m or do they feel as one
student in an eastern university? When interviewed he said: "Oh, well,
I guess they are pretty good. I suppose they are among the necessary
evils of college life."

An extensive interview of the students at seven institutions revealed
some interesting facts. The presidents or deans from the thirty-eight
colleges gave some data and much opinion on the benefits which the
students derived from these organizations, according to the students
testimonies and the observation of these presidents or deans. I am not
inclined to place too much emphasis upon the students' testimony to
the presidents, because, the psychological situation of a student who
is asked by a college president what he thinks of the church service,
Sunday School and Epworth League is not conducive to frankness. This
is especially true of students who know what the president wants him
to say. It is a sort of begging the question. The average college
student is apt to have too much respect for the president's feelings
to be frank in such a case. He likewise has a keen sense of
self-preservation. He does not want to incur the displeasure of the
president.

In the case of five other institutions, therefore, I had students, Y.
M. C. A. workers, interview the leaders of various activities in these
colleges with a view to getting their candid opinion and the
reflection of the opinion of the other students. In these various ways
we secured data which represented a high degree of probability to say
the least. Ninety-five per cent of the students in Negro colleges
reckon the church service on Sunday a beneficial agency for religious
functioning. They vary greatly as to the degree of good derived. In
eleven institutions the singing and liturgy are placed first in the
rank of importance and the prayer last. These same colleges think the
sermon takes second place. By many of this same number congregational
singing is given a very high place. The general complaint against the
sermon is that it is too dry. I think what is meant by this is that
the sermon lacks enthusiasm.

There may be two reasons for the impression of the dryness of the
sermon, if the complaint is justified. In the first place, a large
number of the college pastors begin their sermons on the assumption
that a student's religious life is essentially different from that of
the average person in a congregation eight blocks away in another
church, a matter which cannot always be t