News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1900-09-26

Mr.. Rankin makes his money by, it is.
of course. unfortunate for him person
ally, but it does not disprove the truth
of Clark's teaching, and it certainly
ought not 10 put stop to it,"
The president was silent again. and
Edward began to understand some
| thing of the seriousness of the question
that faced the president and the col
lege. For the first time also in his
own mind one of the phases of modern
wealth getting became clear to him.
He was not old enough to realize how
much it meant. But his sturdy and
generally clear sense of justice placed
his sympathy at once with the presi-
dent. Even to the young college sophie
more the question, new as it was to his
mind. seemed to have but one answer.
1t was monstrous proposition to put
before men that they were not to in
vestigate or discuss the methods en-
ployed to acquire wealth if it was GO
ing to arouse the i'll will of men who
had money to give to the college. When
that i'll will took the form of a direct
threat to withhold a possible bequest
if the teaching was not discontinued or
changed, it certainly looked to Ed
ward as if the power of wealth was
assuming to dictate terms to the col
lege which it could not for moment
submit to without dishonor and the
loss of those principles on which it
was originally established. POSSIBLY
some reader of this part of the story
of Edward Blake will be inclined to
think that the author has drawn en-
tirely on his imagination for this scene
between the president and Mr.. Rankin.
| may say that the president of col
lege recently showed me a letter writ
ten by a wealthy donor in which a
threat was made to withhold a large
sum of money from the college unless
certain professor, who occupied the
chair of political economy, were re-
moved from the institution on account
of the nature of his teaching, which,
according to the best judgment of a
majority of students and teachers, was
not un-Christian teaching. but distinct
ly and positively Christian. The pro-
fessOr was not removed in this in
stance. ! believe that the history of
educational institutions in the United
States would. if truly written, disclose
very many similar attempts to dictate
the nature of the teaching in college
on the part Of men who do not desire
IN hDV mot hndc Of al
ing studied or discussed.-Charles NJ.
Sheldon.
Two weeks later the president finish
ed his business and went away for
little vacation. The matter that had
been discussed so frankly between him
and Edward would come up for action
before the board of trustees when the
college opened again in the fall Mr.
Rankin had Deen as good as his word
in talking with as many of the faculty
and trustees as he could find in Ray
nor during the summer And the sub
ject would have created more excite
ment than it actually did if the college
had been in session and the news of
the war had not been so prominently
uppermost.
July came on, and Edward was al
most entirely alone in the hall The
stirring events of the battles of San
Juan and Santiago and the destruc.
ton of Cervera's feet, together with
the surrender of General Toral and
the departure of the fourth division
of regulars from San Francisco to
Manila, became history. Then followed
the overtures of Spain for peace and
the statement by the president of
terms by which peace could be secur-
ed. With the beginning of August it
seemed as If the brief war were almost
ended. And yet out there across the
Pacific the war cloud grew larger and
the situation more serious. President
Royce's words were prophetic when
he returned in August, and in talking
with Edward as they resumed their
work in the library study he said:
There will be long struggle in those
islands. and it will take very wise
man to predict all the results. We
have problems formed by this brief
war with Spain that will require a
good many years to solve. The best
craftsmanship and the best citizenship
and the best missionary service will be
demanded of the United States in the
next quarter of century if we would
make the history we ought to make
as a Christian nation"
These events and experiences made
memorable summer for Edward Blake.
There was one week in July when he
was sorely perpleXed as to his exact
duty to his old roommate After a
silence of several days regarding Will
lis condition Mrs. Preston wrote that
he was very low. The next word that
came was merely a line saying that he
had passed the crisis of his illness and
would recover. Edward would have
left Raynor at that time If his going
10 the camp would have been any help.
But Mrs. Preston strongly dissuaded
him from coming, knowing the great
expense, and so Edward remained the
whole summer in Raynor, as he had
planned to do. Late in August Willis
himself wrote brief note, saying he
had made up his mind to go with the
state regiment to the Philippines. Mrs.
H., H. nd a