1915'] Elisha Mitchell, D. D. 159 



'Christian Ministry in 1821. For many years he preached in 

 the University Chapel every alternate Sunday, and often at 

 night in the Union, or Village, Chapel, which in 1848 gave place 

 to the Presbyterian Church edifice. 



As a preacher I cannot say that he vt^as eloquent, or inspiring. 

 His manner of delivery was tame and awkward. His eyes were 

 fixed on his manuscript and he never raised his voice, but his 

 sermons Avere always sound and sensible. He did not follow 

 the old school in claiming that every word of the Holy Scrip- 

 tures was inspired by God, but thought that mistakes in merely 

 historical matters had occurred by errors of copyists or other- 

 wise. 



I recall only one sentence of his sermoms. The subject wa3 

 "Moral Courage" and was ably handled. He began "The man 

 who is on a sidewalk and sees an angry bull approaching with 

 horns lowered ready to gore him, and does 'not jump over the 

 fence, he is not a brave man, he is a fool." Then he showed the 

 nature of true courage. 



For years he was Bursar of the University, in charge of 

 the collecting of tuition fees and other sums and attending to 

 the repair of College Buildings and similar work. The sub- 

 stantial stone w^alls around the campus were built under his 

 direction. He was also a Justice of the Peace and acting Mayor,, 

 building and repairing streets, roads and culverts. 



As he grew older, he studied in a room in the South Build- 

 ing to a late hour, and was much relied on in the suppression of 

 disorders. Although he was vigilant in the performance of this 

 duty, the Professors and Tutors in his day being expected to act 

 as police-officers, he always was on the side of leniency in 

 punishment. 



As a teacher, in the studies under his charge, and in the 

 Old Testament taught to the Junior classes Sunday afternoons, 

 he was inspiring and interesting. He did not confine his at- 

 tention to the text-books but often gave facts and incidents 

 gathered from his reading and experience. He did not require 

 laboratory work of his classes, but often performed experiments 

 himself in presence of the class. He indulged occasionally in 



