The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1895-10-25
COkeSbury Celebration at Abingdon.
One Hundred and Tenth Anniversary
of the Founding of the College
Large Attendance and a Conn

Of the Founding of the College
Large Attendance and Conn
pIete Success.
Last Friday was Methodist day, and hun
dreds turned out early in the day on their
historical pilgrimage to the ruins of old
COkesbury college. About fifteen hundred
persons had assembled when the exercises
began. More than five hundred came on
the tain from Baltimore, and conveyances
of every description were used to transfer
the visitors from Hartford station on the
B. Il o. railroad to Abingdon. This place,
usually so staid and quiet was all alive.
EARLY in the afternoon four granite memo
rial stones were placed in position at the four
corners OF the old'college ruins, the outlines
of which were recently unearthed. A brief
speech was made by each of the four men
who planted stone. They were Bishop Z.
d. Foss, Of Philadelphia, representing the
Methodist Episcopal Church; Prof. E B.
Prettyman, of the State Normal School, rep
resenting the Methodist Episcopal Church
South; Rev. DR.. Samuel l.. Beier, represent
ing the American Methodist University, OF
which he is vice-chancellor and President
Goucher, representing the Womans Col
lege.
After the markers had been planted Bishop
Foss and DR.. Goucher rang the old ''bel of
Abingdon" which called the students of
Cokesbury to their studies. This was used
by the church until it passed into the posses
sion of the Historical Society of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church of America Seven
years ago its custody was transferred to the
Woman's College, and now it usually hangs
in Goucher Hall. DIR. Goucher took it to
Abingdon, and when it was sounded by him
it was in the fork Of one of the many locust
trees which are in the graveyard.
The exercises were opened with prayer by
DR.. Goucher. Then followed an address of
welcome by Rev. E. A. Colburn, President of
the Hartford Historical Society.
DR.. Bernard C. Steiner, Librarian of Enoch
Pratt Free Library made an entertaining and
instructive address. He made frequent quo
tations from the diaries of Bishops Coke and
Asbury, after whom the college was named.
One paragraph was as follows; "Cokesbury
was the first Methodist college in the world,
and it was another forty years before they
obtained permanent college of their own.
Cokesbury was brave attempt and pluckily
carried on in the face of great obstacles.
If it had succeeded, and at one time it came
very near to success, the whole history of
Methodist educational effort would have
been changed, and at the head of her promi-
nent institutions in point Of age would have
been a venerable institution concentrating
in its name the first two bishops Of the
church,
Addresses were also made by Bishop Foss
and President Goucher, of the Women's Col
lege. DR.. George w. Archer, read a paper on
''some early Methodists in Hartford county"
One hundred of Harford's fair sex had been
appointed a committee to provide lunch for
the visitors from distance, and over eight
hundred were Hospitality entertained. Most
of the local visitors brought lunch with them.
Good old-fashioned Methodist hymns were
sung throughout the exercises Of the day.
The choir which led the singing came from
the Methodist Episcopal churches of
Aberdeen and Havre de Grace. They were
Following is a sketch of Cokesbury College
from the able pen of DR.. George w. Archer,
who has done so much to revive and perpetu-
ate the interesting history OF Hartford county.
Cokesbury College, whose 10th anniversary
has just been so successfully celebrated ut
Abingdon, was the first Methodist educational
establishment originated in 1880 with Rev
Francis Asbury, Superintendent of the Metho-
dist Societies in the United States and his trav-
cling companion, Rev. John Dickson, an ac
complshed schNar-both natives of England.
When the cv' ntiul christian Conference" of
us MT IN Iilltimore, the sum of $4,000,
tIun, was available for the erection OF the
building. Mr.. Asbury, himself, however, was
not in favor OF establishing college, but
school after the plan of Mr.. Wesley Kings
woods school in England. But DIR. Coke. an
Oxford graduate, just arrived from that coun-
try, as joint superintendent with Mr.. Asbury,
favored college and his plan was adopted by
the conference. Abingdon being centre of
Methodsm and on the road between the North
and the South, was fixed upon as its site and
the names of these two eminent men, who had
Just been ordained Bishops of the Methodist
church, were happily combined to give name
to the new institution.
On Sunday, June 8, 17S5, the cornerstone
was laid with imposing ceremonies in presence
of many spectators, MIR. Asbury preaching
sermon on the unestimatable advantages of
education. On the 9th of May, 1877, the
building being completed,i it was-together with
the lot on which it stood, adjoining the Meth
odist church built three years before-con-
Veyed by the devises of John Paca, deceased,
to the trustees of the college, Henry Dorsey
Cough, Jesse Hollingsworth, Philip Rogers,
Esqs.. Charles Carman, Samuel Owings, Mich
olas Jones and Cornelius Howard, gentlemen,
all of Baltimore county and DIR. Moses Allen
of Talbot and William Frazier of Caroline
counties.
The building which was OF brick, was 1OSx
40 feet and three stories high. On the first
floor was a room forty feet square i'll the mid
die of the building, which was probably the
dining hall. To the right and left of this were
two or more smaller rooms presumably for
study, recitations, etc. Those on the second
and third floors were c9unterparts OF the the ones
sub-dvided into two rooms The upper stories
were probably used in whole or in part, as
dormitorieS.
Bishop Asbury was, in Office, president, but
did not perform the part OF Il teacher. The
principal was Rev. Mr.. Heath, an experienced
teacher sent over from England to take charge
of the college: his assistants being Patrick
McClosky, an educated lrishInan. The prepar-
atory department was under Truman Marsh,
a Quaker, who seems to have been very eff
The hours of study were from A. NJ. to
p. NJ, with an intermission of two hours ut
noon. The dead languages received what
would now be considered fur more than their
share of attention. The students-the young
est of whom was required to be seven Years
old-must rise at 5 o'clock all the year round
and study seven hours day-the studies being
alternated with gardening, carpentering,
walking, riding and bathing; the students dur
ing the last named recreation, were under the
eve of a master, and were limited to one min
ute in the water-only one boy being allowed
to battle at time. Each slept on u separate
mattress, no doubt, of straw or husks. THE
students" so ran the inexorable rules "arc to
be INDUCED in nothing which the world calls
play; for those who play when they are young
will play when they are old A wise Meth
odist editor of later day truly said of this
last clause, anybody who knew the difference
between cat and kitten ought to have
known better"
OF course, the inculcation of morality and
religion was paramount in the institution.
Orphans unable to pay and the sons of travel
ing preachers were not only instructed, but
were boarded and clothed free of exrense.
The college went into complete operation in
inaugurated as principal. The opening GER
emonies occupied three days, with sermon
each day by the Bishop
There were then twenty-five students, en-
elusive of those in the preparatory depart
ment. Matters prospered ut first with Cokes-
bury. But culamitieS came apace, and from Il
quarter least to be expected. The principal,
Tor president, as he was often designated),
proved incompetent in the ull-important mat
missed early in the second year of his incum-
bency; W lille about the same time, the only
other teacher in the college proper, left to
pursue honor and riches" rs the greatly dis
dressed Bishop describes his detection This
left but one teacher hitherto the efficient
head of the preparatory school,.
Not long after Mr.. Heath's departure, DR..
Jacob Hall, who had served during the Reyo-
luton as surgeon in a New Hampshire regi-
ment, and had married in this county and set
tied here, was chosen as president. AT the
same time were appointed three other teachers: