Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-05-27
Sunday School Celebration Of the
Presbyterian Church.

ness of the day commenced with prayer
by the Rev. Broadhurst of the Chris
tan church, which was followed by
some excellent singing by the choir
we may here observe once for all that
the regular Presbyterian choir was
strengthened by additions from the
choirs Of several other churches and
that the proceedings were interspersed
throughout with sacred music admira-
bly, sang in which the assemblage join
ed with heart and voice.
After few preliminary explanations
by the Rev. j. W. Lupton, we next
were favored by an excellent address
by the Rev. r. <. Brown of the
Methodist church. This address was
delivered in the happy style for which
Mr.. Brown is already known among
US, and it contained some most import
ant points for christians to consider.
He dwelt upon very important change
to be observed in his church, and as
we believe, in most others. In bYgone
days the communicates were almost
men and women who came late IN life
into the church, but now they come up
in whole classes from the Sunday
school, and the table of the Lords
Supper is surrounded mainly by youths
and maidens. Accounting for this by
the altered circumstances in which the
churches are now placed, he looked
upon it as of favorable omen, and as
an inference enforced the immense inn
mense Importance of the Sunday
school system. We wish we could
dwell more at length upon this ad-
dress, as it furnishes much matter for
thought, but we must proceed.
The next feature was the address of
Mr.. Lewis Munford. 1t is an admir-
able custom which has been adopted
in these annual celebrations, of select
ing the speaker from among the ranks
of those who have themselves in for
mer days been exemplary members of
the Sunday school, and Mr.. Munford
made good use of the prestige he so
acquired among his friends and asso-
ciates, both teachers and scholars.
The subject of his address was mainly
the striking contrast which is in this
day witnessed between the rapid
progress in numbers and influence
attained to by the churches and
the parallel progress of the body
social and polite in wickedness and
corruption, as both the powers which
divide society were deploying into bat
tie for a last final conflict This he
put forward with much force as a
reason for strengthening to the utmost
those powers which are exerted for
good. Lewis has many of the quail
ties which go to make a superior
speaker and among others a very fine
voice, but we would caution him
against speaking in an artificial tone
The natural pitch of his voice is that
which he can use best, with most ex-
preston, with most energy, but he
sometimes tries to carry it to a much
deeper pitch than it is capable of, and
by doing so becomes inaudiblc. If he
will correct this fault, we hope to see
him take rank among the best of our
GAINESVILLE orators.
Then followed Mr.. d. n. Kennedy. |
He did not mean speechifying but
business, and business like statement |
he made. He first showed that the
school reports made out steady in
crease in numbers, and then stated it
as cardinal principle in che school |
that no one received either prizes or
credit except for work done. He then
specified what work had been done by |
each scholar who received prize, and |
it appeared Enthusiastically that it was
work and hard work, too, at that.
We will only specify one of the
prizes and the way it was won and our
readers will at once see that this is the
case. Do any of our non-Presbyte-
rian readers know anything about the
Shorter catcchism of the Western
divines? 1t is twenty-three duodeci-
mo pages of closely printed Calvinis-
tic theology, given in the form Ofques-
ton and answer, condensed till it is as
hard as a sailors reef knot. In the
first place this was memorized so that
not syllable of it was given different
from the book; but this was only
small part of the achievement. At
tached to the larger catechism of
which this smaller is an epitome are
over six hundred texts of
scripture cited in proof of the doctrines
taught in the catechism. All these
were memorized, too, and not only the
words were given with the most rigid
accuracy, but the numbers of the
chapters and verses in every Casa
failure in single number would have
forfeited the prize.
Another young lady received prize
for memorizing with like accuracy the
gospel according to st. John, reciting
the whole without theerr of single
syllable.
We give the prize list complete.
Reciting the Shorter catechism with
proof and references Miss Mary
Grice.
Reciting the Shorter catechism with
out the proof-George Thompson, Lii
lie Brunson, Locke Brunson.
Reciting entire Gospel of st. John
at one lessOn-Mary Green.
Attendance every sabbath during
the year-Janie Dinwiddie, Stacker
Bratton, Lille Legrande, Cora Din
widdie, Jas. L. Wood, Susie Dinwid-
die, Augusta Graves, Joe. Dunlop,
Mamie Dinwiddie.
Attendance every Sabbath except
when sick and excused-Bell Wood,
BERTHE Wallace, j. Ernest Elder, James
Dinwiddie, Beauregard Wood, Glenn
ME Herring, Allie Solomon, Blanche
Vernon, Mat. Dunlop, Jimmie Lup-