Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 6.djvu/129

123 ORIGIN OF PACIFIC UNIVERSITY. 123 Thomas H. Skinner, Samuel H. Cox, and Edwin F. Hat- field, of the Presbyterian and Congregational churches ; and Mark H. Newman, Henry Iveson, and A. S. Barnes, among the publishers. Such indorsement was of the greatest value to the institution at a critical time and jus- tified the hopes of the pioneer founders. The reply of the Society also was favorable when it was received. The in- stitution was to be placed ninth on the list of those to receive aid and the salary of an additional teacher was guaranteed at once. It was evidently the determination of the board, if this aid was secured, to move forward toward the use of colle- giate powers. With much satisfaction Doctor Atkinson began the search for a man to fill the position thus created. The new man was not only to go West as a teacher, but as the founder of a college. The first man approached re- fused the offer, but suggested as one 'fit for the place Sidney Harper Marsh, at that time a student in the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He was considered especially fitted for the place, both because of his educational ancestry and also because of his apparent ability to cope with difficulties. Mr. Marsh was a native of Virginia, born at Sidney Hampton College, where his father, Rev. James Marsh, was professor. Later he re- moved to Vermont, where his father became president of the University of Vermont and professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy. Through his mother he was de- scended from President Wheelock, the first president of Dartmouth College. Mr. Marsh graduated from the Uni- versity of Vermont and entered the Union Theological Seminary, where he was studying at the time of Doctor Atkinson's visit to the East. The offer of a position in the mild climate of Oregon came at an opportune time, as he had already been considering a removal to the Southern States on account of his delicate lungs. In a