Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1890-06-30
ST. JOHNS COLLEGE
As Viewed from a Methodist Stand
point by the Rev. DIR. HuntIey.
/ WAY the n X Church should Withdraw
] Its Patronage from 80. JONAS College.

First M +. Church. of this city,
preached last night on Evil Commune
cations He took for his text LIST Cor.
1873: Be not deceived; evil commu
nications corrupt good manners" He
said that the duty of preaching upon this
subject was forced upon him by what
had taken place at ST. Johns College
during the last few days. and he chal-
lenged the educational institutions Of
America TO duplicate the variety of en-
tertainments which had occurred in
Mcdowell Hall. during commence
ment week.
Here are his words: "In what room.
furnished by the authorities of any other
College in America, has been given such
variety of entertainments, during q
single commencement week, as this: The
farewell hop:" 'baccalaureate sermon,
exercises of Philokolian Society, fol
lowed by hop exercises of Philoma-
thean Society followed by hop, grad
uating exercises, alumni banquet, tue
menu for which specified Roman punch,
sherry, cIaret and champagne as among
the things provided The children of
Methodist parents ought not TO be COM
mitted to the care of an educational IN
stitution, some members of whose facul-
ty are not averse to wine-drinking, and
three OF whom, | am credibly informed
have been seen at one time playing pool
or billiards In the billiard-room of the
Maryland Hotel, and that within the last
month. / am more than injustified in
calling your attention to the discussion
of the following propositions: The
Methodist Episcopal Church ought 10
furnish no more students for ST. John 3
College. First, because the dominant
spirit of the institution is not conducive
to the formation or development OF
Christian character; second. because the
college authorities permit and sanction
proceedings which are hostile to the let
ter and inmical to the spirit of Method
ism; third. because the conditions OF
things seem to have been accepted by
the college as its settled policy, and we
have no data upon which to build hope
| for any change which will render the ad
ministr2tion less antagonistical to the
principles of Methodism"
| Among other things the DR. said, was
that the Methodist boys were socially os
tracised in the graduating year, and that
at the 'Gastronomic Club, composed of
| freshmen and sophomores, four boys
were drunk and paid the Methodist boys
1 TWENTY-FIVE cents to walk them around
until they got sober and put them to
bed This club was organized to prac
/ tice for the banquet of next year. AT
midnight. at the banquet, lady yelled
down from the gallery to send up more
wine. OF the faculty of st. Johns, three
are Christians, four visited billiard rooms
and four were such feeble Christians that
they were unacceptable The alumni
of st. Johns College were SO hard up
| they came down into town and gathered
up those who were never able to graduate
and others who had been expelled, and
asked to come up and bring their ten
dollars and have a good old time. The
Methodist Church had decided that its
members could not dance, but at st.
Johns, dancing and religious services
were held in the same TO m, with the
sanction of the faculty All colleges, he
said have what is coming to be known as
a college YELL SO also they all have a
college frown, a'college smile, a college
interrogation point What these all are
depends up the spirit of the ininstitu
ton. The potential mode of college life
is the equivalent of the indicitive in law.
Now it is the business of the faculty to
present to the students the desires and
determinations of the originators and
supporters of the school. That they may
do this in an easy, natural and effective
manner, they should be in hearty sympa-
| thy with these desires and determine
ton. If they are not they should resign,
| and If the trustees see that they are not,
| they should demand their resignation. If
the trustees fail in their duty, the pa
irons should introduce other trustees into
their places, or withdraw their support.
In the case IF State school, this latter
cannot be done altogether. The money
of all taxable people must help to sup
port it whether the taxpaying public is
pleased with the methods and manage
ment of the institution or not" The
DR.. said ''the time for the withdrawal of
the sons of Methodist parents from st.
Johns has fully come, because the domi-
nant spirit of the institution is not con-
ducive TO the formation or development
of christian character. 1t is scTiptural
to judge tree by its fruits, and | ask
where is the religious fruit that has been
plucked from the st. Johns College tree
during the one hundred years of its exis-
tancey / am searching for any consider
able number of young men whose con-
yertion, or the development of whose
christian character is directly traceAble
to the influence of st. Johns College
to the teaching they have there received
to the celebrations and progress and
Cody lives of their instructors" He
admitted that the College was not a
church, but it is supposed to be helpful
to the moral and religious training of
its students. Here in st. Johns" he
said, "the spiritual ebb is so low that the
few religious boys who tried TO hold
things together through the Young
Mems Christian Association, gave up in
dispair six months ago. "Methodism.
he said, furnishes no small part of the
money on which st. Johns College is
kept going. Her 40 900 members repre-
sentnot far from Il, 900 heads of families,
most of whom are taxpayers, while the
same territory covered by the Episcopal
church has about 81, 600 members.
IF the place where prayers are held is
also placed evoted to wine and dancing
it is hardly to be wondered at that dur
ing the delivery of the baccalaureate ser
mon, just such running conversation