Northwestern Bible School - Scroll Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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driven into die black loam of the Kentucky hill¬ side as I knelt between two rows of tobacco to surrender, I have never had a regret, nor have I had one doubt as to the divine will concerning my work. ' When once he felt Gods call to preach, he made up his mind that he would prepare himself just as effectively for that calling as he would if he were to study law. So he finished his college work and went on into the seminary. Four brief pastorates were held until the young preacher was called to the First Baptist Church of Minneapolis. Strangely enough, a Modernist was to open the way to that field. Dr. Charles Hender¬ son of the University of Chicago had been en¬ gaged to speak at the First Baptist Church of Min¬ neapolis, but being unable to go, sent young W. B. Riley, then of the Calvary Baptist Church of Chicago, to preach that Sunday. In January, 1896, young Mr. Riley arrived in Minneapolis. For some time he had been feeling that the time would come when he would settle in one place and do a life work. He wanted the heart of a growing, western city where the Devils seat was, hoping there to carry on for the rest of his life. When this call came, he felt Minneapol is was the place for which lie had been praying. He was confident that God was in it. On March 1, 1897, this pastorate began, and from the clay of his arrival he believed confidently that God had selected this place for his life work. God wonderfully blessed this Minneapolis pastor¬ ate. His God-given gift of expounding the Word attracted young and old alike. K£l

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he had no biological quibbles about the virgin birth; he entertained no doubts as to the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Word. When it said He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son hath not life,” he believed it. No lad was ever more determined to get an education. Food was plentiful on the Riley farm but cash was scarce. In desperation, in the spring of 1879, young Riley rented his father ' s farm, promising to pay all the expenses and S 1,000 when the crop was sold. Ir was a sum the farm had never produced but the youth decided to test himself and the promises of God. God honored his faith and he cleared the unimaginable sum of S 1,700. This permitted him to pay his father the promised SI,000 and enough besides to begin the coveted education at the normal school at Val¬ paraiso, Indiana. He used to say that his board consisted of corn syrup and crackers for breakfast and supper, with a cheap meat dinner at noon; but what could he expect for S1.45 a week? In the spring of 1881 he had accomplished sufficient to secure a teacher s certificate and later in that summer procured a school in Possum Ridge, the savings from which he expected to utilize for a college education. Family illness pre¬ vented his teaching, but a friend, keenly interested in this youth, lent money enough to begin his col¬ lege career. So, in the fall of 1881 he enrolled at Hanover, a Presbyterian college at Hanover, In¬ diana. The strictest economy characterized his col lege days. In June, 1885, he graduated fourth in his class, but first in debate. He said himself, My education and my life calling were inextricably interwoven. During the year at the normal school I was equipping myself to teach my way through college, expecting to adopt law as my permanent profession. But there was a divine voice, inaudible to the ears of others, but louder than thunder in my secret soul, telling me that my choice was wrong and that the min¬ istry was the divine will instead. I hated the sug¬ gestion. The spirit of sport was in me and the ministry looked tame and un inviting. Moreover, I delighted in debate. Fo contend for the thing which appealed to me was a positive pleasure. I told the Lord more than once that if He ever in¬ tended to make a minister out of me He had started wrong; He should have made my nature different. But my arguments with Him availed me nothing. Days of all content about my choice fol¬ lowed each other in what seemed interminable succession, and in spite of the physical weariness with which I fell into my bed night after night, sleep refused to come. 1 he fight was on After some months of turmoil, at last I reluctantly said, I will, I will preach. A thousand times have [ thanked God for calling, and even compelling (for that is what it meant to me) and ever since the day when my roughly clothed knees were Noon Meetings Metropolitan Opera House DR. W. B. RILEY ' tmJ I lie Mountain Chorus fit the Metropolitan Opera House 12:00 to LUO DfliJy Jan. I lib to I th inclusive. Sc;iLs Free!

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One day, seven young men and women, who had been converted largely under his preaching, came to the youthful pastor and said, Mr. Riley, (he was only Mr. then) we are hungry for a fur¬ ther knowledge of God ' s Word. Would you be willing to teach us an hour a day? He happily consented. Soon a request came for two hours. Then the group came with this plea, If we could have three hours a day we know others who would like to join us.” In a very few weeks these day classes increased to about 35 students, and without knowing it, a school was born. So on October 2, 1902, Or, Riley called together a com¬ paratively small company of laymen, representing different denominations, and laid before them a plan. He told them of the desire of these young people, and he said that God had increasingly laid upon his heart that there should he a training cen¬ ter in Minneapolis. The plan was adopted, tile inauguration effected, and on October 2, 1902, the Northwestern Bible and Missionary Training School was officially born.