The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1892-12-08

er within the legal bounds OF our be-
loved church in Christian faith and fell
lowship, and will work for the final
overthrow of the liquor traffic by
educating our young people in the
Sunday schools and by a united effort
to carry out the law on the subject
of temperance as found in the dis
ciDline.
The hour of $50 having arrived, the
report of DR.. Crowell, president of
Trinity College, set for that hour,
was read by him:
BRETHREN:-This years report is
comprised under five heads:
]. The general policy of the college.
II. The past years work.
III. The present condition of the
college.
". The needs of the future.
V. Recommendations.
THE GENERAL POLICY.
During the five years from 1887 to
1891 inclusive the college gradually,
but cOnservatively enlarged its teach
force. broadened its curriculum and
extended it's public influence. This
policy of expansion met with the
hearty approval of the Board of Trus-
tees. 1t aimed to reach the people in
order to teach them how to avail
themselves of their educational OppOr-
tunities and worked to improve the
preparatory agencies and to connect
them more directly with the college.
The effect has been to give higher
education new and opposite mean
ing to the people, namely the reform
alton Of the ideas and agencies of
lower education.
This policy involved the systematic
cultivation of more cordial relations
with preparatory schools and acade
mics throughout the State, especially
in the smaller towns and rural COM
munitieS. This required much time
and travel on the part of the preSi
dent and gave him the best OppOrtun-
ity to study the real educational need
of our people and, at the same time,
to get a clearer appreciation Of the
real disposition of the people toward
this college in particular and religious
education in general. The result has
been an Overwhelming conviction of
the Importance of this work which
the church alone can do and is trying
to do with comparatively insignificant
resources. Everywhere the. people
have shown the need of the inSpira-
tion of the college bringing them first
to have faith in their possibilities and
then teaching them to solve their own
educational problems. No work of
the college could be more in keeping
with the genius of MethOdism than
this which lays hold upon both horns
of the educational dilemma in North
Carolina, by bringing the college to
the people and then leading the peo-
pie toHn appreciative recognition of
the services of the college as their
friend and helper. The policy is not
a paper-made theory: it is scientific,
a practical deduction from most
thorough study of the education, his
tory ano conditions of the State, in
vOlving hundreds of personal inter
views with all classes of Judgment,
thorough discussion and searching
criticism and lastly the express APP
proval of public men who have given
direction and shape to educational de-
velopmeat in North Carolina under
beth church and State patronage
This is the policy to which the trus-
tees of the college have given their
official sanction and to which the adj
ministration has cOnfOrmed itself
throughout. 1t is the policy to which
the most liberal donors have given
encouragement by public and private
expression. Aside from the opinion
of its direct promoters, the best evil
dence of it's adaptability to the educa-
the fact that the State University
both in the reconstruction of it's cur
riculum and in the conduct of its ad-
ministration has shown itself to be
the undiSguised imitator of this poll
cy publicly pursued by Trinity Col
lege for the five years or more pre-
ceding the commencement of 1892.
By the end of this period, with the
expectation of entering upon a still
larger work in the new home at Dur
ham, the college had secured for its
ha IF
of instructors ever gathered together
in any one institution in this State.
Funds were privately pledged to Sc
cure us against deficit upon condition
of removal to Durham. This corps of
teachers was secured at much expense
of time and means without a cost of a
dollar to the college. In spite of the
bitter disappointment at our failure
to get into our new buildings at Dur
ham owing to the fall of the tower,
this faculty was duly installed and
went heroically to work at Trinity,
with cramped accommodations, at the
opening of che collegiate year in Sep
TENDER, 1892.
THE PAST YEARS WORK.
When this conference convened in
Asheville twelve months ago general
financial depression had already set in
and the college, like almost every
other enterprise, found that it had
overestimated it's financial ability.
Conference collections were discourag-
ingly light. The pledges of funds
were made on condition of removal to
Durham and hence were not available.
An unusually large percentage of fees
and dues from students could not be
collected owing to the general search
ty of money and the low price of cot
On OIL
tracts with our professors were made
for year and we could not legally or
honorably release the college from it's
obligations nor could they readily find
positions at that season. In every
possible direction expenses were cur
tailed and orders recalled in order to
retrench; yet, in spite of every effort
on the part of the Board of Trustees,
by the end of the year they found
themselves with deficit of over
S., 600 for current expenses. For the
lack of an operating find of this
amount at a critical time this the
most talented faculty of the State
became disheartened, though holding
faithfully to its post of duty till com
mencement, when some of the strong
est chairs had to be vacated and con-
solidated for mere want of means tC
continue them. As consequence
our line promise turned into broken
prestige. 1t was deep humiliation
to US to have to retreat after five
years of expectant anvancemont. II
is not simply an official duty but 6
| personal joy to thank the people OF
| God for their sympathy and theil
| prayers. By the favor of Him who
perfect his own through adversely WE
| believe still that these experiences are
required parts of Gods curriculum tt
prepare us for wiser and better ser
vice in the future.