Hampden Sydney College - Kaleidoscope Yearbook (Hampden Sydney, VA)

Page 28 text:

Hampden-Sidney's Contribution to Theological Science The supreme test of an institution of learning is the fruit it yields in capable and trained men fitted for the work of C,od's world and Cod's Kingdom. Splendid buildings and costly laboratories and encyclopedic libraries and scholarly teachers are all means to the end of producing efficient and worthy manhood. An educational plant costing millions of dollars might well be less effective in making men whose creation would be justified by the service they rendered, than some renowned College less rich in dollars but more rich in sons with the wisdom and character which are the marks of true culture. By their fruits ye shall know them. The splendid eminence of Hampden-Sidney is determined for her by the thousands upon thousands of young men who, during the century and a third of her existence, have imbibed the spirit of this venerable school and have wrought into the work of the world the contributions which their scholastic mother made through them. The historian of the College would find wide scope for the exercise of his art in tracing in every field of human activity the influence of the men trained here to carry into every walk of life the Hampden-Sidney spirit and culture. Especially in the inseparably allied fields of education and theology have her sons made marked contributions which shed lustre on the ancient seat of learning where they were prepared for this service. Theology is a science requiring trained capacity, and it is'impossible to separate the record of theological work from the schools, colleges, uni- versities and seminaries where theology has its native home and necessary haunts. A considerable section of the history of education in our country must be written if we would trace in completeness the service which Hampden-Sidney has rendered to this cause, and in no other way could we obtain a full view of the direct and indirect contribu- tions made by the College to the still higher cause of theological science. A partial list would show that her students or former professors have had large influence at Princeton. Davidson, Union, Westminster, Centre, Washington, Franklin, Richmond, Hanover, Randolph-Macon, Jefferson, Austin, King, South Carolina, Davis and Elkins Colleges, at Southwestern Presbyterian, Central, Transylvania, Washington and Lee, Syracuse, Western, Howard, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins Universities, at the Universities of City of New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Vermont, Tennessee, Virginia, The South, Mississippi, Cincinnati, at the Virginia Military Institute, the Vir- ginia Polytechnic lnstitute, and to cut the catalogue short, at schools and seminaries both male and female, almost numberless. Her representatives who in these and other institu- tions were teaching. for example, philosophy, as Dr. Blanton at Central University, or Crreek, as Prof. Hogue at Washington and Lee, were making solid additions to the valid 22

Page 27 text:

Dream Wreck My love and I went sailing High on the heavenly maine My Love to seek new isles of joy, And I, to lose or gain A hope, a dream so thrilling-sweet, It seemed akin to pain- That sometimes waked, and sometimes slept But always waked again. Earth was a map beneath us, And heaven stooped dear and nigh- Now is our kingdom come! my Love Exultedg Now we fly: Yon glory-cloud just gonef' she cried, May be, is God gone by. Or some bright earthly dream, I said, Come true, here in the sky. It was not mine: for gently She sighed, and shook her head, And ere my stammering tale was done, I knew my hope was dead- The brightest dream on earth, for me, In heaven had vanished. And o'er the misty mountains, And back along the seas, High o'er the pillared smoke that clomb From green clumps that were trees, Our wide wings brought us down and down To earth's uncertain ease. But of that wondrous journey Two things alone remain- For her, a glory-cloud gone by, For me, an endless pain. For Love's rich galleons wrecked that day High on the heavenly main- For hopes that once would wake and sleep. But ne'er will wake again. WiLi.1AM Hi1RxLi Wooos Zl

Page 29 text:

Theological science of the church and the world. The accomplished Grecian who pro- duced The Irregular Verbs of Attic Prose and who caused a multitude of future theologians to know something of Greek by the patient and persistent and inflexible drill of a master in the classroom has done a large work for the science of theology, which will bear fruit for generations. To make men competent expositors of the New Testa- ment, while or by teaching them Greek, may not always pass for theological work, but it is really theological work of a high order, which will secure recognition as such in the day when the God of things as they are has his reckoning and metes out his rewards. All the theological institutions of our church and many of other churches are her debtors. At Union Seminary to-day Prof. T. C. Johnson fills the important Chair of Church History as a Hmaster-workman who needeth not to be ashamed, and Prof. A. D. P. Gilmour as associate in the Chair of Oriental Literature, particularly charged with the duty of showing the application of Christianity to modern social problems has an opportunity for conservative and constructive scholarship, by which he may enrich the whole church. At the Kentucky Theological Seminary Prof. Gray lVlcAllister is occupying the professorship of English Bible and Biblical Theology, and at South- western Divinity School Prof. C. W. Somerville is teaching the department of Old Testament Exegesis. In that youngest star in the hrmament of theological study, which is illuminating the strategic territory of the Southwest, three noble sons of the old Nlother are dong worthy service, and Austin rejoices in the work of Prof. Thornton R. Sampson in Church History, Prof. L. Bell in New Testament and Prof. E. C. Caldwell in Old Testament Exegesis. While far across the waters on the other side of the world Prof. L. Stuart, Jr., is teaching the interpretation of the New Testament in the Union Theological Seminary at Nanking, Chinag and these are the proof that the stream which still pours out of that classic spot in old Prince Edward is still able to make glad the City of our God. But the direct contributions to theological Science through authorship are chiefly in evidence. And first in the realm of theology proper stands the splendid name of Dr. Robert L. Dabney, who has brought the whole Kingdom of God into his debt by his books covering a vast range on this queen of all the sciences. The philosophy which underlies revelation, the system of truth which is contained in the inspired revelation, and the applications of that truth to many of the deepest problems of life, political, economic, social, all receive illuminating exposition from his master hand. In his upractical Phil- osophy and Sensualistic Philosophy there is presented a complete philosophy marked by that combined penetration and depth, that searching analysis and sane construction which he brought to the discussion of every theme. His lectures on Theology constitute a text-book for theological study which easily ranks among the very first in our language, and which is destined to put the name of its author in the list of the great theological system builders of the church of all the ages. l'-lis four volumes of Discussions contain a vast array of articles which, while not professing this as their end, yet practically accom- 23