St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1909-09-08
Religious Leadership in Higher
Education.


Toutline of address by President J. M
Thomas at State Conference, Randolph
June 81
Religious Leadership in Higher Edu-
cation" he declared, would have sounded
very strange only few years ago as our
old world counts time as strange as 1t
would sound now to speak OF religious
leadership in the prayer meeting. OF
course there is religious leadership in
that and so, not so long ago, it would
have seemed strange to speak OF religious
leadership in education. In the mediae-
val years, the monks were the only
educators and the church did all the
educating. Oxford is monument OF the
mediaeval spirit in her architecture and
constitution, and in some branches
pursued there. 1t is not otherwise with
the great universities of the continent.
The sole impulse of education came
from men of religious convictions and
came out of their convictions. Harvard
bears the name of a clergyman. Male, to
which books were brought in and placed
on the table with the remark, II give
these books to help found a college in
America" was due to the desire OF men
to propagate their faith and who
thought in so doing they were rendering
God service. Princeton had its beginning
as divinity school, and so we may go
on until we cross the continent.
Then a change came about, symbolized
by the name of Justin S. Morrill,, who in
1858 framed the land grant bill, setting
aside 10000 acres for each state, the
proceeds from the sale OF each tract to be
devoted to some college, established or
to be established, tor the promotion OF
the study of agriculture and mechanic
arts. 1t has been sometimes thought
that these colleges were merely to pro-
mote agriculture, but that not alone or
chiefly, was the intention; it was to pro-
mote all education. The bill, signed by
President Lincoln in 1862 became law,
and great interest was aroused in scien-
tifc surveying, only taught then at West
Point and one other institution of higher
grade.
The movement was largely successful.
Agricultural colleges and experiment
stations sprang up. The sum OF $50.
900 year was appropriated tor our
institutions. State universities with
throughout the Middle West.
Now come the secular institutions,
which can have no religious influence
whatever publicly, though they may
exert it privately. Colleges are taken
away from the control and influence Of
the church, and we see the same move
ment in the public schools. Here in Yer
mont we do not question the devotional
exercises every morning, but IN the
middle west they clip the wings of the
| teacher in that respect, and in the tar
west the exercises disappear altogether
So it is in the choice of a head for col
leges and universities. Instead of a
clergyman, as it always used to be, the
president is not taken from the secular
walks of life, and colleges are even a
little ashamed of having minister at
| their head.
Nevertheless, religion is the parent Of
higher education. Name any branch in
the curriculum and go to the end of it
and it will have something to tell you
about religion. 1t has been the pioneer
leading men to study. Men wondered
at fire, how strange it was; they didn't
understand it and so they bowed them
selves before it and became fire wor-
shippers. But as they practised their rites
before it, they grew to understand it.
learned how to make it and then sought
another god. Men looked up at the
stars, saw their wonderful movements
and thought they had to do with human
veal or woe.
/ They worshipped them, they watch
ed them, and the science Of
astronomy was born. From convictions
that members of clan were descendants
of a deity, men saw fit to draw up rules
for conduct which should please the
deity, and the first laws were formed.
There is no real good in studying
things as things. We must get at the
vital or personal message of every
science, or we do not get out of it wha
we need. Any education of value to III
must have personal message and w
should say in our wrestle with book
| will not let thee go until thou gran
unto me the message of which | stand il
need.
Education is the outgrowth OF tn
spirit. There is a religious message il
every branch of study in the higher in
stitutions OF learning; the best they hav
to give is a message to the soul. N
, community can be lifted higher than it
churches, and no state can be LITE
higher than its colleges Herald an
| Nauc