p. 19 | The Educational Convention by W. E. Howell

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 19, 1906

The Educational Convention

By W. E. Howell

(Continued)

On Monday evening the convention was stirred by a forceful presentation, by H. R. Salisbury, of the urgent and wide-spread need of training-schools in foreign fields, and of some remarkable results that have followed the work already done.

Believers in other lands often find themselves cut off from friends and from their means of livelihood. Here is the opportunity for the training-school to take them and prepare them for service. The best and quickest way to prepare them for service, is to put them into actual service while they are gaining their preparation, turning it as far as consistent in the direction of self-support while studying, and aiming at the development of workers from among those who are subjects of missionary labor.

The value of the training-school may be illustrated by the fact that the one in London has put nine licensed ministers into the British conferences and mission fields; also, that since the close of the school in Denmark only two ministers have been developed in the Scandinavian field, and the young people are either going into worldly pursuits or coming to America. The training-school at Friedensau, Germany, on the contrary, has sent young men to Jerusalem, Joppa, Egypt, Macedonia, Servia, Bulgaria, Central Africa, Russia, Switzerland, Holland, and through all Germany. Brother W. H. Anderson is making his progress in mission work in Central Africa principally through school work, using manual training as one of its strongest features.

Equip these schools the best you can. Do not let lack of equipment hinder your making a beginning, for the strength of a school is in its work, not its facilities.

In choosing men and women to establish mission schools and colleges in foreign lands, select only those who know they are called of God, who have been taught of God, who go willingly, who have been missionaries at home, and who have enough of the life of Christ in them to be worthy of imitation; for the native is quick to imitate his teacher.

Send practical men, skilled in manual labor — send men of broad education. Remember that the great pioneer missionaries were men of learning as well as piety, such as Judson, Moffat, Paton, Livingstone, and Chalmers. Many heathen races, such as the Arab, the Hindu, the Chinese, the Japanese, are intellectual, and must be met on that ground.

Send young people of large powers of adaptability, who go to save souls, not to proclaim their own country's greatness. They should be simple in manner and sympathetic in nature, neat and orderly in personal appearance, and dignified in deportment.

One of the latest messages to us is that we are nearer the end than any of us are aware. Let us start a movement among our students that in the sudden closing up of this work, we may be ready to send, not hundreds, but thousands to every part of the harvest-field.

A very enlightening study of the relation of evolution to education and religion, was conducted by Professor Prescott on Tuesday evening. The basal question in religion is the relation of God to the living world. Fundamental to this is the relation of God to things, inorganic as well as organic,—the right idea of God. Christian education examines and presents the true relation of God to all things. What is to be accomplished in the study of nature is not simply to see beauty and feel sentiment, but to discover God's relation to the visible creation. To study nature without revelation may lead to the acceptance and worship of a false god, for we are dependent upon the Bible for our knowledge of God as Creator, together with the method, means, time, and order of creation. He who is the head of creation, is also the head of redemption.

Contrary to the teaching of evolution, there has not been an unbroken continuity of development in nature from the beginning. “By the word of God . . . the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.” “The heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment.”

We are taught also that science, working in its own sphere, discovered how God made the world. They also discovered a new god—Force, Infinite Power, the Great Intelligence, who works by development rather than by specific acts, by continuous revelation rather than by special revelation, by continuous inspiration rather than by special inspiration. Therefore evolution applies revelation and inspiration to the experience of men to-day as well as in Bible times, and declares that creation is going forward as in the beginning—evolving a new theology, progressive orthodoxy, the central idea of which is the oneness of God and man. The divine spirit being immanent in the human, education is the removing of hindrances to the work of God upon the will and the reason, thus opening a natural channel for educative influence. It is claimed that the child is born of the Spirit when it is born of the flesh, if we only have eyes to see it, thus ignoring the miraculous birth of Christ, the atonement, and faith in his vicarious work for us, making regeneration, redemption, justification, sanctification, as empty as the jargon of the alchemist, and precluding the necessity of Christ's return to earth.

In the definition of science, a personality is a purposeful force. But the message is to fear God and give glory to him; to worship him—not it. The third angel's message answers all the false teachings of evolution, and is inseparable from Christian education. Let all our teaching be directed toward the discovery and the understanding of the right relation of God to created things, and a solid foundation will be laid for a sound religious experience.

On Tuesday a lively talk on the teaching of English was given by M. E. Olsen, followed by another on Wednesday, on thoroughness in education. In regard to English he said: Some knowledge of the resources of our native

tongue is necessary to the presentation of gospel truths with freshness and charm. Speakers and writers do well to avoid dead, conventional phrases, and seek to embody all their thoughts in simple and fitting language. The daily reading of a little good poetry is a help in the formation of taste. Good writing does not call attention to itself; it is sincere, effective, and unobtrusive. The Bible affords the finest examples of English prose.

The keeping of a commonplace book in which snatches of poetry, quotations from great authors and other interesting literary material can be entered from time to time is an excellent plan. Self-improvement in the use of English may be rapid and far-reaching. Continual watchfulness is necessary until correct language becomes second nature.

In the teaching of English the effort should be to draw out by the reading of good literature and proper exercises in composition the latent capabilities of the pupil. The best instruction will be individual.

On thoroughness in education the following thoughts were presented: Education of the right kind always makes for more efficient service. It is really a widening of the human channel by means of which blessings given of God are to flow out in more abundant streams to a needy world. The man who buried his talent was pronounced both wicked and slothful. The sin of neglecting to seek a thorough preparation needs to be brought home to our young people.

Even after leaving school, education can go on. The diligent use of spare moments will accomplish much. We must not be satisfied with ourselves. Paul wrote: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after.” The true worker will have a passion for continual improvement; nothing short of perfection will satisfy him.

In order to secure the best work there must be a proper division of labor. “There are diversities of gifts . . . for the body is not one member, but many.” To be able to do one thing and do it well is better than to do many things in a superficial way.

An instructive address was given by the chairman of the convention, Frederick Griggs, on Thursday evening, on Lessons from the History of Education. He said, in part:—

“The early church Fathers thought that by introducing some of the pagan philosophy into their Christian schools they would become better able to refute that philosophy as a whole. It was a fatal mistake. This union of the false and the true resulted in the papacy. There followed a rapid descent into the Dark Ages, when the form of religion was held to be of greater value than its essence. Then came the Renaissance. Through that great mental awakening God prepared the way for the glorious spiritual awakening of the Reformation. Men and women came to the school at Wittenburg from all parts of Europe, and went forth again carrying the gospel message. Thus justification by faith was preached throughout the world in the lifetime of Luther. There must and will go forth from our schools in this generation a host of men and women who will carry the last warning message to the world.

In training young people for our work we can learn a lesson from the ancient Spartans. They confined the education of their children to those things which had the most direct bearing on their public life. Our young men need a thorough training for the great work before us, but thoroughness in preparation need not involve the weaving in of wrong principles. We must build upon the principles of eternal truth.

W. E. HOWELL.

(To be concluded)