SOUTH CAROLINA by B. F. Gowdy

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Michigan · Sep 11, 1900

SOUTH CAROLINA.

By B. F. Gowdy

Since returning from the District Conference held at Graysville, Tenn., in January, I have spent the time at and near my home in Shaw's Fork, S. C. My wife and I have held one or more meetings each week, and have visited among, and studied the Bible with, our neighbors as much as our circumstances would allow. We have also visited the sick, and given a number of successful treatments, as well as carried on considerable correspondence pertaining to the work.

Since April, 1899, with the assistance of Brother Parker Atwood, who secured from his parents the gift of one hundred acres of land for educational purposes, we have been preparing for the opening of school work at this place, on the industrial plan. In December, our cousin, Miss Julia Luccock, from the Sanitarium, who has been in the South for the last three years, came to our assistance, and has been much help to us. A few weeks ago she was united in marriage to Brother Atwood, and they are now permanently connected with us in this work.

As the use of a rude building was kindly given us, we were enabled to open school in February. The attendance was small, but after the first week it began to increase. By the third week the school and class work had grown to such an extent that my wife was unable to attend to it all; so I took the higher grades myself, spending a few hours each day hearing their recitations. The school was not large at any time; but the number of classes required to give each student the work he needed was such that one teacher could not do it justice. We have worked under unfavorable circumstances; for we have only a small two-room tenant-cabin in which to teach, without blackboards, maps, or even desks, only long, rough benches and a few chairs to sit upon, with rude, homemade tables for desks. These, with a four-foot-square rubber-cloth blackboard and a set of Dr. Kellogg's physiology charts, constitute our whole schoolroom equipment. Yet our school proved a success, and without exception our patrons were well satisfied.

The prospects for a much larger school in the fall are excellent. Several who live at a distance are talking of sending their children to board with our neighbors, and attend our school. One man who lives about thirteen miles from here recently told me that as soon as he gathers his crop, he is going to move his whole family into our neighborhood, that his children may have the benefit of the school. Last term one of our pupils came about fifteen miles, and another twelve. We are in need of a boarding hall, where we can accommodate such as these, but we must build a schoolhouse first. We hope to do this in time to open the school about October 1, and I trust the Lord will open the hearts of some of our brethren who have his treasures in trust, to assist us in this much-needed work. We need this schoolhouse, we need equipments for the schoolroom, and our land needs to be improved, so that we can have a steady income from it in the future. We also need reference books and song books to use in the school and in our meetings. If any Sabbath-school has old copies of “Joyful Greetings” or “Gospel Song Sheaf,” in good condition, which it wishes to give for missionary work, we should appreciate the gift very much. The expense connected with the starting of this work has been considerable, and I find my income as a General Conference worker much too small to provide for the work.

The interest in the religious work is correspondent with that in the school work. To reach the highest degree of success in this field, I am convinced that the educational work must be closely connected with ministerial effort. Educational work and Christian Help work, carefully conducted, beget confidence in the minds of the people, and they are then ready to listen to instruction from the same persons in religious matters. Our school work at this place has opened a field for meetings about twelve miles from here, where I now preach one Sunday each month. The Lord is wonderfully blessing, and is opening the way before us to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as the power of God unto salvation. We are of good courage, notwithstanding the difficulties we have had to meet, and are expecting great things of the Lord, according to his promise.

My post-office address is Oakwood, S. C.; express office, Southern Express Company, Montmorenci, S. C.; freight office, Montmorenci, S. C. This office does not receive freight if not prepaid.

B. F. GOWDY.