, 1881-04-22
INTELLIGENT CHRISTIANITY.

No.2.
The general subject of education
IN connection with our schools show ;
that intelligence and Christianity go
hand III hand. Our common schools
are nov public schools, aud Chris
tians have perhaps but little more to
do with them than those who are not.
But they were not always public
schools. How then did they become
50? 1t was The old New Eng land
Puritans who gave the idea 10 the
public. When they came TO New
England it was that they might oh
tain religious freedom, but SO sure
were they that this and their Chris
tianity would die without InIeln-
gence that it has become a pro, erb,
that they planted the school house
by the side of the church Says the
present Commissioner Of Education
for the United States, Hon. John
! Eaton: "Ihe oldest educational
idea was that of Massachusetts,
which looked TO an elementary school
III every town containing tilty house
holders, with grammar school for
one hundred families" The first
public schools were among the
Puri,ans, and they gave the idea to
the public.
The same Is true of this coast.
When Oregon and Washington were
ali one Territory, and the question
of public schools came up thirty
years ago, they were opposed by
some very prominent men, but Home
Missionaries, who were present al
those meetings, threw their influence
In favor of them and were largely
instrumental IN securing the system
for the northwest coast Our fathers
and foreiaIhers were not afraid of in
tellifience. They felt that it strength
ened their religion.
But higher education even now is
more dependent on Christian people
than on those who are not Christians
or even on State support. The re
port of the Commissioner of Educa.
ton, made up from statistics gather
ed IN 1877, gives the religious as
Pect of four classes OF higher schools:
whether they are dependent on
Christian denominations for support
or are non-sectarian; and, among
the latter are not only those which
are independent of religious CON
troll as State Institutions, but also
those under the control of Christian
men rf several different denomina.
tions as Union colleges, Yet of L.
226 Secondary Institutions 557 are
denominational, 5l4 non-sectarian
and the rest unknown. Out of ia
schools preparatory for colleges, so
are denominational, 46 non sectarlan
aud the rest unknown. Out OF 22O
institutions for the superior instruc-
tion of women, 40 are denomina.
tlonal, ~ non sectarian and S un
known. And out of 325 colleges
and universities 243 are under the
control of some denomination, and
81 non sectarian. Yet out of these
80, there are 30 which are either
Union colleges or have secured
ciergymen for Presidents, leaving
only fifty which might possibly be
said to he indifferent to religion.
The first college in the United
States was Harvard University, es-
ta5lished by the New England Con-
eregationslits in 1898: the next.
Williams and Mary, in Virginia, in
1894 by the Episcopalians; the third,
Yale College in Connecticut, by the
Congregationalists in 1901; and the
fourth by the Preshyterians in l746,
Princeton, in New Jersey. Between
100 and 1900 nine non-sectarian
and ten denominational colleges
we're established; between 1900 and
1910, ten non sectarian and FORTY de
nominational ones: and during the
last forty years (while so much has
been said about scientific and edu.
Gated men not being Christians) 53
no"- -sectarian colleges and l95 de
homlnational ones have been estab-
ilshed. These facts show that Chris
uan men are not afraid of intelli-
gence, but welcome it as an aid 70
religion, and that they work for il
Tar more earnestly than those who
are not Christians; although as far
as numbers are concerned they are
considerably in the minority, even OF
the adult population.