p. 17 | Our School Work Outside of North America

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 24, 1916

Our School Work Outside of North America

By Frederick Griggs

It is interesting to note that the rapid and substantial growth of our school work is world-wide, and is not confined to the North American Division Conference, the home of our schools. According to the report of the statistical secretary for 1914, there were in the North American Division Conference 565 schools, taught by 997 teachers, having an enrolment of 16,176 pupils; while outside this Division Conference there are 113 schools, employing 244 teachers, with an enrolment of 3,524. This gives a grand total throughout the world of 678 schools of all grades, with an enrolment of 19,700 students, and employing 1,241 teachers, an increase during the year 1914 of 98 in the number of schools, 1,931 in enrolment, and 92 in teaching force.

The foregoing figures do not include our mission schools, whose interests are now assuming large proportions. During the year 1914 there were reported 248 mission schools, including the out-schools connected with them, which was an increase of 42 schools over the number the previous year. These schools had an enrolment of 11,156, an increase of 1,546 over that of 1913. They employed 401 teachers, an increase of 39 over the previous year. These schools are scattered throughout all mission lands, and are carried on in connection with our other mission enterprises. A few words taken from letters received from these schools will be of interest:—

W. C. Walston, Solusi Mission School: “We are all well here at our mission, and our work is prospering. Our school is full, and every week, for lack of accommodations and funds, we are obliged to turn away some who would like to enter the school. Our ten out-schools are well attended, as are also the Sabbath meetings and the Sabbath schools. Our industrial work has a good outlook for the coming year. We realize that we have the blessing of God from day to day, for which we are very grateful indeed. We have a baptism class of about twenty; these will be baptized next Sabbath, nothing preventing. Such experiences repay us for the labor bestowed in bringing these natives in heathen darkness to the light of the gospel and the saving love of a Saviour.”

Herbert S. Mould, El Instituto de La Mision Adventista, Cuba: “The mission training school at Santa Clara closed at the end of 1915, after a four months’ session. During the past year we had an enrolment of twenty. Most of the students were mature young people who were called in from the canvassing field for a little further preparation. Besides the regular school work, a thorough course was given in Bible doctrines, and now once more the students are out in the field. This time some are doing ministerial work, others Bible work, and the rest are scattered throughout the island, canvassing. Nearly every one is actively engaged in the work.”

Floyd E. Bates, Amoy, China: “We are opening a training school here in Amoy where our students will be largely young converts or sons of church members, and will be in school with the idea of preparing for active missionary work among their own people. We hope to make the school so strong that it will draw students of other classes. These students vary in age from fourteen years to adult men and women. As to classification—well, that is a very hard question. A large percentage of them will be able to read a little at least, and some will know how to write a limited number of characters, but as to what we term the common branches, they will be ignorant. The Chinese language has no grammar, so that very important member of the common branches will be eliminated from the course of study here. Practically all that is taught in the out-schools which we are operating is Bible and Chinese. We are very anxious, however, to increase the scope of our school work, as it is entirely insufficient

for our needs. But before we can do that, we must educate teachers for this province who can teach the other branches. This will devolve upon our training school in Amoy.

“As to the length of time the students will be with us, that is very uncertain. We shall try to keep them at least two years, and longer if possible. Some of the students will be supported by the mission, and some will support themselves. When we find a young man who has the necessary qualifications but is without money, as is often the case, the mission will send him to the school, if possible. We shall have good buildings, with room enough to accommodate fifty or sixty pupils. The buildings are now in process of erection, and will be finished about the first of the year. We expect to open the school at once when they are finished.”

It is well recognized in the homeland that the efficiency of our schools measures very definitely the strength of our conference work. If a conference has its young men and women in Christian schools, there is life and vitality going back to the homes and churches whence they came; and from these schools come the workers of the conference. Now this principle holds in the mission fields just as well as in the homeland. The progress and stability of our work in those portions of the world where spiritual darkness prevails are dependent in no small degree upon the spiritual light and efficiency of the schools which we maintain there. Hence the need of strengthening the school interests in heathen lands. The rapid advance of our educational interests in these lands is highly gratifying.

FREDERICK GRIGGS.