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The Founding of Butler University, 1847-1855 Henry K. Shaw* Butler University at Indianapolis was the first institution of higher learning among the Christian churches (Disciples of Christ) to originate by action within the ecclesiastical structure of the denomination. Known as North Western Christian University for many years, it came into existence through the concerted effort of the Christian churches of Indiana. This religious body was fairly well established in the state by 1847, when the idea of a college was conceived. If the only known printed statistics are correct, there were some 300 churches with 19,914 members at the time. A church publication lists 130 preachers, but most of these were preaching laymen and not settled pastors.’ The denomination began in Indiana through the merging of dissident factions of Regular, Freewill, and German Baptist (Dunkard) congregations into the Campbell movement, which had its beginnings in western Virginia and northern Ohio, and the Stone movement, which had its origin primarily with former Presbyterian congregations in Ken- tucky. Since Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone had similar objectives and a common program and since representatives from both groups had made a declaration of formal union at Lexington, Kentucky, in 1832, it was natural that these two “frontier” religious bodies should join forces in Indiana. Stone’s followers were called Christians and their churches, Christian churches. Campbell’s followers were called Reformers and Disciples. The name “Disciples of Christ” was preferred by Campbell to designate his movement. In Indiana, churches originating from both groups took the name, “Christian churches.” There was little or no organized structure within the denomination at first, simply independent congregations hold- * Henry K. Shaw is librarian, director of publications, and lecturer on church history at Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana. 1 Alexander Wilford Hall (comp. , The Christian Register, Contain- ing a Statistical Report of the CR ristian Churches in Europe and America (Lloydsville, Ohio, 1848), 22-28. 234 Indiana Magazine of History ing similar theological views. Eventually some of these congregations became associated in what they called “co- operations,” two or three churches sharing one minister or alternating the use of meetinghouses for the convenience of members who found travel difficult and at times almost impossible.2 An assembly with representatives of many Indiana Christian churches present was held at Indianapolis, June 7-11, 1839. John O’Kane presided over the group, and Persius K. Harris acted as secretary. The meeting was of little importance except as the first meeting of its kind among Indiana Christian church members. Minutes of the meeting were sent to Alexander Campbell at Bethany, Virginia, for publication in his periodical, the Millennia1 Harbinger (Au- gust, 1839). Included was a list of churches represented at the meeting and estimated membership statistics. Several recommendations were passed at this meeting, but they were in no way considered to be binding on the congregations. Similar meetings were subsequently held annually and became known as state meetings, though occasionally they were called conventions. The Indiana Christian Home Missionary Society was formed in 1849 with organizational machinery working within the framework of a constitution. Because of the fear of ecclesiasticism on the part of many, the missionary society was suspended in 1853. The society’s supporters agreed to this action on the basis that the state meetings would assume more responsibility and organize with a board of officer^.^ A number of religious periodicals were published for the Christian church constituency in Indiana in the early days of the movement. Nathaniel Field and Beverly James edited the Christian Review at Jeffersonville in the early 1830’s. During 1840-1841, Field edited the Journal of Christianity at the same place. This was apparently superseded by the Israelite in the early 1840’s, with the same editor and published at the same place. John O’Kane was responsible for the Christian Casket, published at Connersville in 1833, and Daniel Cox started the Primitive Christian at Vincennes around 1845. ~~ 2The origin of the Christian church in Indiana is stated in detail in Winfred E. Garrison and Alfred T. DeGroot, The Disciples of Christ: A History (St. Louis, Mo., 1948), 218-220, 301-303. See also Winfred E. Garrison, Religion Follows the Frontier: A Histoly of the Disciples of Christ (New York, 1931), 148. 3 Commodore Wesley Cauble, Disciples of Christ in Indiana (Indi- anapolis, 1930), 73-81, 101-107. Founding of Butler University, 1847-1855 235 The Investigator was published at Mishawaka by P. P. Rus- sell in 1847. These journals were suspended after a few issues because of lack of support. The Christian Record, the Western Reformer, and the Millennia1 Harbinger, religious periodicals under able editor- ship and covering longer periods of time, are primary sources of early Indiana Christian church history and for this reason are of value in discovering the early history of Butler Uni- versity. For the most part, minutes of interchurch and county “co-operations,” districts, and early state meetings are no longer in existence and are known only through these periodical^.^ James M. Mathes, sometimes assisted by Elijah Goodwin, published the Christian Record. This monthly journal served in a quasi-official capacity as a means of exchanging views on religious matters and reporting the activities of the brethren. It was published at Bloomington, 1843-1851, Indianapo- lis, 1851-1855, and moved to Bedford in 1855. Benjamin Franklin published his Reformer at Centerville in 1845 and changed the name to Western Reformer when he moved his headquarters to Milton. The Millennia1 Harbing,er, edited and published by Alexander Campbell at Bethany, Virginia, beginning in 1830 and extending far beyond the period under consideration, has a thorough coverage of Indiana Christian church news.5 In the days before North Western Christian University was opened, Indiana had several academies which were organized and maintained on the initiative of persons who were members of the Christian church. These were privately owned and operated, but because the leadership centered around strong Christian church personalities the brethren had a tendency to look upon them as their own. Among these schools were Wayne County Seminary at Centerville, Ladoga Academy at Ladoga, Howard College at Kokomo, and Fair- view Academy at Fairview.G 4 Complete sets of the Christian Record, Western Reformer, and Millcnnial Harbinger are available in the library at Christian Theolog- ical Seminary, Indianapolis, Ind. Because these periodicals were issued in several series and volume numbers are repeated within each new series, only month and year of issues are cited in this article. 5 Information about Christian church periodicals is in a bibliography by Claude E. Spencer, Periodicals of the Disciples of Christ and Related Religious Groups (Canton, Mo., 1943). Over eleven hundred titles are listed. 6 Cauble, Disciples of Christ in Indiana, 171-174. 236 Indiana Magazine of History Though the denomination was very loosely structured in Indiana at the time (1839-1847), Indiana was still ahead of other states in this respect. Numerically, the Christian church was second only to the Methodist church and was represented by an unusually large number of religious periodicals. In spite of this fact, there was no institution of higher learning on the college level. Writing of this, Benja- min Franklin declared : The brotherhood as a whole or as a body, cannot, up to this day, say we have a college. Nor can they as a brotherhood, in any state, say, we have a college. As a body, they have never decided one question in relation to an institution of that kind. Nor have the brethren in any state ever acted upon, or decided any question respecting a college.' Certain citizens in Lawrence County appear to have been the first to propose that the denomination be responsible for establishing a school of higher learning. According to available sources of information, some time in the summer of 1847, Elijah Goodwin and James M. Mathes, then co- editors of the Christian Record, held a preaching mission at Bedford. At the conclusion of their engagement they were approached by Milton Short and W. Malot (sometimes spelled Mallott or Mallat) of that community with a proposal con- cerning establishing a college under the auspices of the Christian church denomination. It seems that prior to this time Lawrence County citizens had raised $10,000 in sub- scriptions to found a church college and preferred it to be under the patronage of the Christian church. Goodwin and Mathes were impressed with the proposition, and after talk- ing it over they promised to publicize the matter in forth- coming issues of the Chyistian Record and present it at the next state meeting to be held at Greensburg in October, 1847.8 The college question was the second major item of busi- ness considered at the Greensburg state meeting. According to minutes published in the ChrisCian Record, the Lawrence County proposal was based on the condition that the school be located at Bedford. Representatives from Rush County 7 Western Reformer, March, 1849, p. 178. 8Goodwin and Mathes did not follow through on publicizing this offer in the Christian Record, but apparently they did present it at the Greensburg

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