The Call To Open the Bible Institute

Five or six years after we were married, we found our hearts turned to the Lord repeatedly for the young people of the church and at large who had the call of the Lord on their hearts to preach, but for whom no way was open for the exercise of their gift. We discovered that the local young people who taught Bible classes, and led young people's meetings, cottage meetings, and prayer meetings were developing into Christian workers, and gave promise of becoming preachers and missionaries. The spirit, therefore, impressed our hearts to open a small school in which the Bible could be taught every day, and supervision given in practical Christian work, such as visiting the sick, calling in homes, and personal evangelism. 

 

Our thought was to teach the Bible mornings, and leave at least a part of the afternoons and evenings free for home mission work along lines of home visitation and evangelistic services. Indeed, any activity that would prepare the individual in a practical way for the service of the Lord. About that time we discovered that higher criticism and other forms of teaching were fast getting a foothold in our denominational colleges. The longer we thought and talked and prayed about it, the heavier the burden grew and the more real became the call. Neither of us had ever visited or seen a Bible Institute. The one founded by Mr. Moody and a small one for girls conducted by Lucy Ryder Myers in Chicago were the only ones in this country or in the world so far as we knew. It therefore seemed like assuming a vast responsibility to attempt to found a Bible Institute. And this was particularly the case in view of the fact that there was no organization behind us to share the burden. Neither my wife nor I planned to teach unless perchance it might be some minor subject. We thought our responsibility would be administrative and financial. It was our hope that we could get Dr. Dugan Clark to come and teach the Bible, and possibly other subjects. 

The suggestion came from a group of prominent Friends that we join them in establishing a theological seminary in Chicago. After weeping and praying together, my wife stated that she saw no light in that direction. I went to my “prayer closet” on the third floor and shut the door, and told the Lord I must know what to do. As I wept and prayed in the Spirit, He spoke and made it very definite to me that my wife and I were to go forward and open the Training School. It was made plain that we would have opposition, that our authority and right would be questioned. But we were to have the word of the King behind it and there was to be “no discharge in that war.” It was the “King's Command.” Where the word of the Lord is, there is power! Accordingly, we rented a vacant house on what is now known as Carnegie Avenue, near Thirtieth Street, advertised the date of opening as March 17, 1892, although we had neither teacher or matron assured. Both, however, were provided by the day of the opening. The teacher was a godly woman, Mrs. Lida Romick. Her associate was Sarah Osmond. Eli Reese was also present and tarried for awhile to teach. Mrs. Herrington, the cultured and beautiful mannered saint, came as matron. As the day for opening drew near, we felt so incapable that we prayed and asked the Lord not to send more than a half dozen students to start with. Remarkably enough, when the day closed, just six had registered. But there were some 30 or 40 in attendance during the first term. 

 

Great days were those! It took courage, especially on the part of my dear wife who had four children to care for, the youngest only four months old. Both of us did some teaching, but I had the business to attend to, while Mrs. Malone had to give much time to home cares. Though we’d hired a fine teacher, it was not long before a committee from the student body waited upon us, saying that if we were not going to teach them ourselves they were going home, for it was our teaching that they had come. This was a very great surprise to us, and I do not know what else would have caused us to step out and take a prominent place in teaching the Bible. Mrs. Malone took up the teaching of the Old Testament, and I the teaching of the New.