Notes Afield by W. E. H.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 10, 1914

Notes Afield

By W. E. H.

ONE purpose of my visiting Pacific Union College was to promote the work of preparing church school manuals, which was begun in the normal department there last winter. Four of the normal faculty are each working out a manual, on primary reading, Bible history, household economy, and drawing, respectively. The manuscript for two of these has already been completed. Three other manuals, on nature study, arithmetic, and sewing, are under preparation elsewhere, manuscript for one of which is now in hand.

In company with Prof. M. E. Cady, who was with us in our councils, and who has sufficiently recovered his health to take up his work as educational secretary of the Pacific Union Conference, I went from the college to the Pacific Press. It was a satisfaction

to meet once more these workers, who have done so much toward building up our educational work by way of publishing our school textbooks and supplies.

After consultation about some further publishing work, we returned to San Francisco the next day in time to bid Godspeed to Elder and Mrs. Daniells at the steamer as they set out on their long journey in the interests of this world-wide message. How vastly different the circumstances, measured by the progress of the advent movement, from those under which they sailed for Australia more than twenty-five years ago! With the rapid increase in facilities for transportation and communication, the multiplication of workers and missionary enterprises, and the enlarging output of our publications, the world is growing smaller and smaller, and the blessed hope of Christ’s glorious appearing is drawing nearer and nearer to fruition. In connection with Elder Daniells’s departure, the incident of Miss Shull’s having scarcely more than twelve hours’ notice for accompanying him, impressed me, as I spent the night at her home, as an incident in illustration of how our young men and women are to be minutemen, ready to respond to the call for recruits abroad whenever that call may come.

Ten-Grade Day Schools

The church school at Mountain View has been thriving under the direction of Miss Frances Fry and Miss Pearl Smith. The church was laying plans to increase their facilities so as to add the ninth and tenth grades next year. They have already employed one extra teacher for the purpose. The ten-grade day school is a type of school that will multiply and ought to multiply among us, in order to bring Christian school privileges closer to the homes of the people. If proper care is taken to provide efficient teachers and supervision, thorough work can be done in these grades at far less investment and running expense than can a boarding school be maintained. Some of our stronger churches are able to do this work now, and two or three churches could unite, even with some expense of transporting the pupils by carryall or trolley, and accomplish the same thing with economy of effort. Several of these ten-grade day schools are now operating on the Pacific Coast.

Lodi Academy

The work of this school has been partly described in a previous article. The academy is located in a fruitful valley in such direct line from the head of San Francisco Bay that the sea breezes often play refreshingly about the school in the afternoon. I found several former students of Healdsburg College connected with the work, notably Prof. W. C. Baldwin and Mrs. Baldwin, nee Abbie Oakes, and Brother Fred T. Oakes and Mrs. Oakes, nee Lois Baldwin—all four family names about the Healdsburg home. Brother W. B. Taylor is conducting a carpentry and cabinet department of unusual merit, and Prof. and Mrs. E. E. Gardner, of Battle Creek College days, are giving their talent to the upbuilding of the school. Professor Derby having been called to Union College, Prof. J. H. Paap, of Pacific Union College, is to be principal, with Mrs. Paap an able assistant in the school.

Surely every one connected with the educational work of the Pacific Union Conference, in view of the diligent efforts being made to raise that work to a degree of strength beyond its own precedent, has reason to be of most excellent courage.

W. E. H.