Oberlin College - Hi-O-Hi Yearbook (Oberlin, OH)

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QE-'berlin from the QE'ut5ilJz Zanme nf resihent :Finney every day-may be forgiven. Some other outsider could have said these things, and others, a great deal better, but not many eguld speak with a deeper sense of gratitude for what Oberlin stands for and what Oberlin has done in laying foundations for the City that is coming' down out of Heaven from God. Mares

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Finney appeared as the foe of the fatalism which was crippling the Calvinistic faith, and asserted human responsibility with a vigor and thoroughness that left nothing to be desiredd Few, if any, of our American theologians have done more to shatter that cast-iron dogmatism which practically said to men, in language that Finney was wont to quote, You can and you can't, You shall and you shan't, You will and you won't, You'll be damned if you do, And you'll be damned if you don't. Cf course this tremendous emphasis on the freedom of the human will was highly heretical, Oberlin has always been heret- ical. But it was spoken with a mighty conviction, which made the world listen and believe. Fairchild fcllowed with 'his breadth and calmness and sweet-' ness, bringing all theology under the ethical test, and making us sure that the judge of all the earth will do right. Some of us will never forget the help that was given to us by his quiet but un- flinching assertions of the righteousness of God against every im- plication of injustice. That, too, gave ground for suspicion in some quarters, there are always people who think it dangerousto be- lieve in a righteous God, but Dr. Fairchild's quiet' testimony did quite as much to ethicise theology as was done by any teacher of his time. . , And now we have the wise and brave leader who holds fast to the old faith while he brings in the new knowledge to illuminate it 3 who shows us how the ethics of the Christ and the discoveries of modern science can live together, each lending light to the other. No finer work in the way of reconciliation is being done in the country to-day than that for which we are indebted to President King. F I hope that the haste and inadequacy of this testimony, thrown together in the midst of my Lenten services-with two meetings 17 QBherIin from the Q9utsihe

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HF present year marks an epoch in Oberlinls history. It may justly be called the greatest year in her history. Physically, during the past twelve months, we have seen Ober- lin grow in greater measure than ever before. The completion of the Finney Memorial Chapel and the Carnegie Library is an event of which Oberlin has long dreamed. Aside from the indisputable advantages attendant on the daily use of these buildings, they mark the beginning of a period of extension which will ultimately place Oberlin in a class by itself as a type of the ideal American College. The projected Men's building, will, when secured, fill a distinct want in the interests of the men, and if the time ever comes, and we earnestly hope it may, when we can also see on our Campus an up-to-date Technical School, then we shall feel that Fortune has indeed smiled warmly on Oberlin. E The past year has witnessed some memorable changes in the personnel of our Faculty. Through, the happy medium of the Carnegie Foundation it has been possible to reward the faithful services of three of Oberlin's -most eminent Professors,-Dr. George Frederick Wright, Dr. Adelia A. F. Johnston, and Dr. Al- bert Henry Currier. For a period of iifty years Oberlin has grown in greatness and power through the influence of these three per- sons.v The whole world of education has broadened through their continued contributions ' to Scientific, Historical and Religious knowledge. - D A distinct loss was experienced when Dr. Charles E. St. John resigned his chair as Dean of the College' of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Physics, to accept a position with the Pasadena, Cali- fornia branch of the Carnegie Foundation for original research. Dr. St. John has held a position of peculiar trust and influence in the life of Oberlin College' and town. ' However, allhas not been loss. The general Faculty has been increased in numbers and greatly strengthened by the addition of a number of men of rare ability and wide- experience. The de- partments heretofore of lesser prominence have been built up to the general high average, and 'a wholesome balance of ability and in- terest is now maintained. The student body and the Faculty alike received a rare com- pliment on the eighth of last November, when Oberlin was ad- mitted to membership in Phi Beta Kappa. It is ai distinct recogni- tion of the high standing of the Oberlin Student as among the stu- dents of other American Colleges and Universities, and places him ' 19 Sehentpzfihz wrt nf rngress