Religion and Education at Chowan
A historical overview
The Founding Fathers of Chowan Female
Institute had one primary objective in mind: the
establishing of a “School of High Order,”
equipped to give the best possible instruction in
the tradition of liberal education. To that end, the
early collegiate curriculum was an adaptation of
the curricula offered at the leading colleges and
universities for men. Adaptations were made in
the areas of the fine and useful arts: music,
sewing, drawing, etc. The core of the
curriculum, however, was as demanding as any
to be found. For the freshman: French, Latin,
Rhetoric, Mythology. For the sophomore:
Geometry, Natural Philosophy, Chemistry,
Physiology. When you advanced to senior status,
you could look forward to Moral Science,
Evidences of Christianity, and Natural
Theology.
It will be noted that the curriculum made no
provision for Biblical studies, as such. But this
did not mean that the Bible and the exercise of
religion played a minor role in the life of the
Institute. Far from it. In a report to the Chowan
Baptist Association in May, 1850, it is noted:
It has been regarded as of vital im
portance that the Seminary be of a
decidedly religious character. As a means
of accomplishing this most important
object, the students are organized into
bible classes, and meet every Sabbath for
the study of the Scriptures. They are also
required to attend divine service on the
Sabbath, in one of the churches of the
town. The daily exercises of the Institute
are opened and closed by appropriate
religious exercises, at which all the
students are required to be present. (CM,
1850, p. 13)
Thus, liberal education for women was not an
end in itself. It was a means towards achieving a
much higher goal. Amos J. Battle, the first
Steward of the Institute, expressed it this way in
his report to the Chowan Association in 1849:
Female education is the mighty lever, by
which society is to be elevated in
civilization, and to advance the female
mind under the sanctifying power of divine
grace, will be to put into operation the
mighty engine by which the world is to
become converted from their idolatries, to
the worship of the true God. (CM, 1849, p.
12)
Education had a religious end in view.
Whatever the shortcomings of the methods
used for attaining that goal, it was pursued with
determination. Reports from the Institute during
the early years often make reference to the
religious influences at work among the students.
Frequent mention is made of revivals of religion
among the girls. In 1851 classes were tem
porarily suspended due to the effects of revival
upon the Institute. In 1855 it was reported that
“every pupil in attendance last session, (who
was) not a Christian before, became one before
its close.” (CM, 1855, p. 11)
The college catalog for 1878 expressed the
religious concern and commitment of the In
stitute in the following way:
Regarding the proper development and
direction of the moral faculties as of
paramount importance in the training of
youth, the founders of the institution in
corporated into its system of instruction
and discipline the Christian religion as a
prominent and permanent feature.
All the pupils are required to attend
morning and evening prayers in the
chapel; also Sabbath School and public
worship on Sunday.
Prayer meetings are held Saturday nights
in the President's study, for the benefit of
such as choose to attend. (CM, 1878, p. 19)
The expectations of attendance at chapel
exercises have maintained to the present—with
interesting variations. Chapel exercises con
tinued to be held twice daily until 1885. In 1910 the
chapel service was conducted daily at mid-day,
when “the student body with the faculty leave
the work in the lecture rooms and repair to the
chapel, where fifteen minutes are spent in the
worship of Almighty God.” (WCM, 1910, p. 12)
Such daily services continued until the closing of
the school in 1943. No penalty for failure to attend
chapel was noted during the early years. It was
assumed that students would be present. As late
as 1955-56, however, the college catalog stated:
“No free absences are granted . . . except that a
last semester sophomore whose name appears
on the Dean’s List may be granted three unex
cused absences.
“Failure to attend chapel exercises will result
in probation after the first absence is incurred.”
(CC, 1955-56, p. 20)
A second method of pursuing religious in
struction has been through the academic
program. As noted previously, there was no
formal academic instruction in Biblical studies
during the earliest years at Chowan. Those
courses in Moral Science, Apologetics, and
Natural Theology constituted the academic
study of religion. In addition, juniors and seniors
were required to attend Friday evening lectures
of a literary or religious nature and examined
upon the content of such lectures.
While a proposal to add the study of the Bible
and Christian missions to the curriculum had
been advanced as early as 1897, it was not until
the session of 1908-09 that the first course in Bible
was taught. Thereafter, it became traditional to
require 6 hours of religion studies to qualify one
for graduation—a requirement that maintains to
the present day. By 1930, 4 different courses in
religion were being taught: Old Testament, New
Testament, Comparative Religions, and the Life
and Teachings of Christ.
The catalog for 1939 listed another interesting
religion course entitled “Practical Economics of
the Bible” The course description noted: This
course is a study of the Bible from the standpoint
of business Ethics, and a careful study of God’s
ownership and man’s trusteeship.” The course
was required of all Business students. (CC, 1939,
p. 28)
The third area in which religion was noted as a
significant part of the life of the campus involved
the functioning of various student clubs and
organizations. A missionary society had been
formed as early as 1850. With the rise of
Woman’s Missionary Union, an increased
student interest in the world mission of
Christianity, and an increased emphasis upon
denominational distinctives following World War
I, other church-oriented clubs found their place -
among the students. Among these were Young
Woman’s Auxiliary, Baptist Young Peoples’
Union, Baptist Student Union, and Mission
Volunteer Bands. Participation in one or more of
these organizations was a normal expectation.
BSU, YWA, and the newer Ministerial Alliance
have continued to be a part of campus life since
the reopening of Chowan in 1949.
And who was to oversee the religious
development and instruction of the students?
Why, the President and the faculty, of course!
With this function in mind, it is instructive to
note that twelve of the nineteen presidents of
Chowan have been ordained ministers, as well as
qualified educators. Some of these served as
pastors of churches in the area—including the
Murfreesboro Baptist Church—while also s-
erving the college as president. Until recent
years the president was responsible for and
usually conducted the religious services on
campus. Moreover, as late as 1919 it was
reported that all the faculty members
were Christian-Baptist Christian. The im
plication was that the religious development of
the youth entrusted to Chowan was in secure
hands with such a faculty of Bible-beheving
Baptists.
Things are quite different at Chowan in these
early years of her second century from what
they were during her first century of service as
an educational institution. The small woman’s
college has become a good-sized co-educational
institution, wherein women are decidedly in the
minority. Liberal education is still the primary
goal, but with a welcome break out of the old
classical mold. The academic community—
faculty and students alike—represents a much
broader cross section of religious heritage and
commitment, though still largely within the
Christian tradition. All of which changes present
new challenges to attaining the ultimate of a
Christian college—the elevation of society in
terms of the vision of the kingdom of God.
Increasingly large and diverse student
enrolments—coupled with the pressure to get
into college somewhere—increase the risk and
the danger that many students will never give
the first thought to the religious functioning and
purpose of the college they attend. While the
classical mold of a liberal education was too
sterile and restrictive for the needs of a modern
world, it at least included academic subjects
which took religion seriously: a tradition we are
in danger of losing through the idol we
sometimes make of the “autonomy of the
disciplines.”
And while the president and the faculty can no
longer take the primary responsibility for the
religious concerns of the student body—leaving
that to the administrative management of a
chaplain to the college—there is always the
danger that the instructor will relinquish his own
responsibility as a man of faith, now that he has
a professional to take care of that responsibility
for him.
All of which is to say that if you are a student at
Chowan College in 1972, and if you can be serious
at all about the fact that you are studying here
rather than elsewhere, maturity in religious
concerns and commitment will be a part of "your
education; otherwise, either you or the rest of
the college community is being defrauded. If you
are a member of the faculty-staff in 1972, but can
exercise no personal concern or commitment to
religious maturity—yours or your students’—
you might rethink the conditions of the pledge
you have made to the college as an institution of
Christian higher education.
I doubt that one can readily improve u x>n the
manner in which the catalog of 1910 expressed
the purpose of education at Chowan. The words
are probably those of President James D.
Brunner:
The college endeavors to train the
emotions and will of its pupils as well as
their mind and body . . . Develop the body
only, you may have an athlete; develop the
mind only, you may have a skeptic;
develop the heart only, you may have a
fanatic; but educate the body, mind, and
heart, and you have the noblest work of
God, the very climax of creation—a
perfected man or woman. (CC, 1910,)
So may it continue to be with all of us.
For April-May, 1972
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