Evening star., 1953-05-16
Westminster Seminary Prepares to Move to District
BY George Kennedy
Stcr Stoff Correspondent

-One OF CnlS Guys ola 1nSt1-
tutions is to move to Washing
ton. Westminster Theological
Seminary, whose campus adjoins
that of Western Maryland Col
lege on a hill west of this pros
porous trading center, is
scheduled to be relocated on the
American University campus.
Westminster Seminary is a
small institution and it's moving
will have little effect on the
economy Of this community or
Of the neighboring college. But
it is bound to affect the economy
of its students.
They have been boarding
(table only in the dining hall
of the college for $10.50 for a
full week (21 meals) and $3.50
for the short week (week ends
out). Rooms at the seminary
are $40 to $50 a semester and
tuition SIS. It is one Of the
low-priced educational institu-
tions in the country.
Low Prices Difficult.
It will be difficult to bring
about such low prices after the
move to the Capital, but an at
tempt will be made. AS one Of
the faculty members said, "Theo-
logical students have to be sub
sidized anyway"
Westminster is a graduate
school-young men have to have
a college degree to enter. Most
OF the students are married and
most of them have assignments
in the church-a country chapel
or youth work in one of the
larger churches. That is why
they are away over the week
ends.
They are eager to be at Gods
work and want to go out and
stress the important and min
imize those unimportant shib-
boleths that are still considered
passwords to the fords Of the
Jordan. There are about $50 in
the student body and almost so
Of them go forth each year
with a degree in divinity and
much intellectual and practical
training to help them in their
life mission.
The largest State group in the
seminary is from Central Penn
Sylvania and that is the field In
which many of them have been
carrying out their weekend as
signments. The move to the
banks of the Potomac will cause
difficulties in this respect. The
students and faculty also are
aware Of the advantages, the
great library available on Capitol
Hill and the noted preachers who
are pastors or pulpit guests in
Washington's churches.
New Buildings Needed.
Moving day has not been set.
New buildings for the seminary
will have to be erected at Ameri-
can University. When the day
comes, students and faculty will
have some regrets about leaving
a beautiful campus overlooking
the grain fields on the Maryland
plain.
Westminster is near one of the
starting places of Methodism in
America. Not far away and In
the same county (CarrolD is
Sans Creek where Robert
Strawbridge built the meeting
house that many believe was
the first one in America.
Both Western Maryland Col
lege and the seminary were
founded by the Methodist Prot
estants, a separatist group which
started in Baltimore in 1928. It
was a time of much democratic
ferment. Federalism had fallen,
and suffrage was being made
universal Except for Slaves) u.
The protesting Methodists Chats
why they took the name), who
formed q church of their own,
wanted more participation by the
laity in the affairs of the church.
They were against the rule of
the ordained and their move
ment followed the historic anti
clerical pattern. Some preach
ers were leaders in it. The Rev.
Nicholas Snethen became the
most prominent of them.