Who Will Join the Educational Missionary Movement?
By Arthur G. Daniells
THE last two numbers of the REVIEW have contained extended notices of the statement adopted by the educational convention, which outlines a new educational missionary movement. Before the officers of the Department of Education left the convention, they made arrangements for the publication of this statement in all the leading papers in our denomination. It was also arranged to have this contemplated movement placed before our people in all the fall camp meetings. The principals of our schools and their associate teachers are in earnest about this matter. They believe that the third angel’s message must be preached in all the world, to all nations, before the Lord will come. They see that this means a great work; that it calls for a larger staff of missionaries. They realize that our schools have been established to educate our young people to become missionaries, and that it is to these schools that the slender staff of our missionaries now toiling in the great mission fields must look for new comrades. They are encouraged by the earnest plea the General Conference Committee is now making to those in charge of our schools for more missionaries. And they now propose to take hold of this great problem with a zeal never yet put into our educational work. As far as possible the work of the schools will be adapted to meet the fullest and highest needs of those wishing to attend them. In recent Testimonies we have been admonished to do this. Here are a few statements:— All our denominational colleges and training-schools should make provision to give their students the education essential for evangelists and for Christian business men. The youth and those more advanced in years who feel it their duty to fit themselves for work requiring the passing of certain legal tests should be able to secure at our union conference training-schools all that is essential. God desires us all to be in a waiting, hopeful position. What he has promised, he will do; and if there are legal requirements making it necessary that medical students shall take a certain preparatory course of study, let our colleges teach the required additional studies in a manner consistent with Christian education. The Lord has signified his displeasure that so many of our people are drifting into Battle Creek; and since he does not want so many to go there, we should understand that he wants our schools in other places to have efficient teachers, and to do well the work that must be done. They should arrange to carry their students to the point of literary and scientific training that is necessary. Many of these requirements have been made because so much of the preparatory work done in ordinary schools is superficial. Let all our work be thorough, faithful, and true. From the light that the Lord has given me, I know that our training-schools in various parts of the field should be placed in the most favorable position possible for qualifying our youth to meet the tests specified by State laws regarding medical students. To this end the very best teaching talent should be secured, that our schools may be brought up to the required standard. Let me repeat: It is not necessary for so many of our youth to study medicine. But for those who should take medical studies our union conference training-schools should make ample provision in facilities for preparatory education. Thus the youth of each union conference can be trained nearer home.—Unpublished Testimony, entitled “The Work of Our Training-Schools,” dated 1903. These quotations instruct those in charge of our colleges and training-schools to make every provision required to give our young people the education they need to do the work before us. As pointed out in the statement adopted at the educational convention, the work we are doing calls for able ministers, Bible workers, editors, translators, teachers, physicians, nurses, colporteurs, and Christian business men. Each student must be given the training in our schools required to qualify him for that phase of the work for which he is best suited by nature. Those in charge of Union College are making earnest efforts to comply with this instruction. They have endeavored to secure a strong staff of teachers. They have made very favorable arrangements with the Nebraska University for such students as should take the medical course. Other union conference schools are endeavoring to do just the work required to fit our young people for the mission fields. There are indications that the coming year will no doubt witness the most earnest, successful efforts yet made in our schools for the development of whole-souled missionaries. In view of these considerations we are intensely anxious as to who among our young people will join this movement. We know from various statistics we have gathered during the last year or two that there are hundreds of our young men and women who are not attending our colleges and academies. Many are attending the schools of the world. Many more are not attending any school. We can scarcely see how either those who are in other schools or those who do not go to school, can be led in large numbers to give their lives to the work of God. This is a serious consideration; for the Lord’s cause has need of all these young people. I earnestly appeal to every young man and young woman who may chance to read these lines, to definitely join us in this educational missionary movement.