"Get wisdom, get understanding; forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee; love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." (Prov. 4:5-7)
Prof. G. H. Bell's School
The educational work of the denomination has at the present time attained to comparatively large proportions. Like other branches of the cause heretofore noticed, it had a very small beginning. In 1868 Prof. G. H. Bell opened a school in the old office building, on the northeast corner of Kalamazoo and Washington Streets, Battle Creek. In addition to this, in the spring of 1871, at the close of General Conference, a four weeks' ministers' lecture course was held, designed to aid those engaged in ministerial and church work.
Call for a Denominational School
There appeared in the Review of April 16, 1872, an article entitled, "Shall We Have a Denominational School?" in which were clearly stated the necessities for such a school. In the Review of July 16 it was announced that the school opened with twelve scholars, which number, after two weeks, had increased to twenty five, and an evening grammar class of fifty had been started. The second term of the school opened Sept. 16, 1872, with forty pupils. By December 16 the school had become so large that it was moved to the meeting-house, where folding-desks were attached to the backs of the church-pews. A primary department of sixty-three scholars was also conducted in the gallery of the church.
Money Raised for a College
The General Conference in March, 1873, spent considerable time in considering the propriety of raising means for the erection of suitable buildings for conducting a denominational school, in which workers should be prepared for entering the various fields. The matter being decided favorably, a committee was appointed to take in hand the raising of the necessary funds. During the season able and important articles appeared from time to time in the Review upon this subject, from Elders Butler, White, and others, and by the efforts of Elders Butler and Haskell in the various camp-meetings a large sum of money was raised for the proposed school.
Another session of the Conference was held Nov. 16, 1873, when it was reported that $52,000 had already been pledged for the Seventh-day Adventist educational fund, to be used in securing grounds and erecting suitable buildings the next season. By vote, at the same session, a committee of seven was chosen to form an educational society and procure a site for the buildings.
At the conference just mentioned, Geo. I. Butler was elected President of the General Conference, and Sidney Brownsberger, Secretary. The committee elected by the General Conference were, Geo. I. Butler, S. N. Haskell, and Harmon Lindsay. The names of James White, Ira Abbey, J. N. Andrews, and Uriah Smith were added, to act with the General Conference Committee as the Committee of Seven, who incorporated as "The Educational Society of the Seventh-day Adventists." From this time Professor Brownsberger was connected with the Battle Creek College until he was called to take charge of a college then to be opened in Healdsburg, Cal.
Twelve Acres Bought for the College
December 31, 1873, this committee bought twelve acres of ground in the west part of Battle Creek, seven acres of which formed the campus of Battle Creek College.
The Battle Creek denominational school opened its winter term in the rooms of the third office building on Dec. 15, 1873, with one hundred and ten pupils enrolled.
Need of Denominational Schools
Respecting our need, as a denomination, of proper schools of education, Mrs. White wrote in 1873 as follows:-
"All the powers of the mind should be called into use and developed, in order for men and women to have well-balanced minds. The world is full of one-sided men and women, who have become such because one set of their faculties was cultivated while others were dwarfed from inaction. The education of most youth is a failure. They over-study while they neglect that which pertains to practical business life. . . .
A Symmetrical Education Needed
"The constant application to study, as the schools are now conducted, is unfitting youth for practical life. The human mind will have action. If it is not active in the right direction, it will be active in the wrong. In order to preserve the balance of the mind, labor and study should be united in the schools.
"Provision should have been made in past generations for education upon a larger scale. In connection with the schools should have been agricultural and manufacturing establishments. There should have been teachers of household labor, and a portion of the time each day should have been devoted to labor, that the physical and mental powers might be equally exercised. If schools had been established upon the plan we have mentioned, there would not now be so many unbalanced minds." [1]
Battle Creek College
During the summer and fall of 1874 the Battle Creek College building was erected. It was a brick structure, three stories above the basement, 75 x 75 feet, in the form of a Greek cross. It was completed and dedicated with appropriate exercises Jan. 4, 1875. The school opened in this building with over one hundred students and seven competent teachers for the different departments. With the opening of the college in the school year of 1877 it was reported that two hundred students were in attendance. The report of the Educational Society, made at the General Conference in October, 1880, showed that there had been 1400 students enrolled in Battle Creek College from 1873 to December, 1880.
Two More Schools Opened
At the General Conference, December, 1882, it was reported that two denominational schools had been opened under the auspices of the conference during the year, one being the Healdsburg College, located at Healdsburg, Cal., which was opened April 11; the other, South Lancaster Academy, located at South Lancaster, Mass., opened April 19.
Healdsburg College
In the Review of Jan. 15, 1884, appeared the following interesting statement respecting the Pacific Coast denominational school:-
"In September, 1881, the California Conference decided to open a denominational school, and appointed a committee to carry the enterprise into effect. By April, 1882, ample grounds, with a suitable building of ten rooms, had been purchased, two instructors had been employed, and a school of thirty-three students begun. During the college year (beginning July 29, 1882), the school was regularly chartered as a college, an additional plot of five acres bought, a commodious hall [for a students' home] erected, a faculty of six teachers secured, and 152 students enrolled. Since its opening nearly $27,000 had been subscribed for the enterprise, much of which has been paid by the people of California."
South Lancaster Academy
The people of New England began their school in the house of worship at South Lancaster, Mass. Through the untiring efforts of Elder S. N. Haskell and the sacrifices of our people in New England, a suite of school buildings was ready for dedication in the autumn of 1884. The buildings owned by the South Lancaster Academy Association were then five in number, two being entirely new. The academy building was 60 x 65 feet, and the other newly erected building, the students' home, 36 x 88 feet. These were dedicated Oct. 19, 1884.
This institution, after twenty-one years of efficient service, is still prospering, and has sent out earnest laborers in the Master's cause to various parts of the world. The principal of the academy now is Frederick Griggs, who also serves as secretary for the Educational Department of the General Conference.
London (England) Training School
As the work in London, England, continued to advance and grow in strength, it was deemed advisable during the summer of 1887 to open a training school for Bible workers, with which active Bible work was to be connected. From this school workers have been sent to labor in other parts of the United Kingdom and the Colonies. A flourishing school is at the present time conducted at Duncombe Hall, North London, with Prof. H. R. Salisbury in charge, who received his early education in the college at Battle Creek, Mich.
Battle Creek College Enlarged
The demand for more room at Battle Creek College was such that in the summer of 1886 it became necessary to make an extensive addition to the college building, and the year following (1887), to erect a dormitory (known as the West Hall) for lady students. West Hall contains rooms for 150 students, and 225 can be accommodated in the dining hall; while the South Hall, erected in 1884, at the south of the college campus served as the gentlemen's dormitory. At the opening of the college for the winter term, 1886-87, there were 568 students in attendance.
In 1885 Prof. W. W. Prescott was placed at the head of Battle Creek College, and shortly afterward was appointed to the position of Educational Secretary for the denomination. This was demonstrated as a wise move. Not only was Battle Creek College benefited, but through the labors of such a secretary, with the blessing of God, there was brought about closer unity and greater efficiency in the work of all our denominational schools.
Emmanuel Missionary College
The Battle Creek College did efficient service up to the year 1901, when the ground and buildings were sold to the American Medical Missionary College Association, and the educational society was discontinued. A new college corporation was at once formed, called the Emmanuel Missionary College. A farm was secured near Berrien Springs, in south-western Michigan, where buildings have been erected by the students, and a prosperous school is conducted. It is the fixed purpose of this school to give an "all-round education," in harmony with the instruction quoted in the former part of this chapter. To qualify laborers fully prepared for work in any part of the world where they may be called in the providence of God to labor, is the one great desire and aim of the teachers of the Emmanuel Missionary College.
Central Bible School, Chicago, Ill
In a Review of March, 1887, a proposition was made by Elder Geo. I. Butler that a mission building be erected in Chicago, Ill., which should serve as a central Bible school for the instruction of Bible workers, and at the same time could be used as a chapel and mission house for our people in the city. In the fall and winter of 1888-89 the building was erected. The cost, including lots, house, furnishings, etc., was about $28,000. It was formally opened April 4, 1889, with a canvassers' institute. At the time of the dedication the statement was made that our people knew of at least one thousand persons who had already accepted the present truth in various parts of the country from the efforts of the Bible workers.
This school was ably conducted by Elder Geo. B. Starr until the spring of 1891. Then, with teachers appointed by the General Conference Committee, it continued its work until the year 1893, when it was found that the building was inadequate to meet the growing demand for Bible instruction. As arrangements were made to connect a Bible school with the Battle Creek College, the Chicago building was sold to the Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association. The building has been enlarged and equipped for a small sanitarium, and is now called the Chicago Branch of the Battle Creek Sanitarium.
Union College, Nebraska
The General Conference of 1889 had under advisement the proposition to construct a college at some point convenient for the following nine State conferences, namely, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Dakota, Texas, Colorado, and Arkansas. A committee was accordingly appointed by the conference whose duty it was to select a desirable location for the school. When the citizens of such places as Des Moines, Ia., Fremont and Lincoln, Neb., and other places learned what we were about to do, they vied with one another in offers of contributions to the enterprise, so desirous were those of each place of having the buildings located in their town. As Lincoln, Neb., made the most liberal offers, and as it was deemed the most feasible site, the school was located there.
The main building, Union College proper, is a structure 141 x 84 feet. The height from the ground to the top of the dome is 100 feet. Besides this building there are two dormitories, each 104 x 104 feet, three stories high. It was anticipated that the proceeds of land donated would meet at least one half of the expense of fitting up this central college of the denomination, in which workers were to be educated in separate departments in English, Scandinavian, and German by teachers in their native tongues.
The buildings were dedicated Sept. 24, 1891, and the school opened September 30. The enrollment for the first year was 301. In 1892 the school opened with an attendance of 222, and the enrollment for the year was 553. Of these seventy-one were in the German department, and eighty-five in the Scandinavian.
A farm is connected with the college, furnishing work for students who desire to labor in agricultural lines. The college has also a bakery, where health foods are manufactured to some extent. During the year 1903 an association was organized for the purpose of publishing papers and books in the German, Swedish, and Danish-Norwegian languages. This association owns its printing house and the whole American printing business of the denomination for these nationalities. The work is carried on principally by the students. Not only are they instructed in the printing business, but here they gain an experience by actually doing missionary work.
The medical work is also represented in connection with this college. By economizing room it was discovered that the school could dispense with one of its large dormitories, and thus, with a little expense, a sanitarium was put in operation, and is doing an excellent work.
Walla Walla College
This school is located near Walla Walla, State of Washington, and was dedicated Dec. 8, 1892. The school opened the day before with an attendance of 101 students. This number increased during the year to 185. A small farm and other industrial interests are connected with this school. It is in a prosperous condition, and is doing a good work. Prof. J. L. Kay is now at the head of the faculty.
Australian School
August 24, 1892, a school was opened in Melbourne, Australia, in a rented building, with a faculty of five teachers. L. J. Rousseau, from the College at Battle Creek, Mich., was the first principal of the school. In the year 1894 this school had an enrollment of 89 students.
Removal to Avondale
The promoters of the school being desirous to connect labor with study, a change in locality was deemed advisable, hence a removal from the large city of Melbourne to Avondale, Cooranbong, New South Wales, a rural district, where a farm was secured, and suitable buildings erected. The school is at the present time being successfully conducted on the industrial plan.
Prediction Concerning Avondale Fulfilled
In its founding and management it was the aim of the committee to have the school conducted as nearly as possible in harmony with the instructions given respecting industrial schools. This was to be a "model school," and assurance was given time and again that if properly managed it would be a success, not only as a school, but the land itself, which had been deemed worthless, would be productive. Time, with the blessing of the Lord, has demonstrated the truthfulness of the prediction. Notwithstanding the severe drouth for several years in succession, which brought disaster to agricultural pursuits and a failure of crops all around them, the Avondale farm was green and productive. This was a remarkable occurrence, so much so that the officials of the government came to inquire as to the methods used in farming to produce this wonderful success.
The report for the workings of the school for the year 1903, shows an increase of fifty per cent. in attendance. The finances were also in good condition -expenses all met, and a balance of $1,500 in the treasury to be used in the interest of the school. Prof. C. W. Irwin has been the manager and principal of the school for nearly four years.
Mt. Vernon Academy
The General Conference, in 1893, passed a resolution favoring the opening of an academy at Mt. Vernon, Ohio. This school has some industrial interests connected with it, and is reported as doing good work. Its enrollment for 1894 was 140. Prof. J. W. Loughhead had for several years served as principal of this school, until he was called to Washington, D.C. The address of the school is Academia, Ohio.
Keene Industrial School
The General Conference of 1893 approved the opening of an industrial school at Keene, Texas. A farm of over 130 acres was secured, buildings erected, and the school opened under Prof. C. B. Hughes and his assistants. It is carried on in harmony with the plan of combining labor with study. The enrollment in 1894 was l60 students. This school has also been a decided success.
Claremont Union College
This school is located at Kenilworth, near Cape Town, South Africa. Its faculty were mostly selected from the Battle Creek College. It opened in 1894, with an enrollment of ninety students. At the close of the first school year, the number of pupils had so increased that it became necessary to provide more room by enlarging the school building. The college is at this date under the supervision of Prof. C. H. Hayton.
Seventh-day Adventists also conducted a village school (primary) at Claremont with seventy students, and a church school at Beaconsfield, which had, in 1894, an enrollment of thirty pupils.
Summary of Educational Work, 1895
The following report was made by the educational secretary to the General Conference in February, 1895:-
"The educational facilities of the denomination may be summarized as follows: There are five colleges located in the following places: at Battle Creek, Mich.; College View, Neb.; Healdsburg, Cal.; College Place, Wash.; and Kenilworth, South Africa. There are four academies, or schools doing the work of the academic grades in this country, at South Lancaster, Mass.; Mt. Vernon, Ohio; Keene, Texas; and Graysville, Tenn. . . . Besides these there is the Australian Bible School; a school in Mexico in connection with the medical mission; school for the native children on Pitcairn Island; on Raiatea, of the Society group; in the South Pacific Ocean; on Bonacca of the Bay Islands in the Caribbean Sea; about fifteen church schools in this country and abroad; two General Conference Bible Schools; and quite a number of canvassers' and local conference schools not regularly organized."
In giving a summary of the attendance at the regular colleges and schools of the denomination the secretary says: "At safe estimate there are over 3,000 pupils of all ages enrolled in Seventh-day Adventist schools at the present time."
Summary of Educational Institutions, 1903
The educational work and institutions among Seventh-day Adventists have grown in proportion to other branches of the message. As shown from the General Conference Year Book for 1904, there are at this date nine colleges and academies in America, and five in other countries. Those of other countries are located as follows: At Avondale, New South Wales; Kenilworth, Claremont, near Cape Town, South Africa; Holloway, London, North, England; Nyhyttan, J"rnboas, Sweden; Friedensau, near Magdeburg, Germany.
There are in America intermediate schools, fourteen; in other countries, five. The latter are located at Copenhagen, Denmark; Honolulu, Hawaiian Territory; Diamante, Entre Rios, Argentine Republic, South America; Curityba, Brazil, South America; Brusque, Brazil, South America.
In addition to the above-mentioned educational institutions, there are 357 local church schools conducted by the denomination. Of these 317 are in the United States, and forty in other countries. Had we accurate statistics to date, these figures would be largely increased. Many schools have been opened since the close of 1902. For instances, the Nebraska Conference reported having ten church schools. Feb. 1, 1904, their report shows "twenty-four church schools," an increase of fourteen in one conference.
Truly the Lord's guiding hand has wonderfully directed and opened the way for the educational work among this people. May he give wisdom to those who are called to manage this branch of his cause, that the various schools may be conducted in harmony with the plan he has outlined. Then will there be multitudes of efficient, well-developed workers for the Master, and not men and women "one-sided" in education and character. "The Lord gave the word," says the psalmist, and "great was the company [army, margin] that published it."
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