Matthew
Brown
REV.
MATTHEW BROWN, D.D., LL.D. Among the most distinguished educators and
most eminent divines in western Pennsylvania was this revered gentleman,
whose praises are still heard in our homes, schools, colleges and
churches. To the long chain of respectable and pious ancestors he added
a golden link. In the family history the luster of the fair record which
is found on its pages was increased by the life of this great and good
man, whom thousands honored as a minister, a teacher a benefactor and a
friend.
His paternal grandfather, who, though of
Scottish descent, was a native of Ireland, came to this country in 1720
and settled in the eastern part of Pennsylvania, where he died, leaving
five sons, all of whom were distinguished as devout and exemplary
Christians. One of these sons was named Matthew, and he was the father
of the subject of this sketch. He was born in 1732 and resided some
years in the vicinity of Carlisle, Penn., when he moved to White Deer
Valley, Northumberland county, of which he was an early settler. He was
a ruling elder in the Reformed Presbyterian Church, and was
distinguished for his integrity, talents, uprightness and wit. In the
Revolutionary war he took an active part, and was a member of the
"Flying Camp." While in the army he died at the age of
forty-six years. He left eight children, the youngest of whom was Dr.
Matthew Brown, who was born in 1776, two years before his father's
death. Upon the demise of his father, young Matthew and his brother
Thomas were adopted by their father's brother, Mr. William Brown, who
was well known, and for many years exerted an extensive influence in
both the religious and political world. As a commissioner of Dauphin
county, in which for a long time he had resided, he assisted in laying
out the town of Harrisburg, now the capital of Pennsylvania. Being an
intelligent, public spirited man, he was elected to various positions of
honor and trust, and served frequently in the Legislature of
Pennsylvania. As a member of that body in 1776, he was the first man to
propose the gradual emancipation of the slaves within the commonwealth,
a measure which, though not then favorably received, was afterward
adopted. He was also a member of the convention which formed the
constitution of the State in 1790, and his name appears among the
signers of that instrument. At one time he was sent as a commissioner to
Ireland and Scotland on behalf of the Covenanters, to procure for them a
supply of ministers, one of whom preached for some time in a church
erected on his place.
While with this uncle, prominent alike in
Church and State affairs, Dr. Brown received his early training and
education. He then entered Dickinson College, at Carlisle, where he was
graduated in May, 1794, during the presidency of Dr. Nisbet. After his
graduation he taught a classical school in Northumberland county, where
he became intimately acquainted with the prominent men of the
profession. About the year 1796 he began the study of theology, his
instructors being Rev. James Snodgrass, Dr. Nisbet and Dr. John King and
was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Carlisle, on October 3,
1799. Two years after he accepted a call from the united congregations
of Mifflin and Lost Creek, within the bounds of the Presbytery of
Huntingdon. Having labored faithfully here for several years, he
accepted a call from the First Presbyterian Church of Washington, Penn.,
of which he was installed the first pastor October 16, 1805. At the same
time he was elected principal of Washington Academy, which during the
next year, 1806, grew into a college, the charter of which he was the
principal agent in procuring. Of this now institution, Washington
College, he was elected the first president, December 13, 1806, and as
such served with remarkable success ten years, retaining at the same
time his pastoral connection with the church. With unceasing diligence
he performed his double duties as pastor and president, which taxed his
faculties and powers to the utmost, but the result of his labors were
soon manifested in the growing prosperity of the church and in the
extended reputation of the college. Among those who were graduated while
he was president, many rose to stations of eminence in the different
professions, and some acquired considerable distinction in the political
world. In December, 1816, he resigned the presidency of the college, but
for six years he continued as pastor of the church to which he was bound
by many solemn and tender ties. In the meantime his reputation as
president of Washington College had attracted much attention, and turned
toward him the eyes of many in different places. Among other invitations
received by him was a call to the presidency of Centre College, at
Danville, Ky., and the trustees of Dickinson College also desired him to
fill a similar position. As pastor of the church in Washington he
remained until 1822, when he resigned this charge, having accepted the
presidency of Jefferson College, at Canonsburg.
At this period an incident occurred an
incident, perhaps, unprecedented in college history. It was the night
before the college commencement day, and at a late hour, that the
trustees of Jefferson College elected Dr. Brown to fill the presidential
chair which had shortly before become vacant. For various reasons it was
necessary that the president-elect should immediately enter upon the
duties of his office. So, early the next morning, while he was yet in
bed, a committee waited upon him, and, having urged him to accept the
position, managed to have him brought, before breakfast, to Canonsburg,
where he took the oath of office, and at 9 o'clock presided over the
commencement exercises, conferred the degrees upon the graduates, and
then delivered his Baccalaureate address. Thus was the last Wednesday of
September, 1822, a memorable day in Canonsburg, marking, as it does, the
crisis and dawn of the true glory of Jefferson College. To the students
and friends of this college the event was one of great joy, and was
hailed as an omen of prosperity. It was an event from which untold
blessings and benefits have descended, not only upon the college and its
hundreds of students, but upon thousands of the human race to whom
through them Dr. Brown became, under God, by his pre-eminent capacities
for government and instruction, and by his piety and prayers, a
benefactor of the highest order to which humanity can attain.
Under the administration of Dr. Brown, a
period of twenty-three years, the college advanced rapidly in its
glorious career. Never was there, perhaps, a more popular or a more
successful president. He was peculiarly gifted with qualities of head
and heart that secured the respect and affection of the students, both
while under his care and in after life. To him the pious students were
warmly attached, and by the wildest and most reckless he was respected
and venerated. In him special eccentricities and the reaction of mirth
and depression were joined with a vigorous intellect, clear judgment,
quick discernment, good sense, ardent piety and untiring energy. In him
opposites blended most remarkably. His nature, indeed, was marked by all
those characteristics which make a great leader and commander. Being of
a nervous temperament, and quick in thought and action, his impetuosity
sometimes led him into mistakes, but he always managed to get everything
right again without losing the respect of others or his own authority.
He certainly was the most remarkable man, in his day, for the possession
of qualities apparently the most compatible, but strangely and happily
balancing each other. Though an eccentric man, never was eccentricity
more completely governed by good sense and sound judgment. His very
personal and mental peculiarities contributed greatly to his usefulness,
and the success of the college over which he so long and efficiently
presided. While at times he was impulsive and variable in temper, he
never lost his dignity, and the reigns of government never hung loosely
in his hands. But whatever were his peculiarities and eccentricities, he
was a man of God, whose personal piety was of the highest order. The
religion of Christ was his meat and drink, in which he found all his
springs of hope and power, light and rest. No matter from what book he
was giving instruction, the students felt that they were sitting under a
religious teacher. As evidence of this, of the 770 students who were
graduated under him, 350 became ministers of the Gospel. Frequently,
during his presidency, there were great revivals of religion, which were
attributed, under God, to his faithful, earnest preaching, and to his
conversations and prayers with the students in their rooms. He was
pre-eminently a man of prayer. Often would the students hear him in the
arbor of his garden, in the summer nights, when he thought all human
ears were closed, praying for hours, beginning his entreaties with sighs
and tears, and ending his devotions with the song of triumph. The
distinguishing trait in his Christian life was that it was a life of
communion with God. Of him it might truly be said, "He prayed
without ceasing." To the members of the family his wife would often
say: "Mr. Brown spent the whole night in prayer." This was the
secret of the wonderful outpouring of God's Spirit again and again upon
the college. People are astonished at the multitudes of ministers and
missionaries who have gone forth from Jefferson College. Here is the
secret. There was a wrestling Jacob in the presidential chair who said
to the God of Israel, "I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless
me." The fact that he was a man who was constantly praying held the
students in awe, and threw around him a sacred atmosphere, and to his
prayers is to be attributed much of his usefulness when alive, and his
permanent influence when dead.
Another prominent feature in the character
of Dr. Brown was his unwavering and profound conviction of the truths of
the Bible. So confident was he that the Bible would take care of itself
that he feared not the newest and most popular forms of infidelity, nor
had he any apprehensions lest the camp of Israel would be disturbed by
the discovery of ancient manuscripts and historical records. With him
for their teacher, the students, no matter what had been their early
training, learned to respect the Gospel without knowing how opposition
was disarmed and infidelity silenced. In the history of the Jefferson
College class of 1830, written thirty years after the members were
graduated, Rev. Dr. J. J. Marks, the author, thus refers to their
president, Dr. Brown:
In him we all recognized
the Christian, but still a man of like passions with ourselves; honest,
impulsive and variable in temper, all the hues of his character, and the
many sides of his mind were fully displayed. We felt that here was a
man, who, though far in advance of us, was ready to help us, for our
infirmities were his, and we saw the scars of yet unhealed wounds of
battle, and we learned in a thousand ways that he never forgot the
weaknesses of youth, nor the conflicts of manhood. In manner he was
eminently courtly and urbane, with that ease and tact which is only
gained by associating with the world, and conversing with refined and
cultivated minds. He walked among men after the manner of Socrates,
talking with all, learning from all, showing sympathy with the poorest,
listening with the rapt interest of a boy to the stories of their
adventures and journeys. He had an epicurean pleasure in rare
characters, for they amused him and gratified his taste for the -
humorous and the graphic. His own conversational talent was of the
highest order, humorous, sprightly and descriptive, thus making his
words instructive and fascinating. In his conversation he threw open the
treasures of years, gathered from reading, observation and converse with
the great and good. I have heard many talkers, but none that excelled
Dr. Brown, none that equaled him in depth of tone and moral value of a
conversation. His face was a wonderful spectacle and a deep study. We
have watched him in the class room and in the chapel for hours with
unwearied interest, for the whole world seemed to be in his face. We not
only listened to him, but we studied him. We had reason to be grateful
for the nice adjustment of his religious character and teachings. Deeply
anxious for our spiritual welfare, he led us to the Savior whom he
loved. Surely the students who received from him the religious
impressions which ripened into penitence and faith, must look back to
those years with an interest which can never fade. The remembrance of
his wisdom and integrity is among the most precious heritages of the
soul.
For several years after he moved to
Canonsburg he preached alternate Sabbaths with Dr. McMillan in the
Chartiers Church, of which the latter minister was the pastor, but in
1880 a congregation was organized in the town in connection with the
college, which enjoyed his pastoral and pulpit labors until the year
1845 when, on account of feeble health, he resigned the presidency of
Jefferson College.
Of the power and influence of Dr. Brown
many pages might be written, but want of space limits us in writing this
sketch. While he was president of Jefferson College, an additional
building was erected, and through his efforts most of the necessary
funds for this purpose were raised. In respect to his whole career as
president of Jefferson College, it can be truly said that it was an
auspicious day for that institution when he was chosen to stand at its
head. The people of Washington were not insensible to the loss they had
sustained by the removal of Dr. Brown to Canonsburg. Accordingly, about
six years after he had left Washington, he received a united call from
the congregation and college to return to his former position there as
pastor and president. But though greatly attached to the church which he
had served for seventeen years, and though the college which had sprung
into existence under his hand made a strong appeal to his sympathies, he
finally decided to remain at Canonsburg, much to the gratification of
the people of that place, and all the friends of Jefferson College. For
a number of years after his retirement from the college and church at
Canonsburg, he embraced every favorable opportunity of preaching the
Gospel to his fellowmen, in which work he took great delight.
Notwithstanding his growing infirmities he continued to preach until
near the close of his life. On July 29, 1853, he died at the age of
seventy-seven years. The funeral services were held at Canonsburg, but
the body was laid to rest beside his loved ones in Washington. In both
towns there was every demonstration of respect and sorrow. Stores were
closed and many a face was wet with tears. In person Dr. Brown was tall
and slender, with a thin and narrow face which usually bore a bright and
animated expression. His movements were rapid, and his manner of
walking, and the way he handled his cane would attract the attention of
a stranger. His mind was of a high order, and was especially adapted to
abstract metaphysical inquiries. He had a keen sense of the ludicrous,
and his sayings at times were full of wit. His heart was generous and
open, and with a spirit of benevolence his delight was in making others
happy, and in giving liberally of his means to the poor and needy. In
social circles he was the master spirit, being gifted with fine
conversational powers and having in store a large fund of knowledge. As
a minister he was one of the most effective preachers in the country. As
a Christian he was a man of liberal views and feelings. Though a
Presbyterian in principle and practice, his Christian sympathies were as
wide as the world. His moral courage was great, possessing as he did a
spirit which would not have faltered at the sight of Nebuchadnezzar's
furnace, and yet his faith in religion was often like that of a little
child. As a scholar he ranked among the first, and was honored with the
degrees of Doctor of Divinity and Doctor of Laws.
Before closing, a few words must be added
regarding his domestic relations; he was twice married first in 1804 to
Miss Mary Blaine, of Cumberland county, Penn., who died in 1818, leaving
two children: one of them was the Rev. Dr. Alexander Blaine Brown, who
two years after his father's resignation succeeded him as president of
Jefferson College. The other was Elizabeth, the estimable and talented
wife of Rev. D. H. Riddle, D. D., who also became president of the same
institution. In 1825 Dr. Brown was married to Mary W. Ferguson, widow of
Rev. Mr. Backus Wilbur. She died in 1838, leaving one daughter, Susan
Mary, the wife of Mr. Henry M. Alexander, a prominent lawyer in New York
City, one of the well-known Princeton family of Alexanders, and son of
the first professor in the Princeton Theological Seminary. This daughter
inherits her father's talents and many excellent traits. She is an
earnest worker in the church, devotes much time in laboring for the good
of others, and gives freely of her means to charitable objects.
Commemorative
Biographical Record of Washington County, PA, page 84