The New England Sanitarium

The Beautiful Surroundings

I have now been at the Melrose sanitarium for a week, and find it one of the most favorably located sanitariums that I have ever seen. The spacious lawns, the noble trees, the beauty of the scenery all around, answer to the representations given me of what our sanitariums ought to be. The quietude is delightful. The surroundings are attractive to the eye and refreshing to the mind. Here I see the very pictures that I have been shown in vision,—patients amid beautiful surroundings lying out in the sunshine in wheel-chairs and on cots. I see before me the sights that the Lord has helped me to present before our people in print. SpTB13 4.2

Our sanitariums should be attractive places, and the surroundings of this sanitarium correspond more closely to the representations that have been given me by the Lord, than anything else I have seen up to the present time. This place, and several other places, were presented to me some time ago. This place was pointed out as a most desirable sight for the sanitarium work that should be carried on near Boston. It has the attractiveness that will bring to it wealthy people from Boston. It has been reserved for us, that we may reach the people of that city. I have been instructed that it is in the providence of God that the New England Sanitarium is here; and we should appreciate the advantages thus placed within our reach. SpTB13 4.3

Since coming to this sanitarium, I have had opportunity to see a great deal of its surroundings. The forty acres of land, with the large buildings located on the property, are in the midst of the Middlesex Fells, a State reservation of three thousand five hundred acres. We have driven slowly through the park in every direction, looking with delight at the trees and the lakes, and inhaling the health-giving fragrance of the pines. It is delightful to ride through the forest. There are many beautiful drives, and much fine scenery. I enjoy looking at the many different kinds of trees, but most of all I enjoy looking at the noble pines. There are medicinal properties in the fragrance of these trees. “Life, life,” my husband used to say when riding among the pines. “Breathe deep, Ellen; fill your lungs with the fragrant, life-giving atmosphere.” SpTB13 5.1

It is impossible to find words to describe the beauty of this place. Just in front of the sanitarium buildings there is a beautiful lake, called Spot Pond. This lake supplies the city of Boston with water, and it is most carefully guarded from contamination. No bathing or boating are allowed in it. SpTB13 5.2