Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-10-27
HAVERFORD ALUMNI
FOR MEETING RULE
Vote Overwhelming for Under
graduates to Attend Thurs
day Friends Service
OPPOSE STUDENT PLAN

Haverford College alumni overwhelm
ingly favor continuance of Thursday
Friends meeting
In this they take issue with the un-
dergraduate student body, which last
March petitioned the faculty to rescind
the rule of compulsory attendance.
In the petition the students set forth
that many of them were not members
of the Society of Friends, and that
forced attendance of the entire student
body, irrespective of religious beliefs,
resulted more largely in irreverence than
edifcation.
BY vote of 246 to II, the alumni
from the classes of 1890 to 1918, ire
spective of whether they were members
of the Society of Friends, have indi
Gated that they were not opposed to
compulsory attendance at the meetings.
And of those who voted the majority
are not Friends.
The facultys action on the petition
presented by the undergraduates has
not vet been announced. Before grant
ing or refusing the request of the stu
dent body the faculty decided to take
poll among the alumni on the ques-
ton.
For this purpose a committee was ap-
pointed, made up OF members or the
board of managers, the faculty, the
Alumni Association and the present stu
dent body.
Questiannaire Seeks Data
A questionnaire was prepared, cover :
| ing the membership or ponmemoershlp
of the alumni in the Society OF FRIENDS
their feeling on, the question OF cpnpul
sorv attendance at Friends Meeting,
their feeling on compulsory attendance
AT religious services of whatever type,
and their opinion on whether or not
they personally benefited by attendance
at meeting during their own undergrad
uate days.
| Although Haverford is Quaker IN .
st;tution1 members of the Society OF
Friends are not in the majority in either
student body or alumni. The first ques y
| tiop "Are YOU a member OF the so :
cietv Of Friends?" was answered in the
affirmative by 149 and in the negative
by $50 alumni. .. or
The second question was: are you
opposed on principle, to the poilcy t ot
recurring the attendance or sCuuen.s "a, a;
religious meeting OF the euatea W. oro
The replies to this question were
soyentv seven affirmative and 246 neg
ot;ne Sly answers were noncommittai
The answers. divided among friends,
and non Friends. were forty one yes :
and 105 1'no" for the Friends; thirty
siK snu "yes'' and 141 no for the non.
Friends The noncommittal answers
we've divided equally between those VINO
were and those who were not 'luaKers.
care you opposed, on princlple, to
the policy of requiring attendance at o.,
religious service of whatever type!
was the third question.
Oppose Attendance
Here the affirmative answers mum
bered eighty nine and the negative an
swers 234. Forty four Friends among
the alumni voted afhrmatively-tha is
to say, in opposition to compulsory at
tendance at religious meetings OF any
sort whatsoever; 102 voted negatively
OF the non Friends, forty -tlve votet
"yes," and 1872 voted no On this
question also there were six noncommit
tai votes. equally divided.
The fourth question was: "Do yor
feel that, during your stay at Haver'
ford. the results, in practice. of re
quired religious attendance at meeting!
were good?'
The total affirmative answers to this
question were 253; negative, fifty y-two
noncommittal, twenty four.
OF the Friends, 11s answered 'yes,
twenty answered mo-" and eleven wer,
noncommittal.
Of the non Friends, 135 answered
Eyes" thirty-t two answered mo- ant
thirteen were noncommittal.
1t was not explained in the question
naire that attendance at church serv
ices on, Sunday is not voluntary. Th
authorities believe that had this beei
. understood by the alumni several VIII
voted against retaining compulsor,
Fifth Day meeting would have voted ii
| favor of keeping up the ancient custom
as the only remaining means for tn
spiritual education of Haverford stu
dents.