Wichita eagle., 1890-02-06
HISTORICAL REUNION.
History Of the Class-Address by Prof Fl. S.
AcMichaei, of the First A. E. Sunday
School and Others.

young peoples DiDic CioSS VI tue ilSt
Baptist church was held last evening. An
appreciative audience composed of Sunday
school people throughout the city filed
the church and offered their congratula-
tions to this class About an hour was de-
voted to sociability and getting acquainted
and inspecting the class record and photo
graph album.
The teacher of the class, Mr. F. A.
North, called the audience to order and
announced the short but Interesting pro-
gram, commencing with the hymn, "Blest.
be the Tie that Binds" with Miss Minnie
Lane at the organ. Prayer was offered by
Rev. S. f. Milliken, after which a few in
troductory remarks were made by the
teacher, who also read short sketch OF
class history. A class poem by Mrs. NJ. j.
Benton, recitation. 1.-The Moneyiess
Man." by Miss Minnie Spurrier, staeisti-
cal report by the secretary. 5. ID. Lieur-
ance, duet, Shall We Know Each Other
There" by Misses Minnie Lane and Mabel
Marston; "Our Social Features" by r. F.
Knight: "Widow Green" by Miss Nellie
D. Pitt; "Class Memoirs" by J. c. South,
and an address by H. S. McMichael. The
evening was highly enjoyed by all in at
enhance
History of the Young Peoples Bible
Glass of the First Baptist church. Wichita,
Kansas, by f. A. North.
This class was organized under its pres
ent teacher Sunday afternoon, April 13,
1884, with the following named persons rs
its first members: Claud II. Neff, Walter
Wrenp. Robert \. Glenn. Walter Z. Full
| ton, Leila Neff, Hattie Allen, Lula Lee.
Carrie Carlton, Lula 3. Smith and Addie
Stern berg.
At that time our church was undergoing
complete remodeling and enlargement
and the Sunday school, by invitation, met
for several weeks in the Christian church,
on the southeast corner of Market and
Second streets. 1t was IN that church, at
2:30 o. m, our accustomed Sunday school
hour, that we met as a class Tor the hrst
time. DR.. D. w. Smith, who served SO
long and SO acceptabiy. was superintend-
ent. Mrs. Fannie NJ Hobbs, who
for long time has been, and
still is, an active and efficient worker
in this church aided in the organization of
this class, and by invitation our first class
social was held at her house. No. 23l North
Topeka avenue, Nav q, 1884. Mrs. Hobbs
has at all times taken great PRIDE In the
success of this class.
| have made considerable effort to
gather full information in relation to
present residence and occupation of the
ten constituent members who entered the
organization but haYe been rewarded with
only partial success
Claud B. Netf, one of the leading charter
member, married Miss Lula B. Smith.
another charter member, and they now re-
side in their own home at 731 Pattle ave-
nue., this city. Mr.. Neff is boot and shoe
merchant.
Walter Wrenn and Hattie Allen, two
other members of the class were married
by Rev. W. +. Harper April l, 1888. Mr..
Wrenn resides in Kansas City, Mo.
Robert n. Glenn was for several years
clerk in the Wichita postoffice and also
railway mail clerk and is now an efficient
clerk in the postoffice at st. Joseph. Mo.
Miss Leila Neff was married to Mr.. A.
A. Miller who is now express agent at
Pratt, Kan.
Miss Lula Lee resides at 327 north Law
renee avenue this city.
Miss Addie Stenberg married Mr..
Everett Blood. She deceased about three
years since.
Walter Fulton removed to Sun City,
this state where he still resides.
There are no means of estimating the aver
age attendance during the first, second
amp third years for no record aside from
one or two lists of names were kept-very
widely different from the present complete
method of preserving the record of each
member-but it is safe to say that the
average attendance of the first year was
about fifteen or twenty, during the
second year a few more and SO
on through the years of 1856 and 1857
until the attendance was probably twenty
five.
La the spring of 1887 the teacher of the
class built a room at the corner OF the
church to the right of the pulpit which
was occupied until its dimensions were too
small for our increasing numbers, since
oh RI ba m
class room at the rear of the church, and
the infant class of our school has occupied
the room built for out accommodation.
The last two years have been marked by
the most signal success OF any III our his
tory as a class. Our numbers have IN
creased, our influence widened, and the
zeal and class patriotism of its members
has exceeded anything which our most
sanguine expectations had pictured.
Mr. J. c. South bee anne an active men,
Der of the class during the closing months
of 1887, and at at the opening
of the year 1883 he took
assistant teacher. The large and elegant
ly bouud record book was designed and its
use commenced, by which the names and
residence with date are recorded for every
person who enters the class, even If IL be
but for once. This record book was kept
with great care and correctness by Prof.
socials which had from its organization
been an element of success, were regularly
held, always attended by the teacher and
seldom without the assistant teacher.
"Our Social Features" will be more fully
treated by aBother.
The practice of giving testimonials of the
moral and Christian standing with Ger
tificate of membership in the class, to
those removing from the city, was estab-
lished in 1855, and has continued to the
present with highly beneficial and salts
factory results. Upwards of a score have
thus received this mark OF appreciation Of
their worth. The testimonial has in every
case been spread upon the class record
book.
The year 1889 opened with bright pros
poets for the class. The average of at
tendance during January was sixty-siX
larger than that of any other month IN the
history of the class. Mr.. ;. ID. Lieurance
was elected secretary and for one year has
faithfully and efficiently performed the ar
duous duties OF that Office. The members
of the class were again greeted with
beautiful printed card containing the New
Year address of their teacher, and he has
been pleased to see the favor, though per-
hapS unmerited, with which these address
es fIom year TO year have been received.
The average attendance has been fifty-four,
twenty in excess of any previous year.
As an outgrowth OF this class, young
peoples literary society was organized
October {, 1883. and has met in the class
room every Friday evening since that time.
This society sets forth the preamble to its
constitution the objects of the organiza-
tion: The improvement of its members
in public speaking, deoate, composition,
and also TO rightly develop the moral,
social, intellectual and religio1s faculties"
IL is a pronounced success IN every particu
lar. Inc average attendance upon lis
meetings is from eighty 10 one hundred.
The elegant new class photograph al
f,1rS N xny,ss-