Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-04-05
sUNDAY-sCHooL Anniversary.


The Sunday-school of the Sixth-street M.
E. Church last evening celebrated the thir-
tieth anniversary of its establishment The
meeting was held in the church proper, the
Sunday-school chapel being altogether too
small for such an occasion. The church au-
ditorium was filed in every part by deeply
interested audience. The children of the
Sunday-school occupied seats in the body of
the church nearest to the rostrum. Among
the audience were several Senators and As
semblymen. The exercises were quite lengthy
and were very pleasing. They began with
an anthem by the full choir of the church.
The teachers of the school then lead in the
pronouncing of the one hundredth Psalm
The school, the choir and the audience then
sang the familiar hymn, "Crown Him Lord
of ALL" Rev. DIR. Bentley then pronounced
an invocation. The school sang the
Sunday school song entitled Infinite
Tenderness. The voices of the pupils
were clear, the enunciation very dis
tinct, and the singing of the hymn made
feelingly effective by the earnestness and
freshness of the tones of the boys and girls,
who appeared to be under excellent drill, and
to have been taught the sentiment and mean
ing of the hymn as well as the words. Mr..
Maybell, the Superintendent of the school,
then read his annual report. From this read
ing it was cleaned that the school was estab
lished in 1850, and has had an uninterrupted
existence since that date, meeting with sue
cesses and reverses, at times greatly prosper
GUS and again subject to the obstacles which
had beset the growth of the community.
The school, he said, has now 160 scholars,
who are taught by 16 teachers and supervised
~ 49, ,la,,n
during the past year has been l6S, and the
largest attendance reached 242 The receipts
for the year past amounted to S235 Sc.
OF this sum 500 "a went for missionary uses
and Sl9S 81 for incidental and current ex
penses of the school, leaving on hand the
sum of S. The Superintendent called at
tention to the difficulty experienced in so
many Sunday-schools of securing the con-
slant services Of competent teachers, and he
made an earnest plea for more laborers, for
more effort in behalf of the religious educa-
ton of the children through the methods In
use under the Sunday-school system. At the
conclusion of the reading of the report del
egation from each class came forward and
made recitations of scriptural and other Sc
lections appropriate to the occasion. This
exercise was entertaining, and interested the
auditors much. The school next sang
"Only remembered for what we have done"
Assemblyman Chancellor Harrison, of Napa,
was then introduced, and addressed the
school. His remarks were adapted to the in
telligence of the children, and were earnestly
and feelingly delivered, keeping the attention
of the pupils and interesting them to such de-
gree that they made their pleasure manifest.
MIR. De Voc then sang selection. Governor
Perkins was next introduced, and spoke to
the school at length. He dwelt long and
~ Sow no If
the land, and urged the boys and girls before
him to treasure up the counsel given them IN
the school as they would precious gifts, which
they must realize would in all after life be of
incalculable benefit to them. He warmly in
dorsed the Sunday school an institution,
and the system adopted by churches of gather
ing the children once a week to give them
moral lessons and to impress upon them the
religious truths adhered to by the Chris
tian churches. He viewed the Sun
day-school as moral force, as
great instrument of good one which should
be fostered and encouraged. The children
applauded the remarks of the Governor by
vigorous clapping of hands, and at some of
his anecdotes laughed merrily over the humor
thrown in. The school then sang the beauti-
full hymn, ''Whiter than Snow" A collec-
ton was taken for the benefit of the school
treasury, and Rev. DIR. Bentley then made the
closing address, which was brief and full of
thanks for the encouragement given the
school by so large an attendance upon its
anniversary. He referred to the speeches by
Governor Perkins and Assemblyman Harrison
thankfully, and said that their appearance
was in the same spirit which actHates the
public men in the English Parliament, who,
members of the Established Church, or dis
senters, or members of no church, yet feel it
a duty and privilege to appear at the Exeter
Hall meetings, and give them their moral
support. The doxology was then sung,
and the audience was dismissed.