Summer Schools and Conventions
By Frederick Griggs
After leaving Keene, I went directly to Fernando College, Fernando, Cal., en route to the teachers’ convention at San Jose. I was pleased to visit this institution, which has been in operation for three or four years. Its building was formerly occupied by another denomination as a school, but was abandoned by them, and after ten or twelve years was purchased by our people. The main building is most excellently constructed, in some respects, more elaborately than any other of our school buildings. The young men have their dormitory in this building on the upper floors. The young ladies have a dormitory a little distance from this building which is comfortable and commodious. This school is situated in a locality where the weather is so universally agreeable that they can place their young men in tents if they have more than they can comfortably accommodate in the dormitory, which is often the22case. The school is developing various industries, and the outlook for its future is encouraging. Prof. H. G. Lucas, who has been connected with Healdsburg College for some time, has been elected president of the faculty. The summer school at San Jose was held on the camp-ground immediately following the camp-meeting. One of the large tents was left on the grounds, and gospel meetings were conducted by Elder E. J. Hibbard. Thus the teachers were given the opportunity to assist in a practical way in this gospel effort. The convention was in charge of the superintendent of church-schools of the California-Nevada Conference, Prof. E. D. Sharpe. There were connected with him a corps of competent teachers. Every effort was put forth during the convention to more thoroughly organize the church-school work in this conference. The instruction that was given was of a very practical and helpful nature, including not only methods of teaching, but advanced lines of study. I think that the manual training work received more attention here than at any other convention I visited, six or eight different kinds of work being taught. The church-school teachers in this portion of the country have a particular advantage over some other portions, in that they are able to carry on agricultural work to an advantage throughout the year. We shall expect valuable reports from these teachers concerning the work which is being done along these lines. From San Jose I went to our sanitarium at St. Helena, where I met Elder Geo. A. Irwin. With him I visited the Healdsburg school. There we met Prof. W. E. Howell, president of the school, who showed us through the buildings, and called our attention to the industrial features of the school. This school has been very progressive in establishing a large number of industries, which are believed to be conducted in such a way as to rest upon a reasonably secure financial foundation. This is certainly one of the great problems which concern all our schools. Industries are recognized to be of great value, not only furnishing a means of assisting students in attending school, but being educational as well. We hope to have some reports from the industries of this school which may be of help to our other schools. The summer school at Portland, Ore., as at San Jose, was held on the camp-ground following the camp-meeting. This ground was most beautifully located in a grove, and was, as far as natural surroundings are concerned, all that could be desired. Here, as with our other schools, there was a very earnest spirit manifest on the part of the teachers. The school was in charge of Prof. M. E. Cady. He was assisted by Miss Sarah E. Peck and other teachers of experience. The teachers of the Pacific Union Conference have certainly been working along advanced lines during the past three or four years. There is a spirit of harmony and mutual helpfulness, which is very pleasing to note.