How Will The Evangelicals Like It?

What will the members of the New England Baptist Educational Convention, assembled in Worcester, Mass., who recommended the establishment of at least one Academy under Baptist control in each of the New England States, say to this arrangement? What will their brethren assembled in Chicago, and representing the Western States, think of it? How will the Southern Baptists who met in Marion, Ala., and who declared that "the only hope is Christian education in our schools," like a policy destined to overshadow and destroy denominational High Schools, Academies, and Colleges, as it destroyed denominational elementary schools? These three conventions were held in 1871. President Andrews, of Denison University, Ohio, has the advantage of four years' experience and observation since the holding of these conventions. He has seen the clouds gathering; he has heard the mutterings of the brewing storm; the signs in the heavens tell him, that, when that storm bursts, it will be over the heads of denominational Colleges. "The proposed reform," says President Andrews, "will involve religious compli page 33 cations. Higher education cannot be separated from religion. Atheists will not pay taxes to support theistic instruction, nor theists atheistic. But to put higher instruction into the hands of the government is not only impolitic, but wrong in principle. . . . The government should hold the same relation to higher education that it does to religion. Further, religion is essential to higher culture, and the State cannot teach religion. It is injustice to those opposed to Christianity. Christianity is the natural ally of culture. Finally, intellectual culture without religion cannot build character. The great need of the nation is moral force. The divorce of culture and religion is forced and unnatural." Does President Andrews hope to avert the storm by his weak voice? Does he dream of holding the inner line of fortifications, protecting his higher education, after abandoning to the enemy all the outposts? When elementary schools, in which the foundation of sound Christian morals is laid, were given over to Secularists at their first bidding, resistance to the advancing foe became impossible.