what a proper school ought to be. Again, in 1824, the General Conference of that year adopted a resolution to the effect that annual conferences not already having a seminary be urged to "use their utmost exertion" to establish one; while by the General Conference of 1840 the annual conferences were permitted to order public collections for the educational institutions within their bounds. Had the action of these conferences been based upon Asbury's idea of preparing schools wherever needed, and colleges only in certain districts, the history of Methodist education would have been quite other than it has been. But as one outcome of the action all the annual conferences were made to feel that the founding of a college was a matter of local pride. There came to be therefore a perfect epidemic of seminaries of learning; so much so, indeed, that the Bishop's address to the General Conference of 1840 and the report of that body's committee on education both noticed and condemned the unwise multiplication of schools with inadequate support and impossible methods of instruction. Says the report of the Committee on Education: "The interest now so generally manifested for the promotion of education constitutes the present age an epoch in the intellectual history of our race, -it scarcely requires encouragement, but loudly demands direction, and those who are intrusted with the guidance of the public feeling upon this subject should be careful not to waste those new born energies by dispersion, but should concentrate them upon the institutions most likely to be extensively useful, until they are perfectly and permanently established." The existence of the educational activity in the denomination at this period of its development is most graphically shown in the following exhibit of institutions in connection with the annual conferences responsible for them: New York Conference: Wesleyan University, (1831) White Plains Academy, (1824) and Amenia Seminary, (1835). New England Conference: Wesleyan University, Wilbraham Academy (1824). Maine Conference: Maine Wesleyan Seminary (1821). New Hampshire Conference: Newbury Seminary, (1833) South New Market Seminary. Troy Conference: Troy Conference Academy (1835). Erie Conference: Alleghany College (1833). Black River Conference: Gouverneur High School. Oneida Conference: Gouverneur Wesleyan Seminary (1837). Genesee Conference: Genesee Wesleyan Seminary (1830). Ohio Conference: Worthington Female Seminary, (1839) Augusta (Ky.) College, (1822) Blendon Young Men's Seminary, Canton Female Seminary. Missouri Conference: St. Charles College (1833). Indiana Conference: Asbury University (1837). Holston Conference: Henry and Emory College, (1838) Holston College. Tennessee Conference: LaGrange College (1831). Mississippi Conference: Elizabeth Female College, Emory Academy, Vicksburg Academy, Woodville Female Academy. Alabama Conference: LaGrange College (1831). Georgia Conference: Emory College, (1837) Georgia Female College, Georgia Conference Manual Labor School, Collingsworth Institute, Wesley Manual Labor School. South Carolina Conference: Cokesbury Manual Labor School, Randolph Macon College (1830). North Carolina Conference: Randolph Macon College, (1830) Clemonsville Male and Female Academy, Greensborough Female College and Leesburg Academy. Virginia Conference: Randolph Macon College, (1830) Female Collegiate Institute (1854). Baltimore Conference: Dickinson College (1833). Philadelphia Conference: Dickinson College (1833). New Jersey Conference: Dickinson College, (1833) Pennington Male Seminary (1839). In this list there appears to be a distinction between university and college, the "university" implying associated professional and graduate departments. But it was not until considerably later that any provision was made for work other than that of college grade. From the list it will be seen that as a result of General Conference urgency all the conferences but one had a school of one kind or another under its fostering care. As most of them were utterly without endowment and, for want of funds, able to offer only the most meagre opportunity for study, the warning of the General Conference was altogether in point. The list also shows that the states and conferences. of the Middle West were quite as ardent in their school building temper as those of the older and more populous states and conferences. To the General Conference of 1848 there were reported 42 institutions of all kinds; of these 16 were in the Middle West,-Indiana having 2, Illinois 3, Ohio 8, Michigan 1, Iowa 1, Kentucky 1: and of these several remain to the present day. From this review it will be seen that the attitude of Methodism in the Middle West towards education was. |