Introduction
From its founding in 1865, Cornell University has been firmly nonsectarian, welcoming students and faculty of any religion, or no religion at all. This approach was controversial in the mid to late 19th century, when the majority of American universities were religiously affiliated; Cornell was called the “Godless” university by many. However, religion was in no way absent from campus life. On the contrary, with the rapid growth of its library collections, the new university began seeking out religious works of all types and eras. By the time the first incoming class arrived in 1868, instructors and students could interact with a vast array of sacred works. These materials supported courses on topics such as architecture, art history, philology, social reform and injustice, and literature. They were also used to complement sermons in the University chapel. This exhibition highlights the collecting of religious texts at Cornell and introduces many of the figures who have built the collection over the past 150 years.
This exhibition contains materials from the Rare and Manuscript Collections, as well as several artifacts from the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art.
Photograph of Andrew Dickson White.
Photograph of Ezra Cornell.
Andrew Dickson White. Reply to questions about religion at Cornell University. Circa late 1860s – early 1870s.
According to Cornell’s first president, A.D. White, Cornell was regularly accused of being a Godless university that breeds atheist students. While White did not usually dignify such attacks with personal responses, he did on occasion write to newspapers and journals in defense of the university, as he did in this letter to the editor of The Northern Christian Advocate. He writes that while no one was required to practice a certain religion, the majority of faculty members were Christian and ceremonies were opened and closed with prayer, though participation was not mandatory.
Ezra Cornell. Letter “to the coming man and woman,” at the laying of the cornerstone of Sage Hall. Ithaca, New York, May 15, 1873.
“The principal danger to be encountered by the friends of education, and by all lovers of true liberty is that which may arise from sectarian strife. From these halls, sectarianism must be forever excluded, all students must be left free to worship God as their concience [sic] shall dictate, and all persons of any creed or all creeds must find free and easy access, and a hearty and equal welcome to the educational facilities possessed by the Cornell University.”
The Cornell Era, 1877-1878.
As part of the graduating class statistics, students had the option to list their religion. The majority were Christian, with a small percentage of Jewish students as well as one claiming his religion to be ‘materialism’. Some students found humor in the “Godless” accusations and formed the unofficial Young Men’s Heathen Association in the 1870s.