Daily Republican., 1879-01-29
Buuaay seheel Anniversary Pres

their teacher with the most unique,
handsome and costly present. The evils
of costly present giving have been
detected IN some Sunday schools and
properly checked so far as to eonhae
the presents to bouquets, which convey
to the teacher the esteem and respect OF
his or her class just as fully as II made
Of silver or gold. Bouquets and wreaths
OF flowers are always appropriate and
cannot fail to be appreciated by those
who love flowers, and those who do not
love flowers are not exactly fitted to To
teachers in a Sunday School or any
other school, and then flowers in an
other sense are very appropriate, be-
cause they last about as long Is the
friendship between some teachers and
scholars often lasts. In some OF the
Sunday school anniversaries loose rein
Is given to gift presentations and the
greater part Of the evening is taken up
with the glare and glamor of handing
out from seemingly inexhaustihl-
store house a continuous stream Of
presents which cost as much almost in
the aggregate as the money amounts
to that goes to the missionary cause.
1t is no unusual thing in some ami
versaries for very poor little class to
be announced as having contributed
four or five dollars to be sent to the
missionaries, and yet when the hour
arrives for handing out the gilded g.w-
gaws the sam. class will be announced
as having made . present to their
teacher that cost twice four or five dol
lars. To such an extent in some Of the
Sunday schools has the system of pref
ent giving run that it d-generates INTO
ridicule. We have been informed of a
prominent Superintendent of one ofour
city Sunday schools having upon one
occasion been presented with big boet
made OF black oil cloth, flied with tur-
nips, cabbage and canned tomatoes
A teacher was presented with = little
black ebony doll. An enthusiastic
tailor presented his pastor with box
containing pair of pantaloons. An
other pastor was presented at one of
these anniversary occasions with a
complete silver tea set, which cost be-
tween forty and fifty dollars, and one
Young lady in the class that hired out
to do homework at q dollar and hall
a week, gave ten dollars towards the
purchase of the set. These are only a
few of the ridiculous tendencies Of an.
niversary presentations. It is but sci,
dom that the heart goes with the gift,
but a spirit Of rivalry which is any.
thing else but piety, is often the main
motive. One class is jealous OF another
class and each tries to excel the Other
in the costliness of the present to be
given to the teacher. Parents who
have hard work to get along are con
tinually harrassed by their children
wins belong to some enterprising class,
for money to assist in getting present
for their teacher, because some other
class is doing the same thing, and II
must be excelled. These extremes in
present giving, are after all principally
the fault of the teacher who perhaps ii
a little fond OF adulation. A simple re-
quest by the teacher to the class not t.
make him or her the recipient of {
present, but if they had any thing t.
give in the way of showing their esteem
for their teacher to call around at hi.
or her residence and besides making thu
} present, tarry and spend social even
ing together, could not fail to be appre
ciated by the class. Costly gifts on an
niversary occasions are often but empty
compliments inspired only by rivalry
and a fondness for show and adulatiOn
, and there are even teachers who. hav'
been very much displeased because
, their presents were not so costly ant
. handsome as that given to some othe
: teachers.
We have in our minds eye an sx-su
perintendent who was very much miffet
on being presented with silver ice
pitcher because it was not accompanied
) with a salver and a couple of gODlets
We do not know that anything we cal
r say will prevent the recurrence Of thes
l gift enterprises at Sunday School Ami
=, versaries, for they will probably con
= tinue where teachers and officers ar
2 too fond Of receiving them to make an,
Q protest. No doubt there are some pres
8 ents given with true sincerity of pun
d pose and are received in the same spin
y it, but this incentive is lost sight of i
! the glare and tinsel of that kind {
n presentations which only has for it
y object the admiration Of the pbulic.
OWING no THE anxiety of the Legisla