The Colorado statesman., 1916-06-10

tions from the big foundations, still
the fact remains that the largest con-
tribution made by any class of col
leges to our western civilization has
been made by the denominational col
lege.
ton founded in the Revolutionary
period and during the fifty years fol-
lowing the adoption of the Constitu-
tion were denominational, and up to
the middle half of the nineteenth cen
tury these colleges constituted near
ly all the higher education there was.
1t was during the last fifty years the
"state university" state college" and
state industrial school, came into ex-
istence, and during this time the COM
plexion of our educational system un-
derwent a radical change. With the
coming of these state institutions,
with their splendid and well-equipped
buildings, their large and well-paid
faculties, and their handsome aprro-
priations from the state treasury, the
church school found itself facing a
condition in which not only its source
of revenue was materially affected,
but its actual existence was threat,
ened. But Notwithstanding the ever
present obstacles of Inadequate en-.
dowment" and insufficient income y
for three quarters of century the de-
nominational college was the acknowl-
edged leader in higher education, and
even at the present time more than
so per cent of the college students in
America are to be found i'll these
schools.
This fact is even more largely pat
ent in our education as race. Long
before the signing of the Emancipa-
tion Proclamation by the immortal
Lincoln, Daniel A. Payne conducted
in Charleston, S. c., school for col
ored people: and it was not until per
secution became unbearable that he
abandoned his post and fled to the
North for refuge. But when the
smoke of the battlefields OF the sixties
was lifted there came out of the North
a noble band of martyrs bearing preci-
GUS seeds, which have since bios
somed into hundreds of schools and
colleges, whose fragrant influence has
encirc!ed the globe.
And though embarrassed by ignor-
ance, poverty and inexperience, early
, in our history as free people the A.
M. e. Church took it's place along with
other Christian organizations, and
how well she has wrought has been
faithfully portrayed through the sta
tistics given in the quadrennial report
of our secretary of education.
We are justly proud of this phase
of our activities, for the additional
reason that it is to the church col
lege we must look for recruits for
our ministry.
The pressing need OF the church to-
day is an increased number of trained
young and consecrated men, whose
highest ambition is to serve. We must
look to the UNCONVENTIONAL school to
supply this need. State colleges have
made a comparatively small contribu-
tion in this direction. Recent inves-
legations disclosed the fact that of the
recruits for the ministry during ten
years, less than Z per cent come from
state universities. while over 80 per
cent came from denominational
schools. In typical state university
only four young men of 1000 male
students are looking forward to the
ministry, while in eight Presbyterian
colleges, 33 out of 1000 are preparing
themselves to be messengers of the
cross. And | think we all will agree
that the ratio in our own schools is
even greater. This condition says to
us that II we would hold our own, not
to say advance, the denominational
college must be maintained.
And, finally. Christian education