Educational Items From the Lake Union Conference by W. D. Curtis

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Oct 4, 1906

Educational Items From the Lake Union Conference

By W. D. Curtis

As the time approaches for the beginning of another year's school work, the intermediate schools, academies, and colleges of this Union seem to arouse from a few weeks of repose, and the management of each is preparing for active work during the year. There are prospects of an unusually large enrolment in these institutions. This is due, to some extent, to the plan adopted in several of the conferences of granting a year's scholarship to every student who has sold one hundred and fifty dollars' worth of books during the summer vacation; another cause of the increasing attendance is, our people are awakening to the importance of training the youth for service.

Emmanuel Missionary College is strengthening its faculty, and is prepared to do better work than ever before. Some changes have taken place in the management and faculty of the Mt. Vernon College, and the year's work opened very satisfactorily.

The Cedar Lake and Holly Academies have practically fallen in line with the courses of study as recommended at the recent educational convention held at College View, Neb. The Fox River Academy has strengthened its course, and I believe will, with Bethel and Beechwood, soon offer the academic course as outlined by the convention to which I have referred.

There has been added to the Emmanuel Missionary College plant a thorough water-system, which is very valuable to the institution, and a sanitarium will soon be opened on its farm.

Beechwood and the Fox River Academies, also the intermediate school at Du Quoin, Ill., are erecting new dormitories.

There have been five institutes held in this Union during the summer for church-school teachers. Primary methods and manual training were made quite a prominent feature in some of them. These institutes were considered a success, and the teachers are entering upon their year's work better prepared to carry the responsibilities that will rest upon them, and filled with a determination to do thorough work for the Master.

There will be more than one hundred church-schools in operation in the Lake Union this year. Many more would have been organized if teachers could have been procured.

The outlook for the educational work in this field is very encouraging. Our people are awakening to the fact that the Christian educational system is no longer an experiment, but has come to stay. They seem to find encouragement in the fact that a thoroughly organized system is rapidly developing.

We hope to have a convention soon, consisting of the presidents of the conferences, some of the leading business men, and the educational people, for the purpose of considering and acting upon the courses of study, list of text-books, and other recommendations passed at the recent convention held at College View, Neb. If such a gathering can agree upon the above-named subjects, it will bring uniformity and great strength into the educational work in the Lake Union. W. D. CURTIS.