The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-22

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cism--they have our sympathy and
commiseration.
The Christian college realizes the
necessity for higher education that the
best type of citizenship may result
1t Is opposed to sectarianism. except
in rare instances. and these instances
are growing rarer in view of the ex-
treme liberation OF the State colleges
and of the steady growth Of Chris
tian liberality among the supporting
constituencies. 1t does not believe in
suhjecting youth in It's formative years
/ TO all the conflict of faith and skep-
ticism that 30 universally RACES around
the State colleges, feeling that great
harm is done the spiritual life OF
many In such a conflict. while willing
I to coneede that trifling few may
come out Of II stronger, but yet battle
scared and crippled. Its aim is char
lacter-Christian character. first and
always. It's atmosphere IL not less pa
triotic than that OF the State college,
| but also definitely and distinctively
and designedly Christian--not sec
tartan. not narrow, for there liz no mar
rowness in Christ-but broadly and
genuinely Christian. We believe that
such Institutions are a necessity in
our country and shall expect the sun
of its glory to set forever when they
shall cease to exert their saving in
fluence over the nation. or depart
from their noble aim and heritage.
Need of Christian Schools.
The Christian college is q State ne
cessity. This paradox is easy to JUS
fifty and explain. Whoever has read
history knows that the religious bond
lis mightier than even the patriotic
bond in preserving national life. In
the Jews we have an instance of the
religious bond making nation unit.
though dispersed over the face Of the
earth No nation has ever been able
to survive lose of faith in Its gods
unless there came with that loss a
compromising faith in the true God.
No nation has ever survived the
loss Of faith in religion, Even the
Temporary enthronement OF free
thinkers and skeptics in any land has
brought always a quick harvest of in
QUESTION and prescription. and the
bloody havoc of the block, or the gull
llotine. Some agency. therefore, to Gull
tivate the intellect and the heart at
the same time OF the men and women
who are TO he leaders in the nations
life is essential. That agency is the
christian college.
Recently a new type of higher ed
ucational institution has been foisted
upon the United States-the independ-
ent college. The Carnegie Founda-
ton has busted itself in this direction,
not so much with the effort to induce
phiianthropists to found additional
colleges. with the effort TO wrest
existing colleges from their founders
and lawful owners The Carnegie hook
is batted with gold, and has proved
a most efficacious bait indeed. There
is hardly a State In which some col
lege has not had fits charter amended
: in such manner as to wrest from It's
founders legal ownership of itself In
the hope of subsidy from the willy
steel magnate in the form of an out
right donation. or OF retiring allow
ances for aged teachers and discard ed
administrative officers These colleges
OF so-called larger freedom will even
tually go the way OF the older free
, institutions, like Harvard Yale Co
lumbia. and the University of Chica =
go--that Is TO say their atmosphere
will he the same as that Of the State
; institution, with patriotism left out
as distinctive aim--an atmosphere
of scholarship and learning The So
called scientific spirit viii character
ize their life. the chiet ingredient Of
which is the skeptical attitude towart
everything until proved, even toward
religion and the dearest moral stand
! ards of national greatness. Manifest
ly this type OF institution cannot save
the nation. and really renders the ne
cessity for the Christian institution
more acute. America may yet rue
the day when this insidious business
of upsettinR her conservators of ma =
tional life began its despiritua liZing OF
iniqnity and darkness
What Christian College Has Done.
! But has the Christian college shown
itself TO be "a national necessity In the
past? Aside from the theory Of the
situation. what has the record OF more
than century to teach in substa ntia =
ton of this claim This is a fair
! challenge. and the facts are far more
eloquent in enforcing our contention
then any rhetoric or augmentation
We have had twenty-secen presidents
of the United States. Nineteen were
college graduates. All but two of them
were graduates of Christian colleges.
Our present Federal Supreme Court
has eight college graduates, seven Of
whom came from Christian colleges
4, Two-thirds OF the members of Con-
gress in both houses are graduates of
these same colleges. and three -fourths
of the governors of the various States.
Practically all the teaching and admin
istrative forces of the Christian col
leges are graduates Of such colleges,
and forty per cent OF the same in the
State and independent institutions are
of intellectual pedigrees. Eighteen Of
the twenty-six literary lights Of the
first rank in America are graduates of
your Christian colleges. The great
majority Of the lawyers. physicians.
land other professional men of large
distinction, are graduates OF these
same colleges. cursory glance
through Who's WAC" will satisfy any
lone that the contribution OF the Chris
ton colleges of the country TO the ag-
lgressiye leadership OF our life in all
It's departments Is far out Of proper
ltton TO the number committed to their
icare and instruction. Yet the attend