Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-02
Effort Being Made to Secure
Official Recognition Of One
Iowa School
CHURCH DECISION DOESN'T HOLD
PelIa School and lts Friends Do Not
Recognize Authority Of State Asso-
citation to Designate = Will contin.
ue lts Educational Work Regardless
of Associations Attitude. J.. 49,.
Special to T,mes-Republican.

Special to T,mes-Republican.
Des Moines, Jan. '2.-Centra1 Uni
versity OF Pella, Iowa, has announced
to its friends and supporters that
whatever the action of the Baptist de-
of the state is regarding
the educational institutions, 1T VIII
keen its doors open and continue to
receive students. This may be one OF
the determining and at least 1t VIII ne
one OF the important factors with the
denomination in reaching decision
as to its policy regarding its educa-
tional institutions.
For a great many years the denoH-
nation has been split over the ques-
tion Of what to do with its colleges IN
Iowa. Rather 1t has been at q loss
how to compel the educational lhsl-
tutions to do as it decides. The Bap-
fists OF Iowa have two educational In
situations neither of which belongs 10
it. That is it has Central University
at Pella, Iowa, which processes to ne
a Baptist institution, and 1t has Des
Moines College, at Des Moines, Iowa,
which processes to be a Baptist instl-
tuition. but its owns neither in fee sim
pie. The title to the property of both
resides with the trustees who are
amenable to no one.
Some years ago, in fact. many years
ago, 1t was recognized that the
state could not support two educa-
tional institutions but by uniting it's
support on one institution it could
make it credit to the state as we'll as
the denomination. At the conventions
of the state association 1t was decided
several times to support but one, but
the members OF the denomination con-
tinued to divide their support between
convention it was again decided to
support but one college and was de-
cided with a little more emphasis than
usual and there are indications that
the members of the denomination will
10 as the state association says. The
last state convention did not decide
which college to support but appointed
a committee to investigate the matter
and report at the next state conven-
ton which will be next October. The
colleges will then have been open and
running q month so the decision can
not affect the colleges till after the
1907 1908 college year.
The committee appointed Is now at
work making an investigation. Wat
erloo wants the college located there
and is willing to raise 100000 to bring
1t there. The announcement now from
Pella that Central University will pay
no attention to the decision of the de-
nomination unless the denomination
decides to locate the school there may
be an important factor with the COM
mittee, in reaching its conclusions tho
1t is not believed that it will influence
the committee favorable to Pella, nec-
essarily.
Des Moines College has a valuable
property in this city. 1t is located in
North Des Moines, one Of the best res
idence sections of the city, and has two
good substantial buildings on the
ground 1t owns six or eight blocks of
land which is abundant for it's needs
for generations. It has subscriptions
raised to erect a gymnasium and mu-
sic hail. but these are now held in
allegiance till the denomination decides
which it will support. If the institu-
ton was abandoned and Waterloo de-
cided upon as the location, the property
in Des Moines could be sold for a
large sum for residence lots.
Des Moines College people are argu-
ing that If the state association should
decide to locate the institution at Wat
erloo there would probably be some
thing of boom for the institution for
the next ten years, but they believe
that as an enduring proposition the in
stitution would be better off at the end
of the eleventh year and each year after
that If left In Des Moines. Des Moines
College is of course seeking to retain
the institution here, and to get the de-
nomination to concentrate its support
here. The next convention of the state
association will be held in October and
the test will come then in reaching a
decision and also again when it de-
velops whether or not the support of
the denomination can be held together
for one institution.