Among the Schools by W. E. Howell

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 28, 1916

Among the Schools

By W. E. Howell

THERE are so many things to tell about these inspiring visits to our schools that one hardly knows what to leave out. Generally speaking, their story is one of progress, though not without the battles and marches which only can spell advancement. One thing is sure, our schools are steadily gaining in comprehension of what the length and breadth of their function in this advent movement really are. A deeper sense of this inevitably drives responsible leaders to God for greater wisdom and capacity to direct, and leads them to turn to the people, old and young, in appeal for coöperation and support. This, in turn, marks progress.

Kansas Academies

The State of Kansas, with its achievements in prohibition, its woman suffrage, and its one telephone for every home in the State, affords a promising field for equally aggressive achievement in the development of Christian education. As a result of uniting her two conferences into one for the sake of more economic and efficient administration, the question of uniting her two academies is a pressing one.

Strode Industrial Academy, a school of twelve grades, is located near the Oklahoma line, in the southeastern part of the State. With our shortage of school administrators the past year, Prof. Varner Johns, former educational superintendent of the Colorado Conference, was called to take the principalship. He and Mrs. Johns united in working the field vigorously for students last summer, with the result that they have seventy-six this year, as compared with forty-eight last. This body of young people seems thoroughly imbued with the spirit of work and a purpose to make service for God their highest aim. Their quarters are so limited, however, that students have to be put out among neighbors.

Hill Agricultural Academy, a school of ten grades, is located near the Nebraska line in the northwestern part of the State. Prof. H. H. Howard, the

principal, has stood by the school for four years, and has steadily built up its interests. The school has only one small building, however, for all its work as a boarding school. It can room only sixteen students and teachers; the rest of its enrolment of forty-four are day students. It must soon build or cease to grow.

There is good reason to believe that Kansas will rise to the situation and work out a plan for her two schools that will assure progress in educating her large body of young people.

Clinton German Seminary

Unique among our schools are three seminaries established seven years ago for three nationalities of foreign origin that constitute a sufficiently large and substantial element in our church membership to merit special provision for the education of their young people. These nationalities are the Germans, the Danish-Norwegians, and the Swedes. The three seminaries conducted by and for them are the German Seminary, at Clinton, Mo., the Danish-Norwegian Seminary, at Hutchinson, Minn., and the Swedish Seminary, at La Grange, Ill.

These schools were first operated as departments of Union College, but because of certain handicaps in realizing fully the purpose of their organization while attached to an English school, they were all removed the same year to their present location. Their general policies are directed by boards of corresponding nationality in the North American Foreign Department, in counsel and co-operation with the Union and the North American Department of Education. Their aim is to develop workers for the large populations of their own nationalities in America, many of whom cannot be reached through the English language.

The Clinton German Seminary, under the principalship of Prof. F. R. Isaac, is enjoying the largest enrolment of its history, one hundred and fifty-three mature, stalwart young men and women. The work of the school is conducted largely in German, and aims to develop chiefly ministers, Bible workers, and teachers. A suggestion of how urgent is the need of such a school is contained in the fact that twenty more German church schools could now be carried on if we had teachers to conduct them in the German language. As it is, they must wait till the teachers can be prepared. The seminary is building up a normal department for this purpose. Though hampered this year by the director's failure in health after two months' faithful service, yet satisfactory arrangements have now been made for continuing the work, with the prospect of six graduates to take up teaching next year.

This school bears numerous marks of thrift—well-kept premises; order and discipline in and about the buildings; a productive farm and registered dairy stock; a carpentry department just being installed; a thriving greenhouse, with an expert gardener and florist, who with student classes is growing winter vegetables for the market, and flowers indoors and out; a growing library, and laboratory equipment; a hard-working faculty; and an excellent spirit in the student body.

Danish-Norwegian Seminary

This institution is located in a State—Minnesota—whose population is at least two thirds Scandinavian. The main structure is substantially built of brick, with maple flooring, and was purchased from the Lutherans. One wing has never been completed above the foundation, but pledges to cover a considerable part of what remains to be done, are already on hand. The farm of one hundred and sixty acres lies in a fertile section of the State, and affords much labor for students. The editor of a local paper told me the value of this land had more than trebled since it was purchased seven years ago.

The aim of the school is to develop laborers who can work for their own nationalities in their own tongue, as also those who can labor in mixed communities, for either English or Scandinavian people as the case may call for. More than one hundred mature students are in attendance, the enrolment being somewhat reduced this year because of crop failure. Most of the instruction is given in Danish and Norwegian. The president is by birth a European, of Danish-Norwegian parentage. The other Scandinavian members of the faculty, though American born, have been well educated in their native tongue in America and Europe. The teachers are thoroughly loyal to the denominational school courses and standards, making only such modifications as their special demands in language and textbooks require. The morale of the student body is so good that Professor Andreasen, the president, told me they had had no need of a preceptor or a preceptress this year up to the present, so far as discipline is concerned.

Like the German Seminary, this school, while incorporated in the local Union, draws students and support from the entire Division Conference. Members of the faculty have been very considerate of other schools in soliciting students. Our other school men and our conference officers everywhere should remember these important seminaries, and encourage young people of suitable nationality to attend them. Both nationalities afford much of our most loyal and substantial church membership. There can be no danger in our giving strong support to their separate educational enterprises.

Thrift, cleanliness, and sobriety characterize all the work of the school at Hutchinson. Class work in carpentry and cabinetmaking, in sewing, cooking, printing, and agriculture, is maintained, all students working two hours a day, besides five hours a week if they take a trade. The seminary enjoys the highest esteem and confidence of Hutchinson citizens.

W. E. HOWELL.