The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-05-22
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Of Southern Presbyterian ChGrch in,
Session
WEALTHY COLLEGES CHRISILESS,
Said the Retiring Moderator in His
Sermon on the Opsning Day OF the
Assembly.

Jackson. Miss, Special.-The forty
second session Of the General AS
sembly of the Presbyterian church in
the United States was opened prom
pity al II o'clock Thursday morning
In the auditorium Of the First Pres
byterian church. Full delegations
from the various churches were
present.
DR.. S. II. Chester, secretary OF the
foreign missions board, read the
Scripture lesson, which was followed
by prayer led by Dr.. r. P. Morris.
Rev. Leander NJ. Woods, the retiring
moderator Of the Assembly, preached
the opening sermon, which was uni
que and masterful, the idea being
drawn from First Samuel, 1:12-19-22,.
being. "The Smithies Under Philis-
tine Control, or Christian Schools the
CRYING Need of Our Time OF all the
issues that are facing the Christian
Intelligence Of today none is OF such
transcendent importance. DR.. Woods
thinks that the church should own
and control its own .smithies; that is,
own agencies for forging the weapons
which she must use to live. Pagan
schools are wrecking the church.
DR.. Woods defines a Christian
school as a school laugh tby Chris
tians, one whose curriculum is iu
harmony with revealed truth. OF the.
eighteen million youths at school
sixteen millions are in State schools.
DR.. Woods estimate OK their re-
ligious condition was not fattering..
These State institutions are with
only the rarest exceptions absolutely
devoid Of every feature of eyangeli-
cal religion. In their class rooms the
Bible is never taught or even read,
in them the voice of prayer IS never
heard. They are almost as Chri5tless
30 far as respects their curricuia as
the schools of the Jewish rabbis Or
the great Mohammedan University
of Cairo and even more goddess. for
in the latter the Supreme Being Is at
least recognized and His claim to
worship and service pressed home
upon the hearts of the students. The
public schools OF our country. indeed,
do possess the advantage OF having
in them a great many teachers VINO
are lovely Christians and are COM
passed with all the restraining and
helpful influences of Christian pub
lie sentiment, but the public schools
themselves do next to nothing to en-
hance rhe spiritual welfare OF their
respective communities. They are
simply kept from utter demo!ariza-
ton by the Christian atmosphere,
which exists in spite of them. Only
few years ago Prof. Andrews, then
at the head of the public schools OF
Chicago forbade the reading therein
Of Rudyard Kipling's Recessional
hymn. because in it mention IS made
of "The Lord God of Hosts" OF the
remaining two million students in the
United States few are in distinctively
Christian schools. OF the $14I,o0o,0O0
invested in institutional endowments,
SlO6, 900 900, or more than 73 per
cent, are owned by the Is wealthiest
universities of our country, and OF
these thirteen universities not a
single one is under the control OF any
church whatever. All of them are by
their own rating what is called non
sectarian' schools; and bear in mind
these millions do not include the
buildings. libraries, museums. etc.,
but only the income as producing
capital. Among these thirteen prince
IL schools are included Leland STAN
ford, Girard, Harvard, Columbia,
Carnegie, Chicago, Cornell and 9TH
ers. whose relations to evangelical
religion are we'll understood. These
thirteen schools have on their rolls
from two to five thousand students
each, among whom are multltudes OF
the men who are to rule America for
the next generation" Dr.. Woods laid
the magnificent proposition before.
the Assembly Of the founding of
great Southern University Il feel
like crying out" said he, why can
not we set in molten at this AS
sembly plans which sbcil look to-
wards the founding Of at least one
finely endowed universitr. amply
equipped, which shall abide for all
time as monument to the Southern
Precbyterisn church2"