, 1879-02-09
What Spurgeon Has Accomplished
in London During the Past
twenty-five Years.
The Diary Of 4 Sensational Preacher and
Ills Steps Towards Denoui.
national Independence. \
pope Leo Wedding Gut the Abusessand
Sinecures So Long the Bane
Of the Vatican.
General Notes, Personals, Sun
day Small Talk---Serv-
ices To-Day.


ices To-Day.
sUEDAY-SCHOOLS.
vE1r TIE YOUTHFUL MINDS ARE TAUGHT Tc
BELIEVE.
u III, Editor AZ The 7rtbun<-
Chicago, Feb. 5.-Within the past year there
hare come to MY knowledge two cases Of per
eors who have withdrawn their children from
attendance at Sunday school, giving reasons
therefor that they could no longer tolerate the
mass Of false and superstitious trash which was
being each week instil!cd into the minds oi
their little ones at these much lauded institu.
tious In one of these cases The parents were
members in good standing OF an orthodox
church. and the consent Of the mother WAS
reluctantly but finally given. The father, at
about the same time, ceased his attendance At
tthe church OF which he Ind been many years u
member. In the other case, it is 4 little sur
p.;siug to he compelled to say that the parties
were Tnitarians, and that, too, Of very liberal
school, How many similar cases there may be
it would be interesting to know; aud
in any case it would seem strange
II the number did not, sooner or LITER,
largely increase. For it there be any fact more
plainly eridcnt on the one hand than the grow
ing enlightenment at the time, it is the fact
the other hand that Sunday-schools, Us now con-
Quoted, are 4 powerful influence in just the op-
poste dircction,-a place where, under direction
OF church aud clergy, the cars OF millions of
children nre crammed with the most literal YER
sious Of the most slavish myths and monstrosi-
ties to be found ia the Old Testament, and
where in multitudes Of cases, their minds are
dwarted or stunted for life under the teachings
OF young zealots whose ignorance is only
squaled BY their piety.
Now, OF course it will be considered By most
at uneracious task to assail or even to criticse
Sunday-schools. So much the more reason
that some one should do it. Excepting occa-
eioual newspaper jokes do not remember to
have read in print hostile word about them.
They are one OF those institutions OF
which the effect has been allowed
o be good, and good only.
Unlike 1eyiva1ism, compulsory tectota!ism, and
the like, which have always provoked more OF
less uuexpressed hostility, Sunday schools hare
claimed and enjoyed universal appreciation.
There isa sort Of general assumption that, If
children get no good there, they will at least re-
ceiEe no harm; and thousands of parents, act
lug upon this ASSUMPTION, interpose no objec-
tion To their cli1dren's freoucuting a place
where the prevailing ideas and Influences are not
only in opposition TO tile trimming given at home,
but ruinous to the chid's future development
iu common sense ideas, and in that quality Of
mind and thought which is every day becoming
more and more Necessary to standing and sue
cess.
But, meanwhile, times are changing. Old and
cherished opinions arc voted perDicous, and are
disappearing. Preachers 10 not venture to
utter in their pulpits to-day opinions and state
ments which would have met With no opposi-
.:.. - ...4 ..,a-~ 49,, .aa.. w., C-o-x
LIZ" ."e"ts' ees' eseA 1e''
one Is aware o1 the great moo1ncatlons III
RELIGIOUS ideas which have taken place :n
THAT time. There is no need to enlarge upon
.he,n M such ;-nonrtaot revelation in tho,1rht
- - ha. o,,.. ,ofl>ra hao,, ,.,o..,,
III 80 otlei pe'Aoa nas e'ei pc4o4e o1'a n,o" ~, lie
These changes are Still eolng on ana "n4 con-
tuue much longer. The Church recognizes
+hen in i,s n,,h1ic ,ntarouisrns and to cousid-
sroh,a daorec in ;ts mint 1n;njstrations. It
...,f. - :. .o,,,o,1os ~
aoes So however, oeeause 1t 10 eo'npeiieo W
recognize them. It could not get a nearing.
eyen In the literary and scientific world it It did
mt The writer vho inrroduces nirarles into
1;.a.,.,,-a 49, fao,. a. ov;7oncee or oe moral
,'Se'a'ue 90 .ae.s' a. -
icssons 1s Iaueneo out " couf1' ~ 800 oe
gree the same is true in the domestic relations
If the Church, Its adult members, or large
and the most intelligent portion of them, will
not listen readily to such sermons Us we're cur
rent Twenty-Five years ago, or If they do the
preacher is well aware that it ia with aversion
and silent dissent, Amid all these changes,
however, the Suuday-schooi remains at the level
Ct twenty, forty, or fifty years ago,-a most
spcakips testimonial to the unfailing reaction
arr tcndcuc1es OF 4 church which never vet took
forward stco to which it had not first been
long and nainfullv prodded. and finally forced
by The o,,tsidc world.
The Sunday-schi,ol is peculiar]y 4 nlace where
the Chur-h is enabled to di5ola; its real spirit,
undc;c-rel by irluences which hamper It else
where. II is an agency of which its most zeal
ous-wbo are also. as = nile. its most ignorant
leaders have coutr,1 ami whose counsels they
meet. as II were. in nnrcstrajned family consul
tation. It's Sunday SESSIONS are sort of lore
feast for thc 1nosr acfivt. and enthusiastic The
pupi]s arc of course. rouns. impressionab1c, not
yct given to reacction. argument, or dissent;
aud such Of then, as NAV be SO minded soon find
that 1her have mistaken the place and the occa-
sion. Their. il no al,dicucc. no discussion, no
criticism. no one to expose misstarements, no
chance tn ,nn,fv in the least the absurdest of
teachers. And nrt,hably no one would venture
to assert thar real Enowle,lve of the Bible or
even general tntelliwcnce is u NECESSARY charac-
terest1c Of Sunday-school teachers. So far from
TINT ne.enr,a ~ ~ ,rnn,d he generally admitted
that in the Church's ewes zeal for the cause is