Earlier text: Nashville (Tenn.) SanitariumA Great Opportunity
By LUTHER J. BURGESS
It takes great opportunities to make great men. But no young man or woman with an intelligent knowledge of present truth need fail to obtain a position of great usefulness in this generation, for there are many doors wide open for them to enter. I will mention only one of them, but there are many others. India has a population of about three hundred million people. Under the influence of missionary efforts of other denominations these people are just awakening out of a long sleep, and their eyes are opening to the light. These three hundred millions are divided among many languages, at least a hundred of which are spoken and read by large numbers of people. Let us see what has been done by the believers in present truth in preparing spiritual food in these many languages. The largest book that we have is a Hindi pamphlet of twenty-four pages. The Lord moved upon the hearts of several native men to assist in the preparation of this pamphlet, each page of which is bound up with some interesting experience in connection with its writing and translation. The plan followed has been first to prepare an article in simple English, taking extracts from the Bible and the Testimonies, then, with the help of our native friends, to put it into Hindi, after which we would read it with several other persons to see if they could easily get the thought from it. In this way about ten articles on points of present truth were prepared. When the pamphlet came from the press, there were a number of persons made happy in the thought that they had shared in its preparation. There are doubtless many young men and women in the homes of Seventh-day Adventists who, with the help that our schools can give, would soon be prepared to come among these people, to learn a language and lead out in preparing tracts, pamphlets, and books filled with the message for these times. This opportunity is open. Who will say, “Here am I; send me,” and then begin at once to prepare to go? The church-school, the training-school or the college may be the first step in the right direction, and then other steps will follow as the Lord may direct; only keep your object in view. In preparing for this work there are several things essential: First, an intelligent knowledge and love of the truth and message for our time. This is of more value than philosophy, higher mathematics, or Latin; second, some experience in expressing what is known, in a clear and connected manner; third, a love of souls and an experience in bringing them into the truth. Without this last qualification all others will be of little value. The true love for souls will grow stronger as you are brought face to face with the heathen in his own land, and while others can see only the forbidding outward appearance, you will be able to look upon the heart and say as Christ did, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick,” and you will learn from the Great Teacher “the ministry of healing.” LUTHER J. BURGESS. God's Call to Our Young People
By W. J. Smith
“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee. . . . And I will bless thee, . . . and thou shalt be a blessing.” It is probable that Abraham lived in a home of ease and luxury, amid gross idolatry, and perhaps he himself was much idolized by his father, Terah. In order that God might qualify him to be his missionary to the heathen nations around him, to “be a blessing” to them in making known to them the law and righteousness of Jehovah, he had first to separate Abraham from the associations of his early life. He must go where the influence of kindred and friends would not interfere with his training. He probably was not acquainted with the peoples, climate, and dangers of the new land to which he was being led. He did not hesitate till he was assured of these things. The record says, “He went out, not knowing whither he went.” By such prompt, unquestioning obedience to the leadings of God's providence, he became the “father of the faithful.” He was also “faithful in all his house,” and the purposes of God to make him “a blessing” were accomplished. Yet “it was no light test that was thus brought upon Abraham, no small sacrifice that was required of him. . . . But he did not hesitate to obey the call. . . . God had spoken, and his servant must obey; the happiest place on earth to him was the place where God would have him to be.” “Many are still tested as was Abraham. They do not hear the voice of God speaking directly from the heavens, but he calls them by the teachings of his Word and the events of his providence. They may be required to abandon a career that promises wealth and honor, to leave congenial and profitable associations, and separate from kindred, to enter upon what seems to be only a path of self-denial, hardship, and self-sacrifice. God has a work for them to do; but a life of ease and the influence of friends and kindred would hinder the development of the very traits essential for its accomplishment. He calls them away from human influences and aid, and leads them to feel the need of his help, and to depend on him alone, that he may reveal himself to them.” Our blessed Saviour left “his home of security and peace, left the glory that he had with the Father before the world was, left his position upon the throne of the universe. He went forth a suffering, tempted man; went forth in solitude to sow in tears, to water with his blood the seed of life for a world lost.” We and our children are not called upon to tread any path our Master has not already trod. We have been blessed with light and privileges greater than any people. “For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law?” Deut. 4:7, 8. To the extent of the great privileges received are we in duty bound to be “kind to the stranger” by making known unto him these saving truths. The Lord in his mercy has started schools and colleges among us whereby our young people, removed from home influences and worldly associations, may prepare themselves for this great work. As never before in modern times the nations and tribes everywhere are raising the Macedonian cry, “Come over and help us.” The evidences are multiplying constantly that soon our way will be hedged with difficulties. Now is the time to surrender ourselves and our children to walk in “the steps of the faith of our father Abraham.” It is more pleasing for our young people to remain in our homes, surrounded with every comfort, and it is more gratifying to us as parents to see them around us. But the Scripture says, “Christ pleased not himself,” and again, We ought not to please ourselves. The path of self-denial is the path of salvation. We must give our children to the Lord's service if we would keep them to all eternity.
W. J. SMITH. Principles and Methods
By Charles W. Lee
The Value of Economy in the Schoolroom
THIS I consider a matter of great importance, even though few give it much practical consideration and study. We may properly ask, Why is this so? To answer the question practically, let us scan the life history of the truly successful man in any business or profession. We will find, with hardly an exception, to ability, shrewdness, and push, has been added economy of either time or means, or both. This may not have been an inherited faculty, and certainly was not one born in an hour of emergency or need. The art of economy is a faculty developed by persistent effort in economy, and to be of value must be continually cultivated. The time to begin the work of cultivating on this point is during the early life of the child, the formative period of its mind. Then this duty rests upon the parents, to plant the seed, and cultivate it continually by precept and practise. If the parents are faithful in doing this, the work of the teacher will be simplified; if not, it does not lessen the discharge of his duty. I believe that the teacher should teach the value of economy of time and means. Of the first, time, he would do well to impress on the mind the importance of heeding the words of Solomon, in Eccl. 3:1: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Every teacher should have a written program, specifying the study and recitation periods, and see that it is carried out. School should begin promptly. The exercises of the worship period should be made attractive, and everything that would detract from the purpose of the hour be put away. Then the teacher should see that, at the study period, each applied his mind with diligence to the study of the lesson assigned to that period, and should promptly call the classes at the minute the program calls for the recitation. If the classes are called promptly, and not allowed to run over into the next period, the pupils know that they must have their lessons prepared in a given time, and if the opportunity will not be given them to think, “Well, the teacher always runs over time, and we shall have plenty of time.” That leads to the waste of precious moments. The pupils should understand that there is a time for study, a time to recite, a time to speak, a time to refrain from speaking, and lastly a time to play; but the latter only at the proper time indicated on the program—at recess and outside of school hours. The economy of means is very important. If carried out in the home and school, it will show in the later life of duty and conflict. The children can be taught the right use and care of everything about them. And they should learn the right use of the means that the parents have placed in their hands, often at a great sacrifice. I speak of books, tablets, and pencils. Some deface and soil their text-books to that extent that at the end of the year they are not fit to be handed down to a younger brother or sister, or perhaps sold to apply on a new book for the next year. The children should be instructed concerning the care of their books, and a good plan to induce children to care for them, is to examine them often, and perhaps grade them on their condition and cleanliness. One of the worst features of extravagance that I have witnessed in the schoolroom, but one which can be remedied, is the waste of tablet paper. The tendency is to use but one side of the sheet, and sometimes but part of that, and throw the rest away. Upon asking the reason for such an action, they say, “Our teacher last year would not allow us to write but upon one side,” or, “That is the way they do in the public school,” or, “A tablet costs only a nickel.” Children do not seem to realize the value of a nickel, but if parents and teacher will co-operate in the matter, quite a number of nickels may be saved and put to a good use,—perhaps get into the missionary offering. However, the money is not the important factor in this; it is the development of the habit of economy. Yet in the economy, extremes should be avoided. Neatness and order need not be sacrificed. One need not crowd the work on the tablet so closely together that it can hardly be intelligible. I firmly believe that by economy in the seemingly little affairs of life, and especially in school life, the faculty of economy will be developed and become a fixed habit, which will bring success both to the individual and to the cause of God, and will also be a great factor in gaining to its possessor an entrance into the kingdom of Christ. The Mechanical Part of Teaching
By CLIFFORD RUSSELL
THERE is something wonderful, fascinating, in the working of an intricate piece of machinery. It may be the almost intelligent grasp of the linotype, or the mighty swing of the ponderous engine. As we watch each individual part swinging into play at just the proper instant, and all done in such perfect order and with so little noise and confusion, all under the absolute control of one master mind, yet accomplishing the work of many minds and hands, we are led to exclaim, How wonderful! Yet if one bolt should become loosened, or one cog broken, the work must stop, and the mechanic must seek out and repair the defect before perfect results can be again obtained. So it is in conducting a school. There are many details which, considered singly, without proper connection with the symmetrical whole, might be thought unimportant; yet each has its place to fill, and if neglected or ignored, the best results are not obtained. The teacher who would have a smooth-running, orderly school must first learn to discipline himself. He must remember that he is a constant object-lesson before the eyes of his pupils—in manner, in dress, in conversation, in deportment. It means much to accept a position as instructor to a band of bright, active children, and train their minds along right lines, and so inspire them with an ardent love for the message that their greatest desire will be to fit themselves to become active missionaries to carry this glorious truth to the world. Now let us consider some of the machinery, so to speak, of a successful school. Rules of order, proper classifications, carefully prepared program, correct records, regular examinations—these are a few of the more necessary mechanics of the schoolroom. No teacher can do satisfactory work amid disorder and confusion. However, do not make the soon-to-be-repented-of mistake of beginning the first day of school by laying down a dozen set rules and establishing forthwith an absolute monarchy. Classify your school. Study your pupils individually, for each has a disposition all his own. Then make such rules as the situation seems to demand. Having made a rule, enforce it until such time as it may be repealed. A few rules properly enforced are far better than many with but a lax enforcement. The school should be classified and graded in strict accordance with the outline and course of study adopted for our schools. It is to be hoped that the teachers' manual now in preparation will be ready for distribution before the schools open in the fall. The teacher should furnish a report to his successor at the close of school, which report should contain a syllabus of classes, grade of pupils, average standings for the year in all studies pursued, amount of work covered by each class, and a copy of the daily program. This report should be made in duplicate, one copy to be filed with the school board and the other sent to the superintendent of education in the conference. Such a report placed in the hands of the teacher upon the first day of school would prove of inestimable value in classifying and grading the work. The daily program, as soon as properly adjusted to meet the needs of the school, should be placed upon the blackboard, or in some other conspicuous place where all can see it. This is especially imperative during the first few weeks of school. Then adhere strictly to it, giving to each class its proper time and attention. The matter of keeping records neatly and correctly is of much importance. These should consist of a daily register showing the attendance and punctuality of each pupil, together with a report to the superintendent at the beginning and close of school, as well as monthly reports during the school year. These are in addition to the report to your successor already spoken of. Besides this, the energetic teacher will keep the parents informed as to the quality of work done by their children, by carefully filling out and sending to them a monthly card showing attendance, punctuality, deportment, and standings. This leads us to the consideration of the matter of examinations. I am a firm believer in frequent reviews and examinations. No thorough student need be alarmed because of these, but rather welcome them as a means of more firmly fixing in the mind the truths already learned. We remember things in proportion to the vividness of the first impression, or the repetition of that impression. Few teachers can so impress a truth upon the mind of the child that it is forever stamped there; hence the importance of reviewing and reviewing again until an impression is formed that time will not efface. A rapid review of the previous lesson27 or lessons should occupy the first few moments of the recitation. Monthly tests should be given, and the results obtained averaged with the daily class work, the standings then to be placed upon the pupil's monthly report card to be taken to the parent. A general examination covering all the work from the fourth grade up should be given twice each year, the questions and rules for such emanating from the union educational department. Thus again are we brought face to face with the imperative necessity of having uniformity and system in our educational work. When all our primary schools are taking the same work, in the same grades, at the same time, and from the same text-books, the problem of these general examinations becomes easily solved; and a regular, step-by-step advancement in our schools can be achieved. All these mechanical features must receive their proper share of attention if we would hope for success; but let us remember that the greatest measure of success can be obtained only by earnestly seeking a daily supply of grace, that just the right impress may be given, and that God's purpose in the establishment of these schools may be fully carried out. CLIFFORD RUSSELL. Importance of Reviewing
By H. Clay Trumbull
REVIEWING not only shows how much the scholar has been caused to know of the truth which his teacher has brought before him; it also causes the scholar to know much that otherwise he would not know; and, again, it enables him to continue to know much that he was caused to know, for the time being, but which he would again cease to know, if he were never reviewed in his attainments of knowledge. We rarely learn a truth, or a thing, by a single hearing or a single effort at doing. A little child has, commonly, to have a word said over to him many times before he can say it plainly himself. As he grows older, he has to practise his lessons repeatedly. So simple a thing as the drawing of a straight line, or the making of the letters of the alphabet, is not to be done off-hand at the first showing how. Seldom can even a sincere lover of music catch a new tune which fastens his attention and delights his ear, if he hears it no more than once. And there are not many in the full maturity of their powers, who can make their own, by a single reading, an attractive poem, which they understand at the fullest, and which takes hold of their innermost being in its thought and phrasing. Men of the strongest mental powers want to read over and over again those books which they value most; and their feeling is that they could not learn all that those books can teach them without these repeated readings. And so it is all the way from childhood to maturity: reviewing a truth once learned is essential to fastening that truth firmly in the mind that has received it. Even those truths which have been fairly learned are not sure to be retained in the memory without reviewing. Whatever may be said of the indelibleness of impressions once made on the mind, it must be admitted that not all which we have known, at one time and another, is permanently available in our memories. Without frequent reviewing, truths once learned by us most thoroughly are liable to pass from our memories, and, again, the truths which are now fresh in our minds will fail to become a permanency there. And if this be so with all of us, there is peculiar need of frequent reviewing in the process of teaching, which is a process of causing our scholars to know that which we would have them to know for now and for always. Paul wanted his Philippian converts to have joy in the Lord’s service. After he had already used the words “joy” and “rejoice” nearly a dozen times in his one letter, he goes on to repeat his injunction to rejoice, with a defense of his reiterations of that injunction: “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not irksome, but for you it is safe.” And then, to give added force to his oft-repeated injunction, he says: “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” It ought not to be irksome to any teacher to review his scholars in an important truth which he would have fastened in their minds; and to them it is safe. There has been no time since the days of Paul when there was not an added power in simple repetition, as a means of fastening a truth in the minds of hearers or readers. You know what you deem of most importance in all that you have caused your scholars to know through your teaching. Let that be the main subject of your review questioning.— H. Clay Trumbull. The Christian Home School
By L. Josephine Hunt.
To many minds the home school is something impracticable. But be that as it may, some of the strongest characters have been developed entirely within the precinct of the home. Of Timothy, Paul said, “From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” So Timothy was trained into a knowledge of the Scriptures—and by his mother—for Paul states in another place, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” When God has a work to be done, he uses characters that are fitted for that particular work. Those who have had a glimpse of what real work is, who have been self-disciplined, are those whom God uses. At the present time a home school is what? To some it may mean one thing, to some another. That with which we will at this time deal is that part which has to do with the teaching of the rudiments of learning. It will not be necessary to call a meeting of the church board in order to start our school. The first thing is for the parents to feel the need of Christian training for their children, and not having the benefits of a church-school, they will look elsewhere, being decided for a Christian school. Now that we are agreed that there shall be a school, who will take the responsibility of teaching these children? Are we to have a hired teacher, or will one of the parents do it, or perhaps one of the older children fill the place? Surely there is some one. The father may plead absence from home a greater part of the time, too much responsibility. So we look to the mother; she says, How can I when already I have more than I can do well? If you were in the world, dear mother, you would spend more or less time with the various clubs and societies of the vicinity. You can take the oversight of the children’s lessons. Leave some classes for the father to conduct. He can make the morning and evening worship a part of the Bible work. Perhaps all of it may come at this time, and it will become a family Bible class. Perchance you will not be able to hear a certain class every day at a stated hour—though it is far better to do so, as regularity is a very valuable feature of the child’s education—some extra work or a caller may cause a delay frequently. The all-important thing is to keep the children’s minds at work. You will without doubt at times be obliged to have the lessons recited while you are about your work. If your home school is a failure, it may be largely because of the need of persistence, and a firm hand in control. These dear little ones must learn a little of self-control. This lesson of self-control is gotten by having the lessons well learned and usual duties well performed. We should make everything practical about our homes, and discipline ourselves with the sword of truth. Growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we shall impart our life to our children.
L. JOSEPHINE HUNT. Methods in Primary Schools
By Ida Mae Phillips
What Can Be Done in Grades Three and Four to Make Ministers
“TRAIN up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” “As the twig is bent, the tree is inclined.” The children are still twigs of humanity when they enter the third and fourth grades, and if we would have them grow up into ministers of the gospel, it is our work so to incline them. If I am a true educator, I will first seek the souls of those who are lost in sin. I will live close to the Great Teacher, so he can reveal himself to them through me. I must appreciate the exalted position to which they are called. The aim must be set high. By the eye of faith I must look beyond the lapse of years and see them occupying the position to which they are called; then, coming back to the realities of the present, I must bend my every energy to the accomplishment of the end desired. A true minister must have a courteous, Christian character. I must teach the boys and girls to be careful of the “little things,” to be polite and cheerful in the schoolroom, on the playground and on the street. They must learn to step quietly and hold themselves erect. In the morning exercise they should be taught to pray for power to keep them from sin that day; to pray for their classmates who may be sick or in trouble; for those who know not their Saviour; and also for the missionaries28 and ministers laboring out in the field. They are old enough in these grades to use the Bible in the Bible class, and thus become acquainted with the books of the Bible, and learn to find them readily. They must be taught to read distinctly, for they are to be God’s ministers. Our missionary meeting must be the most interesting hour of the week, when we will read of our mission fields, wrap and send off papers to those who know not the truth, and plan to earn money to help forward the work of God wherever it is most needed. Constantly, yet with tact and varied methods, I must keep before them the work which they must do before Jesus comes, as well as the nearness of his coming. In this way I think third- and fourth-grade work can be made two strong steps toward the development of ministers. Some Thoughts in Favor of Wood Sloyd
By Lotta Bell
EMERSON said, “We are students of words. We are shut up in schools and colleges and recitation rooms for ten or fifteen years, and come out at last with a bag of wind,—a memory of words,—and do not know a thing. We can not use our hands or our legs or our eyes or our arms.” These words may express too strongly the situation he wished to portray; but Emerson had in mind a much-needed reform even in his day. Other writers have expressed the same sentiment embodied in the above quotation by saying we fostered idleness under the old method. A student goes to school and is graduated for the sole purpose of becoming a clerk, a stenographer, or a doctor, or of mastering some other occupation in which he may gain a livelihood without manual labor. Then, too, it has been said that there is a lack of harmony between the schoolhouse and the busy world outside. But this was in the past. To-day I am glad that it is not necessary for me to give arguments in favor of manual training. It has become a part of the regular program of every well-organized school. On the other hand, I would be considered slow, narrow-minded, or one sided by the great educators of to-day if I could not see and know the value of the results accruing from the introduction of manual training in the schoolroom. One particular line of manual work—the wood sloyd—has won its way into the schoolroom on account of its intrinsic value as a factor in education. Following are a few thoughts gleaned during my short experience in this work. There are, it is true, certain tasks that are required to be done in a certain given way. You may hear the child say, “I can’t do it so well that way.” Later he will find by his mastery of the proper method for cutting, sawing, or planing, that he can accomplish his given task much easier than before, far more accurately, in less time, and with less expenditure of energy. No teacher will outline and use precisely the same method in this subject for all classes, with exactly the same list of models to be finished, any more than she would in any other class, but will vary them to meet the demands of the children. Nearly every model is drafted before it is constructed. It is one thing to make a drawing, and it is quite another thing to put that draft into execution by turning out a neatly made model in wood. The pupils begin to realize this quite fully by the end of the second or third lesson, having learned from actual experience that an error which may not be very noticeable in the draft, and perhaps be overlooked, becomes very conspicuous in the finished article. The students naturally come to be more accurate and exacting in their work as they gain experience in it, not only in the sloyd room, but in all other branches as well. The result of the work may be seen in their several characters. They become more careful in their words. There is a greater simplicity in their statements, and honesty is developed. The dexterous training of the hand is, after all, a form of mental development, so by training the hand we aid the mind. Review the life of some great statesman. Nine chances out of ten he is a man who has been taught the dignity of labor by an early training in manual work. A Typical Day in the School-Room
By NANNIE PAUL
A COLD, snowy day the children come into the little room with their feet wet and cold. Some are poorly clad and shivering. In the small stove is a fire made of green wood. All gather around this, each striving for the nearest and warmest place for heat and comfort. The teacher waits to see, under the existing circumstances, how and when order can be obtained, meanwhile removing wet shoes. It is time for the study. Only a few have books to enter the classes to which they are assigned. Johnny is told to look on with Mary or Jimmie and get his lesson the 'best he can. The geography class is ready to recite. There is no globe by which the shape and movement of the earth can be shown, or to locate the divisions of land and water. His little geography, or his neighbor's, as the case may be, is the only help. The arithmetic class is called, and they file up to the small blackboard, made of pine boards, out of which the pitch oozes in some places. There is not sufficient room for the pupils to work at the board. Johnny measures his space, taking one half or two thirds, if not corrected, while the others take what they can get. But with it all there are blessings even in a poorly equipped school. Children from homes where prayer is not wont to be made, when they hear the petitions of some of the more favored in that respect, may be led to seek God for forgiveness of sin. The weekly missionary meetings held at the opening exercises may be seasons of joy and soul rest, when every pupil, from the least to the greatest, testifies to the goodness of God. The most essential thing is to go from the prayer room to the schoolroom. The enemy may be routed and the victory gotten before going to school. Our greatest need is to realize that our work throughout should have in it the paramount thought of sending to all the world the witnessing message of Jesus' soon coming. In the reading, geography, grammar, and whatever is taught, the one aim should be to make the student better fitted to obtain and carry forward among his fellow students and friends, at home and abroad, the influence of the Spirit of God. “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them,” is a promise that those connected with the work of our schools and those interested in their growth and success should keep before them during preparation for the opening of a school, and also during its entire history. That co-operation in prayer and work is not only beneficial, but indispensable to the success of the school work, is very evident. In starting a load it is necessary that a long, steady, and all-together pull be made. When once the wheels are started rolling, the load moves on much easier, but the co-operation is none the less necessary. When co-operation comes, success comes. When it stops, success stops to the same degree. We believe that when our churches or conferences in new fields are considering the school question, the first thing of29 vital importance is for as many as possible to meet together for prayer and study. If there is not co-operation, pray and study until there is. This work is too sacred and too important to begin in a half-hearted, inharmonious way. One very important means of arousing a greater interest in the educational work, and at the same time enlightening all on these questions, is found in local conventions. After a school is started, the same spirit of prayer, zeal, and harmony must keep it going. We quote these words to parents: “Wherever a school is established, there should be warm hearts to take a lively interest in our youth. Fathers and mothers are needed with warm sympathy and kindly admonitions.” This will mean that our schools will be full; that there will be hearty co-operation between parents, children, and teachers; that many a burden will be lifted from the teacher’s heart, and that success will follow. O. A. HALL. Geography for Little Ones
By Annie Nordlind
HERE in the Ozarks of Missouri we have nature all around us, and while we enjoy but few modern improvements, we have the blessing of the Lord. What more could we ask? As I have had good success in teaching geography, beginning with the primer class, I will give my plan, hoping it may benefit one at least. I began with the little ones by drawing a map, as I called it, of the school yard, teaching them the directions, and having them help me locate trees, buildings, etc. Next we took the surrounding country. This time it was necessary to represent houses, hills, etc., with a dot or mark of some kind, but the thought was still impressed upon their minds that they were houses where people were living, or trees with birds in them, maybe rabbits on the hills. After this the map work was placed in their hands, and they drew the county, then the State; next, other States or groups of States. In each the capital, principal city, mountains, rivers, lakes, etc., were located. We talked of the children and their parents, what they were doing in the different States, until each State and its leading occupations became a living picture in their minds. It is also a good plan to have the children point out the direction of different States, for they get used to the directions in whatever way a map happens to be hanging. If maps were always hung on a north wall, it would save this confusion. The children I have led along in the way just related, took up the book work with an interest born of intelligence, and advanced much faster than those ahead at the beginning. Our Mission School in Friedensau, Germany
By Otto Lüpke
OUR school is the daughter of the German Union Conference. The progress of the work in the field is therefore the foundation of the progress of the school work. As the reports of the different fields for the last year have now come in, we can say that the year 1906 has been the most prosperous in the history of the conference, there being a net increase of fourteen hundred members. The financial increase has been equal to the increase in membership. Such growth insures progress in the school work as well. In November, 1906, we were able to separate the Russian department from the other departments of the school. There is every reason to believe that the work in Russia will make great progress as soon as the present disturbances are over. We then hope to receive native Russian students, which we have not been able to get as yet, most of our Russian students coming from the German colonies in Russia, and from the Estonians and Lettonians. Our German department graduated at the beginning of this year eleven Bible workers. The class which will be graduated in July of this year consists of fifteen Bible workers and seventeen nurses. The total enrolment is at present one hundred and twenty-five. We have developed our school on the system of a two-years’ course, students being accepted for enrolment and graduated twice a year, so that there are always four classes running. This plan furnishes from thirty to forty workers a year for our evangelistic and medical missionary work. We know that we are living in an important time. For this reason it is our prayer that the Lord will help us to appreciate the needs of the situation and to consecrate our faculties to meet these needs. Our lives have never been so precious as at this time, for now we are a part of God’s work. All the opportunities that we receive to improve our knowledge and understanding of the thoughts of the Creator and the plan of salvation are golden opportunities, if we speak of them when we sit in our houses or walk by the way, or when we lie down, or when we rise up. Deut. 11: 19, 20. They are golden opportunities because they bring us as well as others not only temporal, but everlasting salvation. Therefore we must improve the time to the utmost in this important age, while we are small, so very small in power and in number, and we are given only “moments” in which we must execute great thoughts and plans; and we can and will do it, for the word of prophecy says to us, “How happy will be the day when we see the fulfilment of our hopes, and can recognize what a blessed work our school has done in the completion of the work of the message!” Otto Lüpke.