The Mormon Boy at College

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THE MORMON BOY AT COLLEGE. BY OSBORNE WIDTSOE, PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH IN THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS UNIVERSITY.

Not more than a year ago, a young Latter-day Saint teacher was visiting with a professor of an eastern university. 'Is there, *

in your 'Mormon' religion," inquired the professor, "anything to satisfy the trained and educated mind of a man of culture? Or is your religion, as claimed by many, narrowing and debasing?" ' ' 'Our religion, ' answered the young Latter-day Saint with fervor, "is the most satisfying to soul and intellect of all the re- ligious systems of the world. It is the most ennobling, the broad- est, the soundest, the very best system of religion the world has ever known; for it is the Christ's." ' ' 'And yet, ' objected the professor, ' 'is it not true that your boys who go East for a higher education lose their faith in 'Mor- )>> monism Cf

' 'Well, it is true that many of our young men have become ' skeptical, and some have left the Church, ' admitted the teacher, "yet we have experienced no more such defection than have other ' churches. "I know, of course," said the professor, "that all creeds suffer loss from the ranks of educated men. Our age is a critical and skeptical one. But it seems to me that you, with your claims with your pretensions to the true gospel of Christ and the perfect philosophy of religion — have no excuse to offer for fallers-away. ' There should be no fallers-away. The young man was troubled. What answer could he give at the moment to excuse apostasy among the educated? Does not "Mormonism, " so called, include all truth? Is it not broad and liberal?Does it not encourage its devotees to seek after learning:

16 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

from books and by experience? Does it not encourage critical in- vestigation rather than frown upon it Yet the objection seemed !

so forcible that the young man came almost to believe that educa-

tion is, after all, not a good thing, since it fosters skepticism.

But, again, seemed to him that the fault was not with "Mor- it

monism," nor with education. The religion might, as claimed, comprehend all the good and true in the world. In that case, the fault must lie with the students themselves. When a boy goes to college, he becomes associated with one of the classes of the institution. He is either a special student, a freshman, a sophomore, a junior, a senior, or a graduate. Gen- erally, he has the pleasure of going through all the stages, except the first. He becomes intimately acquainted with scores of young men, in his own class and out of it. These young men do not be- lieve his religion; many of them have no religion; and many of

them have come to college to have a good time in the way of the world. With them the troubles of the young "Mormon" begin. School has been in session not more than a week or two when the boy receives an invitation from the president of his class to attend an evening entertainment, in order to become acquainted with his classmates. He goes, and finds the fellows having in general a "jolly good time." Most of them are smoking, and drinking beer or other liquor. He is pressed to take pipe or a cigar, and a drink; and ifnot very strong he takes both. he is

Perhaps he takes more than one cigar, and more than one drink. Not long after this he is invited to attend a class "smoker." He goes to it, and is pressed again to smoke and drink, and he learns that the class "smoker" will be a regular event in the course of the school year. But it is not the only means of social intercourse with his classmates. Ere long, he is invited to a class "beer night," where he meets with the same temptations. Then he joins a society for the advancement of the subject in which he is particularly interested. He attends the conferences of this soci- ety and hears learned lectures delivered, perhaps, between pufl^s

of smoke. After the lecture there is a general handshaking and a drinking of liquor. In the class rooms, too, the young man meets with many things that test his faith. All university courses aim at accurate

THE "MORMON" BOY AT COLLEGE. 17

scholarship. Original editions only are credited as perfectly au- thentic. Later editions, in which a word has been replaced or a spelling changed, or even the punctuation amended, without due critical notice, are divested of authoritative value. Sources are carefully sought and studied. It is determined with accurate nicety just where any great man got his inspiration and informa- tion. Often he is deprived by critical review of any claim to

originality. The effect of such scholarly study is seen in the higher criticism of the Bible. It is extreme, of course; yet it is of great value, since it separates the true and authentic from the mythical. Now, as the critical acumen of the young "Mormon" develops, he comes to know that, as yet, we have had but few real scholars among us. Further, he becomes convinced that some good men have made serious mistakes. In the light of his acquired scholar- ship, he questions some matters of interpretation. His faith be- gins to falter. But the temptations of smoke and drink for the sake of fel- lowship, or the difficulties developed by critical scholarship, are not the only obstacles that beset the road to perfect faith, nor are they the most insurmountable ones. Worse, perhaps, than these is the insidious influence of some teachers. There are many pro- fessors who believe in no God, and hence, in no religion. More- over, they look upon any religion as merely a form of superstition, which holds the believer in chains of fear. These men speak of a broader and freer life, without restraint, and of a fuller, brighter intellectual light. The youthful student, just coming into his young manhood, resents the thought of fear and slavery. He is fascinated by the subtle teaching of the broader and higher life. — He wavers and perhaps he falls. The hidden snare of the foeman then holds him fast. Now, our religion is so peculiar that any violation of its prin- ciples brings about immediate effects. It seems a small thing to

take a smoke or drink with a friend. The boy at college thinks — — he can overcome the habit if he forms it when he leaves his college friends. But, however good the boy's intentions for the future may be, the habit of smoking and drinking remains incom- patible with the spirit of the gospel. Persistence in the habit weakens the boy's testimony; and in place of it, he comes to cher-

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ish such questions as these: What becomes of the tithing, anyway? Why have we any more authority than anyone else? Why is it not religion enough to be fair with your fellow men? From this con- dition he passes speedily to one of bitterness; and all because he imagines that he must learn the wicked ways of the world in order to be esteemed by his classmates. In truth, he has less backbone

than many who have never been taught the perfect law of the gospel. Hundreds of young men at college neither smoke nor drink. They attend, very often, the ''smokers" and "beer- nights," and conferences, and all the other forms of entertainment; but they stoutly refuse to form habits they have been taught to abhor. Doubts that arise when the searchlight of modern criticism is turned upon our religion, are pe]^haps pardonable; but they need never be of long duration. In the course of our scriptural and re- ligious interpretations, we have no doubt made mistakes; but they have arisen from the conditions of the people. Poor, oppressed, and untrained, they could do no better than they did; and they erred much less often than even learned men who work without divine assistance. A broad-minded scholar always makes allowance for the opportunities and the environments of the people he is study- ing. The young ''Mormon" learns to do so, too, if he seeks hon- estly a constructive policy, and not a destructive one. However, the critical attitude will perhaps never leave him; and many people may think, therefore, that his testimony is weak. Yet, if he has struggled and overcome, his testimony may be built more firmly on a sure foundation than that of his friends. There is, then, no moral nor social excuse for violating prin- ciples of the gospel, and thereby losing faith. There is no excuse for fallers-away, even if scholarly criticism be turned upon the gospel. Neither is there a reason why any man, learned or un- learned, trained or untrained, should allow himself to be lured away from the truth by some other man. Those who are truly in- structed in our religion know that we are free, that our social life is pure, that our ideals are high, that the glory of God is our light. The boy who is influenced by the insidious remarks of others is he who is not free. He has not manly strength to stand by his convictions. who has If a student falters merely beause a teacher,