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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 2, 1908

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 85, No. 14.

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Our Schools

By M. E. CADY

Educational Work in the North Pacific Union Conference

The progress of the educational phase of the work in the North Pacific Union Conference is very gratifying to those who have been directly connected with this branch of the cause of present truth during the past two years. There has been a steady, substantial gain in every feature of the educational work during this time, as the following figures will show:—
Year No. Schools Enrolment No. Teachers
1907 55 1,497 82
1905 40 930 57
Gain 15 567 25
The preceding figures show a gain of about thirty-five per cent in the enrolment of the past two years.
Of the 1,497 pupils enrolled in all our schools, 836 are in attendance in our forty-eight church-schools; 371 in six intermediate schools; and 250 in the one training-school, Walla Walla College.
The enrolment in both the college and the intermediate schools above the seventh grade is 621; of this number we have the following figures regarding those students who have definitely decided on their future work: ministers, 59; Bible workers, 34; teachers, 101; canvassers, 12; nurses, 45; bookkeepers, 32; stenographers, 12; physicians, 10; industrial work, 31; total, 336. This makes a proportion of more than one half who are working with a definite purpose in mind to prepare for a specific work in the Lord’s cause.
The average salary paid to our teachers in the various classes of schools is $37.66. The total salary of all teachers employed for a school year of eight months amounts to $22,288.
Our intermediate schools have grown in number and attendance, and the enrolment in the college has increased each year, having nearly doubled within the last three years. The intermediate schools are proving to be a source of strength to the training-school, and are closely adhering to the limits—grades eight to ten—prescribed for this class of schools, at the educational convention at College View, Neb. In the six intermediate schools there are but four pupils who are carrying work above the tenth grade. It is confidently believed that the best results will be obtained in our intermediate schools if they do thorough work in the foundation studies, and leave the training for specific kinds of work to our training-schools.
A new intermediate school will be established in the Southern Idaho Conference, recently organized, and it is probable that an intermediate school will be established soon in the Upper Columbia Conference, probably somewhere near Spokane. All these schools are being established in the country, according to the instruction given for the locating of this class of schools.
Efforts are being continuously put forth to organize more perfectly the educational work in this union conference. Uniform blanks are being used for keeping records and for reporting work done.
One very encouraging feature of thework is the establishment of a normal training department in connection with the college. This has been in operation for two years, with very encouraging results. It is gratifying to note that such a large number of the youth now attending our schools are preparing to be teachers.
The preparation of text-books adapted to our work is greatly aiding the teachers in conducting their schools according to the principles of Christian education.
May the next biennial period show even greater progress in our educational work than that of the past two years. With this hope let us take up the grand work of helping to train and educate an army of youth to go forth into all the world to herald the news of Christ’s second coming.
M. E. CADY, Educational Secretary.