Abraham Kuyper's Visit to Princeton
Abraham Kuyper visited the United States in 1898 to receive an honorary doctorate from Princeton University and to deliver the Stone Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary. He traveled widely during his visit, surveying the religious, social and political life in America. After he returned to Holland, Kuyper published some impressions about his visit in Varia Americana (1899).
Writing with an eye to reassuring his followers in the Dutch Reformed Churches about the viability of a "free school in a free state," Kuyper asserted that the separation of church and state had not harmed the life of the churches in America. In fact, the American churches were flourishing despite the lack of state support. He noted that the affluence of the American churches also carried over to their seminaries. He cited Princeton Theological Seminary and McCormick Theological Seminary as examples of “thriving” seminaries.
…The state also provides absolutely no support for the training of ministers in America. Everything that is contributed to that end comes either from the church or from private parties. “There will be very little left over for the seminaries therefore,” one might say, “after the unbelievable expenses that church members will have already paid.” The seminaries must be like the churches' poor relations, prolonging their existence with austerity.
The actual result [of separating church and state] shows that exactly the opposite is true. The educational institutions we have simply do not approach the luxury with which the various church groups in America have built up their “colleges.” The Presbyterian Church even owns a seminary right in the middle of Chicago, the so-called “McCormick-Seminary,” where this author delivered three lectures. This College disposes over property in the center of this world-class city half as large as the Damin our capital. There are also a beautiful series of buildings on this property, including a Hall, a Library, a Chapel, Dormitories, and houses for the Professors. All told this represents millions and millions of dollars of “real estate.”
The Presbyterian Seminary in Princeton also stretches out over an entire field with lovely trees. It likewise has a Hall, a Library, a Chapel and so much else. What’s more, the libraries at both institutions are nicely equipped according to the latest requirements of library science, each with a full-time librarian and additional support personnel. The libraries are so up to date that there are even electric lamps with long cords that make it possible for students to retrieve books for themselves late into the evening without fear of causing fires. Last but not least, the number of professors at these seminaries is generally greater than is the case at our schools and they often have higher salaries as well. For example, classes at the Seminary in Princeton, which is located next to the University, are taught by eleven men: Dr. Green, Dr. Paxton, Dr. Warfield, Dr. Davis, Dr. Purves, Dr. De Witt, Dr. Brenton Green, Dr. Vos, Dr. Patton, Dr. Smith and Dr. Martin, members of a faculty that also includes Mr. Duller, the librarian.
Freely translated by Clifford Anderson from Abraham Kuyper, Varia Americana (Amsterdam: Höveker & Wormser, 1899), 147f.