The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-02-16
Letter from PHILADELPHIA.
PHILADELPHIA Feb q 1875

1h1bADEbfdlAj Gu. y, l..
Messrs. EditorS,-The relation Of the
Sabbath School to the Church is a subject
which is more and more engaging the at
tention of the churches, and the Presbv-
terry of Philadelphia in its endeavor to
meet the issues of this question, has erect
ed committee on Sabbath Schools, which
has Just held its first institute, in which
various themes were discussed with great
profit to all engaged during sessions last
ing three consecutive days. The Sabbath
School, as an institution of the Church.
has developed into vast proportions, and
IN many directions has been showing eyi-
dences of overshadowing the pulpit and
the worship of the house of God Tokens
OF this began to appear first of all in the
multiplication of Church quarrels having
their origin in the relation between the
pastor and the Sabbath School superin-
tendent-and indicatingan unwillingness
on the part of the latter to recognise that
Just subordination on his part to the
headship, which is properly vested in the
pastor and the church Session. Of course
all such questions as this arising in a
Presbyterian Church can be settled in
but one way-viz: the upholding of the
jurisdiction of the Session over the Sab
bath School and its superintendent, but
the frequency of such cases Of strained
relationship points to the existence of a
state OF things which demands remedy.
Another and sadder feature of the Sab
bath School system is the
Absence in too Many Instances of the
Children from the Church Worship.
Attention was called to this fact at the
Presbyterian Council by the paper of the
Rev. Alex. McCloud, D. D., Of Birken-
head, whose solution of the problem was
practically the proposal that children g
service be incorporated in the Sabbath
day worship-that table be set special
ly for them, spread with food adapted to
their digestion-while their elders look
on, or await their turn. Such method
OF worship might conform to the habits of
the old country, where caste is more pro-
nounced, and where the children are ac-
tually separated from parents, and have
board of their own in the household
economy-but we believe it would never
work In this Democratic land where chill
dren insist upon all the privileges, land
more), of their parents. We believe in
festal board so covered that children
and parents can sit down and share its
cheer together-much more do we believe
In children and parents eating together
at the table of our heavenly Father in the
church, and In such preparation of the
repast that all from the least to the
greatest can feed upon. that bread which
came down from heaven and which "feed-
eth e0eryn,ora that cometh into the world .
Both these difficulties, however, already
palpably manifest in the working of the
Sabbath School system of this country,
may be greatly alleviated if not wholly
remedied by cqltivating closer alliance
between the pulpit Of the Church and the
Sabbath School We do not mean that
the minister should be his own Sabbath
School superintendent or teach in the
school necessarily or even visit it every
Sabbath-but that he should impress
upon the superintendent and the teach