The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-11-13
PRocEED1Ees THIS MORNING..

Benlamin e. LippincOtt was then escted Recording
The reports OF Middlesex Atlantic and Ocean ooun
school ork as proEressns Great nteTe Sng q ee
IN the Sabbath Schools, not only by children but by
The report of the Treasurer was then read. The
receipts were fsl75 expenditures SO4206 balance in
Rev Or. Mattson tnen read the following essay on
The suffice. upon which the Convention year ago
SqTs9,eu me me ~ pfepaIe hn essay 70 De read at TINS
End OF sunday School Literature is best calculated
children and growth OF our Sunday schools9
t. The term lileralure" employed in the resolution
lnYlling the essay, IL taken IN Its brOadest sense,
might irclude the periodical hymn books and other
understand It refer ainly to what books are most
suitable for sunday School iiorares
This, II appears TO me, ls Of the Rravest uues
tons connected with our sunday school work The
yet linger, while most that we merely heard has
passed from memory Our youth in the sabbaih
Oft, in communion with the printed pages drawn
from the Sunday school library six days In the week
The ideas brought into contact with the mind during
q school session, would not ordinarily cover more
than eighteen mo pagesf all printed; while youth
amount every week; from the pages OF books drawn
read al home, where there SO little comparatively
70 divert the mind; and when the attention can be
n1s9 & ana uninterrupted, can but have well-dehned
NrG 1 iaistlng i I'M preston -. - ,
ashs5ag3g ne Influences Of oral instruction the
likely that the reading of the books Of our Sunday
school libraries from week to week Is exerting more
influence In shaping the inteectua and moral char
acter of our youth, and in determining their future
chTTacter and destiny, than all the other exercises
and agencies put together. This opinion nay appear
exravagant but II is believed that reelection upon all
the facts will Justify the conclusion.
How momentOus then, the question What books
shall compose our Sunday School librares9
In considering this question we ahould remember
that we have all ages among readers, from ten
thirty, and must adapt the library to their different
ferent tastes to be taken into account Some rond
OF biography. others OF books of travels others OF
lgous experience and Others still of natural history
All these circumstances are to be taken into acoonnt
In the selection ofSunday School libraries and, taken
ioRether constitute our only safe guide in this most
These things being promised, will now indicate;
that it seems to me ought to be TecoSnized and to
bear sway In the selection OF Sunday School
gous n can upon the subject of religion either its
need to read books upon other SUBJECTS much more
The u9conveed sch 2aTs and teaoaers OF our schools
gratiaed And II may be gratihsd i not only without
eilectuai profit It follows, therefore that sun.
day school library should be composed exclusively OF
books positively or affirm atively religious,
Second; No rreligons book should ever be allowed
that ineucSies false doctrines or loose morals or
excites or influences the carnal propensies of the
parsses the great evangelical truths Of the ospe or
It's s m he mind a9d ta Son es is
habits of neglecting the great salvation. All such
bTaTy They ar are T he dead es sin ii ma0y pot Of
otherwise precious ointment who's odor as they pass
Third. While no lihreiy should be composed wholly
should contain a good supply OF strictly religious
j. seldom as they are to be met with IN schools,
The sunoey school library should contain books upon
chTistiaps, Who need ana desire to read Gp Gpoa
such subjects but who have not the necessary books
a. command; And iL Is grave misLaKe TO suppose
is less Important Z ny years ego on the
ynd mere m re- eyer was tme when became as
profitable for doctrines, why should the Sunday
The young men in our Sabbath Schools who love
ever graduate from Il Geological school, need TO read
the subject of the Trinity the fall and consequent
PTayity Of msnsind the Incarnation and proper
boyd Immortality OF the soul the resurrection Of the
b-dy, final aud general Judgment eteraal rewards
The safety and usefulness of the future Church of
great docrines better than they DO And to this end
suitable books upon the above and kindred doctrines
written for the young, and for the reason, perhaps
opinion has seemed to prevail that Christian doe
tnes should have little or no place in Sunday School
and yet search were made in the right direction
thing 10 fiji the chasm, and with Inc dema1d there
would in time come the reqbisite supply. oon-
hundred pages each. upon the great cardinal doc
tInes Of the gospel and adapted to the capacity Of
theOlogy1is to-day desideratum in ali our sunday
SaS poTde what @oG be- 10
all but et the Baptists Baptist m have Their Their
theirs, but let all in this way teac the doctrines
OF Christianity as they understand and believe them.
We need and must have, more Christian doctrine in
our Sabbath School, or our religion VIII become un-
and infdelity viii triumph ia the land.
2 \ he .llbIsTy should have books upon Christian
Of this eass as as be rscGoned G
lives OF holy men and women, whose memoirs nave
been written for our learning. The Sunday school
library should include species OF religious hction-
Strictly Biographies or histories Of facts but por
tratures of character and exhibitions Of principles
under the form of narrative. l am aware that this
Is moQtsd qneslionEwhsih any such books should
TO discuss the ISSUE could not recommend their uni
Fourth The library should contain liberal supply
OF books neither religious nor irreligions that is,
experimental and yet having no irrellgious bearing
or tendency OF this Class are many 0iograehss log
hstoTiest discussions Inventions and the arts. All
tho Sgh they may not lead directly TO Christ.
These general principles being kept 10 mind, how
usual course PeSye Is 70 aPn0nt ,n,s commit,
zee TO t6s m m n in IS done
That the Gommttee consist O. ,It5 GhTiStSR Ss men
held by the Church to which they belong
. They should be intelligent that Is men of some
and error wheat ana taTes
They should be men who can give time 4 necessary
TO he important work assigned them. Just here is
one OF the great errors Of most OF our schools They
oT be work asSbed Sem
and who give little or no time 70 II, and the
result is that books are bought AT random, and we
have thousands of books in our libraries ought
be winnowed out and burned and sold for old paper
Do you ask cow this can be arrived at answer.
Put the work into the hands Of So%Petes,St com
her doctrines and who have te or wv 5ake tme'
2 AS far as possible, let such Committee erantne
every book they buy. Divide the work, and take
Better spend month IN such an examination, and
booEs i6at viii be poisonous to the minds Of our
youths for years 10 come.
Nexfto personal examination, we may rely upon
these who In respective denominations have pun