AN EDUCATIONAL INCIDENT.
By W. E. Howell
A NOTEWORTHY event in the progress of the summer school at Berrien Springs, Mich., occurred Tuesday, July 30, when almost the entire camp of instructors and instructed went out on foot to the large farm recently purchased as a site and field of operation for Emmanuel Missionary College. The object of this excursion was not for pleasure only, but for the pleasurable purpose of taking an object lesson in the application of correct principles to the cultivation of the soil, and for an inspection of the new farm. In the school, Professor Rogers had given twelve or more lessons on how to till the ground scientifically, how to secure the most practical results from the labor expended, and how to interest our children and youth in an employment which will be a part of their joy in the earth made new. That all things might be done decently and in order, the school was divided into companies, each with a leader, and these formed into a column, two abreast. The cheerful earnestness in the hearts of all expressed itself in an occasional song as we676passed along the road to the farm, which is about two miles from town. Halting under a group of magnificent maple trees on the slope of a gentle rise, a garden plot was staked off near by, plowed and harrowed by two young men with the college team and implements, and soon transformed into beds of various shapes and sizes, by busy rakes, hoes, and shovels, in the hands of young men and young women alike—and of some older ones, too. Dinner, to which the college plum trees contributed a share, was served under the maples at 1:30. Following this repast, a spirited talk on foods was given by Dr. Eshelman, all of whose instruction in the summer school was highly valuable because of its intensely spiritual, simple, and practical nature. Then came the last of Elder Jones’s earnest, edifying talks in the institute and summer school, the purpose—and we trust the effect—of which, was to elevate the word of God to its rightful place in our study and in our lives. With much solicitude he endeavored, on this final occasion, to impress the truth that the faithful study of the Bible will give understanding and ability in any line of work, even when we do not have a technical knowledge of the principles and facts involved. Our company then started on a tour of inspection over the farm, led by Professor Sutherland. Passing beyond the portion under fruit cultivation, we came to a steep descent into a ravine, or hollow, thickly set on the sides and flat with cottonwood and beech trees, and lighted up throughout its entire length by a winding, sparkling stream of clear water, which, after fulfilling its mission of cheer and beauty and refreshing glory, loses itself in the more glorious artery of life, the St. Joseph River, a little farther below. Going a short distance up the river, whose bordering flats are planted with corn and fruit, we stood upon the site selected for the school buildings. From this point a pleasing panorama of luxuriant landscape spreads out to the north and east, embellished by the graceful curves of the river, with its heavy fringe of willows and oaks. A little above this point, we entered “Lovers’ Lane,”—for lovers of God and His works,—skirting along the brow of a deep ravine off the river, sending down a path now and then to one of the many delightfully cool and refreshing springs of crystal water which gave to the town its name, and leading ultimately into what our leader aptly termed “a primeval forest,” composed of a pleasing variety of deciduous trees and shrubs common to Michigan and neighboring States. Returning home with praise in our hearts and on our lips, rested in mind and body, we felt to thank God for the delightful location and for the promising outlook of Emmanuel Missionary College.