Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-11-30
Sunday School Workshop.
BY REV. J. H BABBITT, swANToN, VT.

NJ hENs - II bAb AbblIls on ANlONs W.
In reading our programme you must
have marked the intimate relations to each
other, of the subjects set for this morning
viz: Sunday school Workshop" Sun
day school work." Sunday school work.
ers." The central idea in them all is
york The Sunday school is for W1rk; is
in itself work; 1t is not pastime, or u
habit, or religious exercise simply, but
an association and an enterprise for high
and practical ends, The name Of such
work leads our thoughts to the place where
thework is done-whicn place we may des
ignate by the mechanical term-workshop
By the use of the figure of the workshop
W. propose 10 illustrate and impress SOM
OF the facts whic belong to the place Of
assembly where the main boty of thu
Sunday school work is done; facts which
bear upon this work and determine in Il
measure what this work shall be.
|. The first of these facts name is th,
definite object of The piacs. The SUNDAY
school workshop is set apart-for the tim"
OF session at lea,t-to the specific object o
the school I. is to b. cpnsiierei as deUotea
TO the school interests. 1t has now n
character and purpose distinct and pecul
lar. Whatever it has been, at present it
is not u place for preaching or lecturinl
or social pleasure, bat for performing tn"
mission of the school If the school b.
worthy of the place it uses then the plac"
is most properly given up to the uses be
fitting the eff ,ctiveness of the ass IN Wy.
In this respect all these workshops are
alike They diff in size, shape, location
and convenlence4, aS mschine shops i f.
but in regard to this principle of devotion
to 4 distinct object they are one. Nobody
questions whether scale shop is given up
to the mtnufic ure Of scales, or an orgsn
shop to the m tuulicture of organs s.
there should b, No. room left for doub
whether z Ven Sunday school room Is
given up, no 'ouglly consecrated to tn"
dis inctive work of he Sunday school.
, A second fact in the Sun trY Schoo
work. shops is the limitation and imp rrt
ance VI the time spent in the work. When
tn hrll pr whistle If tht f@ ,rY 4OInd>.
the worker knows That h., time is no long r
his own, it belongs Q his rm Il'yer, or o
IN ~ "a ,'nvIt / ~ IA,
nerve and muscle mus. b. rivHn tu lp
Sc wee cxpec Cd Dr i'm. lunt.u-- Il n
gnlug anH endnE work r.. iX md a.
tim" is short. 1t b. Iung'ot I've II n
thu eau be eniec Ell is W ,uted b. vYc.u ju's
hours and under The convict GA ha 49,
time is passing and Is v..uapi' whit /
passes.
So in the Sunday school workshop, tie
hour or less, which on the average il
given to the inS ructiOn in the Sunday
school weekly, in Vermont, the time is and
is to be regarded AS precious. No school
has too much time to fill ii we'll. When
tie hour of meeting approaches, teachers
and scholars are bound to regard it rs the
work tine of mauufactory under press.
use Of large orders is regarded, to be
b eded At once and to be improved in the
WV that sh Ill best further the ends for
" lich it is Let apart 70 waste moments
a he beginning or mid lie or closing of the
school hour is to depart from the true
CHARACTER of well ordered workshop and
10 defraud the school of its rightful profit
8. A third fact that belongs to the Sun
day school workshops is order and syStem
mot simply an orderly doing of separate
things, but n systematic arrangement o
orderly things, In manufactures wher'
extensive and excellent work is done We
see very much made of order and system
Not only is each operation and department
Conducted wisely, but operations and de
partments have an arrangement according
to some natural or profitable order. Ma
chimes and rooms are disposed so as to b
mutually helpful-so AS to save time AM
material and power.
With urgent pro opriety the same principle
Of economy belongs to the Sunday schoo
workshop To have the officers fh
chosen, in view of ability and worth; +
have he classes properly graded and un
der suitable teachers; 10 have the genera
and special or separ ate exercises timel,
and appropriate; TO have the library mat
ters we'll regulated and promotive of tn
welfare Of the school; to have all thing
conduce to the efficiency of every part an
every part to the power of the whole
these are matters hat pertain to a tru,
Sunday sch pol workshop. The helter
Sketer method is no more in place her
than in the shop where cloths or SEWN!
machines or locomotives are made Their
is n piety in cnnfus n nor can there b
iaIthfulness wher' progress is impeded b.
ob'acIes Ich might be removed witt
ordinary business care.
A fourth fact Of the workshop is tn
m~anS for d05nq the WOrE, the machine
and oos in use. Every Sunday schot
requires so ne tools. They need not
allNe in every sen ol, nor in every cas-
many or very expensive. Sometimes whe
W. near Sunday school leaders or superin
tendehts Of prominent schools talk {
what is doug IN tnls OF thit place an
what me ms are employed for expltinin
illustrating or enforcing TIE lessons W
incline to say, " wnll. such school a
that, wi h such means " cnmmand, ougt
TO acc ,upl-h grett Ies,, Dd' " cannC
have them; our help, are very few an
much cannot be expected OF u.s. rhis
really made an excuse Tor not doing the mo
possible to get he tittest tools and to d
the best work with the tools that can +
CO. Yet we find that all manufacture
that do good work do not depend on equa
advantages. They have not the sam