, 1866-11-16
PRESIDENT uxtANt,ttsFen xc.r,

President Blanchard, in his letter, pub-
iishcd herewith, states our position in refer
encc 10 the religious or rnon.rcligious features
OF the Agricultural College with much clear
ness, and then assumes that We cannot surely
mean Nat. Indeed, We mean exactly that.
There is nothing In the act of Congress
granting the lAnds for the Agricultural Col
lcge which makes religious instruction any
l'art of the duty of the college. There is |
nothing Which requires the students to nt-
tend my particular church, Or any church
at all, and we arc distinctly opposed /
to any scheme for compelling students I
to attend churcl.-much more, to one COM
pclllug Jew TO attend a Methodist or Con- |
srcgational church. Christianity was never
advanced one inch by compulsory church at |
tendance, aud never will he. The theory is
at war not only with our form OF govern
nlcnt, but with the principles Of Christianity
itself. The 1aw Of love, and not the law Of
foscc, lies ut the bottom OF the Christian reli-
s.on, and VIC shall not be party to any at
ttmpt to substitute the one for the utl,cr.
We sid, in our former article, that we should
oppose any proposition to discard" Chris
tianity from the Agricultural College. So
We should As Mr.. Blanchard thiuks he
has made point upon the meaning of the
word discard we will refer him to the
dictionary. where he will find that discard is
a verb uctiyc, meaning "to throw oat; to
; cast off; to thrust away." To discard
] Christianity from the Agricultural College,
li-crcforc, would be to throw out, to cast OF,
Or to thrust away Christianity. We are just
Us much opposed to throwing Christianity out
/ as We are to tlrustfug it in by the process Of
compelling Israelitc students to attend an
oilhodox church, or even to attend Jewish
Synagogue against their wishes.
The theory that 1t is the business OF a col
1cgc to cfam some form Of religion down the
! throat Of the studenl, ia derived from the
! Middle Ages, when the Universities of OK
ford and Cambridge were Instituted. The
practice Of compelling every student to SUBJ
scrite 10 the Thirty-Ninc Articles exists
there 10 this day, and Is the subject Of angry
discussion ut every session Of Parliament !;
aud VIC have tic authority Of the North
E,71iM Rcsiesr, the able organ of the Free
:. Church Of Scotland, for saying that this re-
+, quirement is fruitful source of iutitlc1i-
| ty. The student looks upon II as au
Infringement of his liberty 1Ic takes
the thirty nine articles As u matter Of form,
cariug nothing about them. When Horne
Tockc was asked at Oxford whether he was
ready 10 subscribe tue tlirty-nine articles,
hc r.nlie.l ..Yes. or f,rty of them" fIccx.
! messed the aycrarc sentiment Of the uudcr.
Graduates. which was That Of ua.l;syuiscd
1.o,,t.mnt for The system. which not unfrc-
cr.,,t1v c,rr;cs WITH If +, con.cr,, f,r roll.
ri, - itself.
rio d;ncro,cc ,,c,vccn tbc oxfnrd t,.s,
o,., ,l,o 1c., ,I;.,, vr r,anc,,,rd ,rou,a ,s
.,,,;i.t :. o,,c ri fc,,r,,c nn,v Tie =, .i;,,
1-,,;xar.;t;,s ,coT;,,. thr stubrp,
~ 4otc carta;n amoun. !,
t E,;.,,.,,1t,u t1o,,,p, AR blanchard
l. vopld rroulrc linn to ,uEe certain amount
of same Christian dogma. "discardinrr O.
coursc. ,lutnis,p. Mormonism. SpIritualism
prd all other isms not recognized as Chris
tian. To this nlap We arc emphatical.y Oh
! ,,oscd, Tie Constitution Of the Eni,cd State;
eiyes preference to no form of religion. Til,
Ar,;cul,,,ro1 f,ollct,e act .,fvcs mons. TIL,
Agricultural College should rive none: Mr.
9,,.nt,,+d dw,iis r,,o,, t1. Gact tia. the Stat,
! University Of Michigan, notwithstanding it
,nucl yauntcd character for unsrci ri
anism, has Methodist President
That proves nothing. Ills sncccsso
L ulsy BE- q Boptfst. or 4 Unitarian, or even al
= Israe}ite 81 far rs the law goes. It is no
: true. however. MS coutcndrd by Mr.. Blaucl
! ard tfa1 because the State of Michigan nav
r DR.. Haven Gor n,ayinr in the State Cn;ycr,
: ~. t,crcf;,rc tn. State of Michiean sunnor,
;, | Not,,od;sm nr 1Iovcn may he a hon,uf
c ,,,t1ist mr. Fro Mason or an ano1it;onis
l. ~ II ,ro,,,d mt rl,ou t,,,t ,hc state r
e 15;o,,.,,n, e,,,,,,or,s to,noo,.thr NJ r 20 m.
l. ..,,,... ~ a,'o3;,;o,;s,,, ,,a.o,,ss nr II,,n
:r lon,,ere ~ h. President of m. stat
l. 1,,;,..-x;,r Tia o-,or nj prne;;,rt n,,uc1
of s,d ~ ,.. eonc;r.. cons;s,s l., ,,;s s,,nnos;n