Dr. Eddison Mosiman Biography


	This biography appears on pages 377-378 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				DR. EDDISON MOSIMAN. 

	Dr. Eddison Mosiman, scholar, educator, author and now president 
of the South Dakota Mennonite College at Freeman, was born on a farm 
near Middletown, Ohio, October 15, 1878, a son of Christian and Anna 
(Kinsinger) Mosiman, both of whom were natives of Butler county, Ohio. 
The paternal grandparents emigrated from Alsace in the vicinity of 
Colmar and Muehlhausen. The maternal grandparents emigrated from 
Rhenish Bavaria near Zweibruecken. 

	Endowed by nature with keen mentality, Dr. Mosiman eagerly 
embraced his opportunities for acquiring an education. He spent the 
first eighteen years of his life upon the home farm and made his 
initial step in the educational field as teacher of a country school in 
Butler county, Ohio, for a term of nine months in 1897-8. This 
stimulated more than ever his desire to advance his own education and 
he entered Wittenberg College Academy at Springfield, Ohio, where he 
studied through the scholastic year of 1898-9. He next entered 
Wittenberg College and on the completion of the classical course won 
his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1903. He next became instructor in the 
Mennonite Educational Institute at Gretna, Manitoba, Canada, where he 
continued until 1906, when he became a student in the McCormick 
Theological Seminary at Chicago, Illinois, which conferred upon him the 
degree of Bachelor of Divinity in 1912. In the same year the University 
of Chicago conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree. While at the 
McCormick Theological Seminary he won the T. B. Blackstone New 
Testament Fellowship, which gave him the privilege of two years of 
study and travel abroad. Accordingly he entered the University of 
Berlin, where he studied through the winter semester of 1909 and 1910. 
In the latter year he was a student in the University of Heidelberg 
through the summer semester and received from that institution the 
degree of Doctor of Theology. He studied in the University of Leipzig 
through the winter semester of 1910-11 and was a student in the 
University of Marburg, Germany, in the summer semester of 1911. Upon 
his return to his native land he became instructor in Greek and 
philosophy at the Central Mennonite College, now Bluffton College and 
Mennonite Seminary, at Bluffton, Ohio, with which he was connected for 
two years, and in 1913 he accepted the call to the presidency of the 
South Dakota Mennonite College, known as Freeman College, at Freeman. 

	While Dr. Mosiman was in Germany one of the best known publishers 
of that country, J. C. B. Mohr, of Tuebingen, issued his book, "Des 
Zungenreden, geschichtlich und psychologish untersucht (The Gift of 
Tongues, historically and scientifically investigated)." This has been 
recognized by German scholars as the best critical production in German 
on the subject. From the German press concerning this work the 
following excerpts have been made: 

	"Eine bedeutende wissenschaftliche Arbeit." —Der Wahrheitszeuge, 
Kassel, June 10, 1911 

	"Es ist eine ruhige, solid wissenschaftliche Arbeit, auf 
umfangreichen historischen und psychologischen Studien beruhend. . .. 
Sein Buch sei alien Interessierten sehr empfolen."  —Ev. Kirchenblatt, 
Schlesien. 

	"Sie ist wohl die einzige umfassende und grundliche, welche wir 
ueber das Zungenreden haben." —Auf der Warte. No. 45, 1911. 

	"Ein englischer Theologe gibt trier die deutsche Bearbeitung 
seiner intressanten Untersuchung ueber, die Glossolalie. . . . Am 
interessantesten ist der Versuch, die eigenartige Erscheinung 
psychologisch zu erklaren." —Schwaeb. Merkur. 6-10, 1911. 

	"Eine lehreiche Studie, die auch der Nichttheologe mit Gewinn 
lesen wird.... Man sieht, es ist ein weites, buntes Feld, das sich der 
Forschung bietet. Und Mosiman ist ein kundiger Fuehrer." —Christl. 
Freibeit, No. 44, 1911. 
378 HISTORY OF SOUTH DAKOTA

	"Die Schrift von Mosiman ist eine gruendliche, sachkundige und 
mit Beruecksichtigung der einschlaegigen Literatur musterhafte Arbeit. 
Es wird jeder, der sich ein selbstaendiges Urteil ueber den Gegenstand 
bilden moechte, nach Mosimans Schrift greifen muessen." —Der Oelberg, 
No. 3, 1911. 

	"Diese auf J. Weiss Empfehlung aus dem Englischen uebersetzte 
Arbeit ist der erste umfassende Versuch, das Zungenreden, das durch die 
heutige Pfingstbewegung propagiert wird, einer wissenschaftlichen 
Beurteilung zu unterziehen. . . . Das ganze ist eine treffliche 
Einfuehrung in das Verstaendnis der religiosen Schwaermerei 
ueberhaupt." —Kirchl. Anzeiger fuer Wuerttbg. August, 1911. 

	From the French press.

	"La partie essentielle et excellente de cette dissertation est 
dans les deux chapitres qui concernent les phenomenes actuels du don 
des langues et l,explication du fait. . . . Pour rendre compte de ces 
phenomenes M. M. recourt a la comparaison de l,extase, de l,hypnose; 
ilk montre la puissance de la suggestion et combien l,homme est 
naturellement suggestible." — Alfred Loisy in Revue Critique, No. 29, 
1911. 

	From the Holland press.

	"Een zeer belangrijk geschrift, dat de resultaten der moderne 
psychologie aanwendt om nieuw licht te onsteken over het verschijnsel 
der Glossolalie. . . . Merkwaardig is de rijke schat van materiaal, die 
Mosiman trier biedt; belangrijkst echter het volgende hoofdstuk, waarin 
van psychologisch standpunt uit de verklaring van het spreken in tongen 
words gevonden in de werking van het subliminaire bewustzijn en de 
macht der suggestie. Zij, die op het voetspoor van Starbuck, James e. 
a. in onze dagen zich voor de psychologie van den godsdienst 
interessecrcn, zullen dit boek nict ongelezen mogen laten." —G.A. van 
den Bergh van Eysinga, in Nieuw Theol. Tijdschrift, No. 2; 9; 2. 

	"Solide Arbeit, besonnene Kritik und gruendliche Vertiefung in 
die modernen Analogien zur Zungenrede wird man Mosiman nachruehmen. . . 
. Die reichen, Z. T. aus eigener Beobachtung von pathologischen 
Aeusserungen religoeser Ueberreiztheit geschoepften Mite teilungen von 
Materialien zur Geschichte des Zungenredens und verwabdter 
Erscheinungen sowie der Bericht ueber die Versuche der Psychologen, 
diese Krankheitsformen zu erklaeren, in Kapitel IV-VI verleihen der 
Studie M,s einen bleibenden Wert.... Mit diesem religioesen Phaenomen 
sind wir, so wundersam immer wieder inzelnes klingen may, nunmehr im 
Reinen." —Ad. Julicher in Deutsche Literaturzeitung, 1913. No. 22. 

	The American Journal of Theology, in its comment of January, 
1911, said: 
"American scholarship may well be proud of this excellent piece of 
work. Originally presented as a thesis at McCormick Theological 
Seminary, in English dress, it was later, at the suggestion of Johannes 
Weiss, put into German with some additions, and so published. Despite 
the very complete bibliography prefixed to the volume, there exists no 
treatment of the obscure subject of Glossolalia so useful as this of 
Mr. Mosiman's. 

	"The disposition of the. work is admirable. Chapter I deals with 
the New Testament conception of the Holy Spirit and its various 
charismatic expressions. Chapter II discusses all the New Testament 
references to 'speaking with tongues,' notably Paul's statements in I 
Corinthians and the Pentecost narrative of Acts. In the next chapter 
the various interpretations of the terms 'glossa' and 'lalein en 
glossais,' from those of the Church Fathers to those of most recent 
commentators, are reviewed and discussed. 

	"Then follows a chapter dealing fully and illuminatingly with a 
great mass of related material from sources outside the New Testament, 
from Judaism and Montanism, from the Camisards and Jansenists, from the 
Irvingites and Mormons, and many other modern sects. So Chapter V 
discusses the present 'Pentecostal' movement, which began with the 
Welsh revival of 1904 and spread rapidly over the world, assuming 
especially notable proportions in Germany and the United States. In 
Chapter VI is offered a psychological explanation of the phenomena, so 
far as that is possible, based on the theory of the subconscious or 
'subliminal self.' A brief closing chapter demonstrates the essential 
identity of the New Testament phenomena with those observed in other 
times and places, and a short appendix of supplementary material brings 
the book to an end. 

	"The exegetical portions of the work are marked by sound judgment 
and critical acumen; with the conclusions there can be but slight 
disagreement. But of especial value is the rich and well-sifted 
collection of material in Chapters IV and V. For this Mr. Mosiman 
deserves the thanks of all students of the psychology of religion, as 
well as of New Testament students." 

	On the 6th of September, 1909, at Indianapolis, Indiana, Dr. 
Mosiman was united in marriage to Miss Harriet Probasco Mohan, a 
daughter of James and Emma (Probasco) Mohan. Her mother was the niece 
of Henry Probasco, the well known patron of art and literature who 
presented to the city of Cincinnati its famous fountain and collected 
the Probasco Collection which is at present in the Newberry Library of 
Chicago. Dr. and Mrs. Mosiman are both very active in the Mennonite 
church. He joined the church at Trenton, Ohio, in early manhood and was 
there ordained to the ministry in the summer of 1908. It would be 
tautological in this connection to enter into any series of statements 
showing Dr. Mosiman to be man of broad scholarly attainments, for this 
has been shadowed forth between the lines of this review. It is but 
just to say, however, in a volume that will descend to future 
generations, that he is also a man of most kindly spirit, of keen 
insight and warm sympathy. His attitude toward a student is ever one of 
encouragement rather than of criticism and his strongest efforts are 
put forth along the line of fostering ability and developing latent 
powers.