The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-03-16
Omr Contributors.
1.-THE Children's Portion in the
Sabbath Service"
BY REV. WILLIAM E. BoGGS, D. D., OF
ATLANTA GA

OF the great questions OF the. hour, the re-
5atao,,s betUeen the Church and the Sab
both School. Many of "L. M. C's." sug-
gestions are important and valuable, and
especially that the pastor seek to be, as
sar as possible, upon terms of frequent,
friendly intercourse with the teachers
recognising in them band of faithful
helpers, and giving them abundant proofs
of his sympathy Such personal rela-
tions will go very far towards prevent
ing alienation between the Sabbath School
and the pulpit. And when to this we
add the provision set forth in our Revised
Book of Church Order and enforced by
repeated exhortations from our General
Assembly, that the Session shall exercise
supervision and control ouer the Sabbath
School, there ought to be little room left
among us for such abnormal developments
as we are told exist elsewhere.
But, l am persuaded that al. NJ. c."
undertakes the real value of DR.. Macleods
plan for quickening the interest of the
children in the Sabbath services. Your
able correspondent seems inclined to
doubt the feasibility of DIR. Macleods
plan of having a Bible lesson and "ser-
monette," if one may borrow the term,
for the little ones placed in the very
heart of the service. But his reasons,
like those of DIR. Smith, of Baltimore, and
others who questioned the utility of the
plan in the Presbyterian Council, are
rather of an ga priorii" nature than the
results of faithful experiment. Now
when 1 heard Dr. Macleod's paper read,
it seemed to me that 1 had the answer
to an inquiry that had been perplexing
me during all the years of my ministry.
l had all the while taken special interest
in the Sabbath School. 1t has been nv
custom to drop in nearly every Sabbath
morning toward the close CT the exercises,
and be ready with brief, pointed talk
of three or five minutes about the lesson
of that day, usually trying to select one
head only-the chief point in the lesson
which hoped to drive in and czinch.
These little talks have always been kind
ly received by pupils and teachers They
have been close tie between the pastor
and the lambs of the flock. Besides this
1t has been my custom to invite the
teachers to meet me after the Wednes-
day night prayer meetings, as sort of
normal class" going over with some
care the lesson for the following Sabbath,
inviting free questions and comments,
the whole to be concluded with a special
prayer for Gods blessing upon the school
and upon that particular lesson.
But l am bound to confess candidly
that neither here nor in my former charge
have [ had cause to be fully satisfied with
the results of this normal class" Many
of our most faithful teachers are ladies'
who do not find opportunity to attend
the normal class" The evening en-
gagements in large town are very nu-
merous for minister and people. And
although I came home from attendance
upon the great Council in Philadelphia
with double portion of zeal in the work,
the unexampled severity of the winter or
other causes have been rather too much
for me. The normal class" is not
success as yet. | talk very determinedly
to the teachers, and assure them that l
mean to give them no peace until all
come into the plan, but the harvest is not
come. am often reminded of the re-
formers experience when he exclaimed
HOld Adam is too hard for young Me-
lanchthon." But I can not abandon the
hope Of finally attaining the result of
training our teachers more thoroughly.
However, as I was saying, listened
with delight to DR.. Macleods paper, and
as he came down from the platform I
could not repress the impulse of telling
him how much light he'had given me.
In reply I received one Of the heartiest
hugs l ever got in my life from the ge-
NAL, loving old man. And upon resum-
ing pastoral work, DIR. Macleod's plan
was put into operation. IF the portion
Of Scripture from which the main sermon
is to be preached does not furnish Just
rybof 10 1uootoJ ILL., = 1911