“I’m not up on Methodism as I should be,” said Joe to Barnard, a day or two later, “and I may as well admit that I never heard before of this Wesley Foundation of yours.  Is it a church affair?”

“Well, rather,” Barnard answered.  “It is just exactly that.  You know, or could have guessed, that a good many of the students here are from Methodist homes—­about a fourth of the whole student body, as it happens.  And our church has been coming to see, perhaps a bit slowly, that although the State could not provide any religious influences, and could certainly do nothing for denominational interests, there was all the more reason for the church to do it.  That’s the idea under the Foundation, so to speak, and the work is now established in nine of the great State Universities.”

“Yes, I see,” Joe mused, “but just what is the Foundation’s duty, and how do you do it?”

Barnard laughed as he said, “We do pretty near everything, in this University.  We have a regular Methodist church, with a membership made up almost entirely of faculty and students.  The town people have their own First Church, over on the West Side.  Our church has its Sunday school, its Epworth League Chapter, and other activities.  We try to come out strong on the social side, and in a little while, when our Social Center building is up—­we’re after the money for it now—­we can do a good deal more.  There is plenty of demand for it.”

“That’s all church work, of course.  I suppose you have no relation to the University, though,” Joe asked, “studies and all that?”

“Yes, indeed, and we’re coming to more of it, but gradually.  We are already offering courses in religious subjects, with teachers recognized by the University, and credit given.  It’s all very new yet, you know, but we’re hoping and going ahead.”

“I should think so,” said Joe with emphasis.  “But where does the money come from for all this?  It must be Methodist money, of course; who puts it up?”

“Oh, the usual people,” said Barnard.  “A few well-to-do Methodists have provided some of it, but the really big money has to come from the churches—­collections and subscriptions and all that.  This sort of work is being done in forty-odd other schools, where the Wesley Foundation is not organized.  The money comes officially through two of the benevolent boards.”

“Yes?” queried Joe.  “I’ve often heard of ‘the benevolences,’ but I never thought of them as meaning anything to me.  How do they hook up to a proposition like that?”

“Well,” said Barnard, “the Board of Education, naturally, is interested because of the Methodist students who are here.  And the Board of Home Missions and Church Extension is interested because at bottom this is the realest sort of home mission and church extension work.”

“Do these boards supply all the money you need?” was Joe’s next question.

“No, not all at once, anyway,” Barnard answered.  “We’re needing a good deal more before this thing really gets on its feet; and when our people know what work can be done in State schools, and what a glorious chance we have, I think they’ll see that the money is provided.  The students are there, half a hundred thousand of them, and the church must be there too.”