p. 28 | Support of Poor Students in the German Union

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 4, 1907

Support of Poor Students in the German Union

By Otto Luepke

In comparison with the United States of America it may be truly said that Germany is a poor country; and this is emphatically true of some of the countries outside of the German empire in our union, as, for instance, Austria-Hungary, the Balkan States, and Russia. Consequently the students in our Friedensau School are in general poor. Our Russian students are exposed to still greater sacrifice, as their personal savings are absorbed by the traveling expenses from the distant field, and by the rather excessive charge for the passport; the expenses run up to fifty dollars and more. Reckoning all the students who are paying one half, one third, or one fourth of their school expenses, we may say that under the best conditions only fifty to sixty-five per cent of our total enrolment can be considered as paying students. Certainly under these conditions arrangements have to be made to help our poor brethren and sisters to prepare for the work of God.

At an early date an educational fund was established in Germany, which was made up of free-will offerings, and when the school was started in 1899 several thousand marks had been collected. We are glad that our people have been very liberal in donating toward this fund, and have thus assisted in strengthening it. In addition to this, the fund was increased by the surplus of the school rate after deducting the salaries of the teachers.

The educational fund has the proper name, especially in the practical sense, as all the students who have attended the school and have become indebted are urged to repay their debts by giving a small sum from the wages received out in the field; they are trained to feel this responsibility after leaving the school. These returns flow into the fund again. In general, all our accounts of this character are balanced within three or four years.

A further support to the school has been the sale of “Christ’s Object Lessons.” Since we could say that every brick of our institution and all our equipment, were paid for, the whole value of the sales was added to the fund. In accordance with the intention of the author of this book that the entire proceeds should be used for the benefit of our educational work, we have confidence that the sale of this book will also be a valuable resource for the future.

I would not fail to mention that our sanitarium has shown a deep interest in the development of this branch of our work. Although the institution is rather young, and therefore of limited means, it has assisted in the following manner: Since the beginning of the institution a bonus was promised to our brethren and sisters after they had served five years in the medical mission, including their

studies in the school. This, of course, encouraged our young people to enter this work. In accordance with this promise, the young institution has paid from seventy-five to one hundred dollars during its five years’ existence to each of the nurses who has finished his five years of faithful service. This has been a great help in our educational work.

These liberal donations, and a willingness to sacrifice, as well as the unanimous co-operation of our people, has enabled the German Union to send many promising young people to the school, whose abilities would otherwise, in a large degree, have been lost to the cause.

As our educational fund has a credit of six thousand dollars at the present time, and in view of the hearty co-operation of all the above-named parties, we are very much encouraged, and sincerely hope that the blessings of our Lord will continue to abide with us.

OTTO LUEPKE.