METHODIST REVIEW

JANUARY, 1906

ART. I.—REV. SAMUEL FOSTER UPHAM, D.D., LL.D.

ALTHOUGH aware of his severe illness, the going from us of Dr. Upham was to his numerous friends a surprise. They fondly hoped that his strong and vigorous constitution, under divine providence, would carry him through to health, and that he would be spared to the church for many years of usefulness in the maturity of his powers.

When the seminary year of 1904 closed he was to all appearance in his usual good health. He had that happy combination so valuable in life's work-a sound mind in a sound body. At the General Conference at Los Angeles his friends first perceived his failing health. On his return from Los Angeles he came for a few days to his home in Madison, during which time he preached in the Methodist church with his oldtime fervor. He then went with. his family to Martha's Vineyard, where he was accustomed to spend his summers. He was president of the Cottage City Camp Meeting Association, and, in accordance with his custom for many years, he preached the opening sermon-which proved to be his last-with his accustomed power. Soon his sickness took an acute form, and the disease did not let go its grip until the end came. During the weary weeks and months he never gave up the expectation of returning to his loved work in Drew Theological Seminary. As the opening of the seminary year drew near he longed to get back to Madison. The journey was accomplished without injury, and his countenance beamed with pleasure as he looked again upon the scenes so precious to him. Days went on, with

alternating hope and anxiety on the part of those nearest to him, until the Master said, "It is enough; come up higher." It was Wednesday, October 5, 1904, about ten o'clock in the evening, when a summons came calling me to his home. On arriving in the room where I had visited him in the morning I supposed he had suffered a relapse. Sitting down by his side, I touched his brow, which was still warm, and said, "He is sleeping." The sad response came, from her whose life had been spent in holy fellowship with her husband, "He is dead." Although conscious that he was very ill, it had not occurred to me that this "strong staff and beautiful rod" on which we had leaned so long could be so soon broken. It is not the purpose of this paper to give a biography of Dr. Upham, or a critical estimate of his life and work, but a personal tribute. A brief sketch of my brother, colleague, and friend is all that may be attempted. His life was filled with manifold duties well performed, but the best estimate of his as of every other noble life, will be gained from the study of its harmony and completeness. Dr. Upham's career, while abundantly varied, was a unit animated by a great purpose. The point of view from which his career can be properly estimated is that of a preacher of the gospel. His thinking, his study, and his public relations can only be seen in their true perspective when viewed from this standpoint.

Dr. Upham had a rich inheritance in his ancestry. He bore a name of high repute in the annals of New England and in Methodist history, in which he had an honorable pride. The genealogical records of the family trace the name of Upham in this country back to 1640. Among his ancestry were many men of prominence in all the walks of life-in the state, the church, and in literature. The ministry was to him an hereditary possession as well as a divine call. Eminent Congregational clergymen were in the family, including Ralph Waldo Emerson. His father, the Rev. Frederick Upham, an honored member of the New England Southern Conference, lived to the advanced age of ninety-one years and six months. His mother, Deborah Bourne, was a descendant of the Rev. Richard Bourne, eminent as a Congregational clergyman. Thus his genealogy was a prophecy of the profession in which he won such eminence, and he preserved in his own person

the honorable traditions of his family. He was born in Duxbury, Massachusetts, May 19, 1834-His early years being spent in the environment of a minister's hoine, he grew up to manhood surrounded by most favorable religious and intellectual influences. From East Greenwich Academy he entered Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, graduating with honor in 1856. He was recognized at that time as a young man of unusual promise. He maintained a deep interest in the university, and from 1871 until his death he was a devoted member of its board of. trustees. In 1856 he entered the Providence (now the New England Southern) Conference, and was stationed successively at Taunton, Massachusetts; Pawtucket, Rhode Island; New Bedford, Massachusetts: and Bristol, Rhode Island. In 1864 he was transferred to the New England Conference, in which he filled some of its most responsible appointments: Saint Paul's Church, Lowell; Hanover Street Church, Boston; Winthrop Street Church, Boston; Lynn Common Church, Lynn; Trinity Church, Springfield; and Grace Church, Boston. The remainder of his ministry was spent as a professor in Drew Theological Seminary, Madison, New Jersey.

Dr. Upham's ministry covered a period of nearly half a century. The ministry was congenial to him. As a preacher and a pastor it occupied his affections and was the key to his life. While in the pulpit, his throne of power, he was a master of assemblies, he won equal distinction and wide recognition for ability and success in the pastoral life. He preached with great acceptability on special occasions. He was equally at home at a revival service, a camp meeting, on occasions connected with educational institutions, and other matters of public interest; meeting the ideals of the plain, earnest people who rejoiced in the simplest gospel truth, and of those as well who were interested in more elaborate pulpit ministrations. His adaptation of himself to his audiences and to the varied situations which he faced was marvelous. He had a well-nigh unerring intuition of the tone and bearing of his audience. In his preaching he was thoughtful, energetic, and illustrative, frequently relating some fitting and appropriate incident of his own experience. And he loved to preach. He could not well enjoy a Sabbath without it. Had it been neces

sary he might have sought places to preach, but whenever it was known that he was available the people were anxious to hear him. Throughout the length and breadth of our church extended his popularity, and from north, east, south, and west came invitations for him to officiate on general or special occasions. There was a uniqueness about his sermons which makes it somewhat difficult to analyze Dr. Upham as a preacher. They do not come under the ordinary rules of homiletics. It was the combination of qualities which constituted his success. He had a genius for public address and all the gifts of a public speaker-readiness, fluency, and the power to readily adapt his method of address to his hearers-and he had also an unyielding grasp on fundamental gospel truths, a clear vision of the vital elements of Christianity. He thus had the power that goes with strong and clear convictions. There was no uncertainty as to his meaning or his purpose. His subject lay on the surface, and his meaning was clearly defined and strongly expressed, following an orderly arrangement, a definite plan. Dr. Upham had no sympathy with sermons that took the form of essays or philosophical discussions; he regarded the pulpit as the place for the formal declaration of the gospel truth. Hence he arranged his thoughts in logical order, generally it was climactic, and closing with an earnest appeal to the congregation. When preparing a sermon he "had a line," to use one of his own phrases, and he followed that line with extreme precision. This habit also accounts for his great freedom in extemporary address, of which he was a master and for which he made careful and elaborate preparation. Down to the last he was extremely careful and very sensitive to the conditions under which he spoke. He left nothing to chance which could be avoided, and gave himself to most careful preparation for the service in which he was engaged. There was also in Dr. Upham's preaching a deep undertone of sympathy. It was not in the words he used, but it was in the man. His nature was sympathetic, and his sermons were the gushing forth of his heart. This characteristic was aided and manifested by his voice, which was melodious, well modulated, and frequently tender to a remarkable degree. And this description of Dr. Upham would not be complete without mention of the quiet humor which

flavored his preaching on many occasions. It was not ostentatious; it was almost unconscious on his part; it was so unaffected; it was so spontaneous.

Dr. Upham was eminent as a professor. He was elected professor of practical theology in Drew Theological Seminary, December 7, 1880. He entered upon this work, and delivered his first lecture, March 13, 1881; thus having served the seminary in this department for nearly twenty-four years, during which period his identification with the institution was complete. Its interests were always near his heart. His career as a student and as a pastor had admirably fitted him for the position he so long adorned. He realized the importance of the fullest preparation for the ministry, and devoted himself to his professorship with the consciousness that in doing so he was best promoting the interests of the church of God. Therefore the professorial life of Dr. Upham was congenial to his tastes and aspirations. The pastoral phases of ministerial duties, the minister among the people, the minister in the pulpit, all that pertained to the preparation and the delivery of the gospel message on the Sabbath, preparation for the public services, the substance of the preacher's message, with the various forms of Christian ritual, the prayer meeting, and young people's societies-in short, every part of the minister's work was emphasized in the class room. This was because his work was a joy to him, and to his students also because he imparted to them his spirit. His experience in the ministry had been so varied that he could draw upon it in the class room without limit. He was familiar with the best modes of conduct in the various departments of church work, and he held before his students constantly all the great objective points in the minister's life. His lectures were deeply interesting throughout the entire course. In the government of the church he took a profound interest. He believed that the Discipline should be thoroughly understood by the minister. He had himself studied it profoundly, and he expounded it so clearly to his classes that they were impressed with its importance, and when they went from the seminary into the active work they could administer the Discipline with a readiness which bore witness to the thoroughness of their training. The adaptation of his teach