College Hall is Dedicated

Thursday, April 13, 1899 was a day to be remembered. College Hall was finished and ready for use. The first meeting of the day was held in the morning at six o'clock. Ellen White explains why:4BIO 416.6

This early hour was chosen as appropriate to accommodate those who had worked with decided interest on the building. There was assembled the entire company of students and principal, preceptor and teachers. W. C. White and Brethren Palmer and Hughes spoke. I then spoke to the students and all present thirty minutes. At the close of the exercises there was the dedicatory prayer.—Manuscript 185, 1899.4BIO 416.7

The more formal dedication took place in the afternoon. Ellen White reported in a letter to S. N. Haskell:4BIO 417.1

The room was decorated and festooned by flowers from our gardens, and beautiful tree ferns, some of which were placed before the entrance of the building. W. C. White spoke well. Brethren Palmer and Hughes followed. Herbert Lacey then addressed the people.... He spoke well.—Letter 70, 1899.4BIO 417.2

Of the gifts pledged at the General Conference session in March, which were to yield some $18,000 or more for the work in Australia, the part pledged by self-sacrificing workers in the amount of $3,400 was soon available. They waited with baited breath for the $15,000 pledged by Capt. Norman, which was to come in late May.4BIO 417.3

On May 4, still in anticipation of the gift, Ellen White addressed a letter to Capt. Norman, thanking him for his generous gift and asking whether he would not help with some specific projects. Then word came from Battle Creek that the whereabouts of Capt. Norman were unknown, and the deadline for the payment of his pledges was marked with default. Ellen White commented:4BIO 417.4

It is a strange thing that occurred in reference to Captain Norman. I understand all that business of his liberal donations is a fraud. He has not the means he so liberally donated.... Well, we did hope for donations to help us out of our difficulties, but if we cannot obtain means in that way, the Lord can open up some other way to help us.—Letter 243, 1899.4BIO 417.5

Mrs. White's letter to the captain lay unclaimed at the General Conference office in Battle Creek for a month or two, then, after being furtively opened and read, was returned to her. Some have been surprised at her writing to the captain. It should be remembered that as in Bible times, not every line of information was given to the prophet. She did not have total knowledge.4BIO 417.6

On July 19, writing to Mrs. Henry, Ellen White declared:4BIO 417.7

The $3,000 raised in the General Conference assembled at South Lancaster is all that came from that wonderful donation. The $15,000 appropriated by Mr. Norman, where is it? If he had kept out of the way, then the work begun there would have gone through the churches, and we could have had sufficient to erect a sanitarium. But the spirit of sacrifice stopped there and then.—Letter 96a, 1899.