LIBRARIANS OF HARVARD COLLEGE. 35 and religious interests of the University, he has left upon the minds of those who were connected with him there, many lively impressions of affec- tion and respect." In the spring of 1813, after his resignation from the Library, he was chosen pastor of the First Church in Boston. At his ordination, 14 July, 1813, the sermon was by Professor Ware and the introductory prayer by Rev. Mr. Thacher, (Libra- rian, 1808-11). But Mr. Abbot preached in this pulpit only a few Sundays ; the consumption which had been threatening him grew so much worse that in the fall he was obliged to ask a leave of absence. His parishioners had already become deeply attached to their new pastor and they unani- mously voted in their resolutions of sympathy and regret, " that the expenses of supplying the pulpit be paid by the Society during the absence of the Rev. Mr. Abbot, and that his salary be continued." About a month later, he married, 24 October, Elizabeth Bell Warland of Cambridge. In another month he sailed for Portugal in hopes of benefiting by the voyage. But on his return in June, 1814, he was so little recovered that he was unable to re- sume preaching. He gradually grew worse until his death on October 17th. At Ms funeral, which was from his church in Boston, Edward Everett preached the sermon. AUTHORITIES : Abbot, Qeneal. register of descendants of George Abbot, 1847, p. 26. Ellis, History of First church in Boston, 1881, pp. 243-247. Everett, Address at funeral of Rev. John Lovejoy Abbot, 1814. pp. 20.
1813-1821.
Andrews Norton, the youngest child of Samuel and Jane (Andrews) Norton, was born in Hingham, 31 December, 1786. Entering Harvard as a sophomore he graduated with honors in 1804. He received an A.M. in course and an honorary A.M. from Bowdoin College in 1815. At the lat- ter college he had been tutor for a year (1809- 1810) and in 1811 he was chosen tutor of mathe- matics at Harvard. Two years later he received two appointments : that of Dexter Lecturer on Biblical Criticism and that of Librarian. During the eight years of his administration he did much to improve the Library ; but the provision for the purchase of books was exceedingly meagre. Of the legislative grant of ten thousand dollars a year to the College from 1814 to 1824, but a small part seems to have come to the Library. That Mr. Norton was keenly aware of the deficiencies of the Library is shown by his statement to the Visiting Committee of the Overseers that for its immediate needs ten thousand dollars would suffice. While the purchase of books was thus restricted, it was during his term that the Library received the dona- tion from Israel Thorndike of the Ebeling col- lection perhaps intrinsically the most valuable gift ever presented to the Library. In 1821, en- grossed by his increasing duties as a teacher, Mr. Norton resigned the Librarianship. Two years previously, on the establishment of the Divinity School, the title of his chair had been changed to Dexter Professorship of Sacred Literature. In the discussions which arose in 1824-25 in regard to the form of government of the College and the constitution of the Corporation, Mr. Norton took a prominent part, and two of his contributions to the controversy were printed. A few years later, in 1830, he resigned his professorship. Relieved from academic duties, he had during the rest of his life abundant leisure for close appli- cation to his literary and theological studies. He had already contributed numerous articles to peri- odicals. Even before his graduation he published in the Literary Miscellany a review of the life and writings of the poet Cowper, and in the Monthly Anthology are several articles from his pen. He was a member of the Anthology Club, which pub- lished the last-named magazine. From the asso- ciation in this Club of the leading literary men of Boston and Cambridge grew the Boston Athe- naeum. Soon after the suspension of the An- thology, he established in 1812 a quarterly journal entitled The General Repository and Review. Although ably conducted it lasted only two years ; it is said to have been too bold in its heterodoxy and too solid in its learning to meet with public favor. He also wrote more or less frequently on both theological and literary subjects for the Christian Disciple, the Christian Examiner, and the North American Review. In 1833-34 he joined with Charles Folsom (Librarian, 1823-26) in editing the Select Journal of Foreign Periodical Literature. But Mr. Norton's most important work was his book on the Genuineness of the Gospels. This he commenced as early as 1819, but it was nearly twenty years before the first volume was printed (1837) ; the third volume was issued in 1844, and a final volume, on the internal evidences, appeared in 1855, after his death. This book is an elaborate examination into the external and historical evi- dences of the authenticity of the Gospels and fur- nishes a clear and logical argument in support of their genuineness. After his death also appeared his Translation of the Gospels, edited by Ezra Abbot (Assistant Librarian, 1856-1872). As a theologian Andrews Norton was at once a sceptic and a believer, heterodox and orthodox. His attitude was that of a thorough investigator ; no portion of his religious faith would he accept with- out the closest and strictest search Into Its founda- tion, but once adopted on what to him seemed
