The biographical encyclopœdia of Ohio of the nineteenth century:

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA.
in full sympathy with him, accepting his leadership, and
cheerfully co-operating in Christian word and work. His
ministry in this church was eminently successful one hundred and seventy-eight persons having been added to the
church by profession and two hundred and forty-eight by
letter during the eleven years of his pastorate. His character was a rare combination of mildness and energy. He
possessed the faculty of discovering the capabilities and
most valuable characteristics of those with whom he associated, and of infusing into them the ardor and zeal which
animated his own heart. He developed the latent energies
and abilities of the Second Presbyterian Church and congregation in a remarkable degree, and by his skill in organizing and' combining individual talent into congenial association for Christian work, accomplished great results for
the cause of his Master. Thus quietly operating, he put in
motion various plans and organizations in the church which
'resulted in great and lasting usefulness. Among them was
the Young Men's Home Missionary Society, so successful
in establishing Sbbatlth schools, providing for vacant
churches, and other works of a similar character. He
awakened an unusual interest in Foreign Missionl,s by appointing different members of the church to make reports at
the monthly concerts on the condition of the important
foreign stations. He held regular meetings at his own
house of the younger members of the church for devotion,
consultation and advice. In numerous ways he ",as constantly leading on the church in matters of Christian enterprise. During the eleven years of his service in the great
commercial city of Ohio, his mind had not been growing
narrow;er, nor, engaged as he constantly was in duties most
important and exacting, had he forgotten the claims of
science and letters, or failed to meet the demands upon his
time and talents necessary to their encouragement. The
schools, colleges and professional seminaries of the State,
and of neighboring States, heard his voice and felt his influence whenever he could say a word or lift a finger for
their help. It was natural also that, occupying so prominient a place, he should have been called upon for various
public services, and become of influence in the larger assemblies of the church. In, I857 the New School General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church met at Cleveland. Of
this learned and able body Dr. Fisher was chosen Moderator.
The subject of slavery had been discussed in more than one
General Assembly, and the system strongly condemned. The
southern members had as frequently protested against these
deliverances, and in I856 did not hesitate to acknowledge
that their views in respect to the evil of slavery had materially changed, and they openly avowed that they now accepted the system, believing it to be right according to
the Bible. This position the assemb~ly at Cleveland
pointedly condemned, while yet expressing a tender symapathy for those who deplore the evil, and ale honestly doing
all ill their powver for the present wrell-being of their slavzes,
and for their complete emancipation. These ideas of the
two parties wer e too radically antagonistic, t oo deeply h eld,cl
too frequently and publicly a ffirmed to allow fiaternal coope ration. The southern synods thereupon withdrew, and
forme d themselves into a sepa rate bod y, called the United
Synodiof the Presbyterian Church. It was in r eference to
this secession that, in the sermon before the General Assembly of I858, in Chicago, with which, as retiring' Moderato -,
h e opened the session s of that body, Dr. Fis he r use d these
strong and generous words: " Fathers and brethren, ministe rs and el ders, we assemble here amidst the brightness of
scenes of revival, scenes such as the church of Christ, perhaps, has never enjoyed s o richly before. But as my eye
p asses over this audie n ce, a shade of sadness steals in upon
my heart. There are those who have been wont to sit with
us in this high cou n cil, whose hearty greeting we miss today. Ta king exc eptio n to the an cienit, the uniform, the
oft-repeated testimony of our church, as we ll as to the mode
of its utteran ce, respecting one of,the gre atest moral and
organic evils of the age; deeming it better to occupy a platform foreign, indeed, to the genius of our free republican
institutions, yet adapted' in their view, t o the fuller promulgation o feGe n the Gospel in th e section wh ere they dwell, they
have pre ferred t o ta ke an independent position; and while
rwe can n ot coincide with them in their views on this suobject,
while we k]now that theis sepa ration has been precipitated
upon us, no t sought by us, yet, re me mber ing the day s whe n,
with us, they stood shoulder t o shoulder a g ainst ecclesias tical usurpation and revolution, when in deepest sympathy
we have gone to the house of God in co mpany, and m in gled
our prayers before a common mn ercy-seat, we cannot but
pray for their peace and prosperity. We claim no monop oly of wisdom and right. If in our course hitherto we
have been moved to acts or deeds unfraternal or unbefitting
our mutual relations-if in the attempt to maintain our an cient principles and apply the Gospel to the heart of this
gigantic evil, we have given utterance to language that has
tended to exasperate rather than quicken to duty,.we claim
no exemption from censure, we ask the forgiveness we aye
equally ready to accord." From the delivery of this able
and weighty discourse on the " Conflict and Rest of the
Church," of the style and spirit of which the above brief
extract mav give us all imperfect notion, Dr. Fisher went
directly to Clinton, New York, having been already con sulted respecting the presidency of Hamilton College. Ile
entered upon his duties at the opening of the fall term of
185S, the ceremonies of the inauguration not taking place
until the 4th of November. The college had risen far above
its earlier difficulties, and tinder a wise administration had
for many years enjoyed an honorable reputation for thorough ness of instruction and discipline, but its resources were still
insufficient, and its appeals for aid had not been quite loud
enough to reach the ear of the wealthy and the liberal. To
the period of his presidency dates the growth of a greater
confidence in the college, the endowments of its professor ships and charitable foundations, and prizes for the encour-.
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