The Indianapolis journal., 1903-12-07
TELLS OF ITS EARLY DAYS
RECITEs COLLEGES STRUGGLES AND
PROUDLY SPEAKS OF SUCCESSES.
Was One Of Four to Receive First De-
grees Given by the Then Baby
Institution.

Is now living in Indianapolis the first stu
dent that ever entered De Pauw, then In
diana Asbury University, who was a men,
ber of the first class ever graduated from
the institution and who was present at the
Inauguration of the first president of the
school.
This man Is Rev. Thomas Aiken Goodwin,
formerly a Methodist minister journalist
and public speaker and we'll known through
out Methodism as a forceful and brilliant
character in spite of his advanced years.
He lives at 1920 College avenue. Mr. Good
win celebrated his eighty-hfth birthday
Nov. 2, 1903. He was born in Brookville,
Ind, and entered .Asbury University in
1887.
At the time that Mr.. Goodwin sought an
education in Greencastle the State of In
diana was, for large part, a wilderness,
and Indianapolis was a town of less than
5000 inhabitants. Mr.. Goodwins journey
from Brookville to Greencastle was made
by stage coach and wagon and consumed
the time from a Wednesday afternoon to
the following Sunday morning.
MY first entry into Indianapolis" said
Mr.. Goodwin, was triumphal one. We
left Brookville on Wednesday afternoon
at o'clock, and 1t took us until nearly
midnight Thursday night to get here. There
was stop of six hours for sleep, but the
rest OF the time we were on the road. Inc
stage coach was a wagon that had been
dianapois, and 1t was without springs or
cover. / sat on my trunk, and, from fif-
teen miles this side of Brookville. was the
only passenger. OF course the stage agent
was on board, as he loked after the mails
and the agent, driver and myself were the
only ones to come through. Six miles out
from here the stage broke down. and we
lost much time trying to fix 1t up that
We might come on. 1t seemed to be i'm
possible to fix It, so finally the agent sug-
gested that the driver mount one ne horse
himself mounted the other horse. put the
mail bags in front of him. / climbed up
behind him, and in this way we came into
the CITY,"
JOURNEY TO GREENCAsTLE.
The journey was continued Friday, but
Greencastle was not reached until Sunday.
After an all-night ride Friday a stop was
made at Plainfield for breakfast. and Put
namville was reached at o'clock in the
afternoon. There was no direct road to
Greencastle. and Mr.. Goodwin was COM
PEELED to wait until Sunday morning, when
he and his trunk completed the journey
Mr.. Goodwin was the first student who
registered In Asbury University proper.
they were in the Putnam county seminary.
1t was against the law for the county COM
missioners to make a direct lease of the
building the school occupied, so the law
was evaded by leasing the building with the
proviso that all students from Putnam
county should be admitted according to
| law.
"Of the eighteen students from the coun-
| ty In the seminary" said Mr.. Goodwin,
only one became permanent student
IN the university, and graduated. So in
reality. was the only one enrolled, at the
| time Of my entry, as student of Asbury
University. The eighteen others were en-
| seminary and drew from the county funds"
The young man who bore the honor of be-
ing the first to enter the new school toward
| which all Indiana Methodists looked with
| pride and great expectations completed his
course In three years, and graduated In
| 1910, a member of the first class that was
| entered on the alumnal roll Of the school.
The three other members Of the class were
Joseph Ewing Mcdonald. afterward United
| States Senator from Indiana, Finley Leon
| ard Maddox and John Wheeler.
Matthew Simpson, afterward a famous
Methodist bishop. was the first president of
| Ashbury University. He was inaugurated
at the same time that the schools first
class of four graduates received it's d.
| plomas. Mr.. Goodwin retains a vivid recol-
| lection OF the incidents of the ceremony in
which he was one of the chief participants.
| partially burned and afterward remodeled,
was dedicated at the same time. This build
l
| STUDENTS WERE FEW.
"At the time of my graduation said
Mr.. Goodwin. there were less than 100
students in Asbury. But they were sterling
fellows. among them such men as Albert
G. Porter. afterward Governor of Indiana !:
Newton Booth, of Terre Haute, afterward
a United States senator; Joseph Z.
Mcdonald. later senator from Indiana;
4
the United States Senate and was a men,
Der of Johnsons Cabinet, and David S.
| Gooding, at one time Judge at Greenfield
| and now living in this city. The students
| of that period, say for the first fifteen or
| twenty years, were drawn from the farms
| force or character which the hard condi-
tions of their primitive life fostered, these
young men pushed themselves forward to
positions of power and influence"
Mr. Goodwin's work in the ministry really
| began in 1889, as he preached while attend
ing college. and as soon as he completed
| his course he became circuit rider on the
| Rising Sun circuit. With the exception of
| four years as principal of Madison Sem
mary, Mr.. Goodwin remained I'm the active
ministry until 1853, when he began the pub
| lication of a newspaper at Brookville. 1t
| was Republican in politics, but became rap
idly popular because its editor took a stand
| on the slavery question even in advance
| OF his party. AT that time the Republican
party had declared in favor of slavery in
i the states Wnere IL was already eStab-
| lished. but opposed its extension to new
| territory Mr. Goodwin, through the col
| umns of his paper. declared against slav-
| cry at any point In addition he advocated
| the prohibition of the liquor traffic.
| In 1851 the paper, which was called the
Indiana American" moved to In
| dianapolis and continued in publication
| Schuyler Colfax, at one time told Mr.. Good
| win that he was the only man who had ever
| successfully moved newspaper from one
| place 10 another In 1860 the paper had a
| circulation of 5000, the largest In the State
1.-The reason for its success said Mr..
| Goodwin, was that the people wanted
| something positive on the slavery question.
| and the politicians were afraid to venture -
| The war made weekly paper improbable,
| and in 1863 the Indiana American suspend
| ed publication.
| The erstwhile editor continued to speak
and write on the temperance question and
was at one time caned at Evansville and,
| at another time, egged in Spencer county
| for making temperance speeches. From
1863 to the present time. Mr.. Goodwin has
been engaged in different lines of work In
the twenty years following 1870. he preached
at least twice every week. and during all
that time he did not receive as much as
| SO pay for his services.
In Mr.. Goodwins eighty-fve years of
| life he has not lost ten days from illness
4 ie N the sfa Of oil t.l