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Fundamentals of Christian Education
precious moment. You should consider what will be your influence
upon others. If one pupil is reckless, and indulges an excessive love of
amusements, he should bring himself under the control of principle,
lest he may become a working agent for Satan, to counteract, by his
wrong influence, the work which teachers are trying to do, and mar
that which heavenly intelligences are seeking to accomplish through
human agents. He may frustrate the design of God, and fail to accept
Christ and to become indeed a son of God.
Obligations between teachers and pupils are mutual. Teachers
should make diligent effort that their own souls may be sanctified
through the grace of Christ, and that they may labor in Christ’s lines
for the salvation of their pupils. On the other hand, students should
not pursue such a course of action as will make it hard and trying to
their teachers, and bring upon them temptations hard to resist. Pupils
should not, by a wrong course of action, lower the high standing and
reputation of the school, and give reason for the report to go abroad
among believers and unbelievers, that Seventh-day Adventist schools,
though purporting to be established for giving the best of education to
those who attend, are no better than the common schools throughout
the world. This is not the character nor the reputation that God would
have our schools bear; and those who have lent the influence with
which God has intrusted them, to give such a character or reputation to
the school, have lent it in a wrong direction. Those who have shown
disrespect for rules, and who have sought to break down authority,
whether they are believers or unbelievers, are registered in the books of
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heaven as those who cannot be trusted as members of the royal family,
children of the heavenly King. The teachers who carry the burden of
the work that they should, will have sufficient responsibility, care, and
burden, without having the added burden of your disobedience. They
will appreciate every effort that is made on the part of the students to
co-operate with them in the work.
One careless, insubordinate student, who does not cultivate self-
respect, who is not well disposed, and who does not try to do his best, is
doing himself great injury. He is deciding what shall be the tone of his
character, and is inducing others to depart from truth and uprightness,
who, if it were not for his pernicious influence, would dare to be true
and noble. One student who feels his accountability to be faithful in
helping his instructors, will help himself more than he helps all others.