Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-06-05

ORIGIN OF DARTMOUTH COLLGE-It Is
now nearly a century since DIR. Eleazer
Wheelock went up from Lebanon to Ham
over, New Hampshire, carrying with him
Moor's Indian Charity School. He went
to plant this institution in the wilderness,
where the dusky tribes, for whose education
the school was started, were yet lingering.
Dr. Wheelock had been settled over a small
parish IN the northern part of Lebanon,
Connecticut which has since been set off,
making the present town of Columbia.
Here he had received into his family Indian
youth, for the purpose of preparing them
to be teachers and preachers to their own
race With one of these he had remarka-
bic success. This was Samson Occom, for
some time quite distinguished preacher,
and the author of the well-known hymn
beginning, "Awaked by Sinais awful
sound" So promising did the work of In
dian education appear. especially III the
light of this example, that Joshua Moor,
living in Mansfield. Connecticut. had given
a house and two acres of land in Lebanon
as an endowment for the school, and the
institution itself was honored with his
name. This was in 1874.
soon dllcT TINS, new tNdllluei oCcuIn, III
company with Rev Nathaniel Whitaker.
went to England, and 50 powerfully were
the good people of England affected by
seeing and hearing this eloquent Indian
preacher from the western wilds, that the
money came in freely. and the sum of about
100000 was raised and vested in trustees
IN London, of which board Lord Dartmouth
was President. for the use of the school.
Then it was thought best to remove the
school to some part of the country where
red men more abounded. and after various
inquiries, Hanover, y. H., was fixed upon
being then in the wilderness. 4 charter
was obtained from the Legislature of New
Hampshire in 1863. as also a large dona-
tion i'll land, and in l770, the school trav-
eled up to its new home This was in
August. From the language of Dr. Allen,
afterwards president of the college, we
may see that this was rough and primi-
tive operation.
The pine trees on a few acres had been
cut down. Without nails or glass, he DIR.
" y built Il log cabin, eighteen feet square.
and directed the operations of forty or fif-
ty laborers, who were employed digging Il
well, and in building, for his family, a
house of one story, and another of two sto-
ries, eighty feet long, for his scholars.
y his family arrived before these habita-
tions were prepared, his wife and daugh-
ters lived for about a month In his hut,
and his sons and students made them
booths and beds of hemlock boughs" BY
the last of October the buildings were done,
and possession taken. This was the way
in which Dartmouth College was started,
and when the century comes round, a. it
soon Will, there will be an abundance of
material to make the occasion one of great
public interest in the way of public COM
memoration.
Dr. Wheelock, the founder, was a re-
markable man-of fine personal appearance
and bearing-of a most commanding and
attractive eloquence-a warm friend and
associate of Whitfield, and earnestly en-
gagged in personal labors TO promote the
New Light revivals of the middle of the
last century.-Congregationalist.