The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-05-15
CAUSED SURPRISE
IN CHARLESTON WHEN THE NEWS
REACHED THERE.
The Citidel's System as to Church
Attendance Has Always Given Sat-
isfaction-No Discrimination.

The News and Courier says the
reports from Spartanburg of the at
tempt of the Rev. G. H. Jordan, of
Union, a member of the Diocesan
Council of the Episcopal church, to
bring soout an investigation of re-
ligious conditions at the Citadel, al
leging that the cadets of the Epis-
copaI faith were Disseminated
against and prevented from attend
ing Episcopal churches, were read
with astonishment in Charleston,
where curiositysswas generally ex-
pressed as to how an impression so
erroneous as that indicated could
have. been formed by any one. Col.
o. j. Bond, the superintendent of
the South Carolina Militay Academy,
had heard nothing of the matter
when a representative Of The News
and Courier visited him at the Cita-
del a few evenings ago, and he read)
the dispatch with the greatest sur
prise.
I can't understand the matter at
ALL, he said with a smile. I'VE are
using today the same system as to
church attendance that we have used
for the last twenty years, and this
is the first complaint l have ever
heard in regard to the matter"
Col. Bond did not think that the
situation was such as to render
necessary any statement by him, but
he did not object to explaining the
system of church attendance as fol-
lowed at the Citadel. The cadets
every Sunday morning are sent out
by companies, he said, a company to
a church. There are eleven church
es on the list, which are attended in
rotation. Five of these are Eplsco-
pal churches-St. Michael's, St.
Philips, St. Paul's, St. Luke's and
Grace Church; three are Presbyte-
rian, the First Presbyterian, Second
Presbyterian and Westminster Pres
byterian churches; two are Methodist
Bethel and Trinity; one Baptist
church is included, the Citadel
Square Baptist church.
There are only six or seven Ro-
man Catholics in the student body.
These are allowed to attend church
es of their own faith. The students
of the Jewish faith, are not requir-
ed to attend services at Christian
churches against, their will
Once each. month communicants
are allowed individual leave to at
tend churches of their own denomi-
nation for the purpose Of taking
communion.
The cadets are allowed Sunday
afternoons off and may then attend
any church they wish to attend.
The first class has Sunday evenings
off, and members of this class may
20 to any church they please on Sun
day evenings.
Col. Bond also added that relig-
ious services are held in the chapel
at the Citadel each morning, that
there is a Bible class every Sunday
morning and that the Citadel Y. NJ.
C. A. holds services every Wednes-
day evening and every Sunday even
ing.
"There is absolutely no discrim-
ination at the Citadel against stud
ents of the Episcopal faith or OF any
other faith" continued Col. Bond.
"It is not one of the entrance quail
fications that a student be an Eplsco-
palian, but as a matter of fact 1t
happens that more students are mem
bers of the Episcopal church than OF
any other, more Episcopal churches
are attended than the churches OF
any other one faith--because OF this
fact and because the Episcopal
churches are most numerous OF the
Protestant churches in Charleston
and at least four members of the
faculty are Episcopalians, while a
fifth attends the Episcopal church
regularly"
Col. Bond is himself vestryman
of St. Paul's Episcopal church. IN
Charleston.