OREGON
EUGENE, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 27, 1909.
No. 9
VOLUME 11
PREACHERS SAY
NO RELIGION ON
OREGON CAMPUS
UNREGENERATE HEARTS
ARE UNFIT TO TEACH
GOD’S TRUTH
Prof. Howie Assailed by Rev. H.
N. Mount Because His Religion i
lo Not Sanctioned by General
Public.
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.> * * *5* •> <S* •> *
❖
The Emerald had a story on this
subject ready to print last Satur- <
day hut withheld it by request un
til Mr. Mount had been heard.
It is now no longer news and
would not be worth noticing but
for the fact that it has been so
misrepresented in the daily press
that many people have been de
ceived as to the true facts. It is
therefore treated as a news narra
tive and written in the form of a
historical review, giving an abso
lutely fair and unbiased record of
the whole affair.
t
A week ago last Friday, members of
liis Ruskin class asked Professor Her
bert Crombie Howe, head of the de
partment of English Literature at the
University of Oregon, to explain Christ's
teaching as to the relation of God and
man. Not wishing to discuss the mat
ter in class, Professor Howe offered to
examine the New Testament privately
Monday afternoon with those who were
interested. Rev. H. N. Mount of the
first Presbyterian church attended the
meeting for the avowed purpose of
hearing the doctrines of Professor Howe
at first hand.
It is difficult to give any brief synop
sis of tbe contents of the lecture as it
simply took the form of a general dis
cussion, but on one specific point there
has been some misunderstanding. This
was in regard to the atonement, whicn
Professor Howe asked to be excused
from discussing as he did not think it
bore in any way on the controversy. But
when Mr. Mount replied that he
thought it was the crux of the whole
matter, Professor Howe said that he
must disagree.
“The doctrine of the atonement,” said
he, “presupposes that of original sin.
That, in turn, supposes a savage con
ception of God's character which is con
trary to Christ’s teaching that God is
our loving Father, infinitely more lov
ing than any earthly father. All that
original sin theology is a survival from
the days when our ancestors were sav
ages, apparently cannibals, and imagined
their gods after their own bloodthirsty
hearts. It is part of that eye-for-an-eye
theory of justice which Christ tried to
wipe out of the hearts of men. The
idea that God could not forgive the
remote descendants of Adam and Eve
for the first sin of eating an apple, until
he had been placated by the blood of
his own son, is a hideously ogreish no
tion, impossible to those who have ab
sorbed the spirit of Christ’s teaching.
However, the doctrine of the atonement
is no part of our inquiry, and beyond
this expression of my personal opinion,
which 1 urge on no one, I decline to
discuss the matter.”
"Then you deny that Christ is our
Saviour?" asked one of the girls. "By
no means,” replied Professor ilowe.
"Christ is the Saviour of the world,
but it is in virtue of his life, not of
his death.”
After the lecture, Mr. Mount pro
tested against continuing the inquiry, on
the ground that unregenerate hearts can
not fmd truth, lie stated that religious
truth cannot be tested by reason, but
must stand squarely on revelation. And
he advised Professor Howe to tell stu
dents who asked for explanations of
the Bible to tell them that the truths of
Christianity are none of his business.
To this Professor Howe replied at
the second lecture Friday afternoon that
"Let there be light,” the first command
in the Bible is the scholar’s command,
and cannot be disregarded by any stu
dent or teacher. He said that we must
..idecd stand on revelation, but that all
truth is revelation, whether in the Bible
or in Copernicus and Newton. “You
may always say,” said he, "it is true,
therefore it is revelation; but you can
not reverse the order and say it is
revelation, therefore it is true. For
you cannot know whether it is revela
tion until you know that it is true.”
In the second meeting Professor
Howe took up the question of Christ’s
divinity and showed that the Bible
meant that he was spiritually and not
physically the Son of God. Particularly
replying to this lecture and generally
criticizing the right of Professor Howe
to speak on the subject as he did, Rev.
H. N. Mount bitterly assailed him in
his sermon Sunday evening.
The sermon was advertised in the lo
cal papers as a “reply to the two lec
tures of Professor Howe of the Uni
versity, in wind' ’ ..enied the distinc
tive divinity of Christ, His sinlessness,
His resurrection and the Atonement.”
Inasmuch as “resurrection” was at no
time mentioned in the lectures referred
to, the reference to it was unwarranted.
Moreover, Professor Howe refused to
discuss the atonement except as stated
above, and without discussing sinless
ness simply cited a verse from the Bible
in which Christ objected to the applica
tion to himself of the praise of sinless
ness.
The sermon itself was as unfair to
Professor llowe as its title. In several
cases he misquoted, but it is probable
that they were unconscious mistakes.
II is entire tone, however, was personal
and so colored by suggestions as to
prejudice his audience against the pro
fessor. In fairness to Mr. Mount it
must he admitted that he had reason to
he somewhat irritated by mis-statements
of his position coming from outsiders.
In defining his position on Professor
Howe’s right to discuss the subject Mr.
Mount said, “I do not object to pro
fessors holding unorthodox doctrines.
Neither do ! object to religion being
preached on the campus under the aus
pices of some recognized philanthropic
organization like the Y. M. C. A. What
I object to is for a professor to invite
himself to give lectures on the campus
that are not in harmony with the great
body of Christian people. Let Profes
sor Howe obtain the sanction of any
large philanthropic organization, and he
can speak on any subject he chooses.
The present matter would not be so
serious but for the fact that Professor
Howe is continually ridiculing the faith
of his students in class.”
The latter statement has not been sub
( Continued on last page.)
OREGON PLAYS
WILLAMETTE ON
NEXT SATURDAY
PRACTICE GAME TONIGHT
WILL DECIDE MAKE
UP OF TEAM
Training Becomes More Severe
as Season Advances—Squad is
Overhauled.
Tonight the University of Oregon
football squad is working out against
the Eugene 11 igh Sehool boys in a prac
tice game. The showing the various
men make will be an important factor
in deciding who will make the Salem
trip Saturday.
Michael and Hickson are out of con
dition and may not get into the Wil
lamette game. Michael has a minor in
jury and Hickson is far under weight.
This will be a loss as both men have
been showing up splendidly.
Willamette has a fast heavy team this
year and while they are comparatively
new to the game the Methodists always
play their best against Oregon. This
year they average close onto 165. While
the team expects to win of course, it
will probably be by no overwhelming
score and above all they will he on their
guard against a recurrence of last year’s
Whitworth game.
Manager Goodman will start Friday
evening with the team for Salem and
catch the evening train out Saturday
night so the men will not miss much
regular practice.
Training has been severe and Trainer
Hayward means business as is shown
by the squad losing another man for
violation of training rules. Freshman
Kay tarried too long at a party last
Saturday and it came to Hayward’s
ears. Kay was showing up well at
quarter and seemed to have all the ear
marks of a thorough player. Ben Chan
dler is also out of the game, though
probably but temporarily.
Captain Clarke has been playing quar
ter the past week and becoming fairly
efficient in the position. Oliver 1 luston
has been shift'd to end. The training
table has been systemi/.cd and George
Sullivan added to the hunch.
Sunday morning the fellows were
routed out and at 9:30 started on a hike
to Springfield.
Signal practice and blackboard work
has been instituted from 7 to 8 four
evenings in the week. The men are
drilled on the line points of the game
and the talks illustrated by diagrams on
the board. Signal practice is also held
on the gym lloor.
BASKET BALL MAY BE
REVIVED AGAIN
At the basket ball meeting this after
noon general plans for the year were
discussed but definite action was left un
til a better organization could be per
fected at a later date. It was also
agreed to allow the freshmen and soph
omores to practice in the gym. from 3
to 4 and the juniors and seniors from 4
to 5 every afternoon.
PRESIDENT CAMPBELL
SPEAKS AT ASSEMBLY
y
I he lecture delivered in Student As
sembly this morning, by President P. L.
Campbell, dealt with the subject of prac
tical arrangement of a student’s course
in university work to insure the maxi
mum of effectiveness in results. He
showed that the three main benefits de
rived from a university education are
the ability to plan ahead, to conserve
time, and to endure sustained effort. It
is therefore, to the interest of every
student to arrange his or her course so
that it shall tend, in the greatest de
gree possible, toward developing these
three abilities. His studies must ac
cordingly be so planned that every hour
may become productive of the greatest
amount of work possible to it.
Showing further that periods of men
tal effectiveness follow a rythmic move
ment of alternate stress and relaxation,
Mr. Campbell brought forward the prac
tical suggestion that students make an
effort to arrange their schedule of stu
dies with that fact in view. Thus the
periods of ineffectiveness should not be
burdened with a weight of work greater
than can be satisfactorily handled, while
the burden may safely be increased for
the periods of high efficiency for mental
achievement.
At the opening of the assembly Miss
Ethel Evans gave an instrumental se
lection, Chopin’s Polonaise, which was
received with applause.
SERIES OF “STRICTLY
GIRL” PARTIES BEGUN
The Co-ed dance in the gymnasium
Saturday night is intended to be the
first of a series of “strictly girl” par
ties that are scheduled for the coming
year as a means of getting the girls
better acquainted. So well were they
pleased with their first success that they
have decided to make such parties regu
lar affairs in the future. All are unan
imous in their desire to see them con
tinued.
Saturday night’s affair was declared by
tbe girls to beat ordinary dances com
pletely', though the absence of specta
tors renders independent judgment im
possible. Beginning with the grand
march at 7:40, uninterrupted fun lasted
till almost eleven before the girls dis
persed. The only disappointment they'
report is that three dances had to be
left out for lack of time.
Music was furnished by the Univer
sity Mandolin Club; its members being
the only atom of masculinity present,
'fbe gentlemen escorts did not seem to
be missed as the girls who filled their
places excelled anything ever before at
tempted in the way of gallantry. But it
is reported that assistance was gracious
ly accepted on the way home.
Invitations are out for a Hallowe’en
party to be given at Miss Maude Beal’s
home on East Thirteenth street. This
is the first of a series of affairs to be
given during the winter by some local
girls under the name of “Entre Nous.”
The Gamma Delta Gamma girls en
teartained with a dinner party after the
Girls’ Dance, Saturday night. The
guests were the partners that the Soror
ity members escorted to the dance.
ACACIA TO BE
INSTALLED AT
l. OL 0. LRIDAY
LOCAL MASONS GET CHAR
TER FROM COLLEGE
FRATERNITY
Organization Contains Many of
the Prominent Men on Faculty
and in Alumni.
I lie installation of a Chapter of the
Acacia Fraternity in the University of
()regon will take place Thursday even
ing, October 28. The Acacia Fraternity
was first organized in the ^University of
Michigan in 1897. Since that time it has
been opened to the principal Universi
ties of the (J. S. having chapters in the
Universities of Michigan, Stanford,
Kansas, Nebraska, California, Ohio,
Harvard, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Minne
sota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Cornell, Pur
due, Chicago, Yale, and Iowa.
The chapter will be installed by J. F.
Pullen (Grand Vice President), assisted
by two members from the University of
California chapter, and two members
from Stanford University chapter.
The local Masonic Club was organized
three years ago and contains many
prominent members of the faculty as
well as students and alumni. The char
ter was granted to this club in June,
1909, and the boys have taken up their
abode in a recently purchased home at
the corner of 9th and llillyard streets.
I he charter members to be installed arc
as follows:
Members of the Faculty—J. F.
Bovard, Prof. 15. J. Hawthorne, Dr. H.
i5. Leonard, Prof. John Straub, Dr.
Frederick G. Young, Prof. Frink, and
Prof. Frederick S. Dunn.
Alumni—Lorid Loridson, L. R. Al
derman, Prof. F. S. Dunn, Judge E. O.
Potter, Darwin E. Buston, Prof. A. W.
Lowe, Paul Bond, James Cunning,
Floyd Booth, Webster Kincaid, S. S.
Spencer, Bert Prescott, A. R. Tiffany,
L. M. 'Eravis, and Ray Zacharias.
Students—Chanccy Cumming, TO;
Barey Estham, TO; Ormond Rankin,
TO; Zeno Riddell, TO; Francis Curtis,
'll ; F. E. Dun ton, ’ll ; James Odell, ’ll;
Philip Brownell, T2; David McDaniells,
'12; C. A. Osterholm, T2; Ernest Smith,
T2; Fred Strand, T2; Calvin Welsh, T2.
This fraternity differs from other col
lege organizations in that it is a Hebrew
letter fraternity instead of a Greek.
Members of this organization must be
Masons, but .being a Mason does not
make one a member.
CALENDAR
Wednesday, October 27—
Eutaxian Society, 7 p. m„ Library.
Meeting for organization of Free
Religion Association, 7 p. in.,
I )eady 1 fall.
Friday, October 29—
Meeting Committee on Oratory
and Debate, Vallard, 4 p. m.
Y. M. C. A., 7 p. m„ McClure
Hall.
Saturday, October 30—
Laurean Society, 7 p. in., Deady
Hall.