Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-24

In visiting Biddle University of this city,
an institution that was founded by the
| freedmen's bureau shortly after the war
| for the education of young colored men
| and Is supported by the freedmen's board
| Of the Presbyterian Church, with head
| quarters at Pittsburg, l was struck by the
| fact that more than half of the time Of
| the students in the theological depart
! ment Is devoted to the study of Hebrew
| and Greek. And the catalogue says that
| Such members of the middle and senior
| classes as are qualified for it may make
a beginning in comparative Semitic gram
mar by reading the first chapter of Gene
| sis in Hebrew. Aramaic, Syliac and
| terested in the institution declared inis
time might better be devoted to the
study of the languages Of the Congo val
| ley and of Timbuctoo:
/ B'ddle University has four departments
Industrial, classical, normal and theologi-
cal; and has alumni numbering S08. OF
| these 419 have .een graduated from the
industrial and normal schools, go from
the classical department and III from
the school of theology During the last
twenty-one graduates, making total of
2o4 OF these 'fffty-two have become min
listers, forty-three teachers, twenty eignt
doctors and the remainder, II, in number,
For the first twenty-five years Biddle
University had faculty Of white pro-
| fessors. About fifteen years ago it was
thought advisable to substitute colored
professors as vacancies occurred, and to-
day all Of the faculty are negroes The
office OF president for ten years was filled
by the late Rev. r. ]. Sanders, D. D.,
LII. D., who according to universal tes-
| timony. was man of great learning and
ability, and thus far the trustees have
not been able to find any colored man
competent to fill his place. Rev. H. L.
McCrorey,, professor of Hebrew and
Greek and dean Of the theological de-
partment, is acting president.
By the latest catalogue there are nine
| teen students in the theological depart
ment, with senior class of four. Two
of them came from British Guiana, three
from Virginia, six from North Carolina,
six from South Carolina and two from
Georgia. and they obtained their academic
education chiefly in the mission schools
of those states. So far as I could ascer-
| tain they are all worthy and earnest
tend to devote their lives to pastoral
work among the members of their race in
the south and desire as well as require a
suitable preparation. But the instruction
provided for them is based upon the old
fashioned curriculum of the days of Jona-
than Edwards and the traditional course
of study that prevailed in theological
seminaries a century ago and has
been gradually modified or discarded by
progressive institutions. =
In the White Institutions.
The study of Hebrew is now elective
and Is not required in a majority of theo-
logical institutions. At Yale 1t has been
almost entirely discarded for a practical
course in Christian sociology, ethics and
modern methods of Christian activity.
Chicago Theological Seminary has made
cf Ito Nho ITol
have been made almost entirely elective
and the time formerly given those
languages Is now devoted to courses in
the English Bible. evangelism. missions,
Christian sociology and to the practical
work Of the ministry.
In Carrot Biblical Institute Northwest
ern University Hebrew is taught during
the second and third years as an elective
course INTENDED for those who desire to
read and understand the Scriptures in the
original"
At Colgate Hebrew is elective; at Union
and at Andover it is required the first
year. and is elective for the rest of the
course. At Biddle University more He
brew and Greek are required than at any
other theological institution in this coun-
try. and 1t would seem that its graduates
need less Of 1t than those of all other
divinity schools. They go from here
into the plantation villages Of the south.
Their congregations are humble and In
many cases illiterate farmers; they re-
quire great deal from their ministers.
but it Is difficult to imagine how a knowl-
edge of Hebrew or Greek can be made
useful in either preaching or pastoral
work Neither language would seem neces-
sary for the instruction in Righteousness
of log-cabin congregation. All colored
preachers ought to have thorough
knowledge Of the Bible but l cannot find
in the curriculum of Biddle University any
evidence Of Bible study except two reel
tations a week for two terms in biblical
history.
Out of a total of seventy-eight recita-
tons as given in the course Of instruc-
ton the work is divided as follows: He
brew, 10; theology. II: church history, 8;
biblical .nistory. 4: Christian ethics, 1;
Creek IS: homiletics. II: church govern
ment. 5: evidences of Christianity, /.
Homiletics Is the method of preparing
and delivering sermons, and should, OF
course, receive special attention. But
| it receives only one-third OF the time that
| is given to Greek and Hebrew, and there
| is no evidence that any instruction what
ever is given in pastoral work. 1t woul1
be a great deal better II the course of
instruction given at Mr. Moody's school
at. Mortified in practical Christian work
and the English Bible should be substi-
tuted for the antiquated curriculum at
Biddle University.
The Practice at Howard.
partment Of Howard University, which is
also intended for the education Of colored
| men for the ministry. says:
The work OF this school centers upon
| the English Bible. The varied lines of in
struction and training converge on the
effective use of the Bible in pulpit, pray
sr meeting, family and pc: sonal work.
| While Hebrew and Greek are offered as
necessary to critical scholarship, it Is the
English Bible that the preachers and pas
| tors and Christian workers will chiefly
use: and it is this that Is to BE- Chiefly
used in their training. At the same time,
there is full instruction in church history
ard theology, in evangelizing. in mission
airy activities, in the theory and practice
of preaching and in church admin:s.ra-
tion."
| Several white clergymen OF experience
to whom have spoken agree that 50
| much attention to Greek and Hebrew Is
rot only useless, but harmful to- colored
pastors because their preliminary prep1-
| ration Is so limited and defective that
| they can never get more than superficial
acquaintance with either, and we all
know that little knowledge Is a danger
Gus thing.
| A North Carolina clergyman told me
that one Of the coloTed preachers in his
neishborhood came to him one day to ask
for several sentences in Hebrew. Greek
| cor any other foreign language" that he
could use In his sermons. because a rival
preacher who had studied Hebrew at
Biddle University was getting the adcan-
l.tage of him in the popular estimation by
| onofing the Bible. in the original tongue.