Report of Self-Supporting Workers’ Convention
By W. E. Videto
THE annual meeting of the self-supporting workers was held at the Nashville Agricultural and Normal Institute, of Madison, Tenn., as advertised, August 25-29. The convention was preceded by a five days’ institute, designed especially to meet the needs of the “hill schools.” Some very helpful things were presented, but the attendance was small until the opening of the convention proper. On Monday, August 27, several prominent speakers were present by invitation, and the convention was privileged to hear them. Professor Hamilton, superintendent of education for the county in which Nashville is located, spoke on “The Child the Father of the Man.” He emphasized the importance of healthful living, saying that the physician years ago used to ask, as he bent over the sick man, “What is the matter?” To-day, grown wiser, he asks, “Why?” He strongly favored the education that “takes hold of the hands and trains them.” Those who make the desert to bloom must have learned to use the hand. The word of sympathy cheers the sad heart, but the grip of the sympathetic hand is equally expressive. The speaker spoke in glowing terms of the peaceful, quiet environment of the Madison school. While people are crowding into the cities, the best place to live is where one can catch the breath of the clover field. To the barefoot boy, there is something in the pressure of the damp soil and in the sights and sounds that everywhere greet him, that is invigorating. Notwithstanding the fact that Christ was a carpenter and dignified labor, many young men are anxious to escape the work of farm and shop. Professor Morgan, of the State Agricultural College, spoke twice during the day. He strongly urged the importance of deep plowing, and turning under an abundance of vegetable matter. He spoke very encouragingly of the possibility of transforming soils that are now poor into excellent land by proper treatment. Miss Johnson, the well-known librarian of Nashville, followed with an earnest talk concerning her work. She is interested in children and in those of limited education—not merely that they should read, but that they should read only books that will make them stronger intellectually and morally. The Nashville library has an enviable record in that sixty per cent of all the books taken from its shelves are non-fiction. It is also noted for the finest collection of newspaper files in the United States. Many of these date back as far as the year 1818, and are searched by professional men for the valuable history they contain. Part of the following day was devoted to the consideration of the city work. Dr. David Paulson was the first speaker. He said that the dominant note just now is the city work. Our methods must change; it is not enough to go to the cities and try to help the people by giving baths and running restaurants. We must give them the message. He urged that the crisis is such that many city workers should be trained as speedily as possible. While we have done something in Chicago, there are more people in the city who know nothing of our work than there were ten years ago. In the last five years, four hundred nickel theaters have come into existence in the city. The enemy has started four hundred missions, and we have started none. Our young people must be aroused. No sanitarium can do the work it should do unless there is a continual revival among the workers. Young people stay around institutions and handle things until they forget to work for souls: they stay in school and handle books until they lose the missionary spirit. The speaker explained that he did not underrate the importance of securing a first-class education. He is giving a course six months in length for city workers. He feels that it is possible thus to boil down the instruction for workers and still give an excellent course. The workers thus trained are called Bible working nurses. Some interesting thoughts were brought out in the discussion of the relation of the city work to the rural work. The opinion prevailed that there is a very close connection between the two. It was urged, too, that the worker who spends all his time in the country is in danger of losing sight of the awful need of the city, and should work there occasionally. The relation of the self-supporting work to the regular conference work received attention. In speaking of this, Elder C. F. McVagh, president of the Southern Union Conference, said: “It is all one movement, and we are working for the same end.” Prof. E. A. Sutherland said in substance: “If we conduct ourselves as we should, the regular officers will say, ‘The more of such people in the field, the better.’ If we can not refrain from being critical and bitter, and making comparisons between the regular work and our own, it would be better for us to keep out of the self-supporting work. The self-supporting work in the South is an emergency measure, made necessary by the fact that we are many years behind, and work that might have been done through the regular channels must be done by self-supporting workers.” The speaker explained what he understood by a self-supporting worker. He cited the case of one worker who has received help from friends amounting to less than one third of the sum he would have received had he been paid a salary as a regular conference worker, and is now able to carry on missionary work without any assistance. Dr. Paulson said the self-supporting worker must fast more, pray more, and live nearer to God than any other worker, as he will have peculiar temptations. He will be tempted to feel that he is better and more self-sacrificing than other workers. Many have fallen in this way. During the convention Prof. P. T. Magan gave a talk on the best methods of obtaining money for schools. He said it is a mistake to suppose that there is an art in getting people to give to such enterprises. The amount of help you will receive is determined not so much by what you do while out soliciting, as by the way you work to build up your enterprise. The people can readily detect the difference between the genuine enthusiasm of the man who is really doing something, and that of the man who must manufacture his enthusiasm. It was urged that donations to the schools should be invested in something that will produce permanently, such as stock, tools for working the land, etc. Another said it is a mistake to think you always need an expensive outfit in carrying on the hill schools. He contrasted the angler from the city who goes fishing with a large outfit of hooks, tackle, etc., and catches nothing, with the practised fisherman who goes out with a simple outfit and gets the fish. The work of the hill schools has steadily grown, until about twenty-five are in operation. It is hoped that the work will grow so rapidly that the next convention, to be held in one year, may witness the assembling of a much larger company of workers. It was truly inspiring to be permitted to meet with such enthusiastic, loyal workers as were gathered at this meeting. The school at Madison has been in existence less than seven years, but its growth has been rapid. The first thing that impresses one on looking at the buildings is that there has been nothing unnecessary. Every building has been made plain, simple, and neat. As one sees the good location, the large farm, the sanitarium, and the facilities for training workers, he can not help feeling that the Lord has greatly blessed. The school for colored people at Hillcrest is only a few miles distant. Here, too, an excellent work is being carried on. There is an atmosphere of order, thrift, and cheer about the place that is truly inspiring. W. E. VIDETO.