The citizen., 1911-12-07
PRESIDENTS LETTER TO PARENTS

I have been disappointed In my
hope of making a trip through Ken
lucky this fall. ! greatly desired to
do this. especially for the purpose OF
holding conferences with the fathers
and mothers who are interested In
the education OF their children. !
shall hope to do 1t next summer.
But meanwhile what about sending
our sons and daughters to school this
winter?
Let me try In brief letter to say
some of the things which ] would
say II could sit at your fireside and
answer your questions.
To begin with. we wish you to thor
oughly understand that Berea College
is the friend Of parents. This insti-
tuition is carried on for the one pur-
pose of helping fathers and mothers
bring up their children to be good
men and women. We do not succeed
with all the young people who come
TO us, but we arc proud of the great
majority OF our students who show
how much they have been improved
In mind and heart by their longer or
shorter stay in Berea.
Our first care and desire is 10
make them good. We have careful
rules to shield them from temptation
and reproach. Young men and young
women are not allowed to meet or
visit in any private place. They are
not allowed to bo out late at night.
They are not allowed TO use liquor
or tobacco or to carry fire arms or
to visit restaurants or places OF
amusement except those which are
provided by the College.
But our great reliance is not in
keeping them away from bad things
but In getting them interested in good
things. Our teachers are all people
OF unusual ability in this line. We
have so many students that we can
classify them carefully. putting each
one with a group OF others like him
self where he can study to the best
advantage and keep up and be encour-
aged and make the most rapid pro-
gress.
And we have different courses -
meet the tastes and talents and life
plans of different students. You Will
see these different departments de-
scribed on page seven. and ! wish yo1
would read that full description Of
Borea's organization.
And then we have countless devices
for making good things attractive.
There Is the music Of our college
brass band. and instruction In sing
Ing frce for every student. There are
the great exhibitions of steropticon
views and moving picturse In the
chapel. besides lectures and socials
and entertainments. There are the
gymnasium and the athletic field,
the walking parties. the reading
rooms, tho gamo room In the at
tic Of Ladies' Hall. All these things
make life pleasant TO the young peo-
pie who come to Berea. and they are
SO full OF their school duties and their
innocent and elovating pleasures that
they are for the most part delivered
from temptations to things harmful.
A lady In Frankfort who had come
from owsley county said to a group
Of gentlemen there: II don't know
what they do to make boys good at
Borea, but l know that heaps OF our
boys that went TO Berea with revolv-
ers came back with testaments."
And this leads me TO speak about
the religious life at Berea. We teach
the Bible TO all our students. We
don't say anything here about the
matters on which Christian people
differ. We get the most spiritual men
we can find from the different church.
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