Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-07-13
STATE UNIVERSITIES NOT
SUPPLYING SATISFACTORY
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION

Prof Stearns said in part:
1.-The growth of the state universities
has been unprecedented in the history of
education During the past decade the
increase in attendance at universities and
colleges has been four and one-half per
cent, but the state universities have
doubled, trebled and even quadrupled.
'These students represent every stratum
of society. They are from the same stock
and no whit inferior to the students OF
the non-state schools From these insti-
tutions are to come in the future the
leaders, political, commercial and social,
of our country.
Here springs up a problem for the
church. Church and state, though sepa-
tate agencies, represent the activities in
different fields of one and the same peo-
pie. AS civic institution and the crown
ing step in the public school system of
the country, the state university is linn
tied in it's opportunities for definite re-
ligious instruction.
1.-THE state university's need Is three
fold pastoral relations with some strong
character who combines a specialists
knowledge of spiritual things with an
experimental appreciation of the difficult
ties peculiar to the developing student
mind dormitories affording ample hon.
ing facilities, due to the large demands
made upon limited funds; and scientific
discipline in those branches that have to
do most directly with religious education.
Students Interested In Religion
RelSlOuS StatlStlCS attest the interest
OF faculties and students. Organizations,
notably the Christian associations, exist
and are active in philanthropic and other
religious work Bible chairs and even de-
p9rtments are maintained in several in
stances either by churches or by individ-
uals Guild halls afford opportunities for
meetings and other student activities In
a few instances theological seminarics
have been established contiguous to
though separate from the state university.
The most complete development is the
ably UNCONVENTIONAL, located adjoining
larger central university with which it
co-operates. supplementng but not dupli-
eating the work of the university.
There is no organic union with the
state university. The separation of church
and state is preserved in the full author
ity to teach and in the administration of
mated. The church and state are not
separate, antagonistic organisms, but sim
ply two specialized forms of activity of
enc and the same people"
Objected to New Official
Quite a sensation was created by Vice
President G. A Gates chairman of the
higher education department, yesterday
morning at the close of the session when
he plainly expressed his ideas adversely
upon the election to office of the N. e. A.
a person whose name he did not mention,
but who is alleged to be N. b. Brown,
president of the University of Valparaiso
who was elected trustee at the meeting
of the new board of directors Thursday.
Professor Gates was profuse in his de-
nunciation of the action of the election
to office of the man by "a piece of dirty
politics" lie said:
81 want to protest as INST the election
of man who has done more to lower
the standard of higher education than
any other man or institution. His insti-
tuition and the men who have gone out
from it have done more to injure the work
of higher education than any other insti-
tuition or set of men. His election to one
of the high offices in the association was
accomplished by dirty p litics. l do not
personally know the man of whom l am
speaking, but l know whereof / speak
81 have heard many of our leading
educators say that they are sick at heart
over the situation. I do not wish to say
anything that will hurt anybody person
ally. In my criticism of the Standard Oil
company 1 have nothing whatever to say
against the personal character of John D.
Rockefeller, and in this statement I am
not mentioning names, but 1 do protest
vigorously against the exercise of cheap
politics that can bring about such result
Those of us who have tried hard to
uphold the standards of education in this
country know the difficulty of our task
and it is time for the supporters of higher
education to speak out"