p. 228 | RURAL HEALTH RETREAT by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · May 20, 1880

RURAL HEALTH RETREAT.

By Editor

The Medical and Surgical Sanitarium, (formerly the Health Institute,) of Battle Creek, Michigan, has been a great blessing to many in both soul and body. Many have there found relief from severe physical ailments, and the Christian influence of the institution has not only made it a pleasant home for the spiritually minded, but brought many to confess the power of the truth of the word of God which was so well represented in the lives of the workers there.

There is as great need of such a sanitarium on this coast as there is east of the mountains. Many come to California for their health who might find speedy relief by being placed under favorable conditions, as to air, water, and medical treatment. And these conditions are supplied in a remarkable degree at the Rural Health Retreat at Crystal Springs, St. Helena. The water is soft, clear, and pure; except the springs, the mountain side is dry; and the elevation such as to insure the best air. This part of Napa Valley has always been considered one of the healthiest parts of the State, and the beautiful scenery at this retreat enhances all the other benefits. It is exhilarating to the beholder. We took a deep interest in the "Health Institute" from the first hour of its being instituted. We take no less interest in the "Retreat" at St. Helena, Cal.

We cannot too highly commend the devotion of those who have labored so hard and untiringly to bring the Retreat up to its present position. The stock is owned by only a few individuals, who have exhausted their resources to establish it. The buildings are good, but not fully available at this time. A few improvements would greatly enlarge its capacity for usefulness. If a few persons having a little spare means to invest in a worthy enterprise, would take stock in the Retreat, it might very soon be placed in a position to accommodate quite a number more than it now can. The prospect is that it will soon be filled, and that more room will be needed.

All its resources for the present will be needed to make improvements. But such an institution as this can hardly be called an experiment. The history of the Sanitarium at Battle Creek proves that it may be made to yield a good return on all the outlay. We invite the attention of our friends to this subject, and hope in their prayers and their efforts it may be remembered.