The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1890-01-31
OUR SUNDAY SCHOOLS
TO GATHER IN A GREAT STATE
CONVENTION NEXT MONTH.

TO GATHER IN A GREAT STATE
CONVENTION NEXT MONTH.
1t Will be Held in Wilmington, " Februa-
~ 25,h. 26.h and 27th---lts Organic
ZatiGn, &c.
| The third session Of the Convention Of
| Sunday School workers. under the au>pl
| ces of the international Sunday School
Committee, will be held in Whining on,
| February next. Mr.. Wm Reynolds, OF
| Peoria, H., the President Of the lnterla-
tional Sunday School Convention is ex
pected to be present and TO add to the ln-
terest and usefulness of the session 10y his
large experience, fervent zeal aud personal
| magnetism, and this leads ma TO give
! brief sketch of the origin and history OF
| the whole International movement. aS VI II
as TO explain the objects contemplated 10y
these State Conventions.
Origin of the International Bible Lessons
| Desiring some better methods OF Sunday
School study than those which prevailed
twenty years ago, DR.. Vincent now
Bishop of the Northern Methodist church,
and Mr.. B. F. Jacobs, both living in Chi
cago at that time, began to publish expo
| SltiOns of the lessons, the one IN the Teach
er, the other in the baptist STANDARD Of
| that city.
So successful were they in adding inter
| est to the lessons that soon other towns
and cities began to use the same lessO'
The question arose, WHY not ytend this
method of study throughout the United
States and make it Nationally
| AS the work advanced, il vas asked,
why not go still furtherI If it is good Tor
one country, why not Tor other countries
also2 Why not try to make il international!
| learn from my friend DR.. Warren
| Rauuolph that the honor OF suggesting
this thought and resoluteiy urging this
idea belongs to the big hearted, and big
Drained Chicago Baptist, B. +. Jacobs. He
| chung to it when Others pronou ced II I'M
practicable, and by his indomitable ener-
gy, he compelled those who had decided
against it to change their ophion- The
plan was finally adopted by the National
Sunday School Convention, held in lndl-
annapolis, on the 10Th Of April, 1872, at
! which delegates We're present from t~en y
two of the then thirty seven States of the
| Union. Visitors were also present from
| Canada India and Ireland The debate,
| II is said, occupied the e. tel par; OF AZ
entire day. Mr. Jacobs eopened the dis
| cusslOn. At the call of the chairman he
great thrOng arose to express is hearty
approval of the plan; only ten men Hotlng
| III the negative.
The next deya committee was appoint
ed to select "A course Of lessons for Sc
rles of years, not exceeding seven, which
shall SO far as they may decide possible,
| embrace a general study of the whole
| Bible"
This committee was made to consist of
five ministers and five laymen, who we're
chosen from the Methodists, Presby yterl-
ans, Baptists, CongreGatl0nalists ard
Episcopalians, of the North OF this Les
son Committee, DR.. Vincent, a Methodist,
was made Chairman, and Dr.. Randolph,
| SprratarI
have how held for more than seventeen
| years.
1t was agreed that the Convention shnaid
| meet every three wears and tie session of
1875 was held in Montreal Canada. The
next session, that Of 1873, was held IN At
lanta, Ga. and Bro John E. Ray, and the
writer represented the Baptists of North
| Carolina in that body. AS a Baptist,
had the honor to serve on the committee to
nominate the Lesson Committee 10 serve
| the next seven years, and had the name of
| DR.. John a. BrOadus put on that commit
tee 10 represent the Baptists Of the South.
He was again chosen in 1884 as one of the
| Lesson Committee and | know has done
effective work in this responsible position.
This committee has held twenty different
meetings, at points as remote AS Montreal,
Nashville, Chicago, New York, Richmond,
and has not only given days and weeks of
for days in succession, their homes and
their own business and travelled thousands
of miles to attend their meetings ard pre-
pare their lessons, and not one OF them
has ever received one cent in remuncra
ton for their services. On the contrary,
in the earlier years of the movement, The
committeeman paid their own travelling
| expenses.
The plan was first adopted by Canada
! IL
into line afterwards, other parts of hu
rope and now all around the globe ten
millions of christian people study the same
lesson every Sabbath.
| The State Conventon..
County and State Conventions are form
| ed to organize and advance the interest of
Sunday School work in all the churches.
| All are invited to take part, to learn how
best to teach, to attract scholars, and Sc
cure their spiritual good. These Conyen-
: tions have nothing to do with union
schools; do not indeed, believe that il is
, wise to organize union schools they sim
{ ply propose to bring together the sunday
, School workers of State or county tC
\ practice the highest and best Sunday
5 School ideas.
e If | understand the matter, they not
only do not propose to organize the wol +
in this department of any particular church
or denomination, but really to promote j,
, by diffusing more general interest in the
subject, ,and suggesting the very best meth
DDS of attaining the most desired .asu;cs
There is no sacrifice IF t,.,e principles o
: any denoni ir,at, ON, demaaded Or involv, {
"A ali CHRISTIANS thus cooperating to ad
vance a coed cause, and sincerely hop,
they will heartily join in this State Con
vention, as well as those of each county
and thus reap the rich spiritual rewar.
which | feel sure will be realized VI them
Let US have hiS .evlyal in Sunda.
i, Scho0, WorS All over the State. Amen
. T. H. PRTCHARD
a GOING MAD FROM WANT