The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-08

N3~-- and dumb asylum that was not opened for lack of funds
 pr. West, commenting on this action of our church, says Tn founding college in Alabama the Methodists were in ad-
 vance of the state, and of all churches, and of all denominations of Christians
 The first college opened and chartered in the state of Alabama was the La Grange college. At the time it opened It's halls and went to teaching as college, and at the time it was chartered by the sen- ate and house of representatives of the state of Alabama as a college, there was no other school opened in the state hav- ing the grade of college.
 One would naturally suppose that col lege founded by denomination of Chris tions, and which college was to continue under the auspices of such denom- ination, had been founded for giving in- struction in Christian doctrines, for ln- educating religious tenets, but the founders of LaGrange college, extraordinary as 1t may seem, by constitutional provision, as has already been seen, prohibited the in- education of religious doctrines at that in- stitution, and they commended the inhibl- tion as a merltorous provision, giving to the school a supreme excellence. Nothing was to be taught but literature and science. The founders of that college did not wish to establish theological insti- tuition; they were uncompromisingly op- posed to theological schools, theological departments and theological chairs. How ever. it must not be inferred that these noble men and women were opposed to a school of a religious character and
 whose influence would advance the cause of Christianity. LaGrange college was founded to furnish an institution where the youths of the church and the country could be educated without hazard to their morals and principles from evil associa- lions and false sentiments"
 It was from this college that Bishop Joshua Soule received his degree of doc- tor of laws July 4, 1850. After 25 years of varied experience January, 1S5O the
 doors of the college halls on that sublime and consecrated' spot were closed for
 ever, and the institution was opened at
 Florence, where, 1t took the name of the Florence Wesleyan university. The insti- tuition did a great work for the generation it touched.
 Other Educational Work. The Monte Sano Female academy was established about September, 1890; the grade of it's work is best told in it's prospectus as follows: 'It is proposed to teach in this institution botany natural and moral philosophy, the clements of geography. chemistry and astronomy" A year later the Tuscaloosa Tract society was organized
 1888 was the centenary year of Meth odism and a meeting was appointed by official action of the Alabama conference to provide a school of higher education, and to collect money from the Methodists at large for that purpose. The result of this celebrati ton was the establishment of Centenary Institute in the neighborhood of Valley Creek in Dallas county, that
 was incorporated by act of legislature, January 2, 1S4, and in 1S43 under Rev. A. H. Mitchell the school opened with between 60 and 70 pupils of both sexes. The name was changed to "Summerfield''
 in 1S45, for it was thought the old name was not suggestive of a high and health- ful locality so says pr. West. This institute conferred the degree of doctor of divinity on several ministers.
 In the autumn of 1S43, by authority of
 the Tennessee conference, "Female In- stitute' of Athens was opened for girls under trustees named in the act of in- corporation, and has long meen a center
 of culture and wide influence.
 The Alabama conference, January, 1S49,
 took the Oak Bowery Female institute un-
 der its control; located as it was in one of the influential agricultural sections of East Alabama, it fourished to the breaking down just after the war. May the speaker be permitted to acknowledge that he hold the buildings of the "Oak In- I ory. for it was there his mother received I her education, and there today is to be 1 found in the old building an old-time 1 heavy desk, where as a small school boy 1 he cut the first two initials of his name. 1 May God bless dear old deserted "Oak 1 Bowery school huse"i
 The Bascom Femaleinstitute was located in 1852 near Huntsville in temporary ousr | ters, and did good work to the time of It's interruption by the Civil war Thai same year the Ministerial Education so
 c1ety'' to help young preachers to secure an education, where they were worthy, was organized.
 ference at Tuscaloosa December, 1853. a communication from the trustees of a proposed female college at Tusl<egee Ala, was received and referred to the committee of education, and on Feb ruary 2. 1854, the act of its incorporation was approved. In the beautiful village or Tuskegee, with it's refined, liberal and pious people. that college has now grown, under the management of Dr. John Mas sey, beyond the capacity of it's building The Taladega Conference institute, a female high school was projected by the conference December, 1854, and about that time the Masonic school was given the Methodist conference much encumbered with debt. which they were unable to clear and in 1858 the conference handed the school over to the state of Alabama and since then 1t has been used as the School of Deaf Mutes and Blind In 1856 the Southern university was established at Greensboro. Incorporated
 by the act of the general assembly of Alabama, January 25, 1850, where it has done noble work, sending untold bless ings to the manhood of the state and many into an educated ministry
 The people at Auburn had originated the memorial to the conference for a col ledge. Being unsuccessful when the loca- tion was secured for Greensboro. they moved forward with their plan for a col lege and just seven days after the grant ing of charter to the Southern uni- versity the general assembly of Alabama incorporated the East Alabama Male College" February 1, 1850. Being sur rendered to the state by our church it has become the Alabama Polytechnic in- stitute, one of the strongest institutions of learning in the south.
 Tuscaloosa. LaGrange. Summerfield. Athens. Oak Bowery. Huntsville, Tus- kegee, Florence Greensboro and Auburn were the educational centers in Alabama under the auspices of Methodism to the close of the Civil War. Of course other influences in the state have fought val iantly for the cause of education, but we of the Methodist faith may look with no ordinary pride on the part our church has taken for an educated citizenship.
 This monograph, as imperfect as it may be. would be sadly lacking did I not acknowledge the service of Dr. Anson West for his History of Methodism in