Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-09-27
To Those Whose Duty It Is To Re.
locate the Caledonia Colleg-
late Institute.

late Institute.
! GENTLEMEN-The writer has long
felt an earnest desire, and did what he
could. for the prosperity of this Insti
tuition. AS one of it's curatOrs. he has
never joined in the agitation for its re
moval from it's present location, but
has discouraged it, fearing that such
agitation might impair its already fol-
too meagre prosperity and usefulness
And | shall not now say word in fav.
or or against remOval-since the Con.
ference, whose school it is, resolved in
| 1898 that it should be removed. As q
| curator. am anxious that in relocat-
ing the school, no further blumde,
should be made, but that it may be 10.
Gated where it will develope into a
| College of rank. The Methodist Con
| nection in Southern Missouri is EMIT
led to and can have a College of high
| grade, with hundreds of students, in
stead of few score. To accomplish
this, several conditions must exist,
most important of all is location. This
must include, (a) an eminently healthy
locality; (b) a moral and refined COM
munity; (c) a locality where the scene
ry and surroundings are inspiring and
elevating-a place so attractive as to
command in it's favor the cOncensus OF
intelligent sentiment eUeryVhere, far
and near-(O a place where transpor-
alton facilities are the very best with
all parts Of the world.
Now, the writer is plain man, and
l wish to speak in plain way without
indulging in the circumlocution of
beating his majesty around the stump.
| have been much around the world
and 1 think have not been either a
blind or careless observer-especially
in Southern Missouri, and do not hes
that, if the school is to be removed
from Caledonia at all, Arcadia Val
ley is the one place eofpreeminentf fitness
for its relocation; that there is no 9TH
er place in Southern Missouri to COM
pare at all with it in fitness, in all
round dttracticenesS; and no place that
can at all compare with it in the hope
and possibility of building up in it, not
mere local Seminary with a hundred
or two pupils, but great College that
would command patronage from St.
Louis to the Gulf, with its hundreds of
students-a school that would be an
honor to the whole Methodist church.
Ithas no equal for healthfulness. 1t
is away up in the Ozarks where the
air is perpetually charged with fresh
ness and solubrity.
The scenic surroundings are not
equalled between the Allegheny and
Rocky Mountains. No intelligent per-
son doubts the elevating and inspiring
effect of such asthetic and beautiful
surroundings on students and student
life. Can the Methodist church af-
ford to ignore these conditions in the
culture of the young men and women
intrusted to its teaching? 1t is not the
question whether some other point is
not fairly good, but as God is your
Judge you must, at your peril do your
rcry best for the children entrusted to
your training and culture! Moreover,
for the same reason, you are bound,
under an intelligent sense of duty to
Heaven, to plant the school, if you
move it, in the locality where it will
be the greatest blessing to the greatest
number and to the church.
1 have never heard any intelligent
person deny the proposition that Ar
cadia Valley is inconcomparably the
most fit and proper location for Col
lege in Southern Missouri In such a
locality success is certain; the best and
nOblest ends will be achieved. In a
less desirable location, inferior results
will be reached, and sickly effemin
ate life, of mendlin, usefulness as
school will result. l wish to press the
point that as Methodists, as men of
conscience, you dare not before God,
perform this duty, and be acquitted,
unless you select the location best for
Me students, best for the church, and
best for the building up of a great
popular college.
l believe the financial offer of Ar
cadia Valley is substantially more
valuable than that made by any other
locality, but [ wish here to express my
conviction that, to ignore desirable
ness of location, and to put the loca-
tion 'sup at auction to the highest
bidder, to shut your eyes to the fitness
of location, to exercise no intelligent
choice as to this the most fundamental
requisite and condition of the success
of school, but to sell the location for
a mere naercenary consideration of
few dollars, Tor any number of dollars
in the outset), is selling the birthright
of our school for mess of pottage, and
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