The Gavelyte, January 1909

ment of modern times is exerting a powerful, diverting in~uence. Demand:; for specialized education, pres~ure for time for new branchPs of tudy and the argument that it is not the function of the college to teach religion, are forces t.hat have well-nigh made the "old-time" college a thing of the past. Some havcl a~cepted the term "culture", with or without the prefix "Chris– tian", in lieu of the term "religion". while others look to such agencies as the Christian .\.ssociations instead of to the collPge proper for the promo– tion of religion. Against this complex situation a protest has arisen in the minds Jf many who look with regret upon the secularization of all education. They reason thus: The whole system of state instruction is of necessity secular; along side of this system is growing up a set of ind&pendent institutions that are either utilitarian or at best cultural in their aim~. Admirable as is the work of both of these classes of institution, they fail to furnish aclequate moral leadership for the nation. The result of this protest is a demand for :in increase in the number of colleges distinctly Christian in their aims ancl ideals. This demand for a renewed emphasis of the Christian aspPcts of educa– tion has infused 11ew life into the movemPnt for building up 1·h11rch institu– tions. The Presbyterian Church has only recently adopted an aggrPssive policy. This has been brought about hy two considerati,rns in particula.r: (1) Only thus can a sufficient number uf ea ndidat?s for the ministry be se– cured. (2) In this way the Chu rch can hettn ciischarge its educational ob– ligation to society. than by dP,~1Jltory e,rntribntions to schools of other affilia– tions That the Church is hereby conserving its own best interests none may doubt who have Rtudi ed the situation. In regard to < 'hristian workers the fol lowing pPrcentages are illuminating: ~ F r ont i-,p(•nlar Srait· , ' hri,1i1111 l'hri,.;ti:111 l' 11 h '('l':"i Ii(,,. l' 11 h ·.. r~i I jp..: 1· 11 i \ ('l', i I if', l'ollf'g-f':" Foreign ~li'1sionaries. .... ... .. .. ... .. .. .... 5 Theological Students .................... ... 5 llome Mi~sionaries .. ............ .. ....... -1 7.1 66 63 9.1 12.0 5 4.3 0.9 13 The chu rch col lege holds a remarkably advantageous µosition in the last col umn of fi!{ures. We have now reached the first qualification that shoulrl mark the dis– ti nctively Ch ri stian co llege. It should furnish its full quota of recruits for the Church for the pulpits of both thP home and foreign fieliis. - Interior.