Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-24
FROM EVERY STATE.
Delegates Arriving by Hundreds to
Attend the International
SABBATH SCHOOL CONVENTION.
A Legislative Body Representing Ten
Million Pupils.
LAST EVENINGS INFORMAL MEETING

| night, delegates to the Sixth international
Sunday School Convention of the United
States and Canada were arriving in this
city. Chairman Essig, of the Reception
Committee, and his corps of assistants and
clerks, were kept busy all day assigning
visitors to their quarters, and were COM
PEELED to work all night to complete their
arrangements. Betweed 400 and 800 dele
gates haye already arrived, among them
several ladies, and 700 or 800 more are ex-
pected to-day. The delegates come from all
parts Of North America, every State and
Territory being represented, and all the
British provinces, including Prince Edwards
Island and New Brunswick, with the posi-
BILE exception OF Manitoba.
This convention is the most important
ever held in Pittsburg. The delegates rep
resent 112,S9 Sunday schools, with LIS
3o1 teachers and 9,149. 997 scholars. ALLIE
gheny county's quota in this, as will be
shown by report to be presented at to-day's
session, will be 338 schools, with T. ,329 teach
ers and officers and 68, 81 scholars.
ADJOURNED COURT TO COME.
Judge Estes, of Georgia. is delegate.
When Sabbath school convention is to be
held he promptly adjourns court that he
may be present. Among the visitors are
native commissioners from Assyria and
| India.
President William Reynolds. of Peoria, Ill.
| In speaking last evening of the objects of the
convention, said: "The International Sunday
School Convention represents every Evangelical
Protestant denomination in the United States
and Territories and British Provinces. Its
object is three-fold. First, for the promotion
and increase of Sunday school work until we
reach every child in the vast territory repre-
sented. Second to improve the quality of the
Sunday school and to suggest and devise new
and better methods of reaching and teaching
| the children; and. third, to furnish the world
done by committee of "A appointed every
seven years, and meeting annually. The pres
ent committees term expires next year and a
new committee will be elected at this session.
The lessons are selected two years ahead. The
present committee to-day completed the selec-
tion OF the lessons for 1892. These will be sent
to the different denominational publishing
houses. The committee simply selects the
lessons making no comments thereon. That
is done by each denomination.
BASIS OF REPRESENTATION.
'These international conventions are held
every three years, the delegates being elected
at State conventions held annually The dele
gates to the State conventions are chosen by
county conventions The basis of representa-
ton in the United States is four for each Presi-
dental elector delegate. That gives Pennsyl-
vania 12O and New York IA delegates. About
the same ratio is given in Canada. We expect
from LOO to l,500 delegates, and they are now
coming in very rapidly"
The convention is to be held in Machinery
Hall, at the Exposition. The hall is hand
somely decorated the stage having back.
ground of plants and flowers, a chart showing
bymea Of gilt stars the progress OF Sunday
school work in North America, and an Ameri-
can flag The latter has little history. Last
year the delegates from this country to the
Worlds Sunday School Convention in London
chartered the steamer Bothnia to transport
them. Before their departure the city of Bos-
ton presented them with this flag, and it had a
conspicuous place at the Worlds Convention.
A reunion of the Bothnia's passengers will be
held in this city on Wednesday or Thursday
evening
The hall seats S, ZOO persons comfortably and
its acoustic properties are perfect. One of the
hall Sunday school convention had ever
met in.
York. will lead the singing and on Thursday
and Friday Mr.. Excel, of Chicago. will WELD
the baton. A cornet, piano and organ will
assist
THE FIRST MEETING.
An informal meeting, conducted by President
Reynolds, was held In the hall last evening TO
allow of such delegates as had arrived be-
coming acquainted with each other, and 800
persons were in attendance. By blunder the
doors for the admission of the public were
closed, and, before the oversight was discov-
cred, a great number had been turned away.
Rev. DR.. De Witt, of Tennessee, made a brief
speech in which he commented upon the great
work on behalf of God and for the rescue of
man that lay before the convention, saying
everyone should give his heart and hand to the
work.
Rev. Dr. Potts, of Toronto, Canada, sug-
gested that the exercises should be mainly de-
votional as preparatory to the work that is
coming. 1t was great work and there was no
irfa at N Ia
labor OF Sunday school instruction. As to its
Importance, he said that S3 per cent of the in
creased membership of all branches of the
church of Christ comes from the Sunday
schools, and 1t soon will be 95 per cent What
is wanted in the convention is for all to go
back to their fields of labor with baptism for
work.
Judge Estes, of Georgia, spoke of the good
effects of the convention held in Atlanta, Ga,
ID years ago which was beneficial throughout
the State. and of the good he hoped would
come from this one.
B. f. Jacobs, OF Chicago, Secretary of the
convention, also made few remarks on the
and the great work they had on hand, and Its
extreme Importance to the whole people of
North America.
THIS MORNINGS SESSION.
At g o'clock this morning the devotional ex-
ercises will begin At $50 the call will be read,
then the enrolment of delegates and the ap-
pointment of committees, and the work will
have commenced. Twelve sessions will be
held, morning, afternoon and night, for four
days, concluding Friday evening.
Williamsburg is doing its share of entertain
ing the delegates and visitors to the Inter-
national Sunday School Convention. Sixteen
are the guests of members of the Presbyterian
Church. Rev. Core, of the Methodist Church,
has one. and two or three others are quartered
with different families of the borough.
TOM AND HIS TEACHER u