Prof. H. E. Bierly

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Husband Prof. H. E. Bierly ¹

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           Born: 28 Jan 1866 - Rebersburg, Centre Co, PA 1
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         Father: Joseph C. Bierly (1834-      ) 2
         Mother: Judith Meyer (1835-      ) 3

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Wife

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Children

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General Notes: Husband - Prof. H. E. Bierly

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He attended the common schools of Miles township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, until he was eighteen years of age, not having a chance to attend the summer schools on account of too much work on the farm. He then determined to get a better edu­cation, and in 1884 entered Union Seminary (now Central Pennsylvania College), New Berlin, Pennsylvania. This institution he attended most of the time be­tween the years 1884-1888, during which time he nearly completed the classical course and pre­pared himself for Princeton University, which he entered in 1888 as a member of the class of '92. He spent five years at Princeton University, four as an under-graduate, taking the “A. B. course,” and one year as a post-graduate, studying physi­ological psychology under Prof. Ormond, also the philosophy of religion, under the same professor. The next year, 1893-94, he was unanimously elected “Professor of the Natural and Physical Sciences” in Belleview Collegiate Institute, at Caledonia, MO, where he taught one year, at the expiration of which time the Institute was par­tially closed. The next year he attended Har­vard and Boston Universities, studying metaphys­ics under Prof. Royce and cosmology under Prof. James, of Harvard University, and comparative theology and history of religious history of Chris­tian doctrine, in the School of Theology, of Bos­ton University. It was then that he became acquainted with Pres. G. Stanley Hall, John Fiske, Joseph Cooke, Professors Carpenter and Davids, of Oxford University. This year in Bos­ton, and as a student of both of these Universi­ties, was of the greatest value in his educational history. The next year he was “Professor of Mathematics and Science” in Missouri Military School, Mexico, MO, which was destroyed by fire at the expiration of that year. During the following year he was engaged in writing a thesis on the “Origin and Development of the Concep­tion of God”, also in child-mind investigations in central Pennsylvania, in connection with Pres. G. Stanley Hall, of Clark University, MA, and Prof. Earl Barnes, of Leland Stanford University, Cal. At present (1898) he is professor of phil­osophy and science in Virginia College for Young Ladies at Roanoke, VA, one of the best of the Southern female colleges, in which he occupied a very responsible position, next to the presidents thereof.
As a student Prof. Bierly became intensely interested in philosophy, through Sir William Hamilton's lectures on metaphysics, the various works and writings of James McCosh, primarily, and through the edited works of Kant, Fichte, Schelling and Hegel, having a natural inclination to speculative studies. At the same time he is greatly interested in biology, through a Natural History Society, which was organized by Prof. H. N. Conser, Ph. D., at Central Pennsylvania College, and which led him to reading of nearly all the works of Darwin, Huxley, Romanes and Herbert Spencer. It was the works of James McCosh that took him to Princeton University, whose lectures on metaphysics he attended in his freshman year, this being the last course on that subject given by McCosh, with whom he as a student was very well acquainted, and upon whom he called quite often, having received spe­cial recognition, encouragement and kindness from McCosh while alive. While a student of Princeton University he made a special study of philosophy and biology, having taken all the branches the university offers on both philosophy and biology. He took honors in the latter sub­ject, and was offered a fellowship in osteology by the Chicago University, which he, however, did not accept, as he did not desire to give so much time in that particular line of investigation, having decided to make the study of philosophy a life vocation. He attended and was a member of the World's Congress of Philosophy held at Chicago during the World's Fair, at which time he became personally acquainted with Prof. Josiah Royce, professor of philosophy in Har­vard University, who was his private ad­viser and director in philosophy thereafter.
Prof. Bierly was a member of the Pennsylvania German Society, and of several Psychological and Scientific Associations. He contributed a series of articles on the various conceptions of God for “The Preachers Helper.” Later, in 1898, he was more extensively engaged in child-mind investigations than ever, with Pres. Hall, Prof. Earl Barnes, Prof. Royce, also contributing a series of articles on child-mind study for several child-study magazines. He also addressed and lectured before quite a number of teachers' associations and institutes in Missouri, Pennsyl­vania and Virginia on various, but mostly psycho­logical, subjects. During the Bryan campaign in 1896, on account of not being hard pressed for work, he became very much interested in pol­itics, through his cousin, Hon. Willis R. Bier­ly, of North Dakota. On account of the Demo­cratic party splitting, Mr. Bierly was requested by the foremost politicians of the county to take a hand in politics and rally the Silver forces, as he did, and did valuable service for his Val­ley and the county, having been elected presi­dent of the Bryan and Sewall Club of Brush Valley, which was composed of about two hun­dred members. He was a member of the M. E. Church, which he joined while a student of Princeton University. He was one of the three first members of the M. E. Church at Kreamerville, and rendered very effectual services in the building up of the Methodist Church at that place, having been appointed for that work, lasting several years, by the Quarterly Con­ference (Methodist).

1 Editor, Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania, Including the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion. (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1898), Pg 237.

2 Editor, Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania, Including the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion. (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1898), Pg 142, 235.

3 Editor, Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania, Including the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion. (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1898), Pg 142, 237.