The Penn's Grove record., 1900-04-06
THE FIRST APPoINTMEMr
Of Rev. B. g. Lippincott, D. D.

THE FIRST APPoINrMEMr
Of Rev. B. q. Iippincott, D.. D.
The Nes Jersey Gazette is publishing
a series Of articles written by ministers
of the New Jersey M. E. Conference on
their first appointments. In a recent
issue che following by Rev. Benjamin
G. Lippincott, D. D., OF Emmanuel
Church, was published.
graduated from Dickinson College
in the year 1858 and Joined the Balti-
more Conference. My first appointment
was principal of the Cumberland Val.
ley Institute, located at Mechanics
burg. Pa. Here I labored for a time
building up the Institute. Not many
months after my appointment to this
position, Bishop Scott and Bishop
James called on me to go to Oregon and
Washington to engage in the educational
work OF that new country. I at once
accepted the principalship Of the Puget
Sound Wesleyan Institute, located at
Olympia. Washington.
began to arrange my plans for the
journey. | was a single man and Bishop
Scott advised me to take a wife out in
that country, for women were very
scarce. / thought he was a very wise
man to give me such instruction. You
can be assured l took his advice. I
had the young lady already courted, and
a promise of marriage at an early date.
1 made known to my intended my APP
pointment to Olympia and offered to re-
lease her from the engagement if she SO
desired. But, no; like all true women,
she said where you 60, I will go, and
where you stay, there l will stay. So in
due time we were joined in holy we'd
lock by Rev. H. M. johnson, DID,, LII.
D., president Of Dickinson College. We
packed up our effects and having Sc
cured our tickets from the Missionary
Society of the N. e. Church, took pas
sage on the ocean steamer that ran to
Cuba and AspinwalI. Our trip to Cuba
was pleasant-bar the awful s-easickness.
At first, | was afraid that I would die
and leave my bride alone on the journey.
but as the steamer rolled and pitched up
and down, / grew worse and worse and
I suffered and suffered and groaned. I
felt SO badly that / was afraid that I
would not die. When / gave up, and
surrendered to Neptune, I was restored
to my usual health and strength. My
bride suffered sven more than I. We
entered the harbor of Cuba, passing
Moro Castle. and spent the day in Ha-
vana. This is a beautiful isle, the gem
of the Antilles. The Spanish flag then
foated from the fort; now the Stars and
Stripes ara there to bless all the people.
Our passage from Cuba to Aspinwill
was a very pleasant one. At this point
we took the cars (such as they were) for
Panama. Here we took the steamer for
San Francisco. We spent a day at
Acapulco, Mexico. At this point Gen.
Joe Lane, then United States Senator
for Oregon, and Gen. Hancock and 1
spent the day in the city with the Next
cans. Our passage to San Francisco
was a most delightful trip. We entered
the Golden Gate of the Pacific on the
first day Of May. It was Sabbath morn
ing. We took quarters in the city hotel
and J. went to church. DR.. j. T. Peck
preached. I was invited by him to
1xhakeA9 )oaa9 oor home and also
to preach at night, all of which we were
pleased to do. A few days of real pleas.
ure in this golden city. and we took pas
sage for Olympia, Washington. What
a lovely trip up the coast over the bar
of the Columbia river!
A day in Portland and then on our
way to the straits into Puget Sound, the
finest island sea in the world. What
lovely scenery, immense evergreen for.
ests, snow clad mountains in full view,
Indians in their canoes, and their wig
vans, smoking on the shore. We al.
rived in Olympia after a sea voyage Of
over a month, in good health and spirits
ready for work in our new field of labor
The Puget Sound Institute did mol
open until September, so I had about
three months of vacation. The bride,
who was a graduate of Irving Female
College, was invited to take charge of
school, which she did. / had time fol
sight seeing in the new country. I Wis
tied various tribes Of Indians. l went
into the wigwam Of Old Chief Seattle,
AS a minister I was invited to visi,
Gray's Harbor. / took my Indian pony
and down on the Indian trail I went.
My pony jumped over logs and we swan
rivers and camped out at nights, slept or
the ground, looked in OF the Indian
camps caught a cub, shot a deer, had
Indian soup and a camp fire. [ preached
the first gospel sermon on Gray's Har
Dor. Had a stirring time, and an ex.
perience never to be forgotten.
Oregon Conference met that year at
Eugene City, Oregon. Bishop Scot,
had transferred me 10 this conference.
We rode on horseback hundreds Of
miles, swimming rivers and sleeping or
the ground many times. At this con
ference | was appointed pastor of the M,
2. Church. at Olympia, and principal Of
the Puget Sound Wesleyan Institute,
The frame work of the church was up
this / had finished in my first year. Ths
institute building / had finished also
and commenced the school. This veal
loriclof,rn re Woohiuufor olootor