Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-28
A NOBLE INSTITUTION.
What the Sunday School Accom-
plishes for the Worlds Good.
REMARKABLY SUCCESSFUL WORK
Performed in the Few Years Since the
Schools We're organized.
GLEAN1NGs FROM CHURCH FIELDS

The late John Bright once said in an ad-
dress to Sunday School Convention In
London that the Sunday schools of Great
Britain had done more to promote the true
interests of the nation than all other lnstltu-
tions. Gall your statesmen and philoso-
piers" said he, shave not done so great
work in strengthening the foundations on
which our nation rests as the Sunday school
teachers, who mold and shape the senti-
ments Of the youth.
We do not claim to quote the exact
language of the Birmingham statesman, but
this was the sentiment to which he gave
utterance generation ago, and the utter
ance of the great orator made an impression
on one memory which will stay while life
and being last, though an en<ire generation
has passed away since it was made.
Since John Bright made that declaration tn ere
have been multitude of events connrmihg LIS us
views. Sunday schools. which are a ntt.e
more than century old. have had tnelr e.ea1 e.
est growth in the past quarter OF ceneIiy.
There are people now living who can remember
when this institution was looked on with sus-
picion by orthodox churchmen- our granu-
fathers were very slow to fall in with tne loea
of Robert Raikes. and it is within the memory N1
of the writer when orthodox churches OF ibis
vicinity looked with distrust on the SUNDAY
school. The International Sunday School
Convention held in this city this week was one
of the great religious events OF the year;
Representatives from all parts of the land and
from the British provinces were here TO testl1y
to the grandeur of the work laid upon the sun
day schools. The daily papers have furnisneo
full details of the conventions work from DAY
to day, and 1t remains only to gather up some
of the fragments, and give the general i'm
pressions made by this convention OF Chr1stlan
. n aro hQ
workers meet to mature plans and map OUT
their work.
The convention this week was the sixth tri-
ennial convention. The last was held in chi
cago in June, 1887. Since that meeting there
has been wonderful progress In the work, and
all hands concede that the Pittsburg meeting
has been the best
SOME INTERESTING STATISTICS.
In the statistical report of Secretary e. Pay
son Porter it was developed that Pennsylvania
stands first In the enrolment of Sunday school
workers and scholars, though New York is
close second. The total for Pennsylvania is
LOSS, ,OS3 and for New York. 1,0S76H. Ohio
stands third on the list with .58S, and Il9ois
fourth with $50, 756. Pennsylvania and New
York alone pass the million line in the number
of Sunday school scholars and workers. The
total Sunday school membership of the United
States is 9,786, AS. 1t is pleasant to know that
in this enrolment Pennsylvania leads. Ihe
total Sunday school enrolment Of the world IL
19, 7l57S1.
The earnestness and enthusiasm of the Sun
day school workers could hardly fail to make
an impression upon the visitor. Enthusiasm
was In the air. The impression was at once
made that these men and women who repre-
sented tho Sunday school cause OF North
America were deeply in earnest. There were
in round numbers 1000 delegates, representing
every section of the United States from Maine
to California and all parts of the American
British provinces. 1t goes without saying that
A., I.oe% H., fr,f n
school, and the 1900 delegates to the Inter
national Convention, no doubt, were
among the foremost in this great
work. While there was disappointment
DR.. John Hall, of Georgia; Hon. E. II. Blake,
of the Canadian Parliament and General
Clinton Fisk, of New Jersey, there was goodly
number of representative Sunday school
workers who did not fail to keep up the interest
of the meetings from day to day. Bishop Vim
cent, B. T. Jacobs, of Chicago; ex.President
William Reynolds, Prof. Harper, OF Connectl-
and wife, did not fail to do their part in keep
ing up the enthusiasm of the convention. All
who were permitted to hear the address OF Miss
Lucy Wheeler, of Boston, on Thursday night, as
the best way to teach children, speak in glow
ing terms of the effort. Another, Miss Mabel
Hall, of Chicago, captured her audience on the
same evening.
THE FRATERNAL SPIRIT
of the convention was another notable feature.
All the leading Protestant denominations were
represented The election of an ex-Confeder-
ate officer from Alabama. and the stirring ap-
peal of the South Carolina colored bishop on
the first day of the convention showed that
brethren from all sections of the land were
ready to dwell together in unity. That the
| colored brother and the ex-Confederate should
shake hands in city where quarter of CEN
ture ago implements of war were manufactured
for the purpose of destroying the erring South
| hrath thraO c nf
| May we not hope that in the next quar-
| ter of century the great denominations
| represented in this Sunday School Convention
| will find it best to come together against the
| common enemy, and under the great Captains
| banner. With the same progress toward
| Christian union the next 25 years as the past
| the denominations represented in this Inter
| national Sunday School Convention will be one
| church.
The members who represented the different
! churches can hardly fail to consider the posi-
| bilty and advantage of great Protestant
| church, which shall stand for the great essen.
| tial truths of our common Christianity