Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-08-29
American Sunday Schools.


their management.
Let US touch the heart of the mat
ter in our opening statement. We
know Of no good reason Cor sending
child TO a Sunday school, of seek
ing to bring child into a Sunday
school, except to make q Christian
of him. We are in the habit of speak
ing of Sunday schools IS nurseries
of the Church," and no phrase could
be happier in defining that which is
undeniably the first object of Sum
overwhelmingly, Christian nur-
ture. There is a class of Sunday
schools, in large cities mainly, that
need instruction in the facts of Chris
tianity, but it is true that the great
mass Of children in the Sunday
schools of the United States know
the story familiarity, and need moth
ing so much as to be religiously i'm
pressed and brought consciously and
by a sweet and solemn choice into
direct relation with the great object
of worship, and into a voluntary and
living allegiance to Him. The OBJ
servations Of q life of observation
have taught us that the principal
good results of Sunday-schools come
not from enterprising and gifted sup
erintendents. come not from interest
ing and funny story-tellers, who are
known technically as "Sunday-school
men," come not from singing sacred
words to Yankee Doodle, or of friv-
olus words to still more frivolous
tunes, comes not from huge feats Of
memory in the rehearsal of long
chapters of Holy Writ, como from
mono of the numberIess tricks resor-
ted to for enthralling juvenile inter-
est and exciting juvenile ambition
and love Of PHRASE, but from the
personal influence of Christian teach
ers, who, knowing their scholars n.
timately and loving them tenderly.
lead Thorn by the power of their love
and the light Of their own Christian
character into the adoption of
Christian life.
Nothing is more notorious than
the fact that man may carry the
whole scheme of Christian truth in
his mind from boyhood To old age
without the slightest effect upon his
character and aims. is there, bat
it fructifies nothing, II has less in
fiuence than the multiplication table.
A community may be-and often is
thoroughly intelligent in every
thing relating to the facts and claims
of Christianity, and, at the same time
almost hopelessly frivolous or Wis
cious 1t follows, then, that Sun
day-school which does no more than
teach fails to do that thing without
which teaching is of very little ac-
count. The power Of a Sunday
school TO make Christians Of its
scholars resides almost entirely in its
teachers. Ii they are Christians in
deed. and are possessed by the Chris
tian's love of the young natures COM
mitted to their keeping and leading,
they will never rest until, by all
practical means, they have endeavor-
cd to Iead them to the adoption of
that life which is the highest placed
before tic choice Of humanity. The
best minds and finest spirits of a
church ought always to be in the
Sunday school. The highest office
of this age, or of any age, is that of a
Christian teacher and a man who
can look with contempt upon the
Office Of Sunday school teacher, or
regard it as detracting in any degree
from his personal dignity, betrays
inevitably the feebleness of his con-
captions and the shalIowness of his
piety. How many churches are
there in which there are not men and
women who look upon Sunday-school
teaching as a burden and bore p
How many Sunday schools are there
in which there are not teachers who
stand week after week before their
classes, refusing themselves TO re-
ceive and profess the religion whose
truths they undertake to impart
The children are not at all to
blame for demanding excitement and
amusement, because these have been
the means resorted to for bringing
them into Sunday-school and keep
ing them there. Indeed, the i'm
preston is quite prevalent among
the children Of some schools that
they are comforting great favor on
superintendent and teachers by their
attendance. If they cannot get fun
ny books, or premiums, or hear fun
ny stories, or have picnics, or Christ
mas presents, or some visible reward,
they threaten to leave the school, -
either to stay out entirely, or go to
some other school where they can
obtain what they demand. SO all
sorts of means are resorted to to
keep up excitement, and, in the mean
time, they get no religious impress
sion whatever. The tunes they sing
amuse them, but nurse no spirit of
devotion. The books they read and
the stories they hear interest them.
but leave no result except hunger
for more excitement of the same
kind, The premiums they win in
pire their pride in sort of excel>
lence which spares little room for
Christian humility. In one way and
another, the opportunities of making
a deep and good impression upon
character and life are frittered away,
and the children are no better pre-
pared to enter upon life and the re.
sistance of its multiplied temptations
to evil than if they bad never seen a
Sunday school. DR.. r. g. Holland,
in ScribHer'S for September.