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Caption: Book - History of the University (Powell)
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132 History University of Illinois The years from 1835 on were eventful. For a time while he was professor in Illinois College he also had charge of the Congregational churches at Waverly and Chandlersville, for he was ordained a minister shortly after coming west. In 1843 and 1844 he was editor of the Illinois Statesman, the second antislavery paper in Illinois, So active in antislavery agitation was he that he received an anonymous letter in 1842 warning him that an attempt was to be made on his life. Later the letter was identified as having been written by Cassius M. Clay. His pamphlet on "Philosophy of money" which appeared in 1842 was highly commended by Daniel Webster. He invented a cornplanter, a plow, and other farm implements which served their purpose and retired honorably when others that served still better appeared. In religion he was aggressive, demanding that religion be an affair of life. His speeches upon religion abounded in sarcasm that cut through the sham of pious convention. We find in one: " F o r then as now, no faith was deemed orthodox that had not been settled down long enough to begin to petrify and turn to stone." 4 Of a certain good gentleman prominent in his time, he remarked: " — a most excellent Christian man, now in heaven, but then too orthodox for either heaven or earth." 5 This habit of vigorously piercing sham must have made him exhilarating and interesting, but a college faculty must look to its funds; hence it can be understood that the resignation of Turner in 1848 brought relief from uncomfortable suspense. Turner was not connected with an educational institution when he first publicly announced his plan for industrial education. Undoubtedly the fact that he had no such connection was a help to him, for it is inconceivable that a college of the accepted type with a curriculum based on Latin and Greek would have endured his plan or his presence during the long years of the fight that followed its announcement. Yet never in those years of fight did he think of giving up the cause. Long after the establishment of the system of land 4 From Speech called Historic Morgan. *Ibid.
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