UA-R-GC-1914-01-01-1927-10-21_Page-018

83 Presidents Report several were of brief duration and were discounted as incidental, I have wondered whether our ambitions may not be carrying us farther than is wise in the expansion of our educational program with our present resources of personnel. The two out-standing anxieties have related to Dr. iIcClena.han's eyesight to which reference has already been made, and Mrs. Eddy's nervous breakdown which required her being brought back to America. The general situation is that Dr. Eddy contemplates resigning at the end of the present (1927-28) school year. I am hoping almost against hope that some development may yet permit him to stay in Egypt, but the fact must be faced that the present outlook is that he must withdraw. 2. Staff Conferences: It is important to remind ourselves again and again that ours is a young institution with its character and standards (not to say traditions) still in the making. Two dangers must be avoided: one is that of drifting, instead of facing situations and consciously formulating our policies; the other is that of departmental thinking before we have worked out central purposes and aims for the institution as a whole. For this reason, on my return to Egypt, I called together the permanent staff of the University for a series of conferences at which we discussed in a comprehensive way various topics of vital importance to the life of the institution as a whole. One of these topics, which occupied our attention for two afternoons, was "The Religious Objective of the University". As is known, the subject of Religious Education is coming to the front in almost every Christian and missior .ry gathering. There is a deep-seated suspicion that many of the processes of Christian education have been unproductive. Nowhere is this more i.:a.nifest than in the Moslem mission field, where Christian education has yielded little or nothing. As in the Great iar, the present need is for something "more penetrating", a "higher explosive". In preparation for this conference, each member of the staff was asked to define the religious object-ive of the University as he conceived it. Y e also had before us an interesting study of religious education in Japan, Korea, China, the Philippine Islands, the Near East and Latin America, edited by W. L. Sanders. The conference yielded certain clear values: (1) New recognition was given to the fact that the religious objective the supreme justification for the University's existence. (2) It was recognized that every man must share in some way in promoting the religious objective of the University. b) There was general agreement that the central aim is the transformation of the life of the student, rather than any mere dog-matic instruction. (4) The conference vas rich in suggestiveness as to variety of approaches and divergences in method. (5) There was agreement that Chri; t is the dynamic for all transformation of life as we deal with Moslems. (6) There was agreement that we should go as far as reality will permit in having open con-fession of allegiance to Christ. (7) It was clearly shown that there is great need for a clear and reasonable statement of the Christian ati Ltude toward the teach-ings of science on evolution and the evolutionary conceptions of human development. In such conferences as the one described, the most inspiring element is that of originality and creativeness. The University is facing the Moslem with its philosophical background, its religious ideals and its moral standards, and it is to that world, not to Western thought and life, that the University must speak. And its message must be vital and gripping. Other conferences were also held. Those relating to Student Promotion have already been described in Section I on the College of Arts and Sciences. Library: It will be recalled that a year ago, strong hopes were entertained that an appeal to the Carnegie Corporation might secure for the University a much-needed Library Building. -Lt is a matter of real regret that other large demands upon the Corporation's resources are reported to have prevented thei