The Sentinel=record., 1914-05-13
METHODIST CONFERENCE DE- SlREs CONTROL OF SCHOOL OR
 NEW ESTABLISHMENT.
WOULD RAISE A MILLION
For New Educational Institution If Oebarred Permanently From Con trol of the Present School at Nash
 ViIIe-ReIigous Education Needed

Oklahoma City, Oka. May l2- Our people must be broueht to see that education divorced from religion leads to the spread of depravity and the destruction of the basic element of our Christian civilization and that the distinctive mission of the church schools is the development of spirit ualized leadership
 This is the keynote of the report of the committee on education submit ted to the general conference of the Methodist Episcopa. church. South. at today's session
 The comittee comments the wis dom of the board of education in proposing to create a million dollar endowment. the income of which is to be used in efforts to advance Christian education. The policies of the board in bringing the charters of the church schools and colleges into conformity with the laws of the church in the matter of the selection of boards of trustees is endorsed aad the committee recommends that the boards of mission, Sunday Schools and education unite in an endeayor to advance the work of Christian eduea. tion and in raising during the present quadrelnium of $500,0o0 of the pro. posed mi lion dollar endowment fund.
 New interest was injected in tho Vanderbilt matter by the introduction of a resolution of James Cannon and John R. Pepper This resolution went to the committee ol Vanderbilt with out readng but it is sure to create much discussion in the committee meeting when it is reached
 These resolutions are interesting as expressive of the views of John R. Pepper, the recognized leader of lay men of the church, and one of the four minority trustees. and of Dr, Cannon, a strong advocate of church ownership and control who led the fight in Virginia on the Randolph. Macon co iege question which involv- ed the question of the confirmation of trustees by the Virginia conference. The Virginia courts sustained the right of the conference to such con. trol There are six resolutions, the first being a full declaration of the position of the church concerning the question of establishment, ownership and control of Vanderbilt university declaring that the university was founded by men, acting as representa- tives of the church and that since 1898 all trustees have been confirmed by the authority of the church and that they occupy a representative capacity; that it is the duty of the trustees, in view of their representa- tive capacity, to carry out the plans of the church as declared from time to time by the general conference; that the contract made in 1898 be- tween the conference and that the board of trust guarantees to the con ference the right to confirm, includ- ing. of necessity the right to reject.
 The second resolution expresses amazement and regret at the supreme court of Tennessee and enters pro- test against said decision.
 The third resolution emphasizes that part of the decision of the court which declares a contract relation be' tween the church and the university which contract gives to the board of trust the initial SC ectiOn of trustees and to the conference the final deci- sion and that inasmuch as nine tenths of the members of the board of trust are ministers and members of the church and have membership in that board because of connection with the church and are there as repre- sentatives of the church the general conference calls upon these represent atives to safeguard the interests of the church in every possible way, and to resist any effort made from what soever quarter to destroy the rights of the church in the control and man. agement of the university.
 The fourth resolution commits to the board of education for the next quadrenium the work of confirma- tion of trustees of the university. The board of instruction is instructed that il the performance of this duty it shall confirm no person as trustee un- less satisfied that such person will as trustee endeavor to carry ont the pur- poses of the church in the establish ment of the university and the pur-