The Nashville Agricultural and Normal School
By N. H. Druillard
We are receiving many letters containing inquiries in regard to this school. These greatly cheer and encourage us; for they tell that others, as well as ourselves, are interested in this new enterprise. Spring is here, and it has brought to our family plenty of hard work. There is much to be done to get the land ready for planting. Our farm of four hundred acres must receive a large amount of painstaking labor before it can be made to yield a support for teachers and any great number of students. We have nearly one hundred acres that can be put into some kind of crop this year. The rest will be used for pasture. The pasture land is very stony, and seems to be naturally adapted for producing thorn and brier bushes; so we have an abundance of them. We hope to be able to discipline and persuade it to grow blue-grass, instead of thorns, cactus, and prickly burs of all kinds. Some parts of the farm are not only stony, but wash badly, and the heavy rains rapidly carry the soil into the river, leaving the limestone rocks white and clean, making what are called here glades. Were it not for the stones, the washing would produce what are known in Nebraska as draws, or canyons. All this washing must be prevented in such a way that the stones may be covered with soil, and then sown to grass. We have sufficient timber for our fuel, fence posts, etc. Most of the large cedar trees were cut from the land two or three years ago, but there are several groves of fine young cedar, which are doing well. We have one pretty grove of different kinds of oak, maple, elm, hickory, walnut, etc. But some of these large trees are old and partially dead, covered with vines and mistletoe. As so much timber of all kinds was cut not many years ago, we have plenty of stumps, with all their train of evil. The Cumberland River touches the farm on the south and east, but its banks are high and rocky, so there is no danger of its carrying away the land, as so many rivers delight in doing. When our company bought the farm, we thought we knew where we would get the money to pay for it. We were to borrow a part, and the rest was due the different members from our various institutions. We felt sure that the payment of the land was practically provided for. We made the first payment with our borrowed money. We had three other instalments to make, then an old mortgage to deal with. As the time of the payments drew near, we found that our institutions could not let us have the money without embarrassment. We could not crowd these branches, for we had the same interest in their prosperity that we had in this. Often the way looked dark, and it seemed that there was nothing to do but sell part of the farm. Elder Haskell urged us not to do this. He felt that it meant a great loss and hindrance to the school. Sister White wrote us not to be discouraged, that God would open hearts to help us, and he did. Friends loaned us money without interest, or at a low rate, and we were able to meet each instalment, mortgage and all, a day or so before due. Now, as fast as our institutions can let us have the money, we can repay those who so kindly helped us in our time of great need. Our plan is to keep the farm so it will always be worth more than the price paid. In this way the money loaned to purchase it will be safe and secure. We will not borrow money to build or equip the school. We ask the friends of this cause to donate means for this. These donations are not to benefit any private individual nor company, but will finally belong to the Southern Union Conference. The teachers and many of the students will have to earn their support from the farm. It will be difficult to do this for a year or two, and it will take self-denial, courage, and perseverance. Our present family are willing to live very simply while working hard to prepare themselves to go to any field where duty may call, although the Mission Board may not be able to give them financial aid. If an army of our young people can be educated to engage in this work, many more of the needy, waiting fields can be supplied with laborers. Such an education can be gained better in a place like this than where there is that ease and comfort which many conveniences always give. So far we have been kept to our wits' end to know how to supply our bare necessities from our meager supplies. While we do not wish it to be always19thus, yet we are willing to take stern, but earnest discipline that we may become hardy, self-reliant workers, not fearing to enter the untried, difficult fields, nor becoming discouraged when we find that we can not obtain many things that in the past we have thought we could not do without. No doubt many who have visited our farm feel that it is almost worthless, and that it is a mistake to begin on land so worn and uncongenial, that it would have been better to locate on a farm which was under good cultivation, all ready to yield an abundant harvest. We thought so too once, but now we begin to see how much can be done on land just like this. Here we can have an object-lesson, and show what we can do by correct methods in farming. We were told that the Lord would be pleased to have the school located near Nashville. We can now see the wisdom of this. It is a great educational center all ready to be interested in the call of to-day,—country life, schools on the farm, manual and mental training—going hand in hand. Not one of us would locate anywhere else if we had the opportunity. Every day convinces us more and more that the Lord guided from the very first in planting the school in this place. If those connected with this school will walk humbly with God, many will be trained in it for service.