urtleff was held by the Trustees and Faculty, as it appeared not
long after his graduation, that he was one of the best scholars of his
time.

"Peculiar interest attaches to the religious experience of Shurtleff
during his college course.

"He had performed some of the duties of a Christian before he supposed
himself to possess the Christian character. The first school he taught
he opened daily with prayer, persevering in the practice as a
conscientious duty, in spite of many misgivings and much timidity. And
this he did in every school he afterward taught. He kept up the habit
of secret prayer, at the same time, asking more earnestly than for
anything else, that his weak eyes might be cured, and that he might
have the means of intellectual improvement.

"He seems to have supposed that during his senior winter vacation he
became a true Christian.

"Soon after his return to college, he intimated a desire to a
classmate, who, as he supposed, was the only professor of religion in
the class, to join with others in a private meeting for religious
conference and prayer. He had never attended, or even heard of such a
meeting. After a little delay he was surprised to learn from his
friend that such a meeting as he had proposed had been held for years,
and that he was desired to attend. On the Saturday evening following,
he and five or six other persons assembled, and by the free
interchange of thought and feeling, and the apparently humble prayers
that were offered, he felt himself greatly refreshed and quickened. On
leaving college he regretted the loss of nothing more than of these
Saturday evening conference meetings.

"The time had now come for choosing a profession. His success in
teaching led him to seek for a situation in an academy; but no opening
of this kind presented itself, and he believed himself thus
providentially called to preach the gospel. There were at the time no
theological seminaries; the students of the distinguished clergymen
who gave instruction in theology were supposed to represent the views
of their teacher; and that he might not be thought to go forth as the
advocate of some exceptionable _ism_, Mr. Shurtleff chose to study
theology by himself. Having pursued this course one year, he was
appointed a tutor in the college, and at the same time was licensed to
preach. The pressure of a considerable debt hastened the period of
obtaining license, but we may be certain, from the opportunities
subse