Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-17

w.
he" If the Sunday school teacher can ge
full possession of the thoughts of the elias!
he has about all that is worth possessing
When right thoughts take possession o.
the mind then a universal song OF JOY
ascends from the heart.
The convention engaged in song ant
after the benediction adjourned to the
capacious dining hall in the J. r. Swivel,
block. From the happy looking face:
when the delegates reassembled we woulC
judge that the dinner was excellent.
AT 1:30 D. N. the ministers assembled al
the church to organize a ministerial asso
citation of the Christian church of Kansas
AT 2 O'Clock the large audience room
was again filed by the delegates and Wis
itors to listen to an address by j. \
Smith, of Fl. Scott. His subject was th'
Successful Teacher" Mr.. Smith handled
the subject in mastery way, which en-
Unused many a worker to initiate tn,
teacher pictured by the eloquent gentle
man. He said:
The successful the teacher-the Sunday
school is the product of several factors
Among these the teacher is the most i'm
portant. A school can succeed with an
ordinary superintendent, Or even one who
is Indifferent, but unless it has at leas:
some successful teachers it will be &
failure. 1t is my part in this convention
to show what constitutes the successful
teacher That may do this most effec
lively and not get beyond the realm of the
actual, or possible, / will relate a bit OF
history. Some years ago, in a country
neighborhood in Iowa, there lived young
man who shall be my model, in this talk
1t was in an ordinary country. neighbour
hood, and like many others of its kind
had neither church nor Sunday school
and few or none of the people We're mem
bers of any church. This young man was
led to think upon religion and he com
menced to study the scriptures. He
studied until he learned what it was to be
a Christian and how to become
one. Then he desired to be g
Christian. He knew of no preacher
or church. near him that taught as he had
learned from the Scriptures, but he heard
of one who preached about thirty miles
distant. He went there, confessed his
faith in Jesus and was baptised, and then
returned to his home. But he was not sat
isfied He felt that he must do something
for his friends. After thinking and pray
ing over the matter he called meeting at
the school house and proposed to establish
a Sunday school,. The proposition was
favorably received and the school was es-
tablished. 1t grew in interest from the
first, until all in the community became
members of it. For the want of compe
tent teachers he did all the teaching him
self They had no lesson helps, but they
had Bibles After a time they reached the
questions of greatest interest: What is a
Christian? What is to become a Chris
tian?
The school saw, as one man, what a
Christian is and how to become one. And
when it was asked how many desired to
bebome Christians almost all answered
affirmatively He sent for his friend who
came and after few sermons baptized al
most the entire school
He was a successful teacher in the ordi-
nary walks of life. Now if we had
studied him we could have found
all the essentials of the sue
cessful teacher. After studying
him, found these things which made him
Tristan appreciation of the work of
teaching He felt that it was a great work,
a work freighted with responsibility and
consequences
Second-He loved the work and have
given it his thought and prayers.
Third, He was able to hold his school.
This he did because;
list He was humble.
End. He was.earnest.
3rd. He was sincere.
4th. He had personal interest in every
member of the school.
Fourth, He was apt to teach. He could
tell what he knew in plain, simple way,
so that his pupils knew what he knew.
He awakened their thought and desires.
Anyone to be successful must have
these elements With them he cannot
fail His work will be blessed here while
he lives and after he dies, and his reward
will be great.
After song J. E. Pickett, Of McPher-
son, discussed the Sunday School as a
Field of Church Work" The essayist pre-
sented to the convention thoughts well
worthy the earnest attention the large au-
dience gave him. He said that the Sunday
school is not a separate, independent or
even dependent organization. We have
made distinction
between the chnrch and Sun
day school which gives rise to
Indifference to the welfare of the Sunday
school, thus seeing no duty growing out
Of the fact of church membership.
The Sunday school is simply church
work and is embraced in preaching the
that the pulpit could not be relied upon to
teach the facts of christianity Is this
not reasonably true, and do we not hear a
hundred sermons whose burdens are theo-
ries of conversion, justification, election,
etc? The pulpit assumes that the people
are familiar with the fundamental things
Of the bible, and is partly justified by the
tact that the Sunday school is in the field
The Sunday school communicates the pri-
mary and simple facts of the bible, leaving
The church to wrestle with more advanced
matters of truth and duty. Besides place
FOR sowing the Sunday school is place for
-eaping.
With the close of Mr.. Pickett's address
The convention turned its attention to
business, reports of commit
ices, etc.
The resolution as to appointment of a
committee of five to take into account the
adyisability of adopting the graded sys-
.em of Sunday School work was called up
1t this time and after considerable discus
sion by eminent members was adopted
with the amendment submitted by A. J.
Hobbs that the present international sys-
tenn of lessons leaves be used in the graded
system.
If the committee think proper to intro
luce the syetem, course will be published
before the next annual meeting.
The committee on nominations present
I'd the following report: For president, H.
c. Rash, Salina; for vice-president, T. ".
Rains, Topeka; for recording secretary, NJ
Ingels, Topeka: for corresponding score
tary, Mrs. +. n. Rains, Topeka; for treas
lrer, G. D. Wooley. Topeka. Convention
adjourned after benediction till evening.
On the reassem bling of the convention
1t $50 D. M, Mr. \. a Stull and Miss
Della BeeIer, OF Highland, came forward