SOUTH LANCASTER ACADEMY.
By Frederick Griggs
THE work of the Lord in South Lancaster Academy is onward. A most excellent spirit prevails in this school. Nearly every student has in view the preparation for some branch of the Lord’s work. Many who came at the beginning of the year, came with the same purpose in gaining an education that they would have were they to attend a high school or an academy of the world. But these same students have been touched with the love of Christ for humanity, and have seen the great demand for earnest, consecrated workers in the cause of God, and have had their attention turned in this direction, so that their purposes in life have been greatly changed. This, in itself, is a great source of encouragement to the faculty; for this school exists for no other purpose than to prepare workers for the cause of God. The schools of the world can give a better preparation for the work of the world than can we. But the schools of the world can not give a preparation for the work of the Lord, and we wish to keep this work continually in view, and so arrange all the affairs of the school that all its students shall receive only that instruction which will enable them to do effective service in the cause of Christ. Our school is prospering financially. Plans have been so arranged that the income practically meets the outgo. Of course there is a heavy debt resting upon the school, but when the school shall be so conducted as not to run in debt year by year, the managers are satisfied that there will be no serious difficulty in removing this debt. For years there has not been a better time than the present to remove the debt of our school; for there is prosperity in the country at large. According to the word of God this era of prosperity will be followed by financial troubles, and our school should be in such a condition that its work will not be hindered by any financial disaster that may come upon the country, so that it may continue to do its work as long as the Lord shall deem best. One cause for the large indebtedness is that there has been a shortage of from one to two thousand dollars a year, due to uncollected bills from the students. But this year it has been required that, before students can go on in their classes, their accounts be met or satisfactorily arranged for. As a result, we have scarcely anything due the school from students. It can be readily seen that this amount, which should have been received from the students, has been the cause of a large part of the debt now resting on the school. The managers are confident that when they shall so arrange the affairs of the school that it shall not run behind in its expenses, its debt can be easily removed. Plans are now in making by which the managers hope to remove the debt from the school. Our people must recognize that it is a difficult thing to run a school from its own income, particularly when the tuition, etc., is as small as in our school. There is probably not one school in a thousand, the country over, that supports itself. Most schools receive at least part of their support from appropriations, bequests, etc. Altogether, when we consider the work of the academy from an educational and financial point of view, we are of good courage. And why should we not be? The hand of the Lord is with us, and we praise his name, and give him all the glory for everything that is being done to make the school like a school of the prophets.