HYGIENIC REFORM:
ITS RISE AND PROGRESS AMONG SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS.
[While the reformatory principles held by Seventh-day Adventists are in no way peculiar to them, it is probable that this people present a unique example of the adoption, by a religious denomination, of a body of health principles requiring a radical change of habits, and affecting the lives of individual members in all their physical relations. The careful reader of the preceding pages of this volume will hardly need to be informed of the sources from which the health principles of the denomination have been drawn; but it will nevertheless be profitable to consider more at length the development of this remarkable movement among this people.
Fortunately, the task of tracing the history of this reform was undertaken, years ago, by one eminently qualified for its execution; and we cannot serve our readers better than by presenting the substantial part of what was then written by Elder James White in a series of articles which appeared in the pages of the Health Reformer during the years 1870 and 1871. To these articles will be appended a brief sketch of the growth of the movement since that time, and the development of the various new and important phases which have naturally grown up from the foundation laid by the pioneers of this great reformatory enterprise.]
Every real reform—every movement that tends to improve man’s present condition or to affect his future happiness—is under the direct providence of God. This is true of the great cause of hygienic reform. Though Jews, Turks, skeptics, Christians, or modern Judases, who would212sell their Lord for money, may act a part in it, the reform, nevertheless, is of God.
It is with great pleasure that we consider this matter from a Bible point of view. The Bible is to us the voice of Infinite Wisdom, the highest and safest authority; and it contains a vast amount of testimony touching the subject of health. Christian temperance is taught on almost every page of the New Testament. We thank God for science; and we also thank him that, on the subject of hygiene, science and the word of God are in harmony.
Seventh-day Adventists have not felt that it was safe to base their hope of salvation upon mere theories of the future life, or upon a belief in the arguments which prove that that immortal state is near. They have felt the necessity of a preparation for the great realities of the future, and have made this a matter of practical consideration. Now is the time to obtain that moral fitness which is necessary for the change of “our vile bodies” at the coming of our Lord. The moral change must take place now, in order to the change to immortality then.
Admitting that we are living in that brief period divinely allotted to the work of preparing for the second advent of the Son of God, and the change to immortality, how timely is the introduction of the subject of hygienic reform among us,—a reform which changes false habits for those of Christian temperance, and purity of soul, body, and spirit!
Look at the picture of Noah’s time and ours, presented in Matt. 24:37-39: “As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” The great sins of the men and women of the Noatic world, when God poured upon it a flood of waters and washed it from its moral pollution, were drunkenness, gluttony, and the indulgence213of sensuous passions. The intellectual, the moral, the God-like, in man were brought down to serve the animal appetites and passions. The sins for which the antediluvians were condemned, are the leading sins of our own time. This is emphatically an age of drunkenness, gluttony, vice, and crime. Yet, thank God, in the midst of the moral filth and wretchedness, there are those who feel the force of the divine warning,—“Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting [gluttony], and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”*
The glories of the future life are promised us on condition that we turn away from popular pollutions. “Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
Would we be the adopted sons and daughters of the Almighty? Then we must shun the excesses of this degenerate age, and perfect that holiness which consists in physical as well as moral cleanliness. Our God is the embodiment of purity. Into heaven “there shall in no wise enter . . . anything that defileth.” The throne of God, the tree of life, and the river of life, clear as crystal, will be charming in their purity. We believe it to be but a little while to the ushering in of the day of immortal blessedness; and should we not feel unutterable longings for that purity of flesh and spirit which is necessary in order to be meet for the inheritance of the saints in light? With this in view, no one should marvel that Seventh-day Adventists are a denomination of hygienic reformers.
The denomination known as Seventh-day Adventists has existed about twenty-two years; as an organized body, only ten years. Rising from a very small beginning, its members in the United States now [1870] number about fifteen thousand. From the first, some of the principles of hygienic reform have been cherished; but it is only about five years since the general change in diet and the reform in dress.
Seventh-day Adventists took up the subject of hygiene from religious principle, and they adhere to it in the love and fear of the God of the Bible. They have a living, growing interest in the reform as taught among them, because of its harmony with science, with their own invaluable experience, and with the word of God. Their ministers teach it to the people publicly and at the fireside, and they practice it, so far as possible, wherever duty calls them. This people also carry out the reform in their social relations with kindred and friends, at home and abroad. This straightforward course makes them practical as well as theoretical teachers of hygienic reform. And this is no more than might be expected. A people who have moral courage to leave the deep rut of human custom, and observe the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath of the Lord, purely from principle, should be found firm and true in all reforms. To be out of joint with the rest of the world for two days in each week, is neither convenient nor profitable. The observance of the Bible Sabbath is frequently attended with pecuniary loss. It is also decidedly unpopular; and nature shrinks from taking a step that carries one so far from the world. And the high sense of truth and duty that leads this people to a conscientious observance of the Sabbath of the Bible, also leads them to adopt and carry out the principles of hygienic reform.
Seventh-day Adventists have taken their position upon unpopular points of theology from hearing sermons and reading works which appeal to their moral and intellectual faculties. The grand themes upon which they dwell with215delight and profit are the comparison of prophecy with history; the origin, nature, and perpetuity of the divine law; and that purity of flesh and spirit which is requisite to heirship to the future inheritance.
While thousands are induced to take a position in matters of religion simply because their feelings are wrought upon, and while tens of thousands adopt a religion simply because it is popular, Seventh-day Adventists are moved by appeals to the noblest powers of the human mind. Such a people should be ready to follow truth wherever it may lead them, and properly to estimate reforms wherever they may exist. And having, from reason and conscience, taken their position on the subject of hygienic reform, they are prepared to defend it, and to reap the benefits of it.
As a people, we have discarded the use of tobacco in all its forms. Thank God for so glorious a victory over perverted appetite! In the annual assemblies of the leading men of our denomination, not the least taint of the filthy weed can be discovered by sight or smell. Our people have also discontinued the use of tea and coffee, as unnecessary, expensive, and injurious to health. Here another victory has been gained.
This work of reform has entered at least four thousand families among us, and saves an expense of not less than twenty-five dollars annually to each family, making the entire sum saved in one year about one hundred thousand dollars. This is indeed a handsome sum to give for the cause of humanity and religion. When the benefits of emancipation from the slavery of morbid appetite are taken into the account, we, as a people, can afford to double the sum, and give two hundred thousand dollars as a tribute to the blessings of hygienic reform.
But the reform among us does not stop here. Our people have put away the use of swine’s flesh, and, to a great extent, of flesh-meats generally. This they have done from a conviction that flesh is not the most nutritious or the most healthful food for man. While flesh-216meats stimulate, they do not build up the system, as other foods do. This was once an experiment with our people; now it is demonstrated.
Seventh-day Adventists have adopted two meals a day, instead of three. But this is not a denominational law with them, as their church organization and discipline have nothing to do with regulating such matters. Yet in most cases they discard flesh-meats, and partake of food but twice each day. These facts we have learned from personal observation in holding camp-meetings with them from Maine to Kansas, during the past summer. Our ministers preach hygienic reform, and live it wherever they go. And our many publications carry it to the doors of all our people. Thousands have testified to the benefits of the changes they have made. They report better health, and an increase of physical strength. Ask them if they can perform as much labor without meat and without the third meal as they could before they made these changes, and they will tell you that since their present habits have become fully established, they can endure more labor, and that they enjoy life much better. This is the experience of all, whether professional or laboring men.
God designed our sleeping hours to be a period of complete rest to the entire being, stomach and all. But let one eat the third meal, and then go to bed; do the digestive organs rest?—No. Other parts of the system rest; but that mill of a stomach must grind the grist on hand, or still greater evils will result. So it grinds, while its owner imperfectly sleeps. He turns restlessly from side to side. The brain sympathizes with the overworked stomach. Bad dreams follow, perhaps nightmare; and in the morning the supper-eater wakes with bad feelings in the stomach, faintness, foul breath, depression of spirits, and perhaps sick-headache. He feels condemned for something, he knows not what. In fact, if domestic matters do not move off smoothly, he is decidedly cross. The birds sing, but he does not hear them. The glorious sun comes up, but what of that? This is no more than it has done217every morning for six thousand years. With a heavy heart and a sad countenance he takes up the duties of the day.
There is no good excuse for habitual morning headache. When you sleep, let the stomach rest, as well as all other parts of the system. Take two full, healthful meals each day, and let all your other habits be temperate and correct, and we shall hear as little of headache as of handache or footache. Labor, physical or mental, may throw the blood to the brain, and the weary man may go to rest with aching head. But if his stomach be not loaded with the third meal, and if the entire man be permitted to enjoy rest while he sleeps, the blood will retire from the head, and he will awake in the morning free from pain, rested and refreshed with sleep, from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot. He feels not only the restoring influence of sweet sleep in his entire being, but he is in possession of a moral benefit which is beyond price. He wakes with a clean stomach, a clear head, a free heart, a clear conscience (if he deals justly, loves mercy, and walks humbly with God), and a buoyant spirit. The language of his soul is, “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.” How delightful to such a man is the dawn of a summer morning! He wakes to join the happy songsters as they warble forth their morning praise to nature’s God. He meets the rising sun again with gladness, and greets the members of his household with feelings of tenderness and love. And thus he goes forth to the duties of the day, enjoying health of body and mind, feeling that he is a man, and competent for the tasks of life.
It is true that the miseries of this life are made up of the natural results of many sins; but we solemnly believe that prominent among these is the sin of gluttony, especially in the form of the third meal. In a moral point of view, this sin is a terrible one. It debases the man, and makes him earthly, sensual, devilish. To eat and drink fashionably,—that is, of that which was not218designed as food for man,—and too often, is an outrage upon the stomach. It deranges the digestive machinery, benumbs and beclouds the moral and intellectual powers, strengthens and inflames the passions. That which is God-like in man is brought down to serve the lower instincts.
Many persons of strong constitution who are engaged in active, out-door labor, do not appear to be much affected by wrong habits of eating and drinking. Some of them may live to old age; but in many cases, these wrong habits result in nervous dyspepsia, followed by physical and moral evils which seriously affect the Christian life. The dyspeptic suffers depression of spirits, and often falls into a desponding mood, which sometimes ripens into despair. Such persons cast a shadow, instead of giving light to the world. They are, in fact, a burden to themselves and to all around them. The influence of these gloomy, desponding, dyspeptic Christians goes far to impress the minds of the youth with the idea that religion is calculated to deprive them of real happiness, and that it is totally unsuited to their years.
I solemnly believe that ninety per cent of the existing despondency, despair, and what is called religious insanity, is caused by the abuse of the stomach. He who looks through smoked glass sees nothing bright and pleasant. The beauties of nature and of art all look stained and gloomy. So the dyspeptic Christian views God, Christ, angels, and heaven through a brain beclouded by continued abuse of the stomach.
But the man who is ignorant of the facts in the case cries out that those who have undertaken a reform in diet, are starving themselves to death! Let us see. My own table is furnished fourteen times each week from the following varieties, prepared by an intelligent cook, in every inviting form:—
Besides these, we keep one of the finest young cows in Michigan, which is fed and treated in a manner to secure to our family of twelve, about ten quarts per day of the best milk. We starve to death?—Not we. “But can you afford these extras?”—Indeed we can. They do not cost, the year round, as much as the old diet of flesh-meats, spices, etc. But this is not our reason for the change. The object of hygienic reform is not to save money, but to secure health, manhood, purity, and heaven.
When the subject of healthful diet and two meals a day was first introduced among Seventh-day Adventists, it was favorably received by the majority. This was owing, in a great measure, to the manner in which it was presented. Mrs. White was the first to speak upon the subject among our people. She went from State to State, speaking once or twice at each of our large gatherings. She appealed to the people upon the subject of Bible temperance, dwelling upon the great benefits and blessings to be derived from correcting bad habits of life. The subject was a fruitful one, and was presented in a happy, earnest style. She spoke to men and women who held the Bible as the highest and safest authority, and there were few who objected to her teachings. Many immediately left the use of flesh-meats, and adopted the two-meal system. Several of our ministers, who had been afflicted with disease, soon reported a better state of health as the result of changing their habits of life. The interest was very general, and seemed to be steadily increasing.
In the year 1865, Mrs. White prepared a work of four hundred pages, entitled, “How to Live.” It was first issued in six pamphlets, to subscribers, by the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association, Battle Creek, Mich. These pamphlets were devoted, one each, to the questions of food, bathing, drugs, air, clothing, and exercise. A large220edition was printed, and a portion of it was bound in a neat volume, which had a large sale. It was readable, and well adapted to meet the wants of the people. It had a wide circulation outside of Seventh-day Adventists, and its influence for good, in calling attention to the subject of hygienic reform, can hardly be estimated.
Another book published about this time was a little work of sixty-four pages, entitled, “An Appeal to Mothers. The Great Cause of the Physical and Moral Ruin of Many of the Children of our Time.” This also was prepared by Mrs. White, and a large edition was issued by the same publishers. Many personal friends scattered the work very widely, because of the confidence they had that the author was especially taught of the Lord. Others assisted in its circulation, because of the truth which it earnestly set forth. Thousands of youth have read this pamphlet, and many have been reformed by it. Thousands of mothers have had their attention called to the importance of taking every precaution to save their young children from falling into evil habits and polluting vices. The warning has been faithfully given, and its good results are already evident.
In the early part of 1865 I became fully satisfied that I had received great benefit from adopting the principles of hygienic reform, so far as we understood them. I had been afflicted with rheumatism, and with difficulties of the stomach and head. These were disappearing, and I enjoyed clearness of thought, freedom of spirit, and physical strength and activity. This great improvement in health led me to intemperance in labor. To my former arduous duties was added an active effort to teach the people the principles of hygienic reform. This was put forth in the form of lectures upon the subject in the morning and between religious services at our State Conferences.
At this time, while I was making important changes, my labors should have been decreased, instead of being increased. I was exploring a new field, ignorant of the221dangers to which I was exposed. But with ardent zeal I labored on. One morning, after a constant strain on my mental and physical powers, as Mrs. White and myself were enjoying our usual walk, I suffered a stroke of paralysis. My right arm was rendered useless for a short time, and the brain and the power of speech were so far affected that I could utter but one word to the faithful friends who gathered around, and that was, Pray. After a short season of prayer, relief came, so that I could raise the paralyzed arm, and could imperfectly converse. But dyspepsia in its worst form followed, and in three months I was reduced over fifty pounds in weight. In this condition I continued for about one year. But by the blessing of God, and careful attention to the laws of health, I was finally enabled to rally. During the past three years I have dispensed with flesh-meats, and have taken but two meals a day. I have worked hard and incessantly, as few men do, and have come up from one hundred and thirty-four pounds to one hundred and eighty.
During the fifteen months of my severe sickness, Mrs. White was by my side; and of course she was necessarily silent, so far as public labors were concerned. Hence the work of pushing forward hygienic reform among Seventh-day Adventists devolved upon others. And some of those who undertook to guide the movement were so unfortunate as to adopt extreme positions, and, in some localities, brought reproach upon the cause.
These extremes operated against the reform in two ways: First, they caused a great amount of prejudice; and, secondly, in the minds of many who were but partially converted to the reform, they furnished an excuse for drawing back to former habits of life. It is a great misfortune for those who labor to move minds in any good cause, to run to extremes. Our work is to move the people; and the more people we can reach, the more good is accomplished. If reformers must err at all, it is safest for their own influence, and much better for those they would help, to err on the side nearest the people. If222they err on the other side, they at once place themselves where they cannot reach the people at all. Some may be satisfied to take extreme positions, and stand in their defense, with the few who adhere to the same, leaving all the rest of the world uninstructed upon the broad principles of reform; but such a course does not commend itself to my mind.
One thing is certain, instructors should practice their own teachings before urging them upon others. And then, when they become fully established, and live out strictly their own sentiments, when they have learned to value them highly, and feel the importance of teaching them to others, they should labor judiciously to lift the people up to them. Have they reached a firm footing above their friends, and do they rejoice in a higher position than they occupied but yesterday? then they should remember the “hole of the pit” from which they have just been taken. We were all beginners once. The cause is a progressive one. As we advance, let us take as many of the people with us as possible.
In every society or association of men there are always novices ready to seize upon the most extreme thoughts and suggestions; and with a spirit more keen than tolerant, they will urge their views at any time, anywhere and everywhere. These persons appear never to think of the words of the Divine Teacher, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” They do not learn the truth contained in them,—that the human mind is not always ready to receive even important truths. Christ labored to lead his disciples forward step by step, as they could understand the new truths he was ever opening before them. He understood the philosophy of the mind, and he knew how to deal with it.
Not all are prepared to teach. There are a hundred who should take the learner’s seat, where there is one adapted to the teacher’s stand. Many who talk loud and long of reform would be better qualified for the work,223after learning something to say that would shed clear light upon the subject; while others fail entirely in their efforts to teach the people, from a want of mental discipline, and of experience in dealing tenderly with other minds. “He that winneth souls is wise.”
All questions upon which people are sensitive should be treated with candor and great care, even by those who are well-informed, and competent to teach, lest the minds of those they would instruct should be closed by prejudice. But on the subject of hygiene, which restricts the appetites and passions of men, double care should be taken by those qualified for the work, to “speak the truth in love.”
In the early days of the reform, there were errors and extremes in practice as well as in theory. We might refer to the cold-water men of from twenty to thirty years ago. Better-informed hydropathists now talk of less “heroic” treatment, — tepid water, and more pleasant baths. When water-treatment was first introduced, novices were, in some instances, guilty of remaining all night in a cold, wet-sheet pack, and that, too, by the consent of their friends. They would come out in the morning trembling with cold. It is a wonder they did not die outright. Cold water, applied in a proper manner, during a proper period of time, is indispensable in some diseases, and for some persons. But cold water improperly applied has death in it.
What is true of extremes in the use of water, is also true in a degree of extremes in diet. And it is a matter of the deepest regret that the public mind has been soured by the advantages that have been taken of existing extremes, and that good men and women have become prejudiced against the true philosophy of life and health.
The cause of hygienic reform, however, is onward, and all enlightened and sincere reformers will follow on in the path of light and right. The changes from injurious habits of life to those conducive to health, are great, and should be made with care, especially if the same habits224of labor are continued. It is always best to labor much less at the time of changing to a vegetarian diet, and adopting two meals a day. Is a man a tobacco user, a tea-and-coffee drinker, a meat eater, taking his three meals? Let him begin with tobacco, and put that away. Then let him leave off the use of tea and coffee, eat less meat, and make his third meal very light. He will find this a heavy tax upon his system. He may all the time feel worse; but what of that? There is a glorious victory ahead. Soon he can dispense with flesh-meats altogether. His appetite will become natural, and he can take simple, healthful food with a keen relish. Next, he leaves off the third meal. As he sleeps, his stomach rests; and in the morning he does not suffer from faintness, as when his stomach was taxed with the third meal. When right habits of diet are established, and the victory over morbid appetite is gained, the morning hours, especially in summer, are the happiest and best.
Shall we stop here? Having gained victories, and now enjoying many of the blessings resulting from a change from wrong habits of life, how natural and consistent that we should still look forward to higher and yet holier attainments in life and happiness!
The attention of our people was first called to the harmful effects of tea, coffee, and tobacco about twenty years ago. For thirteen years the voice of truth, pleading in the name of Christian temperance, was heard among us, warning us against these slow poisons, before our attention was called to any further advance in habits of life. This was all that could be borne till victory should turn in favor of purity and health, and against these popular evils. The good work went steadily on, until our tables were cleared of tea and coffee, and our homes and persons were free from the stench of tobacco.
Our dwellings and our places of worship are no longer defiled with the filthy narcotic. Here we will join the song of jubilee with our mothers, daughters, and sisters, that our homes are redeemed from this defilement, and225that fathers, sons, and brothers are free from the scent of the baneful weed, and, in this respect at least, are pure and manly.
We forbear to enter into all the details of domestic wretchedness occasioned by the slow, but sure, process of enfeeblement, disease, nervousness, and fretfulness occasioned by the use of tea and coffee. Thank God that our sisters have found a happy release from these subtle enemies of health and happiness! With improved health, free from the tea headache, in the enjoyment of firmer nerves and a calm spirit, they will now allow husbands, sons, and brothers, in their turn, to rejoice.
If personal cleanliness only were involved in this matter, both men and women might well thank God for victories gained. But here are principles to be maintained that reach beyond the exterior,—principles that affect our well-being not only in this life but in the life to come.
When we say that those who have found freedom from the tyranny of tea, coffee, and tobacco, enjoy improved health, clearer brains, and more even and buoyant spirits, we state a fact to which thousands among us can bear testimony. But the good work of reform did not end here. About seven years ago, the attention of our people was especially turned to the importance of thorough ventilation, and to the relation of proper food and clothing to health. The question of flesh-eating came up, and was fully and candidly discussed. It was decided that flesh was less nutritious than bread,—an opinion sustained not only by the best medical authorities in our country and Europe, but by the experience of thousands who have tested the matter for themselves. While we admit that flesh is a food, we deny that it is the best food for man. It stimulates the system, but does not nourish and build it up, as do grains, fruits, and vegetables. Besides this, animals are liable to be more or less diseased; and by partaking of their flesh, man receives their diseases into his own system.
It is stated upon good authority that while wheat, corn, barley, rye, and oats contain seventy-five parts nutrition,226and twenty-five parts waste, pork, beef, and mutton contain only twenty-five parts nutrition and seventy-five parts waste. On this hypothesis, one pound of meal contains as much nutriment as three pounds of meat. The poor man may figure thus: The rich pay fifty cents for three pounds of meat, which contain no more value in nutrition than one pound of good, unbolted wheat-meal, costing only four cents. Again, the poor man may reason from established facts: It takes five pounds of corn fed to swine to make one pound of pork. Three pounds of the pork contain no more nourishment than one pound of cornmeal; therefore it is a hard trade to throw away fourteen-fifteenths of the golden blessing of a liberal Providence, and save only one-fifteenth for hungry children, and that, too, in the form of scrofulous swine’s flesh.
But it may be argued that one feels stronger immediately after eating liberally of flesh. This is admitted. The same is true of tea and whisky. It is also true that the languor which follows the stimulating influence of tea and whisky, is felt in a degree by those who subsist largely upon flesh-meats. On this point also the writer can speak from experience. After breakfasting largely upon beefsteak, feelings of faintness used to call for a lunch by eleven o’clock. Now, after a breakfast at 6:30 A. M., of vegetables, fruits, and bread, nothing more is needed till 12:30. And it is the testimony of hundreds whose digestion is feeble, that the faintness they felt when eating flesh three times a day, has subsided since abstaining from meat entirely, and taking only two meals a day of grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Let no one imagine, however, that all the benefits of hygienic reform are to be realized in a day, in a week, or even in a year. It may take five or ten years for those who suffer from wrong habits of living to prove the good results of conforming to nature’s laws. Once these changes were an experiment with our people, but the experience of years has demonstrated their importance. The longer the blessing that results from these changes227is enjoyed, the more clearly it is seen, and the higher is our estimate of its value.
HEALTH INSTITUTIONS.
In the summer of 1866, through the influence of Mrs. White, the foundations were laid for the first health institution among Seventh-day Adventists. Indeed, the institution founded at that time was one of the first of the sort in the western part of the United States. Perhaps it may be said that it was the first of the kind in the United States, or in the world, as it possessed many unique features, and was not conducted as a money-making scheme. Between thirty and forty thousand dollars was raised for the enterprise by the friends of health and temperance reform. A proper site was selected, and the Health Institute opened in August, 1866.
During the first years of the institution, water was almost the sole remedial agent employed, and a large number of persons were restored to health by a careful use of baths, and the healthful regulation of diet, rest, exercise, and general habits of life. After ten years of very successful work as a water-cure, the institution was reorganized under a new management and with a broader scope. The name was changed from “Health Institute” to “Medical and Surgical Sanitarium.” Since that time the managers have undertaken to supply to their patients all known rational remedies for disease. The facilities for treatment have been constantly enlarging, but at no time have they been more than sufficient to meet the rapidly growing patronage of the establishment. The four original wooden buildings have given place to two fine brick structures, capable of accommodating several hundred sick people.
At the time of this writing, the family of the institution, comprising patients, nurses, and attendants, numbers more than six hundred persons. Nearly four hundred thousand dollars is invested in buildings and medical appliances, and competent persons, who visit this institution after228having visited the principal medical establishments of the world, declare unhesitatingly that there is no establishment in the civilized world which equals this in the extent and completeness of its facilities for the care of the sick.
Several years ago the managers, finding themselves unable to accommodate the increasing demand for skilled nurses and attendants, established a Training School for Nurses, which has grown to be the largest school of its kind in the United States. At present, nearly one hundred nurses are employed in the Sanitarium. The Training School numbers more than eighty pupils. The course of training in this school is so thorough that its graduates are in constant demand. Almost daily the managers receive calls for nurses from various parts of the United States, which they are unable to supply. Scores of young men and women have already received training for most useful and lucrative positions, and the reputation of the school is such that the managers are able to receive only a small proportion of those who apply.
A Training School in Domestic Economy is also conducted in connection with the institution, in which young men and women are trained in the art and science of economic housekeeping. This department comprises one of the most excellent cooking schools in the United States, and is in session the year round. Scores of young men and women from various European countries, as well as from different parts of the United States, are in constant attendance at these schools.
Still another line of educational work is the Sanitarium Kindergarten, in which children are taught and trained after the most healthful methods for developing both the mind and the body. The managers of this department have recently organized a course of instruction for young women who wish to devote themselves to this branch of educational work.
A course of instruction is also carried on for the purpose of fitting persons to engage in health and temperance229missionary work. This course comprises not only instruction in the principles of hygiene and temperance, but gives a training in the best methods of imparting instruction to others by means of talks, conversations, readings, and the distribution of health literature.
The generosity of the stockholders in relinquishing their dividends to be used for charitable purposes, has enabled the managers to extend the advantages of the institution to hundreds of worthy persons who are poor. The work in this department, since the organization of the institution, amounts to more than one hundred thousand dollars, or nearly three times the whole original capital stock as a self-supporting work. The success of this enterprise is unrivaled, and its charities are constantly extending into new lines, as fast as the funds of the institution will allow.
In the year 1877 a health institution, based upon essentially the same principles as the Sanitarium at Battle Creek, was established at St. Helena, Cal. This institution, known as the Rural Health Retreat, has developed into a large and flourishing establishment, capable of caring for one hundred invalids, and hundreds of sick people have been restored to health through its agency. Another institution has been recently opened at Mt. Vernon, Ohio; and several small establishments, mostly of a private character, have sprung up in various parts of the United States, being carried on by those who have been connected, more or less, with the original health institution at Battle Creek. Plans are now in operation for the establishment of a branch institution in some part of Colorado.