The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1867-10-10

III eAplOrlnS haGShaII county Win the lOI-
lowing results:
No. of Schools organized ... II
q" Teachers in same. Il
Scholars. 373
- Schools visited or aided ... 43
" Teachers in same Is
- Scholars * ...... 2,303
Testaments distributed. $50. l91
" Addresses delivered. $500. SO
81 Families visited -. ....." 200
Amt of religious reading distributed 1927
ofwhich was donated. S22 Go
No Of miles travelled 1892
| At an expense to the American S. S.
Union, including, salary, postage,
expressage ana donations Of. S245 .43
Ia gathering statistics Of schools gath
cred all the information could about their
Libraries and find that as nearly as can be
ascertained, there are about 3 $50 regular
library books exclusive of Testaments,
Question books, singing books, &c, in the
county. There are also about 1900 Sun
day school papers, mostly sem-monihly
taken. Of the library books about ., 100
are publications of the American Sunday
School Union The rest are Of various
societies.
There were also organized during the
present season. by other parties, at least
seven other new schools besides those / or
gauized Some of them before [ came to
the cOunty-others afterwards, but before
| arrived in neighborhoods where they
were needed. Quite q number Of these
new schools are in nelghborhoods where
no preaching has been sustained nor any
other public religious worship. In closing
up my work | have tried to ascertain what
proportion Of the children and youth of
the county are attendants OF Sunday
Schools | find that much less than one
half the number between the ages of SIX
and twenty one years are reported. The
number III the county between these ages,
according to the report of the Superin-
tender Mt of Public Instruction for the State
last year, is 8, 100, while the whole num-
Der Of Sunday School scholars is only 2,
G75. This state Of things is attributable
to various causes, among which are the
lack Of schools and the insufficiency of
those already in operation. / have already
|
schools, namely, the want Of proper per
sons to take charge Of them. OF the in
suhciency of schools much might be said,
but rs the nature of this report precludes
any lengthy remarks, L will simply men
tion what seems to me the immediate caus-
es Of it. These are the ruinous practices
Of closing the Schools during the winter
| l. ho,r
on the part OF teachers and the careless,
ness of parents in not sending their chill
dren to school, and often what is worse
their positive opposition to the whole Sun
day School system.
| believe there were but two schools in
the county kept open last winter outside
of Plymouth aud Bourbon. These schools
other old schools in the county. One of
them reported five conversions among its
attendants last year. Both reported more
thorough course Of instruction than other
schools.
In visiting the old schools while in ses-
sion, whenever other duties would permit,
| gained good acquaintance with tn meth
ods of instruction, and the interest mani
Tested by teachers in their work AS the
result Of my observations, | am fully con-
vinced that very much needs to be done to
stimulate teachers and other officers to
greater diligence in their work. On the
accomplishment of this hangs in a very
great measure the future success of the
Sunday School cause in this county. The
10 ichers must be encouraged and taught in
some way, or they will not take that inter-
est in their work which is necessary to
render it successful If some means could
be devised by which the work of teach
ing could be rendered more pleasant and
the result more apparent, it would be but
a very short time until the places now des-
titute would be supplied with schools
Those schools already in operation would
be more generally attended, and the oppo-
sition which now exists would cease forev-
err This fact is apparent wherever strong
schools can be found.
In such places the opposition either dies
out Immediately or hides itself and is not
seen or felt; and if new school is nec,s-
sary within knowing distance of such
schools, the work of setting one in opera
tion is not to be compared with that of
starting one near those which are weak
and Inefficient Hence the great anxiety
Of Sunday School friends in the county,
should be to render more efficient the
schools already in operation.
1t gives me pleasure to know that many
have felt this and arc doing all they can to
accomplish it. Many Of tho officers of
schools are waking up to greater zeal in
their work, and are beginning to enquire
what means can be devised to render their
labor moro successful. Although there