University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1910-11-04
conservation Of Religious Lire.

| flSlOuS ilIc VI lHe COlleSe StuueuC Is
the most perplexing one to many par
ents. The fear of plunging the young
into irreligious surroundings has been
a factor often in determining whether
a son should go to college at all, and
with that question settled affirma-
lively, then it is question of where
he may be sent with the least hazard
to his religious welfare. The editor
of The Christian Advocate New
York; makes a contribution to the
subject in admonishing the pastors of
college towns of their duty toward
students coming for the first time into
their communities. Upon them, as
well as upon college presidents, pro-
Ifessors, and Christian students, rests
the obligation OF preventing the loss
to the church of the flower of the
land We wish, he says, to impress
upon the pastors in college towns their
solemn duty to take an interest in
every student who is a son or daugh-
ter of member of their own denomi-
nation. Presbyterian ministers should
look, we'll after the Presbyterian stu
dents in Methodist institution, and
where the institution is of his own
denomination should the minister not
make it part of his pastoral bust
ness OF know these young men and
women and help them to be graduated
as symmetrical products of the two
sisters, often disjoined-Learning and
ltrue Religion?' We read further:
1--WE fear that this duty is often
Iomitted. Among various reasons for
this suspicion we have been notified
of the little attention paid to students
by local pastors, eliminating in the
following: From a large church and
corresponding congregation twenty
lone students were away at school last
year. The home pastor, in every case,
notified the pastor in the town or city
wherein is located the institution to
1 "AiSA ehS souh6 pei hoo SUM-
1.-TWO of the pastors, one where the
Student was in a college maintained
lby the state, and the other at the seat
of one of our Methodist colleges, were
faithful in pastoral care to the two
lyoung men. Two students at a great
methodist university were not spoken
to or recognized apparently by the
Ipastor
In another college town one of
these students goes to the Methodist
Episcopal church regularly and to it's
Sunday school. Three times the pas
tor of the twenty-one students notified
1.-THE pastor in this college town, and
twice notified the pastor who pre-
lceded the present incumbent. Neither
of them has ever spoken to the young
man, called upon him, or inquired
about him, though he rooms in a fra
Eternity house on one of the best
streets. The pastor of the church in
lquestion makes it his custom to write
lat least twice, each scholastic year, to
every student who is absent from
home.
''To infer a general condition from
one experience is illogical. Every pas
ltor of Methodist Episcopal church
in college town knows whether he
is attending to this part of his duty.
Our purpose is to lay the subject be-
fore the church. At all times most of
our bishops have considered appoint
ments to churches in college towns
as among the most difficult, and some
of them, after conversing about the
subject, have intimated or allowed the
| interlocutor to believe that personal
| interest in students is not distinct
/ feature of many of the pastors in these
| centers.'
ALSO we would impress those men,
bers of the higher classes who are
protesting Christians that they have
no little responsibility as to their sen.
timents and their conduct. In a
Methodist college whether in the
| North or in the South, in this decade
or an earlier) the conduct of the mem
bers of the higher classes-with a few
exceptions-has been negatively so in
consistent and positively so reckless
as for several years to demoralize
suceessive freshman classes which, or
entering, consisted largely of mem
bers of the church. Meanwhile the
llfaculty seemed unconcerned."