Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 24 (1909)

Lt 114, 1909

White, Mabel

“Pacific College,” Angwin, California

September 30, 1909

Portions of this letter are published in 8MR 114-116; 6Bio 185.

Mrs. Mabel Workman

Dear Mabel:

We were made very happy to receive the word that the Lord has blessed you in bringing you safely through this crisis. It was all a great surprise to me. Had I known of your condition all these months, I should have been much worried. Let us praise the Lord that He has been so gracious and pitiful and full of loving kindness. Good is the Lord. May our hearts be very grateful to Him. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 1

A ten-pound boy is quite a handful. Now a new responsibility rests upon you. May the Lord guide you and the father of this treasure. May he give you wisdom and help you daily to know how to treat your child that it shall be well with the lad. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 2

I worked constantly during the five months of my journey. Since my return I have been able to do but little, for I reached home in a very weak condition. I attended the Oakland camp-meeting and spoke twice, but the weather was so intensely hot that I could not remain there over three days. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 3

The last night of our journey home, as we came through the snowsheds of the Sierra Nevadas, my heart was seriously affected. Your father and Sara feared that I might not live to get home; but soon I left the high altitude and I was better. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 4

We are spending a few days at the new school property, known as the Angwin Resort, about eight miles from St. Helena. Before we returned to California, Elder Haskell and others looked over the property; and after comparing its advantages with those of other places they had seen, they decided to accept this. They offered their price for it; and being the first ones to make any offer, it was accepted. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 5

The night we arrived at home, we received a message asking us to go up the following day to the property that had been purchased. We left home early on the morning of Sept. 10, driving in my easiest carriage. It was a five-mile climb to the top of the hill; then when about one mile from the property, the country became more level. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 6

Elder Irwin met us at the place and showed us about the grounds and buildings. As I drove along I marked the advantages over the Buena Vista property. True, we had not here the fine costly building that we found on the Sonoma property, but there were a number of buildings in good repair, and such as could easily be adapted to the needs of the school. The largest of the dwellings was a house of 32 rooms, and in addition to this there were six cottages and three barns. All the rooms in the dwellings were well planned and substantially though not extravagantly furnished. Everything about houses and grounds looked clean and wholesome. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 7

Many advantages came to us in the house furnishings. The beds were all supplied with two good mattresses, one hair mattress and one of cotton wool, feather pillows and woolen blankets, some of which are very good indeed. All the floors are covered, some of the rooms with carpets, but most with straw matting. The bed linen was all in good order. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 8

There are 1,600 acres of land in the property, 105 of which is good, arable land. There are 20 acres of orchard, bearing apples, pears, plums, prunes, peaches, figs, grapes, and English and black walnuts. There are 30 acres of alfalfa. We were much pleased with the fruit that we saw. At the time of our first visit, there were many workers on the ground taking care of the prunes, some gathering the fruit and others preparing it for drying. Forty-five tons of prunes have been gathered from the orchard this year. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 9

The large corn barn was filled to the roof with the best alfalfa hay harvested from the land. In the carriage house we saw 8 buggies and wagons. There also came with the place 20 milch cows, 13 horses, and 6 colts. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 10

The place has many sanitarium advantages. There is a large bathhouse with good swimming tank and many dressing rooms. There are four bathrooms furnished with good porcelain tubs. The water for this swimming tank is supplied from springs on the place and is constantly flowing in and out through pipes in the sides of the enclosure. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 11

We held the dedicatory service on the morning of Sept. 29, in a room which had been used as a dance hall, but which will now serve as a chapel. The room will seat about 200 persons. The room was filled with our people, and several of the leading brethren of this conference were present to take part in the exercises. As the school is at present, it is thought that it will accommodate about 100 students very nicely; but as the numbers increase, enlargements will have to be made. The students themselves can learn how to erect buildings under the instruction of capable teachers. Timber can be prepared right on the ground for this work, and the students can be taught how to build in a creditable manner. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 12

I feel that I cannot be thankful enough for all the precious advantages that have come to us with this property. We have an abundance of wood, and pure water is freely supplied to us from the Lord’s treasure house. The buildings we can readily adapt to school work. The dining hall is large and is well supplied with dishes, cutlery, and table linen. A wide verandah extends on three sides of the house. The machinery is in good order. The furniture, though it is not fine, is substantial and in good repair, and there is an abundance of fruit canned and dried for the winter’s use. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 13

Everyone is now employed in duties about the houses and grounds. We thank the Lord for the good school opening we had with 45 students present. We shall now go ahead with school work, trusting that the blessing of the Lord will rest upon both teachers and students. The Lord is good and greatly to be praised. We pray that His name may be glorified in this great blessing that He has let come to us. 24LtMs, Lt 114, 1909, par. 14