p. 20 | Loma Linda (Cal.) Sanitarium by J. A. BURDEN

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 16, 1908

Loma Linda (Cal.) Sanitarium

By J. A. BURDEN

THE words “Loma Linda” are from the Spanish,—the language of the people who first discovered this valley and settled in it many years ago,—and mean “Hill Beautiful.” The word “Linda” is very strong and expressive, being usually applied to things possessing rare beauty. A more appropriate name could scarcely be found for this charming sanitarium site, for the testimony of all who visit it is, “The half has never been told.”

Those who have visited the sanitarium write as follows: “Southern California teems with fragments of fairyland, ideal vales, wherein nature and man have clasped hands to produce wonders in landscape effects; yet we venture to say that not one of them outrivals the valley of San Bernardino, where, added to the above attractions, are an indescribable blue sky, soil astonishingly fertile, and climate almost without fault, and on all sides great mountains, ever telling their thrilling tales of the past.

“Loma Linda, or ‘Hill Beautiful,’ is an imposing elevation about one hundred fifty feet in height, rising near the center of the far-famed valley, which gives it an altitude of about thirteen hundred feet. It is situated on the main line of the Southern Pacific Railway, four miles west of Redlands, sixty-two miles east of Los Angeles, five miles west from San Bernardino, and eight miles from Riverside. The attractions of the place begin the moment the train stops. The visitor finds himself at the entrance of a broad driveway arched over by grand old pepper-trees, whose ruby berries and fernlike sprays almost sweep the ground.

“Far up the northern crest of Loma Linda, amid a splendid ornamentation of lawns, trees, shrubs, and flowers, amid a labyrinth of shaded walks and graded driveways, with orange groves but a step from the door, stands the sanitarium, the center of an entrancing scene, one replete with interest and cheer for the invalid, one in which the student of nature must ever find delight. On every side extends the wide, radiant valley, rich in scenic charms, affluent in fruits and grains, rimmed in by high hills and towering mountains.

“Now to all this scenic beauty and faultless altitude add the powerful influence of the subtle, life-giving atmosphere for which the location is famed, and one can scarcely imagine a spot more perfectly adapted for sanitarium purposes. Where, if not here, can the feeble, the worn, the weary, renew the forces of life? From the broad balconies and bountiful windows of the sanitarium the guests look out upon delightful vistas of mountain, valley, and matchless blue sky, and upon charming garden effects at their very doors.”

“Health and beauty go hand in hand in Southern California, but their home is at Loma Linda. My travel on four continents has shown me not a spot more favored.”

“It affords me great pleasure to commend most highly the Loma Linda Sanitarium of Southern California, its management, and its treatments. The location is ideal, the climate is excellent, the buildings are good, substantial, neat, and well located, the table is well kept. The institution is well equipped for treatments. My wife has spent two winters in this institution, and so great has been her improvement, and so pleasant the time spent there, that she will return this winter, and probably other winters following.”

“Loma Linda is not a city or village, but now stands for the well-equipped country sanitarium, with its private railway station, livery, dairy, poultry yards, bakery, farm, orchards, gardens, parks, and pleasure grounds. The estate consists of one hundred ten acres of fertile land, the main sanitarium building, seven cottages, recreation and school building, besides barns and other buildings.”

Possibly most of the readers of the REVIEW have heard of Loma Linda because of the special providence of the Lord that gave it to this people at less than one third of its original cost and real value; but probably only a very few have had any definite knowledge of those wonderful providences that led to securing it, and the great beauty of the place. We have therefore published a small pamphlet giving an account of a few of the many special providences connected with its purchase, and extracts from special Testimonies concerning it, also a beautiful colored postal-card booklet, which we will mail to any reader of the REVIEW who will send us his address.

The institution has now been opened to the public a little over two years, and has enjoyed a growing patronage, especially from Eastern people acquainted with our principles, a number of whom have returned each fall to stay with us during the winter months. Those having friends in the East who visit California could not do them a greater favor than to put them in touch with Loma Linda. We will gladly forward them literature if their addresses are furnished us.

From the time that Loma Linda was first secured, we were instructed that this should become an educational center. This instruction has led to the organization of the Loma Linda College of Evangelists, which gives a very thorough course for the training of nurses and physicians for evangelistic medical work. Those interested in this particular phase of the work would do well to send for a catalogue of the school.

At present, the Loma Linda family consists of forty patients, forty helpers, and about eighty students. An excellent influence is going out to the surrounding towns and cities through the medical missionary labor of the students and faculty. A large number have become deeply interested in our principles, and quite a number have taken their stand for the truth. The influence of the medical missionary work has opened up the field in such a way that the Bible readers find more to do than they can possibly attend to. The providences of the Lord that led to the securing of this place have gone before our workers in a remarkable way. The field certainly was ripe for the planting of the standard of the truth at this time.

We are very much in need of an elevator, as the building is three stories high, and we often have patients unable to climb the stairs, and it is difficult and embarrassing to carry them up and down in chairs. If any who read this article feel that it would be a pleasure to assist us in securing this much-needed facility either by donations or by loans, we will appreciate their assistance, and assure them it will be a great blessing to the cause and to the many sick ones who come here for treatment.

J. A. BURDEN.