the
wilderness,
at
Oberlin,
Ohioe
Dre
Jennings,
who
joined
the
movement
shortly
afterward,
sayss
"Their
cBief
object
in
selecting
the
spot
for
the
scene
of
their
future
labors,
was
to
free
Christianity
from
some
of
its
dross
of
worldliness,
that
its
light
might
shine
with
greater
brilliancy,
and
be
more
affective
in
the
accomplishment
of
its
grand
mission
in
the
world."=
"ree
of
Life,
"
pe
9
They
established
not
only
a
manual
training=-school,
but
stood
stiffly
for
dress
reform,
temperance
reform,
and
the
laying
aside
of
tobacco,
tea,
coffee,
and
flesh
meats,
God
in
a
wonderful
manner
directed
students
to
this
humble
place
in
the
wilderness.
He
sent
J.0.
Finney,
the
greatest
evangelist
of
the
century,
who
was
also
a
strict
health
reformer,
to
be
president
of
the
school.
The
attendance
soon
exceeded
a
thousand.
Hundreds
of
students
went
out,
spirit
filled,
zealous,
propagating
the
gospel
and
reform;
but
the
Congregational
Church
would
not
receive
them,
and
refused
to
grant
them
license
to
preach.
They
met
with
prejudice
and
persecution
on
every
hand.
On
this
point
Dr.
Jennings
again
says:
"For
a
while
the
community
did
run
well."
It
was
a
united
and
happy
fraternity;
they
experienced
in
a
peculiar
manner
strongly
merked
tokens
of
the
divine
favor,
and
as
strikingly
manifested
evidence
of
popular
displeasure.
A
Universal
Backsliding.
"And
it
is
not
a
surprising
thing
thet
Oberlin
should
shrink
back
under
the
weight
of
approbrium
that
the
arch
deciever
succeeded
in
raising
against
her,
and
retire
to
a
more
secure
and
sheltered
position.
She
has
pushed
her
reformatory
operations
further
into
the
heart
of
the
seducer's
kingdom
than
had
ever
been
done
before,
and
of
course
was
assailed
with
fiercer
and
more
malign
opposition
than
had
fallen
to
the
lot
of
any
other
community
It
was
impracticable
for
Oberlin
to
remain
where
she
first
dropped
anchor;
she
must
either
go
forward
or
backward.
"Phere
was
only
one
of
two
courses
she
could
pursame
She
must
weigh