Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-04-23

|
Under charges made by Rev. Mr. McNif
and others, of sectarlanism in the manage
lnent of the St. Cloud Normal school, the late
legislature appointed a joint committee of
| three Representatives and two Senators to In
vestgate the matter. The unanimous report
of the committee, completely exonerating the
management of the school, was made to the
governor yesterday. The report is as fol-
lows
To His Excellency, Gov. John s. Pillsbury:
The Joint committee appointed by the legls-
lature to investigate the charges of sectarian-
ism preferred against the management Of the
Third State Normal school at st. Cloud,
Mimi, beg leave to report that on the 22d and
23d days Of March, A. D. 1881, they inquired
into the subject matter submitted to them for
investigation, and on such inquiry find the
| facts to be as follows:
W. B. Mitchell of St. Cloud is the resident
director of the school, and Prof. D. H. Kiehle
Is the superintendent, he having taken charge
of the school in September, 1875, at
which time the faculty consisted of himself
and six teachers. Prof. Kiehle was ordained
minister in the Presbyterian church in 1865,
and devoted himself to pastoral labor for four
pointment to his present position, space of
about six years, was county superintendent of
| public schools in Fillmore county, in this
State
At the time Prof. Kiehle first took charge of
the school, the faculty consisted of himself
and five teachers, viz: Messrs. Gray and
Bickford, and Misses McComber, Gunderson
and Murray. OF this number Prof. Kiehle and
Miss Murray were Presbyterians, Mr.. Gray
and Miss McComber were Methodists, and the
others not members of any church.
| From that time until the present the follow
| ing changes in the constituent members of the
| faculty have occurred-that is to say, Mr..
Bickford has been followed by Mr.. Gales,
Baptist, and he by Mr.: Hyde, the incumbent;
and she by Miss Lawrence, Baptist and
| incumbent; Miss Gunderson has retired, and
her place has been taken by Miss Higgins,
| Presbyterian; and Miss Murray has been sue
| ceeded by the following persons, in the order
named: Miss King, q Methodist; Mr.. Childs, a
Presbyterian, and Miss Truman, incumbent,
and Miss Guernsey, Methodist, an additional
teacher employed in 1876, has been succeeded
by Miss Warner, incumbent and Presbyterian;
and the following members of the faculty have
Joined the Presbyterian church by letter from
other churches during Prof. Kiehle's admins
trait On of the school, viz: Mr.. Gray and Mr..
Hyde.
The present faculty consists of Prof Kiehle,
Messrs. Gray and Hyde, and Misses Hig.
the first five are Presbyterians, Miss Truman
Baptist, and Miss Warner Congregation
alist.
terian chur ch in 1879 by letter, the former
from the Methodist church, and the latter by
letter from the Congregational church. Miss
Truman Joined on profession of faith.
At the time of Prof Kiehle's appointment,
and since, there has been no exercises of re-
ligious character, other than what is called the
"morning exercises" which consists In the
singing of hymn, reading of passage of
scripture from the bible, ard PRAYER, usually
the Lords prayer, supplemented occasionally
by an admonition to the pupils,
touching their relation to God
attend divine service in accordance with the
wishes of their parents, or their own inclina.
tion, leaving them, however, perfect liberty of
thought and action in that regard.
Besides the school building, the school
property includes an adjacent building known
as the "Home," t" presided over by a matron,
where lady teachers and girls attending the
about the middle of last school year until
about last January, has been held at this
Home, in the parlor, on Sunday afternoons,
prayer meetings to which the female teachers
were indiscrimlnately welcomed. These
meetings were known to and ap-
proved by Prof. Kiehl, but not organized,
directed or attended by him. No one was re-
quired to. attend these meetings, although the
interference with the free use of the parlor by.
occupants of the Home," who were non
attendants, was a subject of complaint to the
matron by two Catholic girls domiciled in the
"Home," and who have since, for other rea-
sons, left the school. These complaints were
not.communicated to Prof. Kiehle until some
time in January last, when the prayer meet
i,or fO thpco
Ell meetings, similar meetings for singing had
been held in the same place. All these meet
ings were wholly voluntary. The morning
exercise heretofore spoken of, has never been
objected to by any teacher or pupil, although
it is expected that all will attend, following as
it does, Immediately after roll call.
Wednesday meetings of female teachers and
pupils for missionary purposes, ,sO-called, have
been held in the parlor of the "Home," at
which members would read for mutual in
struction, some collection of facts touching the
history, work and status of different religious
denominations. These meetings have not been
the subject of complaint, except as an occa-
sional interference with the domestic labors of
the "Home," aud free use of the room in
whi ch they have been held.
The male students and professors of the
school have organized Young Mems Chris
tian Association, which has held its meetings
in the chapel of the Presbyterian church from
considerations of convenience.
The various accessions to the Presbyterian
church from the faculty or pupils of the
school, of members of other churches, are
shown to have been without any solicitation
or influence of Prof Kiehle, or Director Nit
| chell.
| The Presbyterian church has been open and
under the leadership of an active pastor dur
| ing the whole of the period involved in our in
quiry, while the Methodist, Congregational
| and Baptist churches have been closed very
considerable portion of the time. Prof. Kiehle
has preached for the different congregations
affected by loss of membership through ac-
cessions to the Presbyterian church, about as
often as he has oficiated in the latter church.
At no time has he undertaken the duties of
pastor of all the churches affected by change
of membership. The Presbyterian church has
been foremost in numerical strength and con-
tinuous, systematic denominational labor
Considering the tendency to an
assimilation of thought and action
necessarily resulting from close personal re-
lationship, and the inequality of the various
UNCONVENTIONAL influences and consequently
social ties affecting the nonresident teachers
and pupils of this school,, it is
not difficult to understand that the
various changes in church fellowship
made or contemplated by teachers, pupils and
attaches, including the matron, resulted from
| tho sOoio1 md mir ont in yUhi oh