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MINUTES OF BUSINESS MEETING
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion
Columbia University, April 12, 1958

The meeting opened at 1:30 p.m. with President James Luther Adams presiding.

TREASUSER'S REPORT. The Treasurer reported total assets of $551.52 as of April 10, with disbursements and outstanding bills of $143.58, leaving a balance of $407.94. This compares with a balance of $241.12 on November 2, 1957.

THE JOURNAL. Professor J.P. Williams, Chairman of the committee on the journal, reported that plans to use the Journal of Religion as an outlet collapsed due to the fact that Columbia University has withdrawn its subsidy. Negotiations are continuing for some other plan.

REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES. The Council has appointed Robert J. Havighurst of the University of Chicago as its representative in the Midwest area, and Fred H. Blum, University of Minnesota, representative in the North Central area.

MEETING FOR PUBLICITY. The Council has authorized the Secretary to arrange a meeting to inform psychologists of the facts about the Society at the coming American Psychological Association meeting in Washington. This has been done. Prof. Eister has been authorized to arrange a similar meeting at the American Sociological Association Meeting.

DECENNIAL MEETING. At the suggestion of members from the Midwest, it has been decided to hold a Decennial Meeting in Chicago on April 10th and 11th. $1,000 has been granted by the Danforth Foundation to help defray the expenses, while the Society has voted $200 to underwrite any loss.

SYMPOSIUM ON SYMBOLISM AND RELIGION. This symposium, which was the feature of the spring meeting in 1957, is to be published in the International Record of Medicine and will be dedicated to the memory of Dr. Werner Wolff, late Vice President of our Society.

NEW MEMBERS. The Council announced the election of new members as recorded on the accompanying list.

The meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Walter Houston Clark
Secretary-Treasurer

NOTES:

R.J. Havighurst has been appointed the representative of the Council of the SSSR in the Chicago area. He will be assisted by Gibson Winter.

Fred H. Blum, University of Minnesota, has been appointed representative in the North Central area.

The Religious Research Fellowship will hold its annual meeting at the Chicago Theological Seminary, June 13-15, 1958. Dr. E. deS. Brunner of Columbia will deliver a lecture. Those interested in attending should write Mrs. Howard P. Ritsch, Chicago Theological Seminary, Chicago 37, Illinois. Those interested in membership in the Fellowship should write Margaret Tarnmer, Secretary, Presbyterian Board of Missions, 156 Fifth Avenue, New York 10, New York.

Members may have noted some duplications in bibliographical items over the years. This is due to limitations on the Secretary's time and secretarial help available. Information comes from various sources and duplications are not always caught.

Under the leadership of Fred H. Blum the first program meeting of the Minnesota Chapter of the SSSR was held on March 6th at the University of Minnesota, including an interfaith panel discussion of "Religion in the Life of the Student," a discussion on the subject "Can Religion be Studied Scientifically?", and a report on current research in the field of religion _________________________________________________ CENTER>SOCIETY FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING - NOVEMBER 1, 1958, CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

The meeting was held following lunch at the Coach Grille, Harvard Square, following lunch with Dr. Iauris B. Whitman in the chair in the absence of President James L. Adams.

SECRETARY-TREASURER'S REPORT - The Secretary's report of the previous meeting, as sent out by the Secretary was aDDroved. The Treasurer's report, showing a balance of $536-37 as against $241.12 on November 2, 1957, was approved. In addition to this the Treasurer reported an additional sum of $1,000.00 received by him from the Danforth Foundation after an appeal for support of the Decennial meeting to be held in Chicago on April 10-11, 1959. This made total funds in the Bank on November 1, 1958 of $1,536.37. The Treasurer's Report was approved.

ELECTIONS - Professor Eister reported the following for the Nominating Committee. For members of the Council for three year terms: J. Paul Williams (Mount Holyoke) and Talcott Parsons (Harvard); to serve the unfinished term of Charles Y. Glock for one year, Howard Becker (U. of Wisconsin). There being no other nominations, the Secretary was instructed to cast one ballot for election.

DECENNIAL MEETING - The Secretary reported the gift of $1,000 as the result of his appeal to the Danforth Foundation, as noted above. A committee headed by Professor Ross Snyder of the Chicago Divinity School has been in touch with our officers and is finishing arrangements for this meeting to be held at the University of Chicago on November 1, 1958.

FALL MEETING - 'The Council announced that James E. Dittes of Yale had been appointed Program Chairman for the Fall meeting to be held on October 30-31, 1959. Trnere was discussion of members as to the desirability of meeting in different parts of the country rather than exclusively in Cambridge and New York as heretofore, especially in view of the increasing national scope of the Society. As a result a RESOLUTION WAS PASSED: That the Council consider replacing the two one day meetings each year with one meeting of two days in different parts of the country.

REPORT OF THE JOURNAL COMMITTEE - Professor Williams reported for the Committee of the unsuccessful attempts of the Committee to find a suitable journal to cooperate with the Society in publication. Accordingly he proposed a RESOLUTION which was unanimously PASSED as follows: That the Council directly take steps to establish a journal with a suitable editorial and business staff; that it be given power to increase dues to $6.00 a year; that the journal appear as often as feasible; but that no issue should be published until the necessary funds were in the treasury. (See Notes).

SYMPOSIUM ON SYNBOLISM AND RELIGION - The Secretary reported that this Symposium, originally held at the 1957 Spring meeting at Columbia, was being published in the December, 1958 issue., of the INTERNATIONAL RECORD OF MEDICINE.

THANKS TO PROGRAM COMMITTEE - A RESOLUTION of thanks was VOTED to the Program Committee for this meeting, Allan W. Eister, Chairman, Theodore Sprague, and Paul E. Johnson.

NEW MEMBERS - Announcement was made of applicants (list attached) approved by the Council for membership.

Respectfully submitted,

Walter Houston Clark, Sec.-Treas.
55 Elizabeth Street, Hartford 5, Conn.

NOTES and NOTICES -- SOCIETY FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION

DUES - Members will find enclosed a bill for dues at the rate of $2.00 a year. The Council has had a meeting regarding the Journal., and though the Journal Committee reports good progress, the feeling was that the way should be well paved for the first issue, both editorially and financially. A search for funds to subsidize the first few years is under way, while a staff is being organized. It is hoped that we will be ready by 1960 to launch an excellent journal, at which time the dues will be raised. Any ideas as to where funds might be found will be appreciated by the Chairman of the Committee on the Journal, J. Paul Williams, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts.

DECENNIAL MEETING - The Program committee, under the direction of Ross Snyder assisted by Gibson Winter at the U. of Chicago Federated Theological Schools Faculty, have prepared the excellent program (enclosed). The name of W. Lloyd Warner, who is to give the address on Religious Symbolism on Saturday morning, was inadvertently omitted from the program. Those who are planning to drive to the meeting and would like passengers to share the expense should write W. H. Clark, 55 Elizabeth St., Hartford 5. Conn., giving time of departure and return, number of seats available, and place of departure. This information will be collated by the Secretary and distributed to the membership. Bla@s for registrations are enclosed and should be sent in as soon as possible.

ANNUAL MEETING - The Council has decided that this shall be held in New Haven, Conn., at Yale University on October 30-31. Those who have reports of not over 15 minutes of empirical studies or problems in the field of religion should send 3 copies of abstracts of not over 300 words to James E. Dittes, 409 Prospect Street" New Haven, Conn., before June 30, 1959.

THE INDIA CULTURE QUARTERLY - This publication, with articles written from the standpoint of the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Religion, is available for $2 a year sent to the Dept. of Organized Research, Leonard Theological College, Jabalpur, M.P., India. Inquiries may be sent to Dr. H. H. Presler there.

SYMPOSIUM ON SYMBOLISM AND 'RELIGION - Edited by the late Werner Wolff, to whom the symposium is dedicated as a memorial, and by W. H. Clark, this appeared in the December issue of the INTERNATIONAL RECORD OF MEDICINE. The Secretary has a very few copies of the issue available at $1.00 a copy as long as they last.