man of sterling character, of powerful intellect,
who possessed I lit- reputation of an able and faith-
ful divine." His published discourses include
"The Pastoral Large Vindicated" and " The Di-
vine Institution of Preaching the Gospel Consid-
ered " i New York, ITijsi, and "The Importance of
the Divine Presence with tin A rmies of God's Peo-
ple in their Martial Enterprises" (1759). He also
published a sermon, delivered in 1754, on " Ordi-
nation to the Gospel Ministry," regarding which he
held peculiar views. His son, Benjamin Young,
physician, b. in Huntingdon, L. I., 20 Dee.. 17:M:
d. there, 31 Oct., 1791, was graduated at Princeton
in 1751, studied medicine under Dr. Jacob Ogden,
and began to practise at Easthampton, L. 1. In
17~>i!-'7 he was tutor at Princeton. His ac<|iiiiv-
ments as a linguist were unusual. Among his pa-
pei- were found, after his death, Latin ver.-itiea-
tions of one of the Psalms written in all the dif-
ferent metres of the odes of Horace. He was also
master of several modern languages, which he
spoke fluently. In June, 1762, he sailed for Ki in-
land to visit medical schools abroad, and he wa-
graduated at the University of Leyden in July,
1764. After visiting Moscow he returned to New
York city and resumed practice there. On the
passage of the stamp-act he wrote "A Song for
the Sons of Liberty in New York." At the open-
ing of the Revolutionary war, Dr. Prime, who had
meantime given up practice in New York and re-
tired to Huntington, was compelled to flee to Con-
necticut, but at the end of the war he returned
to Huntington, and remained thereuntil his death.
Besides his songs and ballads, which circulated
widely during the war. Dr. Prime published " The
Patriot Muse, or Poems on some of the Principal
Events of the Late War, etc., by an American Gen-
tleman, referring to the French War "(London,
1764), and "Columbia's Glory, or British Pride
Humbled, a Poem on the American Revolution"
(New York, 1791). In addition to these, there was
published in New York city, in 1840, " Muscipula:
Sive Cambromyomachia. The Mouse-Trap : or. the
Battle of the Welsh and the Mice: in Latin and Eng-
lish. With Other Poems in different Languages.
By an American." The principal Latin poem in
this volume is probably not by Dr. Prime, but the
translation of the " Muscipula " is undoubtedly his
work. Benjamin Y'oung's son, Vil II.IIIH i Scnil-
dor, clergyman, b. in Huntington, L. I., 21 April.
1785; d. in Mamaroneck, N. Y., 27 March, is.'iii,
was graduated at Princeton in 1804, licensed to
preach by the presbytery of Long Island, 10 Oct.,
1805, and ordained in 1809. After preaching at
Sag Harbor, Fresh Pond, and Smithtown, L. I.,
he was called, in 1813, to the Presbyterian church
at Cambridge, Washington co., N. Y*., where he
remained for seventeen years. For several years
after 1821 he was also principal of the county
academy. In 1831 he established a seminary for
young women in Sing Sing, under the charge of
his daughter, and on its being destroyed by fire in
1835, he removed it to Xcwburg. N. Y., where he
remained eight years. On retiring at the end of
that period, he did not again accept a pastoral
charge. Dr. Prime was an earnest advocate of all
moral reforms, and is believed to have preaehed
in 1811 one of the first temperance sermons that
was ever delivered. He was an enthusiastic elec-
trician, and was instrumental in introducing Prof.
Joseph Henry to public notice. Hereieied tin-
degree of D. D. from Princeton in 1^4S. Besides
"A Collection of Hymns" (Sag Harbor. 1S09. -A
Familiar Illustration of Christian Baptism "(Salem.
1818), and " A History of Long Island " (New York,
). Dr. Prime published sermons entitled "The
Pernicious Effects of Intemperance " (Brooklyn,
1812); "Divine Truth the Established Means' of
Saiietification " (Salem, 1817); and " The Year of
Jubilee, but not to Africans " ( 1S25|. Another son,
Samuel IrenaMis. editor, b. in Ballston, N. Y., 4
Nov., 1812; d. in Manehe.-ter, Vt., 18 July, 1885,
was graduated at William- in ls2!l. taught three
years at Cambridge and Sing Sing, N. Y"., and en-
tered Princeton theological seminary, but before
completing his first year he was attacked by a se-
vere illness, and
was never able to
resume his stud-
ies. He was li-
censed to preach
in 1833, and held
pastorates at
Ballston Spa in
1833-'5. and at
Matteawan, N.
Y'.. in 1S37-MO.
In the spring of
the latter year he
wa- compelled to
abandon the pul-
pit, owing to a
bronchial affec-
tion, from which
he never entirely
An image should appear at this position in the text. To use the entire page scan as a placeholder, edit this page and replace "{{missing image}}" with "{{raw image|Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/148}}". Otherwise, if you are able to provide the image then please do so. For guidance, see Wikisource:Image guidelines and Help:Adding images. |
reei > ered. Thereafter, till his death, he was editor of the "New York Observer," except during 1849, when he acted as secretary of the American Bible society, and a few months in 1850, when he edited The Presbyterian." In 1853 he visited Europe, Palestine, and Egypt, for his health, writing a series of letters to the " Observer " under the sig- nature of Ireiueus." He went abroad again in 1866-'7 and in 1876-'7. Dr. Prime was closely identified with the Evangelical alliance of Ameri- ca, founded in 186(>, attending the 5th general conference at Amsterdam in 1867. and inviting the European alliances to hold the 6th conference in New York city, which invitation was accepted. On his return from Europe he was elected a cor- responding secretary of the American alliance, and he held the office until 28 Jan., 1884. In his hands the " Observer " acquired a wide reputa- tion. His " Irenanis " articles appeared in it weekly until the end of his life. He received the degree of D. D. from Hampden Sidney college. Va.. in 1854. During his career as an editor he found time to write more than forty volumes, besides pamphlets, addresses, and articles for various peri- odicals. In 1854, while his first book of travels was pa ing through the press, he was asked by it- pub- lishers. Harper Brothers, to contribute to their mairaxine. From this source he received for the next twelve years more than $1,000 annually, and he wa- tlni- enabled to purchase an interest in the " Observer" in 1858. Dr. Prime was vice-president and director of the American tract society and of the American and foreign Christian union, presi- dent of the New Y T ork association for the advance- ment of science and art, president and trustee of Wells college for women, a trustee of Williams college, and member of a large number of other religious, benevolent, and literary societies. Among his publications are "The Old White Meeting- House" and "Life in New York" (New York, 1845): "Annals of the English Bible " (1S41D; "Thoughts on the Death of Little Children" (1852): "Travels in Europe and the Ka-l " (IS.Vit; "The Power of Prayer" (1S58): "The Bible in the Levant " and American Wit and Humor " (INj'.l) ;