Out of the Cities
Those who have to do with the locating of our sanitariums should
prayerfully study the character and aim of sanitarium work. They
should ever bear in mind that they are working for the restoration of
the image of God in man. In one hand they are to carry remedies
for the relief of physical suffering, and in the other the gospel for the
relief of sin-burdened souls. Thus they are to work as true medical
missionaries. In many hearts they are to sow the seeds of truth.
No selfishness, no personal ambition, is to be allowed to enter into
the work of selecting locations for our sanitariums. Christ came to this
world to show us how to live and labor. Let us learn from Him not to
choose for our sanitariums the places most agreeable to our taste, but
those places best suited to our work.
Light has been given me that in medical missionary work we have
lost great advantages by failing to realize the need of a change in
our plans in regard to the location of sanitariums. It is the Lord’s
will that these institutions shall be established outside the city. They
should be situated in the country, in the midst of surroundings as
attractive as possible. In nature—the Lord’s garden—the sick will
always find something to divert their attention from themselves and
lift their thoughts to God.
I have been instructed that the sick should be cared for away from
the bustle of the cities, away from the noise of streetcars and the
continual rattling of carts and carriages. People who come to our
sanitariums from country homes will appreciate a quiet place; and in
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retirement patients will be more readily influenced by the Spirit of
God.
The Garden of Eden, the home of our first parents, was exceedingly
beautiful. Graceful shrubs and delicate flowers greeted the eye at every
turn. In the garden were trees of every variety, many of them laden with
fragrant and delicious fruit. On their branches the birds caroled their
songs of praise. Adam and Eve, in their untainted purity, delighted in
the sights and sounds of Eden. And today, although sin has cast its
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