The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-27
THE COLLEGE AND MISSIONS.
President Cromer of Newberry Coll
leRe at Lutheran Church.

U
IeRe Mt Lutheran Church.
Mr.. George 3. Cromer, president OF
Newberry College. Newberry, s. C. ad-
dressed the congregation of the Luther
an Church Of the Ascension last night on
college Education and Missions"
THE question that dominates the life
of The people" ne said. lis, Does il pay?
1t is the question Of a commercial spirit
and must be answered in presenting any
business enterprise. I will apply IL 70
two phases of church education and
missions.
First" he said. Il will take UP the
question, Does it pay the young man 90
go to colIege?' The question is answered
best by a little book thar was written
some time ago by prominent teacher
of this country. The book is mainly sta
tistical and shows a lot Of Information
not generally familiar 10 the people, or.
il known At all, not fully realized. The
writer states that of the entire male pop
ulation Of the country not more than l
per cent has attended college.
The places of prominence that have
been attained by this one Ter cent, of
college bred men in proportion to those
obtained by others who have not been
Il college is really startling. A table Of
statistics that the writer has compiled
SHOWS that 10 the ranks Of the college
bred men can be accredited th.r,y-six
per cent. of congressman, fifty-seven OF
senator's, hfty-fve Of presidents, nearly
the same proportion OF vice presidents.
ffty-hye per cent. of cabinet officers,
sixty-seven Of justices of the Supreme
Court and eighty-f1ve Of chief justices.
"Dr. living, who carefully investigated
the matter states that of the fifteen thou
sand prominent American that are men
toned in Appleton's Encyclopedia of BIZ
ography five thousand three hundred and
twenty-six are college bred men pro-
portion OF more than thirty-three per
cent.
What is the significance of this?
There is but one answer and that is that
the man whose intellect has been trained,
whose faculties have been developed and
whose powers are at their b ST is better
fitted to grapple with the problems Of
the day than is the man who has not
had this education.
There are many prominent self-made
men. men who have acquired vast for
tunes and who have by sheer force,
strength, and genius achieved prominence
in all the walks of life, but their lives
are not complete. Depew says: II has
been my privilege during twenty-five years
as attorney and counsel to know init
mately hundreds of men who have acquir-
ed millions, but whose regret was deep
and profound that they did not have an
education, and who so realized the adVan-
tages. or rather the need of it, that rather
than have their boys feel the same want
were ready to sacrifice whole fortunes
This is an answer to the question Does
It pay"
Mir. Cromer applied the same question to
the mission work of the church. we
pay too little regard" he said. 10 those
things that we cannot see, things that
cannot be measured in dollars and
cents. The questions of do mis-
sions pay should not be judged in re-
suits but in the motive that prompts them;
and the motives that underlie missions are
the same that underlie the Christian
Church.
ESPECIALLY since the recent trouble with
the Boxers in China has this question,
DO Missions pay?" been agitated. From
a commercial viewpoint il may not. but
here again II is the underlying motive and
ultimate results that should be considered.
Taken from a merely human standpoint
what of the life of the Apostle Paul, dld
it pay? He was dragged out of city and
stoned to death Did it pay? Let the civil
lzarion of Europe and America answer.
And even look at that greater life, the life
of the Lord of heaven and earth; poor,
despised. spit upon. aud crowned with
thorns, nailed to the tree and dying amidst
the jeers Of the rabbie. Was not his life
from the human standpoint the ghastliest
failure earth ever saw? Did it pay? Let
Christendom answer"
Continuing the same line of thought,
Mr.. Cromer said that the true philosophy
of missions was to be found in perform
ing the injunctions put upon us In the
Bible and leaving the results to God. 1T
is the motive" he said, that counts"
He enjoined upon his hearers the lesson
taught by the three Inscriptions over the
door of a cathedral in Italy. Under a
wreath of roses isNwritten, "Ail pleasure
Is but for moment" and under a cross,
An that troubles is but for a moment,
while under a crown is written. That
only is immortal which is eternal"
The college of which Mr.. Cromer is
president is under the control and aus
pieces of the Lutheran Synod of South
Carolina. 1t is of quite a large size, and
in a most prosperous condition, having
grown steadily in the number of its pu-
pits for several years. Last year the en-
rollment was ia and this year il is ex-
pected that the number will be even larg-
er. Mr.. Cromer. who has been the guest
of Rev. NJ ]. Epting during his stay in
Savannah, will leave tonight for New
berry.