No school can successfully maintain manual labor studies in its curriculum on an equality with other studies unless the purpose of God for such a practical training is recognized by both teachers and students. And when the purpose is recognized, the love, interest and enthusiasm generated by an education to do useful things brings more enjoyment and keen pleasure to the student than such substitutes for manual labor as sports and games can ever bring.
"The physical exercise was marked out by the God of wisdom. Some hours each day should be devoted to useful education in lines of work that will help the students in learning the duties of practical life, which are essential for all our youth. But this has been dropped out, and amusements introduced, which simply give exercise, without being any special blessing in doing good and righteous actions, which is the education and training essential... The time employed in physical exercise, which, step by step, leads on to excess, to intensity in the games and the exercise of the faculties, ought to be used in Christ's lines, and the blessing of God would rest upon them in so doing... Diligent study is essential. ... The influence has been growing among students in their devotion to amusements, to a fascinating, bewitching power, to the counteracting of the influence of the truth upon the human mind and character... What force of powers is put into your games of football and your other inventions after the way of the Gentiles-exercises which bless no one! ... I cannot find an instance in the life of Christ where he devoted time to play and amusement." (Ellen G. White, Special Testimonies on Education, pp. 190, 191).
It is easy to determine the system of education in operation in any training school. Students who enjoy games and sports more than useful labor have certainly chosen a system of education that will give them little help in preparing to enter the hard places of the world, or to prepare for the latter rain.
We have already noted that opposition to useful labor in Oberlin brought this change: "The modern gymnasium and athletics soon began to make all sufficient provision for the well-being of the student world." Gradually, "Oberlin introduced modern baseball, football, and athletics in general," (The Story of Oberlin, pp. 231, 407), but "the gymnasium made its way slowly at Oberlin, because it seemed to be inconsistent with the manual labor idea." (Oberlin: The Colony and the College, p. 262). All this is in harmony with the statement concerning gymnasiums: "They were brought in to supply the want of useful physical training, and have become popular with educational institutions." (Christian Education, p. 211).
Before the end, all training schools that are breaking from "the necks of their students worldly yokes," and are bringing their students "into the line of true education," so they may "carry the message of present truth in all its fullness to other countries," ["The Madison School," p. 30] will see that all of these substitutes, such as football, baseball, etc., are replaced by the genuine, useful arts and trades.