Among the Schools by W. E. Howell

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 28, 1911

Among the Schools

By W. E. Howell

PACIFIC UNION COLLEGE is reached by a drive of eight miles from the nearest railroad station at St. Helena. The first six miles is a steady ascent into the mountains. The first time one goes up, he feels that it is a long, tedious climb, but on reaching his destination this impression is soon lost in the delights of his environment, and he is inclined to take the more philosophical view that the climb is a good introduction to the vigorous work that awaits teacher and student at the top, and that the whole situation—delights at home and the long grade—is a good device to keep people at home and attending to business.

At any rate, there is a decidedly business air about “Angwin’s,” as the college property is familiarly called locally. The president is also business manager and general superintendent; his wife is bookkeeper, storekeeper, and commercial teacher; the Bible teacher the past two years has been chief sawyer and woodman; the history teacher has six classes and takes charge of all repairing; the teacher of mathematics and physical science, is one of the builders; the teacher of English is superintendent of the farm (about one hundred acres under cultivation); etc.

The first new building, the ladies’ dormitory, is about ready for the plasterers, and will be occupied at the opening of school this year. It is 150 x 40 feet, with individual rooms 12 x 16, and will accommodate 120 students. The plans were drawn by the president in consultation with his faculty, and include dining facilities for the entire school. It is built of lumber sawn mostly out of their own timber, only about $1500 having been paid out in cash so far for material. On completion of this building, a gentlemen’s

dormitory will be begun, to be followed by the main college building. At present the class work is done in the various cottages and other buildings already on the place. The normal department had only two rooms last year, but is to have three this year. The total enrolment last year was one hundred thirty.

One notable feature of this school is the maturity of its faculty, their hair all sprinkled with gray or a promise of it. Surely the young men and women in this school ought to have ripe counsel and serious instruction.

College of Medical Evangelists

The medical college at Loma Linda was an agreeable surprise. When I left there four years ago, near the close of the first year of the college work, the only new structures were two cottages and a three-story addition to the main building of the sanitarium, partly finished. Now this addition, for bathrooms and physicians’ offices, is completed, its capacity already grown inadequate; fifteen or more cottages are up, to provide for the increasing faculty and others; an $8,000 chapel of unique design, with baptistery, separate from all other buildings but conveniently near, is in use; a two-story building for the bakery, store, printing-shop, and warehouse, stands near the railroad; a large ladies’ dormitory accommodating 120 persons has been built on the west slope of the hill; a medical laboratory of three stories is about half completed, and will be ready for use at the opening of school this fall; an ice-plant and cold storage has been added to the sanitarium; about 80 more acres has been purchased; a gentlemen’s dormitory has been planned, and will be erected next after the laboratory; and an administration building has been designed and located.

During the school session of 1910-11, there were eight second-year and twenty-five first-year medical students enrolled. The first week in July twenty medical students had been accepted, with at least thirty definitely in prospect, for the new class. Three of the medical faculty were in the East this summer doing special work, and it has been arranged for each member of the faculty to spend every second summer in post-graduate study in order to keep abreast of the times in medical science. The entrance requirements are up to the standard of the best medical schools. The college is in good and friendly standing with the California State Board of Medical Examiners, whose chairman passes on the qualifications of all applicants for admission to the school.

Lodi Normal Academy

The possibilities for the substantial development of this school are promising. It is situated in a thriving valley, a mile and a half from town. The school property comprises twenty acres of strong, productive soil, every foot of which can be cultivated. Five acres is reserved for the school campus, and the rest is put out to fruit-trees and small fruits, or is used for raising vegetables and poultry. On one side of the school property, a tract of eighteen acres has been leased, and is used for alfalfa and vineyard. On the opposite side is a twenty-acre tract which ought to be added for protection and resource, as the plan of addition to our school land is to be far wiser than that of subtraction, which has greatly weakened some of our older schools. The buildings are substantial and convenient, and will serve the needs of a natural growth for some time to come. The members of the faculty are enthusiastic, have adopted the courses of study and plans of the general convention at Berrien Springs, and are working hard to bring their school to where they think it ought to be.

Walla Walla College

Historically the fourth college established by our denomination, this school has kept the light of Christian education aglow in the growing Northwest for almost twenty years. It is situated in a fertile valley, whose black loamy soil is shown by excavation to be ten feet and more in depth. Improved methods and means of irrigation have greatly increased the productive value of land in recent years.

By selling off its land from time to time, the college has reduced its acreage to about one third the original amount, and a large community has built up close to the college property. But it still owns sixty acres, all except the campus being under cultivation, and has other land leased.

The college stands on a beautiful spot, and has substantial and commodious buildings for class work and for its industries. Its jubilee song of freedom from debt was sung two or three years ago. It has erected a separate building exclusively for normal work, and has developed one of the strongest normal departments among us. The college has kept on good working terms with the ten academies and intermediate schools in that union, most of which have confined their work to ten grades. There is no good reason why this school may not continue to grow in strength and produce efficient workers.

Danish-Norwegian Seminary

This school is located at Hutchinson, a town of exceptional record in civil and moral tone, on the Great Northern Railway. Being on a tract of 160 acres of productive soil, partly wooded, one mile from town, and on a graceful rise above the surrounding level, the school has almost every advantage that nature can confer. Though the building is yet incomplete and not fully furnished, the school has an earnest, hard-working faculty, and has survived well the exigencies and vicissitudes that are always incident to first-year work. We look for this seminary to make itself sensibly felt in the impetus it will help give to the work of the North American Foreign Department.

W. E. HOWELL.