Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-29
BIRTH OF THE MOVEMENT
Association of Five Young Students
in 1906.
FEWER ASPIRE TO MINISTRY
Instances of Long Pastorates-Cele-
brated Case Of the R. S. Storrs,
Father, Son and Grandson.
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
RecordIIerald


Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record-Ierald
WILLIAMSBURG, June "a, 1907
In a grove back of the college chapel al
Williamstown is a shaft of Berkshire mar
! BILE twelve meet in height surmounted by a
globe three feet in diameter, upon which the
outlines of the continents are traced by a
| chisel, Upon the eastern face of the shaft
below the globe are the words:
THE Field Is the World.
Under this line is rude representation of
a haystack in relief encircled with the SEN
tence: The Birthplace of American For
egn Missions with the date 1905 and the
names of Samuel ]. Mills, James Richards
Francis L. Robbins, Harvey Loomis and
Byram Green.
This monument marks the site of what is
known in Christian history as the haystack
prayer meeting, the beginning of the move
mcnt for the conversion Of the world by
Christianity The story is quite dramatic
The centennial anniversary of the event
was appropriately celebrated last year.
when thousands of missionaries and others
interested in missionary work gathered here
to honor the memory of the five young
men whose names are inscribed upon the
monument. ..
In 1906 there was a religious revival in
Williams College, by which the students
were deeply impressed, and during the
progress one Saturday afternoon two soph-
ignores and three freshmen stretched them
selves on the ground in the shade of hay
stack, as students often do, and discussed
theological problems which had been
brought to their attention during the reli-
gious agitation. The conversation turned
upon the question to the salvation of
heather people who had never heard of the
Bible or the Redeemer of the world the
way of salvation, and four Of the five young
men pledged their lives to the work Of car
rying the gospel into foreign lands in ODE
dience to the injunction Of Christ They
closed their conversation with prayer. and
for several weeks thereafter repeated the
prayer meeting under the same haystack.
What Became Of the Five.
Samuel J. Mills, the son of a Congrega-
tional clergyman at Torringford, Conn,
although freshman, was the leader in
the movement. and organized an associa-
ton known as the Brethren, whose pur-
pose was Ito effect in the persons of its
members a mission or missions to the
heathen." Mills graduated in 1909; went
TO Andover to prepare for missionary serv-
Ice, and there came again in contact with
Gordon Hall, Luther Rice. Samuel Mott,
from Union College; Adoniram Judson,
from Brown, and Samuel Newell of Hart
ford, who joined together in the formation
of the American Board of Commissioners
to Foreign Missions, June q, 1910 Two
years later Hall, Judson, Newell, Mott and
Rice were ordained at Salem, Mass. and
sailed for Calcutta, where, in India and in
Burma, they established the first missions
of the Protestant Church. Mills intended
to accompany them, but Ill health pre-
vented. He went to New York. engaged in
missionary work there, assisted in the Or
ganization of the American Bible Society,
and in 1917, went to Africa to select site
for colony of American negroes. He
contracted the African fever. died on ship
board while returning to the United States,
and was buried at sea in 1918.
James Richards graduated at Andover
Theological Seminary in 1872, was the first
missionary in Ceylon, and died there in
1922.
Harvey Loomis studied theology, and
built up a strong church at Bangor. Me;
Robbins preached for many years at En-
field Conn, While Byram Green studied
law. went into politics, became a member
Of the New York legislature and the United
States House of Representatives.
Missionaries From Williams.
Shortly after several graduates of Will
liams went out as missionaries, and that
college has been famous for its alumni. who
followed the example of the men of the
haystack Up to 1905 sixty-two graduates
had entered the missionary field and many
of them were pioneers. Jonah King of the
class of 1876 was the first missionary to
Greece. William Richards was the first
missionary to the Hawaiian Islands, and
exercised an important influence there He
was secretary of state in the government
OF the kingdom, and ambassador to the
United States, England and France. He
was shortly afterward followed by other
men, who formed an American
colony in Hawaii, and redeemed that island
from barbarism. Elisha Hunt Allen of the
class of 1873 was justice of the supreme
court and chancellor of the kingdom of
David Belden Lyon of the class of
1923, Lowell Smith of the class of 1929,
IL
Cyrus Taggart Mills of 1874, Eli Corwin
OF 1S4S, Asa Goodale Thurston and Charles
McEwen Hyde of 1852 are the men who |
made the Hawaiian Islands what they are
today and prepared them for annexation |
to the United States.
Twenty-three out of thirty members Of |
the class of 1927 were ministers, and
Nathan Brown Of that class was one of |
the first missionaries to India, and from |
that time on it was very seldom that a |
class graduated without two or more can |
didates for the mission field. The class |
Of 1928 furnished four missionaries; the |
four, and that of 1915 had three, including |
william Woodbridge Eddy, who was one |
Of the first missionaries to Syria and was |
the father of DR.. Mary Eddy, William X. |
Eddy and Mrs. Franklin Hoskins, mission J
aries at Beirut.
Williams was not only the first college |
to send out missionaries, but the first to |
send out a scientific expedition, the first |
to issue a catalogue, the first to establish |
an astronomical observatory, the first to |
form an alumni association, and the first |
to give It's alumni voice in its manage /
ment by the election of representatives |
upon the board of trustees. |
The first catalogue, which was issued in |
1795, was in Latin and covers two sheets |
of paper. 1t is entitled, "Catalogus Col |
legio Gulielmo quod est in oppido Glielmo |
Reipublicae observation-disclosures. 1t gives |
the names of the curators, the tutors and |
the STUDENTS. Eleven members of the class
of '95 are recorded, eight members of 90, |
fourteen of 81, thirty-four of 9S and seven
teen of 80. The prefix Mr. is attached |
to the names of some of the students, for !
example, Mr.. David Knapp. Mr. David |
Mason, Mr.. Daniel Noble, Mr.. Thomas
Robbins" of the class of '96, while the
other members are listed without the pre-
fix There is no explanation given of the
Fewer Candidates for the Ministry.
AS l have already stated, the number of
graduates who go into the ministry is not |
so large as formerly, although it is the |
universal opinion that the pulpit offers a
NOR, inviting field for talented men today
than any other profession, and it is the
only one of the learned professions that Is
not crowded. Many rich and generous