Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/592

428 views of theological doctrines. The German Lutheran have within a few years founded Concordia college in northeast Portland, while the Catholics having taken over the property of the Methodists at University Park, have founded the large institution of Columbia university. And last but not least among the sectarian schools is Newberg college, at the town of Newberg in Yamhill County, founded by the Quakers, or Friends. This is one of the best colleges in the state and has never had a dollar of bounty from any source outside of its own special friends, and the citizens of Newberg. In addition to Albany college, the Portland academy in many respects nearly a college, is also under the special care and support of Presbyterian influences. The Protestant Episcopal church early took an active interest in educational work, and founded a boarding and day school for girls and young ladies at Milwaukie now adjoining this city, which after its abandonment on account of its inconvenient location, was succeeded by the girls school known as St. Helen's hall. This school has been very successful since its first opening by Bishop Morris in 1869. The school was very fortunate in having for its principal, and two of its teachers, Miss Mary B. Rodney, and her sisters, Lydia and Clementina; all of whom with the bishop founder have passed on to their reward. The Rodney sisters were direct descendants of Caesar Rodney, one of the signers—the signer that decided the great event of the declaration of American independence.

The Roman Catholics have been the most active and successful in establishing denominational or sectarian schools, it being a part of the policy of that church to educate their own youth with instructors that will combine religious instruction and training with the elements of a common school education. Pursuing this policy they have schools in nearly every parish in the city, besides the leading institutions of St. Mary's, The Christian Brothers, and Columbia university; all of which must have involved an expenditure for buildings alone of several hundred thousand dollars.

No apologies are offered for devoting liberal space to the churches. Recognizing, as every thoughtful reader of history must recognize, that intelligence and morality is the foundation of all governments that administer justice and equally protect the rights of all citizens, the record of these institutions must ever be the most instructive source of information enlightening the mind of the student and guiding the course of the statesman. It is therefore in no sense disparaging to the great interests of business and finance to give to the churches a more important chapter than to banks and railroads. For after all is said and done, it is upon the virtues, integrity and courage of the individual man and woman that the future safety of the nation and happiness of the people depends. While the hair splitting differences in the creeds of the churches may be ignored, their teaching of morals, justice and humanity must forever command the support of every good man and woman.

It does not require on the part of the reader of Oregon history any critical examination of the record to see that the religious development of society has been marked by successive groups of very able, forceful and distinguished teachers. Men who not only preached, and worked and taught, but men who left the impress of their sacrificial labors, and lives, not only on their own times, but in a most marked degree on the religious thought and spirit of the whole history of the state.

Commencing with the pioneer settlement of the state, the very first beginnings, coming into the midst of all the wildness of the wilderness and the savagery of