The Educational Work in Wisconsin
By Lottie Farrell
Report of the Educational Secretary
In our Sabbath-schools, 2,604 persons gather in 131 different places from Sabbath to Sabbath, to study God's Word, and learn his will more perfectly. Two thirds of this number are children and youth, whose strength of body and brightness of mind are greatly needed in the Lord's work for this time. There are among them many who, if rightly trained and instructed, would do valiant service in this closing work. The Lord is calling for Calebs and Daniels, and they are in our midst. We need but to realize this, and place in operation plans that will bring out this latent talent, to find that God can and will work as mightily through human instruments now as he did of old. In our work for the Sabbath-schools, we have endeavored to suggest plans that will tend toward the accomplishment of this purpose. State and Home Department Work
No other plan works so effectively as does that of having the isolated families connect with the Sabbath-schools or with the State department, to which they report regularly. In nearly every church are those who live at a distance from the place of worship, and who for this reason, or others, are unable to attend the Sabbath-school regularly. Perhaps they attend once or twice during the quarter, and possibly not at all. Perchance there is but one who remembers the Sabbath to keep it holy. If so, he need not be deprived of the blessings received, let him bring his offering to God, to help send the good news to others. By so doing, the lonely ones are made to feel that they are indeed members of the one great family who from Sabbath to Sabbath meet to recount the mercies of God and receive his blessings so freely bestowed. Now we wish to speak of the isolated families—those who are deprived of the privilege of meeting with the regular Sabbath-school. Such have the blessed privilege of having a Sabbath-school in their home, and the Heavenly Father richly blesses those who use the opportunities thus afforded them. Not long since, it was my privilege to meet with one such family who were members of our State department. They had been sending in their reports regularly, and I had a desire to know what their Sabbath-school was doing for them. I found them very poor in this world's goods, and having very few of the ordinary comforts of life. But they were rich in faith. A happier home, I think I never saw. They were not too poor to enjoy the weekly visits of the Review, The Youth's Instructor, the Little Friend, and our State paper. They also had a club of fifteen Signs of The Times which they were selling to their neighbors. The children seemed to know no greater pleasure than getting a half day from their work, and going out to sell and give away papers and tracts. And where did those children receive their training and their love for this work? The family Sabbath-school was one of the factors in it. Another, I will mention later. During the past two years, our Sabbath-schools have given $3,299.29. $2,167.48 of this amount has been sent abroad, and the remainder has been used at home. The department has put forth earnest efforts to educate the schools away from the idea of consuming a large part of the offerings upon themselves. We have at least ten schools that never use any of their offerings for themselves. This is the ideal toward which we work. We have endeavored to persuade the other schools to set apart one or more Sabbaths for home expenses, and leave the offerings of the remaining Sabbaths for the work in the most needy fields. The majority of the schools have adopted this plan. But it seems to me that our Sabbath-school offerings, as well as all our other offerings, are too meager, and will continue to be so until we educate the people to follow the Lord's plan of giving. We need offerings, indeed, and not donations. There are but ten fully organized societies in our State, but this by no means represents the work that is being done by, and for, our young people. There are very few churches that have not some systematic plan of work with, and for, the young. The fear that the work of the Young People's Societies might lead away rather than draw the young people to the church has kept many of our churches from organizing societies. The Manual that has been prepared and sent out by the Sabbath-school Department of the General Conference will be a great help in overcoming this objection, and we hope to see our churches take hold of the young people's work with renewed energy. I have noticed that it has not been the churches whose Young People's Societies have been the most thoroughly organized that have accomplished the most in the work of soul-saving. I have in mind a small church where one young mother became convinced that something should be done for the young people. She invited them to her home one Sabbath morning. Only one or two came, but they had a precious time seeking God in prayer and the study of his Word. Thus they met, just two or three, for a number of weeks. Sometimes one or two others would come for a time or two and then drop out. But finally there was a real revival in that church, and it began with the young people. During the past year, four young persons from that church have been engaged in the Lord's work in the State. The secret of the success of that society was the willingness of that one sister to follow the leadings of the Spirit, and begin work where she was, and in the best way she knew how, and not allow herself to grow faint because she did not see the immediate results of her efforts. I feel sure a real working society could never have been organized there by beginning in a formal way. In the family I mentioned when speaking about the Home Department work, the other factor which helped in making them missionaries was the home school that was carried on during the week. Although that mother was not strong, and had a family of seven children to care for, still she found time and strength to teach them the Word of God, and give them the necessary instruction in the common branches. Thus she was spared the pain of seeing her children desiring the pleasures of the world, and had the joy of hearing them tell of the precious experience which they had while working for the Master. What this mother does, many mothers could and would do if they could but see their privilege. May the Lord help us to do all in our power to help them to see the opportunities before them. For the past two years a church-school has been carried on among the Oneida Indian brethren. Owing to the earnest, prayerful work of the teacher who has been there this year a small industrial school is about to be opened. At present the school is carried on a part of the day, and the remainder of the time is spent in preparing the ground for the buildings. Our Oneida brethren and sisters are interested in this. One family offered to leave their home and move into a smaller building, thus leaving their home for the use of the school. Two years ago one family of our people became convinced that they should have a teacher for their three children. They added a small room to their house, and employed a teacher. This year it became necessary to enlarge their school-room to accommodate the children of their neighbors who desired to attend. They are now asking for a small industrial school that will enable them to take in those who are too far removed to attend the school at present. During the past two years church-schools have been held in thirty-one localities in our State. About five hundred children have had the privilege of this instruction. (This does not include the church-school that is carried on at Bethel in connection with the intermediate school.) The interest in the school work is deepening throughout the State, and there is an earnest desire on the part of nearly all of the parents to have their children taught according to the plan given us by God. This has led many to change their place of residence in order to place their children in a Christian school. In many cases, people have moved from the smaller churches where schools could not be maintained because of lack of means, into the large churches. This is contrary to the instruction which the Lord has given us, and therefore has not resulted in advancing the work of God. To remedy this evil and to provide for the maintenance of our schools in a way that will make them free to all children whether or not of our faith, we have decided to raise a school fund by the payment of second tithe, and such offerings as the people may see fit to make. We consider this an improvement22over the methods we have pursued in the past, and believe it will succeed because it is at least one step toward God's plan of supporting this work. Influence of Schools on the World
In nearly all our schools there have been students not of our faith, and in many instances the teachers have been privileged to see fruit of their efforts. I have in mind a little girl of Catholic parents who attended one of our schools, and after hearing the teacher pray from day to day, she had a desire to pray also. She told the teacher her desire, and after a little talk as to the meaning of prayer, she led the school in prayer at the opening of the next session. This touched the hearts of the other pupils more than the prayers offered by the teacher, for it was one of their own number. This little girl was but five years old, and a few weeks after the close of the school, when she met with an accident which resulted in her death, it seemed plain to that teacher that the Lord had used her to teach that little child the way to Jesus and salvation. Another teacher went to one of our churches and established a school. Several children whose parents were ungodly people attended the school. The parents were well pleased with the instruction their children received, and gave means to support the teacher. At the close of three months, the church felt that they could support the school no longer, but those parents invited the teacher to come into their home and teach their children, and they paid her fifteen dollars a month for her work. This winter they moved ten miles into the country from that church, but they still desired a teacher for their children, so we furnished them one. In speaking of the school work, that father said, “I can see that if I do not do something for my children, they will soon leave me and go out into the world, and will be good for nothing. I can afford to pay fifteen dollars a month for a teacher if by so doing I can fit them to be of some use in the world.” I believe we do not half realize the good that may be accomplished by placing our schools on such a basis financially that we may say to such children, “Come with us, and we will do thee good.” May the Lord help us to see our privilege in this matter, and come up to the help of the Lord. Lottie Farrell,
Educational Secretary.