Harvard's Duty

The officers of Harvard should quickly accept the recommendation of one of the University's student committees and do everything in their power to make sure that the study of religion receives a more prominent and proper place than it has at the present time.

Of 150 Harvard undergraduates who answered this committee's questionnaires on religious attitudes, 60 per cent replied that some religion or faith was necessary to their philosophies of life and 23 per cent said that it was not.

If God plays such a small part in the lives of so many young men privileged to enjoy the opportunities and advantages of one of the world's greatest educational institutions, something is tragically wrong with our youth training.

Our fundamental law is premised on universal belief in God and general acceptance of His commandments and teachings.

If a person feels that religion and faith are not essential to his thinking and may be rejected or cast aside like tasteless food or bitter medicine, how can that person be expected to have a healthy respect for the rules and regulations that keep our society orderly, free and decent?

Harvard has only to consult its own books to know that materialism is a perilous substitute for religion not only for individuals but also for nations.

The Massachusetts General Court is not without authority where Harvard and its policies and practices are concerned.

If Harvard will not act for itself in coping adequately with the menace of materialism, the General Court can and should intervene. --The Boston Daily Record,   Tuesday, March 25.