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DORMITORY BIBLE CLASSES

Christian Association Plan for Discussion of Religious Questions in Dormitories.

The Christian Association has in press and will issue next week two new short courses on the life and teaching of Christ, which are to be made the basis of a new plan of study and discussion of moral and religious questions by small groups of men in the dormitories. This idea was applied with great success at a number of other colleges last year, particularly at Cornell, Michigan, Yale and at West Point, where more than half of the corps entered the classes.

Trial of the plan at Harvard has been delayed until the present time, in order to make it possible to offer new courses which should be cheaper, of more convenient length, and better calculated to appeal to Harvard men than any already existing.

During the last half-year, accordingly, Professors E. C. Moore and W. W. Fenn have prepared, at the request of the Christian Association, two courses on the Life of Christ and the Teaching of Christ, respectively, which are being published in pamphlet form for distribution at cost, probably 15 and 10 cents per copy.

These courses, which will be ready for use about the middle of next week, are each of eight weeks' duration. Professor Moore's course considers in order the fundamental facts of Christ's life, taking a new subject each day, and giving references to the Bible and occasionally to some other book, with the author's interpretation of each event and comment on its meaning. Professor Fenn's course, on the teaching of Jesus, presents eight of the most important principles of that teaching in successive weeks, each subject occupying one week, with a reference to the New Testament and brief comment by the author for each day.

The general plan for the use of these new outline courses is to offer them to all men living in dormitories, and where ever in a hall or entry the residents care to organize among themselves a small group for discussion of questions raised by the courses, or moral and religious problems in general, to provide a leader for the class, if desired. Groups of this sort meeting for informal discussion for an hour a week, have already been formed in Weld, Matthews, Thayer, Ridgely, Hastings, Waverley and Shepherd's Block. Some of these have followed a course, others their own scheme of study; and some have leaders from outside the class. The courses will be on sale in Brooks House as soon as published.

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