stitute had not the funds for paying a bonus above the actual value of the work performed.

The manual-labor department was abandoned, and as soon as possible the engines, sawmill, and gristmill were sold to private parties.

The students in those days were required to labor 4 hours each day in this department, either in the mills or on the college farm, receiving, according to skill, from 4 to 7 cents per hour. Terms and vacations were so arranged that the long vacation came in the winter, and thus by far the larger number of students were able to defray expenses by teaching school. This arrangement was continued until the year 1878, since which time the long vacation has been in the summer.

Though the manual-labor department was so soon abandoned, yet the traditions of the college largely favor those who "work their way." The catalogues of recent years contain the following statement, which indicates the present attitude of the college on the subject of manual labor:

FACILITIES FOR SELF-SUPPORT.-The college desires in every way to encourage self-supporting students, but it can not furnish manual labor. Energetic and faithful young men can usually find employment in the village for themselves, with satisfactory compensation, for all the time they can profitably spare from their studies. Some earn enough from term to term to meet a large part of their expenses-by working at trades, doing chores at private houses, taking care of gardens, sawing wood, teaching school in vacation, etc. A few, by rigid economy and hard work, meet all their expenses, while studying, from their earnings. But in such cases health or studies are likely to suffer. No one should come, even for one term, expecting to support himself, without at least $30 or $40 at his command for use if needed. Free tuition is furnished to a few self-supporting students, as provided for in the lists of scholarships, and the college has fuuds for otherwise aiding certain classes of needy students to some extent. But the great advantage it offers indigent students is the very low rate at which all its facilities are afforded. The traditions of the college, and the public sentiment of the students, favor economy in all living expenses.

COLORED STUDENTS.

In 1835 occurred the most important accession to the Oberlin enterprise, and one that determined its future character. The students of Lane Seminary at Cincinnati had been prohibited by a vote of the trus tees from discussing the subject of slavery. About four-fifths of them immediately withdrew; and one of the professors, Rev. John Morgan, was relieved of his position on account of his anti-slavery views. At the same time, Rev. Asa Mahan, pastor of the Sixth Presbyterian Church of Cincinnati, resigned his position as trustee of the seminary. Mr. Shipherd, happening to visit Cincinnati at this time, seized the opportunity and proposed that the revolted students with Professor Morgan and Rev. Mahan transfer their field of work to the new colony at Oberlin. On one condition would his proposition be accepted; and to meet this he wrote to the trustees at Oberlin urging the passage of the following resolution:

Resolved, That students shall be received into this institution irrespective of color.

The proposal was regarded as frightful. No action was taken until a second letter from Mr. Shipherd, this time from New York, revealed the further promise that upon the passage of such a resolution the institution would receive eight. new professorships subscribed to by Arthur Tappan and other anti-slavery men, and that Rev. C. S. Finney of the Broadway Tabernacle could be secured as professor of theology.

This letter of Rev. Shipherd to his flock in Oberlin, like the letters of St. Paul to the churches which he had established, will illustrate the position of the colony at that time on the current questions of their religious life. After general admonitions and recommendations, he goes on to speak of the great question before them in the following

manner:

Moreover, let me exhort you as the Lord's peculiar people, to be zealous in finding out and employing those means by which the world is to be converted. Fear not, brethren, to lead in doing right. There must be a mighty overturning before He whose right it is shall rule over all nations, and the servants of God will have to turn much upside down, as Paul did, before all will be right. There must also be many inventions of moral as well as physical machinery before Satan's throne will be demolished. Who should be forward in these overturnings and inventions if not my dear people at Oberlin? You know, beloved, I would not have you rash or inconsiderate in changing a single custom; but I would have you study and pray out the mind of the spirit and execu te it promptly without asking how the world or even the church would like it. Nothing is more impolitic as well as wicked than to substitute expediency for duty. This is now a prevalent sin of the church, which nullifies her power. It is so prevalent in all the churches that I fear some of you, beloved, if not all, will yield to its paralyzing influence. My fears are excited by your recent expressions of unwillingness to have youth of color educated in our institute. Those expressions were a grief to me, such as I have rarely suffered. Although I knew that with some of you the doctrine of expediency was against the immediate abolition of slavery, because slaves are not qualified for freedom, I supposed you thought it expedient and a duty to ele vate and educate them as fast as possible, that therefore you would concur in receiving those of promising talent and piety into our institution. So confident was I that this would be the prevailing sentiment of Oberlin in the colony and institute that about a year ago I informed eastern inquirers that we received students according to character, irrespective of color; and, beloved, whatever the expediency or prejudice of some may say, does not duty require this? Most certainly.

1. They are needed as ministers, missionaries, and teachers for the land of their fathers, and for their untaught, injured, perishing brethren of our country. 2. Their education seems highly essential if not indispensable to the emancipation and salvation of their colored brethren. 3. They will be elevated much more rapidly if taught with whites, hitherto far more forward, than if educated separately. 4. The extremity of their wrongs at the white man's hand requires that the best possible means be employed, and without delay, for their education. 5. They can nowhere enjoy needed education unless admitted to our institution, or others established for whites. 6. God made them of one blood with us; they are our fellows. 7. They are our neighbors, and whatsoever we would they should do unto us we must do unto them, or become guilty before God. Suppose, beloved, that your color were to become black, what would you claim, in this respect, to be your due as a neighbor? 8. Those we propose to receive are the "little ones" of Christ. We must take heed how we offend one of these 'little ones." 9. The objection to associating with them for the purpose of thus doing them good is like the objection of the Pharisees against our Savior's eating with publicans and sinners. 10. Intermarriages with the whites is not

asked and need not be feared. 11. None of you will be compelled to receive them into your families unless, like Christ, the love of your neighbor compel you to. 12. Those who desire to receive and educate them have the same right to do it that Christ had to eat with publicans and sinners. 13. Colored youth have been educated at other institutions for whites. 14. They will doubtless be received to all such institutions by and by, and why should beloved Oberlin wait to do justice and show mercy till all others have done it? Why hesitate to lead in the cause of humanity and of God? 15. Colored youth can not be rejected through fear that God will be dishonored if they are received. 16. However it may be with you, brethren, I know that it was only pride of my wicked heart that caused me to reject them while I did. 17. If we refuse to deliver our breth ren now drawn unto death I can not hope that God will smile upon us. 18. The men and money which would make our institution most useful can not be obtained if we reject our colored brethren. Eight professorships and $10,000 are subscribed upon condition that Rev. C. G. Finney become pro fessor of theology in our institute, and he will not unless the youth of color are received. Nor will President Mahan nor Professor Morgan serve unless this condition is complied with. And they all are the men we need, irrespective of their antislavery sentiments. 19. If you suffer expediency or prejudice to pervert justice in this case you will in another. 20. Such is my conviction of duty in this case that I can not labor for the enlargement of the Oberlin Collegiate Institute if our brethren in Jesus Christ must be rejected because they differ from us in color.

You know, dear brethren and sisters, that it would be hard for me to leave that institution which I planted in much fasting and prayer and tribulation; sustained for a time by only one brother, and then for months by only two brethren, and for which I have prayed without ceasing, laboring night and day and watering it with my sweat and tears. You know it would be hard to part with my dear associates in these labors, and as I have you, as a people, in my heart to live and die with you, you know, beloved, that it would be heartbreaking to leave you for another field of labor; but I have pondered the subject well with prayer, and believe that if the injured brother of color, and consequently Brothers Finney, Mahan, and Morgan, with eight professorships and $10,000, must be rejected, I must join them; because by so doing I can labor more effectually for a lost world and the glory of God, and believe me, dear brethren and sisters, for this reason only. The agitation produced by my request forwarded to the trustees some weeks since was unexpected. I was sorry that it occurred, but happy that you fasted and prayed it down. I trust that season has prepared the minds of all who devoutly observed it for this communication, which I would have suppressed till my return had I not been under the necessity of communicating the same to the trustees for immediate decision, because our professors and funds are all suspended upon that decision, and myself also. May God in His infinite mercy grant that in this and all things right we may be "perfectly joined together in one mind."

This letter was duly received by the colony, and after a long session of the board of trustees, the vote finally taken resulted in a tie, and was decided by the president, "Father" John Keep, in favor of the negro. The colony had passed through a period of intense excitement, and many predicted that they would soon be overrun by the blacks, but the decision once made was nobly adhered to, and Oberlin became the noted and berated friend of the despised negro.

The "Underground Railroad" had here an important depot on its route to Canada, and the fugitive slave law was met with determined opposition. One istance of its violation, the so-called "Oberlin-Wellington rescue" of 1858 became famous throughout the nation.1

1 See Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, by J. R. Shipherd, Boston, 1859.