Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-10-27
Declares Colleges
Do Not Destroy
Religious Faith


Wellesley, Mass, Oct. 25-(P)-Col-
lege students do not lose their relig-
ious faith in their pursuit of a high
er education, declares Mrs. Muriel
Streibert Curtis. associate professor
of the Bible at Wellesley College and
widely known as the author of Youth
and the Bible"
Replying to the. critics who have
charged that the American colleges
were destroying the religious beliefs
Of the young people, Professor Curtis
contends that college saves more
faith than it weakens"
"One who knows college life from
the inside and who follows college
students through their four years in
Wellesley, cannot take very seriously
the charges of the alarmists who
claim that many a girls religion re-
ceives its death blow here" she said.
LAS a matter of fact, if a girl comes
to college with religion that is real,
not merely formal. it is almost always
true that she leaves with a faith THAI
is more secure because more intelli-
gent. that is more genuinely her own,
thought it may be simpler
'Tf we send our thoughtful young
people to college, we must realize that
they are the very ones who, whether
they went to college or not, would be
sure to become acquainted with the
facts of history and science. which. to
people brought up on the older theol-
ogy, seem 'upsetting' to religion.
'In college, help can be given in
making the transitions and adjust
ments which enable a person to live
Intellectually in the goth century and
yet be as truly religious as were men
of the earlier days. Many students
are grateful for this aid, for they
realize that the only way to prevent
religion from becoming a back num-
ber' is to keep it in closertouch with
life. They are often amused at the
efforts of parents and pastors who
urge the freshmen to keep her faith
by not listening to what is said in the
classroom.
What puzzles many a college stu
dent is why the home people do not
keep up with the times. They grow
impatient over the fact that the re-
ligion that they have been given be-
fore they come to college is, as 1t
seems to them, so unintelligent. They
realize that they might have been
saved IL Sl6dJ uSdl Ol lIOuDlC IL t1lSy
had been given a different start. A
group of sophomores a few days ago
stoutly insisted that they knew more
scientists who were religious people
than religious people who were inter-
ested in the advance of science.
"What then is the foundation for
the reports that girls lose their faith
at colleges? Some of those whose
religion has been largely formal TAX
en- over easily from other people, or
those who have tied UP religion so
closely with ancient views of the
world that they cannot untangle the
threads, give up their religion, often
as easily as it was acquired. Some
times they are rather noisy in their
assertions that they have lost all
their faith since they came to coll
lege.' One such person makes more
of an impression on the world at
large than do the scores who find that
their college training is steadily en-
larging and enriching their religion,
but who keep quiet about it. That
kind of experience is not so easily
talked about.
Most college teachers sympathiZe
with the belief of parents and pastors
that religion is a necess airy and vital
part of a well-rounded life and wish