The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-07-09
THE BAPTIST COLLEGE.
Verbatim Report Of Rev. Miller Of the
Committee On Christian Education.

Report On Christlan Educatio..
To the North Dakota Baptist State
Conventions:
We, your committee, desire to make
the following report upon the subject
Of christian education.
We realize that the social condi-
tons which confront the young men
and women of the present time de-
mand that they shall be thoroughly
trained in the use of the head, hand
and heart, and that any education
which contain only the first two is but
partial and fragmentary training.
We are pleased to notice that the Bap-
fist denomination has always adhered
to the scriptural idea that 1.-The Fear
Of the Lord Is the Beginning of Wis
DOM" and in its endeavor to make this
ideal practical thing within the
reach of its young people has founded
schools, academies, colleges, univer-
stiles, and theological seminaries in
all the well settled portion of our
country.
We are aware of the fact that a re-
ligious education does not mean mere
ly the acquisition of a knowledge of
religious things for many a man has
known the Bible and the catechism by
heart without becoming a christian.
We are also aware of the further fact
that religious deucation does not mean
an education received under religious
influences for men have come forth
from christian homes where parental
piety shines with diamond like radi-
ance, and from christian academies,
colleges and seminaries where godly
men and women composed the faculty
without being religiously educated.
We believe that the design Of religious
education is to root one in the truth
of Christ, that he may grow and bring
forth fruit after his kind, and we
record our gratitude to God that this
result has been accomplished in so
large measure in all of our educa-
tional institutions.
We desire especially to commend to
the attention of pastors, parents, and
guardians of youth, the great Baptist
university at Chicago, in which are to
be found nine distinct faculties includ-
ing two hundred and thirty instructors
and more than three thousand stu
dents.
We wish also to make mention of
the following theological schools of
which our denomination may we'll be
proud, Newton, Hamilton, Rochester,
Grocer, Louisville. and Chicago. In
these schools, which are all in -four
fishing condition, many young menSare
being thoroughly prepared for the Cos
pei ministry and we are not only
serving our own denomination, but the
work of manv Others by sending out
graduates of these schools who come
from other than Baptist homes into
the pulpit of other churches. While
sometimes the voice of criticism has
been raised against the sort of teach
ing furnished in the Divinity School of
Chicago, we believe that in the main
its instructors are wise conservers
of faith, and eager seekers after truth.
OF course, in so large faculty as a
wealthy university is able to assem-
BILE there will always be found those
who will lay stress on purely intel
lectual culture and on scientific and
philosophical methods of instruction,
yet, it seems to US unwise and un-
generous to make sweeping denuncia-
tons of the whole on account of
part.
We would also urge that the young
men and women who are DESTROYS of
seeking a higher education shall con-
slider such secondary schools, acad-
emies and colleges as are to be found
in the northwestern states of Mime
sofa, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin and
South Dakota.
We wish to call attention to the
fact that in this rapidly developing
state of North Dakota, we are really
tributary to none of these last named
schools, and it seems to the commit
tee that the title has now really come
when the Baptists of North Dakota
should take some definite action look
ing to the foundation and maintenance
of Baptist school. Dozens and hun
dreds of our Baptist children are
ready for an academy. university and
college training and yet we offer them
no such privileges right at home. Do
We not love our own boys and girls
and wish to do well by them? Do we
not believe that a christian school is
one of the best missionary investments
that can be made? Certainly. Yet,
it costs money and lots of it to estab-
lish and maintain respectable COL
lege. At least five hundred thousand
dollars would be required to found
and equip such an institution in any
promising town in this state, and
even then, it is question whether in
competition with the state university
it could attract a sufficiently large
body of students to make the effort
worth while. In the year 1901, at the
convention held in Fargo with the
First Baptist church the committee
on christian education presented the
policy &C college affiliation with the
state university. This report which
wes adopted is to be found on pages
16 and II of the Baptist Annual of
that year. Since that time the very
aggressive Methodist denomination has
abandoned struggling school at
Wahpeton and established college at
Grand Forks. 1t has raised two hun
dred thousand dollars with which to
erect buildings upon land purchased
and lying north of the state university
campus, and it proposes to raise two
hundred thousand dollars more to en-
dow the institute! 1t seems to your
committee that the idea of building an
institution connected in the same man
ner with the state university should
receive serious consideration by the
Baptists of North Dakota at this time.
There were twenty-five Baptist stu
dents in attendance upon the state
university for the year 1866, and it
IS certain from data now on hand that
this number will be greatly increased
for 1867. Here then, is an oppor-
tunity at hand for the denomination to
do something along the line of re-
ligious education within very short
tjmo ond at much loco r0st thon ~ ~