The Work of the Washington Foreign Mission Seminary
By Milton E. Kern
In view of the solemn times in which we live extraordinary responsibilities rest on the heralds of the advent message. “The times demand greater efficiency and deeper consecration.” To those who realize the magnitude of the work we have undertaken,—“the advent message to all the world in this generation,”—these two things must appear paramount. It is becoming more and more apparent that to cope successfully with the great problems confronting us in mission lands,—Catholic bigotry, Mohammedan fanaticism, heathen sophistries, and pagan indifference,—we must send men to the field who are well equipped intellectually, practically, and spiritually,—men who have elements of leadership, and who are practical students of the great mission problem, and well informed in regard to the peculiar problems of their respective fields. We must send men who know the message and have the depth and versatility to know how to present it to strange peoples. We must send men who by temperament are fitted for the trying conditions to be met in many of the mission fields. It was the need of a better preparation for foreign service which led to the establishment of the Washington Foreign Mission Seminary. That a measure of success has been attained is recognized by the Mission Board, mission superintendents, and by our people generally. That foreign service requires some special preparation is now quite generally admitted. This school year has, we believe, marked advancement in this work. The total enrolment to date is 150. This is 20 more than last year, which was 20 higher than the preceding year. We have an excellent grade of students, especially with reference to maturity and experience. Of those under provisional appointment there have been 53 in all, compared with 37 last year. Of these appointees there are 15 married couples, 12 single women, and 11 single men. Of the entire number, 11 are not here, 2 having sailed for Burma, 7 for South America, and 2 having returned home. A few have come and others are coming to take studies in the special course arranged for the last term. Workers' Training Classes
The practical Christian work is proving to be one of the most profitable and interesting lines of our work. The students do not hesitate nor falter in this work, but are eager for it, even though the distance of some of the work from the school causes the loss of considerable time and sleep. A young woman who has been sent on to the mission field said that her hardest trial was to leave her city Bible work. The value of this work in determining practical ability and developing initiative can hardly be overestimated. It is time well spent. It has been a great source of encouragement, too, that persons have been brought to a knowledge of the present truth and baptized into this message as a result of this work. We have a fine class of young men preparing for the ministry. In the class they study all that pertains to the work of a minister, instruction which every prospective minister should have. We have passed the time when haphazard methods or unstudied efforts will produce results. The following is the record of one month's work by the ministerial class, going out, as a rule, once a week. The places worked were outlying Seventh-day Adventist churches of the District of Columbia Conference and six other locations:— Sermons preached . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Bible readings held . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Cottage meetings held . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Missionary visits made . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Pages of tracts distributed . . . . . . . . . 5,239 The Bible workers' training class is also very encouraging. About one half the class are graduate nurses. The theoretical work in class is done not with vague reference to the possibility of being called on to give Bible readings somewhere, sometime, but with reference to cases in hand for which the students are working and praying. This plan of training which includes strong theoretical methods, combined with earnest study of the Bible and other subjects, and also a study in religious pedagogy, is to my mind a better method for the average candidate for the Bible work than that of more practise and very little serious intellectual work. There is an admonition by the apostle Paul to Timothy which the rank and file of our workers and prospective workers would do well to heed—“study.” We are endeavoring to train individuals to do independent work, and not be mere imitators. This year the colporteur has been added to our training classes. The same general plan of work is followed. All who are in the class were practical canvassers before coming to school. An effort is being made to study the city problem as it pertains to the circulation of our literature. Training of Medical Missionaries
The medical missionary idea is heaven-born, and medical missionary work must always form an important part of the advent message. With the great Eastern cities all about us calling for medical missionaries, as well as the foreign fields, our board has felt that the Seminary must do something definite along medical missionary lines. Many of our nurses have already come to look to this place for a practical training in Bible, Bible work, and advanced nursing, that they may go out into the highways and hedges of the world to minister to the souls and bodies of men. Our city dispensary, which has been running ten months, has opened up wonderful doors of opportunity both for advanced medical experience and for missionary opportunity. The opportunities afforded there, and the earnest, devoted class of nurses who have worked there, have made a connection with that work a pleasure. Not only have the graduate nurses who have led out in the work been helped, but our missionary appointees who are not nurses have had excellent privileges for observation and experience. We have an excellent postgraduate nurses' course. Prospective students are not now promised work to meet their expenses, but this is really an advantage, for they thus have more time for study. By planning ahead, graduate nurses can easily provide funds for school work. A very interesting and practical feature of our medical work has been the elementary dentistry class. The progress these young people have made in learning to alleviate toothache, remove nerves, place fillings, and extract teeth is remarkable. The teacher, who is also a teacher in the George Washington University Dental School, attributes their aptitude to the definite and missionary purpose which they have. The annual constituency meeting of the Seminary was held at Takoma Park, Md., Feb. 13, 1913. The constituency includes the General Conference Committee and the presidents of all local conferences in the United States and Canada. Several of the Eastern presidents were here. Reports of the Seminary were received, and some study given to its work. The following-named persons were elected as trustees for the coming year: W. T. Knox, A. G. Daniells, F. M. Wilcox, G. B. Thompson, L. A. Hansen, H. R. Salisbury, H. N. Sisco, J. L. McElhany, M. E. Kern. We solicit the prayers of God's people that this school may be able to do its heaven-appointed work. Without doubt the Foreign Mission Seminary was established in the providence of God, and it will continue to bear a very important relation to the work of God until it is finished. M. E. KERN,
President.