III. WASHINGTON GLADDEN
STEPHEN T. LIVINGSTON '87
Washington Gladden, whose very name irradiates the nobility and wholesomeness of the man himself, has for years been a foremost interpreter of the perplexing problems of our time. His appeal is to honest intelligence in whatever concerns human welfare. He has done much to humanize theology and stimulate popular interest in modern scholarship. Moreover, in the region of industrial, social, and civic reform he stands out conspicuously as a bold champion of the Golden Rule in its application to every-day activities; and though sometimes charged with being a dreamer, he shows that the sky (to use his own figure) is less remote than is commonly supposed, and in fact adjoins the surface of the earth where human feet daily walk.
Dr. Gladden, who is now a little more than seventy, was born in Pennsylvania. He prepared for college in Owego, New York, and was graduated from Williams in 1859. After preaching in New York state for a few years, he came to Massachusetts, where he was settled first in North Adams, and then in Springfield. Since 1882 he has been minister of the First Congregational Church in Columbus, Ohio. As preacher, author, and lecturer he is famous throughout the English-speaking world, and all his recent books (the latest being his Recollections) are published simultaneously in England and the United States. The honorary degrees conferred on him are D.D. and LL.D.
The instructive and practical elements in Dr. Gladden's writings, the wide influence he exerts in the cause of aggressive righteousness, and his interesting personality, do not, however, measure the full extent of his gifts. One has only to read his well-known hymns to realize anew that here is lyric quality of the first order. Then, too, the Williams alumnus, whether he sings hymns or not, has the warmest place in his heart for "The Mountains," and when he comes back to the college with white hair will continue to thank Washington Gladden for that song. While serving as one of the trustees of Williams, Dr. Gladden was a familiar figure at commencement. His personal presence indicates the character of his thought, and the spirit which challenged him to high daring in the early days is still unflinching. During the present disintegration of old beliefs, this servant of the truth has always been eager to reconstruct the new with the clear and definite purpose of meeting the highest requirements of life.