An Interesting Summary of the Past Year’s Experiences
Union College
L. A. HOOPES
UNION COLLEGE has passed through experiences similar to those of all our schools so far as courses of study and changes in the policy are concerned. We believe that the institution is on the road to success, and feel encouraged to see some progress.
From the beginning of the school year, each teacher was expected to take a prominent part in the chapel exercises and the religious meetings. This inspired the students with confidence in their teachers as men and women of God. Twice each week “students’ prayer services” were held. These were conducted by students, and were well attended. Tuesday was missionary day.
All interested in missionary topics met at a stated time to talk over the plans of missionary operations. Each Wednesday at the morning chapel, a regular missionary program was conducted under the auspices of the college and the Young People’s Society. Frequently several gave a report of the work in different fields. At other times the students gave a report of their work in the city and its suburbs, some relating experiences in canvassing, others of Bible readings given, and still others of regular preaching services. General missionary correspondence was conducted during the year by the members of the society. The missionary society endeavored to embrace every phase of missionary work connected with the denomination that it was possible to carry in connection with the school.
Young People’s Society
For the past two years there has been a Young People’s Society connected with the school. This society has for its object the improvement of the students, spiritually as well as physically. Its meetings were held Sabbath afternoons, and were usually well attended. About every third or fourth Sabbath was devoted to a consecration meeting.
Special Course
A special course was arranged, beginning January 8 and lasting eight weeks. Thirty-two availed themselves of this opportunity, and special classes were organized in Bible, history, language, and arithmetic. These students brought an excellent spirit into the school, as nearly all of them were active workers in the cause. At the close of this special course a canvassers’ institute was conducted, which was also a blessing to the school as well as to all who attended it. The general and district canvassing agents were present to render valuable assistance in this institute.
Church School
There has been a church school connected with the college this year. At the earnest solicitation of the church at this place, the executive committee decided to open a school to carry all the grades from the kindergarten to the seventh grade. There have been two teachers in charge, under the direction of the Normal department of the college. This department of the school has demonstrated it to be a necessity for the college to take hold of this branch of the work, and in the future to conduct a model school, thereby giving all who contemplate entering the church-school work an opportunity to study this question in a very practical way.
Courses of Study
The faculty has been earnestly praying and endeavoring so to arrange the courses of instruction that the widest range of work may be offered to every one who is seeking a training in one of our institutions. There has not been a desire to pattern after worldly schools, nor to comply with their curricula, but in every instance to arrange a course of study of higher standard than can be10obtained in worldly institutions. There is a constant endeavor to encourage students to take a short course of instruction which will fit them quickly to enter some department of gospel work. Those who expect to become teachers or physicians have been encouraged to take longer courses.
There are ten courses of study arranged for the English language, besides the regular courses for the Scandinavian and German departments. In nearly every instance the longer courses include the short ones.
Industrial Department
Union College is endeavoring to keep abreast with the times on the subject of industrial education. While our equipment is not all that we could wish, yet our efforts are to make the work of a practical nature. We guarantee the students one hour’s work each day. Between twenty-five and thirty have met all their school expenses by their work the past year. More than fifty per cent of all the students are constantly employed. The plan of the institution is to have the students and instructors do all the work connected with the institution.
Work Accomplished
In looking over the statistics of the institution since its establishment in 1891, we find that 4,530 students have been enrolled, 174 of whom have been graduated. Of these there are one from the Special, three from the Missionary, five from the Literary, ten from the Biblical, eleven from the Scandinavian, eleven from the German Biblical, thirteen from the Classical, twenty-one from the Commercial, forty-eight from the Normal, and fifty-one from the Scientific courses. The average number of teachers per year is nineteen.
Enrollment
The present enrollment of the school is four hundred and fifteen. This includes the church school in connection with the college. On the enrollment slips of the students, we note the following: three have entered to take the Missionary course, five the Preparatory Medical course, eight the Biblical course, nine the Scandinavian Missionary course, nine the Literary course, thirteen the Ministerial course, thirty-two the Special course, thirty-seven the Normal course, forty-two the Commercial course, and fifty-one the Scientific Course.
Spirit of Work
Of the thirty-seven students in the Scandinavian department, only five were undecided as to their work for the summer, and these five are very promising young people, capable of doing earnest work for the Master. Two of the twenty students in the German department were undecided. These are capable of teaching or of doing Bible work or canvassing, and doubtless will find a place in the Master’s cause. Many in the English department are young, and would hardly be expected to take up active missionary work in the field. Many of the older students, however, have left the school with the intention of engaging in active labor.
It is not extravagant to say that more than fifty per cent of Union College students have found their place in some capacity of the local or general work of the third angel’s message. Eighty per cent of those appointed to foreign fields at the last General Conference were Union College students. While there are many features about this that are encouraging, we are not fully satisfied with the results; for we long to see the day when every student who comes to the school will come with a desire to become a thoroughly prepared missionary, and when he leaves the institution, will leave with a greater desire to be a real missionary for Christ than when he came.
A goodly number of students have their faces turned to the great French and Latin field,—some to France, some to Spain, some to Mexico, and others to the Spanish-speaking people of Central and South America. Upon others, the appeals which have come from the great British empire have made an indelible impression. Still others have their eyes turned toward the German field. As we come before the students day after day, we are profoundly impressed that the one object of the institution is to train workers for Christ, to give the advent message to the world in this generation. We can conceive of no more important mission intrusted to this people than that of taking the youth of this denomination who are strong and buoyant with life, and giving them a training for the Master’s service. We close our report with the one earnest plea, “Brethren, pray for us.” “Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ. . . . That I [we] may make it manifest, as I [we] ought to speak.”
