Bethel College - Graymaroon Yearbook (North Newton, KS)

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4 ECHOES To REV. G. H. Wedel, A. M. This book is respectfully dedicated.

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ECHOES 3 Preface. To make a representative record of the various activities of Bethel College has been the aim of this work. It is the result of the united labors of the class of ' 08. Hampered, as we were, by limited funds and shortness of time occas- ioned by the demands of our class work, we have striven to make this booklet a pleasing monuments of the scholastic year, 1907-08. If any are put through the mill and have their failings exposed,let each one submit cheerfully and remember that no malice is entertained and no offence is intended. Those mentioned are probably better off than those not noticed at all. We also wish to extend our thanks to all who have assisted us in gett- ing out this booklet. Here we wish to mention especially the instructors in music, fine arts, and mathematics. And so, this being the maiden effort of the students of Bethel College m publishing an annual we, with bated breath, desire to beg your kind in dulgence and await your verdict. The Editors.

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ECHOES 7 History of Bethel College. It was September 20, 1893, when after many delays and difficulties, Bethel College first opened itsdoors to those who might enroll. Ever since, its career has been one of steady growth, extending its departments and adding new ones to those already established. As the first Mennonite College in America, it was found- ed and is supported by the Bethel College Corporation of the Mennonites of North America, and is governed by the same through a board of directors, whose members, accord- ing to the statutes of the corporation, are elected at the annual meeting. Prior to Bethel College, in 1882, a Mennonite Seminary had already been established at Halstead, Kansas, by the Kansas Conference of Mennonites. This school was built to answer the demands of the large number of Mennonites who came to Kansas in the 70 ' s from Europe, and other states in the Union. They required a school in which both German and English were taught and in which instruction in the truths of the Holy Scriptui-es was given. The school should be a means for preparing teachers for district schools, for parochial schools, and for Sunday Schools, to prepare laborers for the mission field, whether at home or abroad, and it should offer special advantages to those who wish to fit themselves for the duties of life generally. In course of time, however, it was found desirable to raise an endowment fund, to increase the facilities of the school and to locate the same permanently . Therefore, in 1887, the Kansas Conference met in special session to con- sider an offer made by the City of Newton, on condition that the school be built there. The conference did not accept the offer, but favored the organization of an association having for its aim the establishment and maintenance of a Menno- nite School at Newton, Kansas. An association was formed