Augustana College - Rockety I Yearbook (Rock Island, IL)

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RELIGICDUS LIFE AI AUGLJSIAINIA By KENNETH FARB Religious life at Augustana is not a number of organizationsg it is ., community of young souls. The founders of Augustana believed that religion and education go hand in hand. They favored the simultaneous development of all of the powers with which man is endowed, not least among these powers is that of the Spirit. The Lutheran church is an educating church. Its theory is that of bringing the masses to the highest intellectual level possible. . Augustana College, as the synodical school of a body of two hundred and fifty thousand Luth- erans, is an important part of the church. It prepares young men and young women for life, it places them on an intellectual level equal with students who have attended a state University for the same amount of time. In addition to this it fortifies the spiritual life. This is important in the agerof the new confusion of tongues . Buchmanism tempts students by flattering their intel- ligencen, and by promoting house parties. Theosophy is attempting to introduce oriental Indian paganism in America, so-called Christian Science is doing the same. The Russelites preach election and spread chaos among young Christians, many other really pagan forces are at work among our educated classes. Augustana, as a church college, offers a balanced, adequate curri- culum in a'Christian environment. A professor in a state school found that eighty-four per cent of his freshmen believed in a personal Godg four years later only sixty per cent had such a faith .... Augie has had a Christianity chair since it was founded .... The first American Bible was printed two hundred years before Augustana was foundedg it was printed in the Indian language. . . . . There were thirty-six members of the men's Bible class at Augustana in 1924. . . . In 1922 only one of the fourteen members of Sola Fide wore oxfords for best, the other thirteen used twenty-four inch shoe laces and high tops .... Augustana students helped to distribute the 7,800,766 Bibles, testaments and portions of the Bible distributed by the American Bible Society in 1934 .... In 1905 there was an active tract society at August- ana .... Over the total period of years the entire Bible has been studied and re-studied about twenty-five times in campus Bible study classes .... On jan. 31, 1935, two weeks before the jubilee Conference, 421 delegates Were registered for the Conference .... Eight students from Augustana attended the Student Volunteer Convention in Buffalo, N. Y., 1933 .... Berean sent a Christmas box to George Anderson in Africa in 1930 .... Seven- ty-tive churches in Moline and Rock Island welcome Augie students .... The Augustana Choir broadcasts 'over the national hook-up of both the NBC and the Columbia network. The agency of contact of religious activities with other general departments of the college, and with other colleges, is the Religious Board. It directs and plans all collegiate religious activi- ties and aims to present an organized schedule for each year, sufficient, and yet not too heavy, to meet the demands of the spiritual life of a student during the crucial college years. This Board is composed of the President of the college and the three deans, the professors of Christianity and a representative of each of the student organizations. This Board was organized ten years ago and has served a definite need on the campus. It has direct charge of Sunday afternoon vespers and weekly prayer meetings. The parish of Ching Wang, Chinese pastor, graduate of our seminary, '33, is Yenshih, Honan, China .... Dr. E. E. Ryden was Va first bass in the Wennerberg Chorus of 1914. . . . . Isagogics was a course in the Christianity department back in the 1880's. . . . If Berean girls have eaten as regularly as they do today they have eaten about two thousand dozen rolls on Sunday mornings since the class was founded .... A Student Volunteer Band was organized at Augie in 19183 it had fourteen members .... The Church His- tory text in 1897 had three volumes .... Twenty students attended Augustana last year who had no church connections whatsoever .... Christianity was once under the Swedish department. Sola Fidc Bible class for men was organized in 1920. At that time there were thrcc nn'n's 4415 P7

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8 it Seuss 'Se-A-it' as P . W l .- -' .' 7 '-'-f- ' 'z -. . ' P- L A. ' K f ' 4- 1 h If fftq is zif.,::. -,gr 'JH .fi . ' -n fs Q , , ,s--.1 , v 'T l.,7'l' .lg 1' gg .. - , -- .J - f. -- ': ,.- . 4 . '-s -. . . - fe, ,- 1. . g. . A. ,,-- .. Q35 ff .14 1' FSI' ,L 'sl'-:....n . A F , lah 3351 if . 1, ,jj 1- -gf' N - r-fig:-., .T -AHF' .gi , .1 - H1 11 ' g 5,71 4 'I ' -, .-'1.1i.'?'N:L QE 1 l - ' , .J' veg, 255- 'sf',,q 1' 'A - ,, ..., ., ' . . , ui, ', -,Q .- ' J . f - ,. .-3' 'z .3-,H is.-5 f ,ag e 1 r 5 5 A' - . - .9 1 V' 'Wt'-,S A -f . T ' 'X 3 ' 45' r 'Qt QM-s ' X . ill X' T' - , . 1' 1- .V , . V My 1 h..-1 5 - ,H I f- , . .5 ' - W M - .in Sr., eff f 5 . 1 gs . Q ' , 5 lg . X ., . 4, iw n- :is . - -I lgn , --f' A , , -L - ,I , . I ,- .gb ..,- -- t ,Max Q1 ' ' . -..L-4-tina: 'f-1 winger 7, mana-HN tg .5 Rev. Qlot Qlsson C1841-19005 Reverend Olsson was born in Karlskoga, Varmland, Sweden, on March 31, 1841. He began his ad- vanced studies at a missionary institute in Stockholm in 1858. In order to prepare himself for work in the foreign mission field he spent two years at Leipsiz, Germany. VVhen his intention was not realized he re- turned to Sweden and graduated from the University at Upsala in 1861. Subsequently, he decided to study theology, and in 1863 he was ordained. During the following six years he labored in the State Church of Sweden. In the year 1869 he came to America with a company of friends who hoped to better their condition in America, settling in central Kansas at Lindsborg. Not only was he an able minister to the spiritual and temporal needs of the pioneer settlers, but we Iind that he was sent to the Kansas legislature, and served two terms in this capacity. In the year 1875 he received a call to become a professor at Augustana College, which he declined. How- ever, in the following year he received a second call which he accepted. Thus for nearly a quarter of a cen- tury, except for a few brief periods, he was connected with this institution. Dr. Olsson took a five months' tour through England, Germany and Bohemia in 18'79.Resigning his position at Augustana in 1888, he as- sumed connection with Bethany College in Kansas. Again in 1889 he visited Europe, and upon his return, ac- cepted a call as the minister of the Lutheran Church at Vfoodhull, Illinois. He was elected the president at Augustana College in 1891, and assumed his duties in this capacity in that year. The Board of Directors decided to confer upon him the Degree of Divinity in 1892. In addition to his educational work, he was busily engaged in writing articles, and was an active contributor to the vari- ous church papers of the Synod. He was distinguished also as the author of various works of great value including: At the Cross , Greeting from Abroad , Christian Hopen, and To Rome and Home Again . As a popular orator he was held in high esteem. His sudden death in May 1900, while acting president of Augustana was a shock to his friends and students. Rev. Gustav Albert Andreen CI 864- D The present head of Augustana College is Reverend Gustav Albert Andreen, Ph.D., R.N.O., D.D. He was born at Porter, Indiana, on March 13, 1864, but received his early education at Swedona, Illinois. At the age of 11, he entered the preparatory department at Augustana, and in six years graduated at the head of his class. Following his graduation in 1881 to 1884, Dr. Andreen was a teacher at Augustana, preparing himself to be a lawyer. In the years 1886 to 1893 he served as a teacher in Bethany College, teaching English, German, and Greek. He decided in 1894 to enter Yale University in order to study for the degree of Doctor of Phil- osophy which he received in 1898. While at Yale, he was instructor in German, and in 1898 he was called to the professorship of Norse and Scandinavian languages and literature at that University. In order to prepare himself for this position, Dr. Andreen spent two years at the University of Upsala, Sweden, and Christiania, Norway, besides making a tour through Germany. Dr. Andreen assumed his new duties at Yale in 1900, and this was the same year that Dr. Olsson, the president of Augustana died. During the following year, Dr. Andreen was unanimously elected president of the college, being installed on October 17, 1901. His far-seeing vision ascertained the needs of the insti- tution, and he began to make provisions for putting the school upon a solid financial basis. He journeyed to Sweden to enlist the sympathy of leading men. The result of the campaign was the subscribing of 120,000 crowns for a professorship at Augustana known as Oscar II, in honor of the King who was among the donors. During the subsequent years, Dr. Andreen has been extremely active in raising endowment funds, a Jubilee Fund , and various campaigns. It is his perseverance and enterprise that have brought to reality the erection of the Auditorium, Theological Seminary, XVomen's Building, and the Denkman Memorial Library. - In 1929, Dr. Andreen and wife made a trip to Europe and the Orient. Although these years have been unusually active, Dr. Andreen has found time to study, read and write. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, national honorary scholastic fraternity. In 1933, he attended summer school at the University of Chicago after which he published the volume, Studies in Lutheran Higher Education , During this year, Dr. Andreen has assumed the task of preparation for the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of the founding of Augustana. In connection with the Jubilee, Dr. Andreen has published The Story of Augustana College and Theological Seminary? Vast evidence of his success as a leader is shown through the love and sincere admiration of all students, professors, and friends with whom he has come in contact through the years. 448145,

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Tot Gustafson, senior seminarian, has led the class this year in studies in the book of Romans. Roland Johnson has been the president, Eric Hohner has served as pianist. Other men who have led devotions and attended class regularly are Elton Johnson, Elton Anderson, Paul Karlstrom, Frank Johnson, Harry and Franz Victorson, Constantine Trued, Philip Trued and Virgil Larson. Berean Bible Class for girls was organized in 1917. It has met regularly in the Women's Building at nine-fifteen o'clock. Various members have led in devotions and in preparing the Berean Breakfast, which is served every Sunday morning just before the meeting of the class. Berean was preceded by what might have been called Sunday School for girlsv, which was led by the Dean, of VVomen or the wife of a professor. A During the last year Miss Clara Holterman has been an excellent leader. By means of topi- cal study she has increased the girls' appreciation of the Bible and its significance. During Lent the girls held devotional meetings nightly. Presbyterians, Methodists, and Congregationalists rank next to Lutherans in student constituency .... A photograph of the art studio in the annual of the year 1900 shows three pictures of Christ .... Fifteen hundred young people attended the .Luther League jubilee Victory Conference at Augustana this year .... Nine members of Sola Fide in 1919 served overseas in the War .... About thirty-live percent of the seminarians meet their future Wives at Augustana .... Ninety-three per cent of Augustana students hold membership in protestant churches .... About fifty students attended the Bible class in 1878 .... The oldest and the largest campus organization is the Foreign Missionary Society. It was organized in 1886, incorporated in 1895, and has since steadily grown in membership until now it has a total of well over two thousand. Since it was organized it has contributed over seventy- six thousand dollars to the cause of foreign missions. During the year 1923, 317,331.55 was col- lected. The average attendance at Mission Study class the past year has been seventy-five. The Class was organized in 1901. A, museum was established this year in the seminary building. Next year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Society. Two buildings were built by this Society: a church at Samulcot, India and the Hasselquist school at Hsuchang, China. The theme of the Concordia Society for this year was The Lutheran Pastor's Career. The lecture series opened on November 1, when Rev. G. Fred Andree presented The Pastor and His Soul , later Mr. Ottoe Leonardson spoke on Practical Hints to the Pastor , Dr. C. E. Bengt- son, The Pastor in the Home of His Members , Dr. P. O. Bersell, The Pastor, His Organiza- tion and Organizationsf, Other speakers included Dr. E. E. Ryden, Dr. P. Arthur Johnson, Rev. Ernest Lack, and Dr. J. A. Holmen. The Concordia Society was organized in 1898. It is made up of the entire student body of the Seminary, the faculty and alumni. It sponsors spiritual, educational, social and athletic ac- tivities among the seminarians. Weelrly Sunday programs are conducted at the Moline Lutheran Hospital and at the Rock Island Rescue Mission. Fifteen years ago Dr. Bergendorff wrote: The Augustana Idea Cof Student Christian ser- vicej demands much from every student. He should not only receive, he should also give .... He should associate himself with the Missionary Society of the school. His interest should continue beyond graduation .... The Augustana Idea demands not only the gaining of missionary knowl- edge, it demands definite deeds which contribute to the advancement of missions .... The Aug- ustana Ideal is not yet realized. Sunday afternoon vespers in the seminary chapel have replaced Sunday evening services in the college chapel, Sunday evening services were held for seventy-three years. Vespers consist of a twenty-minute organ recital, short liturgy and a sermonette. There is a need of more private Bible study and prayer. A misplaced emphasis upon scholas- ticism, social life and extra curricular activities has crept into our college. The real, basic prepara- tion for life is living with and in the Bible. The greatest literary and spiritual asset of the world is the Bible. It opens a vista to the individual wherein he sees God as his father and is assured of the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through Jesus Christ. KENNETH FARB. 4416 77