The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1869-11-18
Winter Sunday School.

Winter sunday School.
How often, as the winter months
approach is the question asked,
"Shall we keep up our Sunday School
during tho winter" and how often
is it decided negatively, "And why?'
you ask some one, ooh. our house is
so cold, and then the children live so
far away that they cannot go in cold
weather." and SO tho school that had
been commenced two or three months
before, and is inst in good running
order is adjourned, and the little ones
needing so much OF the bread Of lite,
are forced to relinquish this, in many
cases, their only chance of obtaining
religious instruction. Has it never
occurred to you, my good friends,
how unaccountably strange it is that
the house whore you hold your Sun
day school should be so much colder,
and indeed utterly INIT for tie chill
dren to stay In an hour on Sabbath,
when they stay there six hours for
five consecutive days every week at
tending the day school? And is itnot
an odd freak of Nature that the dis
lance should be so much greater
from your home to the Sunday Scnool
than it is to the day school. although
they AFRO held in the same building =?
How strange, that the Sabbath
should exercise such an influence
over theroad and the house. Should
some radical Sunday School worker
hint . possibility of the difference
being in your own mind do not, for
moment, allow the thought, lest you
be convinced of the truth of the mat
ter and be led to manifest undue in.
terest in this thing. But seriously.
dear friends, we need to be awakened
on this point. We need to realize
the Importance of the Sunday School
as the medium through which Christ
is presented to the little ones, those
lambs by the feeding ofwhom, the
great apostle, Peter, was to prove his
love to the Master. And do you
think they are any less precious in
His sight to-day than they were then,
Do they not need to be fed with the
bread Of life now as much as wien
Peter received his commission. Per-
haps it would be we'll for us to prove
our love to the Master in the same
way. How can we let the long win.
ter months pass; the season when
our minds and bodies are mostactive
and we can accomplish three fold
more in anything we undertake than
during the warm summer months,
without taking advantage of the help
Nature has herself given us, In our
increased energy and activity, to
impress the claims Of Jesus upon oul
children and youth. Many OF them
not blessed with christian homes will
be entirely destitute of the import
ance of these claims, if we allow a lit.
tie cold weather to freeze our yea
just at the time when their minds are
most open to receive it. When Jesus
sent out his disciples to teach and tc
preach and Old them, "Whosoevel
shall give to drink, unto one of these
little ones cup Of cold water only
shall in no wise lose his reward it
was winter, the most stormy and un
pleasant season of the year. even il
that country. The disciple might
have said, "Why, Lord it is so un
pleasant travelling on foot over tht
/ country, and then we cannot get The
people out to hear our message, ano
especially the children, the little ones
cannot come, let us wait, Lord, unit
summer" But no, remembering tina,
ne had told them that s'he that tax
eth not his cross and followeth after
me is not worthy Of me" they went
forth to teach, trusting that He who
sent them would open the hearts OF
tee people to hear. What was the
result Of their faith and works? They
returned with joy saying, seven the
devils were subject to US through thy
name" All, how much we need "a
mako the evil spirits oflukewarmness
and Indifference subject, and we can
only do it through the same worthy
name. There is another powerful
reason why we must p"otract the
Sunday School during the winter if
we would accomplish anything. Why
is it that our country day schools are
not so effective as those in town that
are in session nine months in the
year? The reason is plain. Just as
the pupils have formed regular hab-
its ofstudy and attendance the term
closes, and during the long vacation
their minds become occupied in an
other direction and when the school
opens again the same discipline has
70 be gone over. The principles APP
plies to the Sunday School. Teach
ers as well as scholars lose not only
their interest but the experience and
art Of teaching they have acquired.
Sunday School teaching is not the
simple thing that some suppose it TO
be. The truths of the word ofGod
are often intricate and difficult for
the children to comprehend, and they
often need to be simpleied and
clothed in attractive garb to interest
and impress the child's mind. He is
the most successful teacher who has
long experience added to his knowl
edge. As the winter months APP
proach put zeal and powers of inven-
ton together and add something new
and attractive to the exercises of the
school, something that will create a
fresh interest and resist the oppos-
ing forces of cold and stormy wealth
er, and as summer again comes you
will hear the words of the Master
reiterated in your ears, "Whosoever
shall give to drink unto one of these
little ones cup of cold water only,
shall in no wise lose his reward.
DAHLONEGA.
CONFEDERATE NOTES A LEGAL Ten
DER IN CERTAIN CAsEs.-The United
States Supreme Court has recently
decided that debts contracted when
and where Confederat notes were the
only currency of trade, and which
were intended to be payable in Con-
federate notes, are payable in them
alone, and the Courts have power
to enforce their paymentin that man.
ner. The principle of this is that
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