Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-17
THE SECOND DAY
OF THE CHRISTIAN SUNDAY SCHOOL
CONVENTION.
Election of Officers for the Ensuing
Year---A Marriage in the
Presence of the
Convention.

!
| Christian church, Of this city, at 8 a. m.
Wednesday, May 16. Thirty minutes
were set apart for devotional exercises,
which were opened by singing, followed by
prayer by w. II. Kern, of Wellington.
Short talks were engaged in by several of
the brethren, interspersed by songs and
prayer.
Promptly at $50 the business of the con-
vention was taken up. Judge Locker, the
secretary of the association, being i'll,
could not attend and ]. A. Demas, OF
Thayer, was elected to fill mis- place. Com
mittees were announced by the chair as
follows:
Ways and Means-M. Ingels, Oswego;
George B. Peck, Winfield; d. S. Pence,
Wichita.
Resolutions-J. W. Terrell, Independ-
ence; J. M. Kersey, Hutchinson; George f.
Hail. Lincoln.
/ Nominations-A. j. Thompson, Manhat-
| tan; C. C. Deweese, Ell Dorado; j. C..
Sevey, Mt. Hope.
Place of Meeting-J. p Witt; T. B. Nc
Celery, Atchison; Mrs. f. NJ. Rains,
Topeka.
Awarding Banner IS. NJ. Martin,
Marion; Miss Eva Lemert, Fit. Scott; A.
j. White, Dighton.
Auditing-J A Demass, Thayer; G. f.
Mortimer, Salina; Jackson Hart, Reserve.
The convention engaged in prayer led
by A. j. White and followed by J. c.
Sevey, for the recovery of Brother Locker,
who is very ill and unable to meet here
with the convention.
The regular program was now taken up
and F. d. Petit was introduced to discuss
the Graded Sunday School"
Mr.. Petit spoke without notes and
made forcible plea for graduation and
adaptation of lessons to this plan instead
of the present system Of international les.
sons. The speaker drew q comparison be-
tween the graded and ungraded public
schools and illustrated the desirability of
the graded system He made the applica-
ton to our Sunday schools, proposing
five or seven year course. Attention was
called to Sunday school at Akron, o.,
which was conducted on the graded plan.
The international system lacked the essen
tials of adaptation to all classes of pupils,
and it was to remedy this fault that the
change was proposed. Again about one
half of the time spent in teaching them to
primary classes is lost. Stories of bible
characters were thought to sbe more suit
able
Discussion was opened by Bro. Harris
who agreed with the speaker, alleging
against the present system that teachers
tried to bring out something doctrinal and
deep leaving the children out of the ques-
ton. Children want the bread instead of
hearing what Jesns meant when He ut
tered the parable of the 'Loaves and
Fishes"
E. B. Cake, of Missouri, followed in a
telling speech for the other side. He
thought that graded school in the hands
of ungraded teachers would break down
and destroy all of this machine grading in
schools. He is opposed to the mechanical
in the Sunday school where a crank is
turned and something drops out of the
machine, like shoe pegs. Sectarianism
grows out of such machine work. Grave
and serious difficulties are in the system now
but he thinks Brother Pettit's plan would
only multipIies them. The Bible is not
made after the tape line standard
Theology tries to make it SO, laying off so
Many feet for faith, so many feet for Re-
pentance, and so many feet for baptism,
etc.
We don't believe in prizes, diplomas,
promotions, ETC., for incentives to work
The great want is more teachers with the
spirit of the Master.
w. H. Keen spoke in favor of graded
system instead of the present haphazard
work.
VIM. Ireland, of Lawrence, does not
favor graded system. Wants as little
machinery as possible.
Prof o. G. Hill, of Hiawatha, favors
graded plan If teacher fails in graded
work how would he wrestle with work in
present system. Purpose aim, ETC., should
govern.
NJ. Ingels thinks difficulty lies in
graded work Thinks little ones should
be instructed in the bible as we'll as in
story telling
J. Z, Pickett, of Mcpherson. thought
the international system of lessons good
when first introduced, but thinks we need
to get out from under the restrictions.
International lessons seem to be a sort of
iron bedstead. He would make a distinc-
ton between converted and unconverted
children.
A. J. White is substantially in agree
ment with Brother Coke.
u. VI.
teachers and no way to make them.
J. n. Smith, Of Fort Scott-Grading is
necessary.
F. .. Barclay-Order and organization
are in the natural world. If graded schools
give us organization then give us graded
schools.
A. Newly of Burton, favors grading in
neat speech as to different stand points.
Superintendent Pense closed the discus
sion in neat speech favors graduation.
Thinks machinery wrong name for
name for graded appliances.
On motion of W. D. Starr of Highland,
resolution favoring the appointment OF
five brethren TO prepare a graded course of
five or seven years work was introduced.
BY vote of the convention the resolution
was postponed till time for discussion
could be had.
Prof. o. c. Hill was now introduced and
presented very able paper on How to
teach the lesson" The essayist presented
statistics of the New England states show
ing that the native illiteracy increased ten
times as rapidlyas the native population in
twenty years. According TO the report of
the prison congress in 1874 there were
thirteen times as many criminals in the
illiterate class as in the other Sunday
school teachers have during these years
increased enormously. Million OF Sunday
school papers. lesson leaves and Bibles are
scattered over the land. yet all these can
not stand the tide. One cause may be
found in the imperfect and inefficient
manner in which religious truths are pre-
sented