Henry - A History of Biola University Since 1908

52 sorry to have given you any anxiety but I feel it was better to speak before the crash came than after when your pain and grief would be still greater. 11 He added, ''I cannot be definite without betraying the confidence of some of my brethren, and I am sure you would . not ask me to do so. I wish some of them would speak as ~lainly to you as they have to me. Some of them know things which you ought to know but which I cannot tell you for the reasons above." Mr. Smith and his colleagues criticized the management of Biola and feared for the School's plans stating "that a crash is inevitable if present plans are carried out." "Plans" had reference not only to the constucting of sew buildings, but also to the expansion of Biola's program and to ap- pointing Dr. R. A. Torrey as Dean. Mr. Smith expressed his conviction and those of his friends "that the present plans will not be consumrnated," becausE of the crash they were predicting. He concluded with the statement, "Some of the most spiritual people in town have expressed serious doubts about the proposed enlargement, so frequently referred to as 'big,' 'best,' etc., on the Bible Institute platform and in the King's Business. Such words are not the right kinds of sign posts. There is too much of a feeling that the Bible Institute is not deep." Perhaps Mr. Smith did not know that to a large degree Dr. Torrey's coming as Dean was somewhat dependent upon the promise that Biola would pro- vide an auditorium that would seat at least 3,000 and would be ready by the fall of 1912. However the necessary changes resulted in considerable delay in consmunation of the original plans, due, in part to the fact that the cost would be three times greater than originally estimated. This delay, it was feared, might cause Dr. Torrey to accept a call extended to him by the Moody Church in Chicago to return as their pastor. Because of this fear, Mr. Stew- art_ suggested that Dr. Torrey spend time, while waiting for the ~onstruction of the buildings, in evangelistic work up and down the Pacific Coast. Dr .

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