River Plate (Argentina) Academy by H. U. STEVENS

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 9, 1914

River Plate (Argentina) Academy

By H. U. STEVENS

One month and a half of our school year has passed, and I have not yet written you of our opening. I have now found a little leisure time which I can use in writing. The occasion of the leisure is that we have had nearly a week of almost steady rain, and we have been able to do very little in our building operations. This has given me some time in which to catch up with my other work.

Our school opened on the fourth of March, with an enrollment of forty-six the first day, which is more than twice as many as we had the first day of last year. Before the week was over, the enrollment had reached sixty-one, and before the close of the month of March, one hundred and nine. This has taken all the available space we have, and has made it necessary to utilize the room which has generally been reserved for visitors. As it is now, visitors have to be accommodated in the sanitarium.

So far, things have run very smoothly, there having been practically no friction. The pupils have manifested a loyal spirit of cooperation, and have taken hold of the work of the school with a will.

We had good meetings during the week of prayer. All seemed fully to appreciate the times in which we are living, and the nearness of the end. The last Sabbath of the week three of our pupils were baptized. By far the greater part of our students have already taken this step. However, we have some who are not converted, for whom we are working and praying. We are hoping that some of these will take their stand for the truth before the year is over.

We require twelve hours of industrial work each week from each pupil in the school home, and under no consideration is he excused from his obligations in this matter. This I am sure is one of the most powerful factors we can employ to reduce the discipline to a minimum. The students this year have engaged in the work heartily, and many have asked for something to do which will keep them busy all the afternoon. Brother Wheeler, with the help of the students, is making a school garden, and before the year is far gone we hope to provide the tables in the dormitory with all the garden stuff they need. We are also utilizing the students' help as we can in the erection of the new buildings. At times they get tired of work, and need to be reanimated; but I should much rather struggle with them to keep them employed in some kind of useful labor than to struggle with them in disciplinary problems, which their idle hands would be sure to create.

Our building operations are progressing satisfactorily. The new dormitory is now ready for the roof, and we hope it will be ready for occupancy by September at the latest. Besides the dormitory, we are constructing a power plant, which is to provide light, heat, and water for the sanitarium, as well as for the school. We are planning to put in connection with this some industries, such as a wagon shop, laundry, a carpenter shop, and perhaps an ice factory. Our bakery will ultimately be located over the power plant, so as to utilize the power here developed. We hope by this means to provide a way by which young men can help themselves through school, as well as to provide many things which the institutions are continually needing, and for which we can find a ready market in the country and towns around.

H. U. STEVENS.