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Deportment of Students
85
of their teachers by showing a spirit of levity and a careless disregard
of rules.
Students can do much to make the school a success by working
with their teachers to help other students, and by zealously endeav-
oring to lift themselves above cheap, low standards. Those who
co-operate with Christ will become refined in speech and in temper.
They will not be unruly and self-caring, studying their own selfish
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pleasure and gratification. They will bend all their efforts to work
with Christ as messengers of His mercy and love. They are one with
Him in spirit and in action. They seek to store the mind with the
precious treasures of God’s word, that each may do his appointed
work.
In all our dealings with students, age and character must be taken
into account. We cannot treat the young and the old just alike. There
are circumstances under which men and women of sound experience
and good standing may be granted some privileges not given to the
younger students. The age, the conditions, and the turn of mind
must be taken into consideration. We must be wisely considerate
in all our work. But we must not lessen our firmness and vigilance
in dealing with students of all ages, nor our strictness in forbidding
the unprofitable and unwise association of young and immature
students.
In our schools in Battle Creek, Healdsburg, and Cooranbong I
have borne a straight testimony concerning these matters. There
were those who thought the restraint too severe; but we told them
plainly what could be and what could not be, showing them that
our schools are established at great expense for a definite purpose,
and that all which would hinder the accomplishment of this purpose
must be put away.
Again and again I stood before the students in the Avondale
school with messages from the Lord regarding the deleterious in-
fluence of free and easy association between young men and young
women. I told them that if they did not keep themselves to them-
selves, and endeavor to make the most of their time, the school
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would not benefit them, and those who were paying their expenses
would be disappointed. I told them that if they were determined to
have their own will and their own way, it would be better for them to
return to their homes and to the guardianship of their parents. This