Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-10-04

indicating its duties and obligations, Sc, and
secondly OF the obligation of the pastor to the
school, including the vast responsibilities of his
connection Herewith. He said the pastor and
the school could not be separated, their duties,
operations and responsibilities were inseparably
linked with each other. The school, TO be 4 sue
cess, should be under the leadership OF the pas
tor If he was nor capable Of guiding the chill
dren, he could not guide the church, He should
hold the supreme place in the school. After
speaking oil the duties and responsibilities of the
teacher, who should be thoroughly alive, earnest
and active, he closed by a consideration of the
possibilities which Sunday school might be-
come under the rules he laid down. in the adj
vancement of the highest interests of The masses
of It's members
Miss Augusta Lane of Gloucester followed
with an essay on "rhe Superintendent and the
Sunday School, Calculating three points: g.,
that the superintendent should secure the love
and sympathy Of the children; ,, ne should
have faith and confidence in the result oil his
efforts; 8, he should possess the power to govern
and the skill 10 teach. In addition, he should
have the hearty cooperation of the teachers,
and be posted in the machinery of his work.
Rev. G. L. Demarest OF Manchester, n. H.,
followed in an interesting paper on "Ihc
Scholar aud the Sunday School lie en-
larged upon two points as the aims and
| objects of the teacher, that there is life and
character to be moulded and modified, and a
soul to be saved and developed in each of the
Young persons committed to his sacred charge.
The best success wOnld be attained by arOusing
the mutual cooperation in the work OF the
teacher and scholar. There should especially
be the proper discipline and punctuality in the
thorough learning ol-eyery lesson.
"The relation Of the parent to the Sunday
school, was the theme of Mrs Mary Ljvermore'S
very eloquent essay, or rather eXtempore re
marks, which unclaimed the closest attention oil
all present for hall an hour as fshe enlarged
.Irrtrr
labOrs of the Sunday school teacher by the
proper instruction and training at home. She
portrayed Il sad picture of the moral degeneracy
of the times in comparison with the rapid intel
lectual and scientific progress OF the last few
years. Pure morality should be taught in the
public schools, and the grade OF instruction in
the Sabbath school should be enlarged, and ele-
waited to a lOltier height Of religious and spritG-
al culture. The lack of spiritual and moral culture
of to-day must be supplied BIZ tse.slOther, who
should exert her utmost influence to bring the
standard of instruction up TO what it should be,
by proper sympathy and cooperation with
the efforts of the Sabbath school teacher, as well
as by her example at home. The parents
should use the Sabbath school as help to
themselves.
Col. q. D. Wright, superintendent of the
Christian Union Sabbath school in Reading,
followed Mrs LvermOre in an exceedingly in
teresting half hours address on "Ihc Teacher
and the Sunday School," charging upon the
high qualification necessary for a successful
teacher. With all our boosted educational
advance, said he, we are in our infancy. He
| complained OF the lack of teachers saying there
should be one for every sixth child. The mode
of teaching should be greatly modified by the
| substitution Of practical questions for every
| thing theoretical; children could be most sue
| cesstully taught by reaching their sympathieS
and coming down TO their understandings; we
| should be children with them. Above all things
| he eschewed mixing up theology with what we
| taught them; theological ques tons ought never
| to be mentioned TO them; theology had nothing
| TO do with religion; it was only an intellectual
| science,iwhich had no reference to the SOuls
| salvation. Theological disputations he termed
! mere intellectual gymnastics" which never
| ought TO be exhibited before children they re-
| quired moral and spiritual food and instruction
| impaired in practical way, and illustrated by
application to every day life and actions. We
should throw aside theological questions, and
20 right to the practical and spiritual relations
and nature of the child.
The evening session, beginning at half past
seven O'Clock, was occupied with a lecture or
| "Consecration and preparation for Sunday
| school work, by Rev j. Smith Dodge of STAN.
| ford, Conn. He illustrated, in very eloquent
| manner, how necessary it was, in our endeavol
| to influence and instruct the young, to reach
| their sympathies, and thus secure their cooper
alton. We should come down. TO the child's
comprehension in every subject we presented tC
| them, AMI adapt our mode of instruction tC
their incipient understandings.
| Briefremarks followed from several others il
| reference to the general success which had at
| tended these meetings, and the GOOD to be antiC
| ipated therelrom.
After a vote Of thanks to the church ant
friends in Worcester, for their hospitality, thu
meeting adjourned sine die at about halfpas
nine O'Clock.