Telegram-herald., 1890-11-10
BORN IN THE WOODS
A short Sketch Of oberlin, ohio's
Pride.
MEMORY OF OEERLIsS TRlDIrIOsS
sas-iinsss on . Clay hanA Twssss-ase
tsst fhreakh - Peaceful. ola-f ssh-
ieEsd Nsw fagixaa s4bbSths. saoh
as are Read Of bet ssldoa-s s.sH.

j
woods have disappeared. but the storm
has punhed the aImos phere 10 this
day. can never forgot nay first I'M
pressions upon entering, = few years
ago, while still a pastor in Cleveland, 4,
the quiet Sabbath-looking town. had
driven from Elyrs, eight miles distant;
the year was budding ID ward summer,
the birds in the birehek and the pines
and the great fatheFly oaks had been
singing us welcome all the way. Our
drive brought US into the town aglow,
feeling just as two hale and eager men
would feel on just such q jubilant spring
morning.
We drove past the neatly painted
houses with the hedge-fences about
them and marked the absence OF rush
and hurry. Even the faces Of those
whom We met seemed subdued with a
holy light. 1t may have been the morn
ing air; It may have been the latent
memory Of Oberlin traditions; u may
have been the eyes through which we
chanced 10 look III certain mood; il
may have been any Of thousand
things; but certain IL is that II seemed
as though II would be easier 10 be good
there than in any place we had ever
visited. And | SAID 10 the ministerial
brother by my side, ''Tom, this is as
| near Heaven as you'll ever get" And
he seemed perfectly satisfied.
Recently | spent winter there, and
these impressions of the piece were
confirmed. Not that 1t possesses any
| special natural beauty. During most
of the year, Oberlin, like jordan, is "a
hard road to trabble, my boys" Rome
was famous for Its seven hills; and Oh
erin is famous for its mud. Although
the board walks are always miracu-
lously clean, they told me that the clay
went down seventy-five feet. ! only
went down two feet; but 1t was all /
wanted. / WAS in a Christian town,
and for the other seventy-three fe ct
was perfectly willing to live Ivy faith.
But Oh, the peace of those Sabbaths.
No drunkenness, for liquor can not be
| purchased, except on physicians pre-
scription. They were the old-fash-
ioned New England Sabbaths, such as
We of this generation have read of, but
seldom seen. And the purity of prayer
seemed to spread itself through the
week. Even the small vices gave an
unusual pinch at the conscience. One
felt almost like criminal, for example,
| ii he went upstairs, after his meat Of
| fering and his drink Offering, for
! quiet little burnt offering, even all by
himself. 1t seemed as though ne ought
TO be fumigated, deodorized, before
venturing out, lest he might coniami-
nate the wholesome atmosphere of the
place. That atmosphere, by the way,
| is bracing, and as rule II begins 10
brace very soon in the morning. All
| hands rise early, and retire early.
| Think of an evening concert beginning
at quarter past 8, and closing at
quarter past 7! The cheeks are painted.
free of expense, by the natural lite thus
| lived.
This simplicity and earnestness of
| purpose are the outgrowth OF move
ments which are now history. When
! Oberlin was born, free soil" was a
battle cry, and they did not hesitate TO
sound it. Coupled with il was the ce-
mand for "free men," and theso-called
"rebels" from Lane Seminary helped
TO make II station of the "Undcr-
ground Railway" The two centcrs of
"nigger aboltonism" were Boston and
! Oberlln. But freedom was IN the air.
and with "free soil" and "frce men"
/ they determined there should be "free
women" Until lS4l no woman IN the
world had received collegiate degree.
/ Here it was first declared that they who
are the worlds chief educators, he
cause their school is IN the home.
should have the broadest preparation
possible. When. in 1871, three women
/ graduated from the classical course.
| the history of woman IN America be-
| gan new chapter.
The town is peaceful enough now,
! but IN those DAYS the whole horizon
was lit with thunderbolt.: and this es-
/ pecislly, because, not satisfied with
free soil, and free men" and "free
women" Oberlin fearlessly faced the
deadly hyper-Cslvlnlsm of those times,
and declared that there should be free
/ souls" Itls impossible for us IN this
/ day TO conceive the thuuaeTs which re-
verberated from far aud near, when
/ President Flnney began preaching,
with the fire of intense con
/ vlctlon, personal responsibility, affirm
/ ing that q man was bound to change
/ hIs own heart. I would 20, said
/ clergyman no has lived 20 understand
| bis folly. "fitty miles and hack, to shut
I the doors of one Of Our churches
against an 0beTlin man" Another,
whose name ] might giye. said before
/ tffe PRESBYTERIAN synod of Pennsvl-
vsnia: 81 have not had conversion IN
4 my cnurch for three years. but have
kept OheThnIsm out OF it And be
/ pstted himself on the back, aud felt
/ that he Vas dong God seryl lce. Those
/ who then fought, simply from day o.
I day. with apparently the whole world
against them. have seen IN one Ceuers-
F ton every one of these causes for
which they suffered. mkgn ficenty tri-
Z umphsnt And for tnsir fdeit 81 they
are respug their reward MHlie /
T write 1890 stuc nts srs assembled ln
+ their clsss- rooms. from Al over tbe
F world They come Nth dsfF C.
undertaking tbst vhst tlev are 60
+ receive q 70 Efogs - 90 or. wHH
E education in "a c. ard r. gGn u
E rsnts's Ofsrln res. zes thst ehle
f 'kno~ Edge "a power. unless ssnci.-
F 6ed. Is msg - poser f0f evI ss re
ss God. Tie ersr-prona 'nsnl t.oae Is
a. therefore. tsat = frne educst1en
.hoala include kno~1edss .nte gence.
/ character. I'D ths Trs&tesf 81 tasss s
E character
Attns ons TIRE - Scholastic Is -
~ . thafoagh snd pTsctseaA NJ az
-rsEe .rdent ELL issve lst<rlln sau-
~ tbuz pretty nesriT. srsosi.
wsils there = ffnse fof aes thfui. 70
+ f.ntt. onf accr fecrsstfoa, tasF vsni 90