Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-06-21
yeneered Work.

oThere is thin veneer of flowers, tab.
leaux. and the like, which covers rotten
wood /" This was the remark made the
other day by lady in reference to the work
of the church of which she was a member.
It was satirical and caustic. 1t was also,
perhaps, hyperbolical and somewhat exag-
gerated. Yet the element of truth was not
wanting in the satire, and suggests the
thought that too much of church work is
pretentious and deceptive. Stratonicus was
asked how many pupils he had. The old
Greek pedagogue was as fond OF stretching
things then as his representatives are now,
and replied, "With the gods, twelve" He
had really but two scholars, yet counted in
the statues of Apollo and the nine MUSES..
Too many, in estimating the strength Of the
Sunday.school reckon in the merely material
and spectacular parts, and forget the spirit
ual life. For example, when will the old
Sunday.school Concert be resumed as
concert Of prayer for the conversion Of pu-
pils,-not concert of music and display
of dramatic art Rev. Asa Billiard was in
vited to speak at one of these sacred "
concerts and was allowed eight minutes to
present the truth of Christ to the assembled
young. Perhaps minute was given to the
Lords Prayer in the way of courtesy; he
uObS uOU SdN,-DuU Hb COuUltu ulub SOuSS-
solos, duets, and choruses, and fifteen dia-
logues or Rotations. He felt very much as
Brother Bevan did, who has just gone home
to his smother England " feeling that he
had been grace-sayer at banquets and
prayer-maker at public meetings" long
enough. Billiard and Bevan both believe
that they can do more than to be mere fig
ure heads or ornamental fixtures on such &C.
casions. They are right. 1t is not fair to
invite them and announce them and then
make them lay-fgures ON which somebody's
drapery is to be hung. This same veteran
Sunday-school pioneer, Mr. Billiard, tells Of
eight churches in certain town. Seven
had earnest Sunday-school meetings for
prayer, and enjoyed revivals, every one of
them. The eighth had neither prayer-meet-
ing nor revival. One of them, with two
hundred four membership, reported over
one hundred of them converted. The at
tendance at this meeting, at the ringing of
the first bell Sunday mornings, was so great
that a stranger would think that the second
bell was ringing Fireworks and brass
band at the hour of the prayer-meeting on
a Monday night at another place could not
prove alluring enough to draw away the
children from this "the most thrilling of
all " their meetings. A Christmas tree, a
picnic, library of novels, expensive chrome
cards and other methods of coaxing to
school, come under the general caption of
"Veneered Work." as our caustic critic
calls it. Now veneering is not to be con-
demned any more than paint, putty, or var
nish. All are good in their place if honestly
used. The danger is of deception,-self-
deception, as well as the danger Of deluding
others. If piety is wanting, conversions in
frequent, and the missionary spirit low, the
wood beneath is "rotten" indeed. The
veneer will some day split or peel off, and
reveal it. Let us heed the timely, albeit
severe sarcasm quoted, and make our church
work more thorough, plenary, complete =
eliminating the pretentious, insincere and
transitory, so that our work may "abide,"
in that day when the wood, hay and stubble
are utterly consumed Christian Inteiligencer.