The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1881-08-05
For tie hgis aud Inteiligencer.
Hartford County Sunday School COnven-
ton.

| FAYETTEVILLE, Md, July 2Sth, 1881.
We venture to say that one of the most pleas.
ant and profitable religious assemblies ever held
| in Hartford county has been in session here this
the camp meeting that may have beeu held in
| the county, that this has been the largest. We
speak of the Third Annual Hartford County
Sunday School Convention" 1t convened on
| last Tuesday morning and adjourned last night,
holding three sessions each day.
Rev. b. f. Benson of Bel Air, called the con-
Tention to order, and Rev. j.. W. Steele, OF
Aberdeen, conducted the opening religious SER
vices. Mr.. j. w. Burkins was elected Secretary
| pro TEN. The address of welcome was delivered
by Mr.. Geo. A. Cairnes, in a graceful manner, to
which Rev. B. F. Benson appropriately re.
| sponded.
The convention consists of two delegates from
| each school in the county, and the superinten-
| dents of each school, and the pastors of each
| church are members by virtue Of their Office
Upon the call of the roll large percentage OF
| the members were found to be present.
One of the first duties of the convention this
year was the adoption of a Constitution for q
| permanent organization, to be known hereafter
as "The Hartford County Sunday School Union, y
auxiliary to the maryland State Sunday
School Union"
Rev. w. T. l.. Kieffer, on behalf of the COM
mittee appointed last year, presented the Con-
stitution, which was unanimously adopted.
The following were recommended as perma.
nent officers: President-Rev. j.. w. Steele
First Vice Presdent-Rev. w. H. Hartzell ;
Second Vice President.-Mr. A. Lewis Hyde
| Corresponding Secretary-A. s. Upton; Re.
| cording Secretaries-J. w. Burkins and JAS NJ
| Scarf; and these were unanimously elected.
Rev. j. w. Steele, upon assuming the chair,
thanked the committee and the convention for
the honor they had conferred upon him.
The constitution provides for the election of
| the permanent officers yearly, to be taken equal
| ly, as far as possible, from the various Christian
denominations in the county. At least two Off
GERS Of the preceding year shall be eligible for
reelection, so as to guard against the POSSIBLE
ity of the board being left without experienced
| officers, but in no case shall any one remain in
| office for more than three successive years.
The Executive Committee had selected ten
questions, in the interest of Sunday school work,
| and ten ministers to open the same in speeches
not to exceed twenty-five minutes each, to be
followed by general discussion in speeches not
| to exceed seven minutes. Those selected to
open the questions are given in the order in
which they are found ON the programme
Revs. Cooke, Moore, Jones, Baker, of Baltimore,
Benson, Cronin, Steele Nelson, Iiartzell, Kief.
| er, Craighill and Kilgore. Two or three of the
appointed speakers were not present, but their
places were ably supplied by others. Rev. Mr..
| Craighll was detained by death in his family,
and resolution of sympathy was adopted.
Amongst those taking part in the questions
| in general discussion and not before named were,
| Rev. II. ID. Clarke, of the Christian Church. Bal
| timore; Rev. Edward Smith, of baltimore; Rev.
l.. Dice Messrs. Gray and Henderson, of the
| county; and Messrs. j. w. Burkins, Jas. fl. Cal
| ley Geo. A. Cairnes, p. F. GALAXY, A. l.. Hyde,
| n. A. McComas and Rev. w. L. Mccain.
| On Wednesday afternoon Miss Lizzie Amos, of
| Bethel Presbyterian Church. took the smaller
CHI ldren through an infant class lesson, which
showed to all that she was well calculated to in
struct the children in way that they would not
| easily forget it.
| The verbal and statistical reports showed an
| increase of scholars, and that quite q goodly
number of them were brought into the church.
| The closing exercises last night gave an evil
dence of what had been accomplished. Minis
| tiers and laymen of the various denominations
! had been brought together to speak of one COM
mon work. Denominations were for the time
| forgotten and the work of the Master pushed
on. There was not the slightest jar to mar the
harmony of the convention, and Rev. Joseph
| Nelson, of the Presbyterian church, said in q
| parting speech that the ministers and people of
different denominational views had been brought
to know each other BETTER and he felt to 20
home with renewed energy in the great Sunday
| school work.
| The music was exceedingly fine, under the di-
rection of Mr.. Geo A. Cairnes, with Mrs. Mol
lie Keefer at the organ, and well trained choir.
| The delegates were entertained in royal style.
Hartford county hospitality in this neighborhood
can not be surpassed. A rising vote of thanks
was rendered to the citizens of the village
| Much credit is due to the committee of arrange
ments for their very efficient services, and to
| Mr. A. Lewis Hyde, the Vice President of the
| Maryland Sunday School Union, for this county,
for his untiring energy in the weeks preceding
the convention to make 1t success. NM