1896.] Christianity and Our Colleges Never anywhere have they built the church that they have not in time built beside it the school house and the college. Such has been the history of the higher institutions of learning. Chris tianity, in teaching the immortality of the human soul, dignified the nature of man; showed that man was worth educating, that there was a future, an eternity before him; 'Made it practicable and worth while to gather you, young men, and others like you,. from your homes , and spread before you all that learning has to give, at whatever cost, for your education, to fit you for good citizenship, and to make the soul worthy its nature and its immor tal destiny. I detain you a few minutes longer to speak of the responsibili ties which these great institutions place upon us all. What do we owe to-day to the men who built these colleges, and to the colleges thethselves which they have handed down to us? What do we owe, not only to the men and women whose gifts laid the foundations, but to the heroic and devoted line of professors who sometimes without reward and often with the most slender stipends toiled to sustain them ? If I could lift my voice loud enough to echo in your homes and reach the halls of your capital cities, I would say to all: " What do you owe to the men that estab lished, not one West Point to train a few leaders in war, but these 45 1 nobler West Points to educate leaders for the greater battles of civilization ? " You, statesmen, who make the laws to control the taxes of this land and direct the expenditure of its funds, where on earth will you find seed-plots so rich and harvest fields so promising as these institutions in which your youth, in always multiplying numbers, will come to train their intelligence and in spire their hearts and learn the high arts by which they may benefit mankind ? Could I address the faculties of these venerable colleges I would say to them : "Brethren, what do we owe to these institutions which the fathers and mothers of the republic built to give our country the light of Christian learning ? It is ours to see to it that the trees of their planting shall not fail of noble fruitage. It is ours, yours, the great army of teachers, to make sure that edu cation here shall reach its topmost power and attainment and humanity shall not be robbed of its rich heritage in these great nurseries of thought and truth. But, turning finally to you, students, and to the many thou sands who now crowd these colleges and universities, what do you
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers