By Rebecca Downing
The story of the charter that established the institution that would become Colgate, and a word on a past celebration of Charter Day
1819
Charter establishing the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York (BESSNY)
With scattered but eager students, the Education Society faced two pressing tasks: to obtain a state charter and to find a promising site for their institution.”
Becoming Colgate
James Allen Smith, Class of 1970, tells the story in Chapter One of his forthcoming history of the University, Becoming Colgate:
“In the beginning, the Education Society approached congregations throughout New York and New England, seeking support for the young men they knew to be best suited for training as missionaries and ministers. The funds would enable aspiring ministerial students to leave their farms, shops, and schoolhouses and devote time to their studies… The new educational cause was steadily winning adherents and gaining resources…
“Soon there was a semblance of a college. It was referred to simply as ‘the Institution’ since, as yet, it had no name. It also lacked other essentials: a faculty, a formal curriculum, and a permanent home. But students were already being drawn to Hamilton and nearby towns. Jonathan Wade, the first beneficiary of the Baptist Education Society, arrived in February 1818, and received $27.12 for three months’ board with [Daniel] Hascall. Within the year, at least 13 students were studying with other ministers in nearby villages and enjoying Baptist Education Society ‘patronage,’ their term for financial aid. With scattered but eager students, the Education Society faced two pressing tasks: to obtain a state charter and to find a promising site for their institution.
“The Society initiated its request for a New York charter by submitting a petition to the State Legislature in January 1819. Granting a state charter to a religious society troubled some Assembly members, but after several readings and shrewd legislative maneuvering, the bill passed with 62 in favor and 35 opposed. On March 5, 1819, with a preamble announcing that the Society’s purpose was ‘to educate pious young men to the gospel ministry,’ the charter was signed into law.”2
FURTHER READING FROM THE ARCHIVES
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was invited to attend the event but declined, offered instead a stirring message of support: “...my hearty congratulations on the 125th anniversary of Charter Day. It is an anniversary in the celebration of which all Americans can join. The charter granted a century and a quarter ago contained a proviso ‘that if the said society . . . shall at any time pass any law or regulation affecting the rights of conscience . . . the said corporation shall cease and be void.’ Not only your Alumni, but millions of other Americans have taken up arms in defense of those very ‘rights of conscience.’ The phrase still stands as one of the clearest and most precise expressions of things for the defense of which we and our Allies in this war are fighting.”5
Giving Back
The Baptist Education Society was founded with the primary ambition of educating not only the pious, but also the financially needy student — he of sound morals and humble background, who might then devote his life to “public usefulness.”7 Many of the 13 founders themselves “struggled with poverty,” and they sought to remove this financial obstacle for other impoverished young men as they began their studies in literary and theological knowledge.8 In an appeal for the first round of donations, the Society inquired, shall “our worthy, pious and promising young brethren, of indigent circumstances, be assisted, or not?”9
In the spirit of this generosity, civic-mindedness, and “zeal for energetic action,” Colgate will celebrate Charter Day in its Bicentennial year with events focused around giving back, gratefulness, and reflection.8 On March 5, 2019, Colgate will host a ceremony and special event on campus to recognize this pivotal date in the University’s history.
