The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1910-03-18

LETTER TO SENATOR BEASMAN
From Dr. Il. H. Lewis, of Western
Maryland College About Respecting
DenOminatiOnal Status.
For the Advocate.

OIdIC SOHdIOI ITOm OdTTOll county,.
Dear Sir In compliance with your
request that | should put in writing
the subsequence Of conversation with
you on the subject, | take pleasure in
giving you a brief statement of the
facts respecting the denominational
status Of Western Maryland College.
L. And first it is to be said like two
thirds of the colleges of this country,
Western Maryland College was found
ed by religious denomination. 1t
has always carried in it's Catalogue
the statement that it was founded by
the Methodist Protestant Church. But
this does not mean that it was found
ed to teach Methodist Professionalism
or to make Methodist Protestants of
its students. Every church feels call
ed to do something for the education
of the young, and the Methodist Pro-
testant Church has simply tried to do
it's duty in this respect. It has cost it
a great deal Of money and much labor
and trial, for which it has never re-
ceived and never expected to receive
the slightest financial return. All it's
property has been paid for by Metho-
dist Protestants, except few contri-
buttons from outside friends and the
one gift Of the last legislature. This
is what it means and always has
meant for a denomination to found
College.
2. The property of the College is
held by a Board Of Trustees, thirty
three, who cannot divert it nor gain
any profit from it. There is no stock,
no dividends; and if there should be a
'eelsnIl on suoneIedo SIT u! snIdIns
nor any other individual or body would
receive one cent; the profit would 60
back into the treasury for enlargement
and improvements.
8. The charter of this College is
exactly like that of st. Johns and
that twelve of it's thirty-three trustees
shall be ministers of the Methodist
Protestant Church. But the Charter
expressly prohibits it from making
any religious test Of its students or
strictly observed. The College teach
es no theological or denominational
subjects in any Of its departments
True, there are a few students there
who expect to enter the ministry, but
their course of study is the same as
that Of other students In every respect.
The faculty Of twenty men and women
have been chosen for their fitness and
without regard to their religious af-
filiations; and at present represent the
following denominations Methodist,
Presbyterian, Protestant Episcopal,
/ Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congrega-
tional, German Baptist and Jewish.
The student body Of 232 represents as
many or more denominations. They
1 a fhni1 oh,1,.a
| Sunday morning, and their own pas
tors have free access to them at all
times.
4. 1t has been the practice of the
College from it's beginning to give free
tuition to the children Of all ministers
residing in Westminster, no matter
what their denomination; and has
given free tuition to any young man
preparing for the ministry from any
locality and from any denomination.
5. If this is not sufficient to vindi-
cate Western Maryland College as a
liberal and public spirited institution,
/ might add that it has never made any
| discrimination in it's expenditures.
Every year it hands over to the bus
| mess men Of Westminster about fifty
thousand dollars; but it does not buy
butter, or potatoes or meat. It has
distributed something like three or
four hundred thousand dollars in the
course of it's history among Westmins-
ter workmen, but it has never asked
them what Church they belonged to.
6. Finally, it has never asked the
State to give anything to the Methodist
Protestant Church. The State had
entered upon the policy Of providing
free scholarships before our trustees
made any request of the State, and
then it only asked to have its share
But these scholarships are in no sense
donation to the Church. The Church
has absolutely nothing to do with them
and gets absolutely nothing because of
them. Neither is it in fact donation
to the College. These scholarships
are entirely under the control of the
State authorities. They are given af-
ter competitive examination by the
School Commissioners and the State
Senator. All the College gets is pay
for their board and tuition. Yet these
scholarships are boon to those young
people who have just as much right to
College education as those who hap
pen to be born rich. They are picked
boys and girls, the brightest In their
communities, who yet would never see
College but for this aid. In return
they give valuable compensation to the
State. They give bond to teach, and
Maryland's schools are filled today
with these graduates. Some of them
are County Superintendents, some are
High School principals, some are
County School Commissioners; and
whether as teachers or as officials, +
believe the State is being amply repaid
In the service they render for the cost
of their education. But whether this
is true or not, the fact is not altered
to say that Western Maryland College
Is a denominational school. For the
two have nothing to do with each
other. The State is not helping a de-
nomination. But On the contrary a
denomination Is helping the State by
establishing an institution of learning
and by making the way to higher eff
cheney accessible to larger number
of young people.
Very truly yours,
IT.. II. LEWIS,
President Of Western Maryland Col
1ege.