CHAPTER XX.

THE first important measure, adopted by the College Government after President Holyoke's induction, was one of a very painful nature. It was the dismission of Professor Greenwood. December 7th, 1737, the Corporation voted to remove him from his office. From a spirit, however, of extreme forbearance, the Overseers deferred their decision till July 13th, 1738, when they passed their final vote, confirming the act of the Corporation. He held his office ten years and five months (from the time of his inauguration); and might have continued to hold it, with credit to himself and benefit to the College, had his wisdom and firmness been equal to his acknowledged abilities.'

He published" a philosophical Discourse concerning the Mutability and Changes of the Material World; read to the Students of Harvard College, April 7, 1731, upon the news of the death of Thomas Hollis Esq. of London, the most bountiful Benefactor to that Society." It abounds with marks, not only of a philosophical spirit, but of a lively fancy. With some alterations, principally verbal, it might be rendered, what would now be called, an elegant discourse. The most interesting part of it is that in which, five years before

1 He was elected in May, 1727, not quite six years after he was graduated, which was in 1721. Installed Feb. 13th, 1728. He was a classmate of two persons, who were greatly distinguished in their day, Dr. Charles Chauncy and Chief-Justice Stephen Sewall.

Butler published his celebrated work, he argues from the analogy of nature in favor of man's resurrection.

Little is known of him after his dismission. He went to Charleston, South Carolina, and there he died October 22d, 1745.2

At the time of this excision of a diseased limb from the venerable trunk of Harvard, a young shoot of extraordinary vigor and promise was fortunately at hand, and ready for insertion into the vacant place.

The Corporation elected Mr. John Winthrop to fill the office, and presented him to the Overseers for their approval. The Overseers, Oct. 3d, 1738, voted "that a Committee be appointed to examine Mr. John Winthrop as to his knowlege in the Mathematicks, and that Col. William Dudley, Mr. President, and Mr. Danforth be the Committee aforesaid. Upon a motion made the question was put whether a Committee be appointed to examine Mr. Winthrop about his principles of religion before the approbation of him by the Overseers, and it passed in the negative."

On the 19th of the same month the Committee reported "that they had examined him as to his skill and knowledge in sundry parts of the Mathematicks and Natural Philosophy, and are of opinion, that he has made very great proficiency therein and is well qualified to sustain the office he is chosen to."

It was than moved that "the vote of the last meeting respecting the examination of Mr. Winthrope as to his principles of religion, be reconsidered;" but it was voted that the further consideration of this subject be referred to the second Thursday of the next sessions of

1 Butler's Analogy was first printed in 1736.

2 Winthrop's MS. Catalogue.

the General Court, and that the members of the six towns be notified."

Accordingly, Dec. 7th, 1738, at the fullest meeting on record, excepting that in which the election of Mr. Holyoke was confirmed, "after a long debate the question was put again, whether a Committee be appointed to examine Mr. Winthrope about [his] principles of religion; and it passed in the negative.

It appears to have been thought by the liberal-minded majority, that a particular theological creed would render a man neither a better nor a worse instructer of Philosophy, and accordingly they now confirmed the election of the Corporation; satisfied, it should seem, with knowing, that while the requisite qualifications for discharging the appropriate duties of the office were possessed by Mr. Winthrop in an eminent degree, the young man's deportment was in all respects correct and exemplary.

This immunity, however, seems to have been confined to the Professor of Mathematics. Even the Tutors were examined as to their religious principles; and, no doubt, for this reason, that they, as well as the President and the Professor of Divinity, were at that period required, not only to perform religious services in the chapel, but to give religious instruction to their respective classes.

A few years before this, it appears, that the French instructer had been charged with propagating "dangerous errors" among the undergraduates, and examined upon that subject; and the following proceedings took place in the Board of Overseers on that occasion :

"May 13, 1735. The Committee report, that upon discoursing with the Rev'd President and Tutors who had examined Mr. Longloissorie and a number of his

scholars, it did not appear, that Mr. Longloissorie had vented any of his dangerous errors among the undergraduates, nor that they had been embraced by any of the graduates to whom he had freely communicated them. But upon discoursing [with] Mr. Rogers, one of the Tutors, on occasion of the reports concerning him which were brought to this Board, he appeared to think it a hardship that he should be examined as to his particular sentiments on the said heads when there had been no express charges laid in against him, and declined to give us any such answers as might enable us to report him free and clear of those opinions." . . It was voted, that the President and Tutors have not power by any law to introduce or permit any person to instruct scholars in arts or languages in this Society; and, therefore, the permission some time since given by them to Mr. Longloissorie to teach the French tongue is in itself void; and, in as much as this Board judge it not consistent with the safety of the College, that the said Mr. Longloissorie should continue to teach the French Language there any longer, it was further voted, that the President and Tutors be directed to forbid the Students, whether graduates or undergraduates, from attending on his instructions, either within the College walls or elsewhere.

"Upon debate had on the second paragraph of this Report, the Board think it proper to assert and declare their right to examine into the principles of all those that are employed in the instruction of the Students of the College upon any just suspicion of their holding dangerous tenets, altho' no express charge be layed in against them; and that it be recommended to the Corporation to take due care as to the principles of such persons as shall from time to time be chosen by

them into any office of instruction; and that no person chosen into such an office shall be accepted or continued who refuseth, when desired, to give satisfaction to this Board as to their principles in religion."1

Mr. Winthrop was inaugurated in the College Hall January 2d, 1739. "The Corporation and Overseers went down from the Library into the Hall and took their places at several tables." The ceremonies were similar to those at the instalment of his predecessor. "Some stanzas of Psalm 148 were sung, and the Overseers and Corporation went up to the Library, whilst the tables were spread, and returned with other gentlemen to dinner in the College Hall." 2

1 Overseers' Records.

[2 The ceremonies of inauguration, in the case of Mr. Winthrop's predecessor, Mr. Greenwood, are thus described in the Overseers' Records: "Feb. 13, 1727-8. At an Overseers' Meeting at the College, being the day of the inauguration of Mr. Isaac Greenwood to be Professor of Mathematics and Natural and Experimental Philosophy, the President being ill, Mr. Flynt was desired by the Corporation to direct the affair of the inauguration, to begin with prayer and make an introductory speech; which speech (in Latin) being finished, Mr. Professor Wigglesworth was desired [to read] Mr. Hollis's Rules and Statutes respecting the Professor of Mathematics and Natural and Experimental Philosophy. Then the oaths to the Civil Government were read by Mr. Sever, and repeated verbatim by Mr. Greenwood; and, being thus read over and repeated, the printed copies of them were signed by Mr. Greenwood who was thus sworn before the Hon'ble Coll. Tayler and Coll. Byfield, the two first Councellors present. After this Mr. Greenwood was desired by Mr. Flynt to express his declarations and promises agreeable to the 12th and 13th articles of the Rules. Then Mr. Flynt called for Mr. Greenwood's Inaugural Oration; which Oration (in Latin) being finished, Mr. Flynt asked leave of the Overseers and Corporation to declare Mr. Greenwood Hollisian Professor of Mathematics and Natural and Experimental Philosophy in Harvard College; and accordingly publicly declared him so. After this Mr. Appleton was desired to make the last prayer; then the two first with the two last staffs of the 104th Psalm were sung and the whole Company went to dinner in the College Hall." Overseers' Records. The Statutes of this, and other professorships, will be found in the Appendix to the present work. EDIT.]

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