The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-12
OWENTON COLLEGE GAN
 BE MADE GREAT SCHOOL

I interlopers. The educational traditions and policies of the church stand justified | by the success that has attended them The policy of the past that committed Method1sm to the task of enterprising and maintaining colleges, has become the necessity of the present and future. Let
 no one think there will be any abandon | ment of our position. Rather will the | future see on the part of our great church a closer and fuller committal to the Chris | tian college.
 The future wealth of Methodism in North Alabama is inextricably bound up with the future of the college at Owen- l ton. That institution, as certainly as time | goes on either will set limitations upon
 us, or will multiply our powers and en- | large the measure of our opportunities The school has reached the point in its | development when 1t can never be re- l garded in the light of a negative or negli- l glble quantity. It will gauge our concep- | tions of spiritual magnitudes It will be- come measurement of intellectual and moral values. It will stand as concrete expression of our estimate of the working | force of the kingdom of Christ It will put its imprimatur upon the young men who pass through its halls into the con ference, and through them will set up
 the standards to which the future ideals and activities of the church will be pitched. The question at Owenton, ap-
 proach 1t from any standpoint you may, | resolves itself in the last analysis into
 the question of the life and future char
 acter of the conference. He who sees | these things, and every thoughtful man
 must see them. will acknowledge that we
 must do more for the school In very self defense we must do so
 The college Is at Owenton to stay That question Is settled in the mind of the conference. We have put our hands to
 to the blow, and there is no thought on the part of any one, so far as know, of looking back. Our committal to the Ioca- I ton Is with unanimity and deep convic-
 tion If Methodism is to have great col iege in these parts, Owenton Is the place TOT It. Considerations of overwhelming weight compel this decision Some of us, Jpernaps, thought otherwise when the o,les- ton was first sprung upon us Others recognized the strategic value of the To- cauon, but opposed the projection of the enterprise, because they thought 1t unwise and inexpedient for Alabama Methodism
 to divide forces on our school work. But the Rubicon has been passed The col lege IS fact And as a fact 1t will abide | upon the hill at Owenton looming larger with the years.
 Since we are irrevocably committed to the policy of Christian education; since N- o"i cuuCd,iondl enterprise Is located | III unquestionable wisdom; since the char acter and proportions of our college will | aHect so vitally the future veal of our Methodism in this center of southern ln- 1 uustrlal development; it is unthinkable | that the Methodists of North Alabama
 Will not face squarely and meet with
 large provision the stern conditions which
 are presented in the premises To say | that we are not able to equip and endow | in lal l~o,.. We are rapidly becoming a wealthy peo- pie. Our purse strings are loosed to all | manner Of enterprises that call for broad | lorethought and munificent provision The l story of the prosperity of the south. and particularly of our section of Alabama l reaus ike romance. The marvels of
 Aiad1ns lamp have all but become sober | reality within sight of the towers of the | college. And we are but at the beginning | The meager provisions for higher ed1ca | tion Tn the south once had justification in | the poverty and prostration following the l war we can no longer cover our shame | under that cloak The south today ia
 richer, more populous and more powerful | than In the days of her ante bellum glory. | mere IS justification in our material en- ! Vironment for our going before our people with large plans for the future of our
 school-plans large enough to command | thelr attention and to inspire their effort plans commensurate with the immeasur- | able future of the great church to which | they belong
 Birmingham Methodism, and the people l oi blrmlngham generally, will have to I lead off in inauguration and realization | or these larger plans. If the sober truth l be told and 1t should be told the people | or Birmingham have done very little for
 the college in the past. The one building we nave was reared largely out of the | pockets of the preachers of the confer 1 ehce few individuals here did the | nopie, generous thing in the donation of the lands we hold; beyond that. Birming- nam has done next to nothing. This fact | IS not seemly It is not credtable to local pride, to say nothing of denominational
 loyalty. Our people here have put into Howard college Baptist school, as , nucn, perhaps. as they have given to owenton. Aside from all considerations
 or local pride and interest the fact that this city Is the center of Methodist popula- | ton and wealth and influence with the conference, would seem to lay upon our laymen here an obligation in the prem ises far beyond anything they have felt | in the past
 | It behooves us to think on these things l I say 1t advisedy. and because I feel deeply there is no consideration pressing | upon the Methodists of the North Ala l bama conference now nor has there been | for years, if ever that involves quite so much as does this same college crowning l the hill at Owenton. One cannot bring l himself to believe that so great a con l ference as is ours will shut it's eyes to | the manifest conditions that confront us 
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