DURING the past few weeks we have received many letters from our brethren and sisters, inquiring about the Battle Creek College property, the uses to which it is being put and is to be put, and the manner in which the Missionary Acre Fund is being used. As these inquiries spring, in large part, from a misunderstanding of the facts, we will endeavor to make as clear and concise a statement of the situation as is possible—to the end, and with the prayer (in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ), that we may all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among us, but that we be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 3.1

The Ownership of the Battle Creek College Property

The Battle Creek College property was owned, until the fall of the year 1901, by a corporation, formed about the year 1874, and known as the Seventh-day Adventist Educational Society.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 3.2

This society was the legal body owning and operating Battle Creek College. In the course of time its financial affairs became involved. It was in debt to the amount of about eighty-four thousand dollars. For various reasons which need not be set forth here, it became necessary to reorganize this old corporation.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 3.3

The Spirit of God approved, of the effort to remove the college from Battle Creek, and Testimonies to that effect were received by those concerned. A mortgage was placed upon the entire property for the benefit of the creditors, and for the purposes of reorganization, and in October, 1901, the entire property was sold at public auction, by order of the court, and was bought in by the association which now holds it. This corporation is known as the—ARSH October 29, 1903, page 3.4

International Medical Missionary Training School Association

The membership of this concern consists of the General Conference Committee of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, the Lake Union Conference Committee, the Board of Trustees of the Review and Herald Publishing Association, the Board of Trustees of the Michigan Sanitarium and Benevolent Association, the Board of Trustees of the International Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association, and the Board of Trustees of the Emmanuel Missionary College of Berrien Springs, Mich.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 3.5

The membership of this corporation was formed of these committees and boards, not by accident, but of design, and for a definite purpose. These bodies have in their membership a larger number of responsible and leading Seventh-day Adventist brethren than could probably be found associated together in any one corporation. In thus forming this corporation, we felt that we were making the Battle Creek College property as secure to the denomination as any human piece of machinery or human device could make it; for it would hardly be possible to form a corporation that would be more truly denominational than is this One. We felt that, humanly speaking, it could scarcely be within the realm of human possibility for the majority of the members of the different boards and committees already mentioned, and which formed the constituency of this corporation, to apostatize from the faith, and take away this property from our people.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 3.6

The corporation is so organized that these various boards meet once in two years and elect six persons to act as trustees of the Battle Creek College property, to care for the business and pay off the debts. The present trustees are Alonzo T. Jones, Chairman; W. H. Edwards, Secretary; S. H. Lane, Treasurer; P. T. Magan, Assistant Treasurer; I. H. Evans, J. H. Kellogg.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 3.7

This corporation was designed to be intermediary in its nature. It was to hold the property, raise the money with which to pay off the debts, and ultimately to turn the property over to the International Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association, for the American Medical Missionary College, to be used for the training of medical missionary workers of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 3.8

The old Battle Creek College was formerly patronized not merely from all over the United States, but from other parts of the world. In the course of time other large schools sprang up, and during the latter days of its history the Battle Creek College became, in the very nature of things, to a greater or less extent, a local institution. But the debt was one for which the denomination throughout the entire country was responsible. It could never justly be made to rest upon any one district or territory. Knowing this, and in view of the fact that it had already been decided that this debt should be paid off by the Missionary Acre Fund,—a fund which is gathered from all over the country,—we felt that it would be absolutely necessary to secure the harmonious co-operation of our leading brethren throughout the land in every possible way, and to put the property in such condition that the large amount of money owing to our people upon it would be absolutely safe. And we knew no better way to do this than to form a corporation to hold the property, composed of our leading denominational committees and boards.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 3.9

All of this was done, with a sincere desire to carry out the instruction of Sister White that the Battle Creek College should be moved out of Battle Creek, and that the property should be disposed of for the benefit of the American Medical Missionary College, in the best manner, and on the best terms possible.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.1

The Contract with the American Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association

In the REVIEW AND HERALD of May 26 of this year there was published an elaborate statement relative to this property, its ownership,, etc., a copy of which statement can be had, on application, from P. T. Magan, of Berrien Springs, Mich. On the first day of May of this year, the whole matter was considered by the General Conference Committee. The meeting was well attended, and the following basis of agreement, presented jointly by the Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association and the International Medical Missionary Training School Association, was unanimously voted:—ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.2

“1. That the title to the property of the Battle Creek College remain in the International Medical Missionary Training School Association until all the obligations now standing against the association shall have been liquidated.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.3

“2. That the creditors of the International Medical Missionary Training School Association who have not as yet received promissory notes covering the amounts due them, shall receive the same immediately; that the Review and Herald Publishing Association shall receive an interest-bearing note for the amount due said association, payable Jan. 1, 1904, and that the Seventh-day Adventist Central Educational Association shall receive a note or notes for the amount of equity due said company, said note or notes, however, to be non-interest bearing.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.4

“3. That the International Medical Missionary Training School Association shall proceed immediately to give to the International. Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association a written instrument of contract and lease for the Battle Creek College property, the lease to be for the term of twenty-eight years, or, if so desired, until the property has been paid for as herein stipulated.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.5

“4. That the Benevolent Association shall raise a sum sufficient to pay the purchase price of the property by means of the Missionary Acre Fund, and by other plans to be devised in the future.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.6

“5. The Benevolent Association is to pay all taxes, assessments, and expense of repairs to keep the buildings in a reasonably good condition.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.7

“6. That the Benevolent Association is to pay to the Training School Association an amount equal to the interest which the Training School has to pay, as stipulated in the contract.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.8

“7. That the Benevolent Association /insure the property for forty thousand dollars, said insurance to be made payable to the Training School as its interest may appear.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.9

“8. When the Benevolent Association has paid for the property, it shall receive a deed in fee simple for the property, to be used for the American Medical Missionary College, and the training of medical missionary workers, and its other purposes.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.10

“9. In case of fire loss, such a reduction shall be made in the purchase price as shall relieve the Benevolent Association from loss after taking the insurance into account, the said reduction to be borne by the unpaid equity.”ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.11

These articles of agreement, so far as we are aware, have been honestly and faithfully carried out by all the parties concerned.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.12

The Purpose for Which the Property is Now Being Used

The International Medical Missionary Training School Association, in accordance with Article 3 of the preceding provisions, immediately gave to the International Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association a written instrument of contract and lease of the Battle Creek College property, and in doing this we acted strictly in accordance with what had been voted by the General Conference Committee.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.13

The Benevolent Association sublets the property, in large part, to the Sanitarium, which, on account of the impoverished condition of the association, is endeavoring to carry the burden of the American Medical Missionary College. In truth, if it were not for the help which the Benevolent Association receives from the Sanitarium in the use of the buildings, it would be utterly impossible for it to pay the rent.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.14

According to Article 8 of the agreement voted by the General Conference Committee at the meeting of May 1, 1903, the property was to be “used for the American Medical Missionary College, and the training of medical missionary workers, and its [the Benevolent Association’s] other purposes.”ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.15

Now the buildings are being used as follows; for the class rooms and laboratories of the American Medical Missionary College; as dormitories for patients and helpers; as part of the offices of the Sanitarium; as editorial rooms for The Medical Missionary magazine; as class rooms for nurses and medical students who are employed in the Sanitarium, and who need to make up preparatory work; as class rooms for the Battle Creek church school until other accommodations can be provided.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.16

From this it will be seen that the buildings are used for many and varied purposes. It has been absolutely necessary to do this in order to keep them all rented, and to get sufficient money to pay the interest, taxes, and insurance. Were the buildings used only for the American Medical Missionary College, they would not at present be nearly all occupied. The Medical College has no funds of its own with which to meet the interest, taxes, and insurance; therefore, the present owners were exceedingly glad to have the buildings occupied as they are, in order that a sufficient amount of money might be forth-coming with which to meet the fixed charges on the estate. We thought, that this would be a better, way to do than to call upon the people to donate money with which to pay the running expenses of the property.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.17

The Ultimate Ownership of the Battle Creek College Property

The ultimate ownership of this property, according to the provisions agreed to in the meeting with the General Conference Committee, will be vested in the International Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association, for the Medical Missionary College. But this will not be until the large debt now resting upon the institution is entirely wiped out, and every creditor thoroughly satisfied. The present ownership is absolutely denominational, and when all these debts shalt have been paid, and the property cleared for the purposes agreed upon, it is impossible to believe that an organization as fully denominational as the one now holding it would ever turn it over for perpetual ownership to any organization not as truly denominational as is, the present one itself. That the Seventh-day Adventist people shall own and control fully and freely and without let or hindrance that for which they are requested to—and that for which they do—donate their money, is most manifestly a righteous proposition, and one for the maintenance of which the undersigned have always stood, for which they stand to-day, and for which they trust they may ever stand in this as well as in all other similar cases. And for these reasons it is clearly understood by the undersigned that when the property is transferred by the International Medical Missionary Training School Association, it shall be in such a way as to make the ownership secure to the Seventh-day Adventist denomination.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.18

The Missionary Acre Fund

The present trustees depend upon the Missionary Acre Fund as their main source of income with which to pay off the debts upon this property. These debts were made when this property was a denominational literary college, and many of them were made when it was the chief literary college of the denomination, and therefore the payment of them rests upon the people throughout the whole country.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.19

Lately a number of persons have stated that they could not conscientiously give their money to the Missionary Acre Fund, as they understood that the property is not to be used for the American Medical Missionary College. We wish to state as plainly as it is possible to state a thing in human language this property is ultimately to be used entirely (if its purposes should require such a large amount of space) for the American Medical Missionary College; that the present trustees are sacredly bound by written instructions, as well as by their honor, to turn the property over to the Benevolent Association for this purpose. We do not believe that there is a man on the present Board of Trustees of the intermediary corporation who has any thought in his mind of turning the property over to any other body or corporation than to the one already mentioned, or for purposes other than those above set forth and specified. We can not do otherwise morally or legally. We have no disposition to do otherwise if we could.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.20

It is the prayer of those who sign this article that the Testimony which will appear in the next number of the REVIEW from the pen of Sister White relative to the Battle Creek College debt will forever set at rest all questionings as to the propriety of donating to the Missionary Acre Fund, and that the same earnest purpose to carry out the mind of God may be manifested in a liberal support of the Acre Fund as in all other denominationally approved enterprises and undertakings.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 21.21

Signed in behalf of the Trustees of the International Medical Missionary Training School Association.ARSH October 29, 1903, page 22.1

ALONZO T. JONES.
JOHN H. KELLOGG, PERCY T. MAGAN.

August 25, 1903