Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-03
EDUCATIONAL CONVENTION.
SECOND Dax,s ProceedInrs.


upon to address the convention. He read
an interesting paper on the subject of col
Iegiate education. He remarked that while
the colleges of the Baptist denomination in
the South had numerous friends, it was an
unquestionable fact that they had made but
feeble progress. The difficulties seemed to
be Inherent in the institutions themselves.
One of the greatest obstacles to success
was the fact that at the outset the colleges
lost sight of their denominational character.
Eager TO secure patronage outside the Bap-
fist circle, they lost sight of their paternity,
and thus lost identity, faith and interest,
and ceased effort. The Baptists desired to
make their colleges serve the purposes
of the denomination. Many were of the
opinion that preachers should be educated
at the Seminary exclusively. He differed
from this view. He argued that student
required general college training before
going to the Seminary. In Europe the sys-
tenn of training the clergy wholly in theo-
logical Institution had proved disastrous.
Such training would never suit this country.
Here the clergyman should be familiar with
every path of science, every branch of secu-
lar as well as theological education. No
substitute had yet been found for an invi-
gOrating process of intellectual gymnastics.
1t was a necessary preparation for all the
secular Professionalism much greater ne
cessity was there, then, for such prepara-
tory training before entering the ministry.
There were twelve Baptist colleges in the
South. OF the students attending them,
264 were studying for the ministry. OF
these So, or one-fifth of the whole, were at
the Seminary. The remaining four-fiftlls
were distributed among the colleges. This
left out of view the young men attending
academies, private institutions and colleges
in the North. This was a weighty fact.
There were fifty preachers entering the
pulpits of the South every year without any
specific preparation for the ministry what
ever. In the past year the Baptist ministry
had been increased by 1,195 preachers
equal to three per day. OF these how
many had received specific instruction for
their calling? Doubtless a comparatively
small number. He urged that there should
be elemental instruction in theology for all
students who desired to receive it in the
colleges of the denomination. Every
now and then at Baptist conventions
it had been suggested that they might, and
perhaps ought to have at some central
locality kind of institution endowed with
a million or so, comprising all possible de-
partments, meeting all possible wants and,
above all, unitizing the denomination. And
why not? Well, first, there was no prece-
dent for it either in the Baptist or any other
denomination. An attempt in this direc-
ton would be a new and hazardous expert
ment. Ii was undesirable because it was
not in accordance with the genius of the
Baptist Church government. The concen-
tratiOn of effort and powers would essen
TALLY accomplish in substance, if not in ap-
pearance, the desh uction of their in
dependence. A great Baptist university
would be a controlling central power that
would determine and give not only educa-
ton in its multiform phases but especially
theology to the denomination. There would
be no check in it that could determine its
direction. As now organized, every Baptist
church was check upon every other one,
and this constituted one of the chief excel
iencies in their condition as a denouaIna-
ton. In the next place, the pr opposed uni
versity was unaCtainable. Such an institu-
ton could not be established for less than
100000. and that amount could hardly be
raised. All the Baptist colleges in the South
were struggling for existence, and to estab-
fish a central university could only be done
by sacrificing them altogether. If he could
Southern Baptist Convention soon to meet,
to organize a commission to take under ad-
visement and direction the whole subject of
Baptist ministerial education at the South, in
all its lensth and breadth and depth and
height, to invite and secure the cO-opera-
ton of all the reputable colleges of the de-
nomination, to devise and put into opera
ton a system by which ministerial educa-
oh no Ia
form, continuous and complete, through the
intermediate colleges, and through the the
illogical seminary, as the established and
satisfactory complement of all, to organize
them all into one great institution, subject
to the central commission; reporting to the
Southern Baptist Convention, the entire or
ganization as an integral whole, to be styled
"The Baptist University of the South" A
wisely developed and systematic plan on
this general basis would unite the
denomination more widely and
more heartily in the cause Of ministerial ed
ucatiOn; would bring every college in i'm
mediate contact with, ar3 support of the,
seminary; would operate IS a powerful
stimulus to the rising ministry; would save
the invaluable time now wasted in ill-ad-
vised effort; would crowd the seminary
for the next generation an unrivaled Dinis-
try. The central commission, as corpora
tiol controlled by the Southern Baptist
Convention, as soon as it was seen to be
wisely effective would be directly enriched
by liberia. donations and requests flowing
from gLl quarters, permanently endOwing
the eminary establishing the colleges in
thei'i specific work, providing aid for needy
be- leficiaries, and thus would the university
speedily become and be known as a great
educational power in the land.
Rev. DR.. johnson believed that the great
necessity of the time was desire for knOWl-
| edge. The youth of the country must be
! fired with a disposition to study-with
! love of knowledge rather than of gold and
| greenbacks. This work of firing the minds
| of our youth was the first to be undertaken.
| The obstacles in the way of establishing a
university would then disappear. He adj
! vocated the removal Of the seminary to
Nashville.
Rev. DR.. Jones followed, arguing the ne
cessity of removing the seminary from
! Greenville. 1t certainly was one Iof the
most promising institutions of the kind in
the South. In the face of obstacles and
preiudices it had succeeded and done a
good work. 1t had gained the confidence
of seven hundred and fifty thousand Baptist
communicates, and if it were in promin-
ent accessible position he would be opposed
to removing it. But in Greenville it was
hid away among the mountains where it
was not easily reached. 1t was in south
ern position, it was true, but the South was
more than South. 1t was South, and West
too. 1t should therefore be movedtO some
locality where the Chivalry and culture of
the South was united with the vigorous
and ponderous go-aheaditiveness Of the
West. 1t would not do to establish it any
where on the rim of the great South and
Southwest. Some central position was de-
sirable. He was above sectional feeling.
Let the institution go to the best State and
the best locality in that State. He asked
dispassionately was not Tennessee that
State, and was not Nashville that locality?
1t was central, it was southern, it was
western. Murfreesboro had been named,
but while it was a beautiful place, he would
lust whisper the suggestion that Nashville
was vastly more important point. Chat
tanooqa had been named, but, to certain
extent, it labored under the same disadvan-