The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-06-08
sABBATH SCHOOLS
The Opening Exercises at Trinity,
Last Night.

Trinity Church was filed last night
to witness the opening exercises of
the Convention. Only on one or two
occasions have more people assembled
there.
In the absence of the President,
Mr.. John f. Glover, the Vice Presi-
dent, presided.
The exercises were opened by the |
singing Of the anthem. "Oh how
Beautiful. and a prayer by Rev. DR..
Wiley, of Bloomington University,
after which the choir sung, There's |
Light in the Valley" when the
President introduced Rev. G. N.
Sims, who delivered the opening
address.
The Reverend gentieman said, re-
garding the work Of Sabbath Schools.
that it was theirs to train child, and
mould his affections, that the man
may be made a Christian. and not
only that the conversion of the man
may be secured, but the conversion
of the child also.
It should be their work to set up
the child in Christianity. as it was the
work Of parent to establish his son
in the business Of the world. To
Undue him with that Christian light
that was given to Saul Of Tarsus, and
fit him for the great work of life, and
to do this the great question was:
Whatare the agencies to be employed?
The great first aim, was to get the
child into the school and interest
him, after he is there. To do this, he
believed that all agencies should be
employed that were not wrong in
themselves.
If child loves the beautiful in
nature, let beauty be one of these
agencies to interest or attract him,
and not confne him to dull routine
or mere necessaries.
He had visited Sabbath School
where the scholars were seated on old
uDseemly benches. and when he asked
why it was, he was told that those
benches had history; yet he thought
it improper that children should be
confined to those rude benches, which
we're uncomfortable to them, fer any
historical value that might be at
tached to them, for which the chill
dren could care nothing.
Some people seemed to think that
the Lord must have been in frivol-
Gus mood when he made flowers, but
he saw in every beautiful flower a
fresh evidence of divine beuefcence,
and we might well consider how they
shall be used to beautify our school
rooms for the ehildren's sake.
And music, too. was an agency.
Thank God that the sweet singers of
Israel have been touched for the
little ehildren's sake, and the old
soulless song was discontinued. He
contrasted the old singing with the
present exquisite songs and hymns of
the Sunday Schools, and spoke in
high praise of the latter. saying the
Lord pressed into his service all
beautiful things and all right agen-
oies, that will awaken the soul and
electrify the heart and increase the
intelligence.
Methods are but the steps by which
the children are brought upwards,
and when some methods are consid-
cred, it is not to be wondered at that
men are skeptical. A scholar in a
Bible class had taught him how men
could be made skeptical, by the mo-
notony of lessons which should be
aimed to make children realize Jesus
on the Sea of Gallilee. and which OBJ
iect is so much contributed to by
those written aids and illustrations,
that present the Bible scenes so Wv
idly to the minds of children.
Unity of thought and action, which
is a very efficient means of instruc-
ton, is too much neglected. He dis
approved question books. unless they
led connectively from one subject to
another. Unless they did thus lead,
they were useless, and efforts spent in
imparting fragmentary knowledge
were but wasted, while the only way
to secure real progress, was by unity
and connection of thought and eys-
tenn.
Christianity is one grand system Of
rules, like mathematics, and to teach
it you must use the same means of
demonstration and illustration; and
to teach it without unity of system,
would be like teaching single prob
lens in mathematics, without first
teaching the principles on which they
|, are based.
: Orthodox faith is not so much as
orthodox practice. and we sometimes
neglect practice in our devotion to
theories. We need a personal appli.
cation of the lessons to the child as
! well as faith and practice. making
him or her understand that the rules
there taught, apply to him or her.
He had planned his speech fcI to,
night when first asked TO address the
meeting, and had studied to present
: some original plans, but after he had
prepared it he reflected as to who
would try his proposed methods, and