Our Schools by Frederick Griggs

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 12, 1908

Our Schools

By Frederick Griggs

Among Our Schools

LEAVING Nashville, Tenn., where I had been in attendance for several days at the meeting of the Southern Union Conference, I went to Keene, Tex. Our school at Keene is the advanced school for the Southwestern Union Conference. I found here a very fine company of young men and women. There is an increased attendance this year over that of last. The school has grown so that it has been found necessary to occupy rooms outside the dormitory, and the young men have been occupying quite a portion of the building that was recently used as a sanitarium. This union conference is growing so rapidly, and the school is becoming so large, that it seems necessary to take steps at once that will give the institution more dormitory room. This school is beautifully situated in a commanding location, which gives a view of the country for miles around. An excellent spirit of discipline and work seems to prevail in the school.

I next visited Loma Linda, Cal. An effort has been made to establish an evangelical medical course of instruction in connection with the Loma Linda Sanitarium. I found here a large company of young men and women who are preparing for evangelistic and medical work. The plans for a distinctive medical course have not yet been completed. It is felt that more room is necessary, and increased facilities, if the distinctive medical work is to be a success. At Fernando I found Prof. H. G. Lucas, the principal of the school, and his associate teachers full of courage in their work. This school and the Loma Linda Sanitarium are situated among beautiful orange groves. A strong missionary spirit pervades the school. Last year it raised three hundred dollars with which to assist the mission school at Rome, and this year it is raising six hundred dollars.

At St. Helena I found the Pacific Union holding its biennial conference. Here were assembled many of our prominent educational workers on the Pacific Coast, and from them I learned much of the progress of the educational work in this union, and of their plans for the future. The Northern California Conference alone has between six and seven hundred young men and women over fifteen years of age who should be speedily brought into our schools. This one fact offers a great incentive to our educational workers to conduct effective work in their intermediate and advanced schools. The Pacific Union College at Healdsburg is enjoying a very prosperous year. They feel, however, that there is need of their making some changes to adapt the work more closely to the demands of our cause. Dr. Reed and his associate teachers hope to move the school into the country to some location where they can more effectively carry out the instruction given with reference to our work.

I next visited the three intermediate schools in the western part of the North Pacific Union. They are located at Gaston, Ore.; Manor, Wash.; and Mount Vernon, Wash. The Laurelwood Industrial Academy at Gaston, has an enrolment of eighty-two for the year, with a present attendance of seventy-eight. This school is in charge of Brother R. W. Airey. The Meadowglade school, at Manor, has enrolled one hundred four, the present attendance being eighty. Brother G. E. Johnson, the principal, is assisted in his work quite largely by student teachers. Brother G. F. Wolfkill is the principal of the school at Mount Vernon, which is called the Forest Home Industrial Academy. They have a total enrolment for the year of seventy-six, with a present attendance of fifty-eight. Each of these schools is doing work up to the tenth grade. In each school there seems to be a good grade of work done. They are each located in the country, where they will have opportunities for agricultural work. The two schools in Washington State have much to do yet in clearing their land and getting it in shape to work. The Laurelwood school, however, has considerable land ready for farming purposes.

I next went to Walla Walla. The North Pacific Union Conference was here in session. Walla Walla College is enjoying a splendid era of prosperity in its work. It is full to overflowing with an earnest class of students. A deep interest in all educational matters was shown by the delegates at the conference. It was hoped that at this time we would be able to announce the entire removal of the indebtedness resting upon this school, but the financial panic through which our country has recently passed was felt so severely in the western portion of the United States that it was impossible to collect all the pledges which had been made. These pledges are good, and will undoubtedly be paid in the near future.

The intermediate school at Bozeman, Mont., which is in the North Pacific Union, was next visited. Prof. K. R. Haughey and his associate teachers are carrying on an excellent work at this place. A good state of discipline and a good spirit of work prevail.

The intermediate schools at Harvey, N. D.; Maplewood, Minn.; Elk Point, S. D., were next visited. They are in charge respectively of Prof. N. W. Lawrence, Prof. H. J. Sheldon, and Elder E. G. Hayes. Here I found, as in the other schools, large companies of earnest young men and women. In all the schools which I have visited deep interest has been shown in the needs of our mission

fields, and in the speedy preparation for service in them. It is evident that our intermediate schools are to occupy a very important place in preparing workers for the finishing of our message.

I am writing this report at Union College. Here I have had the privilege of meeting one of the largest companies of our young people which I have ever seen together. The enrolment this year has reached five hundred fifty-three. This is far in excess of the highest anticipations of Professor Lewis and his coworkers. Not only is there a large number of students in attendance, but there is a most splendid spirit prevailing in the work. At the recent meeting of the Board nearly all of the present faculty were re-elected, and steps were taken to increase in a very material way the manual training features of the school. Provisions were made whereby the normal training shall be made more effective. The church-school has been placed under the management of the college and a better equipped normal department is to be the result.

It is an inspiring experience to visit these schools, large and small, and to find such noble companies of young men and women whose chief purpose is to aid in giving this advent message to the world in this generation.

FREDERICK GRIGGS.