of my companions, about four years older than my- 
 self, became particularly dissolute, and died early in life. 
 He nearly ruined me. This was a warning not to be for- 
 gotten. 
 
42 AUTOBIOGKAPHY OP 
 
 The nature of the public schools in Massachusetts at that 
 time has been the subject of some discrepant testimony in 
 the ecclesiastical journals. I well recollect the schools 
 tiiught in the North-west School District of Weston from 
 1827 to 1834:, winter and summer, for all of them in winter 
 and some of them in summer I attended. In winter some 
 of the pupils were grown men and women, and usually the 
 youngest pupils at that season were about seven. There 
 were less than fifty in all. The winter teachers were all of 
 them competent men, sometimes college students. I un- 
 derstood at that age written arithmetic as thoroughly as it 
 is now taught. Murray's smaller grammar was committed 
 to memory ; parsing hard sentences was common ; all the 
 pupils were practiced twice a day in loud reading, and I 
 believe all could read weL. Many of them were excellent 
 penmen. A few only, by special privilege, studied some 
 extra branches, like history, algebra, and natural philoso- 
 phy, but I am constrained to believe that the general aver- 
 age of the public elementary education was good. Often 
 extra meetings for spelling and other exercises were held 
 in the evening. I have sometimes thought that an able 
 teacher could do better with twenty-five pupils of all ages 
 than in the severely-graded system of our later public 
 schools. 
 
 About this time the notorious Ephraim K. Avery was 
 appointed on Needham Circuit, so called, and was our pas- 
 tor. Often he came to our house. After that fearful ex- 
 citement, which I can just remember, when he was tried on 
 a charge of murdering a factory girl near Newport, K. I., 
 and was acquitted — though nine tenths of the people not 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 43 
 
 Methodists and half of the Methodists believed, or at least 
 feared, he was guilty — he came to our house. My father 
 believed him innocent ; my mother did not, and though she 
 would not refuse him hospitality, showed him no favor. 
 He went to our church and preached one sermon, but such 
 was the excitement that a mob was feared, and I think he 
 never tried it again. He removed into a quiet place, where 
 I afterward came into his neighborhood when teaching at 
 Amenia Seminary, but I found that he rather courted ob- 
 scurity and did not seek an interview. I well remember 
 he was a spruce, fine-looking man, and drove a fast horse, 
 giving as a reason that a minister could not afford to lose time 
 on the road. This affair was a fearful trial to the Method- 
 ists, who at that time were still few in numbers and feeble, 
 especially in New England, and were regarded as fanatical 
 and uncultivated. On examination of the written records 
 of the trial I am not surprised at the difference of opinions 
 that prevailed, nor at the decision of the jury. The charge 
 was certainly not proven. 
 
 Another remarkable minister on that circuit was the fa- 
 mous Father Merrill — " father " even then, though he lived 
 nearly fifty years more, and died in 1878. Eev. Abraham 
 D. Merrill was one of the most devout men I ever knew. 
 While on this circuit, in addition to his other labors, he 
 kept a singing school, and taught the young people the 
 mysteries of i?o, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do, which had not 
 then come into use in this country. 
 
 On one occasion I slipped away from church on a beau- 
 tiful summer Sabbath and walked two or three miles to the 
 Unitarian church, to hear a strange and eloquent man. On 
 
4 J: AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 reacliing home I talked about tlie sermon, and was surprised 
 to hear my father exclaim, " What does he know about 
 heart piety ? " I have looked for this sermon in the pub- 
 lished " Works of Channing," but have not found it. He 
 evidently did know what the religion of a regenerated soul 
 is, though he and his orthodox brethren did not pronounce 
 shibboleth alike. 
 
 Such was the fierce sectarianism then that I could not 
 have gained the consent of my father. I shall never for- 
 get the occasion. I have no doubt that the man I heard 
 and saw was the celebrated Dr. William Ellery Channing, 
 though I have no recollection of then hearing the nama 
 I was probably less than twelve years of age, but I remem- 
 ber well his text and sermon : " Except your righteousness 
 exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall 
 in no case see the kingdom of heaven." I remember being 
 rapt in interest as he described the righteousness of a good 
 scribe and a good Pharisee, and wondering how any body 
 could surpass it, and how he showed that they lacked sin- 
 cerity. Heal righteousness was with him thoroughly sin- 
 cere integrity. That recollection, though 1 did not associ- 
 ate it with the name of Channing till many years after his 
 death, has served to confirm the testimony that he was mas- 
 ter of a wonderfully simple and persuasive and magnetic 
 style of speaking. Even children are permanently im- 
 pressed by genuine orators, and especially by sincere men. 
 
 The Eev. D. Fillmore I have already mentioned in 
 connection with my early religious experience. He was 
 indeed a fine specimen of the choicest spirits called into 
 the laborious work of the Methodist itinerant ministry in 
 
ERASTUS 0. HAVEN. 4o 
 
 those days. An amiable man of good sense. His name 
 will recnr when I come to speak of a test to which I put the 
 pretensions of a spiritualist some forty years later. A good 
 story is told at the expense of Mr. Fillmore, which, I believe, 
 in his genuine modesty and love of humor, he was accus- 
 tomed himself to relate. He was appointed as junior 
 preacher on the Boston Circuit, and Elijah Hedding (after- 
 ward Bishop) as preacher in charge. There were two or 
 three churches, and the ministers rotated regularly in their 
 ministrations. The crowd used to follow Mr. Hedding, to 
 hear his ponderous, labored sermons, while only a few would 
 linger to hear Mr. Fillmore — at least it was so for a season. 
 After preaching to a small congregation one morning, Mr. 
 Fillmore was addressed with much sympathy by a good sis- 
 ter, who said : " Brother Fillmore, you see the most of the 
 people have gone to hear Brother Hedding, but I don't run 
 away ; for my part I love shallow preaching ! " It should 
 not be inferred that Mr. Fillmore's preaching was of the 
 low-tide quahty. It was really instructive and rich, and 
 he often addressed large congregations. Had it not been 
 so he could not have afforded himself to tell the story. 
 
 Massachusetts society in the country districts in the early 
 part of the nineteenth century had some peculiarities that 
 ought to be recorded, for they are fast passing away. AU 
 the people in that town at that time were natives. I did 
 not know any of foreign birth. All observed the Sabbath 
 rigidly ; nearly all " went to meeting " every Sunday. The 
 greatest evil of the day was the universal use of rum and 
 other alcoholic drinks. Mostly it was cider and New En- 
 gland rum. It was used in every family, by all the people, 
 
46 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 every day. Drunkenness was common. Our next-door 
 neiglibor, a ricli man, died of its effects. Such deaths were 
 frequent. There was always a lower stratum of popula- 
 tion that congregated about the drinking-places, held shooting 
 matches on Thanksgiving and even fast days, and occasion- 
 ally were seen with a fish-pole or musket on Sunday. These 
 men were usually dnmk when they could get the Hquor. 
 Still, they were a small minority of the people, and were 
 looked upon as past reaching, unless it were by a Methodist 
 revival, and many of them were thus reached and saved in 
 camp-meetings and other revivals. I well remember a man 
 who was a common gutter-drunkard, converted in the re- 
 vival in my father's house, to which I have referred, who 
 lived to a good old age, and was thoroughly sober and a 
 truly noble man. 
 
 In those days there were a few tramps, or " strollers," as 
 we called them,' who used to be recognized as having a cer- 
 tain beat or tramping ground, and, calliag on the farmers, 
 were usually supplied with cider and food and lodgings in 
 the barn at night. Poor-houses had but few inmates, and 
 they were mostly cripples, or insane, or idiotic. 
 
 As soon as the temperance movement started it rapidly 
 commanded the approval of all the most decidedly religious 
 people. The Methodists unanimously espoused it, even to 
 total abstinence, almost instantaneously. The Baptists were 
 about as prompt. The Congregationalists had at that time 
 many ministers and members who were slow to adopt new 
 customs, but Dr. Beecher's ringing sermons produced a 
 great effect. 
 
 Education of an elementary character was practically 
 
ERASTUS O. IIAVEW. 47 
 
 universal. I never saw an adult till I left New England 
 whom I suspected to be unable to read and write. I doubt 
 whether there was a single child from seven to fourteen 
 years of age able to walk in Weston, Mass., during the 
 years 1827-34, while I lived there, who did not attend 
 school some of the time. I should have been amazed to 
 know there was such a child. Crime was not common. It 
 was not usual to lock our barns or houses at night. At the 
 same time society was slowly undergoing some degeneracy 
 that called for special remedies. As the townships filled up 
 and the population increased it was found that the number 
 of the people absenting themselves from church influences 
 and cultivating all sorts of heretical notions and indulging 
 in intemperance was constantly increasing. The itinerant 
 Methodist preachers did not come too soon. In almost 
 every town there were some of the most active minds 
 among the people who were disaffected with high Calvin- 
 ism, and yet were disposed to evangelicalism ; these were 
 ready for the Methodists. There were others in the back, 
 rural districts who did not go to the central meeting-houses. 
 These, too, were ready. There were others of the more 
 depraved and wicked classes who were reached by the novel 
 methods of the itinerants, converted, and in many instances 
 became ardent and useful Christians. Thus the whole com- 
 munity was stirred to life, though religious controversy 
 was keen and persecution lacked only the power of the 
 State, which had been effectually broken by the changes 
 which followed the Revolutionary "War. The itinerant 
 Methodists were nearly as much needed in ISTew England 
 as in the West. So much for rural life in ISTew England 
 
4S ADTOBIOGEAPIIY OP 
 
 in the first part of the nineteenth century. I shall now be 
 able to look at factory-village and academy life, both of 
 which will repay examination. 
 
 "When I was fourteen years of age my father sold his 
 farm, and removed to the edge of the town of Framing- 
 ham, near the old residence of the first of the name two 
 hundred years before. In the immediate vicinity was a 
 factory village, filled up with operatives, male and female, 
 engaged in the manufacture of cotton cloth. Soon after- 
 ward it was changed to a factory of woolen cloth. For 
 more than three years I lived in this place, the most of the 
 time attending an academy in the center of Framingham, 
 three and a half miles from home. This distance I wallced 
 and back again every day. My walk lay directly through 
 Saxonville, where I halted and took a little leather mail- 
 bag marked "U. S.," and weighing from two to ten or fif- 
 teen pounds, which I carried in my hands to Framingham 
 in the morning, and back again at night, or after the after- 
 noon session of school. Of course my advent was anx- 
 iously looked for by the expectants of letters from friends. 
 This was the only mail of Saxonville in those days ! For 
 this service I received, as nearly as I can now recollect, 
 seventy-five cents a week. I did not steal any thing, and 
 I am happy to state that not long after the United States 
 were relieved from the burden of paying any salary — the 
 nation was entirely out of debt ! I said I did not steal any 
 thing, but how easily I might have gotten myself into 
 state-prison. The mail-bag which I carried was closed by 
 a strap passing through slits in the top, and secured by a 
 small padlock, but these slits were so wide apart that I 
 
EEASTUS O, HAVEN". 49 
 
 could easily thrust my hand through, and empty the bag 
 without disturbing the lock. Once the devil of curiosity 
 got hold of me, and I took out some of the contents, and 
 even imwrapped a letter and saw how postmasters enfolded 
 letters, when a sober second thought came over me. I 
 carefully replaced it in the wrapper and in the bag, and 
 never again disturbed the contents ; but all the time I knew 
 the mail was as much in my power as though it had been 
 put unprotected in my hands. Besides this the villagers 
 used often to intrust to me watches and jewelry, which I 
 took to the town to be repaired, and then brought them 
 back, charging a little for carrying. Walking that three 
 and a half miles daily and back, through the heat of sum- 
 mer and cold of winter, with these precious burdens in my 
 possession, through thunder-showers and snow-storms, was 
 no small job. But, in addition to that, some of the time 
 a neighborhood grandmother, who lived near us, engaged 
 me to milk her cow night and morning, besides going to 
 school. For that I had some little compensation — I have 
 forgotten the sum — and thus paid my expenses while pre- 
 paring for college. My father believed in making boys 
 earn their living. 
 
 The old Framingham Academy was one of a class which 
 have mostly disappeared, but which deserve to be described 
 a3 the precursor of' Methodist Conference Seminaries, as 
 schools of a purely American origin, and as the pioneers in 
 the co-education of the sexes, yet to become general. AU the 
 large towns in New England used to have a private acad- 
 emy, usually proprietary, but yielding little or no income 
 
 to the owners, beyond keeping the property in order, and 
 4 
 
50 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 paying the principal and an assistant teacher or teachers. 
 All the pupils paid for tuition ; both sexes were admitted, 
 excluding young children, and pupils who desired it were 
 fitted for coUege. The teachers in this academy were able 
 men, and it is my humble opinion that no high school ia 
 the town since has done better work. There, with the ex- 
 ception of one winter, I spent three years, and at the end 
 of the time was fitted to pass through any American col- 
 lege with ease. The drill was thorough. 
 
 During this time I kept up habits of reading. My far 
 ther's library had "Wesley's and Watson's writings, Cow- 
 per's Poems, EoUins' "Universal History," Josephus' 
 "History of the Jews," Locke's "Essay on the Human 
 Understanding," "Walker's Sermons, in two volumes, 
 Goode's " Book of Nature," Sturm's " Reflections," in two 
 volumes, " Pilgrim's Progress," and some other works, all 
 of which I had read and reread before I was fourteen. I 
 also had consulted a dictionary for the meaning of all ob- 
 scure words. In the Framingham township library I found 
 some books which I read, such as Tudor's " Traits of In- 
 dian Character," President John Adams' "Political Pa- 
 pers," and some others. It has always been my habit to 
 read almost every thing I could get into my hands ; and I 
 have no doubt that before I entered college I had read 
 more than a hundred volumes. Among my early recollec- 
 tions was the habit of reading aloud to my mother such 
 works as Belknap's "History of ISTew Hampshire," she 
 kindly explaining to me what I did not understand. Also, 
 contrary to the theory of Macaulay, I early made the study 
 of English grammar practical, and discarded the provin- 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAVEU". 51 
 
 cialisms that were in common use in the neighborhood. At 
 that time the common people of Massachusetts universally 
 used the Yankee dialect, much as it was afterward written 
 in the "Jack Downing Letters," and by Lowell in his 
 "Biglow Papers." A stady of Murray's Grammar and 
 other school-books early led me to discard those provincial- 
 isms. It is simple nonsense to pretend that a study of sys- 
 tematic grammar is not useful. 
 
 In his autobiography, John Stuart Mill refers to his 
 study of Greek, and to his reading in early childhood, and 
 advocates the practice of requiring more of children than 
 they usually perform. I doubt the propriety of such a 
 general recommendation. There is a great difference in 
 the quality of the nervous system of children. Some are 
 forced by over-exertion into too rapid maturity and death ; 
 others seem to do much work easily, and yet retain the 
 proper child-Uke buoyancy and vitality. I know of no way 
 certainly beforehand to ascertain the effects. When study 
 takes away the proper characteristics of a child, it usually 
 does harm. The greatest advantage of child-study is not 
 what the children learn, so much as to acquire the power 
 and habit of learning. It is an unfavorable sign when a 
 child does not delight in athletic play. 
 
 One literary production casually read at this time cost me 
 much pain. I found in a hotel reading-room, where I was 
 whiling away my noon-hour, a fugitive copy of " The Bos- 
 ton Investigator," a paper then edited and published, I think, 
 by Abner Kneeland, who was prosecuted about that time in 
 Boston for blasphemy. I had never seen such a paper be- 
 fore, and, though it shocked me, I read it all. It contained 
 
53 AtrXOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 an ably-written and long article in advocacy of atheism. I 
 did not know any human beings could entertain such 
 thoughts, and reason on that subject so adroitly. It com- 
 pletely upset me, and gave direction to my solitary think- 
 ings for weeks and years. I had no adviser to consult, no 
 friend, but fretted over these thoughts in misery. About 
 that time Principal Caldwell, of the academy, gave a lect- 
 ure to all the pupils on the " Human Eye," illustrated by 
 models, and presented admirably the evidences of design 
 in this complex organ. This helped me much ; but I had 
 bitten of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge ^f good 
 and evil, and was destined in due time to partake more 
 largely of its mingled juices of bitter and sweet. 
 
 During the two years, 1836 and 1837, in the winter, the 
 villagers of Saxonville organized a lyceum and debating 
 society, and, at their request, I joined it, and participated in 
 most of their discussions. Thus I became more intimately 
 acquainted with the manufacturing population of New 
 England. These were composed more largely of foreign- 
 ers than the rural population, and at this time were largely 
 interested in the politics and leading topics of the day. 
 The discussions in our debating society were animated, 
 often before large audiences. There I learned to speak in 
 public, overcoming extreme diffidence. I was the youngest 
 of the society, some of them being gray-haired men ; but 
 my habits of reading and writing gave me some advantage, 
 while the practical experience and shrewdness of the older 
 members were a great stimulant to me. Some of them 
 were from England and Ireland, and others from various 
 parts of JSTew England. The operatives of ISTew England 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVIIISr, 53 
 
 at that time, as now, if temperate and economical, were 
 able to secure a good livelitiood, and to purchase for them- 
 selves homes in the vicinity or in the far West. 
 
 I ought briefly to note that to escape the long vs^alks to 
 and from the academy, I spent one winter in Holliston, in 
 the excellent academy of Professor Gardner Rice. The 
 winter was of no use to me as a student, as I was already 
 prepared for college, but of great use socially. My room- 
 mate was a Welsh sailor, William Thomas, about tliirty 
 years old. He evidently thought himself a genius, and 
 was so regarded by others, and encoui'aged to " get an edu- 
 cation." He was eloquent, and composed much " poetry," 
 or verse, but being a poor penman, I, as an amanuensis and 
 critic, was called wpon to help him. Often I have thought 
 of him and desired to meet him, but om- paths never 
 crossed again. 
 
 Before bringing this chapter on my childhood-life to a 
 close I must once more recur to the influence of religious 
 education. I was not a member of the Church, though 
 just before leaving home for college I joined " on probar 
 tion," and took my certificate with me. I was, however, 
 truly interested in religion. I spent much time in reading 
 devotional books, such as Thomas a Kempis' " Imitation of 
 Christ," Miss Eowe's "Devout Exercises of the Heart," 
 and Jeremy Taylor's " Holy Living and Dying." I spent 
 hours in prayer. I endeavored to regulate my work relig- 
 iously, but often failed. At the same time I was cheerful, 
 buoyant, and healthy. I look back upon this stage of life 
 with gratitude. There was a proper mingling of study 
 and hard work, of opportunity and deprivation, to call for 
 
54 ATJTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 congratulation and thanksgiving. It gave me healtli of 
 body and great activity of mind. NotMag can better ex- 
 press my feelings than the lines of Wordsworth : 
 
 "My heart leaps up when I behold 
 A rainbow in the sky; 
 So was it when my life began; 
 So is it now I am a man ; 
 So let it be when I am old, 
 Or let me die : 
 The child is father of the man; 
 And I would have my days to be 
 Bound each to each by natural piety." 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAVElf. 55 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 COLLEGE OAEEEE. 
 
 IN' the summer of 1838 I left home to enter the college 
 called "The Wesleyan University," at Middletown, 
 Conn. I was prepared for Harvard College, and had seri- 
 ous thoughts of going there, but an extraordinary and per- 
 haps temporary interest in reKgion, as it was understood at 
 our home, led me finally to determine on Middletown. It 
 required then two days to pass over the ground now trav- 
 ersed in six or eight hours. The new railroad took me 
 twenty miles to Worcester, and thence a stage to Spring- 
 field, and another to Hartford, where we stopped for the 
 night. A haK dozen on the same errand with myself met 
 and agreed to stop over a day in Hartford. We visited the 
 institution for the deaf and dumb, the first and then the 
 only one of the kind in America, under the charge of the 
 renowned Thomas H. GaUaudet. I have often wondered 
 at the politeness with which we, a company of beardless 
 boys, sub-freshmen, were treated. We were invited from 
 room to room and allowed to witness the performances of 
 all the classes, which such of the teachers as could speak 
 explained. For my part, I drank the wine of astonishment, 
 both at our own boldness and at what we saw. This was 
 under the leadership of a lad as young and smoother than 
 myself — ^Edward Southmayd — from Waterville, Me., a 
 
56 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 noble soTil, whom I shall mention again. I think that Dr. 
 Gallaudet himself gave us personal attention. Little he 
 thought that twenty-five years from that time one of those 
 same boys, then as a member of the Massachusetts Senate, 
 would defend that same institution for the deaf and dumb, 
 and do his best to secure for it, against some considerable 
 opposition, the appropriation usually made by that State. 
 Such, however, was the fact, and it gave me great pleasure 
 to recall this memory, both when drawing up the report 
 and advocating it successfully in the committee and before 
 the Senate. 
 
 The Wesleyan University was at that time the only col- 
 lege under Methodist direction in the United States. In 
 the earliest days of Methodism in America Eishops Coke 
 and Asbury made great efforts to establish a college at Ab- 
 ingdon, Md., which its trustees called Cokesbury College. 
 This institution was opened in 1785, and the building was 
 destroyed by fire in 1T95. It was re-opened soon in Balti- 
 more, but after a few months this building was consumed, 
 and from that time forward the Methodists had only a few 
 private schools under individual direction till the year 1818, 
 when " The Wesleyan Academy " was opened in New Mar- 
 ket, K H., under the control of the New England Confer- 
 ence. Its first principal was Eev. Martin Kuter. Bishops 
 Asbury and Coke were Englishmen, and the latter never 
 became sufficiently acquainted with the peculiar demands 
 of American society to establish the right kind of a school. 
 Cokesbury College was never wisely managed, or it would 
 not have perished. The first great educator in the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church was Eev. Wilbur Fisk, D.D., born in 
 
EKASTUS O. HAVEN. 57 
 
 1792, graduated at Brown University in 1815, and from 
 1818 to 1838 engaged in the Methodist ministry. To him 
 the Church is indebted for the system of Conference Sem- 
 inaries, which were modeled largely after the original New 
 England academies. These academies, however, seldom 
 had boarders or students from abroad. The Conference 
 Seminaries had. Being open to both sexes, they prepared 
 the way for colleges open to both sexes, and have thus in- 
 troduced a great change in educational customs. Normal 
 schools, at a later period, started in like manner from the 
 Eew England high schools, have contributed to the same 
 result. Wilbur Fisk became principal of the Wesleyan 
 Academy in 1820, when Dr. Martin Enter was appointed 
 in charge of the Western Book Concern in Cincinnati, and 
 caused the institution to be removed to Wilbraham, Mass., 
 where it was opened Nov. 8, 1825. 
 
 The Wesleyan University purchased a property that had 
 formerly been used as a military school, and was opened as 
 a college in 1831. Only five classes had graduated when I 
 entered in 1838. Dr. Fisk had attempted some innovations 
 on the ordinary college customs with but little success, and 
 at that time, as ever since, the Wesleyan University was 
 doing just about the same kind of work as is done in the other 
 American colleges of the highest rank. This was the last 
 year of Dr. Fisk's life, and the college was in some respects 
 more prosperous than at any time since, or than it is likely 
 ever to be again. Its students came from all parts of the 
 country then settled. The class to which I belonged num- 
 bered more than fifty. All the dormitory rooms were oc- 
 cupied, and a private house was hired by the university and 
 
58 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 filled with students, particularly tlie last of tlie Freshmen, 
 of wliom I was one. 
 
 I must insert here a brief portraiture of Dr. Fisk, a man 
 never to be forgotten in the ecclesiastical history of Amer- 
 ica. His personal appearance was pleasing. Tall and 
 slender, with a sallow complexion and deep black eye, hav- 
 ing a melodious voice, which he so used that all could hear 
 distinctly, his address would always command attention. 
 His style of thought was logical, all his discourses being 
 evidently symmetrically constructed on a carefully pre- 
 pared foundation. I never saw him use a manuscript, 
 though I think in some rare instances he had his written 
 lectures before him. On one occasion O. S. Fowler, the 
 famous phrenologist, was present at Middletown, and heard 
 the doctor preach a wonderful sermon. "While walking out 
 of the church he said to a friend, " That man has great 
 ideality — too much ideality!" He often introduced de- 
 scriptive passages of great vividness. He had been once 
 or twice apparently near death, and had recovered, as it was 
 thought, in answer to prayer, and he was only in the prime 
 of life and fuU of labor and honor when his health finally 
 failed. The great controversy on slavery had then just 
 commenced. At the head of the only college of the Church, 
 he naturally opposed division, and gave all his influence 
 against the abolitionists. With what zest I used to read 
 the fierce controversy in " Zion's Herald" between him and 
 Orange Scott ! Dr. Fisk was an innovator in education, 
 also in favor of abolishing a provision against having pews 
 in churches, but on slavery he was conservative. What he 
 would have become had he lived longer I know not. His 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 69 
 
 college prayers and sermons after he was scarcely able to 
 stand ; his affectionate personal parting with the few stu- 
 dents at Middletown, during a vacation, a day or two before 
 his death ; his funeral, when the whole Church seemed to 
 weep the loss of a father, none who witnessed can forget. 
 Now, after the lapse of many years, posterity will give him 
 his proper place : a man of good intellect, great fervor, 
 moral courage, and noble purposes. Being a pioneer, he 
 can never be forgotten. 
 
 Some of his associates were men of mark. Prof. John 
 Johnston, (afterward LL.D.,) a graduate of Bowdoin, was 
 a thorough scientist, original, humorous, sympathetic — one 
 whom the students admired. He was the man who was ex- 
 amining and explaining a collection of minerals which the 
 students had gathered: "This, gentlemen, is a piece of 
 feldspar," etc., etc. " This a piece of quartz ; and this," 
 taking up a fragment of brick which a student had surrep- 
 titiously introduced, " is a piece of — of impudence." The 
 boys laughed, and the appreciation of the joke appeased the 
 professor. He was a thorough teacher and a warm friend. 
 He invented the apparatus with which carbonic acid gas 
 was first solidified in this country, though it had previously 
 been done in Europe, and always kept up with the times. 
 
 Prof. Joseph Holdich, D.D., taught us in rhetoric, and 
 did it well. But young Prof. D. D. Whedon, afterward 
 with a D.D. at, the other end of his name, so well known as 
 the Dr. Whedon of the work on the " Will," the " Commen- 
 taries," and the " Methodist Quarterly Review," was our 
 greatest admiration, next to the president. He was sharp 
 and bitiug if need be, fair and honest, but undeceivable ; 
 
60 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 and when he presided, which was not often, he gave us some- 
 thing that we could not forget. It was a pleasure to recite 
 to him in Plato, (original,) or in "Wayland's " Moral Science." 
 How quickly college students will discern original mental 
 powers in a professor ! Prof. Augustus Smith, LL.D., was 
 a strong mathematician, and was afterward president for 
 a few years. He was much admired. 
 
 The death of President Fisk really shocked the Univer- 
 sity. Dickinson College, in Carlisle, Pa., had been lately 
 purchased by the Methodists ; new colleges were projected 
 in the South ; the territory of the Wesleyan was narrowing, 
 and the students began to be disaffected. Dr. Stephen Olin 
 was elected President, but was not able at once to enter 
 upon the office, and finally Rev. Nathan Bangs, D.D., was 
 prevailed upon, contrary to his own better judgment, to 
 accept the office. 
 
 Kev. Dr. Bangs was at this time sixty-two years old. He 
 had already accomplished a noble life's work. Of fine phys- 
 ical form and appearance, early eonverted, he had entered the 
 Methodist ministry young, with little systematic education, 
 and had well carried out the practical directions of the " Dis- 
 cipline "on habits of study, and had become, in ordinary En- 
 glish and theology, no mean scholar. He had even for four 
 years edited the " Christian Advocate," and also edited the 
 " Quarterly Beview " some time, and had written much for 
 periodicals and several books, among others a " History of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church." He had traveled many a 
 pioneer circuit in several States and in Canada. He was a 
 forcible speaker and a good man. But he was not fitted to 
 be a college president, and he knew it. He had not passed 
 
EEASTTJS O. HAVEN. 61 
 
 through the experience of students and professors. One 
 should grow up to such work, and, moreover, have a genius 
 for it. The large majority of those who attempt it fail. 
 It requires not only a thorough acquaintance with the sub- 
 ject, but also great general scholarship and promptitude and 
 accuracy in its use, especially if the president gives much 
 instruction ; the oldest students naturally require a man of 
 symmetrical strength and ability to out-think and guide 
 them. Students about iinishing their college course always 
 have some in their number about as strong in some direc- 
 tions as they ever will be, and probably extraordinarily crit- 
 ical. Nathaniel Hawthorne, in a preface to an edition of 
 his " Twice-told Tales," well says : " In youth men are apt 
 to write (and, of course, to think) more wisely than they 
 really know or feel." It takes time and experience to make 
 a mature man, but the older of our university students fur- 
 nish their fair proportion of yoxmg giants. It is amazing 
 how many eminent thinkers have been displeased with some 
 of their college instruction. Such was the case with Bacon, 
 Locke, Byron, Shelley, and many others. College presidents 
 often err, too, as many tutors and young professors do, in 
 a foolish scrupulousness about authority and dignity. They 
 love to enforce rules for the very pleasure of government. 
 Nine tenths of college rebellions prove the incompetency of 
 the presidents more than the contumacy of the students. 
 It is very rare that the majority of a coUege or class of 
 students -will hold out angrily against a fair officer who 
 really desires their welfare. 
 
 It is no discredit to Dr. Bangs that he did not feel at home 
 in the strange work of this office, and that the classes dimin- 
 
62 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 ished in number, and that the usual signs of disaffection ap- 
 peared. Some of the students playing with a cannon ball 
 broke a small hole in a transverse partition wall wliich di- 
 vided the long central halls into three sections. Soon the 
 whole wall disappeared ; then another, and another. They 
 were rebuilt and then torn down. This was made a seri- 
 ous matter, and soon began a foolish contest between the stu- 
 dents and the faculty, which, after a long time, ended in the 
 walls remaining, but in much ill feeling. In the meantime, 
 when all were together at prayers, the question was solemnly 
 propounded by name to each person : " Did you participate 
 in the removal of these walls ? " When, lo, the answer was 
 unanimous : " No, sir." It was a time of complete discom- 
 fiture and demoralization on the part of the authorities, 
 and of disgraceful triumph to the unruly minority of the 
 students. It was whispered at the time among the stu- 
 dents that a few answered, " 0, sir." I had no knowledge 
 of the persons who did the work or how they did it. I 
 have since had much expdtience in governing students, and 
 clearly see what ought to have been done. A proper address 
 to them after the first offense, treating it as probably an 
 accident, or a thoughtless breach of propriety, in such a way 
 as to enlist the decided approval of a majority, would have 
 disposed of the disturbance. This affair was soon followed 
 by meetings of the students, who took upon themselves, in 
 addition to their other duties, the burden of governing 
 the college. They petitioned for a change of the presi- 
 dency, a large part of the best students signing a paper 
 to that effect, and directing it to the trustees. The signers 
 were aU called upon to withdraw their names or, be 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEK. 
 
 63 
 
 dismissed from colege. My name was among the thouglit- 
 less ones, (in good company, however,) but I took the 
 ground that, having expressed an opiaion, I was willing to 
 withdraw it provided I was not called upon to profess a 
 change of opinion. The large majority coincided with 
 this view, but some ten or a dozen did not, and were dis- 
 missed. This was an unhappy affair, but I have seen fit 
 to sketch it as a specimen of. American college disturb- 
 ances.* 
 
 After three years' service Dr. Bangs resigned the place, 
 glad, I doubt not, to return to the more congenial duties of 
 the pastorate, to be followed in a short time by a long and 
 serene old age, during which he wrote much, and exhibited 
 m a marked degree the full maturity of a noble life. It 
 was a pleasure to me to meet him, years afterward, in the 
 New York Preachers' Meeting and elsewhere, and listen to 
 his relations of former years, and to his opinions of current 
 events, always eminently hopeful and cheering. 
 
 During these times there was a great deal of skepticism 
 in college. The true religious influence that usually pre- 
 vails in that iastitution was weakened. A society was or- 
 ganized to read upon and discuss subjects with an, anti- 
 
 * From time to time outbreaks of disturbance and rebellion occur in our col- 
 leges which lead to a great deal of sapient and no little silly writing in our news- 
 papers, evidently by men who have had no experience in the government of 
 students. College students arc full of mental activity, and have a natural de- 
 sire to he treated like men. The rules which they are called upon to obey have 
 been made, undoubtedly for their good, but by others. The government is 
 autocratic, and sometimes unnecessarily obtrusive. But if the execution of law 
 is honest, and the students see that their welfare is intended, and if they are 
 encouraged to entertain and express opinions of their own within proper limits, 
 disorder can easily be suppressed, and none will object to the prompt punishment 
 of the refractory. 
 
64 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 Ghristian purpose. Our meetings were, of course, secret. 
 There was no revelry or immorality connected witli them, 
 and they lasted, indeed, but a fraction of a year ; but the 
 report was unpleasant and the influence pernicious. I deem 
 it right to say that the large majority of those who met 
 in this society have failed to do much for themselves or 
 others. They died eai-ly, and some of them ruined by 
 their own evil habits. Immorality soon overpowered many 
 of them. A few escaped " so as by fire." 
 
 During these times, and before and after, I read all the 
 leading anti-Christian writers, from the most dignified to 
 the lowest. If I have Christian faith, therefore, it is in 
 spite of knowing all that can be said against it, for new 
 books on the subject are but restatements of old theories. 
 I have weighed these objections well. In the latter part of 
 my senior year the great wretchedness of mind which arose 
 from a complete unhinging of my former purposes and so 
 great a revolution of my character, almost drove me to de- 
 spair and ruin. At this time, however, without extraneous 
 aid or advice, I read very thoroughly Butler's " Analogy " 
 and Coleridge's works, especially his " Aids to Reflection." 
 My early experience predisposed me to adopt Coleridge's 
 theory of the reason, and to accept, largely by an effort of 
 the will, his later views of the Bible and of Christ. I liad 
 always kept up the habit of prayer, and finally I- made a 
 public profession of faith in Christ, and sought once more 
 union with the Church on probation. I think I did not 
 join the Church in full membership till after I left coUege. 
 These steps I took without excitement and without any 
 companion. Thereby my conscience found peace, but my 
 
EBASTUS O. HAVEIf. 65 
 
 intellect was subject to many doubts, and tlie future seemed 
 to me clouded and gloomy. My f oi-mer joy, through faith 
 in Christ and the witness of the Holy Spirit, did not return 
 for some years. 
 
 Thus I find myself passing by all the rest of my f our 
 years' college experience to give a relation of my Christian 
 experience. It is simply because that to me overbalances 
 all the rest ; but there are a few other matters that may 
 deserve mention. 
 
 No man can thoroughly understand American college edu- 
 cation who has hot passed through its various stages. It has 
 been my good fortune to enjoy student life in one college, to 
 serve as a trustee of four, as a member also of the Examin- 
 ing Committee of Harvard College, and a president of three 
 universities, including a State university, which at that time 
 had the most students of any in the country. It has some- 
 times seemed to me that American college professors have 
 been less inclined than any other class of Americans to 
 magnify their own profession ; and that, in the excess of 
 candor, they have really depreciated their own work in 
 comparison with similar institutions in other countries. 
 Universities are an essential of civilization. America is an 
 original nation, the imitation of no other ; and its highest 
 schools are a vitality, having the characteristics of an inde- 
 pendent growth. "While . they should and do borrow in- 
 formation and impulse from similar institutions in other 
 countries, the prime aim should be to perfect them in our 
 own national type. American colleges are more indebted to 
 the Christian ministry as a profession than to all other 
 parts of our commonwealth. Ministers have designed the 
 
66 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 most of them, contributed personally of their means to 
 their support proportionally more than any other class; 
 solicited and secured aid from others and from the State ; 
 and furnished the most of the presidents and many of the 
 professors. They have also advised more young men to 
 attend college than any other class. The larger part of 
 our colleges, including the oldest and strongest, owe their 
 existence to Christian ministers. It is becoming common 
 for a certain class of writers of late to charge upon colleges 
 narrowness and bigotry on this account ; but it is noticeable 
 that this is usually without any allegation of facts, wholly 
 theoretical, and by men who have not enjoyed their advan- 
 tages, and who evidently know little or nothing of the sub- 
 ject. AU general study tends to liberality. A flippant 
 looseness of thought in a youth is no very solid foundation 
 for character. It is well that young men should have be- 
 fore them as models and instructors men of positive con- 
 victions and character. The variety of the professorships 
 in an American college tends to a sufficient latitiide of 
 thought in the student. The presence and intellectual and 
 moral influence of a strong and noble president, such as a 
 Quincy or a "Walker in Harvard ; a Dwight or "Woolsey in 
 Tale ; a Wayland in Brown ; a Nott in Union ; a Fisk or 
 Olin in Wesleyan ; and a Thomson in the Ohio Wesleyan, has 
 been of unmeasurable value to the scholars and leading men, 
 and through them to the whole Nation. There never was 
 a people, in ancient or modern times, more influenced by its 
 leading educators than the people of this country have been 
 down to the present time. I may have occasion, in the rela- 
 tion of my experience and observation, to recur to this subject. 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAVEN. 67 
 
 CHAPTEE III 
 
 FIRST EXPEEIENCE AS AK EDTTOATOE. 
 
 IJf the winter of 1838-39 I had my first experience as a 
 teacher. My father was a rigid economist, and the res 
 angusta domi was the moving cause. About the time 
 when school committees were employing teachers armed 
 with certificates of our standing as students, a college friend 
 and myself started out on a pedestrian tour to find these 
 committees and apply for engagement. "We agreed that 
 each should alternately press his case and have the first 
 chance. We made several tours together, one day walking 
 forty miles, which was then regarded almost incredible, 
 though now it is so common that I can assert it without 
 fear of disbelief. Finally I found a place and made an 
 engagement in the town of Chatham, Conn., now Portland, 
 near Middletown, for fourteen and a haK dollars a month 
 of four weeks, and to board in one place at the expense of 
 the district. This was a fine chance for a smooth-faced 
 stripling of eighteen. My first school was, in my own opin- 
 ion, a failure. How could it be otherwise ? In all my read- 
 ing I had never read a book nor a newspaper article on 
 the pedagogic aj-t. As usual, the district had its two par- 
 ties, which were here the religious and the free-and-easy. 
 The teacher, of course, was supposed to belong to the party 
 of the committee and of the family that he boarded with, 
 though really he knew nothing about the parties. He was 
 
68 ■ AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 urged by the committee to be " strict." " Do not spare the 
 rod or the ferule." " The big boys must be handled roughly 
 or they will turn you out." Such were the instructions, 
 and the result was what might have been expected. Hos- 
 tilities, floggings of pupils* and threats by exasperated 
 parents. One bellicose father even came to the door of the 
 school-house, ax in hand, (for he was a wood-chopper,) 
 with a threat to attack the teacher. Had it not been for 
 my recollection of my own best teachers, and for the 
 adoption of some special evening-school meetings in which 
 I endeavored more as a companion to benefit the pupils 
 who cam,e, and for a gradual improvement that came from 
 my growing experience and independence, this first school 
 would have broken up in disaster. As it was, the best pupils 
 of all parties became my friends, and the last four weeks 
 of the. four and a half months were the most pleasant, and 
 I left them relieved and friendly, a " sadder but a wiser " 
 youth. This was the beginning of my administration as an 
 educator. 
 
 The next winter vacation, then a long one, though in 
 advance of my class, I had determined to spend in Middle- 
 town in extra reading, but in the month of December, fuU 
 two weeks after the usual time of opening school, I was 
 surprised by a visit of two members of a school committee 
 from the neighboring district of the same town, asking me 
 to come and teach their school. Had a committee come 
 from Japan, then closed to our fleets, it would not have as- 
 tonished me more. I had felt so chagrined at my first 
 attempt that I could scarcely have been induced to walk 
 through the .old district, and now to be specially invited to 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN, 69 
 
 take charge of a school nearly twice as large, in the center 
 of the same township, and that with the enormous offer of 
 twenty-two dollars a month and " board around," it seemed 
 incredible. I asked what was the matter, and was informed 
 that the teacher who had been engaged, a man of experi- 
 ence and a graduate of Yale College, had not given satis- 
 faction because he neglected his duties, and that the com- 
 mittee, seeing no other way to get rid of him, had actually 
 barred and nailed the door of the school-house against him, 
 and that, in spite of his legal claim for wages for the win- 
 ter, he had retired from the field. Also the examining 
 committee of the township had recommended them to em- 
 ploy me, basing their advice principally on the examination 
 of myself the year before and of the school at the close of 
 the year. I have always acted impulsively in such matters, 
 and immediately concluded to try again. In the mean- 
 time I had happened to meet and read a book on education. 
 This set me to thinking, and I had already elaborated an 
 idea of teaching. I found a school varying from sixty to 
 ninety pupils, some as old and physically larger than my- 
 self. Physical strength was in those days a noticeable 
 element in teachers and pupils. AH was in a chaotic con- 
 dition. I took hold in earnest, determined to use corporal 
 punishment only as a last resort. I won the love of the 
 pupils in a few days, and had occasion only once in the 
 whole winter to use the rod, and then the boy was in tears, 
 the whole school with him, including myself, and it was 
 averred to be only in the execution of a threat which I 
 thought must be carried out. It was not likely to be very 
 severe, but as it was inflicted in the presence of the older 
 
70 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 brother of the boy, who was a man grown, and who that 
 day, for the first time, appeared in the school-house under 
 me, it was a moral triumph in more senses than one. As 
 the offense of the boy was abusing and whipping another 
 and smaller boy, while near the school-house, contrary to 
 my express command, I have looked back upon it as a kind 
 of homoeopathic treatment, both in kind and quantity. In 
 this case similia similibus curcmtur. I had no more trouble, 
 and at the end of the four months the committee begged 
 me to stay through the summer, though they had never 
 before employed a male teacher in that season of the year. 
 This I did, teaching the school a whole year, and was not 
 afterward ashamed to visit the town. 
 
 It has never seemed to me wise for a teacher of children 
 to announce that in no case will he inflict corporal punish- 
 ment or any pain of body, nor should teachers be positively 
 , prohibited from employing it. The shortest and easiest 
 way to some minds is through the flesh or nerves, but a 
 teacher or parent betrays his weakness who often uses it. 
 
 The last winter of my coltege life was also spent in teach- 
 ing, this time a " select school," or a kind of sectarian acad- 
 emy, set up by party spirit, and maintained mostly by one 
 man in opposition to an old institution in the same Connect- 
 icut town. The last term of. my college course rapidly 
 rolled away, during which I renewed my religious profes- 
 sion, and united with the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Looking back upon college life, I regret some dissipa- 
 tion, but no licentiousness, from which a high resolve 
 formed in childhood has always kept me. Nor have I any 
 remorse for idleness during that or any part of my life ; 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 71 
 
 but much of my time has always been spent in desultory 
 reading and writing, carried on with no end in view but 
 momentary gratification. For much of the time I had 
 charge of a college society library, and I read more or less 
 nearly the whole of it, besides drawing and looking through 
 hundreds of books in the college library. I understood the 
 mathematics of the course indifferently well, stood about 
 third in my class in Greek, first in Latin, and near the first 
 in the other branches, and had an honor in graduation of 
 which it was unannounced whether it was second or third. 
 In either case it was all I deserved, as I can honestly say 
 college honors never stimulated me to any extraordinary 
 efEort. The course of study pursued in our American col- 
 leges is well planned to lay the foundation for success in 
 life. It judiciously mingles the theoretical with the prac- 
 tical, and it is decidedly better to postpone particular pro- 
 fessional study till after about so much general investiga- 
 tion and drill. Nor should our coUege course be made any 
 more difficult than it now is, or it will exclude many from 
 a broad, general education. To promote higher education 
 still, there should be more special post-graduate courses of 
 lectures and original investigation provided. 
 
 After commencement and graduation my life-work lay 
 before me without a plan. I felt a constant drawing toward 
 the Cliristian ministry. ]^o other thoughts would satisfy 
 me. 'No thought of popularity or honor entered my mind, 
 but the professions of the law, of medicine, and of teach- 
 ing, were unsatisfactory. Preaching alone seemed to be 
 my duty. But singularly enough I seemed to have no 
 ability to speak easily or perform any part creditably in 
 
72 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 religious meetings. In prayer and speaking I seemed to 
 myself restrained and embarrassed and feeble. My father 
 had never been lavish in the bestowment of money ; I had 
 not been prudent, and was in debt, all nnlcnown to him. 
 The country in 1842 was passing through what is called 
 " hard times," and though I traveled many miles and wrote 
 much, I was without employment as a teacher, and had 
 not the courage to offer to preach. Finally, late in the 
 autumn, I went home depressed, keeping my debts secret, 
 and at my wits' end. Was a college education a failure ? 
 Should I begin to earn my living as a day-laborer on a 
 farm? 
 
 At length, stimulated by the success of a private school 
 in the neighborhood, managed by a man of only an aca- 
 demic education, I determined to try my hand at the work. 
 I walked six miles, and found the trustees of a Uttle Meth- 
 odist Church in old Sudbury, Mass., the scene of Longfel- 
 low's " Tales in a Wayside Inn," a village unmolested by 
 railroads and modem innovations, and succeeded in hiring 
 the basement story for a school-room. I then drew up an 
 annoimcement, had it printed on some placards, and visited 
 the hotels and shops in all the region round about, and 
 posted and nailed it up in public places with my own 
 hands, informing the public that a select school or academy 
 would open ia the aforesaid church on a certain day. I 
 well recollect that when all the preliminaries were accom- 
 plished I had less than a dollar in. my possession, and was 
 in debt for the clothes I had on. But at the appointed 
 time the "Sudbury Academy" opened with more than a 
 score of pupils, under the charge of a faculty of one. It 
 
EEASTDS O. HAVEN. I 6 
 
 was opened with prayer, which, though feeble, came from 
 the heart. Pupils increased. At the end of the first term 
 all expenses were paid, and the load of debt was dimin- 
 ished. The second term witnessed a large increase of 
 pupils, and a greater diminution of debt, and the third 
 term was unusually prosperous for a summer season, and I 
 have no doubt that I could have made it a lucrative busi- 
 ness for a number of years. Several of those students 
 afterward graduated at college, and became eminently use- 
 ful men. Then the good Methodist minister, Eev. Thomas 
 Tucker, without a hint from me, forced upon me a " license 
 to exhort," (dated June 2Y, 1843,) and one Friday evening 
 informed me that business would call him to Boston the 
 next day for a week, and that I must supply his place, and 
 preach twice on the coming Sabbath. A worthy and com- 
 mendable stratagem, no doubt. No protestations could 
 avail. Was I not licensed ? "With the nervous trepidation 
 of a scholar — ^f or undoubtedly education increases the em- 
 barrassment of a young speaker — I found time to write 
 one sermon on Saturday, and draft the outline of another. 
 Both, however, were founded on sermons that I had heard, 
 and both were delivered without notes. They were re- 
 ceived with expressions of great favor; many professed 
 that the sermons were of benefit to them, and thenceforth 
 the way was open, and I entered upon a work which has since? 
 known but few interruptions. My third sermon was also 
 founded on a frame-work of one I had heard. Then I 
 began to be ashamed of what seemed like theft, and never 
 but in one single instance since have I taken a train of 
 thought of another's composition, and that was early in my 
 
74 AUTOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 experience. Such a course may, perhaps, be pardonable in 
 a young preacher, but I have no apology for it. Nothing 
 can take the place of integrity. Consciousness of approval 
 for what is not wholly our own must weaken our self- 
 respect, and plagiarism is a crime. 
 
 In the course of the summer I received an unsolicited 
 invitation to become a teacher of Natural Sciences in the 
 Amenia Seminary, in Amenia, Dutchess County, N. Y., 
 and entered upon this vocation in the autumn of 1843. 
 This was then a flourishing New York Conference semi- 
 nary, attended usually by from one to two hundred of 
 young men and women, fine boys and girls, mostly from 
 the farming country round about, and thirsting for an edu- 
 cation. It had already enjoyed the labors of many men 
 whose names have become famous, such as Charles K. True, 
 Stephen M. Vail, and President Frederick Merrick. It had 
 lately been in charge of Eev. Davis "W. Clark, afterward 
 twentieth Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 Bishop Clark was really a great man. He was not a fluent 
 speaker, and was too much a man of business to become 
 merely a profound scholar. But when he had time he 
 would construct an admirable speech, and deliver it with 
 great pathos and power. He was a superior practical man. 
 He was always doing something. He had more brain 
 power than many of his associates. I have said what I 
 thought of him in the "Methodist Quarterly Eeview." 
 I may only add that he was earnestly ambitious. I do 
 not think it was a fault in his case, for he sought, in 
 all his aspirations to do aU the good he could. Davis W. 
 Clark was one of the most earnest ministers of any denomi- 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAVEN. 75 
 
 nation that has appeared in America. Now the seminary 
 ■was under the charge of the Kev. Joseph Cummings, 
 afterward so well known as President of Genesee College, 
 and for many years of the "Wesleyan University.* To be a 
 successful principal of such an institution gives room for 
 talents and acquirements of the highest order, and there is 
 scarcely any position more useful. It would satisfy a large 
 and intelligent ambition to devote a whole life to this work, 
 nor wiU our Conference seminaries reach the desirable 
 standard till strong men devote their lives to them. Joseph 
 Cummings, afterward D.D. and LL.D., and an accomplished 
 president of two colleges successively, was then in the full 
 vigor of early manhood. Of commanding presence, of 
 unflagging industry, of peculiar but superior oratorical 
 ability, kind but firm, an able teacher, he was a man sure 
 to enjoy respect and wield power. The seminary under 
 him maintained a high character and did noble work. 
 Many young men went directly from it into the ministry 
 and to the study for the professions, many to college and 
 to business, and many young women received there as good 
 an education as was then offered to women in any institu- 
 tions in the country. 
 
 My duty was not only to teach classes in the natural sci- 
 ences, but it had been the custom to give courses of lectures 
 in astronomy, natural philosophy, and chemistry, and a 
 well-stored laboratory and valuable apparatus for illustration 
 were placed under my charge. To prepare these lectures 
 gave shape to nearly all my study for two or three years, 
 
 * Now President of the North-western Univei-sity. 
 
76 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 and I devoured all the books I could find on these branches, 
 and tried nearly all the experiments described, partieularij 
 in inorganic cheiuistry. A large telescope was then at our 
 command, and I became well acquainted with the appear- 
 ances of the planets and many of the stars, and dipped 
 into the various theories of science. Such an experience 
 almost equals in value a college course of study. Science 
 permeates modem thought. No one can become expert in 
 all of it. Even the most eminent scientists in particular 
 departments must depend on other men for their views of 
 other departments, but it is difficult, if not impossible, 
 to obtain clear views of the theories of current thought 
 without an actual experimental study of the leading 
 branches. 
 
 On December 30, 1843, 1 was licensed as a local preacher 
 at the Quarterly Conference of Amenia Circuit, Rev. N. 
 White, Presiding Elder, and preached more or less nearly 
 every week thereafter during my residence at Amenia. I 
 may as well here state that I was ordained deacon by Bishop 
 Janes, in Brooklyn, June 21, 1848, and elder by Bishop 
 Hedding, in New York, May 12, 1850. 
 
 During the time of my employment as one of the teach- 
 ers in the Amenia Seminary, from August, 1843 to April, 
 1846, 1 spent five hours a day in the recitation rooms, wrote 
 out and delivered several times about fifty lectures on nat- 
 ural science, preached one hundred times, and gave several 
 popular lectures in the vicinity of Amenia, and enjoyed 
 uniaterrupted good health, except from one Friday even- 
 iug to Simday, so that I was not absent, when in town, 
 from a single seminary exercise, except from prayers two 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVJEN^. I I 
 
 momings. In 1845 I was invited to deliver a " Master's 
 Oration" at the "Wesleyan University, which I accepted, 
 and was also honored with an invitation to a tutorship in 
 that university, which I thought best to decline. I was also 
 strongly urged to join the New England Conference, the 
 good people of Saxonville desiring that I should be 
 stationed there. An entry at that time in my Journal 
 expressed my honest f eeHngs : " I very much doubt that I 
 should be able to sustain myself well in a station. At any 
 rate, I would not like to be sent to Saxonville, at home, and 
 on the whole, for the first few years, would prefer poor sta- 
 tions." During this summer, also, I had the honor to be 
 recommended by the Faculty of "Wesleyan University, with- 
 out my knowledge, to become a teacher in a Female Col- 
 lege in Baltimore, Md., but after inquiring into the matter 
 I preferred to abide in Amenia. 
 
 Mr. T. P. Underwood, an associate teacher with myself, 
 and several of the older students, formed at the seminary 
 a kind of band, much like the club at Oxford, which met 
 weekly, and subjected ourselves to strict religious examina- 
 tion. The result of our meetings was much private prayer, 
 great diligence in the improvement of time, increased 
 interest in religious meetings, and the convei-sion of several 
 of the students. Mr. Underwood, originally from Kent's 
 Hill, Me., was one of my most intimate friends from col- 
 lege life till his death in 1852. He was a man of conscience, 
 perhaps too severe with himseK, but as pure a man as I ever 
 knew. I wrote to him many letters, which would be the 
 best description of aU my religious thoughts and experi- 
 ences during those formative years, but a day or two before 
 
78 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 his death he burned all his papers. His letters to me would 
 make a considerable volume. 
 
 In the spring of 1846 Principal Cummings resigned his 
 office to enter the K'ew England Conference. At that time 
 the New York Conference would not admit a teacher to 
 membership, or perhaps he might have been retained 
 longer. I was surprised by the trustees with an announce- 
 ment of my own election to the office. Such an event had not 
 even entered my imagination, but being on the spot retreat 
 was impossible. The school was in fine condition, and no 
 man could enjoy a better reputation than my predecessor. 
 In looking over a Journal which I kept during that time, 
 I find that I subjected myself to a discipline that I will not 
 describe. The result was, however, good. A religious 
 experience fully as marked and satisfactory as my conver- 
 sion strengthened me. The seminary seemed to begin a 
 course of new prosperity. The number of students in- 
 creased, and during the two years and a half following, was 
 greater every term than any corresponding term in its pre- 
 vious history. The consequence was that the debts of the 
 institution were rapidly extinguished, and, had the Confer- 
 ence chosen to do so, it might have received the seminary 
 free from debt. 
 
 In the summer of 1846 I was married to Miss Mary 
 Frances Coles, daughter of the Kev. George Coles, of New 
 York. While I write these lines she is still by my side, 
 though unaware of the theme that occupies my mind. More 
 than half of our Kves has been passed since that eventful 
 summer. The same good Providence that has wonderfully 
 blessed me in other matters led me to this life-long union. 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEliT. 79 
 
 Should I think it proper to attempt to do justice to the 
 theme, I should seem to be trying to portray an ideal sketch 
 of a hejpful wife and a faithful mother. To one whose 
 daily life requires assiduous mental toil, absorption in cares 
 for others, frequent absences from home, the abruption of 
 social ties, and the formation of new associations, leading 
 often to fears of failure and temptations to despondency, 
 what can be more blissful, if enjoyed, than a home always 
 pleasant, words of hope and cheer, all illuminated and sanc- 
 tified by a fidelity that could not be doubted, and a serene 
 faith in God that has become a second, if it were not a 
 first, nature? Such has been my home. From that time 
 forward I have found it good not to be alone. Defeats 
 are diminished, excellencies enlarged by the compact holiest 
 and best known to men. 
 
 Among the teachers at the seminary at that time was my 
 cousin, Gilbert Haven, afterward well known as one of the 
 Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Less than a 
 year younger than myself, he entered the Wesleyan Uni- 
 versity just as I graduated, and now on his graduation I 
 was glad to secure his assistance as instructor in Greek 
 and such other branches as might be assigned to him. Born 
 in Maiden, near Boston, in 1821, he had enjoyed excellent 
 school privileges all his life, and previous to entering col- 
 lege had become a successful clerk and salesman in a large 
 business establishment. Flattering inducements were held 
 out to him to enter into various business enterprises. But 
 about that time, though not specially interested in religion, 
 a strong and steady purpose to obtain a thorough education 
 seized his mind. It was undoubtedly providential. He 
 
80 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 went to Wilbraham and rapidly prepared for college, liter- 
 ally running through the preparatory studies, and yet thor- 
 oughly mastering them. Here he was converted or revived 
 in religious experience, and on graduation from coirege was 
 ready to teach, and, however reluctantly, was steadily drawn 
 toward the ministry. During our two years' association at 
 Amenia I came to know him thoroughly. He was already 
 an intensely radical abolitionist, indorsing all that William 
 Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips, Elizur Wright, and all 
 others of the most extreme school uttered. Indeed, for a 
 time he was tempted, if not inclined, to accept the hatred 
 of the Churches with what looked just then much like a 
 hatred of Christianity itself, which tainted the writings 
 and speeches of many of the abolitionist leaders. But trar 
 ditional influence and, probably, experience saved him from 
 that delusion, and the necessity of defending orthodoxy 
 while advocating radicalism seemed in him to intensify 
 both, so that both as an abolitionist and as a Christian he 
 belonged to " the straitest sect." His abundant informa- 
 tion, ready wit, imperturbable good nature, and unflagging 
 zeal soon gave him a local reputation which has since be- 
 come national and general. Many an hour we spent in 
 fierce discussion -on all sorts of themes, physical and meta- 
 physical, political and theological.. At this time he began 
 to preach. The seminary furnished a good field for his 
 written semi-literary and religious or semi-political and re- 
 ligious discourses, and the little churches and school-houses 
 round about for extemporaneous eflforts. 
 
 In his earliest attempts he was not particularly popular, 
 but awakened the admiration of a few rather thaii the 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 81 
 
 applause of the many ; but it was observable that every dis- 
 course of his furnished material to think and talk about, 
 and that only experience and proper occasions were neces- 
 sary to develop in him extraordinary power. The elements 
 of his success have been a decided conviction on religious 
 doctrines and experience, founded on what he had seen in 
 intimate friends and felt in his own heart, confirmed by a 
 careful study of the Bible, particularly of the New Testar 
 ment in the original, as well as in English; a wide ac- 
 quaintance with literature, poetry, and prose, sacred and 
 profane, and with the best presentations of current thought ; 
 a strong memory, and the genius of expressing newly formed 
 thought in vital phrase. Afterward, as preacher, as news- 
 paper correspondent, as reviewer, as editor, as author, and 
 lecturer he showed, on a wider field and with greater results, 
 the genius which his friends recognized from the begin- 
 ning. 
 
 All the above with reference to Bishop Gilbert Haven 
 was written previous to his death, and, of course, when I 
 had no anticipation of being called to the same oflBce. His 
 trimnphant Christian death seemed to crown his life, and 
 will ever clothe his picture with a halo. 
 
 Among my associate teachers, also, were Horatio N. Pow- 
 ers, afterward a Protestant Episcopal clergyman, and well 
 known as a poet ; George S. IngrahajQ and his brother, 
 William Ingraham, both afterward eminent lawyers of 
 Brooklyn ; and Alexander Winchell, whose pathway lay 
 along by mine in much of its course, and wlU hereafter be 
 described more fully. 
 
 The two years and a half spent in charge of Amenia 
 6 
 
82 AUTOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 Seminary gave me a high appreciation of the value of 
 schools of this grade. It was undoubtedly with reference 
 to them that Edward Everett, in a public address which I 
 heard, made the oratorical and complimentary remark that 
 " the Methodists had done more than any other religious de- 
 nomination to promote sound education in America." These 
 Conference seminaries accommodate the youth whose atten- 
 tion is called to the value of education after the opportunity 
 is passed in the home schools, or residing in places destitute 
 of good schools, or who, for various reasons, desire to at- 
 tend an academy away from home. If these seminaries are 
 well conducted by religious instructors they are fountains 
 of pure thought and character. Arnold, at Kugby, was 
 really one of the most influential men in England. Scarcely 
 less so, though unknown by authorship, was Rev. H. P. 
 Torsey, at Kent's Hill, Me., who has been principal of the 
 Maine Conference Seminary from 1843 to the present time. 
 
 These seminaries suffer from want of judicious pecuniary 
 management. They should be forbidden to go into debt. 
 The Conferences should purchase them and procure a par- 
 tial endowment, and then make the principals pecuniarily 
 responsible and forbid all debt. The Church will surren- 
 der great powers when it abandons schools of this grade. 
 Could I live my life over again I would ask no higher honor 
 than to manage one of them for life. Of course, if that 
 had been my regular diet I would have indulged accord- 
 ingly in other fare. 
 
 During the two years and a half I preached nearly every 
 Sabbath, lectured on natural science, taught classes, attended 
 many funerals in the surrounding country, never asking 
 
ERA8TUS O. HAVEN. 83 
 
 nor receiving any payment - for ministerial work. Some- 
 times a little was handed me to pay for horse-hire and turn- 
 pike toll, and I estimated that at the end of the two years 
 the balance in my favor was between two and three cents ! 
 Many students united with the Churches, some of whom 
 since have become widely and well known. All this was 
 attended with the ilsual difficulties. There was a strange 
 tendency to dram-drinking and disorder in those days 
 among a portion of the young men, and some three or four 
 at different times were expelled. But my motto was, 
 " Justice and no anger," and the results were always good. 
 I left the seminary partially out of debt and with more 
 students than ever before. I should not have left it but 
 for a desire fully to enter the ministry. At that time, as 
 before remarked, the New York Conference would not 
 admit a teacher to its ranks, or consent to the appointment 
 of one of its number to the charge of a school. About 
 those days the l^ew York Conference was in some mat- 
 ters stupidly conservative, but it was soon thereafter well 
 shaken up. In January, 1851, when my cousin, Gilbert 
 Haven, had determined to leave Amenia Seminary, I was 
 again invited and urged by the trustees to resume the 
 place. I disliked the drudgery, but nevertheless deter- 
 mined that if Bishop Janes would promise or give assur- 
 ances that I might receive the appointment from the Con- 
 ference, I would accept. The trustees failed to obtain even 
 a promise of his influence to that effect, and, therefore, the 
 project failed. All this shows the conservatism of that day. 
 
84 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 CHAPTEE IT. 
 
 PASTORAL WOEK. 
 
 ITT June, 1848, I joined the New York Conference, 
 which was then far more extensive than in later years, 
 and was stationed at Twenty-fourth Street Church, in the 
 city of New York. This was a little mission church, estab- 
 lished by the influence of Joseph Longking, local preacher, 
 and for many years at the head of the printing establish- 
 ment at the Methodist Book Concern. It had never had 
 a pastor before appointed at the Conference. The build- 
 ing was small, not furnishing sitting-room for more 
 than a hundred and fifty, and the number of members was 
 small. They had, however, purchased lots on Thirtieth 
 Street, and proposed, as they grew in numbers, to erect a 
 church there. What " the allowance " to me was I have 
 forgotten, for I have never cultivated the memory of money 
 matters. I think it was about $500, of which I was to pay 
 $150 for rent. I only recollect that the presiding elder, 
 Benjamin Griffin, though accustomed to old pioneer times, 
 said we could not possibly live on it. But my wife taught 
 some private pupils a few weeks, and I did some extra 
 writing, and at the end of the year we had lived and there 
 was no debt. 
 
 Never shall I forget that pastorate of two years, in some 
 respects the sunniest spot in my life. Three sermons a day 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN". 85 
 
 soon exhausted my stock, and the long-protracted meeting 
 during the first winter taught me, as never before, the art 
 of extemporaneous speech. The most marked cliaracter- 
 istic of this station was the rapidly growing population of 
 this part of the city, made up about equally of Americans 
 and foreigners — Irish, Scotch, Welsh, and others. The 
 little church was crowded, a gracious re'\'ival was enjoyed 
 in the winter, accessions to the society took place nearly 
 every month, and it was a great convenience to be let into 
 the new and large edifice on Thirtieth Street. We occupied 
 the lecture-room some months, and finally, on July 11, 
 1849, entered the main audience-room. This church was 
 at that time, I think, the best audience-room among the 
 Methodist Churches of that city. 
 
 I have said that the chief man in this enterprise was 
 Joseph Longking, printer and local preacher. While I write 
 these lines he is still living, and his memory will deserve to 
 live long after he shall cease to work in this world. He was 
 at this time in the fullness of his strength. Small in stat- 
 ure, sanguine in temperament, nervous, and wiry, and alert, 
 he attended all the meetings and was always ready for work. 
 He was the best " beggar " or solicitor of funds before a 
 congregation that I ever saw, contributing himself to every 
 good cause, so that I feared that he must reduce himself to 
 poverty and become indebted to the Church more than he 
 could pay. But all my fears were groundless. He has lived 
 many years, and never known want, and has always been 
 useful, and his old age will be serene and noble. How 
 rarely does a benevolent Christian come to want ! I have 
 known some to fail in business,- but it has never seemed to 
 
86 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 injure them. They retained their cheerfulness, and their 
 last days were their best ! This is true only of Christians. 
 
 Mr. Longking had, previous to this time, for some years 
 taught a Bible class of young men, among whom were 
 Kev. .Samuel A. Seaman, John M. Eeid, D.D., Professor 
 George W. CoUord, and C. C. North, all of whom made 
 their mark. He was also the author of a series of Ques- 
 tion Books for Sunday-schools, sold by the ten thousands, 
 and has written many articles on Sunday-school instruction. 
 I cannot forbear to notice also a family by the name of 
 Williams, many of whom were members of this little 
 church. The mother and three sons, Philip H., Joseph, 
 and WiUiam, with their wives, belonged to this society, the 
 others to other Churches. They were excellent singers, in- 
 telligent and trustworthy. "When all the family met, 
 which was frequently, they exhibited the beauty of domes- 
 tic Christian life as I have never seen it surpassed. 
 
 During the second summer of this appointment, 1849, 
 the cholera for the second time invaded this country and 
 was particularly severe in the very part of the city where 
 my people resided. That summer will never be forgotten. 
 It was hot and dry and without thunder showers. The 
 papers were fuU of nothing but cholera or protestations 
 against excitement. The people were afraid to remain in 
 the city, and afraid to travel ; afraid to work and afraid to 
 eat. Among the earliest some cases occurred iu my neigh- 
 borhood and I was called in to administer religious conso- 
 lation. Eight at the opening of the excitement I was myself 
 prostrated, xmf ortunately of a Saturday evening, so that I 
 lost the Sunday, and the people were anxious and prayed 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 87 
 
 heartily for my recovery. By the Monday following I at- 
 tended a funeral. The next day one of my leading mem- 
 bers was sick and soon died. The excitement of the occa- 
 sion, so soon after my own illness, made me sleepless during 
 the fragment of a night which I spent at home- after witness- 
 ing the death of the member above mentioned. I was 
 tempted to desert my post. Had I not been ill ? Just then 
 I arose from bed and betook myself to prayer. I felt an 
 assurance in answer to prayer that I should be blest, living 
 or dying, only in doing my duty. All fear left me. I slept 
 soundly a few hours, and from that time forward had one 
 of the most joyful summers of my life. My own family 
 were seriously threatened. I hurried them away, occupied 
 our apartments alone by night, and took my meals in a res- 
 taurant by day, and was never better nor more comfortable 
 in ray life. 
 
 In looking over my memoranda of those days I find that 
 my time was absorbed in visiting the sick and dying and 
 burying the dead, sometimes visiting from ten to twenty or 
 thirty during a day. The congregations on the Sabbath were 
 usually large, notwithstanding the pestilence, though some 
 of the churches were closed. One of the symptoms of the 
 disease was a great depression of spirits, and yet I have 
 seen persons dying of cholera who manifested as much 
 peace and Christian joy as any dying of consumption. My 
 experience was much like that of Dr. Nelson, who was a 
 practicing physician in New York during the yellow fever. 
 He was then an unbeliever in Christianity, but the evident 
 calmness and peace and sometimes joy with which Chris- 
 tians approached sudden death, contrasted with the experi- 
 
88 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 ence of others, disposed him to study the evidences of 
 Christianity. The result was the doctor's conversion and 
 the publication of his book on " Infidelity," large numbers 
 of which have been sold. After all the real value of 
 Christianity is in its e£Eects on men liviag and dying. So 
 far as feeling is concerned the peace and joy of the Chris- 
 tian were often too strong for the cholera to master. At 
 the close of the summer we had a day of thanksgiving, and 
 rejoiced that the scourge had passed away. 
 
 During the second winter we had a gracious revival and 
 many were added to the Church. 
 
 In those days the Methodist Preachers' Meetings were 
 held on Saturday. Nearly all the churches had three serv- 
 ices and two Sunday-schools every Sabbath, besides several 
 class-meetings. The ministers used often to exchange for 
 one of the sermons, preaching twice at home. Some of 
 the time the discussions in the Preachers' Meeting were 
 able. Kev. Dr. Bangs and his brother, Heman Bangs, 
 Davis W. Clark, and R. S. Foster, the two latter afterward 
 Bishops, A. M. Osbon, Dr. Durbin, and Daniel Smith were 
 among the active speakers. 
 
 Among the unexecuted projects of the day may be men- 
 tioned a scheme entered into by Davis "W. Clark, myself, 
 and a few others, to establish a first-class seminary in New 
 York City. We visited many schools and all parts of the 
 city, found a half block of land that suited us, called meet- 
 ings of prominent laymen, drafted our constitution, and 
 had pledges enough of money to make a sure thing of it. 
 Bishop Janes rather displeased some of the laymen in the 
 strictness of the rules which he wished to adopt, and at the 
 
ERA8TUS O. HAVEN. 89 
 
 ensuing Conference both Dr. Clark and myself were re- 
 moved from the city, and the matter was allowed to drop. 
 I have always regretted it, for I believe a half block, or the 
 whole of a block, in New York, purchased for a school and 
 the establishment of a seminary at that time, would have 
 had a powerful and a good effect on our Chm-ch education. 
 
 In those days the May anniversaries were ilourishing. I 
 had the pleasure of addressing several of them, and in this 
 way became acquainted with many of the older and leading 
 men in other denominations. I recollect when crowded at 
 one time with some haK dozen engagements, an encourag- 
 ing remark of Bishop Janes that I have never forgotten. 
 It was autobiographical. "I," said he, "early resolved 
 never to refuse to speak when it seemed to be my duty, 
 prepared or unprepared. I would do the best I could for 
 God and humanity, and let reputation take care of itself." 
 
 I admired Bishop Janes, and aU the more, because I 
 despise a foolish toadyism for men simply because they hold 
 office, and have nothing but contempt for the indiscriminate 
 eulogy that fills our papers when one of our leading men 
 dies, so overdoing the facts, that, like the expressions of 
 oriental and half -cultivated politeness, we instinctively feel 
 that much of it is lyiug. Bishop Janes was keen and 
 strong, and thoroughly in earnest. He acquired great ease 
 and readiness and force in the range which Ms thoughts 
 traversed, but that range was not wide. General science 
 and literature he had not specially studied ; of theology, 
 and especially Methodistic and biblical theology, and of 
 Methodistie law, he knew much ; and Wesley had no purer 
 motives than he. His sermons and addresses to Confer- 
 
90 ATJTOBIOGEAPHT OF 
 
 ences were sometimes sublime, and he had great practical 
 ability. 
 
 At the end of two years the itinerant system, which I 
 admire, took me away from a Church enjoying great pros- 
 perity, from friends whom I can never cease to love, and 
 allowed certain conflicting elements to show themselves in 
 the Church, that for a few years thereafter greatly inter- 
 fered with its prosperity. And yet I believe the itinerant 
 system is good. By no human system can evils be escaped. 
 The question is. How does the great whole obtain the most 
 of good ? I feel sure that there ought to be at least one 
 great omnipresent denomination that should rigidly adhere 
 to a legal and law-compelled itinerancy of the ministry, 
 and that such ministers and societies as desire to work that 
 system should join that denomination, and that such min- 
 isters and societies as are not in sympathy with it should 
 quietly leave it, and not seek to destroy this great and won- 
 derfully efficient agency. If this system passes away, and 
 no one great denomination has it, the general Church of 
 Christ will greatly suffer. 
 
 It is not egotistical, but simply the utterance of a fact, 
 that seven Churches, six of which were either in New York 
 or Brooklyn, and the one to which I went, by committees, 
 asked me to consent to an appointment to serve them. One 
 of the first was the little Ked Hook Mission, and to that I 
 assented, and without any farther effort of my own, that 
 was the appointment. 
 
 The two years spent at Eed Hook must be passed over 
 briefly. The little Gothic church edifice was the result of 
 a bequest of Rev. Freeborn Garrettson, whose mansion 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 91 
 
 was ill the neighboring town, Khinebeek. The society 
 consisted of two men, one superannuated, and never at 
 church, and the other an uinnarried youth, and as yet, a 
 member on trial — and there were also seventeen women. 
 There were, therefore, more than seven women to one man. 
 The most of the people in the neighborhood were of Ger- 
 man origin, the oldest talking broken English. None of 
 them knew much about the orduiary experience and work- 
 ings of Methodism. Some of them were among the most 
 accomplished ladies in the world, some of them in the 
 humblest walks of life. What a strange society ! Among 
 the accomplished ladies alluded to was the widow of Hon. 
 Edward Livingston, known through all that region as Mad- 
 ame Livingston. She, like Queen Josephine, was of French 
 origin and education, born on one of the West Lidia 
 Islands, and, I doubt not, fully equal to the unfortunate 
 wife of the first Napoleon in talent and beauty and accom- 
 plishment. For many years she was a widow, occupying a 
 mansion that might well be called a palace, on the shore of 
 the Hudson, entertaining hospitably many of the leading 
 men and women of the nation. It was said that one could 
 walk five miles in the labyrinthine pathway around her 
 house without repeating any steps. The flower garden was 
 one of the best in the country. She was led to study 
 Methodist doctrine and character by Mrs. Garrettson, for- 
 merly a Miss Livingston, wife of Eev. Freeborn Garrettson, 
 .and when I knew her, in her later years, was an earnest, 
 simple-hearted, and thoroughly intelligent Christian. She 
 did not exactly like the village class-meetings, especially if 
 led by some one whose education and mode of expression 
 
92 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 were different from what she had been accustomed to. She 
 told me that she actually felt less embarrassed when pre- 
 sented before royal courts to emperors and kings and 
 queens, than when once in a class-meeting a rustic leader 
 said, " Sister Livingston, tell us how you feel ! " But she 
 really had a religious experience interesting to hear, and 
 she was abundant in good worts. What little time I could 
 afEord to spend in the society to which she gave me access, 
 was delightfully spent. Two or three of her relatives were 
 in our little society. Mrs. Col. Armstrong, sister-in-law 
 of Mrs. W. B. Astor, and her daughters, were in the little 
 Church. Sometimes, but not often, on a summer's Sunday, 
 Mr. Astor himself, reputed to be the richest man in 
 America, was in the congregation. Dr. Benedict also, and 
 his family, added much to the interest of the society. The 
 most of the congregation, however, consisted of the ^vil- 
 lagers. During the two years I preached in Eed Hook 
 every Sunday morning and evening, and at two other 
 places alternately, five and six miles away, every Sunday 
 afternoon. In all the places I held protracted meetings. 
 The conversions were few, but the congregations were 
 large. The Sunday-schools also greatly increased. These 
 two years came the nearest to real primitive pioneer work 
 of all my experience. I preached in all the school-houses, 
 and in many churches of various denominations round 
 about, and seldom passed two days without an appointment. 
 Much of the time I preached every day. The actual brain- 
 work, however, was small, compared with what has been 
 required of me in my average Kfe. The work of the first 
 Methodist ministers was more severe physically than men- 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAVEK. 93 
 
 tally. I found time to complete and prepare for the press 
 a series of lectures, begun at Amenia, which I afterward had 
 published with the title : " The Young Man Advised ; or, 
 Confinnation of the Bible from History and Philosophy." 
 The first part of the title was suggested by another person, 
 and is wholly wrong, and greatly injured the reputation 
 and usefulness of the book. 
 
 I cannot bid farewell to Ked Hook Mission without devot- 
 ing a few words to one of the most remarkable men the 
 Methodist miaistry ever produced, Eev. Phiueas Pice, for 
 one year my presiding elder. Dr. Rice, as he was called 
 in his later years, will never be forgotten by the hosts who 
 knew him iu Southern New England, Eastern l!^ew York, 
 and Maryland, over which region he roamed. I came to 
 know him well. A large man physically, with regular 
 clean-cut Grecian features, somewhat -v^eather-wom, and 
 stern in appearance, his very look would command atten- 
 tion. His voice was clear and sonorous, and his manner 
 solemn and majestic. ■ Even in conversation his hilarity sel- 
 dom rose beyond a smile. But he would provoke any audi- 
 ence, however small or large, to laughter. His local repu- 
 tation as a wit was equal to that of Powland Hill, so much 
 so, that all the apocryphal extravaganzas of eccentric cler- 
 gymen were naturally attributed to him. I think he was 
 fully equal to the famous Peter Cartwrigbt. There were 
 strange facts enough about him that were reaUy genuine. 
 He always drove as good a horse as any body, maintaining 
 'that " the devil's servants ought not to have the best horses." 
 He was also, hke many of the earliest American Meth- 
 odist preachers, fond of his pipe and tobacco. His preach- 
 
94 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 ing was logical, imaginative, oratorical, and sometimes ter- 
 ribly solemn and pathetic, but almost always, near the close 
 of the sermon, he would launch off into a torrent of witti- 
 cism that would throw the audience into bursts of laughter. 
 Sometimes he would omit these episodes, but usually some 
 uncouth ideas and expressions would occur in every dis- 
 course. It was reported that once, when stationed in one 
 of our large cities, a self-appointed committee of the official 
 brethren determined to remonstrate with him on the prac- 
 tice, and appointed an hour to call upon him. He suspected 
 their purpose, and received them with the greatest gravity. 
 While they were attempting to get control of their nerves, 
 he at once introduced the subject of the state of the Church, 
 and asked them if they knew of any thing objectionable, 
 or could think of any thing to do to benefit the cause. 
 This opened the ti'ap, and a rash brother plunged in, and 
 began to complain about laughter in the public congre- 
 gation. 
 
 " Laughter in the house of God ? " said the doctor, with 
 a solemn voice. " Did you ever hear me laugh there ? " 
 
 They confessed they never had. 
 
 " And have you presumed to laugh in the public congre- 
 gation, met for the worship of God ? " 
 
 They all confessed they had, and could not help it. 
 
 " Brethren," «aid he, " this is a serious matter ; if my 
 official board so far forget the proprieties and solemnities 
 of their office, it is not a thing to talk about, but requires 
 immediate penitence and prayer. Let us pray ! " 
 
 And before they could say any thing more he was on his 
 knees, and they with him, and he offered a most earnest 
 
EKASTUS O. HAVEN. 95 
 
 prayer tlxat fhe official brethren of the circuit might con- 
 duct themselves properly every-where. The most careful 
 observer could not detect even a twinkle of humor in 
 his eye, but they voted him incorrigible, and let him have 
 his way. l^o doubt he remembered the lesson, for he was 
 sometimes for a long season deeply in earnest, and managed 
 to work Vigorously without seeking relief by wit. 
 
 It is also related of him that he and a much younger 
 preacher happening to be together with a family who had 
 but one " prophet's chamber," it was necessary for the two 
 to occupy one bed. It was a winter night, and there was 
 no fire in the room, and the young minister spent but a 
 minute or two in prayer before he found himself in bed. 
 Probably he thought that he " kept liimself," as John Wes- 
 ley once said in similar circumstances, " prayed up." Not 
 so, however, with Father Kice. He leisurely kneeled down 
 and prayed earnestly a long time, sometimes half audibly, 
 until it seemed to the young brother he never would finish. 
 Moreover, the young brother began to think he had him- 
 self lightly slipped over his duty. Finally, the old man 
 arose. " Do you always pray so long before you go to bed ? " 
 meekly inquired the youth. " It depends a great deal," 
 said the old man, " on what kind of a sinner I have to sleep 
 with ! " This is but a fair specimen of his eccentricity. 
 
 But an incident which he related to me of his ovra early 
 history shows the better side of the man. He arrived at 
 my house, not intending to stop, near the close of an in- 
 tensely cold day. I felt that it was unsafe for him to travel 
 farther, as night was near and his home distant, and com- 
 pelled him to stop. After seeing his horse provided for 
 
96 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 and partaking of a good dinner, he was reminded of the 
 earliest years of his itinerant life. He spoke of having 
 ridden horseback one cold winter day till he was so chilled 
 and stiffened that he could not alight, but was taken from 
 his horse literally badly frozen. Also he related how he 
 was saved from following a common practice in those early 
 days, of deserting the work after a short trial. When he 
 traveled his first circuit, which embraced several counties 
 and kept him preaching nearly every day, though he made 
 the entire round only a few times in the year, he was but 
 a boy — not yet twenty-one years of age. He had left a 
 widowed mother at home hundreds of miles away, and sel- 
 dom heard from her. He had gone around his circuit and 
 saw no fruit following his preaching and was completely 
 disheartened. He resolved one morning to quit his work 
 and go and see his mother, and never to show himself at 
 Conference. He rode hard all day — I think it was Friday 
 — and stopped for the night at the house of a good Meth- 
 odist brother, a Connecticut farmer, still more than a hun- 
 dred miles from his mother, and also far away from his 
 own circuit. He observed that the Yankee farmer, though 
 he received him hospitably and took care of his horse, 
 asked him a great many questions : " What is your circuit 1 " 
 " How many preaching-places have you ? " " Is your moth- 
 er sick ? " " Have you engaged any body to take your 
 place ? " " Does the preacher in charge know you are going 
 home ? " " Are you ready for examination at the next Con- 
 ference?" etc., etc. Young Rice answered all the ques- 
 tions demurely, and in due time led in the family prayer 
 and retired for rest. The next morning the farmer aroused 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEH-. 97 
 
 him before sunrise, and told him breakfast was ready. 
 Rice thought that was an early start, and would have liked 
 a little more sleep, but soon made himself ready. After 
 breakfast he was told his horse had been well fed and was 
 saddled at the door. He had not intended to be in such a 
 hurry, but he mounted, thanked the farmer for his kind- 
 ness, bade him " Good-bye," and was about to proceed to- 
 ward his mother's residence when the farmer placed him- 
 self squarely before the horse's head, threw out his arms 
 and shouted, " Young man, turn around ! Will you run 
 away from the post of duty ? God has called you to preach 
 the Gospel. Go back to your circuit and AH your appoint- 
 ments to-morrow ! " 
 
 Father Rice said he was as much astonished as he would 
 have been if an angel of the Lord had rebuked him. He 
 fell over on his saddle, bowed his head on the horse's neck 
 and wept, crying like a child. In a moment he turned his 
 horse about, said once more, " Good-bye," rode aU day over 
 the same road as the day before, praying and weeping alter- 
 nately all the way, and Sunday filled his appointments, and 
 did not see his mother till the year was over. "That," 
 said he, " kept me in the work, and I mean to die in it." 
 He was as good as his word, continuing to preach as long as 
 his physical strength endured, dying at a good old age. 
 
 Such was the material of many — not all — of our pioneer 
 Methodist preachers. Knowing the heart of the man, I 
 was willing to pardon his eccentricities, though I believe 
 they grew upon him and much diminished his usefulness 
 in his latest years. 
 
 As yet I have never formed the habit of taking vaca- 
 
 7 
 
98 ATITOBIOGEAPHY OP 
 
 tions for pleasure and liealth,but have sought recreation only 
 regularly and by change of occupation. But while in Eed 
 Hook I visited the CatsMU Mountains twice for pleasure — 
 once in company with, my friends P. H. and William Will- 
 iams, of New York. The Overlook, a high mountain near 
 Kingston, furnishes a view unsurpassed in the world in 
 beauty. And yet how common is tliis remark ! Beauty 
 and sublimity are largely subjective. When a man feels 
 all he can of admiration and joy no enlargement or im- 
 provement of the scene can add to his emotion. That is 
 the reason why the last is always the best to people of weak 
 memories and judgment. But from this Overlook, stand- 
 ing on a level spot, with a vast perpendicular precipice at 
 your feet, you see, from the city of Hudson on your left 
 and the Highlands of the Hudson on the right, over the 
 vaUey across into Massachusetts and Vermont, an area of 
 some thousands of square miles, embracing many villages, 
 the variegated river and large patches of forest — a picture 
 of indescribable beauty. I stood there once when a hght 
 mist hovered over the land. Before me and beneath me, 
 except just where I stood, was invisibility — one step for- 
 ward and I should have been with the angels. All at once 
 a slight whisper of wind arose in the forest behind us ; 
 the mists broke into forms which contended with each 
 other in an aerial ocean. They rapidly spread and lifted 
 themselves into a canvas stretching from the sky down 
 into interminable depths below me ; and from horizon to 
 horizon appeared, in lights and shades superior to those of 
 Raphael, that stupendous panorama. Now it was lost; 
 now it re-appeared, and thus it vanished and came into be- 
 
EEASTUS O. HA VEST. 90 
 
 ing again and again, and trembled and moved as if quiver- 
 ing witli life. I stood entranced and speechless with my 
 friends, till I ventured to inquire : " Does that seem to you 
 like a picture, or like a fact ? " " Like a picture," they all 
 answered, and I knew the scene was not a dream, but a 
 transparency, exhibited by the great Artist on the clouds. 
 The moment was one that ingrained itself into the texture 
 of my soul, and has often re-appeared to my memory, and 
 has become one of the standards of my experience whereby 
 I measure the value of scenes of beauty and ministrants to 
 joy. There are no scenes in any part of the world that 
 can surpass many in our own vicinity. 
 
 In 1852 I received my third appointment, to the charge 
 that was then, and I think still is, the wealthiest in the con- 
 nection — ^then Mulberry Street, now St. Paul's, New York. 
 I had not sought it, directly nor indirectly, and would have 
 preferred a less-responsible place. Eev. R. S. Foster, after- 
 ward a Bishop, had been its pastor the last two years, and a 
 most successful pastorate, too, it had been. After his early 
 ministry in Ohio, and his memorable discussion with Eev. 
 Dr. Kice, of Cincinnati, on Calvinism, which had been 
 printed in a book, he had been called and transferred to 
 this important station. His congregation had been large, 
 a gracious revival had been enjoyed, and the people were 
 grieved to part with him. He was stationed but a short 
 distance away, at Greene Street, a contiguous station in the 
 same city. I found the church alive, and was welcomed 
 by a good congregation, which was not diminished but 
 rather increased while I remained there. I had no oppor- 
 tunity then to hear Brother Foster preach, but he spoke 
 
100 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 frequently in Preachers' Meeting. Also he and his brother- 
 in-law, Eev. John MUey, afterward a professor in Drew 
 Theological Seminary, and myself formed ourselves into a 
 Hebrew class and employed a Eabbi to instruct us. We 
 soon became able to decipher without much diflBculty any 
 Hebrew text. I have since forgotten it, and then revived 
 it. Bishop Foster needs no portrayal to the many thou- 
 sands who have since that time become acquainted with 
 him. He is a man disposed by temperament to candor and 
 bravery. He looks on both sides of a dispute. He has 
 little sympathy with that class of religionists who depend 
 altogether on excitement and exhortation. He is intellect- 
 ual and logical. His faith is all the more intense from his 
 intellectuality. He is particularly inclined to indulge 
 strong and vivid thoughts of immortality, and he has a 
 realistic style of preaching not often equaled. Give him 
 a camp-meeting audience and a good occasion, and he will 
 preach a sermon of combined strength of thought and viv- 
 idness of imagination never surpassed. His general survey 
 of the work and capabilities of Methodism since he has 
 become a Bishop has strengthened his faith in and admi- 
 ration of the economy of that branch of the general Church. 
 
 Remaining at Mulberry Street charge only half a year 
 I had no time to do more than to become thoroughly ac- 
 quainted with the Church and its mode of working. All 
 the families in the Church at that time were in comfortable 
 circumstances, and nearly all wealthy. The type of piety 
 was excellent. Class and prayer -meetings were well at- 
 tended and the Sunday-school was flourishing. 
 
 On account of the non-occupancy of the parsonage for 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 101 
 
 some weeks, I did my studying and writing in tlie under- 
 gromid basement of the church in the summer season, with- 
 out fire, and became saturated with malaria, which gave 
 me remittent fever. It did not disable me, but, settling in 
 my throat, alarmed me. Just then, through the influence 
 of some of the leading Presbyterians, I was invited to take 
 a Professorship in the University of Michigan, where Rev. 
 H. P. Tappan, D.D., an eminent Presbyterian divine of 
 New York, had lately been elected president. He desired 
 a professor belonging to the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 At first I declined the offer, but this trouble in the throat 
 continuing, I finally yielded to urgent appeals, and against 
 the equally urgent remonstrance of the Church, concluded 
 that it was my duty to accept. I left the best appointment 
 in the Church for what then seemed to be the far "West. 
 
 Thus ended my exclusive devotion to the ministry. It 
 is common to speak of that as "the regular work," "while 
 preachers who are also teachers are irregular. This is a 
 mere prejudice. Formal preaching twice or thrice on Sun- 
 days is a modem invention. The regular minister is called 
 upon to spend his strength in promoting Christian life ; if 
 he can best do it by devoting a part of his time to writing 
 and lecturing and teaching, that becomes his duty. A 
 good, sound judgment must be the guide. During the few 
 years that I spent exclusively in the pastoral work I 
 addressed many societies at their anniversaries, lectured on 
 many subjects, wrote for the newspapers, begged for 
 churches, and did much labor unlike preaching, but it was 
 all legitimate to the profession. Henceforth education 
 was to be my great work. 
 
102 AUTOBIOGBAPHT OF 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 FIEST TEEM IN MICHIGAN UIOVEESITY. 
 
 In January, 1853, I entered a new field as Professor of 
 Latin in the University of Michigan. This was the first 
 State University in America that reached a condition that 
 any persons would call successful. It is proper, therefore, 
 to give a brief sketch of its history down to that time. 
 When Michigan became a State by admission to the Union, 
 in 183Y, the United States confirmed to the State a grant 
 of two townships of land, seventy-two square miles, the 
 proceeds of the sale of which were to be devoted to the 
 estabHshment and maintenance of a university to be gov- 
 erned by the State. The lands could be selected from any 
 not previously sold. The selection was soon made by the 
 State authorities, and the lands were known as University 
 lands. It does not seem that there was on the part of the 
 State any iateUigent and well-defined conception of what a 
 university is or should be, or an earnest desire to promote 
 the highest education. There was a general impression 
 that a university would be a good thing to have, and that 
 it would enhance the value of property iu the State. Gen- 
 eral Lewis Cass, who was the leading man in Michigan 
 politics in its earliest days, and for many years, seems to 
 have entertained crude notions of a university. At first it 
 was attempted to erect branches of it in various parts of 
 
EEASTCS O. HAVEN. 103 
 
 the State, which, after some years of experimentation, and 
 with some useful results, failed. After a time a site of 
 about fifty acres was selected in Ann Arbor, and presented 
 to the university by the city, and the State loaned to the 
 university authorities, or Eegents, $100,000 with which two 
 college buildings for students were erected, after the pre- 
 vailing type of that day, furnishing "recitation-rooms" 
 and study and sleeping-room for more than a hundred stu- 
 dents. Also four large dwellings were erected for pro- 
 fessors, and a small Faculty was elected. 
 
 There was no president, but, on " the Prussian system," 
 the regular professors were to preside in turn, each for a year 
 at a time. From 1844 to 1852 the college had a fair pros- 
 perity. When we consider that it was " in the far "West," 
 and also in the far Iforth, near Canada, and surroimdedonly 
 by a scanty and pioneer population, its early history dur- 
 ing this period must be pronounced creditable to all con- 
 cerned. Also the Medical College, founded about 1849, 
 was prosperous from its foundation. Both these colleges 
 maintaiiied a grade of scholarship as high as the oldest 
 American colleges of that time. 
 
 But the university was compelled to struggle with diffi- 
 culties, chief among which was its poverty. The State 
 was embarrassed in its finances, and granted it no pecuniary 
 aid. It exacted seven per cent, annually for the $100,000 
 loaned for the erection of buildings. It actually lowered 
 the price of the university lands, and used the credit of the 
 university fund. In this way it was believed, by eminent 
 political authority, to have canceled all obligation, of the 
 university to repay the $100,000, and yet, after this, it 
 
104 AXTTOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 continued to exact and receive the seven per cent, interest 
 on tlie entire sum. 
 
 A protracted dispute also arose betvreen the students and 
 Faculty with reference to secret societies. All who are 
 acquainted with American colleges are aware that this is a 
 subject upon which opposite opinions are entertained. The 
 Faculty of the University of Michigan undertook forcibly 
 to suppress them, which was resisted. Several students 
 were expelled ; appeals were taken to the Kegents ; petitions 
 and remonstrances were sent to the Legislature, and fierce 
 discussions arose. About the same time Professor D. D. 
 Whedon, formerly of "Wesleyan University, but Professor 
 in the University of Michigan from 1845 to 1852, began 
 to take an active part in the opposition to slavery which 
 arose at that time, and made some earnest abolition addresses 
 and sermons in various parts of the State. The authorities 
 of Michigan, including the Eegents of the university, 
 were then opposed to the Abolitionists. The consequence of 
 all this was the adoption of a resolution by the Eegents in 
 removing three of the ablest professors. These professors, 
 who had been conspicuous for their opposition to secret 
 societies, and Dr. Whedon, one of the three, who had also 
 offended the authorities by what they termed the advocacy 
 of " the doctrine of the higher law," were dismissed. The 
 young State was excited. The part of the Constitution 
 pertaining to the university was considerably changed. 
 The Eegents were required to establish courses of study 
 that should accommodate students who might not wish to 
 study Greek or Latin, and it was provided that there should 
 be, as in American colleges generally, a president. 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 105 
 
 The authorities of the university probably fell into an err- 
 or in their determined opposition to secret societies, tliough 
 they were following the example of Harvard and Princeton, 
 both of which about that time suppressed them, and have not 
 since allowed them. In Yale, Union, and many other col- 
 leges, they have not been interfered with. These secret, or 
 Greek-letter societies, as they are sometimes called, are 
 purely American in their origin. They consisted at first 
 of voluntarily associated students in a single college, who 
 adopted some rules, holding their meetings in secret, and 
 excluding all but their own members. The design was said 
 to be literary and social improvement. The first society 
 of the kind was called the Phi Beta Kappa, organized by 
 the students of Harvard College. None were eligible to 
 election unless they stood among the first third of the class 
 in scholarship. Branches of this fraternity were soon 
 formed in several other colleges. They are not accustomed 
 to hold any social or literary meetings except annually for 
 the election of' members, and occasionally for public 
 addresses. Membership in the Phi Beta Kappa is proof of 
 superior scholarship, and its badge, therefore, is almost if not 
 quite equal to a literary title. From this example many such 
 societies have been formed, some of which have many aifili- 
 ated branches that occasionally hold general conventions. 
 Some of the branches have valuable buildings and libraries. 
 All hold their meetings in secret. 
 
 The advocates of these societies maintain that the mem- 
 bers exert a good influence over each other socially ; that 
 any members inclined to idleness, dissipation, or immorality, 
 are checked by their associates for their common reputa- 
 
106 AUTOBIOGEAPHT OF 
 
 tion ; that the members pledged to association and mutual 
 aid make the college life more pleasant, and form intimacies 
 that are valuable in future years ; tliat the literary exercises 
 carried on at many of their meetings are the means of spe- 
 cial improvement, and that many are stimulated in future 
 life to greater industry that they may honor their society. 
 It is also urged that the irregularities peculiar to the boys' 
 schools of England, and the colleges of America, called 
 " fagging " and " hazing," not known in Germany, nor any- 
 where except where there are classes in the same institu- 
 tion sharply defined by time and name and the seats where 
 they sit, are greatly diminished by these societies, the mem- 
 bers of the same society, though in different classes, not 
 wishing to abuse each other. Also, it is claimed, as a mat- 
 ter of fact, that in the American colleges where these socie- 
 ties are allowed, a higher tone of morality and behavior is 
 maintained, and the authorities have the least difficulty in 
 maintaining order. 
 
 On the other hand, the opposers of college secret so- 
 cieties urge that secrecy always leads to the suspicion of 
 mischief ; that pledges of union made by persons on a short 
 acquaintance, not to be violated thereafter without taunts 
 and personal abuse, are unwise ; that persons thus united 
 are tempted to defend each other in wrong, and to magnify 
 each others merit unduly, and to become contracted and 
 clannish ; that the expense of such societies is great and 
 wholly unnecessary ; and that when a majority of such a 
 society become loose and immoral, usually the whole are 
 injured, and that often they have become nests of insub- 
 ordination and folly. Moreover, they urge that all the 
 
EEASTTJ8 O. HAVEN. 107 
 
 advantages of mutual, social and literary, and moral help 
 could be secured by societies that should exact no pledge of 
 secrecy and require no permanent membership. 
 
 On a small scale it will be seen that the larger subject 
 of oath-bound secret societies is somewhat involved iu this 
 subject of American college-life. 
 
 Probably the best results are reached, both in colleges 
 and in the State, by refraining from passing the most strin- 
 gent laws on the subject, but by the encouragement of 
 free thought, free discussion, and free action. The conse- 
 qiiences are that the possible evils are much diminished, 
 and both those who abstain from them and those who in- 
 dulge in them are placed more on the defensive, and the 
 advantages of the societies are increased and their evils 
 lessened, while many of the best students will not join 
 them. 
 
 Under the new government, which Jjegan in 1852, Eev. 
 H. P. Tappan, D. D., was elected President, and was to be 
 assisted by an able Faculty; the claim of the State for 
 $100,000 was declared canceled, and the institution began 
 to feel the eflEect of sufficient money to make it respectable. 
 Dr. Tappan was then an eminent divine of the Presbyterian 
 Church, the proprietor of a successful ladies' school in the 
 city of New York. He had written a treatise on Logic, a 
 work on " The Freedom of the Will," being a i-eview of 
 " Jonathan Edwards on the "Will," and a work on " Uni- 
 versity Education," and many articles for various Reviews. 
 As a metaphysician he had achieved a good reputation, 
 and some of his opinions are not infrequently quoted. 
 Though a Presbyterian, he was a decided Arminian, which 
 
108 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 made Ms opinions the more notorious. He particularly 
 excelled in extemporaneous speaking, though he confined 
 his practice mostly to preaching and to addresses on univer- 
 sity education. He had little sympathy with American 
 colleges, but looked on the Prussian system of education as 
 an almost faultless model. Indeed, in nearly ever address 
 after he became President of the university, for a year or 
 two, he eulogized the Prussian system of education. On 
 his recommendation the dormitory buildings of the stu- 
 dents were converted to other purposes, an astronomical 
 observatory and a chemical laboratory were established. 
 Professor Boise and myseK elaborated the course of scien- 
 tific study which the Legislature required, equal in length 
 and thoroughness with the old classical course, omitting 
 the Latin and Greek languages ; and thus initiated a course 
 which has been copied since in the most of American 
 colleges. 
 
 At first the innovations provoked some opposition. Pres- 
 ident Tappan was severely attacked by some of the news- 
 papers and charged with pride and pretentiousness. He 
 was not accustomed to this kind of strife, and I anony- 
 mously entered the lists in his defense. The attacks were 
 frivolous and groundless and soon subsided. For the first 
 four or five years the university increased in popularity 
 and influence faster even than the average of the State. 
 
 During the three years and a half of my professorship, 
 first of Latin, later of the English Language and History, 
 I preached nearly every Sabbath and lectured in various 
 parts of the State. 
 
 In 1853 there was a great excitement in Detroit on ao- 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 109 
 
 count of the opposition of the Roman Ca.tholic Bishop to 
 the public schools, which had led even to mob violence 
 that had to be suppressed by the militarj force. The ex- 
 citement extended throughout the State, and, indeed, was 
 felt all over the country. The University of Michigan, 
 being at the head of the educational system of the State, 
 naturally felt the influence of the excitement, and I, there- 
 fore, delivered a discourse on the subject iu Ann Arbor, in 
 which I took the ground, now so commonly occupied, that 
 the State has no right to teach religion by compulsion in 
 the public schools. The discourse attempted to show that 
 public schools should be unsectarian and teach no religious 
 doctrine seriously objected to by the parents of any of its 
 pupils. It was printed in full by the papers, and was said 
 to have done much to allay the excitement. It was also 
 deemed so heretical as to prevent my election to a college 
 presidency shortly thereafter. There is no other logical 
 conclusion to arrive at in a free State. The Church in 
 this country must do its own work without calling on the 
 State for assistance. Any other doctrine logically leads to 
 communism and the bondage of the individual to the hydrar 
 headed general average. At the same time it is the prov- 
 ince of the Church so to indoctriuate and elevate the peo- 
 ple that they wiU approve morality and religion anywhere 
 and every-where. 
 
 During these years, also, the question of the higher edu- 
 cation of women began to attract peculiar attention in 
 Michigan. The University of Michigan was the only State 
 university that was considered prosperous or promising, and 
 a few enterprising women and their friends began to agitate 
 
110 ATJTOBIOGEAPHT OF 
 
 tlie question of asking for a State college for women. As 
 early, I think, as 1853, at a State Educational Convention, 
 held in Ann Arbor, I advocated the opening of the Univer- 
 sity to women. So far as I know the subject had not been 
 suggested before. It was considered wild and insane. Not 
 a member of either Faculty approved it, but usually it was 
 regarded as rather a dangerous joke on my part. It is 
 true that Oberlia College, founded in 1833, as Oberlin 
 Collegiate Institute, was open to both sexes ; but Oberlin 
 College did not receive its present title until 1850, and 
 even then was for many years only an academy with a 
 small college attached. The academy part completely 
 overshadowed the collegiate part. !Nobody thought of 
 appealing to it as an example. It was not till several 
 years after this that a woman took a regular college degree 
 at Oberlin. I was not myself aware of the practice at 
 Oberlin at the time. Genesee College, at Lima, N. T., was 
 chartered in 1854, and from the beginning was impartial 
 to the sexes. But this for a long time was a small college 
 attached to a large academy. Still it may claim the honor 
 of having conferred the first regular degree of Bachelor of 
 Arts and Master of Arts on a woman in America, and the 
 first in modem tunes, and with few individual exceptions 
 in the world. 
 
 It is interesting to observe how rapidly sometimes public 
 opinion changes. As late as 1878 the University College, 
 London, was boasting, and perhaps with good reason, of its 
 liberality in this matter, little aware that from the begin- 
 ning Genesee College, in New York State, had done the 
 same thing, and that in 1854 Geneva Medical College had 
 
EEASTtrS O. HAVEW. Ill 
 
 conferred the degree of M.D. on Elizabeth Blackwell, 
 after she had completed her course of study with the other 
 students. Both these colleges were afterward merged in 
 Syracuse University. Seventeen years after I proposed 
 this plan for the University of Michigan it was con- 
 summated. 
 
 While at Ann Arbor as professor I published the book 
 begun at Amenia Seminary, and already referred to, en- 
 titled, "The Young Man Advised; or, Elustrations and 
 Confirmations of some of the Chief Historical Facts of the 
 Bible." It has had a good circulation, and I have had the 
 pleasure of knowing that some of its readers were led by it 
 out of skepticism to faith in Christ. The most notable in- 
 stances were one who became a useful preacher, and one 
 who read it as a soldier in camp during a short season, who 
 was afterward a faithful superintendent of a Presbyterian 
 Sunday-school and an active Christian. The knowledge 
 of these instances, and some other references of the kind, 
 have given me unspeakable delight ; for I would rather be 
 an instrument of the conversion of one soul from infidelity 
 to saving faith in Christ than to write a book that should 
 meet with vast sale and universal popillarity. 
 
 As usual, my labors were scattered over a wide surface, 
 and I made all sorts of public addresses, with little or no 
 pecuniary compensation, merely for the pleasure of labor 
 and a desire to do good. The religious young men of all 
 denominations in the university had a Society of Missionary 
 Inquiry, and used to hold prayer-meetings, many of which 
 I attended, and there were some notable conversions ; and 
 in those days the University of Michigan used to send into 
 
112 AUTOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 the ministry nearly as large a proportion of its graduates 
 as some of the Churcli colleges. 
 
 During these years also 1 supplied regularly two Presby- 
 terian Churches in Detroit for quite a long time. The one, 
 Central Presbyterian Church, under the truly able George 
 Duffield, D.D., divided into three societies, and I supplied 
 the Fort Street and Jefferson Street Churches successively 
 some months. This gave me an intimate acquaintance with 
 the Presbyterians of that city, and through them with the 
 Presbyterians of Monroe and Marshall, both of which 
 churches I frequently visited. The steadiness, earnestness, 
 and consistency of these societies, much like the best type 
 of Puritanism, had for me a peculiar charm, and but for 
 the appearance of vacillation and a conviction that Meth- 
 odism also, in its peculiar way, has fields of equal use- 
 fulness, I should have cast in my lot altogether with some 
 one of these Churches. I became dissatisfied with the life 
 of a professor and desired to return to the pastorate. But 
 Providence had another work for me. 
 
 During these four years I took less interest in ecclesias- 
 tical matters than usual, and yet participated in some of 
 the warm discussions in the Conference on the great Amer- 
 ican questions connected with slavery. My sympathies 
 were all with the Abolitionists, yet I desired to preserve 
 Church unity if possible. The leader of the conservative 
 party in the Conference was Kev. Wellington H. Collins, 
 a remarkably able controversialist, and almost every Confer- 
 ence witnessed a fierce war of words. Eev. J. V. Watson, 
 D-D., was at that time editor of the " ITorth-westem Chris- 
 tian Advocate," who, though he had resided in the South, 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 113 
 
 really sympathized witli the radicals. He was m some re- 
 spects a remarkable man. In the ready use of metaphors, 
 borrowed and original, and in vociferous extemporaneous 
 speech I have never seen his superior. He was fully equal 
 to the famous sailor preacher, Eev. E. T. Taylor, of Boston, 
 and superior to him in logic and solid thought. At the 
 Conference of 1856 he was a candidate for election to the 
 General Conference, and at the same time many expressed 
 a determination to vote for me. I thought it would be im- 
 possible for both of us to be elected, as the Conference 
 would not elect more than one outside of the regular pas- 
 toral work. Moreover, the most ardent antislavery men 
 were not perfectly pleased with his course, and expressed 
 a preference for me. He was an invalid, and could scarcely 
 hope for such service for many years. Under the circum- 
 stances I renounced all desire for the office and begged the 
 brethren not to vote for me, and entered into the campaign 
 with all my heart for him. The extravagance of thank- 
 fulness with which he embraced me and flooded me with 
 joyful metaphors on the announcement, did me more good 
 than a thousand elections could have done. It sometimes 
 pains me to think that such a genius as he was can live and 
 pass away, and in a few years be so seldom mentioned. A 
 few of us will ever cherish his memory in our hearts. Who- 
 ever will read his book entitled " Tales and Takiags," pub- 
 lished by the Methodist Book Concern, will perceive that 
 he was an extraordinary man. 
 
114 AUTOBIOGKAPHT OF 
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 EDITOE OF "ZION'S HEEAID." 
 
 HAVING been engaged in labor in Micbigan only a 
 little more tlian tliree years, I was attacked with inter- 
 mittent fever and so reduced by it tbat I began almost to 
 despair of life. Just then I received, unexpectedly, a letter 
 from the Boston Wesleyan Association, informing me that 
 I had been elected editor of " Zion's Herald." This was a 
 flash of light from the East. It was unpleasant to part 
 from my Michigan friends, and not the least so from Pres- 
 ident Tappan, with whom I had spent many hours in pleas- 
 ant social intercourse, and we never had any disagreement. 
 
 " Zion's Herald " has as noble a history as any periodical, 
 American or foreign. A consideration of the facts will 
 relieve this eulogy of all appearance of extravagance. Ke- 
 ligious newspapers were born in A.merica. The honor of 
 being the first religious newspaper belongs to " The Boston 
 Kecorder," which began to be published about 1816, and 
 was accepted as an organ of the New England Congrega- 
 tionalists. By a religious newspaper we understand a news- 
 paper which professes to give the current secular and re- 
 ligious news and also the special intelligence connected 
 with the denomination which it represents and whose cause 
 it advocates. 
 
 But "Zion's Herald," established in 1823, in Boston, 
 Mass., only seven years after the " Eecorder," may justly 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 115 
 
 claim to be tlie first of a class of religious newspapers not 
 yet numerous, but certainly the noblest papers published, 
 with no reference to the pecuniary profit of its publishers, 
 but wholly devoted to a Christian and benevolent purpose. 
 The first " Zion's Herald," from January, 1823, to Septem- 
 ber, 1824, was a private enterprise. It was then purchased 
 by the New England Conference of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, and was edited and published by a committee 
 appointed annually, the profits, if any, to be devoted to the 
 assistance of superannuated preachers. In 1828 "Zion's 
 Herald" had nearly 5,000 subscribers, but a rival had 
 sprung up in the city of ^ew York, called " The Christian 
 Advocate." It was thought that two such papers could 
 not be sustained! Consequently "The Advocate" pur- 
 chased the " Zion's Herald " from the New England Con- 
 ference, and added its list of subscribers to its own. The 
 very next year, so great was the demand for a home Meth- 
 odist paper in New England, one was started, called " The 
 New England Christian Herald," by Rev. Aaron Summers, 
 a member of the New England Conference. In 1831 the 
 Boston Wesleyan Association was incorporated, which pur- 
 chased " The New England Christian Herald," changed its 
 name to " Zion's Herald," which has been regularly pub- 
 lished since that time. The paper claims, therefore, to be. 
 the same as began to be published in 1823, though some 
 irregularities attended its progress till the organization of 
 the Boston "Wesleyan Association. This association early 
 resolved that none of its members should ever borrow a 
 dollar from its funds, and that its business should be hon- 
 estly conducted for the public good, with no pecuniary 
 
116 ATTTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 profit whatever, in any form, to its members. On tliis noble 
 basis it has established its character, and has become a lead- 
 ing organ of public opinion in the Church. It has repaid 
 to the publishers of " The Christian Advocate " what was 
 paid for its purchase, distributed some profits to the patron- 
 izing Conferences for the superannuated preachers, and in- 
 vested some money in the Association Building, the profits 
 of which are devoted to religious purposes. 
 
 It has had able editors from the beginning, among whom 
 may be mentioned "William C. Brown, a layman, from 1836 
 to 1841 ; Eev. A. Stevens, LL.D., from 1841 to 1852 ; Eev. 
 Daniel "Wise, from 1852 to 1856. At that time I had the 
 honor of an election to this place. 
 
 "W. C. Brown was still living, and at that time judge of 
 probate of Suffolk County. He was a Christian gentleman, 
 a careful and critical, but not very ready or briUiant, writer. 
 His name will be remembered as the author of an " Ode 
 to Eum," which has been published by the hundred thou- 
 sand, if not by the million. Undoubtedly millions of cop- 
 ies of it have been printed. It derives its popularity 
 chiefly from the abundance and aptness of the appellations 
 applied in smooth verse to rum. There are few languages 
 into which it could be literally translated, and it is worthy 
 of study as showing the copiousness of English speech. 
 During his editorship, and previously, "Zion's Herald" 
 was a fair religious family paper, having a circulation of 
 three or four thousand. 
 
 It was when Eev. Abel Stevens, LL.D., became editor 
 that the paper first began to be a recognized power in the 
 Church and general community. Abel Stevens was bom 
 
:ekastus o. haten. 117 
 
 in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1815, and having had the trials of 
 poverty and hard work in childhood, was early converted 
 and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. He began to 
 preach when a mere youth, and before he was twenty-one 
 years of age was regarded as a prodigy of eloquence. 
 SUght in form, about the size of John Wesley, symmetrical 
 in features, with a piercing black eye, fluent in speech, 
 original in thought and illustrations, the people flocked to 
 hear him as to a Summerfield or a Maffitt. Fortunately, 
 at this time he fell into the hands of good advisers, and 
 was induced to go to Wilbraham Seminary, and afterward to 
 the Wesleyan University, where, though he did not graduate 
 as a classical scholar, he laid the foundations of a liberal 
 education. He subsequently' thoroughly studied his own 
 language and some of the modern languages of Europe, 
 and made himself accurate in many branches of culture. 
 He did not maintain Ms early extraordinary reputation for 
 eloquence, partly, I think, from a weakness of voice, more 
 noticeable as he increased in age; partly from the relatively 
 greater attention given to writing for publication ; and 
 partly, I imagine, from his published sentiments on the sub- 
 ject, on account of his too great reliance on extemporane- 
 ous abihty as a speaker. Nearly all the most effective ora- 
 tors who learn to speak without depending upon a manu- 
 script begin by writing out their speeches and more or less 
 carefully committing them to memory. And, indeed, 
 through life, or so long as they are successful, they more 
 or less continue the practice of carefully writing in prepa- 
 ration for speaking. Otherwise they are apt to become 
 rambling, thin, and repetitious as speakers. Of course, 
 
118 ATn:OBIOGBAPHY OP 
 
 there wiU be many instances in which such speakers are 
 purely extemporaneous. Careful writers for speaking are 
 generally ready for extemporaneous demands. Dr. Stevens 
 has recommended a different practice. Be this as it may, 
 Abel Stevens excelled as an editor and writer in his ma- 
 turer and later years more than as a speaker. " Zion's Her- 
 ald " doubled its circulation during the eleven years, from 
 1841 to 1852, when it was under his care. He opened the 
 vein of American Methodistic history, and gave a long 
 series of historical articles, which afterward appeared in 
 the form of books, and, indeed, entered upon the investi- 
 gations which produced his " History of Methodism," one 
 of the ablest and best-known works of its class. Also, 
 during his administration as editor the great original Abo- 
 litionist controversy arose in New England. This resulted, 
 in 1842, in a secession of a considerable portion of the min- 
 istry and membership from the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and in the organisation of the denomination that called 
 itself the "Wesleyan Methodist Connection. So bitter was 
 the controversy between the two parties that the adherents 
 to the old Church seldom gave the seceders their proper 
 name, but called them " Scottites," after Eev. Orange 
 Scott, their leader. My father joined the "Wesleyans, but 
 subsequently returned to the mother Church. 
 
 Dr. Stevens is entitled to the credit of conducting this 
 controversy on the part of the Church with signal ability 
 and adroitness. He defended the economy of the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church ably, and, while he maintained a strong 
 and decided opposition to slavery, opposed secession from 
 the Church. • 
 
EEASTTJ8 O. HA VEST. 119 
 
 In 1852 he resigned his ofHce to go abroaxi, and Rev. 
 Daniel Wise, D.D., of the Providence Conference, was 
 elected as his successor. Dr. "Wise also was a man of ex- 
 traordinary ability. Born in England in 1813, he came to 
 this country in 1833, and had already filled several appoint- 
 ments with signal success. He had acquired a great repu- 
 tation as a writer for children under the pseudonym of 
 " Francis Forrester," both as the writer of books and as 
 editor of a magazine. He was also an ardent abolitionist, 
 and suited the prevalent feeling of the Methodists of New 
 England. He was editor of the " Herald " from 1852 to 
 1856, during which time the paper was a decided organ of 
 the growing antislavery party in the Church and State. 
 
 The " Zion's Herald " took so active a part and exerted 
 so strong an influence in the opposition to slavery, which 
 for many years agitated and finally divided the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and then continued in new forms in the 
 Church till its overthrow in the great Civil "War, that a 
 brief recital of the main facts will be appropriate, and all 
 the more so because as yet no history of this great contest 
 has been written. 
 
 It is a remarkable fact that the Methodists historically 
 differ radically from all the other leading denominations in 
 America in their relation to slavery. The Baptists, Con- 
 gregationalists, Church of England, (which became the 
 Protestant Episcopal Church,) Lutherans, Presbyterians, 
 and Roman Catholics all preceded the Methodists by from 
 fifty to one hundred and fifty years, and were relatively 
 numerous in various Colonies and States when the Method- 
 ists began ; but none of them in their creeds or rules, by 
 
120 ATJTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 whatever name known, or in tlie discussions of their high- 
 est assemblies, made any allusion whatever to the slavery of 
 the colored people tiU near the second half of the nine- 
 teenth century, when the political discussions which culmi- 
 nated in civil war had already aroused popular interest. 
 All of these denominations had ministers and members who 
 held and sold slaves. Slavery, in fact, was ignored by these 
 Churches as certainly as ownership of cattle, or the wear- 
 ing of the beard, or long hair, or any other practice totally 
 disassociated from moral character. The Friends, or Qua- 
 kers, were the only exception with the Methodists. Both 
 began by refusing membership to slave-holders, which the 
 Friends always insisted upon. They were, however, ne.ver 
 aggressive, and obtained but few members and had but 
 little to do with the colored people. The Methodists have 
 always striven for growth. Like the primitive Christians, 
 they aim at the conversion of the world. 
 
 For about the first quarter-century of their liistory, ter- 
 minating in 1Y84, their organization was so incomplete that 
 they deserve to be considered simply as groups of people 
 interested in religion, periodically visited by itinerant evan- 
 gelists. They had no Bishops, no ordained ministers, no 
 head, no body. They professed to be followers of John 
 "Wesley, but the Atlantic Ocean, not easily crossed in those 
 days, separated them from the feeble societies in England. 
 It is not Kkely that any slave-holders were enrolled in their 
 classes at that time, though it is known that some of 
 their earliest members were slaves. " The poor have the 
 Gospel preached to them." The signs of the Messiah were 
 not wanting. 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 121 
 
 In 1784 these Methodists crystallized into a unique and 
 compact organization, probably better calculated for effi- 
 ciency than the primitive Christian societies, called the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, with Eev. Thomas Coke, 
 LL.D., of Oxford, and Rev. Francis Asbury, originally 
 from England, but already for many years an American, as 
 their Bishops. Their General Rules, " so called," contained 
 a list of things forbidden, among which were " the buying 
 and selKng of men, women, and children with an intention 
 to enslave them." But not content with this, their first 
 Conference enacted regulations providing for the imme- 
 diate manumission of all children bom in slavery, and for 
 the immediate or gradual emancipation of all slaves under 
 forty-five years of age. The preachers in charge were re- 
 quired to keep a journal containing the names of the slaves 
 so freed, and this journal was to be handed down to their 
 successors. No person holding slaves was to be received 
 into the societies in the future, and members refusing com- 
 pliance with the regulations respecting slavery were to be 
 excluded from the sacraments of the Church. 
 
 Then began a contest which was destined to rage for 
 eighty years, without cessation or abatement, and then to 
 cease only by mingling with others in a terrible civil war, 
 in which, on both sides, the Methodists furnished more 
 chaplains and fighting soldiers, both absolutely and rela- 
 tively, than any other branch of the professed Church of 
 Christ. 
 
 Had I time I would like to write a history of Method- 
 ism in its relation to slavery. It has never been written, 
 and but few se^ to understand it. As Macaulay has 
 
122 ATJTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 shown, the most of pretended histories are superficial and 
 some are silly. There is no thorough — scarcely a repu- 
 table — ^history of the United States. America has not yet 
 produced a writer of history who looks cai-efuUy at the 
 origin of customs and institutions. Political histories we 
 have, but not moral, ecclesiastical, religious. 
 
 The records of twelve General Conferences, four years 
 apart, are preserved, previous to 1844, which was the thir- 
 teenth thus recorded, though only "the ninth delegated 
 Conference." No one subject claimed and received more 
 attention in all these thirteen Conferences than the duty of 
 the Church toward the people of African descent, the most 
 of whom were slaves. Other denominations could meet in 
 conventions, assemblies, synods, and associations, and make 
 no allusion to them — the Methodists never. Already two 
 considerable denominations made up of colored people had 
 branched off from them : the African Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church and the African Zion Methodist Episcopal 
 Church ; and, besides, they had in 1844 a very large mem- 
 bership among the colored people, many slaves,- and many 
 who had been emancipated by Methodist owners. 
 
 But there were gradually growing up within the Church 
 two doctrines: first, that the original Methodist position 
 was the only correct doctrine — no slave-holding, not even 
 for the sake of mercy, or for any reason whatever ; second, 
 that slavery, divested of its abuses, is right, though an evil, 
 and that members, officers of every grade, and ministers, 
 including the Bishops, might with propriety own slaves. 
 'By this time more than half the States had no slavery, and 
 the debates on the subject in the General Conference grad- 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAVEN, 123 
 
 ually became more violent. Tlie Baltimore Conference in- 
 sisted that no one of its members (all, of course, ministers) 
 should hold a slave. "Wherever a minister received a slave 
 by inheritance or gift — though he might plead it was for 
 mercy — ^he was compelled to emancipate the slave or resign 
 his ministry. At last one of their number, whose wife had 
 inherited a slave, refused to manumit, was ordered by the 
 Conference to retire, and appealed to the General Confer- 
 ence to protect him as a minister. The General Confer- 
 ence of 1844, after the most violent ecclesiastical debate 
 till then known on the subject, confirmed the action of the 
 Baltimore Conference, and thus the clerical slave-holder was 
 expelled. This seemed providential, for, all unexpected to 
 themselves and the world, a contest was about to rise the 
 issue of which was to be the precursor of an attempt to 
 divide the United States ; but this minor discussion had 
 practically compelled that large and powerful Baltimore 
 Conference, though mostly in slave territory, to array itself 
 with the foes of slavery. 
 
 At this General Conference it was unexpectedly found 
 that one of the Bishops, through his wife, had become at 
 least nominally a slave-holder, and refused to manumit. He 
 was requested to suspend his services as a Bishop until he 
 should free himself from this embarrassment. In the long 
 debate which followed this action slavery, for the first time 
 in a Methodist General Conference, was defended by some 
 of the speakers. The conscience of the Church was shocked. 
 The result was the separation of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church into two great bodies. The Baltimore Conference 
 remained with the Northern Conferences, and the Church 
 
124 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 South really carried away only about a third of the minis- 
 ters and members. From that time forward tkm hatred of 
 slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church, which was left 
 mostly in the free States, slowly deepened, and the 
 allowance of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 South, rapidly grew into its defense and approval. The 
 true history and consequences of this great debate and 
 division yet remain to be written. But when it is written 
 properly, if that time ever comes, it will be shown that the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church did more than any other one 
 organization, perhaps more than all others, to break down 
 American slavery. 
 
 The first two General Conferences after the division — 
 those of 1848 and 1852 — gave less attention to slavery than 
 any other in the history of American Methodism. There 
 was a reaction from the former contest and a lull before a 
 storm. Still the Methodist Episcopal Church densely oc- 
 cupied some slave territory, and was gradually extending 
 itself again into the South. Again a few members were 
 nominally owners of slaves. The Church, however, was 
 universally regarded in the South as an "Abolitionist 
 Church." No genuine slave-holder would naturally seek to 
 be a member of it. But the North was not satisfied. The 
 General Conference of 1856 appointed a Committee on 
 Slavery, and the old discussion arose with new virulence. 
 Efforts were made to amend the Discipline. In the dis- 
 cussions Drs. Abel Stevens and Daniel Wise, successively 
 the two latest editors of " Zion's Herald," took a prominent 
 part, the former resisting change, the latter advocating it. 
 Both were elected to responsible offices : the former, editor 
 
EEASTTJS O. HAVEN. 125 
 
 of the " Christian Advocate," of N'ew York, and the latter, 
 editor of Sunday-school Publications. At this time I was 
 elected by the Boston Wesleyan Association editor of 
 "Zion's Herald." 
 
 A zealous, not to say acrimonious, controversy was in 
 progress in " Zion's Herald " between these two ex-editors 
 when I took charge of it. After the truth on both sides 
 was exhausted I brought it to an end ; but for the next 
 four years the entire Methodist Church, North and South, 
 was intensely excited. The whole nation was on the verge 
 of war. Disunion sentiments were avowed and repelled 
 every-where. Some ministers and societies left the Church 
 in the North and endeavored to establish Methodist Con- 
 gregationalist Societies. During this campaign the " Zion's 
 Herald" advocated the exclusion of slave-holders from 
 Church-feUowship, but avoided that extreme acerbity and 
 unreasonableness which, in some cases, had degenerated 
 into fanaticism. Under its leadership New England Meth- 
 odism was practically united and calm. 
 
 In 1860 another war of thought and speech was waged 
 in the General Conference. The debate was far more pro- 
 tracted and intellectually superior to that of 1844. But 
 that was a surprise. This took place after years of warn- 
 ing and preparation. The result was a nominal but not 
 complete victory of the progressionists. "We strengthened 
 the chapter against slavery ; we could not muster the two 
 thirds necessary to insert the word " slave-holding " in the 
 General Eules in the list of things forbidden. I was satis- 
 fied with the substantial victory, and, indeed, believed that 
 the Church was as truly antislavery before the change as 
 
126 AUTOBIOGRAPIIY OF 
 
 after. Four years after this, wlien the war was over and 
 not a slave remained in tlie country, the barren exploit of 
 inserting the word " slave-holding " in the Kules was per- 
 formed. Had I been a member of that General Confer- 
 ence I should have opposed it. The word is as much out 
 of place as " cannibalism " or " the offering of human sac- 
 rifices " would be. I wrote an article to that effect, but the 
 tide was too strong for sober thought. For one, I regret 
 that the Discipline is changed from that under which the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church took its noble position, and 
 fotight so hard to maintain it. If any change had been 
 made it should have been, and might well be now, to strike 
 out all allusions to slavery whatever. The battle is fought 
 and victory won. Why maintain a useless breastwork and 
 the ashes of burnt powder ? 
 
 Perhajjs the busiest but easiest part of my life was be- 
 tween 1856 and 1863, while editing " Zion's, Herald." I 
 had but little editorial assistance ; was not absent from my 
 work three weeks in the whole time, (except when attend- 
 ing General Conference ;) much of the time had pastoral 
 charge of Churches, (for two years the important society 
 at Maiden, Mass. ;) delivered many lectures and addresses 
 at all kinds of anniversaries in all parts of New England ; 
 was a member of the Massachusetts Board of Education, by 
 appointment of Governor Banks, the most of the time, and 
 visited the Normal Schools regularly ; was chairman of the 
 Maiden Board of Education three or four years, which con- 
 sumed more than an average of a day every week ; was a 
 member of the State Temperance Committee and various 
 other societies ; and served two years as a member of the 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 127 
 
 Massachusetts Senate. When I look back upon it and en- 
 deavor to recall a little of the experience and labor, I am 
 amazed that I was able to bear it. But all this time I was 
 regular in my habits, always taking a good night's rest, 
 and seldom allowing myself to suffer much anxiety. 
 
 In 1862 it was the opinion of the Republican nominating 
 convention for Middlesex District, !N^o. 2, that the town- 
 ship pf Maiden was entitled to the nomination if it desired 
 it. It was regarded no great honor, as the other party had 
 been in 'the majority in the district and elected the previous 
 senator. Unexpectedly to me, I was invited to accept the 
 nomination. I consented on one condition : that I should 
 not be called upon to enter into an electioneering campaign, 
 which was agreed to. I was elected by a small majority, 
 thus reversing the politics of the district, which embraced 
 the city of Charlestown, with its Bunker Hill, and the towns 
 of Somerville, Maiden, and Melrose. 
 
 This brought me, in the most exciting time of our national 
 history, into contact with some of the leading political men 
 of the nation. John A. Andrew was at that time gov- 
 ernor, one of the strongest men ever occupying that office. 
 A Christian minister in a political legislative body occupies 
 a deKeate position, and will certainly, unless he maintains 
 silence, be compelled to show his caliber. Almost at the 
 very opening of the session one of the most exciting sub- 
 jects was brought before the Joint Committee of the two 
 Houses on Education, of which I was a member. A child 
 of Roman Catholic parents, in Worcester, had refused, by 
 instruction of his parents, to read a portion of the Bible, 
 or to repeat the Lord's Prayer, I have forgotten which, and 
 
128 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 for his persistent refusal had been dismissed from tlie school. 
 A Catholic priest had brought a petition to the Legislature, 
 that the law of Massachusetts, which then required the 
 opening of the schools by reading the Bible, might be so 
 modified as to prevent the recurrence of such cases of dis- 
 cipline. The Committee on Education were much divided 
 in opinion. I suggested and advocated a special form of 
 amendment which would allow the religious services to be 
 confined to the teachers. The old law was as follows : 
 
 "The School Committee shall require the daily Teading 
 of some portion of the Bible in the common English ver- 
 sion," etc. 
 
 I suggested an amendment in these words : 
 
 " The School Committee shall require the daily reading 
 of some portion of the Bible without written note or com- 
 ment, in the public-schools, but they shall require no scholar 
 to read from any particular version whose parent or guard- 
 ian shall declare that he has conscientious scruples against 
 allowing him to read therefrom." 
 
 This was reported to the Senate, and though the chair- 
 man of the committee assented to it, he did not feel equal 
 to the advocacy of it, but left it in my hands. The debate in 
 the Senate was sharp and short, but the recommendation 
 passed by a good majority. Of course, it created some 
 excitement. I could see that many of the good religious 
 people of the State were offended, but I never could see 
 the propriety of attempting to inculcate religious instruc- 
 tion in the public schools by civil law, opposed to the con- 
 sciences of a considerable portion of the people. When 
 the bill was reported to the lower House a much more ear- 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 129 
 
 nest and protracted debate spnuig up. The Hon. Caleb 
 CusMng, one of the most eloquent and erudite men I ever 
 came in contact with, was the chief advocate of the bill in 
 that House. The debate continued through several^ days, 
 but finally it passed, I think unamended, just as I origin- 
 ally drew it up. Massachusetts has, I believe, ever since 
 enjoyed quiet on that vexed subject. 
 
 The question of religious instruction in the public schools 
 is too vast and profound to be settled by a syllogism. It is 
 one of the practical questions which lie too deep to be con- 
 trolled by chopping logic. The real instinct, the vital faith, 
 of the people, must be carried out. This real faith, in the 
 average communities of America, is in favor of substan- 
 tial Christianity, or rather the substantial morality of Chris- 
 tianity, without unnecessarily offending any particular hon- 
 est consciences on the one hand, and without surreptitiously 
 undertaking to teach any particular sectarian dogmas, on 
 the other hand. The schools should be neither Protestant 
 nor Catholic, but also they should insult neither. I would 
 oppose, equally, the exclusion or the requirement of the 
 Bible. I would, on the principle of skillful statesmanship, 
 dodge the difficulty as far as possible, having the laws of 
 the State as general as well may be ; but when a decision 
 must be made seek perfect fairness to all parties. If there 
 must be a contest, why, then, of course, the weaker party 
 must go to the waU. The result in Massachusetts indicates 
 that the decision was just. 
 
 Another question of immense importance was brought 
 
 before this Legislature, which was referred to a special joint 
 
 committee of the two Houses, of which I had the respon- 
 9 
 
130 AITTOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 sibility of being the cliairman. This was respecting the 
 proper disposal of the grant of lands by Congress to the 
 State for the promotion of education in agricultural science 
 and in the mechanical arts. To give direction to the fund 
 that should accrue from the sale of 360,000 acres of land, 
 was altogether the most important matter before that Leg- 
 islature. As usual, there was a great variety of opinions. 
 Governor Andrew was in favor of bestowing it all on Har- 
 vard University, and substantially so recommended in his 
 message, and exerted his personal influence in that direction. 
 As chairman of the joint committee that had it in charge, 
 I was extremely anxious to secure imanimity in the com- 
 mittee, and hoped thereby to secure substantial unanimity 
 of the State. A large number of the leading men engaged 
 in education and science in Massachusetts came before us, 
 urging their various opinions or advocating the interests 
 committed to them. Among them were Presidents Felton, 
 of Harvard, Steams, of Amlierst, Dr. Hitchcock, Prof. 
 Agassiz, Dr. H. B. Kogers, and many of the leading manu- 
 facturers. Some desired one thing, some another. After 
 much discussion I was requested to draw up a report, which 
 I did, with accompanying bills, which was signed by all the 
 members of the committee but one, and passed both Houses 
 by a large majority. This was the foundation of the 
 Massachusetts Agricultural College, and greatly strength- 
 • ened the Boston Institute of Technology— both model 
 institutions in this country. 
 
 The next year I had the honor of a renomination and 
 re-election to the Senate by a large majority. Besides a 
 vote given for Charles Simmer as United States Senator 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEJT. 131 
 
 this year, I will notice only the efforts made to pass a law 
 to establish a Metropolitan Police for Eoston, in order to 
 enforce the Prohibitory Liquor Law. I had been a mem- 
 ber of the Massachusetts State Temperance Committee 
 several years, and had drawn up three or four of their 
 annual reports, and had been of the opinion for some time 
 that the friends of temperance devoted relatively too much 
 energy to the enactment of stringent laws against the sale 
 of intoxicating drinks, and too little to the enforcement of 
 such laws as we have. Massachusetts had then an excellent 
 prohibitory law, but it was a dead letter in the large cities. 
 Boston was the great feeder of liquor-selling, and the con- 
 sequent drunkenness and crime of New England. What 
 Massachusetts needed was a pohce that would do their duty 
 in spite of the dereliction of the city government. There- 
 fore, some of us combined our influence for a Metropolitan 
 Police. We agitated the subject in our State Temperance 
 Alliance meetings, and got up a good form of a bill, man- 
 aged to have it reported on favorably and unfavorably before 
 the Senate, and I believe passed it. The Senators were 
 besought by liquor-sellers to oppose the biU. The discus- 
 sion in the Senate was fierce, but we carried it. It failed 
 either in the other House or by veto, but it aroused the 
 friends and foes thoroughly, and out of that discussion 
 sprung, finally, the State Constabulary, which accomplished 
 something for a season. 
 
 If there is any subject on which eternal vigilance is 
 needed, it is in securing efficient laws against promiscuous 
 hquor-selling, and then iu enforcing the laws we have. 
 It seems a pity that so few men of sound judgment will 
 
132 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 turn their attention to this subject. Too many are obstruc- 
 tionists, and oppose every law that does not seem to them 
 the best conceivable. "What would be thought of the 
 friends of liberty in tyrannical governments, or of religion 
 anywhere, who were equally scrupulous and exacting? 
 Every prohibitory law, so-called, is to a certain extent a 
 license law, and every license law is to a certain extent pro- 
 hibitory. The friends of temperance should always com- 
 bine for the enforcement of the prohibitory part of every 
 law on the sale of these poisonous drinks — ^unless, indeed, 
 the prohibition is, in their opinion, too severe ! Liquor- 
 sellers fear the execution of law far more than its enact- 
 ment. 
 
 Again, the advocates of temperance have largely weak- 
 ened the moral sentiment of the people by their indirect 
 and often direct apologies for drinkers, especially for drunk- 
 ards. They are spoken of as good, generous, lively fellows, 
 and others, by implication, as mean and morose — a success- 
 ful way to recommend drunkenness. They are defended 
 for drinking on the ground of an excessive, abnormal, in- 
 herited, unnatural, and, we should suppose from the descrip- 
 tion, supernatural appetite for intoxicating drink! The 
 cells of their brain are different from those of other men ! 
 Poor fellows ! they are not to be blamed so long as dram 
 shops are open. All this is exaggeration and mostly false. 
 The physical temptation to drinking is far weaker than that 
 toward licentiousness, but who apologizes for rape and pros- 
 titution on that account ? Who does not see the folly of 
 attempting to annihilate this class of crimes by procur- 
 ing an absence of temptation ? The weakness and f oUy 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 133 
 
 and sin of drinking ought to be burned into the common 
 conscience of the young as it is not ia any civilized coun- 
 try. Drinking intoxicating liquors should be pronounced 
 wrong, an invitation to another to drink should be a pun- 
 ishable offense, and public drunkenness should be promptly 
 punished. Some instances of this kind among the few of 
 the well educated or of the wealthier classes who are guilty, 
 would have a salutary effect. This would greatly strength- 
 en the sentiment for the enforcement of the prohibition of 
 their sale. It cannot be that civilized States will always 
 allow a practice which produces more crime and poverty 
 and degradation and useless expense than all other evils 
 among them. 
 
 The time which I spent in Boston embraced the very cul- 
 mination of the antislavery excitement. Soon the facts 
 on this subject will be doubted. No well-known, pro- 
 nounced public antislavery man could travel with safety in 
 the South. The North and South were practically more 
 divided in heart before than at any time after the war. 
 The debates in Congress were a disgrace to the American 
 people. I attended and addressed many semi-political and 
 semi-religious meetings during these times and after the 
 war commenced. One, I recollect, to welcome Rev. Dr. 
 Massey, of Scotland, a delegate of the Churches to Amer- 
 ica, where Dr. Kirk, then in his glory, made an eloquent 
 speech. The resolutions of welcome I was appointed to 
 present — one in behalf of Father Henson, commonly called 
 Uncle Tom, then over seventy years of age, and who is 
 alive now, nearly ninety, while I vmte this. I edited several 
 chapters, and from his conversations wrote out for him 
 
134 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OP 
 
 about half of Ms autobiography, published by Mr. Jewett, 
 the original publisher of " Uncle Tom's Cabin." An inci- 
 dent in the life of this " Uncle Tom " is far superior in 
 interest to any thing imagined of the fictitious Tom. He 
 had actually been beaten by his master and maimed, with 
 a broken arm healed out of shape, but had saved the life 
 of that master in illness ; was then hurried off to another 
 master as " boss " of a number of slaves whom he con- 
 ducted across the country hundreds of miles in safety ; was 
 then sent down the Mississippi on a flat-boat with the son 
 of his master, who intended to sell him at New Orleans. 
 On the way, one bright, clear night his young master was 
 asleep on deck. Tom, then a Christian and a slave-preacher, 
 conceived the purpose of killing the young man and mak- 
 ing his escape. He had been promised his freedom, and 
 knew he had earned it. He took an ax, sharpened it, went 
 on deck, lifted it, knew he could decapitate the young man 
 with one blow, when the question arose, " Is this right ? " 
 He dropped the ax, went into the cabin, kneeled down and 
 prayed. He was drenched with perspiration, and nearly 
 fainted. The result of his prayer was that he would not 
 commit a crime, but leave the result to God. Mark the 
 sequel. The young master took him to 'New Orleans and 
 sold his cargo, but before he had opportunity to sell Uncle 
 Tom he fell sick of yellow fever. Uncle Tom nursed him, 
 and, in the mean time, turned the boat around and started 
 up stream. By the time the fever was subdued they were 
 in Kentucky, and Uncle Tom took the young master in his 
 arms and carried him into the house of his father. How 
 much better than to have escaped into the swamps of the 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 135 
 
 lower Mississippi ! Not long afterward he ran away to the 
 North and secured his freedom. 
 
 John Brown, of Harper's Ferry notoriety, was at this 
 meeting, and on the stage when I spoke, and was even then 
 planning his movement, which, had it been successful, 
 would have enrolled his name above that of La Fayette. 
 As it was unsuccessful, as men measure success, men now 
 call him an enthusiast. The verdict of posterity will be 
 in his favor. The wrongs of three millions of human be- 
 ings, maintained, as they were, by frequent assassinations 
 and aU Mnds of crime, required an avenger. But Brown's 
 object was not vengeance, but the liberation of the op- 
 pressed. It is unreasonable to execrate Brown and eulo- 
 gize Garibaldi ! The world needed to know that not all 
 the blood in Northern arteries was water. I am no advo- 
 cate of war for aggression, but simply contend that if phys- 
 ical force, even at the hazard of life, can ever be rightly 
 employed it is unwise to select so noble and pure-hearted a 
 philanthropist as John Brown for condemnation. His aim 
 was generous — ^f ar above the chivalry of the Middle Ages ; 
 he was unwise because he failed. His unwisdom was sim- 
 ply that which the South then shared with him more than 
 the North : an over-estimation of the courage and strength 
 of the colored men. They had not the pluck of the An- 
 glo-Saxon, or he would not have been allowed to perish. 
 
 When the war broke out Massachusetts did her part no- 
 bly. So did all New England and all the North and West. 
 My young assistant editor of Zion's Herald," E.ev. J. 
 Emory Round, recruited a company of soldiers in our office, 
 and was chosen and commissioned a captain. A brother- 
 
136 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP 
 
 in-law of mine was one of his soldiers, and subsequently 
 came home to my house with just strength enough to enter 
 his room, which he never left alive. Captain Kound, after 
 serving his time, returned, and since the war has been the 
 successful president of the Centenary Theological Institute 
 of Baltimore, where a large number of ministers among 
 the colored people have received an education. Quietly 
 and unostentatiously he has been doing a noble hf e-work. 
 It is doubtful whether any missionary in a foreign field, or 
 any college president at home, whose name is widely known, 
 has done more to advance the best interests of his genera- 
 tion. 
 
 How feebly written history portrays the facts ! "Who, 
 not present, can conceive the condition of Boston when the 
 news was flashed back of the mob attack on the soldiers 
 passing through Baltimore — the first bloodshed of the civil 
 war! 
 
 Who shall describe the sleepless night after the first bat- 
 tle of Bull Eun ? Who can paint some of those pubhc 
 funerals of the heroes of the war ? Never shall I forget the 
 funeral of the Kev. Mr. Hempstead, at which I endeavored 
 to preach a short sermon in the thronged Tremont Street 
 Church. Governor Andrew and his stafE and many of the 
 State government were present ; or of Kev. Arthur Fuller, 
 brother of Margaret Fuller d'Ossoli, when Congregational- 
 ists. Unitarians, and Methodists united to speak the worth 
 of this able young Unitarian minister. Undoubtedly in 
 'New England patriotism and a hatred of slavery mingled 
 to produce the war enthusiasm of the day. In other parts 
 of the country it was more largely, and in some places ex- 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 137 
 
 clusively, a mere love of " the Union," or a conviction that 
 a successful rebellion would annihilate the United States 
 and open the way to innumerable wars and degradations. 
 
 I left New England with the deepest regret. TJje rea- 
 sons for this step will be given in the next chapter. In 
 many respects New England is peculiar, and, to persons of 
 certain tastes, the most pleasant and attractive part of the 
 country. There are some disadvantages in such a large and 
 thinly settled country as the United States. The absolute 
 free trade between all the States of the Union, the unity of 
 language, and the numerous rival centers of activity in 
 commerce, in science, art, and all other kinds of power and 
 activity, doom the country, for the present, to great disad- 
 vantages in some matters. In England, France, and Ger- 
 many, for instance, is concentrated the power of a great na- 
 tion on a territory one tenth or one twentieth as large as that 
 overrun by the people of this country. They have, there- 
 fore, great leading centers of power. Their literary men, 
 scientific men, religious leaders in any particular denomi- 
 nation, and others of any particular kind, know and often 
 see each other. They add to each other's reputation and 
 help each other. Here a smaller number perhaps, or larger, 
 are scattered over a fifth of the globe, and are broken into 
 fragments, never seen together. There a scientific society, 
 for instance, means a body of men, approximately the same 
 for twenty years ; here one set of men this year, next 
 year almost an entirely new or different set, meeting from 
 five hundred to two thousand miles away ! Wbat oppor- 
 tunity, for instance, has a scholar or artist in Michigan, 
 Arkansas, or Oregon, compared with one in the obscurest 
 
138 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 part of England ? There lie is within six hours and a few 
 shillings' ride of the center of his nation. Here it would 
 take a month of time and a good part of liis income for 
 the y^ar to command the influence of personal acquaint- 
 anceship with his fellows. No doubt many of these evils 
 are compensated for by advantages; still they do exist. 
 Now, New England hitherto has been more like a small 
 European nation than any other part of our country. She 
 has been a sort of imperium im, iin/perio. She has had a 
 high degree of homogeneity. She has had a Kterary and 
 artistic center. She has had a recognized coterie or band 
 of leaders in public opinion. They were sufficiently united 
 and strong to give some weight to their criticism and de- 
 cision. They could make a market. They could build and 
 destroy. Moreover, the New Englanders came naturally 
 by vigorous mental power. The Puritans of England of the 
 seventeenth century, whatever may have been their faults, 
 were certainly the most intellectual part of the English nation. 
 They probably read more, wrote more, prayed more, and 
 thought more than all the rest of the people. By them New 
 England was settled. At home the Puritans were overcome 
 and gradually mingled with the rest of mankind. Many of 
 the soldiers of Cromwell gave the names to the families of the 
 Catholic peasantry in Ireland. But in New England they 
 were separated from the rest of mankind, and for about six 
 generations alone, or but little affected by others, they de- 
 veloped into a numerous and strong people. Yigorous in 
 body, well fed, long-lived, all having at least the elements 
 of a book education, all familiar with the Bible, homoge- 
 neous, feehng but little the evils of poverty or of an indo- 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 139 
 
 lent or vicious aristocracy — the world will, perhaps, never 
 again see such a people. A people without any illiterate 
 or any paupers ! It is not extravagant to say that their 
 power for good has been felt all over the United States. 
 Other States south of them have exhibited some similar 
 traits and advantages — none, however, of so high an order 
 or in so marked a degree. Therefore to ^ew England may 
 be traced many of the convictions and customs connected 
 with the educational and religious institutions of America. 
 
 In government, and especially in law, New England has 
 not exerted so much influence on the West, perhaps, as New 
 York ; but in industry, in experimentation, in religious act- 
 ivity, she has been a leader. 
 
 New England is positively to-day stronger than ever be- 
 fore, though relatively weaker. But her influence now 
 must be sought all over the nation. A new age is dawning 
 upon America. No one can predict what another century 
 shall produce. Could one have announced to Puritan New 
 England in the last half of the eighteenth century that in 
 a hundred years one quarter of its population would be of 
 Irish origin and mostly Roman Catholic, and that one quar- 
 ter of its native population would be Methodists, it would 
 have been as incredible as the true picture, could I give it, 
 of what this country will be in the last quarter of the nine- 
 teenth century. Then some notions in religion that are 
 now deemed heretical will be orthodox ; then the line be- 
 tween the known and the conjectural will be more strictly 
 drawn ; then there will be more license allowed to intel- 
 lectual action, less to individual taste and preference in 
 actual life. Then the various recommendations of social 
 
140 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 scientists wUl have been tested, and the actual freedom and 
 welfare of the average individual will have been enlarged 
 by the increased restriction and pressure of law. In a 
 word, the universal man will have made some progress in 
 learning how to restrain and take care of himself. But 
 then as now, and as heretofore, many old people, actually 
 and prematurely, wiU be sighing for the good old days of 
 the golden age ! 
 
EEA8TUS O. HAVElf. 141 
 
 CHAPTEE Vn. 
 
 PEESIDENT OF MICHIGAIT UNTVEESITT. 
 
 ii A EOLLING stone gathers no moss." True enough, but 
 1\. it gathers inany knocks and gets itself well rounded. 
 Moss is not the only ornament of a stone. Methodist min- 
 isters are rolling stones. God made me restless and too 
 wilHng to sacrifice present advantages with a prospect of 
 greater good. Never, however, have I had any sordid ob- 
 ject in view, in any change of position or occupation. 
 
 From time to time, during the six years of absence, some 
 of my friends kept me well informed of the state of affairs 
 in the University of Michigan. Some of the private let- 
 ters, as well as various articles in the newspapers, indicated 
 dissatisfaction. The complaints were that the number of 
 students was rather diminishing than increasing ; that the 
 rehgious people of the State were dissatisfied with the 
 moral influence of the institution ; that the faculties were 
 not at peace with each other ; that the State rendered no 
 pecuniary aid ; and that an antagonism too great to be en- 
 dured had sprung up between the president and the regents. 
 At first I was invited, by persons who professed to under- 
 stand the wishes of the regents, to return to a professorship. 
 This I declined to consider. I was then asked if, under any 
 circumstances, I would accept the presidency. I an- 
 swered that if the ofiiee was vacant and offered to me, with 
 
142 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP 
 
 the substantial approval of the different faculties, I would 
 accept it ; but I had not even the faintest dream that the 
 office would be vacant except by the resignation of the 
 president. This was several months before the event hap- 
 pened, and I had not the slightest anticipation that it would 
 so occur. Dr. Tappan frequently had spoken in my hear- 
 ing of resigning the burden, and I supposed he might at 
 some time resign, and that perhaps my name would then be 
 presented. I really had no desire for the place, and gave 
 it no thought. But at the commencement of 1863 the 
 rupture between the Board of Eegents and the president 
 became so severe that the presidency was vacated, and the 
 same day the board elected me unanimously to the place, 
 and informed me by telegram, with a request for an imme- 
 diate reply. I supposed the vacancy had quietly occurred, 
 and that all were agreed and harmonious ; and having mar 
 turely determined before that if that office was offered me 
 I would accept, I replied affirmatively, and the fact was 
 announced to the public. Immediately a flood of letters 
 began to pour in upon me, informing me that the whole 
 State was indignant ; that the alumni, the students, the cit- 
 izens of Ann Arbor, presided over by the mayor, and many 
 citizens of Detroit, in one of their public halls, had sever- 
 ally held meetings and protested against the action, some 
 speaking not unfavorably of me, but all hoping that I would 
 decline, and that the former president would be reinstated. 
 Also, letters came informing me that a majority of the fac- 
 ulties really were pleased with the change — one faculty 
 unanimously so ; that if I declined another person would 
 be elected, (this was official to me,) and perhaps the institu- 
 
EBASTDS O. HAVEN. 143 
 
 tion would be ruined. Propositions had been made to re- 
 move one department to Detroit, and perhaps the enemies 
 would take advantage of these circumstances to divide the 
 fund and break it down. All this was perplexing, but I 
 felt that it was my duty to accept the place, though I 
 thought the chances of failure greatly preponderated. Also 
 to give up the noble post I had, against unanimous solicita- 
 tions, with so many perfectly agreeable associations, was 
 the severest external sacrifice I had ever been called to 
 make. My hope was, in case of failure, to return to the 
 pastorate, and I solemnly resolved to be contented with 
 that. 
 
 Arrived at Ann Arbor, I found the troubles had not been 
 magnified. I could not obtain possession of the president's 
 residence for weeks, though it was vacant. Many of the 
 citizens would not even greet me personally. It was soon 
 rumored that I was intemperate, and all kinds of slanders 
 were hinted at. The newspapers opposed had much more 
 to say than those favorable, and during the vacation it 
 seemed that when the university opened again it would be 
 stormy weather. I took occasion, however, to hint to the 
 respectable citizens who were interested in business pros- 
 perity, that it would be weU to secure harmony and stability 
 if they wished their city to prosper ; that I did not intend 
 to stay without a re-election by the new Board of Eegents, 
 which would convene in six months, and that unless pres- 
 ent diificulties were controlled they would have anarchy. 
 At the opening of the year a larger number of students 
 convened than ever before ; the strangers were not ill-dis- 
 posed, and in a few days there were two parties. Our first 
 
144 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 exercise was reading the Scriptures and prayer, wMcli, to 
 me, was not merely formal nor for the first time there per- 
 formed in public. I was relying habitually on the strength 
 granted in answer to prayer. I improved the calmness of 
 the moment to put before the students my view of the facts 
 and of their duty. I repeated to them my purpose to main- 
 tain order at any expense, if possible, for six months, 
 and then to resign the authority into the hands of the new 
 board. I eulogized their late president, and asked them to 
 share with me the responsibility of saving the institution 
 from trouble. 
 
 I have never yet found college students fail in generosity 
 and manliness when properly appealed to. It was hard, in- 
 deed, for the leaders in the older classes, who had been 
 urged to disorder, to refrain from it, but conscience and 
 good sense mastered them, and all began passably well. It 
 is true, the following half year was trying. About two 
 hundred, comprising the literary and art students only, 
 attended prayers with me daily in an uncarpeted room, 
 where to make a noise was easy. Usually not a professor 
 was with me, and it required all the tact and show of au- 
 thority I had to maintain order. Some personal expres- 
 sions of disfavor were attempted, wliich I rebuked or 
 afEected not to notice. I commenced a course of sermons 
 to students of all the colleges (some six hundred in num- 
 ber) on the Sabbaths, and also addressed them on temper- 
 ance, and persuaded many to take the pledge of total absti- 
 nence. Also, by my advice the old and practically obsolete 
 Missionary Society of Inquiry was abandoned, and a Uni- 
 versity Young Men's Christian Association organized — the 
 
EKASTUS O. HAVEN. 145 
 
 first of the kind anywhere — in 1863 ; and long before the 
 semester was over I had hosts of friends. 
 
 I cannot forbear to notice what seemed to me at the 
 time almost, if not certainly, providential. Just when the 
 spirit of disorder was waxing strongest a few students 
 requested an excuse to leave college for a few days to visit 
 the notorious Vallandigham of Ohio, candidate for gov- 
 ernor, who had fled the country to Canada to escape arrest 
 on the charge of hostility to the nation. I excused them 
 on certain conditions. They went, and the papers were 
 fuU of a published account of addresses and replies in an 
 interview with the traitor, as though the whole university 
 sympathized with Yallandigham. Perhaps a clear major- 
 ity of the students were returned soldiers, many of them 
 wounded, and nearly all were indignant. A large meeting 
 assembled and passed a series of patriotic resolutions, which 
 were published in the papers. Then it was the turn of the 
 little knot of Vallandighamites to be angry. They also 
 called another meeting to convene in the chapel immedi- 
 ately after prayers on a Saturday morning. It serves to 
 show the semi-disorganization that prevailed (for which I 
 was not responsible) that such a thing could have been 
 done without consulting the authorities. But it worked 
 well to call attention away from our domestic troubles. A 
 foreign war is often good policy to harmonize home dis- 
 cord. It was rumored that the Republicans, a large 
 majority, would violently break up this meeting. Many 
 of the students, it was rumored, had revolvers, and a riot 
 seemed inevitable. I asked two or three of the professors 
 
 if they desired to attend prayers with me that morning, 
 10 
 
146 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 but at the time I found myself unsupported. The outside 
 of the platform was covered with students, as at a mass 
 meeting, and every square foot of the floor was occupied, 
 students from the Law and Medical Colleges swelling the 
 number. I mentally resolved that the meeting should not 
 be held, and that was just the opportunity I wanted to see 
 them all together on a week day. After devotional ex- 
 ercises I gave them an address on the duties of college 
 students, especially in a State university. I complimented 
 them jokingly on their interest in college prayers, earnestly 
 on their interest in the country. They applauded me 
 heartily. I then told them, in conclusion, that no meeting 
 of the kind could be held on the university premises, and 
 requested them all to leave the room. The great majority 
 were only too glad to obey — the minority found themselves 
 forced along, and the trouble was over. A company did 
 assemble in a city hall and pass some traitorous resolutions 
 and form a procession and marcH about the streets iflsult- 
 ing the national flag ; but the people naturally said, if that 
 kind of students were displeased with the university ad- 
 ministration sympathy would be wasted on them. Thus, 
 as it seemed to me, my prayers were answered. 
 
 But enough has already been said to indicate the lessons 
 which I wish to enforce. I hasten, therefore, to the con- 
 clusion. 
 
 In January a new Board of Regents assembled, having 
 only one of the former members re-elected. There were 
 presented to them two petitions from the students, signed 
 by nearly equal numbers, for and against the restoration of 
 the former president. The result of this meeting was 
 
EKASTUS 0. HAVEN. 147 
 
 awaited with great anxiety ; but the regents simply passed 
 resolutions disapproving of all expressions of opinions for 
 or against any member of the faculty by students, attended 
 to routine business, and adjourned for a month. The 
 trouble was by no means over. 
 
 On their reassembhng what seemed like another strange 
 interposition of Providence took place. The board con- 
 sisted of eight members, of whom one was known to be in 
 favor of my retiring, and one in favor of my remaining ; 
 the others had not publicly expressed an opinion. Now, 
 unembarrassed by any action of students, they were to 
 meet and decide. To influence this Board of Kegents a 
 meeting had been held at Detroit, and a strong address 
 adopted, urging the re-election of the former president; 
 and the Eev. George Duffield, D.D., Presbyterian, author 
 of the address, and Bishop M'Closkey, of the Protestant 
 Episcopal Church, were instructed to present and urge the 
 request of this meeting before the regents. I was by my 
 friends advised to procure some counsel to aid me, but 
 deeUned. Dr. Duffield, already an aged man, the acknowl- 
 edged leader of the Presbyterian denomination, deservedly 
 enjoyed the highest reputation as a man of probity and 
 piety and remarkably varied and solid scholarship. He 
 had formerly served many years as one of the regents. 
 He was a man whom I already knew and admired, and 
 afterward often met and learned still more to admire. He 
 was undoubtedly perfectly honest in this address. But he 
 did not then thoroughly understand the subject. 
 
 The other man. Bishop M'Closkey, was entirely differ- 
 ent in appearance and character. A giant in body, not 
 
148 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 overstocked witli intellect, superficial in scholarship, pour- 
 ing out volubly a torrent of extemporaneous common- 
 places, haughty in manner, it was scarcely a surprise to mc 
 that in later years he came to a disgraceful end. 
 
 As this committee appeared before the regents our place 
 of meeting was thronged, and intense interest was already 
 excited to hear the address and the speech of the Bishop. 
 Who could withstand their power? Just then — by what 
 spirit moved, who can imagine — the only avowed friend of 
 their proposal made a motion which probably defeated it. 
 It so happened that an eminent citizen of Ann Arbor had 
 lately suddenly died, and the funeral was just now about 
 to be held. This man had been among the foremost during 
 the last six months in advocating the restoration of the late 
 president. He had filled the streets and saloons of Ann 
 Arbor with talk on the subject. Now, then, seemingly to 
 commit the whole board to an indirect expression of opin- 
 ion, some floating remarks about the deceased were offered, 
 and a motion made that the board, as a testimonial of re- 
 spect, attend the funeral ! Of course, though it was not 
 the prime business of the Board of Eegents to attend fu- 
 nerals, and they had never "undertaken" it before, nor 
 have they since, yet they could not well refuse such a re- 
 quest, and thus the expectant crowd were dispersed ! If ow 
 mark the result. Both Dr. Duffield and Bishop M'Closkey, 
 who had not been consulted on the funeral preparation, had 
 coming engagements at Detroit, and were obliged to leave 
 before the board reconvened. Then one of the regents 
 moved that the board meet by themselves alone to consider 
 the addi'ess in the evening ; and thus they and the people 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAVElf. 149 
 
 lost the impressiveness that the author would have given to 
 his own production, and also the wordy harangue that the 
 Bishop was almost bursting to deliver ! It seemed ludi- 
 crous to me then, and, also, I could not help considering it 
 as providentially directed in behalf of truth and right. 
 
 In the evening the address proved so illegible that our 
 secretary could not decipher it, and therefore, as an old 
 editor, I was allowed to read it. One of the regents said 
 my coolness and just emphasis confirmed him in his inten- 
 tion to vote for " no change ! " 
 
 At the close of the reading I made a brief address of my 
 own to the regents, simply reminding them that, according 
 to their, oath of office, they were bound to do what they 
 deemed best for the university. I explained to them the 
 situation, as I- understood it, and tendered to them my res- 
 ignation, and promised, should they accept it, to exert my- 
 self honestly to make their action as beneficial as possible 
 to the interests of the institution. They then appointed a 
 committee to consider the matter and report. In a day or 
 two the committee reported, in substance, that the highest 
 interests of the university required that there should be no 
 change. One regent only voted against the report, and he 
 afterward, while he lived, was a faithful friend to me. 
 Thus the war was over, but the healing of the wounds re- 
 mained to be accomplished. 
 
 I immediately devoted myself to the following purposes : 
 To accomplish the most I could for the students ; to allow 
 no dissensions on account of misunderstandings among the 
 professors ; to recommend the university to the people, and 
 to obtain some pecuniary aid from the State. I was the 
 
150 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 Professor of Moral and Mental Science, which required 
 much labor ; and I may say that for the six years following 
 I worked hard every day from morning till night, with 
 only about two weeks' illness during all the time. My sole 
 recreation was change of occupation and the necessary trav- 
 el, and some occasional short trips in the times of vacation. 
 
 Every year I gave about twenty Sunday afternoon lect- 
 ures before the students' Christian Association, which the 
 public attended. Often- an audience of from six hundred 
 to one thousand young men, with the people, were present. 
 One of the courses of lectures, based on the Decalogue, was 
 published under the title " The Pillars of Truth." I also 
 encouraged the meetings of a temperance society among 
 the students. At the religious meetings held by the Chris- 
 tian Association every year some students professed con- 
 version, and almost every year some who came to the imi- 
 versity with other purposes in view finally entered the 
 Christian ministry. All sectarianism was discarded, but 
 genuine Christianity was not neglected. 
 
 The project to remove the Medical College to Detroit 
 was set at rest by an enlargement of the Medical College 
 building, to which the people of Ann Arbor contributed. 
 The same policy was pursued with reference to the Astro- 
 nomical Observatory. I addressed a citizens' meeting, 
 which recommended the city government to make an ap- 
 propriation, and the Observatory, which was about to be 
 removed, was confirmed and greatly enlarged. 
 
 The number of students increased regularly in aU the 
 colleges, until it reached the position of the most numer- 
 ously attended university at that time, in the United States. 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 151 
 
 All the students were then young men, and yet it is but 
 simple truth to say that the amount of disorder and known 
 immorality was as little as in any university in the world. 
 Sometimes a whole yeai* passed without any occasion for 
 complaint or the infliction of penalty. 
 
 It was soon evident that the maximum strength of the 
 university was reached unless its income could be enhanced. 
 This could not well be attempted by an increase of charges 
 to students, but was naturally sought from the State. But 
 the State had never yet made one clear and unincumbered 
 donation to the university. Its first aid was a loan, on 
 which it had received a high rate of interest many years 
 and other advantages, so that eminent lawyers were of 
 opinion that the State had been more than repaid when it 
 released the claim. 
 
 I attended the Legislature of 1864, and was by iavita- 
 tion permitted to address the members. I endeavored to 
 show them and the people that the university might be, 
 and ought to be, a common benefit to all classes, and ap- 
 pealed to the patriotism and pride of the State in its be- 
 half. The excitement upon the change of administration 
 was so great that I did not deem it prudent to ask for spe- 
 cific help, but unofficial resohitions in behalf of the uni- 
 versity were passed and a good impression made on public 
 opinion. 
 
 When the next Legislature met, in 1866, I determined 
 that a direct and earnest effort for money should be made. 
 I wrote an address, or memorial, which the Board of Re- 
 gents approved, and presented it to the Legislature, by 
 which it was referred to the Committee on Education. I 
 
152 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 did not find one member of either house that expected 
 success, but all ^vith whom I conversed predicted failure. 
 Some said it would be ridiculed and killed at the first dis- 
 cussion, probably by the committee, certainly by the house. 
 But the committee at last consented to report a biU which 
 I had framed, and throw the responsibility on the house. 
 I addressed a public meeting in the State House, nearly all 
 of both houses being present, and, to the astonishment of 
 many, the bill, after one failure for want of a constitutional 
 majority, was reconsidered and passed by the lower house. 
 
 The bill was founded on the correct principle, laying a 
 tax of a twentieth of a mill on a dollar on the taxable 
 property of the State — bo small as to be inappreciable to the 
 taxpayers, but allowing the income of the university to 
 increase regularly with the State. It was intended that, if 
 it once passed, it would be permanent. The Senate, how- 
 ever, attached a condition to the bill, that a professorship of 
 homeopathy should be established in the university or this 
 appropriation should not be made. I could not prevent 
 this amendment, and with it the bill finally became a law. 
 
 It was, indeed, a noble law, and, had it been accepted and 
 carried out in good faith, it would have greatly added to the 
 strength of the university. The professorship of homeopa- 
 thy should, of course, have been optional to the students. In 
 a great imiversity every variety of opinion may be safely 
 expressed and defended. But such was the intense hostility 
 to homeopathy on the part of the professors of the med- 
 ical department that no possible way could be devised for 
 carrying out the law which was deemed to be safe, and, 
 tlieref ore, the appropriation was lost. 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 153 
 
 In 1868 I petitioned the Legislature to remove the 
 restriction and give ns the money without condition. 
 This seemed, indeed, more hopeless than the enterprise 
 two years before, and, in urging it, after the first few 
 days I was left alone, while there were many advocates of 
 homeopathy opposing my petition. Success in this peti- 
 tion seemed to me then, and seems to me now, more sur- 
 prising than in the former enterprise. It is a striking 
 proof of the great popularity of the university at that 
 time that there was no very strong opposition to the bill. 
 It was, indeed, modified and greatly injured by substituting 
 a definite sum — $40,000 — for the result of a tax of one 
 twentieth of a mill ; but it passed triumphantly both houses 
 and received the signature of the governor and became a 
 law. Thus the policy was established that the State would 
 enlarge and strengthen the university. This was the result 
 of much hard work. From that time forward the success 
 of the University of Michigan was insured. 
 
 The frequent appKcation to the Legislature for pecuniary 
 assistance led to repeated discussions of the propriety of 
 opening the colleges of the university to women as well 
 as men. As early as in 1853 I thoroughly examined this 
 subject, and became convinced that it was unjust for the 
 great State of Michigan to withhold the privileges of its 
 university from its daughters, and recommended one of 
 two courses : either to provide as good opportunities in 
 other colleges for them, or to admit them to the university. 
 The subject was from time to time agitated and reported 
 upon, always unfavorably by the authorities of the uni- 
 versity, till the Legislature granted the desired pecuniary 
 
154 ATJTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 aid. Without making it a condition of receiving the money, 
 the Legislature did, indeed, recommend that young women 
 should be admitted to the classes. Tliis met with my ap- 
 proval and defense. Facts have since proved that this the- 
 ory was correct. 
 
 The current history of a university, when all things move 
 on well, presents but few salient points for description. 
 During these six years there was really no trouble in man- 
 aging the affairs of the university after the close of the first 
 year. It was one steady harmonious progress and growth. 
 My life has had no six years of greater ease and comfort. 
 
 Within a year after I resigned the presidency of the 
 University of Michigan I was strongly urged by regents 
 and members of the Faculty to allow my name to be pre- 
 sented for re-election. A leading regent, Hon. T. D. 
 Gilbert, of Grand Rapids, visited my residence at Evanston, 
 111., to obtain my consent, and I had many letters and tele- 
 grams from various parties to that effect. But, although I 
 did seriously question the wisdom of having resigned a 
 position of so much influence and usefulness, and was not 
 before aware of the earnestness and strength of the support 
 which I enjoyed in the position, I felt constrained to de- 
 cline the great honor of a re-election. Sometimes during 
 the succeeding ten years, when struggling hard to build up 
 feeble institutions in the Church, with doubtful success and 
 with far less salary, and far more labor and anxiety than I 
 would have had in that noble post, I did feel something 
 like regret ; but I always fell back on the conviction that 
 my intentions had been right, and that in some way the re- 
 sult would prove satisfactory. 
 
EBASTUS O. HAVEN. 155 
 
 CHAPTEE YIII. 
 
 DE. WINCHELL ON PEESIDENT HAVEN's WOEK IN MICHIGAN 
 TJNIVEESITY. 
 
 AT tills point the autobiography proper closes. The 
 hand that was writing it, and which alone could write 
 it well, was called to so many other duties that this work 
 was suspended, and the suspension, alas! proved final. 
 Fragments of what were intended to be chapters on differ- 
 ent subjects appear among his papers, and they have been 
 utilized in completing the volume ; but the complete record 
 closes with his retirement from Micliigan University. 
 Upon his work in this institution Bishop Haven always 
 looked back with honest pri^de ; he probably regarded it 
 as the most important of his Hf e, and this judgment was 
 shared by his friends. And yet he felt that full justice 
 had not always been done him therein. .On that subject, 
 however, he could not speak as well as others, and it seems 
 proper, therefore, that another, one who had known him 
 intimately for years, and had been his associate in the 
 institution, and was" in every way competent to speak both 
 of him and of the university, should be heard. 
 
 After the death of Bishop Haven the Senate of Michi- 
 gan University requested Dr. Alexander Winchell to 
 prepare a suitable memorial discourse on the life and 
 services of their former president. This appreciative and 
 very able address was delivered in the University Hall, 
 
156 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 November 6, 1881, and published by the university. It 
 covers his entire Hfe, but is especially full on the important 
 events embraced within the years of his connection with 
 that institution. Speaking of his work there from his first 
 introduction as Professor of the Latin Language and Literar 
 tore, in 1853, Dr. WincheU says : 
 
 The university was at that time in process of reorganization. Dr. 
 Heni-y P. Tappan, an educator and author of distinction, had been 
 called to the presidency in 1853, in pursuance of the law requiring a 
 discontinuance of the system of rotating presiding ofBcers. James 
 R. Boise, of Brown University, had been at the same time installed 
 as "Professor of Greek Language and Literature." New life had 
 been imparted to the university through the influence of three causes : 
 1. The increase in the endowment. 3. The re-organization, and the 
 appointment of a president. 3. The high character of the incumbents 
 of the new chairs. When Professor Haven first entered upon duty, 
 the ntmiber of students in the university was 333. Of these, 163 
 were in the Medical Department, and 60 in the department of " Sci- 
 ence, Literature, and the Arts." 
 
 Professor Haven, by the simplicity and afEability of his manners, 
 and by his attractive public discourses, contributed greatly to the 
 revival of popular interest in the university. He had hardly entered 
 upon duty when the discussions on the common-school question, 
 which had been raised by the claims of the Roman Catholics, led to 
 the delivery of a public address entitled, "Common Schools TJnsec- 
 tarian," the fame of which still filled the air when the present 
 speaker arrived in Ann Arbor, nearly a year afterward. 
 
 In 1864, on the appoicttment of the present incumbent of the chair of 
 Latin, Professor Haven was transferred to the chair of " History and 
 English Literature." At the following commencement he delivered 
 the annual address before the literary societies on " The Increased 
 Mental Activity of the Age, its Causes and Demands." This was 
 one of the best considered addresses which he ever delivered. He 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 157 
 
 inquired, first, into the causes of the modern enlargement of the em- 
 pire of mind, and discovered them in the influence of Christianized 
 civilization, and the immediate and ulterior consequences of the 
 discovery of America. The dangers of this modern mental activity 
 are the tendency to the demolition of every thing ancient, whether 
 good or bad, and an indifference to innovations, whether hurtful or 
 harmless. The remedy is thorough mental culture, especially of the 
 clergy, and a noble, overmastering, if not inspired purpose on the 
 part of scholars. In another address delivered at the inauguration 
 of Dickinson Institute, at Romeo, in discussing the value of science 
 he was led to utter a prediction whose fulfillment is now taking 
 place. Speaking of electricity, he said, "More of it lies quiet in a 
 gill of water than is present in a flash of Ughtniug that cleaves the 
 oak of a hundred years. . . . Who can say that this power will not 
 yet be controlled so as to move machinery and to light our houses 
 and streets ? " 
 
 He was honored this year with the degree of Doctor of Divinity 
 from Union College. 
 
 In April, 1855, the annual meeting of the State Teachers' Associ- 
 ation was held in Ann Arbor. On this occasion he read a report 
 " On the Advantages of a Critical Study of the Classics in the En- 
 glish Language in Schools." This was the first time any voice had 
 been raised in Ann Arbor in behalf of a critical study of the English 
 masterpieces. One of his points is thus summarized: "To the most 
 advanced scholars in college or in institutions where any, male or 
 female, enjoy the best advantages of oral instruction, criticism should 
 be taught as an art; some of the best specimens of literature should 
 be exhaustively reviewed; the students themselves should make 
 formal and critical reviews of one or two authors, and the best general 
 directions should be given." 
 
 This session of the Teachers' Association was specially signalized 
 by an earnest and intelligent discussion on the question of the ad- 
 mission of women into colleges and universities. A number of the 
 leading educators of the State participated, and among them was 
 
158 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 Dr. Haven, who, with his characteristic and elegant earnestness, took 
 sides in favor of co-education. 
 
 In 1856 Dr. Haven appeared before the world as an author, in a 
 small book entitled, " The Young Man Advised." 
 
 From some reason, which to the present speaker was always in- 
 volved in mystery. Dr. Haven now resigned his chair. So far as the 
 impelling motive was ever made known to me it was done only in 
 confidence. It was an act universally regretted, and apparently 
 inexplicable. He entered at once upon the duties of editor of ' ' Zion's 
 Herald." 
 
 His Boston life, for seven years, was one of ceaseless and excited 
 activity. As an editor he accomplished an amount of work seldom 
 equaled. But during a portion of the time he also had charge of a 
 chm-ch in Maiden. From 1858 to 1863 he was a member of the 
 Massachusetts Board of Education, and member of the State Board 
 of Overseers of Harvard College. In 1863, and again in 1863, he 
 was elected to the Massachusetts Senate, where he served with con- 
 siderable distinction as chairman of the Joint Committee on Educa- 
 tion. In 1863 he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws 
 from the Ohio Wesleyan University. 
 
 On the 25th of June of this year the Board of Kegents recalled 
 Dr. Haven by a unanimous vote to the university, to assume the 
 presidential chair just vacated. They also assigned to him the 
 duties of the professorship of "Rhetoric and English Literature." 
 This action, by instruction of the board, was mailed "forthwith" 
 to Dr. Haven, and five days afterward he penned his acceptance. 
 What would have been his decision had he known by what means 
 the presidency became vacant, it is idle to conjecture. Certain it is 
 that he was uninformed of the removal of Dr. Tappan, and had ac- 
 cepted the position offered before he could have learned the cause of 
 the vacancy. It is equally certain that he must have felt bound by 
 his word, though a more timi^ man would have shrunk from the 
 storm which was preparing to burst upon him. 
 As early as July 6th the university Senate made a wise and con- 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 159 
 
 servative attempt to forestall the consequences of the coming re- 
 action. Forbearing to express any opinion on the wisdom of the 
 action taken by the Board of Eegents, they resolved to recognize 
 the appointment of Dr. Haven as an accomplished fact — as the 
 present legally established order of things in the university — which 
 "its peace and best interests will not allow to be treated as unsettled, 
 or open to agitation and doubt;" and to " cordially extend to our 
 new president our pledge of an earnest disposition to unite with him 
 in laboring for the purposes to which we have agreed to devote our- 
 selves by assuming our respective offices; and we receive him in full 
 confidence that his character and ability will enable him to secure 
 the respect and reliance of the public, and the continuance of the 
 esteem with which we welcome him." 
 
 President Haven appeared at the meeting of the Board of Regents 
 in August, and on the 9th of September the youthful Director of the 
 Observatory, Professor Watson, revealed the existence of a new star, 
 Murynome, which rose upon the vision of men as an auspicious omen 
 for the new administration. At the beginning of the academic year 
 President Haven delivered his inaugural address. His special theme 
 was " Universities in America." While he recognized the disadvan- 
 tages of "Church colleges," he insisted that State institutions of 
 education are essentially and necessarily rehgious, because the people 
 who create and maintain them are a Christian people. ' ' I maintain, " 
 he says, "that a State university in this country should be religious. 
 It should be Christian without being sectarian." With other words 
 of similar purport, he adds: "Especially should the bonds of imion 
 between science and revelation be shown. The professors should be 
 men capable of perceiving and illustrating the evidences of the divine 
 origin of Christianity, in language, mathematics, the laws of material 
 things and of vegetable and animal Uf e ; in history and art, and in the 
 mind of man. . . . Those questions upon which denominations differ 
 — ^however vital they may appear — should be left to their acknowl- 
 edged teachers out of the university, or be so respectfully and impar- 
 tially stated as not to offend the conscience of any sincere believer." 
 
160 AUTOBIOGEAPIIY OF 
 
 Nor does he apprehend for the university any political complications. 
 Our freedom from political embarrassments creates a feeling of won- 
 der that dangers from this source can appear so large in the eyes of 
 Eastern educators. President Haven also maintains that the means 
 of a university may be legitimately employed to promote scientific 
 investigation. But he holds fast here, as every-where, to the im- 
 portance of the study of the ancient classics. He recommends an 
 extension of the elective system. He seems to feel the pressure of 
 the problem which in our day is bearing with such weight that we 
 shall be compelled to seek its solution. ' In the multitude of subjects 
 of study which modern science has made important, what shall be 
 set down as compulsory, what elective? And how long shall the 
 undergraduate be detained in the courses deemed "secondary?" 
 The most obvious way to relieve our embarrassment is simply to 
 make the greater part of these studies elective. This was the 
 recommendation of President Haven ; and this simply is the extent 
 of the relief afEorded by the next recent action of the university. 
 President Haven recommended, likewise, as a prospective measure, 
 the appointment of a "professor of Hebrew and Oriental Languages," 
 and a "professor of Ecclesiastical History." 
 
 President Haven's familiarity with current national events is shown 
 in his "Annual Message to the Third Moot Congress' of the Law 
 Department," and his marked ecclesiastical breadth and liberality 
 toward those who had plunged the nation into war, are exemplified 
 in a Thanksgiving sermon preached this year. 
 
 On the first of February, 1864, an entirely new Board of Regents 
 entered into office. Those who deposed the late president and in- 
 stalled his successor were now powerless ; and it was the belief of a 
 considerable number of people that it would be the duty of the new 
 board to restore the former status. The friends of the old president 
 and the new were manifesting a deep interest in the issue which it 
 was understood would be re-opened. Of all these fears and hopes 
 President Haven seemed to have no knowledge. Of the thousands 
 interesting themselves at the beginning of tllis year in the affairs of 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 161 
 
 the university, President Haven seemed to be the least discomposed. 
 On meeting the assembled board he proceeded at once with his offi- 
 cial communications. After some appropriate formalities he referred 
 to the enlargement of the Medical College building as an immediate 
 necessity. He renewed his recommendation of the two professor- 
 ships mentioned in his inaugural, and set before the board the neces- 
 sity of a gymnasium for the use of the students. To this time the 
 steward had never kept an office apart from his private place of busi- 
 ness in the city, but President Haven now urged the importance of 
 removing his office to the university grounds. In the course of the 
 morning, however, one of the regents introduced memorials from 
 students requesting the re-instatement of the late president. It is 
 impossible not to feel that the situation of the new president had 
 become painfully embarrassing. A certain number of Ms own stu- 
 dents had expressed a wish for his retirement, and had preferred 
 their request before a body possessing full power to comply with 
 their wishes. Many men in the position of President Haven would 
 have felt goaded to some expression of indignation or defiance. But 
 Dr. Haven preserved the imperturbability of a summer sky. Many 
 men would have marked the petitioners for future remembrance, but 
 no student signing the petition could ever affirm that President 
 Haven had not always treated him as well as he did his best friends. 
 Every person remained in complete ignorance of the purpose of the 
 board. The crowd of onlookers was in a state of excited expecta- 
 tion. The petitions were made the special order for an afternoon 
 hour. When that hour arrived resolutions were adopted deprecating 
 the interference of students in the matter of appointments, and con- 
 cluding with permission to the petitioners to withdraw their peti- 
 tions. 
 
 But the friends of the late president did not consider the question 
 as settled. They felt that an act of injustice had been done which 
 ought to be redressed. They accordingly made preparations to press 
 their demands at a meeting of the board, which was to be held on 
 the sixteenth of the following month. On the appointed day a dele- 
 11 
 
162 ATJTOBIOGEAPUT OF 
 
 gation of " distingijislied citizens" from Detroit appeared before the 
 board to present memorials for the re-instatement of the former presi- 
 dent, and to argue the question on its merits. The memorials were 
 considered at an executive session on the evening of the same day, 
 and referred to a special committee, who reported on the 18th of 
 February, two days afterward. The report was an admirably tem- 
 perate and courteous consideration of the claims of the memorialists, 
 and the alleged facts on which they rested. It pays a tribute of es- 
 teem to the late president, but recommends, in conclusion, "that the 
 request of the memorialists be not granted." The report was adopted 
 with but one dissenting vote. 
 
 It is impossible to estimate justly the character of our deceased 
 friend without considering his conduct in this painfully trying crisis. 
 I take no pleasure in recalling the struggles of 1864; but justice to 
 the memory of the man who passed unscathed through those fiery 
 trials commands me to commemorate the Christian moderation, the 
 heroic fortitude, the unruffled patience, and the unfaltering steadi- 
 ness with which he bore himself through the prolonged ordeal. I 
 do not wish to reflect the feeblest personal judgment on the merits 
 of the controversy. I should lose my self-respect to take sides on an 
 occasion like this. I admit that the leaders of both parties were 
 actuated by high motives, and sought only the best welfare of the 
 university. But the painful character of the situation was a fact. 
 The most admirable bearing of the president was a fact. His 
 grand moral triumph was a fact. That it was one of the most 
 lustrous successes of his life is a fact. That his friends always 
 felt proud, not of his victory over a rival, but his victory over 
 himself, and of his subsequent control of turbulent elements, 
 is a fact. Tfiat'Ms subsequent peaceful, dignified, and con- 
 ciliatory policy won the admiration of many of his opposers, is a 
 fact. Why, then, should we pass in silence over this epoch, so fruit- 
 ful of honor to one of the chief actors, and one which stands so 
 prominent in the memory of all who have known the university 
 eighteen years ? An administration for which many predicted dis- 
 
EEASTTJS O. HAVEK. 163 
 
 order, decadence, and disaster, was led by the hand of gentleness 
 and wisdom to an ever-growing and briglitening success. It re- 
 vealed no heart-burnings, no hatred. There was no proscribed list. 
 Universal amnesty of past hostilities reigned in the peaceful breast 
 of the man who, had he been no more than a common man, would 
 have felt the chafing of the situation during his term of office, and 
 might have sought to bm-y his enemies even beneath the i-uins of the 
 university. We can all unite in honoring such a man. He has left 
 us a grand example of Christian character. 
 
 At the ensuing Medical Commencement he delivered the annual 
 address to the graduates. Tlie discussion presented was "On the 
 Relation of the Medical Profession to Science." He considered the 
 historical and the subjective relations of medicine to the growth of 
 the natural sciences, and advocated high scientific acquirements for 
 physicians. 
 
 In his Annual Report to the Board of Regents, presented in Sep- 
 tember, he announced that the standard of admission to the academ- 
 ical department had been raised, so that none could enter unless 
 qualified for admission to either the classical or the scientific course. 
 He advised moderate rigor in fixing the terms of admission; and rec- 
 ommended that the proceeds of the Detroit property, amounting to 
 $23,000, be constituted the nucleus of a library fund. This recom- 
 mendation was adopted, and for some years the board struggled to 
 maintain it intact ; but the dire financial pressure which succeeded 
 reduced its existence to a nominal thing, which at the present time, 
 I think, is no longer even named. 
 
 At the March meeting of 1865 a "School of Mines" was estab- 
 lished; and at the Commencement of the Law Depai-tment, President 
 Haven delivered the address to the graduates on "The Legal Pro- 
 fession in America." He spoke of the abstract natm-e of the concep- 
 tion of law. Unwritten law, he said, antedates statutory law, and 
 exists in human consciousness long before written law is known. 
 He pointed out the ancillary character of all other knowledge in the 
 theory and practice of law. ' ' All science, " he said, ' ' converges here. " 
 
164 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 On the 15th of April, 1865, intelligence of the assassination of 
 President Lincoln thrilled the civilized -world. On the 19th a mass 
 meeting convened at Ann Arbor, at which President Haven pre- 
 sented one of the finest outbursts of extemporaneous and impassioned 
 oratory ever heard in the city. The peroration closes with the fol- 
 lowing apostrophe : 
 
 ' ' And then Lincoln ! thou hast so suddenly been called away from 
 a nation just jubilant with gratitude at thy success — though thou 
 wert not permitted to live and receive the grateful thanks of the 
 whole reunited people and the whole Christian world, yet perhaps 
 from the serene regions of immortality, sun-ounded by thousands of 
 the brave officers and men who, like thee, have sacrificed their 
 earthly life for their country's good — thou shalt look down, first upon 
 a weeping, and then upon a thankful, nation, among whom, in pro- 
 portion to its purity, integiity, and patriotism, thy virtues will be 
 emulated, and thy name honored; and America will ever point with 
 patriotic pride to the two grand historic names, Washington and 
 Lincoln, the Father and Preserver of their native land ! " 
 
 In his Annual Report for 1865 he advises the connection of all pro- 
 fessional schools with the university ; he deprecates haste in begin- 
 ning the study of the professions ; he again recommends more exact- 
 ing examinations for entrance to the medical department; he seta 
 forth the pressing need of a suitable chapel, and makes appeal to the 
 private munificence of the State in behalf of the university. 
 
 During the following year appeared a work from his pen entitled 
 "The Pillars of Truth." It consisted of twelve Sunday afternoon 
 sermons delivered to the students of the university, and offered to 
 the public in pursuance of a request from the Young Men's Christian 
 Association of the university. I have not the time at my disposal to 
 point out the characteristics of this volume in respect to style and 
 doctrine. It must suffice to state that in method and substance it 
 possesses the simplicity and the transparency which so pre-eminently 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEIf. 165 
 
 belonged to the character of the author. His breadth of view, his 
 doctrinal catholicity, his philosophical apprehension of idolatries and 
 heathenism, his disregard of shadows, tradition, cant, and conceit, 
 his love of "man, and especially of yovmg men, his faith in Christian- 
 ity and his universal reliance upon it every- where conspicuous, make 
 this a volume on which seekers after religious counsel may rest with 
 trust and aSection. 
 
 The breadth and generosity of his nature were further reflected in 
 a " Centennial Sermon on Methodism and the Sources of its Power," 
 delivered before the Detroit Conference in September. 
 
 The university had now reached a narrower financial strait than had 
 been passed since 1841, on the first opening of its doors to collegiate 
 classes, and when the State loaned the institution one hundred thou- 
 sand dollars and collected interest and principal out of the Endow- 
 ment Fund. The cost of all materials and commodities was enor- 
 mously enhanced by the inflation consequent upon the prosecution of 
 the war; but the income of the university was a fixed quantity. All 
 the unprofessional employes of the imiversity were demanding in- 
 crease of compensation; and the increase granted between 1864 and 
 1866 amounted to fifty per cent. The salaries of the professors had 
 remained the same as in the ante-bellum period, until the present 
 year, when a slight increase was temporarily ordered. But the treas- 
 ury was absolutely ex}iausted, and the current expenses were in ex- 
 cess of the regular income. It was truly saddening to witness the 
 perplexities and anxieties of those placed in charge of the interests 
 of the institution. The Finance Committee gravely pointed out the* 
 seriousness of the situation. They enjoined the most scrupulous and 
 exacting economy, but ended their report with the following painful 
 confession : " We have passed the point where the current revenues 
 of the university meet the current expenses. ... It is very impor- 
 tant that immediate steps be taken to increase the permanent fund of 
 the university. Your committee are not prepared to reconunend a 
 plan to that eflect, but urge the consideration of the subject upon the 
 board at its present session." 
 
166 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 But the board was powerless. The constitution forbade the impo- 
 sition of charges upon the students for tuition, though the ever- 
 increasing number of students imposed an ever-increasing burden of 
 expense. A slight advance was made in matriculation ^nd annual 
 fees, but the relief to be anticipated was trifling. It was at one time 
 contemplated to make an appeal to the people of Michigan, declaring 
 the present condition of the university, arid urging the immediate 
 attention of the people to this subject. It was pathetic to contem- 
 plate the distressing anxiety and dark forebodings of those who had 
 undertaken to guard the interests of the university and secure its 
 perpetuity. I desire to tender the thanks of all friends of higher 
 education to the brave hearts and cleai- heads which sustained our uni- 
 versity through the peril of those days. I will not withhold even 
 here the expression of my admiration and gratitude to the successive 
 Boards of Regents who, from the sole love of righteous well-doing, 
 have devoted their unpaid services to the custodianship of a great 
 university, which has too often demanded of them wisdom and for- 
 bearance and patience more than human. 
 
 In all the anxieties and expedients of this trying period President 
 Haven was a large participator. But no despairing cloud ever shad- 
 owed the sunny cheerfulness of his nature. He grappled personally 
 with the grave difficulties of the situation, and it was his geniality, 
 wisdom and tact which finally led the university through the strait. 
 He drew up a carefully studied memorial to the Legislature of 1867, 
 in which he set -forth plainly the serious fact that the university of 
 the State had attained the utmost limit of its development unless the 
 endowment could be increased. He demonstrated that in this condi- 
 tion it must begin ipimediately to fall in the rear of all progressive 
 institutions of similar grade — even of those of more western States 
 which had, so far, followed the University of Michigan as a model. 
 He vindicated the popular character of the university ; cited the 
 eulogies which had been bestowed upon it by the highest educational 
 authorities, and expressed his rational trust in the purpose of the 
 people to come to their own university with such aid as seemed to be 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 1G7 
 
 imperatively needed. He suggested an addition of $300,000 to tte 
 endowment, or, what would be better, a small annual tax upon the 
 pi'operty of the State. 
 
 The appeal succeded. A bill was introducede imposing an annual 
 tax of one-twentieth of a mill on the property of the State, and it 
 seemed likely to pass by large majorities. The friends of the uni- 
 versity began to feel jubilant. But at last a proviso was appended 
 conditioning the aid on the appointment of a homeopathic professor 
 in the Medical Department of the university, and thus hampered, the 
 bill became a law. 
 
 The cloud of gloom still hung over the heads of the president and 
 Board of Regents. At an April meeting the regents at first contem- 
 plated establishing a separate homeopathic college, as they were per- 
 suaded that the introduction of homeopathy into the Medical De- 
 partment would result in its disintegration. The project, however, 
 was postponed for a year. Meantime the accommodations of the 
 Medical Department imperatively demanded enlargement. Women 
 were pressing for admission and accommodations in the university. 
 The chemical laboratory was also calling for larger quarters, and a 
 sum was borrowed from the ' ' Reserve Fund " to supply this demand. 
 
 The president in his Baccalaureate Sermon this year re-affirmed the 
 essentially religious basis of American colleges. He ably defended 
 national education against charges of secularism. He pressed the 
 claims of Christianity upon young men, arguing that the religious 
 character is most perfect, and that the tendency toward perfection is 
 the law of nature. He showed the superior strength of a religious 
 character, and exhorted young men by their ambition to impress and 
 improve the age, to seek the alliance of that strength imparted by 
 Christian symmetry of character. 
 
 His Annual Report for 1867 echoes first of all the cry of the over- 
 crowded medical faculty for enlarged accommodations. He states 
 that opportunities to students for elections have been extended until 
 six courses of study were now offered. He renews his recommenda- 
 tion for more rigorous entrance examinations in the medical depart- 
 
168 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 ment. He describes his labors with the Legislature, but argues 
 against the admission of homeopathy, and advises the regents to 
 decline the proffered aid -with its impracticable conditions. The 
 question of co-education of the sexes in the university pressed again 
 upon the attention of the authorities. President Haven argues it in his 
 report, with a sincere desire to promote the higher education of women, 
 but concludes with the recommendation that no change be made. 
 
 The universal good will felt toward the president was well exem- 
 plified in October in an invitation to address the Father Mathew Total 
 Abstinence Benevolent Society of Ann Arbor, and the president's easy 
 and affable adaptability to all situations is equally exemplified in 
 the happy strain with which he responded in his address. 
 
 One of his university sermons delivered in November, on " Science 
 and Religion,'' attracted marked attention. It was affluent in those 
 crisp and often metaphorical and antithetical phrases, tense with 
 thought, which he delighted to project upon his audiences. As there 
 was no subject on which he did not at some time formulate an opin- 
 ion, so here he lays down the proposition that the Bible contains 
 nothing either for or against pre-adamites. 
 
 His university sermon of Februarys, 1868, on "The Responsibility 
 of Finite Beings, " was one of the best-elaborated and thoughtful essays 
 of his life. I regret that the time at my disposal is insufficient to 
 justify an abstract. 
 
 At the March meeting of the Board of Regents he again urged the 
 importance of a gymnasium. At the same meeting the government 
 of the university felt itself so oppressed by increasing demands for 
 ampler financial means that it was decided to accept the aid offered 
 by the State, under the belief that the law would be fulfilled by the 
 location of a homeopathic college at some other point than Ann 
 Arbor. The State Supreme Court, however, did not sustain the cor- 
 rectness of this view, and the university remained, therefore, groan- 
 ing beneath its burdens. In his Annual Report for 1868 President 
 Haven deprecates the tendency manifest in some of our high schools 
 to exclude the ancient languages. He repeats for the third time the 
 
EBASTUS O. HAVEN. 1C3 
 
 statement that "we ought to have a gymnasium," and then proceeds 
 to lay down certain general principles which render indefensible the 
 position that the university may be justly called upon to maintain 
 instruction in any special theories of medicine. All that is true and 
 useful is embraced in the purview of the recognized science and prac- 
 tice of medicine, based on the totality of human knowledge ; and 
 no professional narrowness should exclude from this science any 
 thing of such usefulness that a medical sect could base upon it an 
 appeal for public countenance and support. It is known to the 
 speaker that President Haven felt this to be an impregnable position, 
 and experienced peculiar satisfaction in summoning the regents and 
 the people to its defense. He makes this an occasion for returning 
 to the discussion of co-education, and caused no little surprise by 
 reaching a conclusion the opposite of that enunciated the year pre- 
 viously. He closes with an appeal prompted by the question then 
 uppermost in all minds. ' ' Michigan has a population, " he says, ' ' of 
 nearly a million; it wUl yet have several millions. Shall the univer- 
 sity then have no more income than now ? . . . The Fathers of Mich- 
 igan did weU, and the university has repaid their far-seeing enter- 
 prise in honor and xisefulness. "Will not the present generation imi- 
 tate as well as eulogize their fathers ? " 
 
 On the assembUng of the Legislature of 1869 the president of 
 the university was invited by resolution to address that body on the 
 needs of the institution. This was the kind of opportunity which 
 the president might well have coveted. Few could resist the win- 
 ning simphcity "and honest earnestness of his customary public ad- 
 dress. He plead for the removal of the impracticable condition on 
 which public aid had been offered by the preceding Legislatirre. 
 He succeeded. As a consequence of this, the tax of one twentieth 
 of a mill levied and collected for two years, was then due the uni- 
 versity. The whole amount was eventually paid. The university 
 experienced relief. The Board of Regents was jubilant. The pres- 
 ident professed profound satisfaction, but maintained his usual un- 
 demonstrative composure. 
 
170 AUTOBIOGBAPHY OF 
 
 This was a, consummation of triple significance: 1. It brought 
 immediate relief to the university. 2. This relief was based on the 
 just principle that the amount of annual aid should grow with the 
 population and wealth of the State. 3. It inaugurated the principle 
 of legislative support for higher education, and established a prec- 
 edent which would predispose future legislators to contemplate the 
 university with more enlarged and more generous views than had 
 heretofore been entertained. The fruits of this single achievement 
 we are still gathering. The State tax now yields the university 
 $31,500 annually, which is equivalent to an endowment of $453,000 
 at seven per cent, interest; and the other appropriations to the uni- 
 versity at the last session of the Legislature aggregate $160,000. It 
 can now be truthfully boasted that the State University subsists not 
 chiefly by the bounty of the general Government, but by the munifi- 
 cence of the State. 
 
 I know personally that these results were intelligently forecast by 
 President Haven. It is not surprising that he felt that he had accom- 
 plished a culminating and supreme service for the university. To us 
 who acknowledged unreservedly our gratitude for such service, he 
 seemed to be upon the threshold of stUl greater usefulness. We 
 were picturing a future of assured peace, public confidence, and grow- 
 ing prosperity. But at this juncture we were astounded and dismayed 
 •by President Haven's announcement of his intention to resign his 
 office at the close of the collegiate year. 
 
 To this announcement the Board of Regents responded as follows : 
 "We have heard with deep regret from Dr. Haven that he tenders 
 the resignation of his trust as president of the university; that the 
 continued prosperity and enlarged usefulness and fame of the uni- 
 versity, in all its branches during the past six years, has been to a 
 large extent due to the learning, skill, assiduity, and eminent virtues 
 of Dr. Haven; that we accept with deep regret his resignation. At 
 the same time we respectfully request hirn to remain with us until 
 the next meeting of the board, or until the board shall have had 
 time to take action under the delicate and highly responsible trust 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 171 
 
 again devolved upon U8 ; that we feel undiminished confidence in the 
 peculiar fitness of Dr. Haven for the position of president of an in- 
 stitution of learning, and confidently trust that his usefulness may 
 remain undiminished." 
 
 At the board meeting of August 17, President Haven read his 
 sixth and last Annual Report. In this he recites the history of his 
 transactions with the Legislature, and congratulates the board that 
 the Legislature of Michigan passed "the noblest act ever passed for 
 higher education by the Legislature of any American State." On 
 this occasion he enumerated several important advances in the work- 
 ing of the university, and these I shall presently embrace in a general 
 summary. 
 
 During this year President Haven again appeared before the public 
 as the author of a work entitled "Rhetoric: a Text-Book designed 
 for use in Schools and Colleges, and for Private Study." This is a 
 work which our Professor Tyler held in high esteem ; but I am com- 
 pelled here to forego all examination of its merits. 
 
 The presidency of Dr. Haven was signalized by great progress'and 
 solid prosperity in the afiairs of the university. He found the Liter- 
 ary Department with 366 students, and left it with 422 ; the Medical 
 Department with 252 students, and left it with 358 ; and the Law 
 Department with 134 students, while he left it with 342. He found 
 the university with 652 students, and left it with 1,114. Two years 
 before he left there had been 1,255; but during two years the Med- 
 ical Department fell off 167, or from 525 to 358. Had it held its 
 own, the total in the university in 1869 would have been 1,281. The 
 Law Department also fell off 53, or from 395 to 342. Had this also 
 held its own, the total in the university in 1869 would have been 
 1,334. The number of new students admitted to the Literary De- 
 partment in 1863 was 113; in 1868 it was 156. The number of old 
 students who returned was annually increased. 
 
 The progress of the university during President Haven's adminis- 
 tration was further shown by the following consummations, which I 
 name in the order of time: The office of the steward was located 
 
172 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 upon the grounds, and lie was required to devote his whole time to 
 the duties of the position, (March 30, 1864.) The Rominger collec- 
 tion of European fossils was purchased, (March 30, 1864.) The 
 Houghton Herbaritun was received, (June 38, 1864.) A Reserve 
 Fund for the endowment of the Library was created, which, in 
 August, 1869, amounted to $17,166. A School of Mines was in- 
 augurated, (March 28, 1865.) The Astronomical Observatory was 
 enlarged, (Sept. 26, 1865.) The Sager Botanical Collection was re- 
 ceived, (March 29, 1866.) The policy of conferring honorary degrees 
 was adopted, (June 26, 1866.) The Fletcher Law Library was re- 
 ceived, (March 27, 1866.) The Fletcher Professorship of Law was 
 established, (June 28, 1866.) State aid through a property tax of 
 one twentieth of a mill was obtained, first with conditions, (1867,) 
 and afterward without conditions, (1869.) The Medical CoUege 
 building was enlarged, (April 9, 1867.) The Ford Anatomical Col- 
 lection was purchased, (March 35, 1868.) A Course in Mechanical 
 Engineering was organized, (Dec. 32, 1868.) The University Hos- 
 pital was established, (March 31, 1869.) The Sager Anatomical 
 Collection was purchased, (April 1, 1869.) Steam-heating apparatus 
 was introduced, (April 1, 1869.) 
 
 President Haven could easily have accomplished the admission of 
 women ; but his scruples regarding the practicability of the measiu'e, 
 expressed in 1867, led him to thi-ow his influence at first in the oppo- 
 site direction. The co-education of women in the university had 
 been before the attention of the authorities and people since the 
 memorable discussion in the State Teachers' Association in 1855, 
 in which Professor Haven was a strong advocate of the principle, 
 and when it was "Sesohed, That, in the opinion of this association, 
 co-education of the sexes is in accordance with true philosophy, and 
 it is practically expedient." The State Senate adopted a report in 
 1857 strongly favoring the system. In March, 1858, Miss S. E. Bur- 
 ger notified the Board of Regents that she and several other young 
 ladies would make application for admission in June ; and this was 
 done; but the application was refused. In September, 1858,- the 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEJV. 173 
 
 regents, after long examination of the question, were led to adopt an 
 adverse report, resolving tliat "at present it is inexpedient to intro- 
 duce this change into the institution." In 1859 a petition was re- 
 ceived from 1,476 citizens in favor of the admission of women; and 
 Miss Burger and thi-ee other ladies renewed their application. The 
 regents, however, only re-afflrmed their action of the previous year. 
 It is a traditional fact, however, that their action would have been 
 favorable but for opposition proceeding from representatives of the 
 faculties of the university. The question now remained dormant till 
 1867, when the Legislature adopted a joint resolution, declaring 
 "That it is the deliberate opinion of this Legislature that the high 
 objects for which the University of Michigan was organized will 
 never be fully attained until women are admitted to all its rights and 
 privileges." In pursuance of this declaration, Eegent Willard in- 
 duced the board, in April, to I'efer the question again to the Execu- 
 tive Committee. I do not learn that the Executive Committee ever 
 reported ; but the subject was discussed by President Haven in his 
 Annual Report for 1867, and the measure was pronounced inexpedi- 
 ent. In his Report for 1868, however, he expresses the conviction 
 which he had enunciated thirteen years before, that women have 
 rights in the university which it is expedient to respect. But the 
 subject was passed over by the board until the April meeting of 1869, 
 when Regent Willard renewed his attempt by introducing the reso- 
 lution, " That in the opinion of the board no rule exists in any of the 
 university statutes which excludes women from the university." It 
 was the impression of the majority, however, that the conservatism 
 Ungering in the faculties would prevent the experiment from receiv- 
 ing a fair trial, and they perhaps still believed that some expensive 
 reaiTangements of the buildings would be demanded. Mr. Willard'a 
 second attempt, therefore, fotmd its way to a resting-place "on the 
 table." This was the status of the question when President Haven 
 took his final leave of the university. But the germ of success was 
 developing. At the first regular meeting after the retirement of 
 President Haven, Regent Willard, with the persistence of a true re- 
 
174: AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 f oi-mer, returned to the attempt to secure the natural and legal rights 
 of women in the university, by introducing the following unostenta- 
 tious resolution : 
 
 '■^Retohed, That the Board of Regents recognize the right of every 
 resident of Michigan to the enjoyment of the privileges afforded by 
 the university; and that no rule exists in any of the university stat- 
 utes for the exclusion of any person from the university who possesses 
 the requisite literary and moral qualifications." 
 
 The resolution was laid upon the table, but was subsequently taken 
 up, on motion of Regent Willard, and adopted by a vote of six to 
 two. This was on January 5, 1870. 
 
 Though the consummation was reached after President Haven had 
 entered upon another field of duty, it was only a fruit whose ripen- 
 ing he had nurtured and watched. 
 
ERA8TUS O. HAVEN, 175 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 PEESIDENT OF THE NOETH-WESTEEN XHaVEESITY. 
 
 WTJiT the summer of 1869 I visited Evanston, to partici- 
 JL pate in tlie exercises of tlieir commencement. I had 
 been interested in the North-western University from its be- 
 ginning. Rev. C. T. Hinman, D.D., its first president, and 
 among its projectors, was my intimate friend, and several 
 times we conversed about the project before it was started, 
 and after the first purchase of lands for its foundation was 
 made. Tip to 1860 it had never accomplished much, ex- 
 cept in the form of a good preparatory department for the 
 Garrett Biblical Institute, a theological school. The trust- 
 ees unanimously urged me to accept the presidency, and 
 offered me all possible inducements to do so. Having con- 
 quered the situation at Ann Arbor, and feeling that I 
 could probably be more useful at Evanston, I consented to 
 receive the appointment. I believe now it was an error of 
 judgment to leave so strong an institution, where every thing 
 had assumed the form of stability, and yet where there was 
 so good an opportunity for expansion. 
 
 " Still, in those days of pecuniary inflation, when the at- 
 mosphere was full of hope and speculation, it appeared an 
 easy thing to command money enough near Chicago to 
 make the North-western University equal to any in the 
 country. Moreover, I felt a strong desire to be more inti- 
 mately at w;ork in a religious institution. After accepting 
 
176 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 the office and passing through the usual ceremony of in- 
 auguration, at which Bishop Thomson made an elegant 
 address, I betook myseK heartily to the new work. In a 
 few days I recommended a plan whereby the Chicago 
 Medical College was united with the university. This was 
 then the only medical college in the United States that 
 required a three-years' course of graded study, with careful 
 and repeated examinations. The Dean of the Faculty was 
 Ifoah S. Davis, M.D., who was really the founder and first 
 president of the American Medical Association, and to 
 whom the medical profession is as much indebted as to any 
 other man. This medical college consisted of a few able 
 professors who were resolutely determined to raise the 
 standard of medical education. I was proud to be able to 
 induce the Iforth-westem University to adopt it, and to 
 render it some pecuniary help, and thus to promote sound 
 scholarship. As the new and elegant university building 
 was then completed, the number of students rapidly in- 
 creased, and the institution began to be a great power. 
 
 " Evanston had already an organization of trustees to es- 
 tablish a Woman's CoUege, but had not yet succeeded in 
 obtaining any pecuniary foundation for it ; principally, be- 
 cause there was a flourishing private institution of the kind 
 in the village. I directed all my efforts to induce the pro- 
 prietor of the private institution to surrender its influence 
 to the university, and by public efforts and private solicita- 
 tions brought about a union of the proposed Woman's Col- 
 lege with the university, and obtained large contributions 
 for the erection of an elegant building. 
 - "All the classes of the university were opened to women 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 177 
 
 as well as to men, an^ the North-western University at 
 once entered upon its suecessful history. Arrangements 
 were also entered into for the estabHshment of a Law De- 
 partment in Chicago^ in conjunction with both the North- 
 western and Chicago Universities, which were not, how- 
 ever, practically completed till after I left the institution. 
 
 " The three years which I spent in Evanston were to me 
 full of labor and enjoyment. Much of my time was em- 
 ployed in the soKcitation of money for the educational 
 institutions and churches of that place and vicinity. 
 
 " In 1871, October 8 and 9, occurred the great Chicago fire, 
 which deserves to be commemorated aa certainly one of the 
 most disastrous conflagrations recorded in history. The 
 destruction of London in 1666 and of Moscow in 1812 did 
 not surpass it in terribleness ajid grandeur. Nearly all of 
 a great city was swept away, the, fierce flames and winds 
 leaving scarcely any thing that was combustible nncon- 
 sumed. L-on was melted, stones were broken to fragments, 
 and the very ashes were consumed or blown away, leaving 
 piles of brick and ruins in all sorts of fantastic shapes along 
 the sides of the elevated wood and concrete-paved streets, 
 which, strangely enough, alone seemed to have power to 
 escape the ravages of the intense heat. Evanston was filled 
 with fugitives. 
 
 "The university, happily, lost but little property, for its 
 estate was in the solid earth, too real to be overcome by 
 any superficial fire. But the Garrett Biblical Institute was 
 not so fortunate. Its chief productive endowment was a 
 block of buildings in Chicago, which was destroyed. Sup- 
 posed to be beyond the reach of contingency, it was found 
 12 
 
] 78 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 practically bankrupt, retaining oiily*its school building on 
 tbe university site. In a few hours the attention of the 
 whole civilized world was called to Chicago, and there 
 poured in from all parts of . this country and from abroad 
 contributions of food, clothing, furniture, and money, to 
 supply the wants of a homeless city. But none would be 
 likely to think of a bankrupt theological school. There- 
 fore its friends rallied, and some of us were sent out to 
 visit the churches and obtain aid for it. It f eU to my lot 
 to present its cause in Baltimore, Washington, and vicinity, 
 and the friends responded nobly. Others presented its 
 wants in New Tork, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Boston, and 
 in various other parts of the country, and the result was 
 the saving of this noble institution. One of the chief good 
 results of such a calamity is to bring out the kinship and 
 resources of the Christian world. The burning of Chicago 
 was an unparalleled catastrophe ; its rebuilding was a won- 
 der never surpassed." 
 
 The foregoing sketch of the progress of the North- 
 western University under his administration was written 
 by President Haven himself ; and, though not incorporated 
 with the autobiography, it doubtless contains the substance 
 of what he intended to insert. 
 
 Through the courtesy of Dr. Oliver Marcy, for several 
 years acting president of the North-western University, and 
 associated with Dr. Haven during his presidency, the fol- 
 lowing sketch, covering- a part of the same period embraced 
 in President Haven's account, but containing much addi- 
 tioQal information, is furnished : 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAVEN. 179 
 
 The opening of the college year in 1869 was a great epoch in the 
 history of the institution. Instruction had been given for fourteen 
 years ; but now for the first time there was a proper building for 
 the accommodation of the college. The faculty had always been 
 small and the students few, and much of the time the institution 
 had been without a president. Dr. Haven's organizing power was 
 mmediately felt. Dming the first year he brought rapidly to- 
 gether the more immediately available elements of enlargement and 
 strength. The Chicago Medical CoUege became a department of the 
 university. A chemical laboratory was established; a Department of 
 CivU Engineering was organized ; the library was enlarged by the ad- 
 dition of 20,000 volumes; a College for Ladies was organized in the 
 place, with encouragement from him and the trustees that its stu- 
 dents should have all the literary arid scientific privileges of the uni- 
 versity, and young women began to study in the regular college 
 courses. The Garrett Biblical Institute also came into closer rela- 
 tions with the university. Its catalogue formed a part of the uni- 
 versity catalogue. 
 
 Dr. Haven's report to the Board of Trustees, June, 1870, gave a 
 history of the institution in the past ; a statement of the work ac- 
 complished during the preceding year, with plans and recommenda- 
 tions for the future. Every department had grown in numbers, and 
 was in a healthy condition. The report was fuU of hope and 
 courage. 
 
 At this meeting a committee was appointed to inaugurate a Law 
 Department. Arrangements were made with the Norwegians and 
 Swedes for the instruction of their young people, especially those 
 preparing for the ministry. Measures were taken to remove the old 
 college building to the college campus, and greatly enlarge it for the 
 occupancy of the preparatory school, which had grown very much in 
 numbers during the year. 
 
 The second year of Dr. Haven's administration was very prosper- 
 ous. He built a residence for himself, took an active part in the 
 Philosophical Society of the place, which contained many men of fine 
 
180 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 cultvire; his society was much sought by men of position and influ- 
 ence; -each Sabbath he preached a sermon before the coUege in the 
 coUege chapel, to which the dtizens crowded to Usten; he was in- 
 vited to lecture before other colleges and before educational associa- 
 tions, and the presidents and officers of other colleges honored him 
 with calls. The plans for strengthening and perfecting the univer- 
 sity which he had initiated the preceding year were developing with 
 success. The Medical College had erected its new and commodious 
 building, and the "College for Ladies" had been chartered. But 
 though this was a distinct institution, it was expected to so co-operate 
 with the work of the university as practically to form a department 
 of it without expense to the general fund. The lafge and beautiful 
 plot of ground which the college now occupies had been secured, 
 and the comer-stone of the present building had been laid. The num- 
 ber of students had increased in all departments, and at the time of his 
 second Annual Report to the Trustees, in June, 1871, every thing was 
 so hopeful and so pleasant that apparently nothing was thought of 
 but a long life at Evanston, and the successful establishment on a 
 secure and permanent foundation of a great university for the Church 
 of the country. 
 
 After referring to the dieastrous Chicago fire, and its ef- 
 fect npon the finances of the university, and the part taken 
 by Dr. Haven in presenting its canse before the eastern 
 Church, Dr. Marey proceeds : 
 
 Dr. Haven was a member of the General Conference at Brooklyn 
 in 1872. He was elected by that body Secretary of the Board of 
 Education of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was its first sec- 
 retary. It was a new field. The whole Church and the whole coun- 
 try were before him. All the educational institutions properly be- 
 longing to the Church could be made to feel his touch. It was, a 
 fine field for his organizing power. 
 
 His third and last report to the trustees, made in June, 1872, did 
 
ERASTUS O, HAVEN. 181 
 
 not refer to his election. Professor Noyes had died during the year. 
 He was one of the first faculty of the institution, elected in 1854. By 
 his death that faculty ceased to be represented in the institution. 
 The report made touching reference to his memory and suggests that 
 appropriate resolutions be passed by the board. As the vacant chair 
 was to be filled, the report recommends that it be the policy of the 
 trustees " to call young and promising men to fill its chairs when va^ 
 cant, giving them, at first, salaiies considerably lower than the max- 
 imum, and as they grow in years and experience let their salaries be 
 raised. In this way the faculty will always have a proper proportion 
 of men of various ages. " 
 
 This policy combines the promise of the future eminence of the 
 professor with the advantages of his zealous and enthusiastic work 
 in youth, and in the end secures to the institution the reputation of 
 his well-earned fame. The financial items saved by this policy can 
 be made to furnish material necessary for the work of the institution. 
 
 In this report, also, we find his thought in regard to the problem 
 of the liberal education of young women. The report recommends 
 that "aU young women [students recognized by the university] be 
 required by the university to register as members of the Ladies' Col- 
 lege. They need care, home, and cheap board." He would not have 
 them left as they are at some institutions, without other regulations 
 than those prescribed for young men. To remunerate the Ladies' 
 College for the care of those who received their instruction in the 
 College of Liberal Arts, by his advice the trustees paid to the Ladies' 
 College the contingent fees, reserving only the regular tuition to de- 
 fray the expense of instruction. 
 
 His judgment was always good, his -action always deliberate and 
 prudent, and his counsel always safe. The very expensive building 
 which the ladies saw fit to erect never met his approbation, and events 
 have proved that his suegestions were wise. The report pointed out 
 the fact that many additions and improvements to the institution 
 were needed, but, without recommending any immediate expenditure, 
 it advises to "wait the increase of our iaeome, which we are con- 
 
182 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 stantly expecting from the liberality of our friends and from an im- 
 provement and development of our property." 
 
 The election of Dr. Haven to be Secretary of the Board of Educa- 
 tion caused much anxiety among the members of the Board of Trust, 
 ees. A committee on the presidency was appointed, who, in a later 
 part of the session, reported as follows . 
 
 "Your committee, to whom was referred the subject of the presi- 
 dency of the university in connection with the fact that Dr. Haven 
 has been elected by the General Conference to another position, beg 
 leave to report, that they have had the subject under consideration 
 in conference with our president, and feel justified in coming to the 
 conclusion that, while we have in Dr. Haven the right man in the 
 right place, we also believe that if the friends and patrons of the 
 institution shall be as faithful in their efforts to make the North- 
 western University in reality a university, giving to the young men 
 and women of the great North-west advantages with the older insti- 
 tutions of the country, as he has been in filling the president's chair, 
 that we need not apprehend any danger of his being removed from 
 Ms present position ; and we earnestly recommend that this board 
 unanimously request Dr. Haven to continue in his connection with 
 the North-western University." 
 
 This report was signed by J. V. Farwell, chairman, and was unan- 
 imously adopted by a rising vote. 
 
 It was a critical period with Dr. Haven. He withheld his resigna- 
 tion, hoping that means would be provided through which the univer- 
 sity would be placed in a superior and independent condition. But 
 seeing no prospect of immediately realizing these hopes, he chose the 
 broader field of immediate usefulness to which he had been elected. 
 In September he sent to the Executive Committee the following letter : 
 
 "EvAHSTON, Sept. 12, 1872. 
 "2T? the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the North- 
 western University: 
 
 "Dear BRETHREiir — Having concluded to accept the office of Cor- 
 responding Secretary of the Board of Education of the Methodist 
 
EEASTUS O. HATES". 183 
 
 Episcopal Cliurch, it becomes my duty to resign the presidency of 
 the North-western University. It is painful for me to sever relations 
 that have been so uniformly agreeable and pleasant. I rejoice with 
 you, not only in the great promise of the university for the future, 
 but also in its healthy and rapid growth in the past, and in its pres- 
 ent usefulness and power. All its departments are, I believe, abun- 
 dantly prosperous. It has a noble and faithful faculty, and the num- 
 ber of students is larger than ever before. It is only because I have 
 high hopes that the Board of Education will be useful to the entire 
 Church, and that having been called to engage in its work, it is my 
 duty to do so, that I consent. It would not become me to detail 
 what has been done for the university during the last three years. 
 Suffice it to say, that it seems to me to have kept pace with the won- 
 derful progress which characterizes that portion of the country in 
 which it is located. May its future be as the past, only more abun- 
 dantly! 
 
 " With sincere gratitude for all your kindness in the pasb, and ear- 
 nestly praying for the divine blessing upon you officially and indi- 
 vidually, I am, Very truly yours, 
 
 "E. O. Haven." 
 
 At a special meeting of the Board of Trustees, held Oct. 23, 1872, 
 the following resolutions were adopted: 
 
 "Besohed, 1. That in accepting the resignation of Dr. Haven of the 
 presidency of the North-western University we do so with sincere 
 regret— a feeling which we believe is shared alike by trustees, faculty, 
 students, and the community at large. 
 
 "2. That the administration of Dr. Haven has been marked by wise 
 prudence and an enlightened progress ; that in him the trustees have 
 found an experienced educator who believes in the possibility of con- 
 stant advancement, the power of a profound thinker, the fidelity, 
 dignity and modesty of a Christian scholar and gentleman. 
 
 " 3. That the increased number of departments, with the large ad- 
 dition of students, and the successful policy indorsed and sustained 
 
184 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 by Dr. Haven in opening the college classes to women, attest the wis- 
 dom of his administration. 
 
 " 4. That we believe Dr. Haven to have carefully considered the 
 question of his resignation, and that he is impelled to leave by no 
 want of interest in the university, but from a deep conviction that in 
 his new field he can be more useful to the cause of education and 
 religion, and in this he may be assured that oin- prayers and wishes 
 for his success will follow him. 
 
 " 5. That we regard with special gratification the statement that he 
 may continue to reside in our midst ; that in any event he will re- 
 main a member of the Board of Trustees, where his presence and 
 counsel will always be most welcome. 
 
 "WiBT Dkxteb, 
 "R. F. Qdeal, 
 "Richard Hasbt, 
 "Committee." 
 
EEASTTO O. HAVEN. 185 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 BECEETAET OF THE BOAED OE EDUCATION. 
 
 In the early history of Methodism in the United States 
 the ministers devoted themselves to the work whieh lay 
 nearest their hearts, the salvation of souls. Called of God 
 to the duty of spreading scriptural holiness over this New 
 World, they gave themselves to this one work with an 
 intensity of devotion which left no time to deplore the 
 defects of their own early training, or to form any com- 
 prehensive plans for the education of their children. Nor 
 were they on this account, probably, any the less fitted for 
 the work in which they were engaged. They were of the 
 people, and in full sympathy with the classes from whieh 
 they sprang. Nor were they slow in mastering the arts 
 of ready and effective speech by which to reach and save 
 their feUow-men. The ministry which the Church de- 
 mands to-day would not have been effective then. The 
 ministry which proved so mighty then could not reach the 
 masses to-day. From the beginning, the wisest features of 
 the Methodist Church have been those adapted to meet 
 some immediate exigency. Thus arose the class-meeting 
 and the itinerancy. In the New "World the Church found 
 its secret of success in pursuing the method which had 
 proved so successful in the Old. It had neither colleges 
 nor theological schools, nor men of wealth to found them, 
 nor scholars to man them. But it did not waste its time 
 
186 • AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 in deploring the want, nor grow faint-hearted that it was 
 not better equipped ; it wrought right on untU the provi- 
 dence of God should supply the deficiency. Had the 
 fathers known what years must elapse before education 
 should flourish among their sons, they might have cherished 
 fears for the future of their Church. Happily the future, 
 in this as in all other respects, was hidden from their eyes ; 
 and they were content to scatter the good seed of the 
 kingdom, expecting the Master to bring in the appropriate 
 harvest in due time. 
 
 Nevertheless, the Methodist Church was not indifferent 
 even then to the cause of education. As early as 1780 we 
 find Mr. Asbury engaged with John Dickens in preparing 
 plans for a seminary and raising funds to put it into 
 operation. The outcome of this effort seems to have been 
 Cokesbury College, at Abingdon, Maryland, eighteen miles 
 north of Baltimore. The corner-stone of this institution 
 was laid in 1785, and it was formally opened September 
 17, 1787. 
 
 In an appeal to the public at this time, Bishops Asbury 
 and Coke say that they have "three objects in its erection : 
 first, to provide for the education of the sons of ministers ; 
 secondly, for the education and support of poor orphans ; 
 and lastly, but not least, the establishment of a seminary 
 for the children of our friends, where learning and religion 
 may go hand in hand." The history of this institution 
 was brief. In 1795, eight years after the opening of its 
 classes, it was burned to the ground, together with its 
 library and apparatus, apparently by the hands of an in- 
 cendiary. No attempt was made to rebuild upon the 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 187 
 
 former site, but the friends of education in Baltimore pur- 
 chased a building ia that city, and the school was re-opened 
 there. Within a year from the destruction of the first 
 building the second caught fire and was consumed. 
 
 While this educational work was in progress in and near 
 Baltimore, Bishop Asbuiy was busy in encouraging the 
 establishment of seminaries of learning in the South and 
 West. But these disasters appear to have been taken as 
 providential indications that his specific work was the 
 preaching of the word, while the work of founding insti- 
 tutions of learning was to be remitted to other hands. 
 This relation of Methodism to such a vital interest could 
 not long exist. The life of the young Church was too 
 vigorous, and the affinity between Christianity and educa- 
 tion was too powerful to permit the continuance of the 
 unnatural divorce. Accordingly academies were founded 
 in Baltimore, New York, and New England, as early as 
 1820 ; Augusta College, in Kentucky, was founded in 1823, 
 and Madison, in Pennsylvania, soon after. These were 
 soon followed by Wesleyan University at Middletown, 
 Conn., Dickinson College, at Carlisle, and Alleghany Col- 
 lege, at MeadviUe, Pa. 
 
 Since that time the tendency of Methodism has been to 
 attempt too much rather than too little in the cause of 
 education. 
 
 No effort was made to systematize the educational work 
 of the Church until 1860. In the General Conference of 
 that year a special committee was constituted, charged with 
 the duty of providing a plan for a Board of Education. 
 This was not followed by any other corresponding action 
 
188 AUTOBIOGEAPHT OF 
 
 on the part of the Conference, and the matter was per- 
 mitted to rest. From this point the history of the move- 
 ment can best be given in the language of the correspond- 
 ing secretary. In his report for January, 18Y4, Dr. Haven 
 said ; 
 
 To answer the many questions proposed it will be proper to re- 
 capitulate the facts of the organization of the Board of Education. 
 
 Origin of the Board. — The Centenary Committee appointed by the 
 Bishops, according to the instructions of the General Conference of 
 1864, which consisted of all the Bishops, twelve travehng preachers, 
 and twelve laymen, unanimously recommended the organization of 
 the board, to take charge of whatever moneys might be contributed 
 during the Centenary Celebration and thereafter, for the general pur- 
 poses which were afterward specified in the charter of the present 
 Board of Education. The next General Conference (of 1868) unani- 
 mously approved the action of the Centenary Committee and ap- 
 pointed the board. The funds placed under its charge amounted at 
 the time to only |84,000, and after full deliberation and with the 
 consent of the few Conferences from whose bounds the money had 
 been contributed, the money was invested, and but Uttle was done for 
 the next four years, except of a preliminary character. In the mean- 
 time a Charter of Incorporation was obtained from the State of New 
 York, and a Constitution and By-laws were adopted. The General 
 Conference of 1873 re-affirmed an approval of the Board of Education 
 and appointed a corresponding secretary, with instructions to devote 
 all his time to the promotion of its object. This General Conference 
 also ordered that a collection for education be taken annually in all 
 oxu' congregations, and that imless the proceeds were directed by a 
 special vote of the Conference to some local education society, aux- 
 iliary to the board, they should be forwarded to the Board of Educa- 
 tion. 
 
 This Conference also recommended all our Sunday-schools to ob- 
 serve the second Sunday in June as " Children's Day," when the 
 
ERASTTJS O. HAVEN. 189 
 
 great subject of education and the interests of tie board should be 
 brought before every Sunday-school, and a collection in its behalf be 
 taken. 
 
 Objects of the Bob/fcL of Education. — The objects of the board, as 
 stated in the constitution, are as follows : 
 
 Sec. 5. The Board of Trustees herein provided for shall have such 
 power as may be necessary for the management of the afEairs and 
 property of said corporation not inconsistent with this charter or the 
 rules and regulations of said General Conference, and shall make 
 quadrennial reports to that body; and it shall be the duty of the 
 board to receive and securely invest the principal of the Centenary Edu- 
 cational Fund of the Methodist Episcopal Church whenever the same 
 shall be committed to it by the proper persons,, officers, or board now 
 having the same in charge, and to appropriate the interest only from 
 time to time to the following purposes, to wit : To aid young men 
 preparing for the foreign misstenary work of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church; to aid young men preparing for the ministry of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. These two objects to be reached 
 through the Missionary Society, the Bishops, and such educational 
 societies of the Church as may be approved by the board. 
 
 To the aid of the biblical and theological schools now in existence, 
 and of such others as may, with the approval of the General Confer- 
 ence of the Methodist Episcopal Church, hereafter be established. 
 
 To the aid of the universities, colleges, or academies now existing 
 under the patronage of said Church, or which may hereafter be 
 established. 
 
 Provided, That no appropriation shall be made by the board at any 
 time for building purposes, whether for bibUcal schools or for uni- 
 versities, colleges, or academies ; and provided further, that no uni- 
 versity, college, or academy not now in existence shall be aided by 
 the board, unless the board shall first have been consulted, and shall 
 have approved of the establishment and organization of such insti- 
 tution. 
 
 All future contributions to the fund shall be held in trust by the 
 
190 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 board for the aid of needy and worthy young persons seeking an edu- 
 cation, and for such specific educational purposes as the donors shall 
 direct. 
 
 It shall be the duty of said Board of Education to receive, separately 
 invest, and augment the Sunday-school Children's Fund commenced 
 during the centenary year, which shall be administered according to 
 its original design, namely, by appropriating the interest only to 
 assist meritorious Sunday-school scholars in obtaining a more ad- 
 vanced education. Each Annual Conference shall share in the annual 
 proceeds of this fund proportionately to the number of Sunday-school 
 children under its care; provided no Conference shall share in the 
 proceeds of money contributed hereafter which shall not take annual 
 collections in behalf of this fund in the Sunday-schools within the 
 bounds of said Conference. The beneficiaries within the bounds of 
 each Annual Conference shall be selected in such a manner as said 
 Conference shall direct. The boarc^ shall also serve as a general 
 agency of the Church in behalf of ministerial and general education. 
 It shall recognize as auxiliaries all educational societies now existing 
 within the Church, and which may be hereafter formed, on condi- 
 tion that such societies send an annual report of their statistics to the 
 board. Any Annual Conference may form an education society, aux- 
 iliary to said Board of Education, with the understanding that all 
 collections or contributions for educational purposes made by the 
 order of said Conference shall be appropriated at its discretion. All 
 contributions to permanent funds made by order of an Annual Con- 
 ference may be held and administered by the Conference auxiliary if 
 it be incorporated, and if not, shall be forwarded to said Board of 
 Education, to be held in trust for the purposes specified by the donors. 
 The board shall seek to promote the cause of education through- 
 out the Church by collecting and publishing statistics, by furnishing 
 plans for educational buildings, and by giving counsel with regard 
 to the location and organization of new institutions, and shall also 
 have authority to constitute a general agency for communication be- 
 tween teachers desiring employment and those needing their services. 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 191 
 
 The proceeds of the Sunday-school OWldren's Fund can be applied 
 to needy students of both sexes, properly recommended, who are pre- 
 paring for higher usefulness in the Chuch. 
 
 After giving a resvm/ of the work of the year— of 
 visits to Conferences and straggling institutions of learn- 
 ing — this Eeport proceeds to discuss — 
 
 WTiat Ought to he Done. — This part of my report, if properly writ- 
 ten, would be far the most voluminous and suggestive. 
 
 It has been proposed that the Board of Education should exert 
 some influence to classify and harmonize our institutions to prevent 
 their undue multiplication; to secure the pursuance of studies appro- 
 priate to the names of the institutions, and which shall best subserve 
 the public good. 
 
 The board has no authority to attempt this, and can only exert an 
 advisory influence. As it regards the undue multiplication of schools, 
 much of the dissatisfaction upon the subject arises .from their im- 
 proper classification, and the want of a suitable division of labor. 
 We need more institutions of learning than we have, but every school 
 should have a well-defined object in view, and its aim should be per- 
 fection in its own kind. There is also a various demand in different 
 parts of our country. The universities, colleges, academies, normal 
 schools, as the country advances, should confine themselves respect- 
 ively to their own fields. Of these, our academies or Conference 
 seminaries constitute the foundation, and in many respects are the 
 most valuable, and if they can be developed to perfection the others 
 will be sure to prosper. In the older parts of the coxintry these 
 academies are usually independent of the colleges, and are situated 
 in other places, having evidently the proper ambition to do their own 
 work in the most efficient manner possible. They do not aspire to 
 be called colleges or universities, or even departments of such. In 
 the newer portions of the country in the South and "West these 
 academies largely constitute preparatory departments, so-called, of 
 the colleges and universities. The most of our colleges in the newer 
 
192 AUTOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 • 
 States actually have a larger number of preparatory pupils than of 
 
 students pursuing a college course of studies. In the most of such 
 instances the work of the faculty is divided between academic and 
 college instruction. The efEect is in some respects embarrassing to 
 both. The preparatory schools are subordinate and do not develop 
 into so high a character as where they are alone, and it is difficult 
 for a college or university to maintain a proper grade of study and a 
 proper public opinion among the students where so much miscellane- 
 ous work is required. 
 
 If there is any theoretical opinion in which our educators are nearly 
 unanimous, it is that the cause of higher education among us would 
 be greatly promoted by a concentration of our college and university 
 work in a few institutions, with a corresponding enlargement of all 
 their working material. At the same time, if there is an opinion 
 upon which all ought to agree, it is l^at academies or seminaries are 
 among the most useful of our institutions of learning, and that they 
 ought to be increased in numbers, and that they ought to be endowed, 
 and that each should aim not only to prepare students for college, 
 but also to afiord the best advantages it can command for a general 
 business and literary education to such students as complete their 
 school work in them. Also, there should be perfect harmony and 
 co-operation between the two classes of schools. 
 
 These desirable objects can best be reached by a recognized division 
 of labor. As the country grows wealthier and more thickly settled, 
 and our-schools gain in power, the different classes of schools should 
 assume their distiactive character. Baeh, then, can help the other. 
 If the reasons be sought why the most successful State university in 
 the nation has surpassed all others, one fact will deserve attention, 
 that from' the beginning it has had no preparatory department, and 
 in the days of its feebleness it was a college and a college only. The 
 consequence was that the preparatory schools in the State were con- 
 tent to be preparatory schools and proud to be associated with it, 
 not fearing any rivalry in their specaal work. 
 
 No person in the Methodist Church has ever had better 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 193 
 
 opportunities for reviewing the importance of the confer- 
 ence academy or preparatory school than Dr. Haven, and 
 no one has ever appreciated it at a higher valuation. He 
 refers to it more than once in his Journal, and recurs to the 
 subject again in this report : 
 
 The conference seminaries are still accomplishing their great work. 
 The table enimierates fifty-one under this class. Some of them have 
 university charters, and with more or less efficiency sustain college 
 courses of study, as many of the colleges also are doing the work of 
 their seminaries. The students are about equallj; divided in sex. 
 Some attend but one term, and some several years. In some parts 
 of the country the public high schools in the cities and large villages 
 seem to have weakened the demand for some of these seminaries, and 
 an apprehension has been entertained that conference seminaries are 
 no longer needed, and will be likely to pass away. This is an error. 
 Wherever the seminary is simply a local academy, taking the place 
 of a public high school, it will be likely to fail, and it has small 
 claim on the general public ; but wherever it is so managed as to at- 
 tract students from abroad, and to maintain extensive courses of 
 study, the demand will increase with the growing excellence of pub- 
 lic schools. These seminaries should all prepare students for college, 
 and should also be particularly thorough in the elementary branches 
 of study. We would call attention to the advice in oiu- Discipline 
 upon conference seminaries. These seminaries have exerted an influ- 
 ence for good that it would not be easy to over-estimate. In these 
 thousands of young people have been educated that would not have 
 been reached without them. They are the feeders of our colleges 
 and universities. Multitudes have been won to a Christian life and 
 character in them. Every Conference should be interested in at least 
 one such academy. Some of the larger Conferences can easily sus- 
 tain more than one. Better, however, have one strong academy than 
 two or three feeble ones. The time has come when our oldest insti- 
 tutions of this class should be seeking, at least, a partial endowment. 
 13 
 
194 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP 
 
 A sufficient endowment to pay the principal is the least that should 
 be asked for. It will be noticed that but a small proportion of them 
 as yet report any endowment fund, and several of these express an 
 intention to become colleges. 
 
 Kespecting tlie manner in whicli these and higher insti- 
 tntions should be established, and their great importance to 
 the Church, his views are equally clear and sound : 
 
 As it regards the foundation of pennanent academies, or semina- 
 ries, or colleges, in the newer portions of the country, while we would 
 encourage benefactions from able and liberal persons for this purpose 
 who reside in the older and wealthier portions of the country, and 
 would gladly see them multiplied, we desire to suggest to our pioneer 
 Conferences that they are but repeating the history of aU the older 
 institutions. Our seminaries have not been usually helped from 
 abroad. The most prosperous are those which have commanded the 
 zealous eflEorts of their own respective Conferences. It is, indeed, 
 true that, had the Board of Education one hundred thousand dollars 
 to expend within a year for that purpose, it could undoubtedly secure 
 donations from those in the vicinity of the schools to be established, 
 amounting to at least two himdred thousand more, and thus accom- 
 plish a work whose magnitude it would be difficult to overestimate; 
 but as yet our Church does not supply the money. Our wealthy 
 members and friends do not yet see their opportunity and appreciate 
 its importance. But it is unwise to wait for them. Schools, where 
 needed, can be founded now as heretofore. We have not too many 
 of them. This sentiment is all erroneous. Every Conference should 
 have at least one. When the work is to be done de rumo, let a large 
 site be secured, and, if possible, more land than is immediately 
 needed for school pmrposes. Debt should be avoided. It is better 
 to expend only the income, and increase the expenditure and effi- 
 ciency with the growth of the school. When these schools are prop- 
 erly located and wisely managed they always become permanent and 
 the sources of great good. 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 195 
 
 The most thoughtful historians and critics who have studied the 
 origin and growth of Methodism in all pari;s of the worid where it 
 has exert;ed its influence, have frequently observed that it has fol- 
 lowed the indications of Providence rather than a preconceived plan. 
 This should not be claimed boastingly, but with profound gratitude 
 to God. Undoubtedly the intellect as^ell as the heart is a divine 
 endowment, and it is not wrong to lay comprehensive and far-reach- 
 ing plans for the future. How much the Church has lost for the 
 want of sufficient foresight can never be known. Still, when we see 
 similar movements springing up under the most various circum- 
 stances, often seemingly without premeditation, and sometimes over- 
 coming prejudgment and opposition, we cannot fail to recognize the 
 existence of a universal demand and law. Such is the fact with ref- 
 erence to the interest of Methodist Churches in education. It has 
 been discovered that a Church cannot exist long without it. Or, 
 waiving all theory and confining our attention to naked facts, a 
 Church never has prospered long without it. Ignorance is an atmo- 
 sphere of death to Christianity. A vital Church always will attend 
 to the cultivation of the intellect and heart together. We might 
 illustrate this principle by all Christian denominations that have pros- 
 pered as long as through three generations. It could be confirmed 
 by a particular history of every prosperous branch of Methodism. 
 
 In his last Eeport as Corresponding Secretary of the 
 Board of Education, and but a short time before his elec- 
 tion to the episcopacy, Dr. Haven gave utterance to his 
 views upon the duty and propriety of providing pecuniary 
 aid for students struggling to obtain an education. It has 
 become quite a fashion of late, in some quarters, to con- 
 demn the practice of extending this assistance, and slur the 
 students receiving it. Dr. Haven's long and wide experi- 
 ence and sound judgment should give his opinions on this 
 subject peculiar weight. He says : 
 
196 
 
 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP 
 
 Few that are not connected with our higher schools can have any 
 adequate idea of the demand for assistance, or of the great good that 
 can be efEected by a little timely aid to needy young men and women 
 who seem to be influenced by purest motives to seek an education. 
 The most of them are destitute of money, and if they are compelled 
 to earn enough to meet thejj expenses while attending school will 
 consmne from ten to fifteen years in the work, and then find it most 
 unsatisfactoiily done. One hundred dollars a year, loaned to them 
 for from two to eight years, wiU enable them, with much, self-denial 
 and hard labor, to prepare for theu- life-work. Our Wesleyan breth- 
 ren in Great Britain support all the needy students in the vaiious 
 branches of their Theological Institution. Other denominations do 
 the same thing. More than half of the university students in Great 
 Britain are sustained by "exhibitions" and other funds, and thi-ee 
 fourths, if not all, of the other half are supported by then- parents or 
 friends. It is largely so among other denominations in this coiintiy. 
 It is not too much to say that the chief reliance of the Roman Cath- 
 olics in America is in theii- schools, in which, on certain conditions, 
 any needy student can receive support without any personal expense, 
 and such an education as they give. It is possible for Methodists to 
 be so squeamish and proud on this subject as to injm-e the cause of 
 God, and exhibit folly rather than bravery. Sound common sense, 
 according to the estimation of the vast majority of men competent to 
 have an opinion on the subject, requires that these young people 
 should receive a proper and discriminating assistance. John "Wesley 
 was a beneficiary student in academy, college, and university, and 
 with his sagacity advocated the practice by words and work as long 
 as he lived. Let us profit by his example. 
 
 Duriug the first years of his connection "with the Board 
 of Education Dr. IIa"^en traveled extensively throughout 
 the Church, visiting Conferences and inciting the ministers 
 to punctuality in the performance of their duties to the 
 cause of education ; lending his aid and counsel to institu- 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAATEN. 197 
 
 tions of learning, struggling to gain permanent footing ; 
 and making such surveys of tlie field as would best qualify 
 Mm for intelligent planning and vigorous and comprelien- 
 sive execution of liis work. 
 
 He traveled extensively tlirougli the southern as well as 
 the northern States, visiting Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, 
 Mississippi, Tennessee, and others, and every-where keep- 
 ing uppermost the education of the ministers and masses 
 of the Church. In 1874 he was oifered the chancellorship 
 of Syracuse University. Owing to the prostration of busi- 
 ness, resulting from the financial revulsion of 1873, and the 
 difficulty of augmenting the revenues of the Board of Ed- 
 ucation, he determined to accept the proffered position, 
 and, while continuing to discharge the duties of his secre- 
 tai-yship, relieve the board of all charge for salary. This 
 double position he continued to sustain until elected to the 
 episcopacy. In closing his relations as Secretary of the 
 Board of Education, he says : 
 
 During the eight years of office the Corresponding Secretary has 
 received the following sums of money from the treasurer, which, ac- 
 cording to the principles approved by the board, was to be distrib- 
 uted to needy and worthy students : 
 
 In 1873 $300 00 
 
 In 1874 4,477 00 
 
 In 1875 10,095 00 
 
 In 1876 8,554 56 
 
 In 1877 7,626 50 
 
 In 1878 7,786 14 
 
 In 1879 8,217 00 
 
 In 1880 4,000 00 
 
 $51,056 20 
 
 Expenses of stationery, writing, postage, and printing 610 59 
 
 $50,446 61 
 
198 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 This entii-e balance of upward of fifty thousand dollars has been 
 distributed among about six hundred students in more than forty 
 academies, colleges, and theological schools. No partiality has been 
 shown in this distribution, and no regard had to complexion or caste 
 of any kind. We have aimed to help merely students of our own 
 Church who were seeking an education for the ministry, or, at least, 
 to increase their usefulness in the Christian Church. The names of 
 aU aided have not reached me, but I have on my list at present 553 
 names. Among them are about twenty names of young ladies. A 
 goodly number of the yoimg men have completed theu- education and 
 are members of Conferences, and nine are known to be missionaries 
 in some of our foreign fields. Withiii a year or two we shall have at 
 least enough of our beneflciaiies in the ministry to form an average- 
 sized Annual Conference, besides half as many more professed Chris- 
 tians engaged in teaching, in the practice of medicine, and in other 
 occupations in which their education will render them more useful. 
 Such are the first fruife of the Board of Education. 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 199 
 
 CHAPTEK XL 
 
 CHAITCELLOB OF SYEACTTSE ITNIVEESITY. 
 
 AFTER a somewliat discouraging experience of many 
 years, in their attempts to establish an educational in- 
 stitution of high grade, the Methodists of New York, and 
 especially of the northern, western, and central portions of 
 the State, determined to found a university worthy of the 
 name, to locate it in some central portion of the State, and 
 rally to its support such financial strength and intellectual 
 patronage as should render it worthy of the great denomi- 
 nation it was to represent. 
 
 The enterprise took definite shape in a Methodist con- 
 vention held in Syracuse, IST. T., in February, 1870. In 
 this body were gathered the leading laymen and ministers 
 of the Empire State. Its president was Eev. (now Bishop) 
 Jesse T. Peck. With a degree of unanimity and enthusi- 
 asm not often witnessed in such gatherings, it was resolved 
 to establish at once in Syracuse, or its immediate vicinity, 
 a first-class university, and that immediate steps be taken 
 to raise at least three hundred thousand dollars for its en- 
 dowment. Large subscriptions were received on the spot, 
 the president of the convention pledging twenty-five thou- 
 sand dollars. Subsequently the city of Syracuse donated 
 bonds amounting to one hundred thousand doUars. A 
 Board of Trustees was organized ; an eligible site, embrac- 
 ing fifty acres of land in the immediate vicinity of Syra- 
 
200 AUTOBIOGEAPHT OF 
 
 cuse, and overlooking the city, was selected ; a substantial, 
 commodious, and elegant building was erected ; a faculty 
 was organized, and the enterprise was fairly started under 
 the most promising auspices. In 18Y3 Alexander Win- 
 chell, LL.D., Professor of Geology in Michigan University, 
 a scientist of broad general attainments, and more than 
 national reputation in his especial department, was elected 
 chancellor. Finding the duties of a presiding officer, in an 
 institution so new and partially organized, to conflict with 
 his scientific tastes and aptitudes. Dr. Winchell resigned 
 this position in the following year, and Syracuse University 
 was again without a head. At this time Dr. Haven had 
 been serving the Church for two years as Secretary of the 
 Board of Education. Finding his way in promoting this 
 important interest much obstructed by the monetary strin- 
 gency resulting from the great financial revulsion of 
 1873, Dr. Haven now consented to accept the chancel- 
 lorship of Syracuse University. Every intelligent friend 
 of the institution felt peculiar gratification that one in 
 every way so well qualified was to be placed at its head. 
 Great expectations of its future had been from the begin- 
 ning entertained by its projectors and friends, and their 
 enthusiasm had given rise to corresponding expectations in 
 the Church at large. Up to this time these expectations 
 had not been fuUy realized. But now, at any rate, they 
 were to be, to the utpiost. So aU thought. And if any 
 were destined to suffer a measure of disappointment, the 
 fault lay not in the chancellor, but in the grave difficulties 
 which- confronted liim. He was still in the full prime of 
 life, possessed of a capacious and many-sided mind, well- 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 201 
 
 disciplined and richly stored, with a uniformly snccessful 
 history of more than thirty years behind him, and that, too, 
 in many departments of Church work, but especially as an 
 organizer and administrator of educational institutions of 
 the highest grade. With incentives enough to inspire am- 
 bition, and the prospect of years enough to realize his plans, 
 the university had obtained its desired and needed head. 
 And yet Chancellor Haven's administration did not, in all 
 respects, realize these expectations. No disappointment 
 was felt respecting the performance of his legitimate duties 
 as the head of the university. In his classes he was the 
 accomplished teacher ; in the faculty he was facile prin- 
 ceps ; in his relations with the students he was the wise 
 administrator, and his presence inspired confidence among 
 friends and patrons of the institution. 
 
 But the skiU of the navigator is not tested by the safety 
 of his craft in pleasant weather so much as in his success 
 in outriding the threatening tempest. Chancellor Haven 
 found the university in the midst of dangers which ini- 
 periled its very existence. 
 
 During the past four years over $500,000 had been ob- 
 tained in cash and subscriptions to start the enterprise on a 
 scale commensurate with the expectations of its friends. 
 Its faculty had been filled and its departments had been 
 organized upon a corresponding plan. AH of this success 
 had been achieved during prosperous times. Had the busi- 
 ness of the country continued to prosper, while some reac- 
 tion might have been felt after the tremendous exertions 
 which had been put forth to start the xmiversity, this would 
 scarcely have retarded its progress under the skillful and 
 
202 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 energetic management of Cliancellor Haven. But a great 
 and general financial reaction had set in. Many of the 
 subscribers in the past found it impossible to pay their 
 obligations, additional funds could not be obtained without 
 the greatest difficulty, and then in but small amounts. 
 To add to the perplexity of the situation the "Wesleyan 
 University, at Middleton, Conn., and the Drew Theological 
 Seminary, at Madison, K. J., both of which were largely de- 
 pendent on New York city for their revenues, found .them- 
 selves now in a straitened condition, and were putting forth 
 vigorous efforts to gain a more secure financial footing. 
 Under these circumstances many stanch friends of the uni- 
 versity feared for its very existence. These were some of 
 the difficulties which met Chancellor Haven when he entered 
 upon his duties. In addition he found a floating debt of 
 $50,000, for which immediate provision was necessary; a 
 funded debt of $100,000 on the university site, and a call 
 for $10,000 to secure the Medical Department of the insti- 
 tution. A less buoyant and self-reliant spirit might have 
 been disheartened. He addressed himself with faith and 
 courage to provide the needed fimds ; to tide the university 
 over its present shallowness, and to provide against future 
 contingencies. Kespecting the influence of his reputation 
 and presence, Eev. E. C. Curtis, the financial agent, writes : 
 
 I must confess that it gave me increased courage and hope when 
 Dr. Haven entered upon his work as Chancellor. KJiowing, as I 
 did, the financial embarrassments with which we had to contend, I 
 was not surprised that the institution had to continue its heroic 
 struggle for material support, even after securing for its head a man 
 of such eminent ability. 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAVEN. 203 
 
 Among tte first things which, he did was the securing, in connec- 
 tion with the general agent, of a subscription of $100,000 from Philo 
 Remmington, Esq., the conditions of which were, that the university 
 should secure a loan for that amount and pay its floating debt; and, 
 on pain of forfeiting the subscription, not to permit any indebtedness 
 to accumulate in the future. 
 
 Subsequent reverses in business rendered it impossible 
 for this generous friend to redeem his pledge. Otherwise 
 the university would soon have been free from its most 
 pressing difficulties. 
 
 The $10,000 required for the Medical Department was 
 raised, and a valuable property in that way was secured. 
 
 With his hands so full of these financial concerns, it was 
 not to be expected that Chancellor Haven would do much 
 toward modifying the organization of the university. In- 
 deed, little of this kind was required until returning finan- 
 cial prosperity should enable him to add to its departments. 
 On this point Professor C. W. Bennett, D.D., writes intelli- 
 gently and clearly : 
 
 Chancellor Haven came to Syracuse in an exceedingly unfavorable 
 time to make a record. The main features of the institution had 
 been assumed before his arrival. Few literary enterprises have been 
 started so nearly complete in the outset, in so far as theory and work- 
 ing are concerned, as was Syracuse University. Its theory and scope 
 had been the subject of discussion for years by some of our best 
 educators, and when the time for its foundation came every thing 
 was ready to move without friction and in exact accord with a pre- 
 viously perfected plan. As Dr. Brown, President of Hamilton Col- 
 lege, said on the occasion of the inauguration of Chancellor Winchell, 
 "I had heard that you were thinking of establishing here a college, 
 but what is my astonishment to find a university moving on as beau- 
 tifully and with as little friction as though it were a century old." 
 
204 AtTTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 Dr. Daniel Steele had been at its head, and under him a thoroughly 
 experienced Faculty. Then Dr. Winchell brought what additional 
 excellence could be incorporated from Michigan University, where 
 Chancellor Haven had made his best fame as an educator, so that no 
 opportunity was afforded him of placing a molding hand on this 
 university, young as it was. This had been done by others, and the 
 changes and improvements which he introduced were very few. 
 
 In short, tlien, during his term of four years the uni- 
 versity successfully weathered the financial storm which 
 was upon the country ; the fears of friends for its safety 
 were quieted ; it did its work faithfully as an institution 
 of high grade, and steadily gained in patronage and literary 
 reputation ; and if the permanent impress of his hand was 
 not left upon its organization, the reason was that, at the 
 time, no work of that kind was required. 
 
 The high estimate placed upon his services is sufficiently 
 attested by the action of the Trustees when he presented 
 his resignation. 
 
 They say : 
 
 WhereM, the admired and beloved chancellor of this university, 
 the Rev. Erastus 0. Haven, D.D., LL.D., has been elected and con- 
 , secrated to the office of a Bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church; 
 and 
 
 Whereat, in consequence of the form of our General Superintend- 
 ency, which reqxures him to travel at large throughout the CTiurch, he 
 has this day tendered to this Board of Trustees his resignation of the 
 chancellorship of this imiversity; therefore by this board it is hereby 
 
 Besohed, 1. That the resignation of Bishop Haven, as chancellor 
 of this university, is hereby accepted. 
 
 Resolved, 2. That, in accepting his resignation, we record our very 
 high appreciation of the services which Bishop Haven has rendered 
 us, and our loss in bis removal. 
 
EEASTTTS O. HAVEN. 205 
 
 His name has stood for many years in tlie foremost rank among the 
 educators of America. 
 
 As a general scholar in many departments of learning, as an intel- 
 ligent and forcible writer, as a thoughtful and powerful preacher, 
 and as an outspoken advocate of reforms, he has been a standard- 
 bearer for the Church and the times. 
 
 The breadth and ripeness of his culture, and the general urbanity 
 of his presence, have made him an admirable model, and a molding 
 force for the noblest ends, in his influence on the plastic minds com- 
 mitted to his care. 
 
 As the executive ofiicer of this university, and a member of this 
 board, all our intercourse has but increased our admiration for his 
 talents and our esteem for his character. 
 
 As a member of this community, and a citizen of this common- 
 wealth, he has been an ornament to letters and society, and a power 
 for good. 
 
 In receiving his farewell as a local fellow-laborer with us, while 
 we shall deeply regret our privation, we nevertheless rejoice that the 
 many qualifications which have shone so brightly among us are now 
 transferred to a wider sphere of usefulness. In that high office our 
 prayers and sympathies shall still accompany him ; and we receive 
 with thanks his assurance of stLLl-continued and solicitous interest in 
 Syracuse University. 
 
 Sesohed, 3. That this action be spread upon our Journal, and that 
 a copy of the same, properly engrossed, and duly authenticated by 
 the signatures of the president and secretary of this board, and the 
 seal of the university, be presented to Bishop Haven. 
 
206 AtTTOBIOGHAPHY OP 
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 DELEGATE TO WESLEY AN CONEEKENCES AND EUKOPEAN TOITE. 
 
 CHANCELLOE HAVEN was appointed by the Bish- 
 ops as one of the delegates to bear the greetings of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States to 
 the English and Irish Wesleyans. The "Wesleyan Confer- 
 ence, to which he was accredited, was to meet in London 
 in July, 1878. He sailed from New York June 30, 1878, 
 on the good ship City of Chester, of the Inman line, and 
 after the usual monotonous trip across the Atlantic, in 
 which, however, he enjoyed the unusual experience of ex- 
 emption from sea-sickness, landed in Queenstown, Ireland, 
 July 8, about 9 A.M. In the afternoon he rode to Cork, 
 and, in company with Eev. John D. Powell, visited Queen's 
 College. He says : " Buildings stone, only two stories high, 
 grounds less than eighteen acres, weU laid out, good botan- 
 ical gardens, a library of 20,000 volumes, and good muse- 
 um. The buildings could be erected in America for from 
 $150,000 to $200,000." 
 
 After visiting the famous Blarney Castle in the forenoon, 
 the Journal proceeds : 
 
 July 9. — ^Also visited a large Model National School in Cork, and 
 liad much conversation with Dr. Newell, one of the Board of Educar 
 tion for Ireland, and with the head master of this school. About 
 fifty per cent, of the children are Koman Catholics, though four fifths 
 of the people are of this faith. This is accounted for by the Catho- 
 
 * 
 
EEA8TUS O. HAVEN. 207 
 
 lies having other schools. The priests do not encourage the national 
 system. The Methodists, so far as their little influence goes, do. 
 No other denomination seems to be its ardent friend. Four hours a 
 day must be given to secular education ; some attention every day 
 to religious education under their respective denominations. 
 
 July 10. — Have just visited the far-famed Lakes of Killamey. 
 The river finds itself imprisoned in a vast range of high hills well 
 deserving the name of mountains, and, winding along, forms a series 
 of lakes. The hills are much like the mountains of Vermont in ap- 
 pearance, clothed in a green heather, and with some wonderfully 
 rich shrubbery, but almost entirely destitute of trees. English tour- 
 ists .lavish upon this district the most extravagant eulogy ; but to an 
 intelligent American, who recalls what he has seen in his own coun- 
 try, it seems wonderfully beautiful and nothing more. In grandeur 
 it falls far short of the White Mountains, the Catskills, or the Green 
 Mountains even. 
 
 Immediately on entering the mountains the traveler is met by a 
 throng of beggars and importunate venders of trinkets and milk and 
 whisky — children, and men and women of all ages. I gave a shil- 
 ling to Mary O'Sullivan for her blarney. They were the most per- 
 sistent, barefooted, and barefaced beggars I ever saw. 
 
 The ruins of Muckross Abbey are really, to an American, full of 
 interest. There once stood a church said to have been built in the 
 eleventh century, and by its side a monastery, said to have been built 
 in the fifteenth century — before America was discovered. The most 
 of the walls still stand. The walks of the monks, walled in from the 
 outside and around the open courtyard, from which they were sepa- 
 rated by stone pillars, were spacious. In the court-yard, in the mid- 
 dle of the building, grows a huge yew-tree, more than three feet in 
 diameter, and rising twenty-five feet without a branch, and then 
 throwing its branches out on all sides, and upward, perhaps, a hun- 
 dred feet, and overhanging the walls, making a beautiful appearance. 
 The walls are massive, the wine cellar is spacious, and all parts of 
 the church and monastery and castle so strong as to show that the 
 
208 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP 
 
 old religious society of Ireland more than five hundred years ago was 
 well organized, and had great power. "There were giants in those 
 days." Here is the family tomb of the O'Donohoe family, which 
 has a representative now in Parliament; also of a M'Carthy and an 
 O'SuUivan family, some of whom in former times were the royal 
 families of old Ireland. 
 
 Prof. Kichardson started with us at Cork last night, but, about 
 twenty miles back from-KiUarney, got out at a station and did not 
 return to the carriage until the train started. Then he sprung for 
 the platform, in American style, when two men seized him and pulled 
 him ofE. It is not allowed a man here to get on a carriage after the 
 train starts. 
 
 July 13. — ^Went through Trinity College. Dublin. The librarian, 
 janitor, and two students, gave me much information from their dif- 
 ferent stand-points. The site of the university occupies about fifteen 
 acres, less than one third the size of the grounds of Syracuse Uni- 
 versity, but how the buildings are stretched out ! The windows, as 
 of all the old buildings, are all small, usually consisting of twelve 
 panes of glass about eight by ten inches — the library windows a lit- 
 tle larger. Through an archway you enter a great quadrangle. On 
 each side of the archway, without, stands a statue, one of Burke 
 and the other of Goldsmith. Of the quadrangle itself one half is 
 paved with concrete and pebble stones, and the other half is covered 
 with grass, but not a tree or shrub appears. On your right is an 
 immense long library buUding and examination hall ; on your left, a 
 chapel and dining-hall; on your front, dormitory buildings. 
 
 The museum is small, but the physical and engineering apparatus 
 is abundant and good. The dining-hall will acconunodate about two 
 hundred. Most of the eleven hundred students board in the city. 
 All Church students attend prayers twice a day in the chapel. The 
 roll of the dormitory students is called every night at ten o'clock, 
 but students can be excused for cause till twelve o'clock. 
 
 I learned that the examinations for admission are about what we 
 require. Any student who could enter the Syracuse University class- 
 
EBASTtrS O. HAVEW. 209 
 
 ical course would be more than prepared for Trinity College. All 
 of the students who are fairly diligent graduate A.B. at the end of 
 four years. By extra labor they can get through in a little more than 
 three years — shorter than with us. They have sometimes three, some- 
 time two lectures — we call them recitations — a day. The students 
 are divided into Junior, Freshmen, Senior Freshmen, Junior Sophisters, 
 Senior Sophisters. They meet in groups Of about twenty for lectures. 
 There is no class feeling or class organization. There is no hazing. 
 ~They despise it — say it belongs to lower schools. There are no private 
 societies, but some public ones. They have no regular exercises in 
 elocution or oratory, but are trained in English composition regularly. 
 There is a professor of botany, but few attend his instructions. The 
 study of modern languages is voluntary. There are sizarships of 
 different subjects, the examination for which is fiercely competed for 
 and lasts three or four days. A sizai pays only five poimds admission 
 fee, others fifteen, and a sizar is relieved of all other tuition fees, 
 and may board in commons free during his course. There are sev- 
 eral private tutors, or grinds, who charge students three or four 
 guineas a term to coach them along. The students competing for 
 honors need grinds and some others, employ them. It costs students 
 here three or four times as much as at Syracuse. The second degree 
 is given in course at the end of three years. The Dublin University 
 has an annual income of about three hundred thousand dollars. 
 
 The session of the British Wesleyan Conference, to which 
 Bishop Bowman and Dr. Haven were accredited, met this 
 year in Bradford, Yorkshire, and the address was presented 
 July 31, 1868. In the report to the sncceeding General 
 Conference they say : 
 
 "We were received with great cordiality and fraternity. The ad- 
 dress of the General Conference of 1876 was read before the British Con- 
 ference, and a large congregation assembled in evening session, and 
 the statistics representing the growth and influence of the Methodist 
 14 
 
210 ATJTOBIOGEAPnY OF 
 
 Episcopal Church, evidently awakened 'wonder and gratitude. Our 
 personal addresses, which were necessarily brief, were received 
 with approval, and were widely reported in the religious and secular 
 papers. We were happy in being permitted to vntness the organization 
 of the first strictly delegated British Conference that consisted of 
 both ministers and lay members, in which the congratulations of the 
 brethren forcibly reminded us of the similar scenes witnessed in our 
 own General Conference at Brooklyn, six years before. 
 
 The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, at its session in 1876, had taken action in favor of 
 an " Ecumenical Conference of Methodism," and the Bish- 
 ops had been requested to appoint a Committee of Corre- 
 spondence to take the " whole subject into consideration, 
 correspond with the different Methodist bodies in this coun- 
 try and in every other country, and endeavor to arrange for 
 the said Ecumenical Conference of Methodism at such time 
 and place as might be judged most advisable." 
 
 The duty of presenting this subject to the Wesleyan 
 Conference was committed to Dr. Haven. His Journal im- 
 plies that the matter was postponed from time to time, and he 
 felt some doubts as to the success of the plan before that 
 very conservative body. But on the 31st of July the sub- 
 ject was considered, and the recent successful session in 
 London of this remarkable body of Methodists gives addi- 
 tional interest to the entry at this time : 
 
 To-day I presented the subject of the Ecumenical Conference 
 before the Wesleyan Conference. The address was read, after which 
 I spoke about five minutes, showing what was not its pui-pose — to 
 aim at consolidation or an ecclesiastical authority, or simply to eulo- 
 gize each other ; what was its purpose, namely, to bring together 
 representatives of all branches of Methodism, to compare modes of 
 
EBASTUS 0. HAVEN. 211 
 
 operation, to learn from eacli other, and to strengthen ourselves for 
 our common aim. Dr. Jobson inquired whether the American 
 Churches would go on without the co-operation of the Wesleyans. 
 I replied that they probably would, but that they desired the 
 leadership of the Wesleyans. It was resolved to appoint a committee 
 to report at the next Conference. Subsequently a committee was 
 named — a very strong committee. 
 
 During the session of tlie Wesleyan Conference Dr. 
 Haven visited the Wesley College, not far from Sheffield. 
 The account given will bear inserting because it brings into 
 relief the practical workings of institutions in Great Britain 
 affiliated with the London University. After describing 
 the buildings, he says : 
 
 It is used mostly as a boarding house and school for boys from 
 eight years of age up to even a completion of a college course for 
 B.A. from the London University. It is especially affiliated with 
 that institution. When any of the boys pass the London matricula- 
 tion examination, they wear the gown and become gownsmen. A 
 few come back and study till they pass the first and second B.A. 
 examination, and some even linger for honors. The teachers are 
 evidently enthusiastic, and the boys are well trained, and the few 
 who get college degrees earn them, but none have the associations of 
 a genuine college or university. 
 
 August 5. I have learned by conversation some points of interest 
 about the Wesleyan mode of business. Female class-leaders are 
 common, and they are members of the leaders' meeting, but not of 
 the quarterly meeting. 
 
 The number of aged men in the active work here is not greater 
 than in America. I am greatly surprised at this. 
 
 The English are not larger nor more robust in appearance, on the 
 average, than the Americans. If any difference, the Americans ap- 
 pear more vigorous. This remark I base on careful observation. 
 
212 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 Monday, August 12. — Last Sunday I preached in the old City 
 Road Chapel, in the grave-yard of which lie the remains of Wesley, 
 "Watson, and many of the fathers. The house was well filled and 
 the congregation were remarkably attentive. They have no organ 
 or musical instrument of any kind, but a thoroughly trained choir. 
 After the service Mr. G. J. Stephenson and family walked with us 
 to our hotel, showing us Milton's street and the church where Ms 
 monument is, and the only chapel the Wesleyans have in the old 
 city. 
 
 Mr. Stephenson said I must have looked much as Mr. Wesley did 
 in his old pulpit. He was a small spare man, only five feet three 
 inches in height, three and a half inches shorter than myself. 
 
 Augud, 13. — After calling at the Book and Mission Booms and 
 on Minister Welch, we went to the Tower. This old pile deserves a 
 letter, though thousands have written upon it before. It must be 
 seen to be appreciated. It is well preserved. The walls are massive. 
 It is stocked with specimens of arms and armor such as have been 
 used for the past thousand years, chronologically arranged on statues 
 of men and horses. The old weapons of torture are shown, and all 
 the bloody deeds of British royal history are brought up by associa- 
 tion. The' very ax that has chopped off heads and the block on 
 which it was done are shown. The cells with the figures and in- 
 scriptions made by the prisoners; the room in which Sir Walter 
 Raleigh was imprisoned, and where he wrote his "History of the 
 World " are here. I did not think, nearly forty years ago, when I read 
 that history in two large quarto volumes, I should ever see the stone 
 room, stone sides and stone roof, without a window, in which he 
 wrote it. How could he have been kept from suffocating 1 The iron 
 door must have been allowed to stand ajar. The room is apparently 
 in the very center of the biiilding and does not receive a ray of light 
 from the sun. 
 
 Augu^ 14. — In company with Bishop Bowman visited Madame 
 Tussaud's collection of wax- work figures. This is an extraordinaiy 
 collection of figures, in life size, of men and women noted in history. 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 213 
 
 Many of these are full of interest, especially Henry VIII. and his 
 family; Wesley, Franklin, Palmerston, and Voltaire interested us 
 most. Bishop Bowman, being weary, sat down by the side of a wax 
 figure of an old lady. Some children came along to examine the 
 lady and himself, supposing they were both aUke dummies. But 
 when he winked and said, " I am alive," they ran to their mother as 
 though they were shot. This pleased the Bishop and family very 
 much. 
 
 August 15. — This morning we went to see the Windsor Castle, 
 where the queen and royal family reside. We had obtained a note 
 requesting our admission from Mr. Welch, our American minister. 
 
 The Journal then proceeds to describe his visit, in com- 
 pany with Bishop Bowman and about one hundred others, 
 to the audience room and other rooms open to the more 
 favored public. Afterward, 
 
 In response to our note, the private rooms of the queen and family 
 were opened to Bishop Bowman, Mr. and Miss Burton, of Philadel- 
 phia, and myself. A maid of honor conducted us first through an 
 immense stone passage way, at least two hundred feet long, leading 
 from the public to the private rooms. Then we found ourselves in a 
 more snug but large house by itself, though a part of the great palace. 
 In this house the queen, with her immediate family, lives the most 
 of the time. She was now away from home. The first room we 
 entered seemed to be a kind of home parlor, elegantly furnished. 
 Thence we saw three drawing-rooms, white, green, and crimson, 
 We also saw the nursery and her library. But I was most of all 
 interested in her private dining-room. It had only three windows, 
 and was not more than fifteen by twenty feet ; but high, and the 
 windows had beautiful lace curtains or something like it. The 
 chairs were about as ordinary parlor chairs, and the table was an 
 old cherry or mahogany, no better than we see in many private 
 families. It is a round table, but extended by drawing out seg- 
 ments so as to enlarge the circle. Sometimes, we are told, the 
 
214 AXJTOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 queen sits here ■with only two or three, sometimes with a dozen or 
 more. In this room are only two pictures, a portrait of herself, taken 
 only two years ago, and looking just as she does now, without 
 flattery, and a portrait of her daughter-in-law, the daughter of the 
 Czar of Russia. The guests' bed-chamber also interested us much. 
 It is, indeed, magniflcently furnished. And her wardrobe, and the sit- 
 ting-rooms, and the flower-gardens outside, and the broad walk, three 
 miles long in a straight line and lined with elms. How can we for- 
 get theml And then the queen's private pictures, that noble statue 
 of Prince Albert and herself looking into his eye, and the inscription 
 beneath, " He showed the way to heaven and lured us on; " and the 
 family portrait gallery, containing uniform portraits of all her ances- 
 tors, cannot be described. 
 
 The Albert Memorial Chapel, erected by the children of the queen, 
 in memory of their father, Prince Albert, is the most perfectly fin- 
 ished structure I have ever seen. Its dimensions I should suppose 
 to be about forty by ninety feet, and at least sixty feet high. It is 
 Norman Gothic in style, and elaborately finished. The thirteen large 
 windows are all filled with elaborate Scripture pictures in exquisitely 
 colored glass. All the space between is filled with large panel 
 paintings and bass-reliefs. The floor shines like a mirror. The roof 
 is golden. There is not a sqiiare inch in the room that is not ex- 
 quisitely finished. Before the chancel railing is the recumbent statue 
 or the sarcophagus of Prince Albert. This is a large marble table 
 or altar on a black marble base, itself of white marble, with a black 
 marble cornice on which rests a life-size figure of the prince. The 
 whole sustained by fourteen figures. There is a dark marble seat, 
 or row of seats, extending entirely round the room. 
 
 Leaving the queen's palace, we visited Eton College, so famous in 
 English literature. It is a good pile of buildings, occupying about 
 two acres near the palace. Its church is fine. Its rooms are old and 
 packed, judging from what I saw. Nearly every seat in the chapel 
 has a brass inscription of some great man who once occupied it. 
 
 On our way home we stopped at Stoke Pogis, and saw the very 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 215 
 
 burying-ground that inspired Gray's Elegy. There is his mother's 
 tomb, there the very grave and yew-trees where he. used to sit. His 
 monument is not far off, with verses from his Elegy and lines from 
 his " Ode on Revisiting Eton College " inscribed thereon. 
 
 Sunday^ August 18. — This morning heard Spurgeon in his Taber- 
 nacle. It was comfortably filled with about 4,500 people, many 
 strangers, some Americans. I had an excellent seat in the first 
 gallery, just by the left of the preacher, about twenty feet from him. 
 His introductory services were all appropriate and impressive. His 
 reading of the Scripture lesson was accompanied with excellent ex- 
 pository remarks. He read the hymns elegantly, and in the course of 
 the morning pronounced only one word contrary to the authorities, 
 prophesies for prophesies. His text was 1 Peter vi, 7, "He that 
 believeth in him shall not be confounded." He began by remarking 
 that last Sabbath evening he preached on Faith in Christ, and his 
 sermon had been blessed to the salvation of the souls of several, at 
 least five young men; and as a good fisherman does not like to de- 
 sert a spot where he has been successful, he should cast a line near 
 the same place, and show this morning what we are to believe, how 
 we are to believe, and the result of believing. 
 
 We are to believe in t:^ person of Christ, dying, living. We are 
 to believe as a stone rests on a foundation, leaning on Christ, with 
 all om- might, continually pressing nearer, in spite of sins. The re- 
 sult, we shall never be moved. His language is easy; his style is 
 simple, and yet often metaphorical ; his manner easy and quiet ; his 
 voice not much varied, and if so, by being still more subdued and 
 impressive. His apostrophes to Christ were eloquent, and his illus- 
 trations beautiful and emphatic. All was pervaded with profound 
 sincerity and earnestness. Many speak of his voice ; but that, though 
 excellent, is not the source of his power. He has the appeai-ance of 
 profound earnestness, with no affectation and no thought of himself. 
 His logic is not faultless, but his faith and spirituality are undoubted. 
 On the whole, he surpassed even my expectations. He is rather 
 stout, and has a naturally gross look, but still appears to have had a 
 
216 AUTOBIOGKAPHT OF 
 
 naturally strong animal nature thoroughly overcome and beautified 
 by faith and consecration. From this one sermon I should say I have 
 never seen a man that would surpass him as an evangelical preacher. 
 
 This evening I preached at Prince of Wales Road Chapel, under 
 Rev. Richard Roberts. Arriving before the chapel, I found one of 
 the class-leaders, a large man with a powerful voice, haranguing at 
 least two hundred people in the street, who soon, with a song, en- 
 tered the chapel. The congregation was large and very attentive. 
 On my way back, in the course of a mile, we passed three congrega- 
 tions listening to out-door talk — one said to be addressed by an athe- 
 ist woman, the other two by Baptists. I am informed this out-door 
 preaching is common. 
 
 I visited to-day the University College. This is what led to the 
 London University. It has a noble pile of buildings. The main 
 building is two stories high, and about 150 feet long and 40 wide, 
 with two ells of nearly the same dimensions. A fine library, appa- 
 ratus, museum, and school-rooms, but no endowment. Students pay 
 high fees. No entrance examination. Students get the B.A. as soon 
 as they can, often in two or three years. The degree is given by 
 London University. Had a long talk with the librarian. There is 
 some objection to the cramming system. I really do not think the 
 system makes as good scholars as the Syracuse University. The in- 
 come of many of the professors depends on fees, and some receive 
 much more than others. Some professorships have partial or com- 
 plete endowments. There is no lack of buildings, and the institu- 
 tion is a great thing, but I doubt the system. 
 
 After visiting Kiclimond, where the south branch of the 
 Wesleyan Theological School is situated, and spending a 
 brief time there, Dr. Haven hastened to Oxford. Here 
 he visited the various objects of interest with the eye of a 
 Methodist and an educator. Among others mentioned are 
 the "Wesleyan Memorial Church, with a " spire as beautiful 
 as any thing in Oxford," and that was saying a great deal ; 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 217 
 
 St. Michael's CoUege; the Martyrs' Memorial; the Bod- 
 leian Library; the Divinity School; the Convocation 
 House ; Balliol College ; New College, five hundred years 
 old. Here, as elsewhercj he admired the wonderful beauty 
 of the gardens, and the marvelous profusion of the flowers, 
 A lecture-room in New College, and one of the best, he 
 tells us, is inferior in all respects to the poorest in Syracuse 
 University, and adds that "Money here is lavished in 
 show." But for him the chief interest in this great seat 
 of learning was in Lincoln CoUege, the alma mater of John 
 Wesley. Describing this college, he says : 
 
 I called on Rev. Mark Patterson, D.D., the present rector. He is 
 an aged man, somewhat infirm, but he was veiy sociable, and accom- 
 panied me through all parts of the college. We mutually asked and 
 answered many questions. He has associated with him ten fellows, 
 of whom one is annually elected by the rector and fellows as sub- 
 rector. John Wesley was once subrector, and would undoubtedly, 
 had he remained there till a vacancy arose, have been elected rector. 
 They have about sixty students. The property consists of two rect- 
 angles, most of the building being set ofi as apartments for the 
 rector, the fellows, and the students, including a dining-hall and 
 kitchens. There is a fair chapel. Church students attend twice a 
 day. The service is about ten minutes long. There are twenty 
 scholars on the foundation. It costs the others about £80 a 
 year. Dr. Patterson told me that the foundation-scholars might be 
 a little more advanced than we require at the Syracuse University, 
 but that the ordinary students were not required to do so much, and 
 that they gi'aduate in three years. All that I see leads me to infer 
 that the average standard of scholarship for B.A. in America is 
 higher than in Great Britain. The larger classes, say of forty, were 
 heard in the dining-room, for the want of a lectm-e-room sufficiently 
 large. There was no laboratoiy, and no physical apparatus. 
 
218 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 Saturday evening, August 24, I went from Oxford to Cambridge, 
 and stopped at the Red Lion Hotel. Sunday morning, after a sound 
 night's sleep and a refreshing breakfast, I sauntered forth and soon 
 entered a Wesleyan Chapel, where I heard Rev. R. Peai-t preach an 
 impressive sermon on " Blessed are the pure in heart." His style as 
 of all I heard in England, is very quiet and conversational. It was 
 however, a finished and impressive sermon. « 
 
 This Sunday afternoon I attended the service in the King's College 
 Chapel, and must say I have never been so thrilled through and 
 through by any service before. The accessories were all favorable. 
 It is beautiful, balmy weather— the very perfection of weather. The 
 svm shines, but it is not hot. St. John's College giounds are charm- 
 ing, spacious, clean, lined with trees, one side bounded by the Cam, 
 with sloping green banks, and beautiful vistas opening beyond; the 
 paths of stone and gravel. The buildings are ancient, gi-and, and in 
 good condition, artistically pleasing. The chapel in the interior 
 ornate and solid. The walls at least sixty feet high, consisting only 
 of massive gothic pillars and windows. The pillars bifurcate into 
 branches that constitute the ceiling, highly wrought, all stone. The 
 windows are ornate. At the lower end of the chapel is a beautiful 
 painting of Christ's descent from the cross. At the other end the 
 room is divided laterally by a partition with an immense arched 
 doorway, and the organ and gallery above. A choir of about a 
 dozen boys, as many men, and, say, twenty women, led the singing 
 and the responses. Many of the people join. The priest read or in- 
 toned the service, and the choir and congregation chanted and sung 
 the responses, and the hymns and anthems. The organ is fully equal 
 to the best I ever heard. The unusual service was, in all its parts, 
 so rich, so expressive, so perfect, that the impression can never be 
 surpassed. It moved me again and again to tears. Such voices and 
 combinations; such wailings and shouts of triumph, and subdued 
 melody and exhaustless harmony, were well worth a voyage across 
 the Atlantic. 
 
 And has the Church of England much of this power to exert over 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 219 
 
 the people? Well may we marvel at it. It is not merely ritualism. 
 It is a combination of that with high art in many forms. Observe : 
 architecture, painting, music united their voices, all as handmaidens 
 to religion, to thrill the soul. The audience was evidently made up 
 of cultivated people and their children. I was pleased to see fathers 
 and mothers there, sometimes leading by the hand two children each 
 while others followed in the rear. These highly respectable English 
 people seem to rejoice in large families. 
 
 Soon after this visit to Cambridge Dr. Haven embarked 
 for the Continent. Here he visited Antwerp, and walked 
 its streets, he tells us, imtil thoroughly exhausted and 
 ready to shake its dust ofj his feet ; looked in upon its 
 magnificent cathedral with its masterpieces of art, among 
 them some of the works of Eubens. Thence he journeys 
 to Cologne, inspects its magnificent cathedral, and spends 
 an hour in one of its congregations ; endeavors, as far as 
 consistent with his religious convictions, to follow its 
 services; is charmed with the music, overwhelmed with 
 the splendor of the edifice, and impressed by the sincerity 
 of the worshipers, but disgusted with the mummeries of 
 the priests. On a trip by water from Cologne he is de- 
 lighted with the beauty of the Ehine, but thinks it does 
 not equal the Hudson either in size or picturesqueness. 
 
 On visiting Geneva his soul is moved over the memory 
 of its mighty dead. What could be finer or more dis- 
 criminating than his contrast between Calvin and Eous- 
 seau in the following passage of one of his letters : 
 
 Geneva, where I throw these notes together, is one of the glitter- 
 ing spots that make the whole earth appear luminous. It is a little 
 city, of about fifty thousand people, never was large, perhaps never 
 
220 ATJTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 will be ; but tbe names of Calvin, Voltaire, Rousseau, Gibbon, Byron, 
 are associated witb it. Wbat a company ! Could five migbter names 
 be picked out from a continent? And yet tbey all breathed the air 
 of this city, not far remote from each other. Here is the house in 
 which Rousseau was born ; here is the house, with a Scripture motto 
 upon it, in which Calvin lived, and the great church in which he 
 preached. This, indeed, is the city which he rigidly governed. 
 
 Calvin and Rousseau furnish, perhaps, as striking a contrast as 
 any two names that could be selected out of the whole range of 
 human history. Both were vigorous original men, not content to 
 rethink other people's thoughts and repeat other people's expressions, 
 but shining with their own light; and this is about the only element 
 in which they agreed. Calvin was systematically and thoroughly 
 trained in the schools; Rousseau's erudition was a confused mass of 
 facts and thoughts gathered by reading, conversation, and travel; 
 Calvin was methodical and rigidly logical ; Rousseau believed and 
 disbelieved and spoke and wrote wholly without method, and just ac- 
 cording to his passions ; Calvin was thoroughly earnest, and would 
 rather have died than defend what he thought to be false; Rousseau 
 had, at times, a sentimental virtue, and it is claimed for him that he 
 was not on sale, but really he felt and knew no great difference be- 
 tween truth and falsehood, and could not safely have been intrusted 
 with the Ufe of a friend if the keeping of it would have cost him one 
 day's pain ; Calvin suppressed emotional expression an^i strictly ex- 
 ecuted what he deemed justice ; Rousseau was a sentimentalist, weep- 
 ing like a sick child over evils that he did not try to lessen, or raving 
 like a maniac. But both were mighty. Calvin preached from the 
 Old Testament and occasionally from some of the obscurest portions 
 of the New, arguing out a system of theology which operated like 
 the Spartan training, killing the weaker ones but making heroes of 
 those who survived. He also in some way inspired the most who 
 followed him with a hatred of human tyranny and a love for hberty; 
 so that his Genevan theology and politics have been mighty agencies 
 in the modem world. Rousseau wrote on society and on education 
 
EKASTUS 0. HAVEN. 221 
 
 in such a strange and fascinating and fresh style — fresh in thought 
 and expression — that he set the whole civilized world to thinking. 
 But while he spmetimes wrote almost like a Christian, he never 
 practiced the morality of true religion. He taught like an angel, and 
 lived like a beast, and died as a fool dieth. We ought to be thank- 
 ful that God has so constituted the human soul that a man who will 
 commit such an act as to take his own children from the arms of 
 their mother and place them in a foundling asylimi, where neither 
 he nor she in a few weeks could recognize them, and never more 
 inquire after them, is incapable of being even intellectually a sound 
 Christian. God has associated unbelief with deliberately chosen sin, 
 and seldom does he allow them to flourish much apart. 
 
 Calvin left an express order that no monument should be erected 
 to his memory. I doubt whether the order should be obeyed if any 
 monuments are allowed. Here in this city of his power there is 
 scarcely any thing to remind you of him. But if you visit the uni- 
 versity Library you will see his books, and in the Museum you will 
 see a small portrait, and a small painting, often copied, representing 
 him before the City Council. This is all. But that sensualist, whose 
 conduct deserves universal contempt, has a statue in the most con- 
 spicuous place that could be chosen. Such are some of the judg- 
 ments of men. 
 
 Soon afterward we find him in Florence, charmed, of 
 course, with its beautiful features. He observes that the 
 city is full of laboring people and buyers and sellers, who 
 seem to take no notice of the works of art about them in 
 the street. Entering, as was his wont, one of the churches, 
 he remarks : 
 
 I found a few worshipers who seemed to be repeating their prayers 
 without any appearance of feeling, often looking round to see the 
 ■ passer-by. The priests cackled the service with even more of a rattle 
 and sing-song tone than I ever heard before. 
 
222 AUTOBIOGEAPIIY OP 
 
 But it is upon the works of art that his observations are 
 most suggestive : 
 
 I am not without appreciation of this art. Many of these objects 
 thrilled me. I observed the matchless power in some of Raphael's 
 best productions. I saw that the most skillful copyists could not 
 catch the exact expression, nor produce the exact effect. I examined 
 the copies, and noted particularly what seemed to me the defects. 
 Many of these masters seem to have an eye to see those little combi- 
 nations of light and shade and tint that show life, and then they 
 succeed in reproducing them. Some have produced better effects, 
 even in separate details, than they ever saw in nature; but, with all 
 this admiration of art, I could not help feeling that Florence is 
 largely an obsolete town. The inquiry would arise, "What is it doing 
 now ? What has it done for the last fifty years ? What do these 
 churches commemorate but an obsolete or obsolescent faith ? What 
 effect have these paintings on the intellect and heart and morals of 
 mankind ? Some of them are actually corrupting. It is very easy 
 to charge critics with prudery, and to quote the effusion, "Evil to 
 him who evil thinks." All this requires no intellect and no peculiar 
 refinement. The simple fact is, that some of the pictures emanate 
 from a sensual taste. When a man spends years in painting the most 
 attractive form he can imagine and gather from models of a naked, 
 mere animal woman, he shows what he is thinking of. 
 
 At the time when most of these works of art were executed they 
 represented a faith. That faith is now dead. The copyists of these 
 paintings are seeking the living among the dead. Imitators of them 
 are simply silly. Is sculpture a lost art ? Is painting exhausted ? 
 Has sculpture nothing to do but simply to exhibit some of the coarser 
 passions ? Are there not modern achievements and modern faiths 
 and modern aspirations to be grasped and represented by painting ? 
 All the fine arts enslave themselves too much to tradition, and the 
 world wants a new renaissance, not of form, but of spirit — a spirit 
 that shall clothe itself in new fonns. 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEIT. 223 
 
 Happening to be in Naples on the anniversary of the 
 martyrdom of St. Januarius, he had an opportunity of wit- 
 nessing the miraculous liquefaction of the saint's blood. 
 He shall describe the scene in his own words : 
 
 I was fortunate enough to-day to witness a scene that I can never 
 forget, and that took me back in fancy some hundreds or thousands 
 of years. I write on the 19th of September, the anniversary of the 
 miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius. This St. 
 Januarius was martyred in Pozznoli, near Naples, the date of his 
 death being September 19, A. D. 305. Every year on this date, and 
 on the first Saturday of May, and the 16th of December, it is claimed 
 that a portion of his coagulated blood, kept in a hermetically closed 
 bottle, becomes liquid by the spiritual power of the saint. This 
 "mipacle" takes place in the chapel of St. Januarius, a part of the 
 cathedral of St. Januarius, usually between nine and ten o'clock in 
 the morning. It is thought that if the miracle is delayed until ten 
 or after it betokens impending public calamity ; and, therefore, when 
 delayed, shrieks and protestations and complaints to the saint arise 
 among the audience. Devout strangers from afar in great numbers 
 come to witness this performance. 
 
 I wended my way to the cathedral this morning, a stranger among 
 a strange people, not knowing a soul in this immense crowd, and 
 reached the chapel just before ten o'clock. I found the large cathe- 
 dral packed full of people standing up. The side chapel of St. Jan- 
 uarius, which would itself easily accommodate two thousand, was 
 literally jammed full. There could not have been fewer than three 
 thousand. Observe, I do not use these figures loosely, but to state 
 facts. Many talk of thousands who seem never to have counted. 
 Some were tired out, or had business, and were leaving, and by con- 
 stant pressure into vacated places I was able to make my way up to 
 within thirty feet of the priest who had the "blood" in his hands. 
 The vial seemed to be a .brazen case, elongated, say eighteen inches 
 long, having a glass globe, flattened on opposite sides in the center, 
 
224 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 that would hold about a half pint, according to the thickness of the 
 glass. The chief performer, in priest's robes, was turning it over 
 from time to time, and holding the glass close up to a lighted candle, 
 so that he and his attendants could see whether the substance inside 
 flowed or not. As he gave no signs of satisfaction, and it was now 
 after ten o'clock, some of the immense audience, especially of the 
 women, began to be impatient. Yells arose, shrieks, exclamations, 
 I could not tell what they were. It is said that some cry out in such 
 a case, "Faccia gialluta ! " " Yellow band ! " to satirize the saint, 
 who, or which, being brass, of course has a yellow face, though I 
 should not suppose he ought to be blamed for his complexion. Be 
 that as it may, the exclamations were emphatic and loud. But soon 
 — I have good reason to remember it, for my faithful watch, which 
 the good people of Maiden, Mass., gave me about fifteen years ago, 
 must have disappeared about then ; it would to me be a great mira- 
 cle should it ever come back — about 10 : 15 minutes A.M., on the 19th 
 of September, the priest nodded his head some fifteen times, more or 
 less, in rapid succession, as none but a Neapolitan could do, in token 
 that the thing was done, the blood actually flowed, when there burst 
 from the crowd a shout of exultation. Some body near the altar 
 threw into the air less than a peck of what seemed to be little square 
 .bits of paper — as I have seen before now mischievous Sophomores, 
 who ought to be ashamed of it, scatter mock schemes just after the 
 opening prayer at a Junior exhibition. Three bevies of birds, of some 
 half dozen each, were let fly from the altar, and from all parts of the 
 immense congregation there arose an exultant song. 
 
 Then there was a rush, or rather a push, upward, I suppose to get 
 those bits of paper, and, perhaps, to look at the vial. It was hot 
 and distressing, and very provocative of perspiration, and after a few 
 minutes I forced my way out of the chapel into the center of the 
 cathedral, and upward near the high altar. My good genius, as 
 Socrates would have said, had led me there, for though just then I 
 found an empty vest pocket, and was thinking of my old-time Maiden 
 friends, I saw there was to be a second act in the drama, and curiosity 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 225 
 
 mollified my sense of loss. The candles before and around the high 
 altar were all lighted. The organist and choir were ready. And 
 soon the procession appeared, coming from the chapel, just as I 
 had, toward the main altar of the cathedi-al. The chief priest with 
 the vial headed the procession. Four men bore the brazen image of 
 the saint in a sitting posture, with a tall pointed cap on his head, 
 and truly he was yellow. Placed on the altar there were many gen- 
 uflexions and osculations, and among the people oscillations, and 
 murmurings of prayers, and bowing before the brazen image. Then 
 what appeared to be a committee of three, two in citizen's dress and 
 one a priest, approached the man with the vial and inspected it, tak- 
 ing it in their hands. They seemed to be satisfied and were permit- 
 ted to kiss it, and had it pressed against their foreheads. And all 
 the people looked on, some with awe, and some with faces as expres- 
 sionless as that of the saint. 
 
 I had seen enough, and retired. I asked myself, ' ' Am I alive or 
 dead?" "Am I not in a pre-existent state?" "Have I not seen 
 this, or something like it, before, some hundreds or thousands of 
 years ago ?" You see, I had lost my time-keeper and was out at sea, 
 and not in a very happy frame of mind. But I concluded that I was 
 in the cathedral of St. Januarius, in the city of Naples, somewhere 
 near high noon, the exact minute I could not tell, on the 19th of 
 September, 1878. 
 
 In the above description I have used no opprobrious epithets, nor 
 expressed any opinions, but have faithfully stated what I saw. I 
 left the cathedral and plunged into the very heart of the old city, 
 where the stone streets seemed serpentine, about a rod wide on the 
 average, and fifty feet high or deep, more or less, formed by the stone 
 walls of the buildings on each side, full of people jabbering, shout- 
 ing, gesticulating, and some filling the air with shrill cries of what 
 they had for sale, and I thought of the miracles of Christ and his 
 apostles. I thought how benevolent they were, healing the sick, 
 giving sight and hearing and even life, but always accompanied with 
 
 moral and spiritual instruction, and never exhibited for show, but 
 15 
 
226 AUTOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 seeming to be a spontaneous outflow of superior spiritual and benefi- 
 cent power. I thought, too, of the greatest of all miracles, the ap- 
 pearance among men of the Lord Christ, his Ufe, his teaching, his 
 furnishing to the world a solution of its mysteries, his death and res- 
 urrection, and his revelation of immortality. And then I thought of 
 this travesty. Who knows the nature of that substance in the vial ? 
 Who does not know that it is easy to manufacture a substance that 
 shall be thick and gummy at ordinary temperatures, but shall be 
 liquefied in a few minutes by the heat of the hand and of a burning 
 candle ? And whence this display ? What good can it do ? Does 
 it make men wiser or better ? And my prayer was that God would 
 send, through his chosen messengers, and in his own way, to all the 
 people, the true light and the true message from heaven, which alone 
 can overcome this stupefying superstition and ribald mockery of all 
 religion, which uniformly accompany each other. 
 
 Observing that some of the villages in the vicinity of 
 Naples had no chui-ches, and others but one, he remarks ; 
 
 What a want there must be of that collision of thought and mutual 
 brightening of the intellect and improvement of morals which 
 result from having in a village two or three Protestant churches, 
 where the people hear preaching, and which, by a healthful rivalry, 
 stimulate a good social, moral, and religious life. I have ceased to 
 regret the division of Protestantism into denominations. I believe 
 they should be fraternal, and recognize each other's Christianity, but 
 a sharp honest rivalry is better than the mental stagnation which ex- 
 ists in spite of one Church. Especially is this marked if the solitary 
 church has no genuine preaching, but only the repetition of ceremonies 
 connected with image worship. 
 
 On visiting Pompeii he notes the contrast between an- 
 cient and much of modem art. He finds there 
 
 No pictures that represent charity, or domestic affection, or patri- 
 otism, or admiration of the truth, or any noble passion. The figures 
 
ERASTUS O. IIAVEJS". 227 
 
 in some instances are admirable, but the general tendency is gross 
 and demoralizing. All this indicates that society had reached its 
 worst condition in the Roman Empire, when Christianity was intro- 
 duced. The religion of Christ was not a development out of what 
 preceded it. It was an introduction of a new life. It was the 
 planting of a new growth from heaven in a soil reeking with filth 
 and death. It was a divine eucalyptus tree, a "tree of life " power- 
 ful to overcome the malaria that was rapidly sweeping the popula- 
 tion from the face of the earth. 
 
 On visiting Eome he was stirred as Paul, on entering 
 Athens, had been before him, to see the city wholly given 
 to idolatry. Though naturally of catholic spirit, and on. 
 all occasions inclined to give full credit to other denomina- 
 tions, mummeries witnessed in the papal churches of the 
 Old World were too much for even his charity, and more 
 than once in his Journal he breaks forth into expressions 
 of indignation and disgust at this mockery of Christianity. 
 
 He arrived late on Saturday evening. The next morn- 
 ing, after visiting the Methodist mission, and bearing 
 testimony to the zeal and wisdom of Dr. Yernon, the pas- 
 tor, he says : 
 
 I felt it not wrong, being in Rome, to do somewhat as the Romans 
 do, and visited two of their churches, so-called. The first was 
 St. Paul's without the Gates. This stands on the spot where it is 
 believed the apostle was beheaded. There is no good reason to 
 doubt the tradition. The edifice is a huge gem. Indeed, if you 
 could imagine a beryl, or any other precious stone, enlarged to the 
 size of a cathedral, and then hollowed out and beautifully carved 
 within, it would not surpass this reality. Afterward I went to the 
 world-renowned St. Peter's, which needs no description, and will 
 never get one adequate to the theme. 
 
228 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 Later in the week I visited their most eminent church, now under 
 ground, called St. Clement's. It is true they have built a structure 
 on the top of it, above ground, but the real St. Clement's is beneath 
 the surface. Visiting this and exploring it carefully with a torch, 
 you are surprised to find that this primitive building, which may 
 have been standing in the fourth or even third century, is just like 
 one of our plain modern Protestant meeting-houses. There was no 
 sign that there was any altar in it, or side chapels, but simply a 
 good audience-room — a place for common prayer and praise, and to 
 hear the Scriptures read and explained, with probably a parsonage 
 attached, where the pastor and his wife and children lived. There 
 were a few pictures on the walls, but, of course, the date of their 
 painting cannot be conjectured. 
 
 The great want of Rome now is the simple, unostentatious, spiritual 
 communion of the soul with God, such as the apostles used to preach, 
 and for preaching which, in this city, St. Paul lost his life. In the 
 beautiful church over the spot where he surrendered his life without 
 fear an idolatry is practiced as humiliating to man and, I must 
 think, as offensive to God, as any idolatry which he rebuked. Nor 
 in that church to-day would the authorities dare to read, in the lan- 
 guage of the people, Paul's Epistle to the Romans, and least of all 
 with fair, honest comments giving the real meaning of the words. 
 
 Nevertheless, one by one some of the silliest practices of olden 
 time are being discontinued. How long before Romans will be 
 ashamed to see any of themselves or strangers kissing the toe of an 
 image or of a dead man, or crawling up stairs to induce the keeper of 
 Purgatory to let them or their friends out before their term of sen- 
 tence is expired ? 
 
 I cannot doubt that the flat has gone forth from the lips of the 
 nineteenth century — ^would that some modern Michael Angelo would 
 give us a proper personiflcation of this mighty power — to the effect 
 that religious toleration shall hereafter be universal. 
 
 A letter to his son-in-law and daughter, Professor and 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 229 
 
 Mrs. Moss, of Bloomington, 111., written from Eome, not 
 only adds to the impressions produced by these extracts 
 from Ms Journal, but contains, in addition, such a blending 
 of paternal affection, wise counsel, and sound philosophy, 
 as to justify insertion : 
 
 EoMB, Italy, September 23, 1878. 
 
 Mt deak sou and daughteb : It seems strange to me to address 
 you in this style, but I hardly know how otherwise to begin a letter 
 to you. I am indeed glad that you are associated in the most inti- 
 mate relations of life, and I feel as though I had gained another 
 member of my family. By this time you have entered, I suppose, on 
 your college work, and I most devoutly pray that the good Lord may- 
 give you great success. 
 
 Tour joint letters have been very comforting to me, the last that I 
 received being one that you wrote just before leaving Purdy's. Your 
 vacation seems to have been a time of laying in a stock of health, 
 and I hope you will not find your work too burdensome. 
 
 I suppose it is impossible for the old to communicate all of the 
 result of their experience to the young. One lesson I have learned is 
 that the great work of life is never finished. Alps on Alps arise. 
 Success and failure, too, are more internal than external. When the 
 world commends us most we are sometimes least conscious of doing 
 well ; and when it blames us or neglects us we are most conscious of 
 doing our duty. It seems strange to me to think that probably long 
 after I shall have passed on out of sight my children will be at work 
 in this world. 
 
 Sometimes I regret that I am not so situated that I could rest or 
 labor as I chose, and set myself to the execution of some plans inde- 
 pendent of outside control ; but I suppose that few, perhaps none, 
 are situated just as they want to be. The best thing is contentedly 
 and earnestly to do the work at hand. 
 
 I write this in my room in a hotel. I have been to Naples and 
 have concluded not to go to Palestine alone at this season of the year. 
 
230 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 I have seen enough for once. You are right about the advantages of 
 travel in later years. There is nothing like knowing how to see. I 
 meet many travelers who absolutely see nothing. Keep up your 
 knowledge of French and German. Some time you will see these 
 lands. It is easy to talk a language so as to get great good from it 
 if you know its grammar and a few words. 
 
 I have not been at church to-day, as I was very weary and cannot 
 imderstand the spoken Italian. Indeed, I cannot read it except from 
 its similarity to Latin. This afternoon I went to St. Peter's and 
 heard the priests sing the vespers. It is mummery, sheer form and 
 idolatry, and I think to the performers mostly a sham. I did not, 
 therefore, enjoy the music much. I have not so much charity for 
 Popery as I had before I came to Italy. . . . Lovingly, 
 
 E. O. H. 
 
 When on his way to Paris he stopped for a few hours ia 
 an obscure French town, to avoid the necessity of traveling 
 by night. While here he sauntered out into the street to 
 take observations and keep warm. His observations and 
 reflections are worth perusing : 
 
 As good fortune would have it I soon struck a procession, which 
 proved to be the funeral of a notable personage, a member of a 
 woman's charitable society. The society were there on foot, veiled 
 in black, preceded by the priest and bearers and some others robed 
 in white and with candles in their hands, and followed by a goodly 
 number of citizens. I observed that all the men and boys in the 
 streets who met the procession took oflE their hats until it passed, and 
 the church bells, chiming their three notes, filled the air with plaint- 
 ive melody. I went to the church, not knowing but that I might 
 meet a prodigy of eloquence, as Wirt did in the blind preacher of 
 Virginia, but instead I heard and witnessed the ceremony of mass 
 for an hour, and heard the priest, an old man of venerable appear- 
 ance and sweet voice, and his attendants, chant their funeral service. 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 231 
 
 Though there was not the slightest appeal to the intellect in the whole 
 performance, I could but see that the church which enlists the co- 
 operation of so many in every baptism and wedding and funeral, and 
 appeals to the senses with sweet music and gorgeous display, can 
 never be overthrown by fulminations or political opposition. The 
 true religion of Christ must enter the heart and fill the void before 
 what is substituted for it will lose its power. 
 
 The center of interest in Paris at the time of his visit 
 was the Exposition. In the extent of the grounds and 
 elegance of the buildings, he contrasts it unfavorably with 
 corresponding features of the American Exposition, at 
 Philadelphia. Nor did he see any thing in Paris to com- 
 pare, in its line, with the Corliss engine, in Philadelphia. 
 But in every thing relating to the fine arts he, of course, 
 conceded their great superiority. Omitting every thing 
 else in this department, a single passage may be selected. 
 
 But the most wonderful pictorial representation I have ever seen is 
 a panorama of the vicinity of Paris when attacked by the Germans, 
 caUed "The Defense of Paris." You enter the room and find your- 
 self, with others, standing on the top of a real fort. There is a real 
 cannon just before you. Fragments of exploded shells are around 
 your feet. Over your head is a sort of canopy, say thirty feet in 
 diameter, held up by posts near the center. You stand within a 
 railing that prevents you from reaching the edge of the inclosure. 
 All this is real. You can apply touch as well as sight. Before you 
 and all around you now is a view of the country, within a horizon, 
 as distant as it could be in nature. You see above you what seems 
 to be a real sky. You see the forts, the cannon, the smoke, the fall- 
 ing men, the burning buildings, the horses, the ambulances, all the 
 hills and valleys and groves, the distant German guns — all just as 
 vivid as nature. You see no canvas, no frame, no signs of any pict- 
 
232 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 we. There is nothing unnatural about the light. It is not too 
 strong nor too dim. It is just simply pure daylight. All seems to be 
 an absolute fact. You scrutinize the men and animals carefully, 
 and you observe that they do not move. The smoke of the cannon 
 does not roll away. The burning buildings are not consumed. But 
 for that, all children and adults alike would persist in declaring that 
 they were not looking at the work of an artist, but at the actual fact. 
 The power of painting to reproduce history can no further go than in 
 this panorama of "The Defense of Paris," and diorama of Paris in 
 the state of siege. 
 
 By means of such panoramas it will yet be easy to show to all the 
 most famous spots of earth, not appealing to the imagination, not by 
 dim representations, but as impressively and truthfully as the sight 
 itself would be. 
 
 Soon after the visit to Paris he returned to England, 
 reaching London early in October. After spending a few 
 days in this city he embarked from Liverpool October 15, 
 and in due time reached New York in safety. 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 233 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE GENEEAL CONFEEENCE. 
 
 i( T HA YE not found it convenient, in the rapid recital 
 JL of my memoirs thus far, to describe my experience in 
 the General Conference, which, for the sake of convenience, 
 had .better be thrown into one chapter. 
 
 "The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, meeting once in four years, was, till 1872, com- 
 posed wholly of ministers. At first all full members of 
 the Annual Conferences could attend. In 1800 member- 
 ship was restricted to elders who had traveled four years. 
 In 1812 the first delegated General Conference was held, 
 and consisted of one member for every five members of 
 the Annual Conferences respectively. Since that the ratio 
 of representation has been modified, until at the present 
 time the General Conference is composed of two lay dele- 
 gates from each Annual Conference, and one ministerial 
 delegate for every forty-five members thereof. In 1860 I 
 had the honor of an election as a representative from the 
 Ifew England Conference. The General Conference met 
 this year in Buffalo. Almost every General Conference 
 has some one subject before it of surpassing interest, on 
 which parties will be formed, and animated discussions will 
 arise. There was no doubt as to what would command the 
 attention of this Conference. Fierce debates had already 
 taken place in the Annual Conferences, and the members 
 
234 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 assembled already arrayed in two parties. The question 
 was, Shall the Discipline be so changed or interpreted as 
 to exclude all slave-holders from membership in the churcli- 
 es ? Some claimed that the Discipline already forbade it. 
 Some that the holding of slaves for merciful and good pur- 
 poses was not forbidden. 'No sooner had we assembled than 
 petitions and resolutions of Annual Conferences, societies, 
 and individuals, pro and con, began to pour in by the hun- 
 dreds. All other subjects dwindled into insignificance be- 
 fore this. The debate on the subject was animated, in 
 some instances almost angry. The most extreme positions 
 were taken, and some middle men strove to steady the ark. 
 I did what I could to advocate the passage of an amend- 
 ment to the General Kule, which should pronounce slave- 
 holding a forbidden practice, which carried a majority of 
 votes, but not sufficient to secure the change, so far as the 
 General Conference was concerned. 
 
 " Then we advocated a change in the chapter on slavery, 
 which would practically secure our end by a simple major- 
 ity vote. This we carried, and the result was so much dis- 
 satisfaction in Maryland, Virginia, and other slave States 
 bordering on the free States, that many of our ministers 
 and members and, in some cases, whole societies, seceded 
 and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. 
 
 " This action really intensified the fierce fire which was 
 beginning to bum between the North and the South, and 
 which so soon was to burst into the flames of civil war. 
 Among other subjects of interest which engaged the atten- 
 tion of this General Conference was the question of lay 
 delegation. A report was adopted favoring the measure 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 235 
 
 whenever a majority of the members and ministers desired 
 it. But neither the laymen nor the ministers were yet 
 ready for the introduction of the lay element into the high- 
 est councils of the Church, and the measure was, therefore, 
 voted down." 
 
 At this point, what was manifestly intended by the 
 author to be a full chapter on the General Conference 
 comes to an abrupt close. It will be necessary, therefore, 
 to complete the chapter, not indeed as the original projector 
 would have written it, but portraying the part which he 
 took in the successive sessions of this great religious body, 
 and tracing the influence which he exerted in molding the 
 pohty of the Church. 
 
 Of the General Conference of 1864 he was not a mem- 
 ber. The country was now approaching the close of the 
 great Civil War, and the spirit and proceedings of this 
 Conference were modified by the martial spirit which per- 
 vaded the nation. During this session the General Rule 
 upon the subject of slavery was so altered, the requirements 
 of the Eestrictive Kule having been met, as to absolutely 
 prohibit slave-holdiug in the Church. Upon this action of 
 the General Conference Dr. Haven strongly animadverted 
 in his Journal. The ministerial term was also extended 
 from two to three years, and provision was made for the 
 organization of the Board of Church Extension. 
 
 Of the General Conference of 1868 Dr. Haven was a 
 member. During this session an earnest debate arose re- 
 specting the eligibility of delegates from the Mission Con- 
 ferences of the Southern States to seats in the body. Dr. 
 Haven was a member of the committee of seven to which 
 
236 AXJTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 the subject was referred, and both then, and afterward in 
 the General Conference, took strong ground in favor of 
 their admission. This cause triumphed, he tells us, almost 
 unanimously. He was also chairman of the Committee on 
 Lay Delegation, respecting which he says : " The minutes 
 wiU show the work done, in which I had the laboring oar, 
 but no mention can be made of the arduous committee 
 work." This subject had been voted upon in 1861-62 by 
 both ministers and laymen, and had then been decided ad- 
 versely to the movement ; now, however, the question was 
 to be submitted again, but with a widely different result. 
 More than three fourths of the ministers now favored the 
 plan,, and two thirds of the voting members. 
 
 The questions, How many new Bishops will be required, 
 and who shall they be? are subjects of prominence and 
 interest in connection with the meeting of every General 
 Conference. Previous to this one it was supposed that 
 two, or more, would be required to relieve the already 
 overburdened Episcopal Board. The name of Dr. Haven 
 was, probably, more prominent in this connection at that 
 time than any other before the Church. Referring to that 
 subject, he says, " I was assured by members from different 
 parts of the country that I should have been elected ; and 
 I am sure that two of the Bishops, at least, favored it ; 
 but I do not desire the arduous office, and have never 
 desired it." 
 
 The General Conference of 1872 was, in many respects, 
 the most important and interesting of recent times. Four 
 Bishops, Osmon C. Baker, Davis W. Clark, Edward Thom- 
 son, and Calvin Eingsley, the youngest, the most recently 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 237 
 
 elected, and supposed to be the most vigorous of the Board, 
 had died during the preceding quadrennium, as many sup- 
 posed, on account of overwork. And it was generally 
 understood that an unusual number of additional Bishops 
 would be required. In addition to this an unhappy differ- 
 ence had arisen between the Book Agents at New York, 
 which had at length found its way into the newspapers and 
 agitated the entire Church. This subject was certain to 
 come before the General Conference in some shape. Lay 
 delegates, also, were present, for the first time in the his- 
 tory of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to take their seats 
 in the General Conference. 
 
 The first business before the Conference was the admis- 
 sion of the lay delegation who had been duly elected by 
 the Electoral Conferences, and were present and ready to 
 take their seats. 
 
 After the transaction of the preliminary business of the 
 Conference a communication was submitted by the Bishops, 
 stating that in accordance with the plan devised at the pre- 
 vious session for the change of the second Kestrictive Rule, 
 and for the admission of lay delegates, they had submitted 
 the question to the vote of the Annual Conferences with 
 the following result : 
 
 For the proposed change 4,915 
 
 Against the proposed change 1,597 
 
 Blank 4 
 
 The lay members having voted abeady, by a large ma- 
 jority, in favor of the proposed measure, and elected their 
 delegates accordingly, it seemed altogether proper that the 
 
238 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 General Conference should ratify the action of its constit- 
 uents by the two-thirds majority requisite to complete the 
 measure. The resolution providing for this step was 
 adopted by an overwhelming majority — ^two hundred and 
 eighty-three voting in its favor, and only six in oppo- 
 sition. 
 
 On taking their seats the laymen submitted an address, 
 which, for its elegance and appropriateness, as well as for 
 the wisdom of its suggestions, deserves to be inserted here. 
 The address was presented and read by Dr. James Strong, 
 of the Newark Conference, a layman whose name, for other 
 reasons, will long live in the literature of the Christian 
 Church. He said : 
 
 Dear Brethren : An occasion so memorable as this, which brings 
 together for the first time in the select council of our beloved Zion, 
 the clerical, and lay element by direct representation, calls for more 
 than a passing interchange of views and feelings. It is fitting that 
 we the lay delegates, especially, should formally recognize the gravity 
 and responsibility of the hour and the train of Divine Providence, 
 as well as of ecclesiastical adjustment, that has led to it. We, there- 
 fore, desire to respond to the summons which invites us to share in your 
 deliberations and decisions by an expression at once of our appre- 
 ciation of the privilege, and of our sentiment in accepting it, and to 
 do so in a manner appropriate for permanent record. 
 
 First of all, we devoutly thank the great Head of the Church for 
 the eminent degree of harmony and brotherly love that has charac- 
 terized the movement in favor of lay delegation which has thus hap- 
 pily been consummated. Kaxely, if ever, has history chronicled so 
 fundamental a change in Church polity effected with so little of acri- 
 monious controversy; seldom, or never, before has the world seen a 
 voluntary surrender of power by any body of men long possessed of 
 it by constitutional right, and not often has there been known such 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 239 
 
 modesty in acquiring it as our laity have generally exhibited. It has 
 frequently been alleged that Methodism exhibits in her form of gov- 
 ernment some features of usui'pation and despotism ; we may mutu- 
 ally congratulate ourselves on this refutation of the calumny. 
 
 In the second place, on behalf of the lay portion of our Church, thus 
 called upon to assume the gravest obligations, we invoke the gracious 
 assistance of our heavenly Father, that we may so engage in and dis- 
 charge the important duties imposed upon us as to meet the divine 
 approval, and secure the greatest good to the Church at large. We 
 feel that an assuming spirit would be in the highest degree unbecom- 
 ing those who enter for the first time upon a share of authority thus 
 deferentially ceded to them by their colleagues, and we hope to prove 
 by a cordial and judicious co-operation with our ministerial brethren 
 in this new relation, that their confidence and that of those who have 
 sent us hither, is not misplaced. 
 
 Thirdly, we would deprecate any separation of temporal and spir- 
 itual powers of this joint body as between its lay and its clerical 
 members. While we recognize the peculiar functions of the ministry 
 in the pulpit and the pastorate, their exclusive right as a rule of 
 ecclesiastical order to administer the word of God and the sacra- 
 ments of the Church ; and while, on the other hand, we equally 
 acknowledge as the special charge of the laity, in the pew and the 
 community, to maintain the pecuniary interests of our Zion, and to 
 be the custodians of Church property ; yet as delegates here assem- 
 bled, we conceive, and suppose it to be conceded, that we all have 
 a common and equal interest and obligation in every question that 
 may come before the Conference for discussion and determination. 
 Bishops, preachers, and people are, in our economy at least, the 
 elementary constituents of the one body of Christ; and whatever 
 affects either of these three classes, truly and sensibly concerns all 
 the rest. AVhether, therefore, we meet here as presiding oiBcers, or 
 as members consulting together, and finally voting, either promiscu- 
 ously, or, if it becomes requisite for a due balance of members, by 
 separate count, we trust that no schism shall be made in this regard, 
 
240 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 so only that we achieve the full benefit of the maxim that imien is 
 
 Lastly, we do not enter this body to propose any sudden or radical 
 change in the practical machinery of our Church. Happily, we see 
 no tetidency among us to any considerable divergence on doctrinal 
 questions. We hope that no hasty or serious experiments will be 
 made in our ministerial policy. We should especially regret to find 
 the introduction of the lay element into our councils made the occa- 
 sion of materially modifying the functions or contracting the sphere 
 of the clergy, whether bishops, elders, or pastors. We laymen, as 
 being comparatively inexperienced in our present capacity, must 
 naturally be expected to feel our way cautiously along, if we would 
 tread securely and advantageously in the exercise of our new powers; 
 at the same time we do not wish to be understood as standing com- 
 mitted against any advance in any legitimate and prudent direction, 
 nor in favor of any state of things merely on account of its antiquity. 
 Whatever measures have proved themselves in time past to be wise 
 and useful we would retain if they still continue efficient, or restore 
 to their former usefulness if they have in any degree unnecessarily lost 
 it ; and any modes of operation which experience may have shown 
 to be erroneous or defective, and which altered cu'cumstances may 
 have rendered practicably obsolete and inapposite, we would freely— 
 but gradually and not violently — exchange for sounder and more im- 
 proved ones. In short, we profess ourselves at once conservative in 
 principle and progressive in action, thoroughly true to the Methodism 
 which has ever followed the guidance of Providence — the same 
 always and every- where in spirit — but able to adapt itself in form to the 
 varying exigencies of time and place. We recognize its one grand 
 aim still to be to " spread scriptural holiness over these lands, " and we 
 trust that from this hour it shall receive a fresh impulse in its mission 
 throughout the globe. 
 
 In this peaceable manner was consummated a measure 
 which fifty years earlier had seriously agitated the Church, 
 
EBASTUS O. HA.VEJS-. 241 
 
 and gravely threatened its disruption ; and a a somewhat 
 later day, in connection with other sources of dissatisfac- 
 tion, had resulted in a considerable secession of members. 
 
 The part taken by Dr. Haven, as the chairman of the 
 Committee on Lay Delegation at the preceding General 
 Conference, when the plan which now eventuated so hap- 
 pily was adopted, was altogether creditable to his judgment 
 and wisdom. 
 
 The lay delegates having been admitted to seats, the 
 minds of the members again turned to the affairs of the 
 Book Concern at New York, and the best method of ad- 
 justing the differences between the Agents. As this was 
 a matter of much interest in its day, and occupied much of 
 the time of this session of the General Conference, it may 
 not be out of place to give some of the causes leading to it. 
 
 The Book Concern was transferred from Philadelphia to 
 JSTew York in 1804, with a capital of $27,000. From this 
 time its business and capital increased so rapidly that not- 
 withstanding a disastrous fire in 1836, involving a loss of 
 $250,000, and the secession of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, South, in 1845, resulting in a decree of the Su- 
 preme Court of the United States awarding them $270,000 
 as their ^0 rata of the common fund, and the payment of 
 many hundreds of thousands of dollars for the support of 
 the Bishops and to meet other expenses not otherwise pro- 
 vided for by the General Conference, its business and cap- 
 ital had grown so enormously that large houses had been 
 opened at Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, San . Francisco, 
 and other points in the West, and an extensive business 
 
 had been built up, and the head-quarters of the eastern 
 16 
 
242 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OV 
 
 Concern had been transferred from the former obsctire 
 quarters in Mulberry-street to a magnificent building at 
 Broadway and Eleventh-street. The report of the eastern 
 Agents showed that their net capital was over a million 
 of dollars, and that their profits during the quadrennium, 
 after deducting over a hundred and five thousand dollars 
 for salaries of the Bishops and other General Conference 
 appropriations, amounted to $256,681 63. A question 
 concerning the management of an interest so large as this, 
 in which every traveling minister felt that he had a com- 
 mon concern, could not arise without creating much ex- 
 citement. In this case it was intensified by the high stand- 
 ing of both Agents, as well as by the publicity which had 
 been given to the alleged irregularities through the public 
 press. Dr. Thomas Carlton, the senior Agent, had occu- 
 pied his position during twenty years. Under his admin- 
 istration the business had grown vastly, and the Concern 
 had been conducted through great and general financial 
 revulsions with unimpaired credit. Dr. John Lanahan, 
 the junior Agent, had been in his position but four years. 
 He came to it with a high reputation for administrative 
 ability, as well as unquestioned integrity of character. 
 
 The charges amounted to an impeachment of the meth- 
 ods of keeping the books and accounts, and of the honesty 
 of the subordinates intrusted with the purchase of paper 
 and with the oversight of the manufacturing department. 
 They did not involve the moral integrity of the senior 
 Agent so much as his business capacity. After much dis- 
 cussion, the entire matter was referred to a special commit- 
 tee of one from each delegation. This committee did not 
 
EKASTTJS O. HAVEN. 243 
 
 report until near the close of the session. A statement of 
 the method of procedure showed that they had gone sys- 
 tematically and thoroughly into the inyestigation of the 
 question submitted to them, and their finding was there- 
 fore accepted without question by the entire Church. They 
 found that there had been business improprieties in the 
 printing department and frauds in the bindery, and that, 
 in the past, the checks upon subordinates in these depart- 
 ments had not been sufficiently stringent ; but they fully 
 exonerated the Agents from any complicity in the fraud- 
 ulent transactions. 
 
 One of the first items of business coming before the 
 General Conference is the appointment of the Standing 
 Committees. These include within their scope all business 
 ordinarily coming before the body. It is customary to con- 
 stitute them by the appointment of one member from each 
 delegation. As the number of delegations is constantly in- 
 creasing, these committees are now as large as an ordinary 
 Annual Conference. They organize by the election, from 
 their own number, of a president and secretary, and these 
 positions are deemed posts of responsibility and honor. At 
 tliis General Conference Dr. Haven was elected chairman 
 of the Committee on Kevisals, and Dr. F. S. Hoyt, secre- 
 tary. A large number of memorials and resolutions always 
 come before this committee, but fortunately for the peace 
 and stability of the Church, most of them are never heard 
 of more. The present session was no exception to the gen- 
 eral rule. But, as usual, the reports of the committee 
 recommended few changes, and the Discipline of the 
 Church came out of another ordeal unharmed. 
 
2 ±4 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 As has been said before, tlie death of such an nmisTial 
 number of the youngest and most vigorous Bishops of the 
 Board rendered it certain that an unusually large number 
 of new Bishops must be elected. From the beginning of the 
 session this question divided the interest with every other. 
 During every quadrennium an indefinite number of min- 
 isters, in the early maturity of their powers, will rise from 
 the ranks into such prominence, on account of the strength 
 and quality of their mental and moral endowments and 
 attainments, as to gain the attention of the general Church. 
 Out of this number it is customary to select the Bishops. 
 
 The question of locality sometimes exerts a strong influ- 
 ence in the elections, and at this time doubtless promoted 
 some who might otherwise have failed of an election. 
 Among the names most prominently mentioned in all 
 sections of the Church was that .of Dr. E. O. Haven. His 
 earlier manhood had been spent in New England ; his later 
 in the great North-west. As a professor and then a success- 
 ful principal of Amenia Seminary in a most illustrious suc- 
 cession, as a prominent pastor in New York city, and as 
 editor of " Zion's Herald," he had gained the confidence and 
 regard of the East ; while his career in Michigan Univer- 
 sity, and later at the head of the North-western University, 
 had greatly endeared him to the Church in that important 
 section. But New England centered its vote on the brill- 
 iant and versatile editor of " Zion's Herald," and the North- 
 west divided its influence between Dr. E. O. Haven and 
 two other strong men and prominent candidates ; and when 
 the list of Bishops was filled out, Dr. E. O. Haven's name 
 was not in the number. 
 
EEASTU8 0. HAVEN. 245 
 
 That the unexpected result was a source of some disap- 
 pointment, both to himself and his friends, cannot be 
 doubted. Yet his correspondence shows that he accepted 
 the result as providential, and one of his last expressions 
 on that subject to the writer was of satisfaction that he had 
 never permitted himself to harbor feelings of discontent 
 under the temporary disappointments of the past. 
 
 It was during this General Conference that provision 
 was made for the election of a Corresponding Secretary of 
 the Board of Education. When the question of selecting 
 an incumbent for the office arose, all eyes turned to Dr. 
 Haven. His ripe scholarsliip, large and varied experience, 
 and well-known organizing power, recommended him so 
 strongly for the place that he was elected by acclamation. 
 
 The General Conference of 18Y6 was to have met in St. 
 Louis ; but, " for satisfactory reasons," the place of meeting 
 was changed to Baltimore, where the body convened on 
 the first day of May. Dr. Haven, now Chancellor of Syra- 
 cuse University, as well as Secretary of the Board of 
 Education, was in the list of delegates from the Central 
 New York Conference. On the organization of the stand- 
 ing committees he was elected chairman of the Committee 
 on Education, and, at a later period of the session, chairman 
 of the special Committee on Centennial Observances. This 
 latter committee was constituted in response to a special 
 communication from the Bishops recommending that steps 
 be taken for the proper religious observance of the approach- 
 ing National Centeimial. The Address of the Bishops 
 referred in suitable terms to the death, during the quad- 
 rennium, of Thomas A. Morris, their senior colleague ; of 
 
246 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 John "Wright Roberts, missionary Bishop for Africa; 
 Thomas M. Eddy, Secretary of the Missionary Society of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church ; Nelson E. Cobleigh, edit- 
 or of the Methodist Advocate, at Atlanta, Ga.; and of D. D. 
 Lore, editor of the " Northern Christian Advocate." 
 
 The leading interest in the Conference centered in the 
 presiding eldership, and embraced two distinct questions. 
 Whether the Annual Conferences should be permitted to 
 determine the nimiber of districts, and whether the presid- 
 ing eldership should be rendered elective. I'he discussions 
 of these questions in the Church periodicals previous to the 
 meeting of the Conference had been general and able, and a 
 large number of the Annual Couferences had taken action 
 thereon. Indeed, the Church had been passing through 
 one of those periodical excitements upon this issue which 
 have attended the oflSce from its inception. 
 
 When Methodism originated in the United States, and 
 began extending its conquests among the primitive people, 
 it was destitute of an educated ministry or the means of 
 providing one. The founders of the Church, therefore, 
 after the example of John Wesley, their great head, in 
 Great Britain, laid their hands upon such of their converts 
 as appeared, by gifts, grace, and usefulness, to be called of 
 God to the work of the ministry, and thrust them into the 
 itinerant work. Soon afterward, owing to the progress of 
 the Eevolutionary War, all the older English preachers, 
 save Asbury, returned to the mother country. The result 
 was that the responsibility of feeding the flock of Christ 
 devolved upon young and, generally, upon unordained 
 men. When the Church was organized, in IT84, of the 
 
EKASTUS O. HAVEN. 247 
 
 eighty-three traveling preachers only about thirty had been 
 in the work five years, and many of these were of limited 
 education. 
 
 At the request of Mr. Wesley, ordination was restricted 
 to those best qualified, and of these only a sufficient num- 
 ber to travel over large districts and administer the sacra- 
 ments were to be selected. In accordance with this policy, 
 twelve elders were ordained, and, after being tried for one 
 year and approved, they were invested with aU the powers 
 of the Superintendent within their respective districts. 
 At first they were known only as elders. In 1789 they 
 appear in the Discipline as presiding elders. 
 
 From this it will be seen that the presiding eldership, 
 like the itinerancy and class-meeting, had its origin in the 
 exigency of the times, and, like them, has become a part 
 of the Church organism. Though the statement is some- 
 times heard that the office is superfluous, and propositions 
 are occasionally made to abolish it altogether, those who 
 sought to effect a change in the office in this General Con- 
 ference did not go to that extreme. It appears, both from 
 the minority and majority reports of the Committee on the 
 Itinerancy, that twenty-seven Annual and twelve Lay Elect- 
 oral Conferences had petitioned for some change in the 
 presiding eldership ; that eighteen Annual and eight Lay 
 Electoral Conferences had protested against any change, 
 and that thirty-five Annual Conferences had not spoken. 
 The report of the minority adds, that those favoring modi- 
 fication were represented in the General Conference by 
 one hundred and five delegates, and those opposing, by 
 forty-four delegates. 
 
248 AUTOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 The general desires of the petitioners were summarized 
 imder two heads : That the Annual Conference should be 
 permitted to determine the number of districts within its 
 limits, and that the presiding elders should be appointed 
 by the Bishops on the nomiuation of the Conference. 
 Other objects were embraced in some of the petitions : as, 
 that the presiding elders should constitute an advisory coun- 
 cil in making the appointments, and possess a veto power 
 in the cabinet ; but these modifications were not generally 
 desired. The report of the minority of the Committee on 
 the Itinerancy recommended that the presiding elders be 
 appointed by the Bishops on the nomination of a majority 
 of the Annual Conferences ; and that the Conferences be 
 permitted to determine the number of the districts within 
 their bounds. This report was defeated by a vote of 195 
 to 123. The report of the majority was never reached, but 
 the Bishops were finally instructed to submit to the Annual 
 Conferences the question of so far suspending the " third 
 Restrictive Rule as to permit the modification of the plan 
 of our itinerant general Superintendency" so as to allow 
 the Conferences to determine the number of districts within 
 their bounds. At the ensuing session of the General Con- 
 ference the Bishops reported that they had complied with 
 the instructions, and that the Annual Conferences had 
 voted 1,338 for, and 4,445 against, the suspension. 
 
 When it is remembered that during the preceding qiiad- 
 rennium so large a majority of the Annual Conferences 
 appeared to favor some modification of the presiding elder- 
 ship, this overwhelming majority against the suspension of 
 the third Restrictive Rule requires explanation. The ex- 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 240 
 
 planation is found in the fact that this large negative vote 
 embraces two classes entertaining widely divergent views : 
 one, composed of those who opposed any modification of 
 the presiding eldership; the other, of those who favored 
 some modifications, but held that these would not affect the 
 " plan of our itinerant general Superintendency." 
 
 Chancellor Haven was elected to the General Conference 
 of 1880 from the Central New York Conference. The 
 main interest of this session centered in the elections. ' 
 
 The Bishops called attention in their address to the fact 
 that three of their number, Bishops Janes, Ames, and 
 Haven, had died during the quadrennium. Dr. Eeuben 
 Nelson, also, Senior Book Agent at New York, and Dr. 
 R. L. DashieU, Secretary of the Missionary Society, had 
 passed away. These deaths left vacancies in the episcopal 
 ranks, as well as the other general oiBces of the Church, to 
 be filled by elections. 
 
 In the organization of the standing committees. Chan- 
 cellor Haven was again elected chairman of the Committee 
 on Education. 
 
 The Committee on the Episcopacy reported in favor of 
 the election of four additional Bishops, to fill the places of 
 those who had died. 
 
 On the first ballot Drs. H. "W. Warren, C. D. Foss, aad 
 J. F. Hurst were elected, and on the third. Chancellor E. 
 0. Haven. No previous election to this high office ever 
 gave more general satisfaction to the Church than the 
 present. All the Bishops-elect were men of acknowledged 
 ability and fine attainments, and all, save Bishop Haven, in 
 the prime of life. 
 
250 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 CHAPTEE Xiy. 
 
 EPISCOPAL "WOEK IN THE EAST ANB SOUTH. 
 
 IT will be of interest to note the feelings -with which 
 Chancellor Haven viewed his election to the high office 
 which crowned his career. That this was a matter of some 
 thought and occasional remark on his part his most inti- 
 mate friends bear witness. Writing to his family from 
 Baltimore, during the Conference of 1876, he says : 
 
 " There is an immense amount of talk about the officers. 
 Some favor an early election. A great pressure is brought 
 to bear on me to refuse to run — on account of Syracuse. 
 Others say I must be a candidate. I have not changed my 
 mind. I shall do nothing about it." 
 
 This may be accepted as his uniform position. He did 
 not seek office ; he did not dechne it when offered. He 
 committed his ways unto God. Hence his election to the 
 Episcopacy neither unduly elated nor agitated him. His 
 letters from Cincinnati previous to his election do not even 
 mention the subject. May 4, the second day of the session, 
 he writes to Mrs. Haven : 
 
 Mt Deak Wife : It is now Tuesday evening and the work 
 of the day is over, and though I have not yet received any news 
 from you I will write a few words. As usual, work accumulates, 
 but the Lord gives me health, and I am enjoying myself much. The 
 good lady thinks I do not look strong enough, and she is feeding me 
 well and giving me cinchona and iron. I open my mouth and ask 
 no questions, and it does not seem to hurt me. I have just been 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEH". 251 
 
 elected chairman of the Committee on Education, which is the sec- 
 ond time I have received that high honor. Dr. Hemenway, of Evan- 
 ston, is secretary of the Committee. 
 
 I think of you at Purdy, and fancy and hope that you are resting, 
 and will enjoy this visit to your old home very much. Tell mother 
 and Electa and Phoebe that I love them ali, and hope soon to see 
 them. 
 
 His first letter after tlie election is to Mrs. Haven. May 
 12, he -writes : 
 
 My Dbak Wife : Ko doubt before you receive this you will have 
 seen in the papers that I was elected a Bishop this P. M. I have 
 taken Bishop Peck's place as the youngest of the Board. It is all 
 right, I suppose. Do not grieve over it. If we have to go to At- 
 lanta we shall have a comfortable home, and no doubt the hand of 
 the Lord is in it. Afiectionately, E. O. H. 
 
 But his letter two days later is the most interesting and 
 
 characteristic : 
 
 CiNCiNNATr, O., May 14, 1880. 
 
 My Deab Wife : I have received one letter only from you yet. 
 I remember eight years ago, when you thought I was disappointed, 
 how very kindly you wrote that I would be welcomed at home. It 
 was a genuine expression and it touched my heart, though I have never 
 mentioned it even to you. Now congratulations are reaching me 
 from all parts of the country. How strangely Providence deals with 
 us. Then my prayer was, that the Lord would not allow oiflce to be 
 ^ven me unless it was best. This has been my prayer, too, all 
 through this Conference. How glad I am that I have never felt 
 a rebellious disposition. Now a new load is upon us, but the Lord 
 will sustain and guide us. I am assured that the Church is pleased. 
 Let us be humble and seek only the glory of God. 
 
 It is all uncertain where we shall be called to go. It is thought 
 that Des Moines, Iowa, San Francisco, St. Paul, and Atlanta, will 
 be the residences of the new Bishops. I must take the one that is 
 
252 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 left. I tell the Bishops that after all have chosen their places I shall 
 serenely survey the field and take the spot that is left. All are 
 pleasant, and any one will be good. We shall find a pleasant 
 home somewhere. I will keep you informed. I trust you are weU. 
 It would please me to have you here next Wednesday to see -the 
 consecration, but I do not think you desire the excitement of the 
 travel. I trust you will be able to take some journeys with me by 
 and by. . . . 
 
 Love to all the family and friends. Dr. Woodruff stands his 
 labors well. Afflectionately, E. O. H. 
 
 Anotlier letter of tlie same date as the last, and addressed 
 to Professor and Mrs. Moss, his daughter and son-in-law, is 
 pervaded by the same spirit : 
 
 CiNCnwATi, O., May 14, 1880. 
 
 Dbah Profbssok and Professoress ! Do not think I write too 
 often, though I have but little to say. ... Of course, I am very 
 busy, socially and otherwise. I receive many congratulations from 
 pastors and people far apart. 
 
 It is thought here that the Church is well satisfied with the choice 
 of Bishops. It was not generally expected that the choice would 
 include me, but some of my former students, and two or three other 
 friends, did fairly urge the members to vote for me. I took no part 
 in it. I only desire now to have strength and grace to spend the 
 remnant of my life so as to do the most good possible. I hope to 
 see you this summer. Of course I am at sea. When matters shape 
 themselves I will let you know. I am delighted to hear you are 
 well, and hope you will be spared to see Nita a mother, and well ad- 
 vanced old lady 1 Affectionately, E. O. H. 
 
 The places of residence of the newly appointed Bishops 
 were not finally assigned until near the close of the Gen- 
 eral Conference. Immediately afterward he wrote to Mrs. 
 Haven : 
 
EKASTUS O. HAVEIT. 253 
 
 Our home is fixed — San Francisco. Do not be unhappy. It is a 
 large city. Our family will, perhaps, gather around us. At any rate 
 it is settled, and I think a good Providence has done it. 
 
 Immediately after the close of the General Conference 
 in Cincinnati, Bishop Haven retmned to Syracuse for the 
 pm^ose of closing his connection with the university there, 
 and to prepare for the work of his new field. An enthu- 
 siastic reception was tendered him by the citizens on his 
 return, at which, he says, in a letter to Mrs. Haven, " They 
 piled the eulogy on me as though I was dead." 
 
 It was the privilege of the writer to accompany him when 
 he appeared at prayers in the university chapel for the first 
 time after his return, and to witness the enthusiasm with 
 which he was greeted by the students. It was evident that 
 he had full command of the hearts of all under his instruc- 
 tion here, as every- where else in his educational work. 
 
 These duties discharged, we presently follow him to 
 Thousand Islands Park, a beautiful summer resort in the 
 St. Lawrence River, attending the annual session of a 
 Scientific Conference,- of which he was president. 
 
 And that we may see how many-sided he was, how many 
 interests he touched and guided, it may be well to pause 
 here and give to this Conference more than passing notice. 
 The scheme of the Thousand Islands Park had originated 
 in the active and fertile brain of a minister of the Gospel, 
 Rev. J. F. Dayan, laid by from his work for the time be- 
 ing on account of ill-health. Its aim is well set forth in 
 one of its first circulars : 
 
 First. To obtain in one of the Thousand Islands of the St. Law- 
 rence Kiver a sufficiently large tract of land, to enable families to 
 
254 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 secure good, pleasant lots for cottages or tents, where they can spend 
 a portion of the summer in a beautiful, cool, and salubrious place, free 
 from the frivolities and extravagances of fashionable watering-places. 
 
 Second. To secure to the people while there profitable religious 
 privileges, and to protect the place by proper regulations from all 
 abuses. 
 
 Third. To hold, every summer, two or more camp-meetings for 
 special religious worship and instruction. 
 
 One of the by-laws requires that, " The property and 
 grounds of this Association shall be controlled sacredly in 
 the interest of the holy Sabbath. There shall be no admis- 
 sion to its grounds, nor travel to or from its shores upon 
 Sunday." 
 
 Of this association Chancellor Haven had been elected 
 president in 1875, and annual sessions of growing interest 
 had been held every year since. The programme for 187T 
 may be taken as an index of the practical working of the 
 organization. It included a camp-meeting from July 18 
 to 29, inclusive ; an International Christian Temperance 
 Camp-meeting from August 1 to 6, inclusive ; an ^^sthetic 
 and Scientific Conference from August 10 to 16, inclusive ; 
 and a Sunday-school Parliament from August 21 to 31, in- 
 clusive. And aU of this during vacation. 
 
 At the close of the present session, the watch which he had 
 lost in Naples, while in the crowd witnessing the miracle of 
 the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius, was replaced 
 by another, of which event a letter to Mrg. Haven contains 
 the best account. He says : 
 
 Last night the Scientific Conference closed, and to-day I am free 
 from that care. The meetings, from the beginning, have been bet- 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEIiT. 255 
 
 ter attended than ever before. Last night Dr. Brown, of Syracuse, 
 exhibited and explained microscopic pictures on the screen, and 
 pleased the people well. At the close, just as they were about to 
 retire, Dr. Draper arose and halted them — a large audience — and 
 proceeded to make- a speech. I thought he intended to move a vote 
 of thanks to the speakers, but he proceeded to address me, and pre- 
 sented me, from the friends at the park, a fine gold watch. . , , So 
 you see I was not permitted to be watchlesa long. 
 
 His first Conference was the Central German, and was 
 held in Cleveland, Ohio. It closed August 3Q, and in a 
 letter to Mrs. Haven, the day following, he speaks of having 
 held his first session and read off the appointments for the 
 first time. Then followed the Erie Conference at Corry, 
 Pa., September 22 ; the Kentucky Conference at Hardens- 
 burgh, Ky., October 6 ; the Holston Conference at Green- 
 ville, Tenn., October 20 ; the Austin Conference at Dallas, 
 Texas, November 18 ; the South German Conference at 
 Waco, Texas, November 25 ; the West Texas Conference 
 at Austin, Texas, December 1 ; and the Texas Conference 
 at Houston, Texas, December 8. 
 
 His correspondence contains only incidental references 
 to the Erie Conference session. But the German work in 
 the United States interested him deeply, and his observa^ 
 tions thereon are worthy of permanent record. In a pub- 
 lished letter he says : 
 
 The Central German Conference has just closed an extraordinarily 
 interesting annual session in Cleveland, Ohio. This Conference 
 is appropriately denominated Central, not only from its situation, 
 embracing Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and stations in Kentucky, Mis- 
 souri, West Virginia, and Illinois, but because it includes also the 
 spot, Cincinnati, and the central man. Dr. Nast, where and in whom 
 
256 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 the German portion of the Methodist Episcopal Church had its origin. 
 The man still lives in full vigor who used to pray that God would 
 raise up one presiding elder's district of Germans; and when that 
 was granted,- that he might live to see, at least, one Conference. 
 That, too, was granted; and now there are many Conferences, many 
 thousands of members, and the work still goes on. 
 
 One day of the Conference session was devoted to a visit to the 
 German Wallace College and the German Methodist Orphan Asylum 
 in Berea, Ohio, only a few miles from Cleveland. The whole Con- 
 ference went in a body, and discussed aud adopted their educational 
 report in the presence of their college. A sister institution, the Bald- 
 win University, under the direction of English-speaking Methodists, 
 is happily situated in the same village, and the two, by interchange 
 of work, are practically one. Both together are slowly but surely 
 growing into great usefulness. Without doubt, both obtaining some 
 •endowment, and enlarging and improving their buildings from time 
 to time, a prosperous future is certain. 
 
 The German Orphan Asylum is the oldest institution of the kind — 
 (is it not the only one of the kind?) — in American Methodism. The 
 Wesleyans of England have an Orphan Asylum in London, scarcely, 
 if any, older than this. This German Methodist Orphan Asylum is, 
 where it ought to be, in a country village, consisting of a plain, 
 economical building, and some twenty acres of good orchard and 
 garden land. Here are about half a hundred orphans or half -orphans, 
 who find, what otherwise they would not have, a good home, relig- 
 ious and literary instruction, and a proper training in labor. Many 
 in the neighborhood make contributions to it in provisions, the ladies 
 of the German Churches frequently send in clothing, and the pecun- 
 iary expense of sustaining the asylum is marvelously cheap, and 
 chiefly borne by contributions in the churches. The fat and ruddy 
 cheeks and the bright and intelligent faces of the children and 
 youth spoke well for their keeping and treatment. I have no doubt 
 that such asylums are needed, and that for the want of them Ameri- 
 can Methodists are losing great opportunities for good. 
 
EKA8TUS O. HAVEN. 257 
 
 Another peculiar feature of the Gennan Conference is the provision 
 made to meet the traveling expenses of the members. As they come 
 from such great distances, attendance would be extremely expensive 
 and practically impossible to many of them, unless it was borne by 
 a common fund, to which the congregations, also, are expected to 
 contribute. 
 
 All the .collections are usually taken, and the Conference contrib- 
 utes a handsome surplus to the missionary treasury over and above 
 what it receives. A judiciously distributed increase of appropria- 
 tions to our Home Missions will greatly increase the net income of 
 our Missionary Society for foreign work. It is a ruinous economy to 
 cut off appropriations to our home work, provided only that the ex- 
 penditures are judiciously and systematically made. They are so 
 made in the German work. 
 
 We think, however, that we detect a little too much inclination 
 among our German brethren to be satisfied with present attainments. 
 There is scarcely enough new missionary work to keep up the char- 
 acter of former days. Are there not yet new fields to be occupied? 
 Are there not more young men called of God to the ministry? And 
 are they not willing, like their fathers, to press into the regions 
 beyond? 
 
 There is always an heroic age in every new development of Chris- 
 tian life — the age when enthusiasm is strong, and the hope of im- 
 mediate victory lead to large results. Then comes an age of new 
 difficulties and more patient toil. American Methodism has reached 
 this second stage. The German Conferences are coming more lately 
 into it. l^ow is the time for "the second breath "of the struggle. 
 Now is the time when hardihood and perseverance will be put to the 
 test. In this we are confident our German brethren will not fail. 
 
 "When he crossed into Kentucky all of his fine observ- 
 ing powers were on the alert. He was now in the South, 
 about which he had thought so much as a Christian philan- 
 thropist, and written so much as an editor. This State had 
 17 
 
258 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP 
 
 been the bloody groimd of tbe Indians before its settlement 
 by the whites ; it had been a battle-ground of ideas when 
 the Church was rent asunder in 1844, and it had been one 
 of the battle-grounds of the Kepublic during the struggle 
 for national supremacy. He at once took in the difficulties 
 of the situation, and admired the heroes who occupied the 
 high places of the field. Hear him : 
 
 It is a delicate matter to write a letter about plans and persons 
 unless it be wholly of a eulogistic character, and with a plenty of 
 color in the brush. The shadows can be thrown in by way of describ- 
 ing historical characters, like the Pharisees, or those who have no 
 friends hereabout, like the Mormons. Every region hears its own 
 praises- sung. Of course all Kentuckians, and all who have visited 
 this State, know of its Ohio River skirting its north-west border; of 
 its mountainous region with its primitive rusticity; of its famous 
 blue-grass country, where the best grass in the world grows in the 
 greatest natural abundance; of its Mammoth Cave; of its great 
 diversity of soil, and of its nearly perfect climate, except in the hot- 
 test part of summer — when, it must be acknowledged, it is rather 
 warm ! But this magnificent autumn — could Paradise itself be bet- 
 ter! Kentucky, too, is rapidly coming forward in the race. The 
 new census shows an increase in population and wealth, greater in 
 the average than some of the neighboring Northern States — and 
 there is no stuffing or doctoring of the figures here. Some North- 
 erners seem to be strangely sm-prised that the States which were once 
 slave, and are now free, are advancing. Why should they not ad- 
 vance? Kentucky, particularly, feels a new life flowing in her veins 
 and tingling in her nerves. It has not reached its maximum, but it 
 is far ahead of the olden times. Railroads are being built, and new 
 industries are springing up. All the Southern States will, probably 
 soon, rapidly advance in population and wealth. 
 
 Methodism here has peculiar difficulties to encounter and master. 
 It is divided. We have here the Methodist Episcopal Church and 
 
EEA8TUS O. HAVEN. 2.59 
 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. When the division took 
 place, in 1844, a large part of the ministers and people of the old 
 Church were dragooned into — division. Some went heai-tily. A 
 small remnant would not go at all, but the most of these last emi- 
 grated from the State, or at least withdi-ew from the new Church, 
 now called the Methodist Episcopal Chm-ch, South. By and by the 
 old Methodist Episcopal Church was re-established, but how feebly at 
 first ! Many of the old members had died. The Church was with- 
 out property, without an organization. One by one a few fathers 
 returned, and the work has now gi-own so that I have just had the 
 pleasm-e of appointing nearly a hundred preachers, the most of them to 
 circuits each embracing several preaching places. The Conference has 
 about twenty thousand members, and two hundred houses of worship, 
 nearly all of which have been obtained within the last fifteen years. 
 
 Among the Conference is a good proportion of aged men, and 
 these, of course, have mostly spent a portion of theii- lives in the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Among them is Rev. H. J. 
 PeiTy, a native Kentuckian, who a year ago preached a semi-cen- 
 tennial sermon, and has just received his fifty-second appointment 
 as a preacher, though the first two were received from the presiding 
 elder. His first genuine Conference appointment was in 1830. A 
 flue specimen of physical manhood, being about six feet and two 
 inches tall, well proportioned, and as erect now as in 1830, he is also 
 in full mental vigor, and nothing delights the Conference more than 
 to be led by him in prayer and praise. Another, who is still a pre- 
 siding elder. Rev. J. G. Bruce, was invited, at the Conference held 
 in March, 1880, to prepare a semi-centennial sermon for the ensuing 
 Conference, but at the late session, which came only six months after 
 the preceding, (the Conference being changed from spring to fall,) 
 he refused, stating that he lacked a few weeks of being a semi-cen- 
 tenarian in the ministiy, and did not wish to be "born out of due 
 time." AVhereupon the Conference renewed the invitation, it being 
 the first instance under my notice of a person's being invited twice 
 to preach a semi-centennial sermon. 
 
260 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 That this small Conference should have two healthy, vigorous men 
 who have passed or reached the fiftieth year iu the effective ministry, 
 without break or loss, seems to me noteworthy, especially when I 
 observed, four years ago, that there was not, at that time, a single 
 instance of the kind -in the entire British Wesleyan Conference. 
 Kentucky is evidently a healthful State. 
 
 "We have here another fine specimen of vigorous old age in Rev. 
 R. G. Gai-diner, bom in old England, and who entered the old Ken- 
 tucky Conference in 1836. A better specimen of vigorous longevity 
 could not be found in England or America — showing that change of 
 climate has exerted in this instance no deleterious effect. Brother 
 Gardiner, now in his seventy-fifth year, thinks nothing of mounting 
 his hoi-se in the old style — still practiced here — and riding off his 
 forty miles a day, and more, too, if necessary, on his cu'cuit work. 
 He has had, indeed, a various experience. For many years the pro- 
 prietor of a large ladies' school, which was attended by the best 
 families of the South, he became widely known; and it was also 
 known that he was not, and from principle would not be, a slave- 
 holder. He did, indeed, buy one local preacher at auction for $400, 
 but it was to tell him that from that time foi-ward he was free. The 
 colored brother eai-ned and returned the money. Such a man could 
 not be concealed. When the war broke out he was on hand — ^hunted, 
 persecuted, almost killed — he finally enlisted as a chaplain, served 
 honorably, and has returned to enjoy the respect of all classes and 
 parties as a true and honest man. 
 
 The members of the Kentucky Conference have much primitive 
 woi'k to do. Many of the circuits are large, and the pay in money 
 is not high. It is no place for button-hole-bouquet preachers. It is 
 a place for men of piety and good sound sense, who are not afraid 
 of work. But they will have enough to eat and wear, and I verily 
 believe, if they will persevere in it, will have useful and happy lives, 
 and see the cause of God greatly advance under theu- ministrations. 
 There are some young men here who have enjoyed the advantages 
 of our colleges, and one or two from our theological seminaries, and 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAVEIir. 261 
 
 they are ■willing, too, to take the hardest work ! They have asked 
 from me no favors. God bless them ! There is a grand future before 
 them. And so, too, of their brothers who have not enjoyed their 
 advantages, but who have now about as good opportunities as the 
 most of Wesley's earliest helpers. Let them resolve rapidly to raise 
 the standard of the ministry in the State. We do not pity, but al- 
 most envy, them. 
 
 It would be unfair not to state that Methodism in Kentucky meets 
 with some difficulties unknown, or much less felt, in the more 
 northern States. The lack of good churches, the greater number of 
 illiterate preachers in some other denominations who lower the stand- 
 ard of the ministry, the remnant of the blighting effect of an insti- 
 tution which always leaves its mark for a generation; all call for 
 earnestness, for heroism, for perseverance, and for the highest quali- 
 ties in the preachers of our Church. 
 
 We are peculiarly fortunate in having many faithful enterprising 
 laymen in this Conference. It will not be considered invidious if we 
 mention two who were, indeed, both complimented and thanked by 
 the Conference in a special resolution — Benjamin P. Tevis, M. D., of 
 Shelbyville, and Amos Shinkle, Esq., of Covington. Dr. Tevis is 
 one of the native lay-fathers of the Conference, a man of intelligence, 
 scholarship, and energy, who has voluntarily attended every session of 
 the revived Kentucky Annual Conference, and given< all of his influ- 
 ence to the cause. 
 
 Mr. Shinkle has been a member of three successive General Con- 
 ferences, and one of the most active members, too. He consecrates 
 himself and substance to doing good. Under his leadership, and by 
 means that he can command, many a member of the Conference is 
 enabled to continue in his work. It woiild scarcely be wise to hint 
 how much he does for Kentucky. Among other things, by his ad- 
 vice, the Kentucky Conference has organized a Preachers' Relief So- 
 ciety, of which all the preachers are members, and to which all are 
 expected to pay only one dollar a year. From some mysterious 
 fountain — ^inside or outside of the Mammoth Cave — a monthly stipend 
 
262 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 of considerable magnitude finds its way into the treasury, so that 
 now, though less than three years old, it has a fund of nearly 
 $4,000 ! Brother Shinkle thinks it will yet be $40,000, and who 
 has a better right to think whatever he pleases than he? Some free 
 thought is commendable. I was present at a meeting where the 
 people paid to the fund about $200, but when the money was counted 
 it turned out about a thousand. I thought they must have strange 
 banking in Kentucky ! The object of this was to Induce the hard- 
 working Kentucky Methodist preachers to give themselves wholly to 
 the work of their high calling, and not to speculate in petroleum, coal, 
 or brine, or any other products of their State, and to feel that if they 
 are in want in their old age they will not be allowed to suffer. 
 
 The missionary money used in the Kentucky Conference is well 
 expended. 
 
 Few know that the first Methodist college degrees were conferred 
 in Kentucky. That was even so. Bishop Asbury and his coadjutors 
 were interested in education in Kentucky before the nineteenth cent- 
 ury had begun. Write to Rev. Daniel Stevenson, D.D., Principal 
 of Bracken Academy, at Augusta, Ky., formerly the seat of Augusta 
 College, and you will learn about it. E. O. H. 
 
 Haedinsburg, Kt., Octobet- 5, 1880. 
 
 After a brief visit to Greenville, Tenn., to hold the 
 Holston Conference, he returned to 'New York to attend a 
 meeting of the Bishops, and then started upon an extended 
 tour in the South-west to hold the four Texas Conferences. 
 One of his letters written during this journey will indicate 
 the spirit with which he was conducting his episcopal work : 
 
 Hempstead, Texas, November 33, 1880. 
 
 Dear Wife : Tou would be surprised could you see me now, in 
 
 a dining-room of a small hotel where I stopped last night. Brother 
 
 Moss wished to see a church a little off my track, and therefore we 
 
 separated yesterday morning, he to come by another route and meet 
 
EKASTDS O. HAVEN". 263 
 
 me probably to-morrow. I traveled over about two hundred miles 
 of the roughest railway I ever saw, yesterday. We left one broken 
 rail behind us, but happily, the train passed over without wreck. 
 Arriving after dark, I went to the " City Hotel," a little partly one 
 story and partly two story wooden shanty just by the railroad, the 
 best in the place. After a good supper I was taken to my room, a 
 small inclosure over the dining-room, about eight by ten feet, with 
 two windows rattling in the storm. The furniture was one small 
 table, a ticking clock, a wash-stand, with bowl and pitcher, a bed 
 that would cost about five dollars — one broken chair, all lighted up 
 with a tallow candle on a small brass candlestick. To crown all, 
 the door-lock had no key. I asked the hotel keeper to find me a 
 key, which he did, and then, having locked the door and fastened 
 the noisest window with my knife, I commended myself and family 
 to God, disrobed partially and "plunged in" — "all accoutered as I 
 was." Pretty soon the window began to rattle, my knife having 
 fallen. I found it in the dark, reconstructed the rebel sash, and 
 resumed my recumbent posture. I heard a few trains pass in the 
 night, but did not really notice them, and was soon surprised to hear 
 a clock strike five. Thus I had slept soundly from nine to five. 
 
 I shall soon start for Brenham, about forty miles away, I believe, 
 there to meet the German Conference. Would you believe it, my 
 oldest brother, Claudius, died only a few miles from this spot. You 
 can scarcely imagine what feelings it produces in me. If the Lord 
 will, I shall visit his grave before I leave this part of the State. I 
 have a severe cold, but it is getting better. I feel strong and safe in 
 the hands of the good Lord. Ever yours, 
 
 E. O. H. 
 
 HoDSTON, Texas, December 14, 1880. 
 Mt dear Wife akb Family : We have taken an early start this 
 morning to give Brother Moss time to reach the railway in season for 
 the early train for the North. He has just started homeward. He 
 will probably call at Bloomington and be with his family at Elmira 
 before you read this. He has been a pleasant and useful companion 
 
264 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP 
 
 to me, not only doing all he could for my comfort on the road, but 
 doing most effective work in the Conferences. His visits and ad- 
 dresses to the Conferences have accomplished much for the Church 
 Extension and Freedman's Aid Societies. He has also preached 
 every Sunday but one, and seems to have been much interested. I 
 shall feel lonely for a few days without him. 
 
 Last evening Brother Moss and I attended a family party at Colonel 
 Tracy's, in this place. The colonel was, I think, forty-eight yester- 
 day, his vsrif e forty-four, and yet there were four of five grand- 
 children present, besides their own parents, the great-grandparents 
 of the little ones. It was a very pleasant time. The entertainment 
 was good — ^the people originally from the North. 
 
 I preached to an immense congregation on Sunday in a new church, 
 not yet dedicated. Perhaps one-twentieth of the congregation were 
 whites — ^the rest colored, of all shades. They had a good choir, and 
 the services were impressive. 
 
 They listened with great attention to my discourse, and all seemed 
 to be pleased, and I hope were profited. These people, aU above the 
 age of sixteen, have been slaves ; and the young people are children 
 of slaves or freedmen. Yet many of them now can read, and they 
 are well dressed and well behaved. Our work among them is mar- 
 velous. I am anticipating a pleasant time at Evanston. Love to all. 
 
 E. O. H. 
 
 A striJdng entry appears in his Diary of December 8, 
 while at Houston, attending a session of the Texas Confer- 
 ence: 
 
 I have been talking with Brother Malloy, white, presiding elder. 
 He, a native Southerner, I think, long before the war espoused the 
 cause of the down-trodden negro. He has been hunted and shot at 
 many a time. His life has been wonderfully spared. For years at a 
 time no white man or woman would call at his house, or give him a 
 friendly salutation, except when he occasionally met one believing 
 like himself. His wife was cut off from all white society. In the 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 265 
 
 meantime lie was visiting the negroes in their cabins, praying and 
 conversing, preaching in their humble churches on the Sabbath, 
 establishing Sunday-schools and day-schools, baptizing the children 
 and converts, and bm-ying their dead. At one time $600 of trust 
 money, more than a year's salary, placed in his hands to aid in build- 
 ing churches, was deposited in a bank ; and through the defalcation 
 of an officer he lost every dollar of it. Instead of calling on the so- 
 ciety to make good the loss, he saved it out of his small earnings and, 
 in the course of six years, returned every dollar of it. Now, was not 
 such a man miserable? How could he be otherwise ? But he said to 
 me : " The most of the time I feel like one of these Southern mocking- 
 birds, or like a bobolink pouring out its life in song." He was so 
 full of Christian joy that he could scarce refrain from open vocal ex- 
 ultation. Well, how to be happy is not so great a problem after all, 
 if one will but be convinced by facts. 
 
 Eev. Charles T. Moss, referred to in the preceding letters, 
 is the father of Professor C. M. Moss, Bishop Haven's son- 
 in-law. He has contributed a sketch of this trip among 
 the Texas Conferences, which the reader wiU find full of 
 interest : 
 
 Several months had elapsed from the time of the election of Dr. 
 Haven to the Episcopacy when I joined him at Bloomington, 111., at 
 the residence of our children. In the ordinary way of speaking, he 
 was a "new man "in the work, and one would naturally look for 
 some things to justify the use of that term in his case. The facts, 
 however, afforded no occasion for such a thought. Indeed, in con- 
 versations very soon after the close of the General Conference, and in 
 regard to the very perplexing state of things which had arisen in 
 western New York respecting the change in Conference boundaries, 
 it was very clearly shown that no mistake had been made in the 
 choice of this man for the great responsibilities belonging to his new 
 position. In the meantime he had presided at the session of a Con- 
 ference in Tennessee, and also at the Erie Conference. At both of 
 
266 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 these sessions grave questions had sprung up. In the case of the 
 Conference in Tennessee, the matter of the division of that body on 
 "the color line" had been considered. The Bishop looked upon a 
 division of our work in the South vifith more favor than I had an- 
 ticipated. Having known of him as the old-time editor of ' ' Zion's 
 Herald," and champion of the cause of human freedom, I expected 
 to find in him more of pronounced advocacy of the cause of the 
 colored people than appeared on the surface. Further acquaintance 
 and observation gave a more correct view of his opinions in the case. 
 
 Our journey southward proved to be very interesting. A brief 
 stay in St. Louis aflEorded opportunity to see something of the city 
 and of its attractions, and then we sped on our way. But it was 
 evident that, quiet as he was in his way, the Bishop was fully pos- 
 sessed with the spirit of his great work. He had not needed an 
 apprenticeship of years to awaken this within him. His eyes were 
 open, his senses and perceptions on the alert to catch impressions. 
 His questionings and conversations, as I soon learned to see and know, 
 were all being turned to one great purpose. He was constantly gath- 
 ering material for use in the work before him. Plans for the spread 
 of the Church, for the building of its institutions, for the advance- 
 ment of the cause of education, were forming in his mind. He 
 thought and talked and planned for the futv/re. It appeared to open 
 before him in wonderful breadth and fullness, and he seemed to be 
 inspired with the idea of providing for it and its needs almost as if 
 its character and outcome depended upon his own personal efforts. 
 
 But while all this was observable, it was quite clear that it was not 
 in new lines that he was thinking and devising. He had been in the 
 South before, and had studied what he had not saw. The vast 
 breadth of information he possessed, and which has been so fre- 
 quently mentioned in other connections, was strikingly exemplified 
 ' in many ways. The climate, the soil, agricultural and other prod- 
 ucts; the running out of vast lines of railways, with the financial 
 and commercial interests involved, and the effects that were to be 
 produced in law, custom, and society, had all been familiar subjects 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVElf. 267 
 
 of study or thought with him, and he never hesitated in the ex- 
 pression of views on any of these or their associate themes of 
 interest. 
 
 At the session of the Austin Conference, in Dallas, several topics 
 of general interest came under notice. The Conference was not large 
 in point of numbers, but in it were jnen who were bearing the bur- 
 den and heat of the day most heroically. The Bishop was at home 
 with them at once. In a few minutes all were at their ease in his 
 presence and society, for they found in him an appreciative friend 
 and leader. Addressing the candidates for ordination, he said to 
 them, and through them, to the Conference : " If I were a member 
 of this Conference I would be a Texan. We are here in our own 
 country doing our own work. You must be in sympathy with the 
 people here. You are not to build up a Northern Church. Our 
 Church is the Church, not of a section, but of the nation. You 
 must be of the people and with the people. Let them understand 
 that you are here, and here to stay ; that you propose to live and die 
 with them. Be faithful to your work and duty, but be faithful to 
 this land where you live and labor. If I were with you I would 
 interest myself for the welfare of Texas; seek the prosperity of 
 Terns; I- would swear ly Texas ! " And at that there were tears and 
 smiles and shouts by preachers and people. I have given his 
 thoughts in this, and almost his exact words. "I would swear 
 by Texas " is verbatim. 
 
 The North-west Texas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, South, was in session at the same time in Dallas. A memo- 
 rial service in the case of Bishop Doggett, of that Church, then 
 recently deceased, was held in their Conference-room on Sunday 
 afternoon. Fraternal messages had been exchanged, and the presid- 
 ing Bishop of the Conference had very plainly intimated to the Austin 
 Conference delegation that the Church " South" was able to care for 
 that territory alone. Nevertheless, an invitation came' to the Bishop 
 to attend and take part in the memorial services, to which he cheer- 
 fully responded, and, as requested, led in prayer, and delivered a 
 
268 AtJTOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 brief address of sympathy. Most of the preachers seemed pleased 
 by this action ; a few were suspected of feeling otherwise. But, in 
 this matter Bishop Haven only acted in harmony with his own con- 
 victions in the case, for, while loving his own Church intensely, his 
 nature would not tolerate any other than the broadest feelings of 
 Christian sympathy toward the brethren of our sister Church. In 
 several social interviews, arranged by prominent citizens and mem- 
 bers of the Chiu-ch "South," the chai-m of his presence was felt, 
 and became the subject of conversation. 
 
 Every interest connected with the work of the Conference received 
 the most careful and deliberate attention; nothing was left un- 
 done. The Bishop talked and preached to the people in public, 
 much to their gratification and encouragement. The preachers went 
 out to their work comforted, strengthened, and inspired ; and all 
 of them expressing their high appreciation of his labors among 
 them. 
 
 From Dallas the work called the Bishop to Brenham, the seat of the 
 session of the Southern German Conference. Having to make 
 a detour by the way of Palestine, to look after some Church interests 
 there, we parted, and when I arrived at Brenham the Conference 
 had held its first session. Among the German preachers I found the 
 same sentiments in regard to the Bishop as had prevailed among 
 those of the Austin Conference. They were charmed by the sim- 
 plicity of his manner; delighted that he could talk to them in their 
 native tongue, and had already learned that he knew, or would soon 
 know, every phase of the work of the Conference. 
 
 Some twenty miles away there was an obscure country cemetery, in 
 which, close by the grave of Martin Ruter, was the spot where, many 
 years before, the oldest brother of the Bishop had been buried. He 
 had cherished the purpose to visit the spot; had spoken of it on 
 several occasions, and began to plan for the journey. But the roads 
 were rendered almost or quite impassable by mud. The session of 
 another Conference was at hand, and very sadly and reluctantly the 
 project was surrendered. Duty called, and he responded, but it 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 269 
 
 cost him the forfeiture of a hope tenderly cherished through long 
 years, and, as it seemed, on the eve of realization. 
 
 During our stay in Brenham the weather was very unfavorable, 
 and the mud in the streets terrible. Of course, this interfered much 
 with Conference interests in the line of public services. Neverthe- 
 less many availed themselves of the opportunity to see and hear the 
 Bishop. A very cordial invitation came from Rev. Dr. Mitchell, the 
 pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and arrangements 
 were set on foot for the Bishop to preach in the church, then not 
 finished, but the plan fell through by reason of the storm and mud. 
 Avery pleasant social hour was passed at the home of Dr. M., how- 
 ever, where the Bishop was invited to dinner. His presence left a 
 very grateful impression with the family. 
 
 From Brenham we went to Austin, the seat of the West Texas 
 Conference. This body is composed almost entirely of colored men, 
 and the few white men who remain in it do so at a cost little under- 
 stood. The- days of slavery are past, but caste reigns. The lady 
 who became our hostess was the step-daughter of a deceased Bishop 
 of our own Church. Her birthplace was in the North-west. Her 
 husband was an ex-Union army officer, born in New Hampshire. 
 He was also an ex-United States marshal, and carried an empty 
 sleeve on his coat, for he had been shot down in the street in Austin 
 in a political faction flght. Yet, with all these facts in the case, it 
 was only after hours of thought and conflict of mind that this lady 
 concluded to entertain us. Wherefore? For the all-powerful rea- 
 son that the Bishop was to preside in, and I to attend and affiliate 
 with, a ' ' nigger " Conference ! Her heart was right, but publ ic senti- 
 ment was so full of the caste feeling that she hardly dared run the 
 risk of social ostracism by following her own wishes and feelings in 
 the case. However, the Bishop found there a splendid home, and 
 the work of the Conference was begun and ended in peace. 
 
 At this Conference session occasion came more than once for the 
 exhibition of the best qualities of the presiding officer. Mild and 
 genial as he usually was, the Bishop could be firm as a rock when 
 
270 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 occasion demanded the use of that quality. One brother had become 
 somewhat unruly, and there was quite a little stir in the body when 
 the Bishop sprang to his feet and called : 
 
 "Brethren wiU please come to order 1 " 
 
 " Bishop, I move — " 
 
 "No motions are in order," exclaimed the Bishop, " until we can 
 have quiet." 
 
 "But, Bishop, I want to — " 
 
 "SiTDOWTT, sik!" came sharp and quick. "No motion of any 
 kind will be entertained until all the brethren are seated and perfect 
 order prevails." 
 
 In a moment all was still. The brethren had learned to know the 
 loving, sympathizing Irother before ; and now they knew that a BUlwp 
 was in the chair. 
 
 When the close of the Conference came every man had learned to 
 love and revere him. They begged him to come again. But, alas 1 
 none of us knew that his first visit to the Conference was also to be 
 his last. Since then some of its members have died safely and well, 
 and have gone to join the departed leader where caste is unknown. 
 
 From this Conference we went to the session of the Texas Confer- 
 ence, held in Houston. It consists also, almost entirely, of colored 
 men. In a few years nearly one-third of the entire body had been 
 changed. The older class of preachers who had received their train- 
 ing on plantations in the days of slavery were disappearing, and a 
 large class of younger men, better educated and with better concep- 
 tions of Christian life and Christian truth, were rapidly coming to 
 the front. 
 
 I confess that some things occurred in the week at Austin and 
 during part of the week at Houston which at the first puzzled me. 
 I knew the Bishop to be a man of broad and warm sympathy, and 
 had known of him (as suggested at the outset) as an old-time anti- 
 slavery advocate. Now I was looking for the showing of sympathy 
 iu the usual way, and it did not appear. He was watching, analyz- 
 ing, planning for them. Once he remarked to me : " Don't you see. 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 27 1 
 
 these pepple shout and get happy, but they shed no tears." He had 
 seen, as I had, that they pursued some men against whom rumors 
 were circulated with unsparing severity. Grand outbursts of enter- 
 prise had appeared in connection with the work in their hands, but 
 no circumstance had occurred to call forth any showing of the softer 
 side of their natures. But at the Texas Conference it came. Ar- 
 rangements had been made for the transfer of a white pi-esiding 
 elder to another Conference, for no cause other than exhibitions of 
 the caste spirit and political animosity. The announcement was 
 made in the Conference, and it fell on the body with such a shock 
 as to stop all proceedings in a moment. Strong men wept and sobbed 
 Jike children. One after another rose and tried to speak, then sat 
 down to weep, overwhelmed with grief. He had been a friend and 
 a father to them, and it almost broke their hearts to think of losing 
 him from their midst. I took the occasion to say quietly to the 
 Bishop: "Do you see these tears?" "Yes, I see it all," was the 
 quick response ; and later on he gave larger explanation of his 
 thought in the case. I doubt, however, if he had seen any such an 
 exhibition before. 
 
 The fact was that he was in this thing as in others, searching most 
 keenly for all the elements in the men and circumstances before him 
 for the one end of preparing, by all ways and means, for the future. 
 There was the same forecasting here as in other cases and circum- 
 stances. In the cabinet councils of these two colored Conferences he 
 gave abundant evidence of this purpose. To the presiding elders at 
 Houston he said : ' ' You must not fear to move these men because of 
 distance. We want them to learn to be Methodists in fact and spirit. 
 It will be best for them and best for the churches to take them clear 
 away from their old associates. It may seem hard for them, but it 
 will develop them in their manhood, and in Christian and ministerial 
 character. "We must build up the men before the churches can be 
 built up. And this is only what is done all over our work." He 
 was ready to do all and dare all himself for the Church and the wants 
 of the world, and he expected the pastors to tread in the same path. 
 
272 AUTOBIOGKAPUY OF 
 
 "We had hardly entered the State before calls began to .come for 
 work. The vast State itself was not the limit in these cases. Ar- 
 kansas and New Mexico were asking for help. As these calls came 
 to hand, he would lay them away for a brief space only, and then, 
 at the first pause in the rush of work, sit down with a railway guide 
 before him to study out routes and distances, as if he were gifted 
 with the strength of a giant and had immortal energies. 
 
 We parted at Houston. He was wanted at San Antonio, and was 
 to be in Chicago a few days later to meet such of his famOy as could 
 get together for what proved to be their last interview. I tried in 
 every way to persuade him to modify his plans so as not to overwork 
 more than could be avoided. As we were journeying South he had 
 taken a severe cold, which, in spite of all that could be done, had 
 not been thrown off until just before we separated, even if it was 
 then. Hence my entreaties were the more urgent. But to all I 
 could say he had a cheery answer, and assured me that he could work 
 on safely. 
 
 From Houston the Bishop journeyed to San Antonio, and preached 
 at the dedication of our new church there, greatly to the satisfaction 
 of all. 
 
 In a few days thereafter he was in the field planning broadly 
 enough to exhaust the energies of a score of men, and aiming to do 
 all the work himself. 
 
EKASTUS O. HAVEN. 273 
 
 CHAPTEE XV. 
 
 EPISCOPAL WOEK ON THE PACIFIC COAST, AND CLOSING SCENES. 
 
 THIS work in Texas completed, the Bishop returned to 
 Evanston about December 20. He was greeted with 
 a reception by his friends and former colaborers worthy of 
 present position and past services. After remaining amid 
 these familiar scenes about a week, in delightful intercourse 
 with the members of his family who gathered about him, 
 and, as if to demonstrate that his natural force was not 
 abated, preaching, says one, "the best sermon I ever heard 
 from him," he started with his wife and son for the Pacific 
 coast. Halting for a brief space in Utah, to survey the 
 work of the Church among that anomalous and inaccessible 
 people, he hastened on to San Francisco, the commercial 
 center of his great field, and his designated place of resi- 
 dence. Of his arrival and warm reception on the coast, of 
 the readiness and intelligence with which he comprehended 
 the situation here, and of the zeal with which he entered 
 upon his great work, the story can be best told by Rev. H. 
 B. Heacock, presiding elder of the San Francisco District, 
 who, from his arrival until his departure for Oregon, was 
 brought into the closest relations with him : 
 
 One of the marvels of Methodist history is, and will ever continue 
 to be, that until 1881 no Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 resided west of the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 This cosmopolitan land, settled at first by the most enterprising 
 18 
 
574 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 men from nearly all nations, ■who eagerly sought for gold without 
 thought of making penmanent homes, but where for a score of years 
 the home idea has been steadily growing; where, within a third of a 
 century, such commercial, social, and educational centers as San Fran- 
 cisco, Oakland, Portland, Salem, Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angelos, 
 Carson, Virginia City, and numerous others of importance, have been 
 built, and in which the value of property compares favorably with 
 those of similar grade in the East. In early days Uberal donors of- 
 fered for church, educational, and benevolent purposes eligible lots 
 and blocks for the mere holding, paying taxes, and within a reason- 
 able time making improvements thereon. Here the ever-watchful 
 eye of Rome saw and improved the golden opportunity, and now 
 owns property worth millions of dollars, secured on the above terms. 
 Had there been a resident Bishop on the coast since 1856, of long 
 foresight, as Rome's Bishop had, and with a well-organized body of 
 men for the purpose of securing and holding property for religious 
 and benevolent pm-poses, we might own millions of property more 
 than at present, and especially in San Francisco would the advantages 
 have been great. In educational, benevolent, and church property 
 matters, such an opportunity rarely occurs as existed here in early 
 times. The conditions attending the founding of this new empire 
 were unique, and needed a centralizing power to utilize its possibili- 
 ties. From the British possessions to the Gulf of California, and 
 from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, are included the 
 possibilities of an almost undreamed-of development. Precious 
 metals; and those more needed in material enterprises, coal beds of 
 untold richness; .lumber for building purposes enough to supply for 
 centuries; soil and climate for all kinds of fruits and grains — there is 
 capacity to house and feed one half as many people as now contained 
 in the United States. Such resources will sometimes assert them- 
 selves. It is one of the problems for both Church and State to so 
 unite this to the eastern by education and religious culture that it 
 may never be dismembered. 
 
 " In looking over this vast field," said Bishop Haven, in the " Gal- 
 
EEASTUS O. JIAVEX. 275 
 
 ifornia Christian Advocate" of July 31, 1881, "I will venture Cali- 
 fornia alone will yet have a population of five millions of human 
 beings. There are those now living whose grandchildren will see it. 
 Many of its mountains will be terraced and cultivated to the top. 
 The dwellings of the people will be mostly of biick and stone. It 
 will abound in cities and villages, and will be divided into more than 
 two States. Its people will all speak the English language, and will 
 become homogeneous so as to mingle socially and intennaiTy irre- 
 spective of complexion or origin. Many attempts will be made to 
 root out and undermine religious faith, and convince the people that 
 they are only animals, and that there is no God above them. . . . 
 There will be fierce contests between secularism and religion ; also 
 between labor and capital ; also between the votaries of alcohol and 
 sober humanity. Mexico will become more like the United States, 
 and efforts will be made to join it to the United States, which will 
 be violently resisted. Tliere will be efforts to divide this country. 
 As the marvelous excellency of the climate of the Pacific coast be- 
 comes known, emigi-ation from the other States will rapidly increase, 
 and in the conflicts of thought and physical force, which will be as 
 great in the twentieth century as in the nineteenth, the Pacific coast 
 of the United States will have a large share." 
 
 This he styles prophecy. After speaking of the duty and oppor- 
 tunity of the Church to preach the Gospel to the incoming millions, 
 and found institutions of learning and benevolence, he continues : 
 
 " And it will be done. The conflict is inevitable, and the victory 
 sure. Christianity and civilization, for some reason or no reason, 
 went with the sun. It gi'ew westwardly, and improved as it gi-ew. 
 Thii is its last great arena on this continent. Here it is about to 
 wage some of its strongest contests, and what, when it comes to be 
 described, will constitute some of the most interesting chapters of its 
 history. There is no west west of us. Beyond lie Japa-u and Chiua, 
 where the Orient begins, and where, too, when the Pacific coast is 
 growing, Christianity will become, as in the old Roman Empu-e, the 
 dominant power." 
 
276 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 TMs vision of oui' departed seer does not sui-pass in its sweep that 
 of many whose ears have heard the tread of the coming millions, aud 
 whose prayers to Heaven for divine aid, aud the Chm-ch of their 
 choice and love for episcopal presence to aid in the gigantic work, 
 were constant and agonizing. The struggle against rationalism, mm, 
 Romanism, paganism, covetousuess, lust, is one of a fearful nature, 
 and sometimes has seemed disheartening, and requii'ed 
 
 "Faith that will not shrink, 
 Though pressed by every foe." 
 
 At last the long delayed answer came, and the General Conference 
 of 1880 gave the Pacific coast a resident Bishop, E. O. Haven. In a 
 conversation with two of the delegates from California, a few days 
 after the election and before the Bishop had designated their respect- 
 ive places of residence, he said it would be his pleasure, should his 
 colleagues so decide, to come to this field. In fact, he was desirous 
 to be assigned to the coast. His comprehensive mind took in the 
 field, and his warm heart sympathized with its great want. "With 
 eager interest he inquired about its condition, as the thought took 
 hold on him that this would jirobably be Ms pennauent aud last 
 earthly home. Clad with episcopal powers, his accumulated treasures 
 ■would be used for Chiist and Methodism in tliis fonnative society. 
 
 A few months after his election he remained in the East to com- 
 plete his labors as Chancellor of the S}Tacuse University, and aid in 
 holding the fall Conferences. At the November meeting of the 
 Bishops the Pacific coast Conferences were assigned to him for the 
 ensuing fall, aud he soon hastened to his new field, aniviug, with his 
 wife, in San Francisco, Januai'y 13, 1881. His coming filled minis- 
 ters and la3'men with new hope, and a cordial public reception was 
 accorded him in the Howard-street Methodist Episcopal Church, Jau- 
 uaiy 31, presided over by Captain Charles Goodall. An address of 
 welcome was delivered by M. C. Briggs, pastor of the church. The 
 ministiy was represented in address by H. B. Heacock, presiding 
 elder of the San Francisco District. C. C. Stratton, president of the 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 277 
 
 University of the Pacific, repi'esented our education work. O. Gib- 
 son, superintendent of the Chinese Mission, represented the work of 
 missions. Annis Mei-rill, Esq., spoke for the laymen. Mrs. Charles 
 Goodall welcomed him and his wife in behalf of the women ; and B. F. 
 Crary, editor of the " California Chiistiau Advocate," I'epresented the 
 religious press. To all of which the Bishop responded in a most 
 felicitous manner. The remainder of the evening was spent in de- 
 lightful social converse and forming of acquaintances. It was a most 
 happy event, and was often alluded to iu conversation afterward by 
 him as being the most really enjoyable occasion of the kind he ever 
 attended. It was social, intellectual, religious. He felt at once that 
 the hearts, homes, and entei-piises of the Church were opened to him, 
 and he delayed not to enter them. Through the pulpits he gave ser- 
 mons of pure evangelism, sound doctrine, great strength, being a 
 preacher of rare power. Through the press his valuable and numei'- 
 ous articles presented information and suggestions of deep interest. 
 Not only for our local religious jjapers, but to nearly all the eastern 
 "Advocates," he contributed frequently. Very soon, with the coun- 
 sel of the presiding elders, whom he called to meet him in San Fran- 
 cisco, he made out his programme. He designed sjiending most of 
 the winter and spring in California. Early in the summer go to 
 Oregon and Washington Territory. Thence to Nevada, and in the 
 fall to Wyoming and Utah, en route for the November meeting of the 
 Bishops, and annual meetings of the benevolent committees of the 
 Church. This time was to be employed iu preaching, lecturing, ded- 
 icating churches, attending district associations, the State Sunday- 
 school Convention in Sacramento, addresses at college and university 
 commencements. His zeal seemingly outran his strength, and yet 
 his hour may have been near at hand ; and, warned by the thought, 
 he may have been inspired to make the remaining months of his life 
 effective in every possible way. He entered the field as a skilled and 
 powerful warrior, whose chief delight lay iu vigorous action, and 
 who dreads nothing so much as slothfulness. The fire of heavenly 
 zeal burned in his breast, and it must find an outlet in constant work 
 
278 AUTOBIOGEAPHT OF 
 
 for the Master. Like Paul lie could say, " The love of Christ con- 
 straiueth me," aud he felt deep in his soul that those who are re- 
 deemed by this mighty love should " not live for themselves, but for 
 Him who died aud rose agaiu for them." He almost immediately 
 gi'asped the situation, and entered heai-tily into both labor and sym- 
 pathy with the Church in all its fields and departments. 
 
 One of the most extensive revivals of religion known in California 
 was in progi'ess, aided to a degree by Moody and Sankey, but which 
 had been gradually rising for months before their coming. Into this 
 work the Bishop entered with all his soul — both in its union aspect, 
 and in our own churches. He soon became impressed with two things : 
 the magnitude and richness of the field ; the difiiculties environing it. 
 
 Without reflecting on any one, it may be safely asserted that no 
 man more clearly comprehended the «toiMS of Christianity in general 
 here, and Methodism in particular, than did Bishop Haven. With 
 his ability to quickly gather, orderly an-ange, thoroughly analyze, 
 and correctly generalize, the problem was soon weighed aud mas- 
 tered. He saw the double trinity of closely allied and damning 
 forces — mentioned in another place — citadeled here, as in few por- 
 tions of our land. To confront, dislodge, and destroy them is left 
 to earnest evangelism. To succeed will be the work of tune and 
 every weapon known or to be discovered in the armory of divine 
 truth. Methodism has no meau place nor small share in so im- 
 portant and noble a conflict. That she might greatly sti-engthen 
 herself and march strongly and steadily, even more than she ever 
 has, into the thickest of the battle, and win trophies new and fresh 
 for humanity and the Master, was his intensest desire and ardent 
 prayer. His eye kindled and his soul warmed with genuine enthu- 
 siasm as, with few or many, in his office, at the fireside, or from ros- 
 trum or pulpit, he discussed the problem given the Church by her 
 divine Head. He sought to inspire deeper sense of duty, and show 
 the grounds of hope and courage. Like a general at the head of a 
 vast army shouting the hosts to battle, as well as wisely aiding in 
 the plans, and providing material for the advancing columns, he was 
 
EKASTUS O. HAVEN. 279 
 
 leading the militant hosts of God's children. From the East new 
 railroads are penetrating the coast, centering at prominent points on 
 the Pacific, soon to weave us into the net-work of iron bands which 
 will connect the Occident with the Orient and Mexico. New cen- 
 ters are being built, and old ones losing their importance. To 
 occupy the new in force, and hold the old ones, demands increased 
 labor, laborers, means, and sacrifice. His watch- word was, "Let us 
 advance all along the line. The waste places must be occupied for 
 Jesus. '' For a deep and general revival, thoroughly baptizing all the 
 churches, and resulting in conversions clear, powerful, and numerous, 
 his heart sighed, and his prayer, fervent, earnest, constant, ascended. 
 
 The religious press is doing a heroic and successful service, but by 
 our pens we must make it more attractive and better, and by perse- 
 verance in effort its circulation can and should be largely increased, 
 he wrote and spoke. His prolific pen produced many articles during 
 his short career among us which are worthy of a permanent and 
 practical place in our study. Those on the old, present, and new 
 California are specially valuable, and should be treasured in our 
 memory. Had he lived to complete his tour through the remainder 
 of his outlined field, the contributions concerning them doubtless 
 would have been equally wise, practical, and inspiring. 
 
 The educational enterprises of the Church are in various stages of 
 progress, each doing an important work. But the rapid incre^ise of 
 population, the upward grade of education in the high schools, nor- 
 mal schools, and State University, all demand a marked and general 
 advance in our facilities to accommodate and instruct. Increased 
 endowments, more extensive apparatus and buildings, more teachers. 
 He saw and felt all this, and cherished the fond hope that his pres- 
 ence, influence, and contributions might augment these forces. 
 Toward all educational institutions, and especially those of higher 
 grade, he felt the most kindly, and nearly all those in California felt 
 his sympathies, and heard his voice within their walls, and had he 
 lived a few months more, his personal impress had. reached to all. 
 In fact, Ms last public utterances were at the Willamette University, 
 
280 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 only a few days before his death. Through Christian culture he 
 believed the nation is to be made powerful, and only thus per- 
 petuated. 
 
 No school of high grade can long hold a place among the vital 
 forces of the coming ages that ignores that highest and purest of all 
 sciences, the laws relating to man's highest — ^his religious nature, 
 was his educational creed. His masterly address delivered at Berk- 
 ley, before the assembled literati of California, in connection with 
 the commencement exercises of the University of California, June 4, 
 swayed, as men are seldom moved, that great audience. It was a 
 clear statement of the conditions of existence and the functions of 
 the university that will stand amid the convulsions of human society, 
 and the changes in the scientific world, and disintegrating forces of 
 materialism. Have not the educators of the future who aspire to 
 dominance in the higher realms of investigation, and who desire to 
 be leaders whose followers can trust and bless them, marked out in 
 this address the key which unlocks the only door for their entrance? 
 When the reaction against true science comes, as it certainly will, 
 and has come against the only true religion, where will it find a 
 formidable if not irresistible barrier, if not in the forces the Bishop 
 describes, and challenges thinkers to consider? 
 
 His Baccalaureate at the University of the Pacific, June 1, was a 
 strong defense of Christianity by the inductive method. The morally 
 bright and dark places among the earth's inhabitants were shown 
 to exactly coincide with the presence or absence of the Bible and 
 its teachings and institutions. Activity of mind in scientific inves- 
 tigation, in invention, in civilization, in all real progress, all follow in 
 the wake of the Bible, the Christian ministry, the Church. So that 
 it is the "pillar and foundation of the truth." Wherever this fruit- 
 bearing tree grows not, and its healing fruit is not partaken of, dark- 
 ness, gloom, mental and social death exists, and real happiness is 
 unknown. His protest against materialism, as it robs human life of 
 all its higher motives, and continually tends to suicide, was scathing 
 and merited. His soul was stirred, as by inspiration, as he rose into 
 
ERASTTJS O. HAVEN. 281 
 
 the pure realm of intellectual and spiritual life, saw the conflict 
 between truth and error, and called out in tones and words of im- 
 passioned eloquence for all true scholars to use these weapons of 
 truth, and dethrone and forever depose error. Induction establishes 
 the verities of true religion as clearly as it does the laws of gravita- 
 tion, and the whole system of modern science. 
 
 The problem of pagan emigration is to be solved by the Chris- 
 tianizing and citizenizing the Mongolian. Is there a more rational 
 solution? The remedy for intemperance is in the adoption and prac- 
 tice and enacting into laws the teachings of God's word on this sub- 
 ject. "Touch not, taste not, handle not the unclean thing," is the 
 safe and only true position. 
 
 The Church is to be built up by the conversion of sinners, and 
 she can only secure this by abiding sweetly in communion with her 
 great Head. She must feel continually that this is her divine call 
 and work, and not rest satisfied unless this work is continually 
 progressing. The worst elements of society are to be purified by 
 casting in the branches of pure Christian teaching, and good citi- 
 zens thus made out of them. The Lord Jesus has power to uplift, 
 and the Church must bring the world to him. No pessimism poi- 
 soned his fountains of life, nor narrow sectarianism stifled his affec- 
 tions, or restrained his actions. He was in fullest sympathy with 
 every agency and organization seeking to elevate man. His address 
 at the anniversary of the California Bible Society was full of broadest 
 catholicity of feeling and expression. 
 
 The influence of such a man, vested with episcopal prerogatives 
 and position, to make his home among us, was already widely felt, 
 and much of hope inspired for the future. When Powell Street 
 Church, San Francisco, the mother of Methodism in California, was 
 in jeopardy and her existence threatened, his wise and courageous 
 counsels aided in devising the steps which led her into the haven of 
 freedom from debt. Long as she lives to bless the city with her 
 evangelizing agencies should, and doubtless will, the name of Bishop 
 Haven be enshrined in her memory and affections. 
 
282 AUTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 Other churches, under the spur of his presence and appeals, pro- 
 vided for the payment of their debts. His motto was, on church 
 debts : Quickly as possible let us pay them all off, be more careful in 
 the future, and devote our energies and means to enlarging our bor- 
 ders and increasing our benevolent contributions. 
 
 The unity and purity of the Church lay near his heart. H9 was 
 planning for the organization of a society in San Francisco similar 
 to those in Eastern cities, for bringing together at regular periods 
 the members and friends of Methodist churches in the city. Social 
 life was to be cultivated, but especially should topics be discussed 
 looking to the more closely uniting our forces in sympathy and work. 
 The planting of new churches and aiding the weaker ones should 
 also be part of the plan. This good work ought to be made efficient 
 though he has gone from our midst. In the debt-paying society of 
 the Central Church, with which his family was connected, and which 
 the pastor organized, he took a deep interest, and was a regular and 
 liberal contributor. Here may be mentioned an item showing his 
 inner thoughts. On arriving on the coast the question of an episco- 
 pal residence was, of course, a practical and pressing one. The 
 country was yet in the throes of a severe financial depression. Many 
 of the churches were burdened with debt. The schools were seeking 
 to pay off their debts and increase their endowments. Under these 
 circumstances he decided to neither ask nor allow the people to pro- 
 vide him a costly house, but to occupy a simple house, live plainly, 
 and save from his income that he might join in the endeavor to ac- 
 complish these ends. He thus might show that a costly mansion 
 and magnificent style are not essential to the highest officer in the 
 Church, and be able to set an example of sympathetic co-operation 
 worthy of imitation. Is it not true that in these days, all over our 
 land, many of our friends and members are spending money for un- 
 necessary and even hurtful things which is sadly needed for our 
 great benevolences, and to endow our institutions of learning, build 
 and maintain orphan asylums, and houses for the aged and sick 8 
 Was not our religion founded in self-denial, and must not all follow- 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEHr. 283 
 
 ers of Jesus see in his life and spirit the moving principles that must 
 control them? Let the example of Bishop Haven be known by all, 
 and imitated by those whose example and influence will be most 
 powerful in checking the tide of worldliness, the love of luxury, 
 ease, display, and aggrandizement. All honor to Mm for his good 
 example in this respect. 
 
 Bishop Haven was eminently cordial in his manner and tender in 
 his sympathies. In him the ministers felt they had a friend in close 
 personal sympathy with them. Approachable as the most common 
 of men, there was a charm and sweetness about his company. His 
 presence dissipated gloom and scattered sunshine. One on the coast 
 writes that, in an hour of gloom and distrustfulness, when ready to 
 say with the psalmist, " All men are liars," the cheer of the Bishop's 
 visit and society scattered all clouds, and the sun of confidence shone 
 out brightly as ever. Others remarked that his personal knowledge 
 of the work and men, obtained by most careful and diligent inquiry, 
 together with his warm generous nature, fitted him in an«minent 
 degree for the work of appointing preachers on the coast. An un- 
 selfish heart and clear head was the verdict of all concerning him. 
 
 Laymen felt that the Church had a chief pastor in their midst 
 whose influence would be growingly helpful in all their varied enter- 
 prises for promoting God's cause. So long had they waited and 
 prayed for such a recognition of their great work, that in some cases 
 their joy was exuberant. How soon, alas, did the doom of disap- 
 pointment and a great sorrow fall upon them and us all ,! 
 
 We cannot estimate the value of Bishop Haven's labors, and the 
 blessing his coming has been by the brief period of his stay among 
 us — less than eight short months from his arrival, until called home 
 by the Head of the Church. And yet what months they were as we 
 look back at them ! He called the attention of the whole Church, 
 by his letters, to the new phases of work, and from his stand-point 
 of observation. His pen, like a trumpet tongue, called attention to 
 the future of this fair land, and thus challenged, officially, those who 
 are charged with the power and resources of the Church to turn a 
 
284 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP 
 
 clear eye and an attentive ear to the rich, field lying on these shores, 
 where the possibilities of the highest type of Christian life and civ- 
 ilization are enshrined. His mingling with other Christian denom- 
 inations at their educational centers cheered them in their arduous 
 work. His voice in prayer and exhortation, simple as the child, yet 
 with the richness and power of true greatness, was an incentive to 
 multitudes. His zeal for God and the Church should awaken a new 
 tide of energy in every consecrated soul, and cheer to greater 
 triumphs. 
 
 Just as the Bishop was about closing his work in Cali- 
 fornia, and preparing for his trip to Oregon and Washing- 
 ton Territory, intelligence was received of the dangerous 
 sickness of a beloved grandchild, infant daughter of Pro- 
 fessor and Mrs. Moss. His letters on the occasion are 
 model^ of Christian philosophy : 
 
 1041 Mabkbt St., San Feancisco, Cal., May 23, 1881. 
 
 Mt deab Son and Daughter : We have just received your letter 
 of a week ago, and our sympathy is much excited by the condition 
 of little Mta and your anxiety about her. How vividly does it recall 
 our past experience when one child passed away, and the other hov- 
 ered over the grave ! And later, again and again, when yourself and 
 others seemed to be in danger of leaving us. Often I have thought 
 that I could not endure what I have sometimes seen, the loss of all 
 the children; and, indeed, the loss of one would seem to be as sharp 
 a stroke as nature can bear. I can only hope and pray that you may 
 be spared that trial ; but if that or any other comes, cast not away 
 your confidence. Never despair. 
 
 I wish you could take a journey before June, for a change of air is 
 often of benefit. Remember, little ones bear a great deal. I think 
 when teething they are not so apt to die from lack of nourishment as 
 they are from some kind of inflammation. But all you can do is to 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 285 
 
 obtain the best counsel, and obey it. The child cannot eat much and 
 be strong till the tooth comes. 
 
 . . . Still I believe in the grand future of this coast, and that 
 within a few years. 
 
 As it regards my future, my highest hope of an earthly character 
 is that the Lord will give me a few years of active work — as many 
 as he sees fit — in my present position. If so it seems most probable, 
 to me that they will all be spent with my nominal and family resi- 
 dence where it now is. I do not believe that any episcopal residence 
 will ever open before me that I should prefer to this. Were I a 
 young man I would as soon be in California as in any other State. 
 
 We shall be anxious till we hear from you. Give us at least brief 
 
 information often. Ever yours, 
 
 Fathbb. 
 
 San Feancisco, Cal., May 30, 1881. 
 
 Dbab Childbeit: Your mother and I have just returned from 
 San Jose, where I preached a baccalaureate sermon yesterday after- 
 noon, and we find your sad telegram of last night. No words that 
 I can write can do justice to our feelings or be of much service to 
 you. You will never be the same, nor life be the same to you, as 
 before your sad experience. One thing is sure, the past has been 
 enriched, and you will never forget the beautiful, lively, and intelli- 
 gent Nita. You cannot make yourselves what you would have been 
 had you never had ^hat rich experience of parental love. I know 
 something of your feelings. It was a little disappointment to me 
 when our first-born boy proved lifeless. It was a great grief when 
 our little Alida, thirteen months old, passed, in a few hours, from 
 gleeful health to death — ^modified, indeed, by the promised recov- 
 ery^ of the other child.* But how God has comforted us since ! 
 
 You will never forget this history. Time will soften the picture, 
 and it will be seen less frequently, but always with a kind of inex- 
 pressible pathos. It will be a minor note of melody in life. There 
 
 * His oldest son, Professor O. E. Haven. 
 
286 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 is such a thing as painful pleasure; and the best possible is that 
 after a long time the remembrance may assume that form. I need 
 not present the religious consolation. Whatever of religious faith 
 and hope and love we have will assert their power in such an hour. 
 
 We hope you will have a pleasant vacation — as pleasant as you can. 
 Give yourselves as much variety of scene as you well can. Divert 
 your minds, and try to be as hopeful and trustful as you can. Life 
 is full of compensations. Let us get all the good and do all the good 
 we can. 
 
 Probably I shall start for Oregon, by water, on the 9th of June. 
 Then farewell to home for six months ! I shall just touch home 
 once or twice in September, but must go to Penn Yan, N. Y., for 
 October, and remain in and about New York till December. The 
 programme after that is not yet made out. Perhaps I may call and 
 see you on the way east or west. We shall expect letters from you. 
 The Lord sustain you. What has happened must have been for the 
 best. Affectionately yours, 
 
 E. 0. Haven. 
 
 1041 Makket Steeet, May 31, 1881. 
 
 Deae Childeen: I write this just about the time, perhaps, of 
 the funeral. Your postal, speaking of going for Allie, has just ar- 
 rived. I have only one important word. Don't allow yourselves for 
 a moment to blame yourselves for not having done differently. That 
 is a common feeling. At the time, you did wlp,t you then thought 
 was best. That is all we can do. What might have been, and was 
 not, is of no account. Make the best of it, and trust. 
 
 I am just finishing an address for the State University to-morrow. 
 Shall expect a letter from you soon. . . . Affectionately, 
 
 E. O. H. 
 
 His work in California being now closed for the present, 
 he sailed, June 9, from San Francisco for the Columbia 
 Eiver. The ensuing Sabbath, the lirst after his arrival in 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 287 
 
 Oregon, was spent at Astoria, an old and important field, 
 but until very recently almost entirely neglected by the 
 Methodist Church. Thence he went to Poitland, where 
 he greeted the churches, and, in company with E,evs. H. K. 
 Hines, editor of the " Pacific Christian Advocate," and F. P. 
 Tower, presiding elder of the Portland District, outlined a 
 plan of work covering all the time at his disposal for that 
 portion of his great field. Even then his jaded appearance 
 attracted the attention of his friends, but no one suspected 
 the nearness of the end. The day following he went to Sa- 
 lem, and after passing a night at the house of Mr. Tower, a 
 former acquaintance and friend, he became the permanent 
 guest of Kev. J. N. Dennison, the pastor of the Salem 
 Church. For the remaining incidents of his life I am in- 
 debted mainly to inemordbilia furnished by Mr. Dennison. 
 Almost his first remark on entering the house was, " I must 
 rest." On being shown to his room, and told to make him- 
 self entirely at home, he said he would feel quite as much 
 so there ag if in the house of his own son, and soon added, 
 " A Bishop has a great deal of work to do. But few peo- 
 ple have any idea of the amount. You must expect me to 
 work a great deal." When his mail was brought, several 
 hoflrs later, it was found that he had spent all the interval 
 in writing for the papers and attending to other corre- 
 spondence. The fruits of his pen during those hours were 
 " The Plymouth Kock of Oregon," afterward published in 
 "Zion's Herald;" "Cyrus Shepherd;" and "Observations 
 in Oregon " — all of them for the public press, and quite a 
 number of private letters. As his mail was laid on his^ 
 table he said," " More work, more work." On being urged 
 
288 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 to dismiss further writing until the morrow, he replied that 
 he must preach at Dallas, a point about fourteen miles away, 
 at that time, and proceeded to dispose of the additional 
 correspondence. The trip of the day following proved un- 
 usually exhausting. In addition to the ride, he preached 
 for an hour in the open air, with the wind in his face, and 
 was overtaken by a shower on his way back. One is not sur- 
 prised, therefore, to read that he arrived at his home " look- 
 ing like a different man, so weary and sick did he seem," 
 but, when it is added, still he must write awhile, and would 
 scarcely allow any care to be taken to make him comfortable, 
 the feeling wiU arise that such a life was too valuable to 
 be worn out in that way. The day following he delivered 
 the Baccalaureate Sermon in the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, before the students of Willamette University. The 
 sermon was characterized by his usual clearness' of thought, 
 but was wanting in energy of delivery — the mind was more 
 vigorous than the body. The next day he was seized with 
 a chill, and the day following a physician was called. Of 
 his occupations at this time Mr. Dennison shall speak: 
 "These were days of suffering and anxiety, but full of 
 work. He wrote, I think, a dozen letters daily, and on 
 Tuesday, as he was too ill to leave the house, he had me 
 bring his writing material into the parlor, and, in the inter- 
 val between callers, he began a pamphlet on the ' Sabbath 
 Question.' He wrote several pages that afternoon, but 
 yielded to entreaty and retired early." The next day he 
 was taken in a carriage to a meeting of the trustees of the 
 university, and on the day following, Thursday, attended 
 the commencement exercises and delivered a brief address, 
 
EKASTU8 0. HAVEN. 289 
 
 beiiig at that very time under the influence of a violent 
 ague. This was his last appearance in public. He imme- 
 diately returned to his home, where dinner awaited him, 
 and sat with the family at the table without being able to 
 partake of food. Rising at the close of the meal, he said 
 with a smile, " I will say good-night now, but will arise 
 soon and say good-morning." The good-morning is yet to 
 come. 
 
 When it became apparent that he could not preside at 
 the fall Conferences assigned him, he wrote to his colleague, 
 Bishop Harris, setting forth the facts, and closing with — 
 " Allow me now to add, that during every moment of my 
 physical illness th« Lord has consciously been with me, and 
 I have had a peaceful assurance that he is mine and I am 
 his. May the Lord bless you all ! I am, my dear breth- 
 ren, yours in the love of Christ, and in the care of all the 
 churches." 
 
 During the early part of his sickness the activity of his 
 mind and the buoyancy of his spirit were woiidrous, and in 
 striking contrast with his physical prostration. His heart 
 was greatly in his work. He wanted letters of sympathy 
 written to presiding elders in Texas, and words of cheer to 
 pastors whom he had assigned to hard charges. Up to the 
 morning before his death he could not dismiss these mat- 
 ters from his attention". At this time the deep spirituality 
 of his mind shown out with unwonted luster. His disease 
 was at times exceedingly painful, and his mingled expres- 
 sions of praise and pain were touching. Says Mr. Denni- 
 son : " The interval between the paroxysms of pain were 
 
 often fiUed with joyous shouts of spiritual triumph as de- 
 19 
 
290 AXJTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 vout and simple as ever fell from mortal lips. . . . One day, 
 on entering his room, I found him in great pain, his lips 
 set, and his eyes lifted in prayer. Hastening from the 
 room for something to relieve him, I was met on my return 
 with a joyous ringing ' Glory to God' filling the room. I 
 saw his victory, and joined with him in praise. After a 
 moment he paused, and, turning his face full upon me, said 
 with a positiveness that is rarely heard, " Dennison, I am 
 not superstitious; I am scientific, intensely scientific; but 
 God heard and answered that prayer.' Those paroxysms 
 of pain never returned." 
 
 His last days were soothed by the presence and tender 
 ministrations of his wife and his son, Theodore. About 
 the middle of the night before his death he began singing 
 the familiar hymn, beginning " Blest be the tie that binds." 
 After singing two or three stanzas, his son inquired, " Are 
 you better, father?" He replied, "Yes, yes; I feel the 
 beginning of a new life." He continued in this joyous 
 frame for some time, and then fell into a doze, which lasted 
 until morning. He asked, on awaking, after the welfare 
 of President .Garfield, and was greatly pleased when told 
 that the bulletins were favorable. Soon afterward he fell 
 into a deep sleep, from wliich he never fully rallied. Once, 
 as he was nearing the end, he was asked if Christ was pre- 
 cious, and responded with energy, "Yes, yes; O yes!" 
 This was his last utterance. Soon afterward his heart was 
 still in death. 
 
 Several days before, and while in the full possession of 
 his mental powers, he had made his will, and given direc- 
 tions respecting his literary remains and the burial of his 
 
EUASTUS O. HA VEX. 291 
 
 body. He desired that his writings should be prepared for 
 the press by one of the ministers among whom he had 
 found his final home and field of work, and that his remains 
 should repose among the pioneers of the Church on the 
 Pacific coast. A suitable site was therefore selected in Lee 
 Mission Cemetery, a spot named after the founder of the 
 Oregon Mission, but called by Bishop Haven the " Plym- 
 outh Rock of Oregon," where, in company with Shepherd, 
 the friend of his father, and the teacher of his boyhood ; 
 Waller, one of the pioneers of that field, and one of the 
 best men of any field ; Hines, a true Methodist and evan- 
 gelist, and other saintly men and women, he was laid to 
 rest. 
 
 His funeral was attended by the leading ministers and 
 laymen of the Conference within reach. Bishop Kava- 
 naugh, of the Church South, who was at Corvallis on offi- 
 cial duty, came down to Salem, and in fitting words bore 
 testimony to his sense of personal loss. Kev. F. P. Tower, 
 an acquaintance of former years in the East, delivered an 
 appreciative and timely address. As the news spread over 
 the coast, it was received every-where with sorrow. Though 
 his life among us had been very brief, he had endeared 
 himself to all by his simplicity of character and kindliness of 
 spirit, and aU felt that the Church west of the Eocky 
 Mountains, especially, had sustained an irreparable loss. 
 Memorial services were held in the leading churches of 
 Oregon and California at the time, and suitable reference 
 was made to his death at the ensuing sessions of the An- 
 nual Conferences. ' 
 
 In the Oregon Conference addresses were delivered by 
 
292 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 Bishop Harris, Dr. Hines, editor of the " Pacific Christian 
 Advocate," and Kev. G. W. Izer, of Portland. An inci- 
 dent given by Dr. Hines will show how strongly the 
 thought of coming to the Pacific coast in early manliood 
 had taken possession of Bishop Haven's mind : 
 
 I saw Dr. Haven first in January of 1853. Myself and Brother 
 Gustavus had been transferred to Oregon, and, in completing 
 arrangements for our journey, were in the counting-room of Dr. 
 Thomas Carlton, Treasurer of the Missionary Society, who had been 
 my presiding elder, when a youngerly man entered, and I was intro- 
 duced to him as "Brother Haven." He was then pastor of Mul- 
 berry Street Church, in New York city. He stated that he had been 
 asked by Bishop Janes to take work in Oregon, and had consented, 
 but that other arrangements had been subsequently made, and 
 another had taken his place. He referred to the fact several times 
 in private conversation with me, subsequent to his arrival among us, 
 and the last time, just before I took my last farewell of him, the 
 Thursday morning before he died. It seemed a wonder to him, that, 
 in advancing years, he should be laboring where his youth came so 
 near being employed. 
 
 As the news spread over the East, memorial services 
 were held in those great seats of learning where he had 
 spent the vigor of his manhood. At Michigan University 
 Dr. "Winchell delivered a memorial discourse which, for 
 fullness of appreciation and elegance of execution, was 
 worthy both of its subject and its author. As copious 
 extracts-have been made elsewhere it need not be quoted 
 here. 
 
 At Svracuse, likewise, all classes and denominations 
 united to bear testimony to liis virtues and honor his memory. 
 At an early session of the New York Preachers' Meeting 
 
EBASTUS O. HAVEN. 293 
 
 their entire hour was devoted to memorial services, in which 
 Dr. Bennett gave an elaborate and able address, and Drs. 
 Upham, Curry, and Woodruff participated. At Saxonville, 
 where he was converted and joined the Church, a strik- 
 ing and appreciative memorial discourse was delivered, on 
 the Sabbath evening following his death, by Rev. E. H. 
 Howard, the pastor. Elsewhere sermons from the pul- 
 pit, resolutions in the great Church Boards, and editorials 
 in the newspapers, refei-red to his death and character in 
 terms of such warmth, as to show the strength with which 
 his life and great services had taken hold of the public 
 regard. 
 
 Among the speakers at the memorial service in San 
 Francisco, was the venerable Dr. Burroughs, of the Pres- 
 byterian Church. In alluding to the burial place of the 
 departed Bishop, he said : 
 
 Twenty-two miles from Athens, in Greece, there is standing, to this 
 day, a mound of red earth, two hundred yards in extent and of con- 
 siderable height, that was raised over the Athenians who lost their 
 lives in the great conflict of Marathon, which took place between 
 ten thousand freemen and two hundred thousand slaves and bar- 
 barians. The admiration felt by their countrymen for their courage 
 was so great that they would not remove them, but gathered and 
 buried them on tlie field where they fought and fell. That was the 
 only fit place for them to abide ; and there is the memorial to this 
 day. We all feel that it was fit that such a soldier of Jesus Christ 
 as Bishop Haven should be buried on the field where he died. Long 
 after the storms of centuries have obliterated every trace of that 
 Grecian mound, future generations will cluster round that little 
 grave in that quiet cemetery, and bless God for having produced 
 such a man, and thank him for the benefits' he was the means of con- 
 ferring upon them. 
 
294 AUTOBIOGKAPHY OP 
 
 The Clmrch at large has ratified the judgment of Dr. 
 Burroughs, and vindicated the wisdom of Bishop Haven's 
 choice of sepulture. 
 
 Steps have already been taken for the erection of a suit- 
 able monument over his grave, but the most appropriate, 
 as well as enduring, memorials will be the Haven Theological 
 Professorships in the Willamette University, where he de- 
 livered his last public utterances, and the University of the 
 Pacific, in which he maaaifested such an abiding interest. 
 
EKASTDS O, HAVEN. 295 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 GENEEAL ESTIMATE OF BISHOP HAVEN's CHAEACTEE. 
 
 Befoee closing tte record of sucli a life it willl)e profit- 
 able to consider the elements of Bishop Haven's character, 
 and ascertain how he became the remarkable man he was. 
 
 Nature endowed him with an alert, observing, and ac- 
 qiiisitive mind, which found its highest delight in reading 
 and study. The remark of the Unitarian minister who 
 visited the school which he attended when a boy, that " he 
 would make his mark in the world," shows how early he 
 impressed observers with Ms intelligence and attainments. 
 We are told that at four years of age he had read the Bible 
 through, and that during the years when other boys are 
 reveling in " Jack the Giant Killer," he was absorbed in 
 " Pilgrim's Progress." He tells us that before he was four- 
 teen he had gone through with his father's library, consist- 
 ing of Watson's and Wesley's writings, Cowper's Poems, 
 Eollin's " Universal History," Josephus' " History of the 
 Jews," Locke's "Essay on the Human Understanding," 
 Walker's Sermons, in two volumes; Good's "Book of 
 Ifature ; " Sturm's " Eeflections," two volumes ; " Pilgrim's 
 Progress," and some other works. That he had read John 
 Adams' "Political Papers," and other works from the 
 township library, besides consulting a dictionary for the 
 meaning of all obscure words. He adds that he had prob- 
 ably read a hundred volumes before he entered coUege. 
 
296 AUTOBIOGRAPHr OP 
 
 Such facts as these can only be explained on the hypothesis 
 that his mind was peculiarly active and inquiring. These 
 characteristics continued throughout life. His reading was 
 miscellaneous, but its range was remarkable. He sometimes 
 refers to this fact in his Journal. In September, 1877, he 
 says, " I still keep up my habit of miscellaneous and hetero- 
 geneous reading. It is a second nature to me. Until I be- 
 come convinced that it is a sin, I shall not discontinue it ex- 
 cept on compulsion." On the same point Prof. Moss writes : 
 
 Macaulay could hardly surpass him in ability rapidly to turn the 
 pages of a book, and at the last page to rehearse minutely all the posi- 
 tions the author had taken. There would always intervene a running 
 conunentary, setting forth his own opinions in favor of the author's 
 views or his objections to them. An armful of books from a library 
 vyould last him about a week. He would spend half of an evening 
 in reading Kant's "Kritik," which, he said, was as hard a thing to 
 understand as he ever met, and afterward run through a simple Sunday- 
 school book and laugh at its contents. Without a book he seemed 
 lost. In them he took as much pleasure as a child with its toys. 
 There is no author in English who has left an appreciable influence 
 on our literature whom he had not read, and from whom he could 
 not quote more or less, and whose positions on dififerent subjects he 
 was not acquainted with. Broach the subject of almost any author's 
 opinion, and he would instantly know by what arguments the author 
 had supported his opinions, and could frequently state, in his strangely 
 simple way, the positions more clearly than the author himself had 
 done. Speak of almost any subject whatever, and he was prepared 
 to throw light upon it. The obscurity or rareness of it was no hin- 
 derance, nor was the fact that it might be new. In all these respects 
 his knowledge was encyclopedic. He had a memory that can justly 
 be characterized only by the word prodigious. Forget was a word 
 he rarely used. 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAVEN. 297 
 
 In a similar vein writes Dr. Winehell : 
 
 His intellectual qualities were remarkable. In versatility few men 
 excelled him. He knew something on almost all subjects, and if in 
 ignorance, a few glances of investigation set to work that intuition 
 which pierced the subject through and through. His fertility of 
 projects was wonderful. The whole field covered by a practical 
 problem spread before his mind's eye, and nothing possible escaped 
 his notice. He possessed, accordingly, wonderful adaptability to 
 men and to situations. He was equal to every occasion. He never 
 shrank from an embarrassment or a trial of strength. 
 
 This breadth and variety of information brought him 
 into contact with the diversified interests of the citizen, 
 the scholar, and the Christian minister. How varied were 
 the relations thus sustained Professor Bennett, of Syracuse 
 University, happily sets forth : 
 
 It is probably no exaggeration to say that his name and character- 
 istics were familiar to more classes of our citizens than any other 
 man's who has recently left us. He was familiar with more fields of 
 activity than any other. As teacher in Church academies ; pastor of 
 churches ; professor in the State University of Michigan ; editor of a 
 religious journal; member of a State Senate; active worker in re- 
 sponsible State educational committees ; president of a State univer- 
 sity; president of Church universities; Corresponding Secretary of 
 the Board of Education; and, finally, as one of our Superintendents, 
 Bishop Haven came in contact with more men of more classes, was 
 thoroughly familiar with more interests, and had a more compre- 
 hensive view of more enterprises than any Methodist of my-acquaint- 
 ance. I have been acquainted with several who have known some 
 things and some interests more thoroughly ; several who have 
 traveled more widely ; several who were better known in our com- 
 munion, or in some departments of labor; but none, I think, who 
 knew more of so many things. 
 
298 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 These observations are in full accord with the revelations 
 of his private Journal. As a result, partly of his wide 
 reading and partly of his independence of opinion, he early 
 acquired the habit of criticising the author before him, 
 and comments made soon after his graduation on authors 
 then less known than now have since been vindicated by 
 the popular verdict. 
 
 As a writer, he was distinguished by his transparent clear- 
 ness and simplicity of style. His earlier Journals reveal 
 a little of the sophomorian ; but a marked change is ob- 
 servable during his college career, and the excellences 
 which afterward distinguished him were then acquired. 
 His broad range of information in scientific as weU as 
 literary subjects gave him ready command of the choicest 
 language, as well as abundant material for happy allusion 
 and striking illustration. 
 
 As examples on both heads take the following quotations 
 given in Dr. Winchell's memorial discourse : 
 
 The widest and perhaps the most lasting fames are not worth en- 
 joying. Sam Patch is better known than any member of Congress 
 that died the same year. He leaped at once into the depth of waters 
 and of future ages : like his great Grecian prototype, who plmiged 
 into a volcano for fame, and left his name and one shoe behind ; and it 
 would be hard to estimate which of his two estates was worth the most. 
 
 Or on another subject : 
 
 The manufacture of sermons was even carried on as a business of a 
 few scribes, and the market was supplied as regularly with them as 
 with radishes, cowslips, and other green things. 
 
 And in a still different vein, to illustrate the value of 
 some scientific speculations : 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 299 
 
 Might not a parasite on the back of an ox, . . . having found out 
 by actual measurement the circumference of the ox, and by mathe- 
 matical calculation the diameter of the ox, and having ascertained 
 that as he inserted his proboscis into the hide of the animal, say the 
 sixteenth of an inch, it gradually and regularly grew warmer, infer, 
 in like manner as the geologist, that the center of the animal was 
 red-hot lava? 
 
 Ifot unfrequently a quiet humor sallies from his page, 
 of which the second of the above quotations may be taken 
 as a sample. 
 
 In a domestic letter, written while on his way to one of 
 his first Conferences after being elected Bishop, this mental 
 trait crops out in one of those grotesque associations of 
 which one is sometimes the victim while undergoing the 
 Bishop's uncanny experience. He says : 
 
 The steamer was large and beautiful. My room was near the 
 wheel, and a musquito or two or some other animal annoyed me. 
 My supper, also, had been baked beans, and when awake I contin- 
 ually parodied a line of our Conference hymn : 
 
 "What dangers have we seen, 
 \ What conflicts have we past : 
 
 Fightings without and feaia wit}mi 
 Since we assembled last" 
 
 To me the third line seemed to be — 
 
 Bitings without and beans within. 
 
 With such a large store of information and a singularly 
 fertile mind, it is not surprising that he made an accom- 
 plished editor, and that, down to his last sickness, and even 
 in his sick chamber, editorials, correspondence, magazine 
 articles and essays issued from his teeming brain and busy 
 
300 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 pen ; all characterized by tlie same variety, facility, grace, 
 clearness, and force of thought and style. 
 
 But the productions of his pen were not confined to the 
 ephemeral contributions to the periodicals of the day. 
 While in Amenia Seminary he prepared a series of lectures 
 for the students, in which he set forth the relations of the 
 great events of the Bible to the existing state of knowledge. 
 He discussed in succession the creation, the deluge, the 
 tower of Babel, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, 
 the miracles of the exodus, the fulfillment of prophecy, the 
 character of Christ, and other subjects, with rare discrim- 
 ination and force. The lectures were so well received, and 
 seemed so well adapted to clear away the fog surrounding 
 many young minds, that during his presidency of Michi- 
 gan University they were issued in a small volume under 
 the title of " Young Man Advised." It has been said that 
 the title was unfortunate. Indeed, the author himself 
 questioned whether it was well chosen, and inasmuch as it 
 relates to the design of the book rather than to the subject 
 discussed, this criticism may be accepted as correct. Nev- 
 ertheless, its manifest design and tendency exactly corre- 
 sponds with the title. In his preface the author says : 
 
 Every age demands its own book — every age of the world and 
 every age of the individual man. This book is written for the 
 present age of the world and for the young. 
 
 It did not miss its mark. It contained timely and admir- 
 able expositions of difficult passages of the Bible, and threw 
 much collateral light on many of its obscure subjects. 
 
 " The Pillars of Truth " was another volume, containmg 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 301 
 
 a series of lectures on the Decalogue, delivered before the 
 students of Michigan University, and published at their re- 
 quest. The volume evinces the author's usual deftness in 
 handling his subjects, as well as his transparent clearness 
 of thought and expression. Because of the subjects which 
 it discusses, and the manner of their treatment, it deserves 
 to be better known. 
 
 But the preparation of his "Rhetoric" probably cost 
 him more time and pains than any other of his volumes. 
 If any one will turn to its brief but lucid discussions of the 
 subjects involved, and compare them with the cumbersome 
 chapters of many other text-books covering the same ground, 
 he will find fresh reason for admiring the author's happy 
 art of reducing his subjects to the simplest terms and set- 
 ting them forth in the most appropriate manner. As a text- 
 book for academies and colleges this " Rhetoric '' is a model. 
 
 And yet, with aU his clearness and apparent ease of style. 
 Bishop Haven affords another illustration that the highest 
 and best qualities of the writer can only be acqiured with 
 much pains and retained with constant care. "We are told 
 by Professor Moss that "he many times wrote an article out 
 and sent it to the press with a simple revision ; but this was 
 not customary, and I recollect that he usually wrote them 
 upon scraps of paper with pencil upon his knee." From 
 this pains, when he had time for it, arose his ability to write 
 with such rapidity and perspicuity when the emergency was 
 upon him. 
 
 As a public speaker and preacher of the Gospel, he was 
 characterized by readiness, clearness, appositeness, and in- 
 structiveness, rather than by the oratorical magic which 
 
302 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 entrances and transports the hearer. He did not soar like 
 Simpson, nor blaze like Pnnshon, but he enlightened like 
 the snn. Those who heard him during his later years only, 
 when overburdened with affairs, probably could not form 
 an adequate conception of what he was on the platform 
 and in the pulpit ten or fifteen years before. Dr. Winchell 
 quotes many passages showing how he could sparkle and 
 move when occasion required. The fact that he was se- 
 lected when but thirty-two years of age to succeed the 
 eloquent R. S. Foster (now Bishop Foster) as pastor of the 
 leading Methodist Episcopal Church of New York, shows 
 that his power in the pulpit was of high order. 
 
 "While president of Michigan University he was in the 
 habit of delivering sermons and lectures to the students 
 every Sabbath afternoon on the different religious and 
 moral questions demanding treatment before young men in 
 their situation ; and the number of students and others 
 who thronged to hear him, and the powerful ascendency 
 over the yoimg men acquired during his stay there, attest 
 the possession of pulpit gifts of a high order. It was dur- 
 ing this term that he frequently accepted invitations to 
 preach in the churches of other denominations. Doubtless 
 he felt that his position in a State university, as well as his 
 natural bent, demanded the largest catholicity in lending 
 his services. He refers several times to invitations to as- 
 sume pastoral relations over these congregations, both in 
 Detroit and Chicago, and at greatly increased salary. A 
 quotation from his Journal about this time will give some 
 insight into his method of preparing for the pulpit as well 
 as reveal one source of his power. He says : 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 303 
 
 I generally, after Wednesday, when I think of writing a sermon, 
 pray to God that a subject may be suggested in the treatment of 
 which I may accomplish the greatest spiritual good. I think the 
 prayer is answered. 
 
 But, whatever eminence he attained in other directions, 
 he excelled most as an educator. His habit of reading and 
 study when a boy showed the strong bent of his mind 
 toward literary pursuits. Fortunately, at the beginning of 
 his scholastic career, he was broitght under the influence of 
 Dr. Fisk, the first great educator of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. "When he had completed his studies in college, 
 like many another brilliant but needy young man, he turned 
 his attention to teaching, as the most available means of 
 meeting present wants. His immediate success, both in 
 government and instruction, showed that he had found his 
 true sphere. His reputation as a teacher of a private 
 school prepared the way for his call to Amenia Seminary. 
 From the post of a teacher he passed, on the retirement of 
 Dr. Cummings, to the position of principal. Thence, after 
 a brief but successful term in the pastoral work, he was 
 elected to a professorship in Michigan University. A few 
 years of service in a subordinate position designated him as 
 a suitable candidate for its place of highest responsibility 
 and honor. When a vacancy occurred in the presidency 
 he was recalled from the editorship of " Zion Herald," in 
 Boston, and placed at the head of this rising university. 
 This outlines the story of his advancement to a place among 
 the foremost educators of the nation, but does not fully set 
 forth the extent of his reputation or the sources of his 
 success. 
 
304 AUTOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 How early and how widely he impressed men with his 
 abilities in this field may be seen by a simple record of the 
 positions urged upon his acceptance, as well as those which 
 he fiUed. 
 
 He was a successful organizer and teacher of a private 
 academy in Sudbury, Mass., 1842-6 ; professor and princi- 
 pal of Amenia Seminary, 1846-8 ; professor of Latin Lan- 
 guage and Literature at Michigan University, 1853-4 ; 
 transferred to chair of History and English Literature in 
 the same institution, 1854^5. 
 
 In 1857 he was oflEered the presidency of Genesee Col- 
 lege, and remarked, in recording the fact, that this was 
 the fourth position of the kind which had been offered 
 him. In 1858 Governor Banks appointed him a member 
 of the Massachusetts Board of Education. He remained 
 in this position until his removal from the State, in 1863. 
 During the year 1861 he was invited to a professorship in 
 Wesleyan University, and, about the same time, to the 
 presidency of the North-western University. From 1863 
 to 1869 he was President of Michigan University. At in- 
 tervals from 1867 to 1871 his correspondence and Journal 
 show that he was invited, at diflferent times and with more 
 or less formality, to take the presidency of the Boston 
 Theological School, and afterward of Boston University. 
 In 1869 he gave a conditional promise to accept the presi- 
 dency of the North-western University. The terms were 
 acceded to by the trustees, and he removed from Ann Ar- 
 bor to Evanston. On leaving Micliigan University, to 
 which he had come in the mist of so much obloqiiy, he 
 was followed with unanimous expressions of regret from 
 
EEA8TU8 O. HAVEN. 305 
 
 the Senate and Eegents, and his private papers show that 
 so long as hope in this direction could be cherished the de- 
 sire for his return to that post was general and strong. In 
 1871 the Eegents of the University of Wisconsin urged 
 him to accept its presidency, and offered as an inducement 
 a considerable increase of salary over that hitherto paid. 
 His successful career in Michigan had given him a liking 
 for State universities, and he resisted this application with 
 reluctance. In 1872 the General Conference of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church elected him by acclamation Secre- 
 tary of its Board of Education. Of this office Dr. Winchell 
 says, in his memorial address : " I doubt if the position was 
 generally considered worthy of him ; and it may not be 
 straining probabilities to affirm that such was his own 
 conviction." 
 
 Ifevertheless, it may be questioned whether any other 
 position in the entire field of education in the United States 
 ofEered a wider or more promising opportunity for useful- 
 ness. He was to complete the organization and shape the 
 policy of a Board which, if brought to its best, will yet 
 control tens of millions and disburse annually millions of 
 dollars, as well as systematize and unify the entire work of 
 education in the Methodist Episcopal Church. To this 
 great work he devoted himself until 1874, when, owing, 
 doubtless in part, to the pressure of the financial storm which 
 lay so heavily upon the country, he accepted the Chancellor- 
 ship of Syracuse University. At this post he remained imtil 
 his election to the Episcopacy in 1880. But the invitations 
 to re-enter the field of education did not close even then. 
 
 After his removal to the Pacific coast he was approached 
 20 
 
306 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 by leading members botli of the Board of Eegents and of 
 the Faculty upon the subject of accepting the presidency 
 of the University of California ; and there is little doubt 
 that the formal tender would have been made, had these 
 advances been met with corresponding encouragement. 
 
 It must be conceded that the bare recital of these facts 
 presents a marvelous record. It would be difficult to fur- 
 nish their counterpart in the life of any other educator of 
 this country. Certainly our own denomination affords no 
 parallel case. 
 
 Was it a fortuitous concourse of circumstances surround- 
 ing him, or a happy combination of quahties in the man 
 which contributed to this result ? Doubtless circumstances 
 favored him ; they generally favor men who can and will. 
 At every step of his progress we mark the favoring oppor- 
 tunity; but it was equally open to himdreds of others. 
 He was ready for the occasion, and rose with it. Had this 
 not offered, others awaited him. The French Kevolution 
 gave the widest field for Napoleon's military genius, but in 
 any land or era his marvelous executive ability would have 
 asserted its supremacy. 
 
 Among Bishop Haven's qualifications as an educator was 
 the breadth and elevation of his mind. Above most others 
 the head of a university must have an ample store upon 
 which the inquiring mind of the student may draw ; and 
 when he comes seeking bread he must not receive a stone. 
 Bishop Haven had intermeddled with aU knowledge, and 
 the field spread before him with such distinctness of outline 
 and relation that he could direct the seeker after truth to 
 those inviting points best calculated to meet the aptitudes 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 307 
 
 and discipline the powers of the student. And then he 
 was singularly elevated in mind. He seemed incapable of 
 cherishing personal animosity. From the beginning to the 
 end nothing of the kind appears in all the records of his 
 life. His thoughts upon all subjects partook of this eleva- 
 tion of spirit ; and all his intercourse revealed it. This 
 gave him his happy art of dealing with students. A lurk- 
 ing suspicion of pettiness, especially on the part of superiors, 
 the genuine college student cannot tolerate. He is passing 
 through the age of generous enthusiasm. He will worship 
 at almost any shrine where he finds elevation of mind, 
 breadth of view, and generosity of sentiment. All of these 
 blended in the character of Dr. Haven. In addition, he 
 believed in the inherent nobleness of young manhood and 
 womanhood. He appealed to this sentiment in overcoming 
 the unfavorable prejudices of the students of Michigan 
 University. The result may be stated in his own words : 
 
 I have never yet founrl college students fail in generosity and man- 
 liness when properly appealed to. It was hard, indeed, for the leaders 
 in the older classes who had been urged to disorder to refrain from 
 it, but conscience and good sense mastered them, and all began 
 passably well. 
 
 Says Dr. Winchell upon the same subject : 
 
 He believed in the inherent honesty and nobility of student nature, 
 and would rather be imposed upon a dozen times than fail to accept 
 the ingenuousness of one at its full value. He was sometimes ac- 
 cused of laxity of discipline. In some cases evil students undoubt- 
 edly traded on his good nature and his instinctive trust in man ; 
 but I am sure the act brought shame and remorse which must have 
 exerted more of a reformatory influence than sterner discipline. Few 
 
308 AUTOBIOGKAPHY OF 
 
 persons can continue to impose on an unsuspecting and generous 
 nature. Prying inquisitions, ceaseless suspicion, unrelenting disci- 
 pline, relieve the student of his distinctive and powerful obligations 
 to generous appreciation. 
 
 And in tlie same vein writes Dr. Bennett : 
 As an executive. Bishop Haven was sui generis. In many things 
 he knew no law. A college code was to him intolerable. Many- 
 would say, as they regarded his administration, "He never burns his 
 bridges behind him." This was true in a sense. It would not be 
 fair, however, to conclude that he had no fully accepted principles 
 of government. Eather did he seem to believe that no law could be 
 framed to meet every case, or even most cases ; but each case as it 
 arose had peculiarities which justified a separate discussion and ver- 
 dict. Some would be inclined to say that his government was lax, 
 and at times inconsistent. To one who did not understand his men- 
 tal processes, it might be troublesome to defend some things. I am 
 convinced that most of his associates found difficulties in appreciat- 
 ing some of his easy and ready methods of treating questions which 
 they had regarded as quite essential to sound discipline. Yet we 
 came to understand the theory of his administration pretty thor- 
 oughly. It was a common remark of his in faculty meetings, ' ' Noth- 
 ing is so easy as to govern by cast-iron laws, yet nothing is so ut- 
 terly senseless.'' He seemed to say, nothing is absolutely best; you 
 cannot bring mathematics into law ; what to-day is expedient may 
 to-morrow be folly to adopt; there must ever be a balancing of 
 probabilities ; most measures have some sound arguments to support 
 them; few against which do not lie serious objections; the shortest 
 distance between two points is a straight line, yet this may not be 
 the best way — it is certainly sometimes more difficult, and always 
 least graceful ; no enterprise can be pressed into any imif orm and un- 
 varying mold. 
 
 These, I have thought, were some of the principles which may 
 serve to interpret and understand the work of Bishop Haven as a 
 college executive. 
 
ERASTUS O. HAVEN. 309 
 
 After sucli a setting forth of his theories of administra- 
 tion, one is not surprised to hear Dr. Marcy saying : 
 
 He governed the college ■with less friction than any president ■whom 
 I have known. He had such a facility for doing things ■well, and was 
 always so self-poised and obliging and kindly, that no student bore 
 him the least ill-will,> nor did any seem disposed to annoy him as 
 students frequently do their instructors and governors. 
 
 The mature and deliberate estimate of the value and re- 
 sults of college work by one so well versed therein -will be 
 worth preserving. In his last Baccalaureate at Syracuse 
 University, he said : 
 
 This is the sixteenth time that I have addressed a graduating class, 
 and when I think of the five or six hundred young persons, mostly 
 young men, whom I have sent out, I ask myself the question, "Is 
 college life a success or not? " Of these graduates none have been 
 convicted of crime, none suffered from want, and only two. or three 
 have died from the eflects of intemperance. 
 
 Another distinguishing quality of his mind was his prac- 
 tical sense, his knowledge of affairs. It is observable that 
 during his first term at Michigan University, and wliile 
 sustaining a subordinate relation, he was selected to present 
 the wants of the institution before the State Legislature 
 and advocate an appropriation. When at a later period he 
 succeeded in seeming a permanent annual appropriation, 
 and in harmonizing all the conflicting elements which 
 threatened to render this success unavailable, he displayed 
 a. tact of rare quality. After an intimate acquaintance of 
 long standing and close association during much of the 
 time, Dr. "Winchell says : " His fertility of projects was 
 wonderful. TJie whole fjeld covered by a practical prob- 
 
310 AUTOBIOGEAJPHY OF 
 
 lem spread before his mind's eye, and notling possible 
 escaped his notice." A striking incident illustrative of 
 this trait is given by Dr. Bennett, on the authority of 
 Chancellor Pierson, one of the Eegents of the University 
 of New York : 
 
 The college presidents of this State had met at Albany to advise 
 together as to the expediency of unifying more completely the col- 
 lege and university interests of New York. Remarks were invited, 
 and several had spoken, but none seemed to have any clear and ade- 
 quate conception of the method of supplying the felt needs. At 
 last, a stranger to me, a man of small stature and not imposing 
 presence rose, and veith a somewhat thin voice addressed the chair. 
 Soon all eyes were turned toward him, and the attention of all was 
 invited by the luminous expose of a plan of union which might he 
 feasible. At the close of his remarks a committee was moved of 
 which Bishop Haven was chairman. His plan was embodied 
 in the report of the committee, was accepted by the Regents, and 
 adopted by the Legislature ; a sum of money voted to carry out its 
 provisions, and thus the Regents' higher examination for entrance 
 to college became a fixed institution. 
 
 After coming to the Pacific coast Bishop Haven was 
 requested by an old gentleman, who had chanced upon a for- 
 tune, to become a trustee in the interest of an impracticable 
 scheme of benevolence. The writer was present at an 
 interview in which the attempt was made to give the prop- 
 erty a more practical direction. The skill with which the 
 Bishop pointed out the weak points of the cherished scheme, 
 and spread before the mind of the gentleman the advan- 
 tages likely to accrue from the bestowment of his prop- 
 erty in other directions, revealed a rare facility in adapting 
 himself to men and circumstances. « 
 
EKASTUS O. HAVEN 311 
 
 This was characteristic of all his plans for the further- 
 ance of Chnrch enterprises in his new field. He grasped 
 the situation so readily, and took hold of all its interests 
 with such facility, as none but those of superior endow- 
 ments and rare experience in such affairs could display. 
 
 The symmetry of his character was one of its most 
 attractive features. Once in his Journal he expresses sat- 
 isfaction that he had never separated religion and morals 
 either in theory or practice. As quoted by Eev. T. P. 
 Tower, in his funeral address in Salem, Oregon, he said, 
 " Of course, character is always infinitely above intellect." 
 Hence, " there was no waste in liim." Every thing about 
 him helped to round out into completeness the symmetry 
 of the man. On this point Prof. Bennett is so full and 
 complete, that he deserves to be quoted at length : 
 
 A difference of opinion may exist as to what place Bistop Haven 
 should occupy among our departed worthies. For my own part 
 I should give him a very high rank. His remarkable equipoise 
 was not favorable to the attainment of great reputation. A sym- 
 metrical character is not often a striking character. Excess, extrav- 
 agance^ — ^these are apt to arrest attention, and bring temporary repu- 
 tation. These constitute a genius in the esteem of the thoughtless 
 and the illogical. But with Bishop Haven no power was in extraor- 
 dinary measure ; no gift had been cultivated to the neglect of all 
 others : all had been cared for and given a healthy development. To 
 estimate the character of some men is like a hard problem in the 
 resolution and composition of forces. Tremendous powers may 
 be at work ; almost superhuman energies may possess the man ; but 
 when the resultant is computed, it is almost zero. Angelic soarings 
 toward heaven may be succeeded by awful depressions. Godlike 
 powers of eloquence and persuasion may be coupled with a weak 
 judgment; consuming zeal for the truth may be obscured by unfor- 
 
312 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP 
 
 tunate bursts of passion ; a winged imagination may not be balanced 
 by a calm, logical faculty. Bisbop Haven's powers, his intellectual 
 and spiritual forces, all operated along one line and in one direction — 
 along the line of duty, and in the direction of Christian progress 
 and eternal life. While the resultant of the lives of some men who 
 are pronounced great must be reached by a system of subtractions, 
 the resultant of Bishop Haven's life may be gained by a series of 
 additions: intellect, imagination, will, conscience, attainments, pos- 
 sibilities, all worked together harmoniously toward one end, the 
 good of the Church and of the world. If he seldom astonished 
 and blinded by the flashes of genius, the mild radiance of his life 
 was constant and healthful. If he was not a mental and spiritual 
 athlete, he was far better, a well-trained, well-poised, industrious, 
 worker, whose influence will, I am confident, be felt to be purer and 
 better as the years go on by the thousands of strong men and 
 women whom his counsels have guided, and his cheering words 
 encouraged. 
 
 His portrait would not be complete without reference to 
 a certain judicial cast of mind which he carried into his 
 thinking and acting. This led him to look on all sides of 
 all questions. In his relations with other denominations 
 he was of most catholic spirit, ready to preach for all 
 who sought or needed his services. Dr. WincheU says 
 he began a centennial sermon in 1866, which, of course, 
 demanded special attention to the character and influence 
 of his own denomination, by setting forth some of the 
 excellences of the Catholic Church. He was a Methodist 
 from principle, and in the best sense of the word ; but he 
 was more, he was a Christian, and that brought him into 
 fellowship with all denominations. 
 
 This gave him peculiar fitness for the presidency of a 
 State university. He was neither bigoted in his Chris- 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAVEiSr. 313 
 
 tianity nor sectarian in his Methodism. He could meet on 
 easy social footing citizens of any faith or no faith, and by 
 that very catholicity the better commend his own. When 
 the common schools were assailed, during his first term at 
 Ann Arbor, in 1853, he met the assault by a timely sermon 
 on " Common Schools Unsectarian." At a later time, and 
 while a member of the State Senate of Massachusetts, he 
 introduced an amendment to the school law, providing that 
 the children of parents who declared that they had consci- 
 entious scruples in the matter, should not be required to 
 participate in the reading of the Bible. 
 ■ Eenan is open to grave criticism from the Christian 
 point of view, and it has generally been deemed safe 
 to criticise him without much reserve; but on reading 
 a review of his works by a writer whose name is quite 
 familiar in the field of religious literature. Dr. Haven ex- 
 claims; "When shall we find candor and supreme love 
 of truth ? " His sense of justice was so strong that he could 
 not tolerate unfairness even toward a foe of his faith. 
 
 A fine illustration of this judicial cast of mind is con- 
 tained in his reply to a letter from Mr. Weaver, of Phila- 
 delphia, who had written in behalf of the Representative 
 Lyceum of that place, in reference to the relative number 
 of conversions in our institutions of learning and churches. 
 The date of his reply will show that it was one of the last 
 letters which he ever wrote : 
 
 1041 Market Street, San Francisco, Cal., Jiine 27, 1881. 
 Dear Brother: I really write at Salem, Oregon, six days beyond 
 my official residence as given Above. This is the seat of Willamette 
 University, the oldest school in Oregon, founded by the missionaries 
 
314 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In this school some hundreds 
 of young people have professed conversion. 
 
 I am where I can obtain no numeral statistics on the percentage of 
 students brought to Christ in our schools, in comparison with the 
 percentage of young people of the same age in our congregations. 
 I have no doubt, however, that a much larger percentage have been 
 converted in the schools than out of them. But will you allow me to 
 suggest. What does that prove? There is no more dangerous philos- 
 ophy than that of Buckle, that great moral questions can be set- 
 tled by statistics. And there is no more dangerous weapon than 
 that of statistics if not properly used. 
 
 It should be remembered that students in our schools are picked 
 young men and women ; some having religious or enterprising par- 
 ents, who support them ; some choosing to obtain, an education in 
 a professedly religious school. We have a right to expect them to 
 be converted. In the congregations, however, are found some of far 
 lower grade in both respects. 
 
 Again, in the schools are regular religious meetings, carried on 
 mostly by young people who greatly influence their companions ; in 
 the smaller congregations this is not the fact. Again, the studies 
 pursued compel thought ; many other yoimg people think but little. 
 
 I have known some young people, even in religious schools, to 
 wander far away from Christ and right ; but not so lar^e a propor- 
 tion as I have known out of schools. 
 
 Our schools are doing much to promote the cause of Christ, and 
 for that deserve support. Yours, for truth and Christ, 
 
 E. O. Haven. 
 
 Another illustration of the same quality of mind is con- 
 tained in a communication to the New York " Christian 
 Advocate," " Light and Darkness in the Last Hours," writ- 
 ten in his best vein, just before he left New York, but not 
 published until after his death, ^t this time it will not 
 only illustrate liis calm and impartial mind, but also reveal 
 
EBASTUS 0. HAVEN. 315 
 
 the composure with which he reflected upon that solemn 
 ordeal tlirough which he was so soon to pass : 
 
 A belief that death is near affects different minds so differently as 
 to render it impossible to lay down any universal rules on the sub- 
 ject. Probably all who are in a fair condition of physical and men- 
 tal strength instinctively shrink from it with an indefinable dread 
 and horror. This, in some instances, if yielded to, increases so as to 
 imperil the reason and hasten what it fears. But many human be- 
 ings can discipline themselves to suppress all manifestations of feel- 
 ing, and this is probably in many instances followed by an utter 
 absence of fear. It is easy, it is said, in China for a well-to-do 
 criminal to hire a substitute, who, for small wages to be paid to his 
 family, will consent to die for his employer. This is a kind of 
 prompt and sure life insurance, when the bargain is closed at once 
 with a death ! 
 
 A criminal in the western part of New York, not long ago, was 
 condemned to die for an aggravated murder. He was repeatedly 
 visited by clergymen, who vainly endeavored to awaken in Mm any 
 appearance of interest in religion. He died without the smallest 
 sign of fear, as indifferently as a man would enter a carriage, im- 
 pressing all with the degree of stolidity which a man can reach. He 
 was but one of a class who nerve themselves to "die game." 
 
 It is also true that men may die martyrs to a bad cause, and sell 
 their lives in attestation of a lie. In the excitement of the first 
 French Eevolution, a man deliberately formed a plan to make it 
 appear that he had been killed by an office-holder, to excite prejudice 
 against the Government, and then committed suicide. How strange 
 that a man should slay himself with a deliberate lie in his mouth ! 
 
 Such instances should teach us not to give 'a factitious or unreal 
 value to the experiences of the dying. They are not always sincerely 
 uttered ; and even if they are, they are less valuable in many respects 
 than the experiences of the same people when they were healthier 
 and more deliberate. 
 
316 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 A dying man is no more able of himself to foresee his own des- 
 tiny, or the destiny of those he leaves, than he was before he began 
 to die. Why should he be? Because a dying man fears hell, it is 
 by no means sure that he will fall into it ; nor because a dying man 
 expects heaven, is it by any means sure that he will enter it. We 
 need some stronger support than feelings, which may be hallucina- 
 tions — of no more value in one time of life than another. 
 
 While, however, all this is true, and the proper way to prepare 
 for eternal life is to live for it, it is also true that many Christians, 
 when dying, have peculiar peace and joy. such as others do not 
 manifest. Heathen literature has no description of joyful deaths. 
 Christian literature abounds in them. Every pastor of a church 
 that cultivates what is called experimental Christianity has more or 
 leas observation of it. 
 
 One of the most noted instances of the kind under my own observa- 
 tion was a man dying in the prime of life of the cholera. It was in 
 the summer of 1848, when the second cholera, so-called, swept over 
 our land. I was pastor of a church (the Twenty-fourth Street society) 
 in New York, when I was called to see more sick and dying people, 
 probably, than would equal the whole of my. little congregation. 
 One of the symptoms of that dread disease is "great depression of 
 spirits," lassitude, pain, indifference to surrounding circumstances. 
 But I saw a man in the prime of life, with all the other symptoms 
 of cholera, die with the greatest joy and triumph of the Christian ; 
 and several others, in evident Christian peace and resignation. 
 
 One characteristic of Christian copifort in the departing hour is 
 the apparent absence of all conscious bracing up for the occasion. 
 The Christian does not seem to be nerved to meet a foe. He is peace- 
 fully or joyfully about to start on a journey, and he seems to fear no 
 lack of pleasant society on the way. It is a parting without the 
 usual grief on his side. 
 
 One of my early experiences as a pastor taught me a lesson on this 
 subject. A young man, about of my own age, a minister more than 
 usually promising, was in the later stages of consumption. Hia 
 
ERASTUS 0. HAVEN-. 317 
 
 mind was clear, Ms conversation was brilliantly intellectual, and his 
 sky serene, only the sun seemed prematurely dropping down the 
 western horizon. Having visited and conversed and prayed with 
 him several times, and received spiritual strength from his faith, I 
 was at one time drawn out toward him in more than usual sympathy, 
 and expressed faintly but earnestly my deep regret that he, so young 
 and promising, should be disabled and deprived of ability to win 
 the honors of a long and useful life. Never shall I forget the seem- 
 ing rebuke with which he vindicated the will of God : " It is right ! " 
 " It is the Lord's choice ! " "I was never more happy than at this 
 moment ! " " My best hours have been since confined to this bed ! " 
 
 I have learned to observe pretty closely since, both in actual life 
 and conversation and reading, and have failed as yet to find any dying 
 consumptives, not Christians, who, when not suflEering pain, had 
 such joyous emotions. Carlyle and his friends give no hint that the 
 skeptic had such an experience. Indeed, the highest high-water 
 mark of a dying sinner's experience is below the lowest low-water 
 mark of a Christian's experience. 
 
 Some Christians, perhaps foolishly, indulge fears about death. It 
 is really to one who dies a matter of no consequence at all whether 
 it is slow or sudden, attended with peace or joy, or not. I have 
 long since determined to indulge consciously no choice on the sub- 
 ject. But it is noticeable that some who have feared it, have been 
 wonderfully sustained when the dreaded moment came. 
 
 The Rev. George Coles, the real father of the Children's or Sun- 
 day-school literature of the Methodist Episcopal Church, for many 
 years one of the editors of "The Christian Advocate," in New York, 
 suffered much from hermorrhages from the lungs, and from a trouble- 
 some affection of the heart. He dreaded death. The passage-way 
 seemed an "iron gate" — like that of a prison. But his whole life 
 had been full of self-denial and cheerful la,bor. His friends could 
 he counted by thousands. Why should he fear? The dread hour 
 finally came. He was sitting in his chair, unable to lie down. That 
 glad premonition so often given was vouchsafed ; and with a sweet 
 
318 ATTTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 smile he said, "Sing." "What shall we sing?" "Sing 'Jesus, 
 lover of my soul.' " We sung a stanza, and paused to note the rap- 
 idly shortening, almost imperceptible, breathing— before so difficult, 
 when, summoning all the little remnant of life, he opened his eyes 
 widely, and exclaimed, ' ' Hark ! " closed his own eyes again, and ' ' fell 
 on sleep." What heard he in his last few seconds of earthly life? 
 "Hark!" 
 
 Another instance awakened deep interest in me. An aged woman, 
 just closing her eightieth year, suddenly fell, and was taken to her 
 bed. Her hearing had long since nearly vanished, and she had but 
 a few hours more of consciousness. Just before she ceased to breathe 
 she seemed to be speaking, though she could not of course hear her 
 own voice. Leaning over, her daughter caught the words : 
 
 " Vital spark of heavenly jlame, 
 Quit, O quit this mortal frame ; 
 Trembling, hoping, lingering, flying, 
 O the pain, the bliss of dying 1 " 
 
 The whole hymn seemed familiar to the Christian woman. 
 
 Little did the Roman Emperor Hadrian think when writing his 
 ode to a departing soul, or Pope when writing his imitation of it, 
 that Christians would die repeating their words. "Life and im- 
 mortality are brought to light in the Gospel." 
 
 An English philosopher could relieve the unconcealed anxiety of 
 his later hours by a fancied dialogue between himself and the ferry- 
 man who should bear his soul over the fancied river; the old Roman 
 could cover his face, and turn to the wall and die ; it is left to the 
 Christian to remain uimioved and passive, and receive the summons 
 which thrills the soul with the foretasted joy of heaven. 
 
 He was not the less a citizen because a Christian minis- 
 ter. There is, deubtless, a real law of heredity and of 
 solidarity. Ancestral blood tells in character, and so do 
 social surroundings. Both of these influences wrought in 
 
EKASTUS 0. HAVEN. 319 
 
 molding liim into a Christian citizen. He belonged to the 
 sturdy 'Sew England stock, where the Christian loved his 
 country only less than his religion, and felt that, like the 
 apostle, he was " set for the defense " of both. A sufficient 
 leaven of the Puritan element still remained to permit this 
 bent to develop in its natural direction. 
 
 Hence, he always was interested iu whatever related to the 
 welfare of his country. As a student and young man he 
 debated the questions of slavery and the war with Mexico ; 
 later he entered into the discussion of the Church, the 
 State, and the School ; when the Rebellion arose he was 
 fuU of the martial spirit, and both by pen and voice sus- 
 tained the Government and aided in maintaining its integ- 
 rity. When the contest arose over the election of President 
 Hayes, we are told by Dr. Warren, of the "Northern 
 Advocate," among other pleasant reminiscences, that 
 
 he could neither keep silent nor talk for any length of time, so 
 thoroughly was he aroused by the fear that injudicious counsels 
 would prevail. But after a little he sat down to a table and wrote 
 that calm, wise, patriotic article, entitled "The Great Election." 
 . . . The article was so like the author in his best moments, the 
 embodiment of wisdom and coolness, and after rising from his work 
 he was himself perfectly calm again. He had written himself into 
 composure. 
 
 In his memorial address Dr. Bennett says : 
 
 From him I have learned many excellent lessons on the difficult 
 question of "The Christian minister as a citizen of the State," and 
 to him shall I long feel grateful for the genial mellowing influence 
 which he has exerted over me and many others of my fellow-citizens. 
 
 After coming to the Pacific coast he regarded this as his 
 
320 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 future home, and possibly the home of his family and 
 posterity. This led him to study its material, social, and 
 religious welfare with peculiar interest. And all of his 
 letters reveal the depth of his solicitude, the clearness of 
 his insight, and the breadth of his view. 
 
 Very few knew him better or appreciated him more 
 correctly than Dr. Bennett, his associate in Syracuse Uni- 
 versity. Of his civil relations this friend says : 
 
 I think that he was unusually -well informed in matters pertaining to 
 civil government. He was thoroughly American in sympathy. While 
 he had no blind love for what was American for its own sake, he 
 honestly believed that the theory of our government was the best 
 which the world had seen. He had read our history with great 
 care, and was unusually familiar with the genius and workings of 
 our Constitution. He came fully to accept the principle: "The 
 greater the liberty the more the duty. For, the less bound or cir- 
 cumscribed we are from without, the more indispensable it becomes 
 that we bind ourselves from within, that is, by reason and con- 
 science.'' 
 
 It is for these reasons that he took an active and lively interest in 
 all public affairs, whether of the nation or the neighborhood. I 
 think that he best solved the question, To what extent is the minis- 
 ter to be active in matters of the State and politics? With an ease 
 peculiar to himself, he lent his help to ever public measure of the 
 city where he resided, and thought it his duty and privilege to do 
 what he could to make and guide public opinion on matters of public 
 policy. 
 
 His industry, too, was remarkable. As a pastor, he put 
 his finger upon every spring of Church life and activity, 
 and every interest responded with vigor to his touch. 
 During an early pastorate in New York the cholera visited 
 
EEASTU8 O, HAVEH". 321 
 
 the city, and was especially prevalent among the residents 
 of his locality. While others fled he remained at his post, 
 attending to his ordinary duties on the Sabbath, but giving 
 special care to the sick and dying at all seasons. ' At 
 Amenia Seminary he overflowed with work in all direc- 
 tions. As teacher and lecturer during the week, as 
 preacher upon the Sabbath, his labors were incessant. Not 
 long after his appointment to the editorship of " Zion's 
 Herald," he was elected to the State Senate from his dis- 
 trict. His services gave such satisfaction that he was re- 
 elected, and served as chairman of two important commit- 
 tees. One of the entries in his Journal about this time 
 will reveal something of the amount of his work : 
 
 Was at this time editor of "Zion's Herald," pastor of Maiden 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, chairman of the School Committee, 
 member of the Board of Education, and member of the Senate. 
 
 This is too much. Bishop Haven always had an aston- 
 ishing capacity for work, but no degree of capacity could 
 equal the demands of all these places of responsibility. In 
 addition to aU this he frequently speaks of attending special 
 religious services, delivering lectures and addresses, and 
 attending to the multitudinous incidental duties growing 
 out of his positions. Occasionally,! but not often, he com- 
 plains of fatigue. The wonder is that he did not kill him- 
 self. These tireless energies he carried to Michigan Uni- 
 versity, and their exertion, together with his other fitting 
 qualities, carried that great western seat of learning to its 
 highest degree of prosperity. Nor was he wanting as an in- 
 cessant worker in varied fields afterward. Every interest of 
 21 
 
322 AUTOBIOGKAPHT OF 
 
 the ]Srorth-westeni TJniversity felt the magic of his presence. 
 The hreath of spring was abroad, and the university brouglit 
 forth boughs Uke a plant. Colleges already existing were 
 brought into co-ordinate relations ; new departments were 
 organized; the library was enlarged; the museum im- 
 proved, and the attendance rose rapidly. Thus, also, he 
 wrought, and with similar success, in the Board of Educa- 
 tion and at Syracuse XIniversity. But nothing in his ear- 
 lier life could have exceeded his activity after readung his 
 field of episcopal labor on the Pacific coast. Sermons, 
 lectures, addresses, editorials, and con-espondence dropped 
 from tongue and pen with such ease, that one scarce knew 
 which was the greater marvel, the fertility of his mind or 
 the endurance of his body. 
 
 Bishop Haven's domestic life was invested with a pecul- 
 iar charm. He was never demonstrative in the tokens ol 
 his affection for members of the home circle, but always 
 carried with him the atmosphere of a refined and gentle 
 spirit. Professor Moss speaks of his domestic government 
 as " a standing refutal of that prevalent and vicious notion 
 that love cannot become a law in the management of a 
 family," and proceeds : " When I first knew him I took 
 delight in seeing how the vagaries of a youthful mind and 
 will could be met so as to produce a result exactly oppo- 
 site to what they would have led to themselves." Of a 
 younger son he writes : 
 
 I recollect Ms obtaining fooUsli boots from libraries — books that 
 possibly did no harm, but certainly did ho good. From my experi- 
 ence I judge that most fathers would have ordered them left alone, 
 
EEASTUS 0. HAVEN. 323 
 
 or taken quiet means to cause their disappearance. He did notMng 
 of the kind. As if by chance, he took one off the table and read it 
 through, then looked over his glasses with a smile, and -with abso- 
 lute sincerity in look and tone asked: " Do you think that is a good 
 book? " as thpugh seeking information. The reply was, "Why, yes; 
 don't you?" "I didn't think there was much useful information in 
 it," was the father's rejoinder. 
 
 And this was the extent of the reproof. It was followed 
 by the gift of books more suitable and instructive, and this 
 corrected the evil tendency. 
 
 Another picture of his method of guiding the minds of 
 his children, and from the same pen, will prove delightful 
 and instructive : 
 
 By deftly drawn conversations he managed to obtain his children's 
 opinions on what they were reading and studying, many times going 
 over their books to inform himself, but almost never commenting on 
 them at the time. He drew them out in argument, encouraged them 
 to talk with him about their work and thinking, never putting a 
 direct question to find out their ideas, but throwing out suggestions 
 in such an indescribably artless way that they did all the talking, 
 while thinking that he was doing most of it. The most foolish or 
 absurd notion never was met in any other way than as if it were a 
 profound idea. He never laughed at or ridiculed their thought. 
 He was always busy reading or writing, but never so engaged that if 
 his children wished any thing they would not receive the most loving 
 attention merely by asking it. I have seen him drop every thing to 
 assist one of them in rendering some tough sentence in Livy. 
 
 He endeavored to make his home attractive to his children, not 
 that there was any display, for there was absolutely none ; nor that 
 his home was furnished elegantly, for it was not : their fare was the 
 plainest. Still there was a cheeriness, a freedom, a unison among all, 
 begotten by precept and example, and far more . of the latter than 
 
324 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 the former, which led them to choose home in preference to any 
 other place. Its character never was elevated in their eyes by the 
 disparagement of any other place. He never used the argument of 
 detraction in public or private. He taught them, by inspiring in 
 them a just pride for his good name, that evil and evil associates 
 and wrong conduct were to be avoided. The spirit of gentleness 
 and kindness already instilled caused them to give great heed to his 
 reputation. There was no harshness or severity or rigidity of disci- 
 pline to overcome the promptings of regard and love. 
 
 Not even in the matter of personal religion and family religious 
 exercises was there any set plan upon which the household was 
 regulated. Beauty of character was trusted to, to draw them, 
 rather than that they should feel compelled to act. He varied the 
 method of conducting family prayer, sometimes quoting Scripture 
 and getting the children to do so, and then uttering such prayers as 
 only he could. 
 
 I do not recollect to have seen two lives so even in every phase of 
 temperament as his own and his wife's, and which was the more so 
 it would be difficult to tell. In neither did I ever see an exuberance 
 of love or any other emotion. Neither was demonstrative in the 
 slightest degree. He was always greeted on his return from a day's 
 or a week's absence with quiet indications of love whose force lay in 
 the depth that was jjlainly visible. A kind word of sympathy, the 
 care lest he should be annoyed with the disposal of his baggage, the 
 willing service in bringing him his books and papers, made the real 
 sentiment of the household apparent. In retiu-n he displayed the 
 same sort of interest toward each of them. The expressive look 
 of his eye v.-as a benediction in itself, the more so, as it never had an 
 unpleasant expression even when he was stern. 
 
 The result of this was a quiet loving household. There was occa- 
 sional impatience ; sulldng, never. Anger, I think, I never saw ; and it 
 is a standing wonderment to me, which I never cease speaking of, the 
 affection that exists between the members of the family. Tears do 
 not seem to change it ; and to such an extent does it enter into the 
 
ERASTUS 0. HAVEN. ^ 325 
 
 general harmony of their intercourse, that the whole family keep up 
 an incessant correspondence among themselves of the most loving 
 character. I have never seen any thing like it. This is the result 
 of a marked parental influence upon natures by no means altogether 
 like their own. 
 
 It must be conceded tliat this is a delightful domestic 
 picture, presented all the more vividly because drawn by 
 one who came into this genial atmosphere from without, 
 whose relations enabled him to see the characters of the 
 inmates as they were, without debarring him from the 
 privilege of portraying them as he saw them. 
 
 His Christian character was transparent and guileless in 
 its simplicity, but not, therefore, wanting in positiveness 
 and strength. Before his conversion he passed through 
 tiie usual alternations of hope and fear ; of good resolu- 
 tions and broken vows. His conversion was clear and sat- 
 isfactory, and greatly steadied his character, but did not 
 deliver him from periods of religious depression. Like 
 every thoughtful person he experienced the trials of that 
 period of transition from a traditional faith, based upon 
 the teachings of parents and other instructors, to an in- 
 telligent and personal faith, fully able to give the ground 
 of its confidence. 
 
 His incessant and varied reading brotight him into con- 
 tact with all the subtle objections known to skeptics ; and 
 though there was during all the years up to the close of 
 his presidency of Michigan University a manifest deepen- 
 ing of the religious life, and an increasing confidence and 
 strength in Christ, he was still occasionally haunted with 
 doubts and misgivings respecting some of the doctrines 
 
326 ATJTOBIOGEAPHY OF 
 
 commonly held by the orthodox Churches. Notably this 
 was true respecting the final condition of the wicked. To 
 a nature of his fine quality this doctrine was invested with 
 peculiar horror. He speaks of lying awake at night re- 
 flecting upon it, and appears to have broached his anxieties 
 in a sermon, in Chicago and elsewhere, so clearly that a 
 question was raised respecting the soundness of his faith. 
 
 He says that the question arose in connection with the 
 mention of his name for tlie Episcopacy, and adds : " I am 
 sure that strong and candid minds, especially if constituted 
 as mine is, must feel that an awful and impenetrable mys- 
 tery enfolds the condition of the unrepenting after death." 
 
 This was the extent and seems to be about the last of 
 his misgivings. This entry was made more than fourteen 
 years before his death, and the subject does not reappear. 
 He was in the habit of turning a clear and steady eye upon 
 doubts when they arose ; and if he found the subjects en- 
 folded in a mystery impenetrable to his mind, of leaving 
 them where the Bible leaves them. His practice is com- 
 mended to doubters of all classes. But his Christian faith 
 was peculiarly confiding. After the strength of the oppo- 
 sition in Michigan University had been subdued he writes : 
 " I desire here deliberately to record that it seems to me 
 providential and a direct answer to many earnest prayers, 
 offered by me daily, that the troubles attending my coming 
 here have been completely overcome. God is good. My 
 great and ruling desire is to do right, exactly right, and I 
 am sure that his Spirit has greatly increased my love to 
 him." 
 
 This was under date of April 30, 1864. In April, 1867, 
 
EEASTUS O. HAVEN. 327 
 
 he writes again: "I never had purer Christian joy or 
 stronger faith in God than of late, especially in night 
 meditatioDB. My religion consists in supreme confidence 
 in God, who, I know, blesses and sustains me." 
 
 This confidence in God held him in complete subordina- 
 tion to the divine will. It was expected that he would be 
 elected Bishop in 18'72. This expectation was not realized. 
 Instead of repining, he writes : " I earnestly prayed that I 
 might not be elected unless God desired it and it should 
 be for the best. I am, therefore, glad that I was not 
 elected." 
 
 A few weeks after the adjournment of this General 
 Conference he visited Hempstead, L. I. Here he says : 
 " Spent some time with my old friend, E. I. He has pros- 
 pered wonderfully in biisiness. I could not help thinkiag 
 how different it would have been with me financially had I 
 studied and practiced law instead of being a preacher. But 
 I am not sorry. I delight in trying to do good." 
 
 This reveals one of those trains of thought so liable to 
 overtake ministers of the Gospel, who, late in life, are 
 brought into contact with associates of an earlier day, who 
 have prospered far beyond themselves in things temporal. 
 He was doubtless conscious of the possession of gifts for 
 getting on in the world equal to those enjoyed by his friend 
 of early days ; and the reflection came but a few weeks 
 after what, to most ministers of large endowments, would 
 have been a great disappointment, yet even here his Chris- 
 tian spirit bears him through without a ruffle. 
 
 In conversation with the writer after coming to the Pacific 
 coast, and, therefore, after lois election to the Episcopacy, 
 
328 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
 
 he expressed similar sentiments, and especially a sense of 
 gratitude that he had always been preserved from sourness 
 under disappointments. His rule in reference to enter- 
 taining plans for personal advancement may be given 
 in an extract from his Journal: "Any ambition which 
 cannot be cherished at prayer, and does not receive increased 
 intensity on the knees, is to be avoided." 
 
 When any Christian deliberately subordinates his per- 
 sonal will to the will of God, he will be characterized by 
 evenness of spirit. To him every event is providential, 
 and he accepts it as a part of the discipline of life. In 
 Bishop Haven this was the mature fruit of liis habitual 
 submission to the divine will. 
 
 In the great emergencies of life he did not lose his bal- 
 ance. But one expression of impatience is now recalled in 
 the entire Journal of his Christian life. In this case his 
 plans had been thwarted by a board of trustees, and he 
 laments that he " threatened," probably, to resign ; imme- 
 diately adding that " some trustees have no snap except to 
 hold back." This single loss of perfect equanimity he 
 deplores more than once afterward, and says that it destroyed 
 his religious enjoyment the next day, Sunday, and inter- 
 fered with his freedom in preaching. 
 
 Of his perfect self-control and superb Christian bearing 
 in the midst of the trials and affronts which encountered 
 him at Michigan University, Dr. WiacheU has spoken so 
 well, as to leave nothing more to be said. 
 
 Numerous entries reveal an earnest desire for the attain- 
 ment of perfect love. Sometimes he finds nothing in his 
 heart contrary thereto. But his last entry on this subject 
 
ERASTUS 0. HAVEW. 329 
 
 is the most satisfactory. It was after preacliing tlie Bac- 
 calaureate Sermon at Willamette University, January 26, 
 1881. Following the brief entry, he adds : " I pray often 
 and earnestly that I may have a genuine healthy ambition 
 to do good and please God, and it does seem to me by strict 
 self-examination that God has given me that grace. I am 
 often in possession, so far as I can see, of perfect love." 
 
 This entry was made after preaching his last sermon. 
 Yery soon afterward comes the last entry. After referring 
 to the painful phases of his disease, he adds : " In all I 
 have been sustained and comforted by Christian peace." 
 
 The first date in his Journal is March 19, 1838, the last 
 July 19, 1881, and though, especially in his later years, the 
 entries are not as regular as at first, and sometimes are 
 intermitted for even months, he maintained to the last the 
 habit of noting the important events and changes in his 
 life. Sometimes these give but a bare skeleton of dates ; 
 at others they contain remarks on current events, prominent 
 characters, subjects of study, authors read, and other items 
 of interest. They would not avail as an autobiography 
 according to the plan on which the author began his, but 
 they have been invaluable as an aid to its completion. 
 
 THE END. 
 
:e>i3:ii_.i_.i:e3s db :E3CTJisrT 
 
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