EMMANUEL MISSIONARY COLLEGE.
By P. T. Magan
THE General Conference Educational Institute at Berrien Springs, Mich., is now a thing of the past. That it marks an era in our educational work, and that future years will show it to be one of the great landmarks of the message, none of those who have been present can for a moment doubt. God has been present, and has ruled in all its sessions. And chief among the things which through His grace have been accomplished, has been the laying of the foundation stones for the new missionary college which is to take the place of the old Battle Creek College. Many meetings were held by the college board of trustees, by the General Conference laborers, and by the presidents and committeemen of the Lake Union Conferences, in regard to the planting of this new school. After much discussion and earnest prayer, it was finally decided to purchase a beautiful site on the banks of the St. Joseph River. The college estate will include, all told, about two hundred and sixty acres. One hundred and six acres of this land is already in a high state of cultivation, and this tract has sixty-five acres of the most beautiful pear and peach orchard, together with a ten-acre vineyard, which is famous the country over. There are also one hundred and twelve acres of unimproved land, which is capable of being made valuable. The remainder of the farm is made up of woods, which will serve admirably for timber and for fuel. Here also a beautiful park for assembly and camp-meeting purposes can be developed. A creek runs through the property, which will furnish abundant water for the use of the school, and even for irrigating a part of the land. There are several beautiful springs upon the estate which give forth an abundance of pure water for drinking purposes. The meeting at which the decision was finally made was a most solemn one, and one long to be remembered by those present. Counsel had been sought from the Spirit of God, but no word had been received. After the meeting was all over, a letter came from Sister White, urging us by all means to buy the very place which we had decided to purchase. This helped to give heart and hope to the whole enterprise. It is the design of the board of trustees to secure title to the land immediately, and to lay the plans for the buildings just as rapidly as possible. Brother Howard Parsons, representing the firm of architects of W. H. Parsons & Son, of Des Moines, Iowa, has kindly offered their services to the board of trustees to make all the drawings for the buildings, and in some degree to superintend the work of construction. Brother Parsons has already been here and looked the ground over, and will return in a few weeks to study the situation further. In a future article I will give full details concerning the plans for the building, and also the plans for the conducting of the school farm. The board of trustees has decided to christen the new institution “Emmanuel Missionary College” by which name it will henceforth be known. This is the first school among us having a distinctive Biblical name, and it is the earnest prayer and wish of all concerned that the thought and the spirit of this blessed title may be the life experience of the school. The people of Berrien Springs have been exceedingly kind, and have taken great interest and pride in the location of the school in their midst. In fact, nothing could exceed the kindness and interest which they have shown. The prayers of all the people of God are asked, that God may bless in the founding of this new institution, concerning which He has said so much. P. T. MAGAN,
Sec. Educational Dept. Gen. Conf.