The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1878-10-10

to wonder about the meaning OF tha
verse. l could see at a glance tbs
the psalms, and hymns, and spiritus
songs could not be the sort OF poo;
thin, weak songs then current in tn
Sunday schools II they were success
fully employed In teaching and ad
mOnishing, but in late years / hay
solved my difficulty by q slight chang
in the punctuation. and now I read il
LET the Word Of Christ dwell In Vol
richly in all wisdom, teaching on
another in psalms aud hymns ant
spiritual songs, singing and mskinl
melody with grace in your hearts t
the Lord"
There I find my constitution for {
church school. 1 would have tht
church full OF the Scriptures, a churct
in which the Word Of God dwelIi
richly in the heart, on the lips, anC
in the life. | would have the church
teach and sdmonish Que another il
all wisdom. II would then blossom
out 10 songs, and hymns, and spiri,
tual songs, making melody with grscs
In the heart to the Lord. I believe
that the school OF the Church to-day
is an institution designed to promote
the spiritual life and culture by the
study Of the Word OF God. It has its
place with the home, pulpit, church,
and pastorate, but can be substituted
for neither.
The flrst work of the Sunday school
| is worship, and the second is the
study Of the Bible, under the guild
ance Of wise, skillfuI, devoted Christ
ian teachers, in order to foster the
spiritual life, and to develop and
strengthen an intelligent attachment
to the denomination under which II
exists. There is q great deal OF fool
ish and hurtf1l talk about organic
union of all denominations. Now
and then we find PresbyteriAns who
are ashamed to preach the distin-
gushing and differeutisting doctrines
OF their Church. Sometimes we see
Metbodists who would belittle the
beliefs which make MethOdism a dis
tinct branch OF Christ's Church.
believe We do not find ever q Baptist
who does not hold tenacIously and
openly to the distinguishing feature
OF his Church, and honor him for Ii.
No matter how deep you immerse
him, he comes up crying for more
water. Laughter. The Sunday
school ought to contribute to the
power of the denomination with
which 1t is Identified, and raise up q
generation which will fiud Its place
In the Church with which their
school is connected.
Our Sunday school must teach the
whole Bible from Genesis to Rsvels-
tiOn. DIR. Vincent referred to some
structures upon the work Of the Inter-
national Committee in giving so
much time to the Old Testament, and
repFOved those who would insist that
the historical books are subjects for
verbal memOriZatiOn. The interna.
tiOnal series of lessons had done the
good work that they had caused the
OF the scientific method of
studying history to the historical
books OF the Bible. He was quite Sc
we're upon those ministers VINO de-
nounee the Sunday school work OF
the day as superficial.
The problem of problems to-day,
said he, in connection with the Sun
day school work, 3 problem over
which have thought and studied
and prayed more than over any other,
is how to put such dignity into Sun
day school work as to hold our young
people. The sad fact is that there is
3 great deal In many IL not most OF
our Sunday schools to repel young
people. Our young people do not
stay in our Sunday schools. Our girls
stay till they are eighteen maybe and
our boys till they begin to feel for q
and shave in search OF q
coming beard, and feel bound to read |
Bob Ingers0ll, but then they are off. |
In very good schools we have the |
church and congregation under fii-
teen and over thirty, but the ages be- |
tween are missing. The great Que5- |
CiOn is, how shall we, how can we,
hold our young people in the school, |
not by cOmpulsiOn nor out of respect |
to parental authority, though / re-
spect and honor the boy who goes to
Sunday school "because father pre-
lers it," but by the voluntary desire |
TO be present.
It is question which I can not |
finally answer, but can suggest two |
Dr. three answers
First-We must cease to think OF
and TIg tslkfU IA UHP04F tbs fSSqPgnSdsy sehnnl as
SvOUnu- Xou can not hold OF his /
own free will bright, quick witted, |
ambitious boy Ofsixteen |
to the Sunday school while he sees
that the most refined, intelligent, and |
cultured men and women OF the
church are not there. He looks
around and says to himself: "Fhere |
10 old AZ Eo.onn-Go-ha IL have Of i
course, and there is old Mrs. Such "a
One who wears her spectacles in q |
peculiar way on the end OF her nose. |
She is in the old peoples class. But
DR.. This and Major That and Prof. |
and Madam -, they are
not here" And he Is off.
Third-All cant must be taken out |
Of 1t. There is an insufferable amount |
Of cant to-day current in certain re-
ligious lines, and boys can not bear IL. |
Their whole nature reYOlts from it. |
You must have an opeDs frank, bright, |
clear, strong, practical, common
sense religion, which you can talk |
about with open cOuntenance.
FOurth-You must have In the |
school teachers persons who will, by |
their character and attainments and |
for their position, COM
mand respect. Can you expect q boy |
who comes from the common schools |
with their wide awake, modern meth
ods, ,withtheir teachers specially quail
fed for their posts, to respect Sunday
school teacher who comes before his
class and betrays at once that he has
not made five minutes' preparation
for his task We need Gods Spirit
through brains.
Flfth-SomehOw we must control
the forces which are brought to bear
upon our scholars seven days in the
week, and almost twenty-fOur hours
In the day. You csn not counteraet
this mighty force by thirty minutes
lesson on Sunday. You must, in
some way, control the mighty mold
Ing Influences OF daily literature,
secular teachings, busi-
ness ambitions.