Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1921-07-15
PROGRESS OF
NE W COLLEGE
Statement as to Gift by South
ern Baptist Convention by
President Landedell.
Editor Clinch Valley News:

paper under date of July 9th, 1921
relative to the gift of the Hom
Board Of the Southern Baptist Con
vention to Bluefield College, you ar,
in error both as concerns the amour
of this gift, we'll as the terms an,
conditions of it's payment.
am sure you are innocent in thu
premises and that your comment
would have been some different hat
you been familiar with all the fact.
and conditions of the gift.
In the first place, | am very happy
to state that the amount of this gifl
is two hundred thousand dollars. ant
not twenty thousand dollars. as you
state. In other words, it is one-hftt
of the total amour which we set oul
to raise for Bluetield College; name
ly, one million dollars.
In the next place, l rejoice to
state that the Home Board does not
require the College to raise Eight
Hundred Thousand Dollars before
they begin paying their gift to the
College. They do agree to pay ONE
DOLLAR to every four dollars which
the college raises from any source;
provided, in the first place, they be
released from paying any amount
this year, and, provided agnin, they
be required to pay not over sixty
six thousand six hundred and sixty
six dollars, and sixty-six cents, dur
ing any one year. In other words, if
the provisions are met, the Home
Board wishes at least three years,
beginning with next year, in which
to pay the entire gift.
wish to state that according to
the specified terms of the gift, the
Home Board now owes the College
nearly seventy-five thousand dollars
since the College has raised close to
three hundred thousand dollars-one
hundred and six thousand from Blue
field, and the remainder from Vir-
ginia Baptists.
In view of the foregoing state
ments, every one will readily agree
that the Home Board has made to
the College princely gift. And in
the light of these statements, 1 am
confident you, Brother Leslie, will
agree with me that the terms and
conditions of the gift are perfectly
reasonable and equitous. AS n mat
ter of fact, 1 happen to know that
the provisions of this gift are much
more confederate than those impos-
ed by some denominationnl Boards
in making a gift to establish new
College. Even this very same Board
agreed to establish and maintain n
Junior College at Jonesboro, Ark
ansns, and offered One hundred and
fifty thousand dollars upon condition
that Jonesboro and Community
raise three hundred and fifty thou
sand. The M. E. Church, South,
agreed to establish and maintain u
Junior College at Abiline, Texas, and
offered one hundred and fifty thou
san upon condition that Abiline and
community raise three hundred and
fifty thousand Both these towns this
year have fulfilled the conditions.
I could multiply instances of these
kinds indefinitely. now have before
me the. christian Education Month
ly." Of June, publication gotten
out by the M. L. Church, South. In
this issue are citations of dozens of
institutions about over the Southern
States substantially similar to the
two above mentioned. Not only SO,
but the same is equally true Of
schools of other evangelical denom-
nations. Even at Hfinceton, w. Vir-
ginin, our M. E. Church, South,
brethren agree to establish and sup
port a preparatory school and offer
one hundred and five thousand dol
lars upon condition that Princeton
and community give the land and
two hundred thousand dollars addi-
tional.
There are two observations 1 wish
to make which support Christian de-
nominations in attaching. conditions
to their gifts for the establishment
of schools like the above:
1t is a we'll known and generally
accepted fact that. all such schools
are permanent communal benefac-
tion, effecting for great social and
spiritual good the zones in which
they operate, and there, therefore, Is
a sound basis upon which to expect
such zones to aid, at least, in their
establishment. Hll-forward looking
men and women hold this view and
count it privilege to share GER
tainly in the initial expense of the
same, because, they appreciate the
social and broad Christian value
of such schools. Of course, we un.
derstand that no denomination woult
have, perhaps, as good ground to Ell
pect outside aid in founding semi
naries in which to train only theil
preachers.
We wish to observe further, thai
it is also well known fact tha
Christian collegesa Especially boys
colleges, are a constant financia
drain upon the denomination operat
ing them. No Christian colleges fo
boys pay expenses. Were they t,
charge tuition sufficient to pay ex
penses most Of the boys that atten,
could not do so. Richmond Colleg
loses ,S194.00 per year on every bo,
who attends it. That is to say tha
every boy who goes to Richmon
College and who pays the state
charges, lacks $4,000 paying wha
it costs the College per year t