National Republican., 1883-03-10

Sunday school must not be lifted up
above the home and pulpit. But the
children from homes whore there is cursing
instead of prayer; children converted coming
from such places may be wholly said to be
owing to the Sunday school. lie attacked
the objection made to modern methods him
dering the conversion of children. Ry mod
orn methods is understood all the helps
illustrations, lesson papers, lesson comments
aud kindred aids Of Sunday school assem-
'blies, congresses, institutes, &c. Now, If be-
ing well informed and instructed In regard to
what is taught in the school, 50 as to be able
10 give all aid necessary TO understanding a
Bible lesson is n hinderanoe then the reverse
must be true, and the more ignorant a Sab
bath school teacher is the more capable he
will be to instruct children in the way of life
and salvation. Such an idea is ridiculous and
absurd. If it wore true, then Ignorance
would be the mother of devotion" and sure
means through which TO attain unto saliva
ton In order TO rebut this most unreasona-
BILE of objections, he divided the Sunday school
history into two periods Tho first began
In lSi6 when statistics of the sabbath school
were first kept, and continued up TO 1867,
about twenty-five years, when the new
methods began to prevail. The second period
was from 15i7 to 1882, about fifteen years. In
the first period there was an average attend
ance Of 650,O00 each year, and an average
each year of $4,000 conversions, or one TO
every 362, or "a per cent. of the whole
number. During the second period of
fifteen years there was an average attendance
Of 100000 each year, and the average num-
Der of conversions in the same time for each
year was $4,000, or one to 20i, or 5per cent. of
the whole; or in the same time, or
twenty-five years, the average convcr-
sions Of children would be 100000 per
year. SO that il any dependence can
be placed upon figures, the objection
of improved methods being hndranco to
tho conversion of children falls to the ground.
Faithfulncss in the right use of means was
the grand essential to success. He alluded to
an incident of a lady who asked the question
at an institute, whether, after praying for
and talking to scholar for three years, there
was any more use of praying. Should she
continue to pray He answered yes, and
illustrated IL by the parable of the
barren fig tree. LET IL alone this year
also" After five years she had the pleasure
Of knowing that the object Of her prayers and
anxiety was hopefully converted to God. He
closed by applying the incident OF Wellington
at Waterloo wishing and longing for Bluchcr
to como, and described the difficulty Blucher
had in getting his men to- tho field; that
when they said IL was impossible for them
to go any further in the mud, he said,
81 know, my children, IL is impossible, yet
| IL must be done" With that word they
pressed their way TO the field won tho battle,
and changed the map of Europe. So, too, he
said, we need o strong faith for the work to
be done in order to success:
"a fsith that laughs at impossibilities,
Aud cries It shall be done"
The anniversary closed with the singing Of
an appropriate hymn, and the benediction by
DR.. Freeman.