The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-02-12

Addresses by District Commissioners
Mcfarland Henry Churchill King, presi-
dent Of Oberlin College, and others in the
First Congregational Church last night
opened the fifth general convention oi
the Religious Education Association.
Nearly 80 delegates and many persons
not connected with the association at
tended
Subject OF Discussion.
The relation of moral and religious
education to the life of man." is the sub
1ect studied by the association. organized
for the thTee-fold purpose of inspiring
the educational forces of the country with
the religious ideal. and TO keep before
the public mind religious thought and the
sense Of its need and value.
Following devotional exercises con-
Quoted by Rev. Merrill E Gates. score
taTy to the Board OF Indian Commission
ers OF the District, the address of well
come was delivered by Commissioner
mcfarland.
The Address of Welcome.
Commissioner Mcfarland said:
"All that is best in Washington wei
comes you tonight. You are welcome for
yourselves as men of light and leading,
and you are welcome for your purpose.
because it is vital to the national life.
Education without religion may be dan
gerous 10 the community.
True religion is the best safeguard OF
the community. An through modern So
oiety education Is being separated more
and more from religion. The fathers who
made this country what it is SET up our
schools and colleges as ministers of re-
lgion. Our greatness as a people is the
fruit of their planting.
we are asked now 10 give up the an
Gent ways and to make education non
religious and set it up as a religion
in itself This would be an experiment
only for Us. 1t has been often tried be-
fore. in other days and always with the
same result The nations that forget God
go down into one common Pit Of death.
Therefore, your association and every
other which makes an honest effort to In
crease and strengthen the religious edu-
cation Of the people, does an inestimable
service 10 the state. Where there is no
vision the people perish The highest
patriotism is I'm the effort 10 keep the
people from being blinded so that they
cannot see the truth and follow its ideals.
The National Capital is the right place
for your meeting From this city set
upon hill what you say here win be
flashed TO every State and Territory. and
beyond our borders 20 our neighbors.
III will uplift in spirit. and illuminate.
Because the majority of our people. still
believing in the God OF our fathers. still
willing 70 do His commandments. are still
hearkening 10 the voice of His word we
rave good hope for the republic against
all the cOunsels OF despair"
Welcomed by lIr. Brown.
Elmer E. Brown, United States Com
missioner of Education, also extended a
welcome TO The members of the associa-
ton, after which Henry Churchill King.
J.. d, president Of OberIin College. made
an address. taking as his subject. En-
laTging ideals in morals and religion"
President King said that mans ideals
are constantly growing. Now" he said.
his ambitions and ideals have reached
a gigantic size
tie spoke Of the responsibility placed on
the nations shoulders by the incoming
tide Of immigration. and said we owed il.
not only TO ourselves, but TO the foreign
ers to give more heed 10 religion.
We men of the modern times" he
continued. must enlarge and deepen our
conception Of the VIII Of Cod. If our
moral and religious ideals are TO continue
10 grow and meet the demands of our day.
All the world comes 10 us. Not only are
the doors of foreign countries open to ue.
but all Of the foreign nations are az our
door, and we cannot escape the problem.
The problem Is not whether we are Will
ing 20 share our life with them but what
KIND of life can we share with them.
We must be great enough to rise above
our lesser achievements and conquer our
inner dangers. Fundamentally therefore
our national need is a religious need"
individual training In our colleges"
was the subject Of the address delivered
by Clarence F. Birdseye. a New York law
yer. lie discussed the college home as a
means of securing i right moral atmos-
pherc for students, speaking highly of
the influence Of fraternities and societies
Nr. BirdSeye's Address.
Mr.. Birdseye said. i'm part:
The college activities may be
roughly divided into finances. peda-
gogy. administration, and the student
life, The first two are managed NV
experts and are usually satisfactory
The administration is crude. Its prob-
lens are not pedagogic. but the admin
istrative problems which arise wber-
ever clashing individual interests OF
many men engaged in a common pur-
suit demand organization
The student life is that part fabout
80 per cent? OF the undergraduate
the not spent in personal contact with
thelr instructors. 1t is the element i'm
our colleges which fixes the character
OF the soil in which the good seed is
sown. Our college hsrvests are reIa-
lively poor, because we quite neglect
the student life, which is spent marty
in the larger college activies. partly I'm
close association with the students i'm
Inmates IN his college home. which NAV
De called the college family life I'm
puritleS and vices come in connection
with the student life: hence We must
improve IT.
At first the Greek-letter fraternitias
were merely college secret societies
then social bodies with secret
lodge room and lodge night. Now thew
have become home builders. I9fuen-
'Iai upper classmen no longer room in
the dormitories, but i'm the fraternity
houses, which thus become the center
81 student power and Che only true
successors of the earlier dormitorv
homes
The fratornities furnish the only
proau ana elective means SO far deyel- |