6o 4 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



forms it well ; but still there is good authority for rendering unto Caesar 

 the things that are Caesar's, and if the chief purpose of a secular college 

 is to train the intellect, then surely the main duty of its professors 

 is to know their own specialities, to work in them and to teach them. 



So delicately sensitive a thing as the creative instinct, the uncom- 

 promising devotion to truth, even though it conflict with fond notions, 

 seldom thrives in a sectarian college, whether honestly sectarian, sec- 

 tarian everywhere except in the catalogue, or only sectarian for adver- 

 tising purposes. The open-minded investigator would be wholly out 

 of place, even miserable, in such an environment, and often, as in this 

 particular case, is informed that his services are not wanted. Such 

 institutions are of but little credit to any church and less to real scholar- 

 ship. Science and religion are not on the same plane; they deal with 

 totally different things by entirely different methods, and therefore can 

 no more conflict or agree than mathematics can conflict with morals. 

 Consequently any attempt to unite the two is wholly illogical and can 

 lead to nothing but utter confusion. A man of course may be both 

 religious and scientific, but science is no part of his religion, however 

 much the life he lives may be better and more useful because of his 

 science. 



One more illustration; probably the best of all for showing the 

 deplorable state of affairs at perhaps many an institution in all sections 

 of the country, for there are echoes of it from every quarter. Not long 

 ago the president of a leading southern university was charged with the 

 troublesome duty of finding several new men for his faculty, and in the 

 course of his inquiries let it be understood that a man with research 

 aspirations and first-class attainments was not desired, and made the 

 astonishing statement, in support of his position, that a research man 

 is seldom ever a teacher. What he really wanted, he said, was men that 

 would mix with the boys and with the people of the state — a clever 

 shoe drummer might have met these conditions. 



As mixing with the people suggested a kind of missionary work for 

 the purpose of winning popular favor, he was asked if he was not 

 limited by public sentiment to draw his faculty from his own state. 

 No, he said, fortunately not, as his state furnished no men of sufficient 

 scholarship. 



Now right here are brought together the cause we are looking for 

 and its effect. This university does not wish men of first-class attain- 

 ments given to original work. Its environment must therefore be 

 stifling to every creative effort ; and this is the cause that produces such 

 a disastrous effect upon the state that it can furnish no men sufficiently 

 trained (and note that high attainments are not required) to fill the 

 chairs in its own institutions. In the name of reason how can it be 

 expected to? And so long as this condition continues what possible 

 hope is there that it will ever be able to do any better ? 



