The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-07-01
MIXING HASTE,

day now that the great race of the
 Yale and Harvard crews is won, is that which is on between some colleges and universities for a share of the Carnegie funds. There is a tremendous haste, almost unseemly, on the part of some institutions to prove that they are not sectarian in any sense, never ! were, and that their charters cannot really be construed to mean anything of the sort. Where charters have been little doubtful, either the most in- genious arguments have been used to interpret the charter in way consist ent with the Carnegie requirements, or the legislature has been appealed to forthwith to reduce to minimum any objectionable clause or to do away with l it altogether. A number of colleges have ] already succeeded in making it clear that they are not sectarian and great l ly abhor it. There seems to be a gen. eral awakening all along the line to the awful iniquity of belonging to any denomination or religious sect. If there is any special feeling against sectar- ianism as intolerable and therefore un- desirable in a college establishment and endowment 1t Is singular that all this has not been made clear before. Why with such startling suddenness has it become known that 1t Is very bad for college to be fostered by a religious denomination? The old adage money talks has some very strange illustra- tions of it's truth. The long adherence to particular body of religious truths, sufficiently coherent to attract and bind together a denorainational life can hard- ly be regarded In the Hsht of a misde- lrnsanof Ii such adherence can be quickly severed the strength of denom- national principle is shown to be weakened very much.
 Among the latest colleges to be seiz- ed by a serious conviction that they have been going wrong in allowing their names to be connected with any religious denomination are Wesleyan and Brown universities. The former has secured an erasure of the charter clause that requires the majority of the trus- tees and faculty and the president to
 be members of the Methodist Episcopa
 church. It Is reported that this action
 is received with much satisfaction by
 the trustees flor 1t now allows the
 university to become open to gifts from
 the Carnegie foundation" It is not yet
 made known what the denomination al
 large has to say. If we are not misin.
 formed the title of church and schoo
 property is vested in the Methods
 Episcopal church of America. If this i
 so there will be soon some interestin,
 questions to settle. Many of the alumn
 of Wesleyan University are strongly
 opposed to the new policy However
 will the institution at Middletowi
 change, too, it's name? Wesleyan is too
 significant of it's religious adherence.
 At Brown University the question O
 change was thoroughly discussed anC
 by strong vote laid over to next year
 Singularly enough some of those wh
 opposed the change are not Baptists
 Some are Baptists, as Dr. E. B. An drews, chancellor of the University O Nebraska. A few expressed the fear tha action at this time would be miscon
 strued and 1t would be thought tha Brown is entering the race for the Car negie foundation as the goal. Perisl 1 the thought! Baptists dislike any mis , construction. If they emphasize any on | thing in their faith 1t is correct in l depreciation of the Scriptures. Henc !, they will postpone action for a yea l rather than have any fall in the erro 5 of misinterpretation.
 l It is well known that practically al 7 of the older universities were founde t by various denominations which fos - tered education and culture They gay ) much and sacrificed much for these in r stitutions. Is any plan to be devised b
 which all this is to be conserved an l proper recognition accorded? The pas e cannot be entirely cut off by the com a mand or vote of anyone. Heretofore I college could properly appeal as it - right to it's own denomination fo S funds. Can a college now under tn f new order expect, that any religion . body will be concerned about it? C 6 course it will be said that a college ha e a wider range of appeal under the ne' y order and can now enlist institutions interest without respect to any denom