“The usual quiet of the summer vacation was broken this year,” the Scarlet & Black explained in 1894, “by the Summer School…for the systematic study of Christian sociology.” Organized by Prof. George Herron and his department of Applied Christianity, this summer school was meant to help launch the new American Institute of Christian Sociology, that was trying to blend the Social Gospel movement with the emerging fields of Sociology and social work. Intended to be an annual affair, the summer school brought together professors, students and reformers from around the country  to participate in a series of courses, supplemented by free standing lectures. Some of the topics included:

Dr. Coyle: Christ as a Socializer

Dr. Thomas Hall: The Four Laws of the Kingdom

Edward Neally: The Ethics of Jesus in the Legal Profession

Prof. John R. Commons: The Distribution of Wealth

Prof. Richard T. Ely, Private Property: A Social Trust

Josiah Strong: Methods of the New Era

There were also lectures given by Grinnellians: President George Gates, Prof. James Macy, and Prof. Herron.