Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-10-15
PRESIDENT THOMAS
SPEAKS At BROWN 8
Tooth ANNIVERSARY

Providence, r. J., Oct. l2-As part
OF the 10th anniversary Of the founding
OF Brown University, four addresses on
religious education were delivered this
afternoon by representatives Of the four
/ religious denominations mentioned I'm the
charter OF the institution. These speak
! ers were President Edgar Y Mullins of
! the Southern Baptist Theological Semln-
airy, Louisville, Ky, President Isaac
Sharpless of Haverford College, President
John NJ Thomas Of Mlddlebury College
and the Rt Rev. James DeWolf Perry,
bishop of Rhode Island
President Thomas, representing the
Congregatonallsts took his theme from
the first rules of Harvard College, which
state that the main end of studies Is to
know God. He dwalt upon the fundamcn-
tai pacc of religion in the educational
scheme Of the New England colleges of
Congregational ancestry. He urged that
the Puritans were as sincere IN this
type of education in desiring the welfare
of their children as later educators have
been that the catechism was for the
children, not the children for the cate
chism. lie raised the question how much
If the Puritan emphasis on religion
that "divestcd of the forms Of thought
and ;he religious manner of particular
day, their principle that the religious mo.
tive, which Is tie establishment OF free
dom in the soul of man. shall guide and
inspire every study and every instructor
Is as valid and valuable as in the age
when the founders Of New England odu-
cation applied It so rcsolutelv and in
manner so FOREIGN to our thought The
main end of studies still is the victory
of the spirit in the life Of man BY
health of body. kocnness of mind and in
tonsty Of will We seek to enable them
to put up a good fight by discipline of
spirit and nobility of character We en-
dcavor to lift them above every defeat.
that whatever the buffcting. battling
world may do to them, they may De Sc
cure i'm inner triumph.
As to courses in the Bible and religious
history President Thomas said: There
is no department in which the instructor
needs more to remember that he is teach
ing, not primarily . subject but men,
than the department of Biblical ltera-
turc. Religion can not be taught dis
intcrcstcdlY, as n pure science. II has
to do with vital concerns Of those who
learn and with the deepest problems of
their life. They can not he kept In the
classroom from inquiry as to what tho
shall believe and what principles they
shall adopt. They should not he kept
from such soarchines of heart as to per-
sonal convictions when they study the
faiths and the struggles for faith OF the
human race. They have a right 10 OK
nnt fhnf hAIr
shall be borne in mind and that some
light may dawn for them on the problems
of their own souls Any course In re-
ligion, scientific though II must be In
method, with full welcome to the sever
est critical ANALYSIS and respect for its
results, must nevertheless have its bear
ing on the permanent religious problems
Of men, which were never more pressing
than at the present day
Religious instruction in our colleges
has failed Of it, largest effect because
II has not been sufficiently religious In
IN" reaction from unscicntfic methods
in theology and uncritcal use of scrip
turc "" have filled up our courses with
criticism and science and left out the
spirit ana tho soul. We have aualvzod
the hu@k and forgot the kernel If the
courses I'm the department of religion
We're known as searching and vital studies
Of the enduring religious problems of hui
mainly ana Of tho questions of faith
which confront every man who lives
earnestly, on the basis of the great liter
RtureS which deal with those questions.
ana If il were a matter Of common knowl-
edge that every student taking such
courses would be brought day after day