Among the Schools by FREDERICK GRIGGS

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 6, 1915

Among the Schools

By FREDERICK GRIGGS

Pacific Union College

I HAD the privilege of staying for over a week at the Pacific Union College. This was my third visit to this school, and it was very interesting to see the changes which have taken place from year to year. It is a great undertaking to build up a large institution such as is planned here, and at the same time carry forward strong educational work. This.

is being done only by the hearty spirit which unites the entire faculty in the industrial as well as the intellectual phases of the work. The buildings are being erected by the students, under the direction of members of the faculty.

This school has an estate of about seventeen hundred acres, a good portion of which is mountainous woodland. There is more than enough timber on the school property for all the buildings. The school owns a sawmill, which enables the institution to produce whatever lumber is needed.

Work was begun here six years ago, and so far the chief energies of students and teachers have been spent in the erection of buildings. There is about one hundred acres of excellent farm land capable of irrigation and of producing fruits, vegetables, and grains, which, when the buildings are erected and the plant well equipped, will provide employment for students.

In this school, as in all the other schools that I have visited, there is a strong missionary spirit pervading the work. The ministerial and missionary bands are large and enthusiastic. In view of the fact that our advance schools are not increasing in number as they did a few years ago, and so will not need so many new teachers, it is manifest that our efforts must be directed more largely to preparing men and women to enter evangelical work rather than teaching.

I also visited intermediate schools at Mountain View and St. Helena. These schools are conducting ten grades, and each has three teachers. They have their own buildings, and the work is being carried forward in a strong, successful manner.

Lodi Academy

This school was established seven or eight years ago. It is located about a mile and a half from the city of Lodi, in the rich San Joaquin Valley, and is surrounded by large vineyards. There is a church of about five hundred members at Lodi. This school was started as a private enterprise. It did not succeed financially, and was taken over by the conference about five years ago. A strong effort is being made to enable it to meet the full purpose of our schools. I believe this school has a good future before it. I was glad of the opportunity to visit it.

San Fernando Academy

Elder I. H. Evans and Dr. H. W. Miller accompanied me on my visit to this school, which is situated in the region of large orange groves. It has only about ten acres of land, upon which some fruit and its garden produce are raised. An industrial department for the manufacture of brooms is just being established. We found a prosperous school. Principal H. G. Lucas is now in the tenth year of continuous service in this capacity in the academy. We believe the time is not far distant when our schools will make fewer changes in their faculties. Continuity of the teacher's service lends strength to the school.

The schools of the Pacific Union are working under an affiliated arrangement. While this organization has not been fully perfected, yet it is in working order. There are two academies, the Lodi and the San Fernando, besides the training school. These three schools are practically under one board of management. One catalogue is issued for them. This affiliated arrangement does away with extra expense in various ways, and it brings in a spirit of unity and mutual effort which is very helpful. This plan offers a suggestion to our other union conferences in the development of their system of schools. Of course it could not always operate as it does here in the Pacific Union, where the schools affiliated are in one union, for two or three of our training schools draw their support from two or three unions. But some plan of affiliation similar to the one obtaining here might be adopted by each of our colleges with good results. Steps are being taken by the educational secretary of the union, Prof. M. E. Cady, and the management of these schools, to have them recognized by the State university, so that their students may obtain direct entrance to the medical school. This will probably be accomplished this spring. It is a step that should be taken by all our schools. At the recent meeting of the constituency of our medical college a resolution was adopted asking our schools to do this.

College of Medical Evangelists

From San Fernando we went to Loma Linda. There was held at this place, while we were here, one of the three medical conventions held during the winter by the Medical Department of the North American Division Conference. It was characterized by a spirit of unity and consecration to the work of soul saving offered by this medium of gospel effort—the healing of bodily ills. We attended the annual meeting of the Association of the College of Medical Evangelists. This school was established in 1907, but plans were not laid until 1909 for a full medical course. It now has 140 students in attendance in the various departments, 63 of whom are enrolled in the medical course, and has graduated 125 students, 6 as physicians. The graduating class in the medical course this year consists of 12 members. Forty-two of its graduates have gone to foreign fields, and 63 into home fields. Every one of our members in the North American Division Conference must recognize this school as one of those enterprises of our cause which needs his loyal support, for it certainly has a God-given work to do. It is not the property of any union conference, but belongs to and must be supported by the entire body of our people. The College of Medical Evangelists certainly has a very important work to do in the finishing of the work of the third angel's message.

FREDERICK GRIGGS.