The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-10-17 00:00:00

Mould /Otos.

DORSET COUNTY SUNDAY SCHOOL
UNION.

Meetings of the Sunday School teachers and others
In connection with the Sunday School Union were held
in I )orchoster, on Monday Last.

Till 1101OUNO tONIMEXPCE
Took place at the Congregational chapel, Routh-street,
when about 50 gathered, to hear Mr. Rimester TOw cite.
secretary of the Teacher's Loral Ruunin•tions. read a
pamr on "School Discipline."
- The Rev. W. Attts, Wellerac minister, Dorchester,
presided, and there were also present :—lLev. E. Bolton,
Clourester-street, Weymouth ; Rev. —Galieune, Bridport ;
Rev. J. Harrington, Baptist minister, Dorchester- Rev.
W. Lewis,
_Hope Chapel, Weymouth Ray. J. S. Butcher,
IJpwey ; Mr. G. Crocker, Dorchester; Mr. W. Crocker,
Wareham ; Mr. Hobbs.. !handfeed ; Mr. Selbey, and Miss
Selhey, Wareham; Mr. Collins, SWaalflaa Mr. M.
Devenish, Dorchester ; Mr. Honeybon, Wemouth ; Mr.
Howell, Bridport ; Mr. Walter Pouncy; Mr. 'Norman, and
Rev. Thonias, Cisme ; Mr. Hannah, Dorchester ; Rev.
J. T. Ilamley, and Mr. Wareham, Witnhorne.
The proms-Kliegs commenced by the singing of a hymn.—
The Masi Dyer then mad a psalm, and prayer Woe offered.
—Thu firieth hymn was then sung.
The PRFAIDIINT said it was rather an unusual service for
Dorchester they would be engaged in. and it was tither
an experiment. lie bad been told that if they hail 50
In the chapel it would be • sucrose, and ^,t they
that 50, this wax a great success. It hail long
been thought desirable to have a county conference, and
at a late meeting at the Wesleyan Chapel, it was decided
t 3 have • conference in the county town. They would
agree with that—in having the conference in the comit
town ; but it was a mistake to put him in the chair. l.
how-
ever he threw back the responsibility on these who made
the mistake. It them meetings were a success, they
would have • conference next year, and a resolution to
that effect would be presented to them at the meeting
tu-night. The subject to be presented by Mr. 'lowers was
• very important one—" School Diecipline." It was well
to have good books and good teachers, but if the diaciplifie
was bad, there was an end of it altogether.
They then sang two verses of the hymn, commencing
'Shepherd of tender south,"
Mr. Toweas defined Sunday School Discipline. as the
maintaining of orderiin the achooL The wheel work had
been coinp•red to • citadel, and its various parts all con-
tributed to, or took from, the strength of the whole.
Without discipline no school could be really useful.
Discipline wee not despotic, but there must be • hearty
willing obedience of scholars and teachers to such rules as
experience and order had proved necessary. A
school it in some respects • small republic; but there
were circumstances in which a teacher had to yield his
own will and practise self-denial. It wee his duty to
resign his post, rather than act in disobedience to the
laws of the schoot The teacher who best obeyed would
most easily gain the obedience of his Rcholars ; he should
lame as few commands as lxissible, but should enforce all
those given. There shoula be quietism' in the school, not
an unchilllike stillness. There should be good order,
which should be easily obtained. As to who was
responsible for the discipline, undoubtedly it was the
superintendent Ile must be accustomed to discipline
himself, and must he experinced in Sunday school work;
he must possess tact, as circumstances would occasionally
arise in which this would be required. Given • super-
intendent of such calibre, and discipline will be easily
obtained. Ile will consult the wishes of the teachers as
fax aa possible, and endeavour to make all happy. As to
the scholars too much familiarity will sometimes have to
Ice checked, but be must behave as a true gentleman.
In punctuality, of course, he must be • perfect example.
Punishment as such ought not to exist in a well-regulated
=school. As to a "very bad boy," if he be •
you; restless boy, he should not be turned out of
he school; but if thoroughly vicious he must be
solatod. as you would deal with a ease of infection, and
emsetiseies such boys should be put altogether in one
clam, in a separate room. A good superintendent will
look alter Ight, warmth, and ventilation. The key of the
Sunday school discipline is that it rests with the super-
intendent—a man of tact will know when to be firm and
when lenient. la some cases the circumstances may be
such as to render discipline impossible; but all the,
friends of the school in such a cams strive to alter them.
A gentle, losing heart will effect much, and it is
Important that discipline can only be looked on as the
moans to an end—that end being to win the children for
Owlet (Applause.)
Tbe PiumUmurvemarked that the lecturer laid much
areas on the superintendent being responsible for dis-
cipline; but, he thought, not too much. When he
himself was • teacher he considered himself responsible
for the diseipline of hie chase, and that if he could not
koep discipline without calling in the superintendent's
aid It would lessen his authority.
Mr. Howlett., (Bridport), thought too much responsi-
bility had been laid on the superintendent, for they might
m round the school, and pick out classes more disorderly
Lan others. One of the causes perhaps arum from the
teachers not being suflidently prepared with the lemon.
Ho thought the teachers should enter into a sort of
coversant with the Lord. To be in his place at least five
minutes before the time of commencing and to remain to
the end, to earnestly and thoughUully prepare the lesson;
to attend the teachers reparation class if there was one,
to give up the clam if alisent three successive sessions. and
to Labour earnestly and prayerfully for the conversion a
the children. Its thought some dam of children required I
t' but that it was better to rule by love.
sruclase-rooms he considered valuable, oven if they
larger claws, and fewer teachers.
Mr. W. CROCK= attached much importance to the
enperintendent coming in 10 minutes, and the teachers
earning iu at least five minutes before the time, the usual
courtesies would then be exchanged, no exchanges between
the amass to be made during the time for teaching, the
lemons be brought to a close five minutes before the time
for singing and prayer, and watch during that time that
order be kept, and after all Is over that they should see
the scholars go in an orderly =WM out of the rhea.
Under no circumstances should • scholar be removed from
the school: that was In direct opposition to our Lord's
directions, and to no person was our Lord's warning more
applicable than to the Sunday School teacher—" Unless a
man Am% himself, and take up his cross, be cannot be
K nouns believed in punishment, not
physical punishment, but something that should be
participated in by the teacher himself, such, for instance,
as keeping the scholar into the schoolroom after all the
rest were gone Ile had had • very troublesome scholaz.
kept him into the school, prayed and read with him, and
after mine time the boy woe completely broken down;
he wept and was repentant, and afterwards was never
so troublesome a boy again. The question of discipline
was larger than that in the chase; the superintendent had ,
the power more than the separate teacher, of maintaining
dimdpline In the classes around, by his eye. If the boys
felt that the superintendent's eye was always ready, that
would have the desired effect
The Rev. W. Lewis said his difficulty was to find the
man with the tact and other qualifications required. lie
believed the superintendent ought not to have any other
work on the Sunday ; but the teachers could not find him.
If they found the superintendent, next where were they
to find the required teachen I They had to Ilan back
upon first principles and apply to the Lord of the harvest
to ram up labourers for Ilia work in the Sunday school
work as in other fields of work. What had been said by
Mr. Dowell was very valuable ; but we must be very mee-
fel about pledging people to solonua covenants, where the
Amin would be more than they could bear. The dlscip-
Litwin the day school on board ship and in the army was
not exactly the discipline required in the Sunday school,
where we require something more elastic. We must be
careful not to make a machine of the Sunday school
T:Ageire)—but he did not think there was so much
of that as of the want of discipline What
winded eras to remember that all these little things
affected our work. (Applause.)
The Passim= believed the pastor of • school ought
not to be the superintendent of • whoa. be would adse
him to mime na be so, but to take the beet man, let him
do the best, and ho would do better than Kr. Leeds.
(Laughter.)
Mr. W. Ourinten (Wareham) said the strength at the
school rested mainly with the teachers; some seemed to
have nothing to teach their scholars but to "be good."
The worst discipline was seen in these chases where the
teachers had nothing to do but this; teachers thank go
through the lessen, round the lawn, and out of thalami',
end impart efitne knowledge to the 'cholera That was
t he object of a teacher—to knoehnte• No child.
he thought. should be taken from the ss
b ant claut