Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-09
SOME BIG SURPRISES
Furnished by q Census of Allegheny
County Sunday Schools.
NEARLY 100000 ARE ENROLLED.
Thousands More Pupils Study Lesson Leaves
Than Text Books.
PRESBYTERIANs ARE THE LEADERS

The International Sunday School Conven-
tion, held in Pittsburg last year, is begin
ming to bear fruit. One result Is that some
surprises are in store at the second annual
meeting OF the Allegheny County Sabbath
School Association. 1t is to be held at the
Christ NJ. E. Church. Penn avenue and
Eighth street, next Thursday evening.
Ali the schools in the county are to be
represented. Each school is entitled to one
delegate, and one for each additional or
fractional part thereof of average attend
ance. Prof. j. A. Spreckles, State Field
Secretary, will also be present and deliver
an address.
On the same day at 2:30 P. M, the prim-
ary superintendents and teachers will hold
conference for primary work at which
Prof. Spreckles Will give out number of
new ideas on the subject 1t is the inten-
tion this year to pay more than usual atten-
tion to this department.
Programme of the Coming Meeting.
The meeting will be opened with de-
votional exercises. Then will follow repo rts
from the officers of the association, Execu-
tive Committee of the international conven-
tion and delegates to the State convention.
Prof. Spreckles will then address the meeting,
after which there will be conference of Sab
bath school workers. Reports OF committees
and the election of off GERS will close the work
Of the day.
Most important of all will be the report of
Corresponding Secretary Edwin s. Gray. He
has taken almost complete census of the
Sabbath School pupils in the county and the
results are surprising. 1t is the first census
ever taken in this county. At the Worlds
~
don, no one reported the number of pupils in
Allegheny county and it was believed the place
was populated with heathens. Last year.
rather than let the county 60 into the
Secretary estimated the number at
900. When the figures will be presented
next Thursday. evening they will show the
number of teachers and pupils in the Sunday
schools of Allegheny county to be q, loo. This
represents all the Protestant Sunday schools
but few German churches and the Episcopal
churches all of which refused to give any flg-
ures. Including these the number will swell
to 95 600.
Some of the Stupendous Surprises.
Taking the report by districts it is quite a
rub on Superintendent Lucky and Superin-
tendent Morrow. for there are thousands more
children i'll the Sunday schools than in the
public institutions of learning. In Pittsburg
alone every Sunday 36. 773 children sing praises
in the Sabbath schools, which is about 0.O60
more than ever look inside the public schools.
Allegheny has 26O94 pupils in her Sunday
schools, an advance of 5000 over the attend
ance at the ward schools In the county the
number is 81 2S6, or more than 10000 over the
number in public schools. These ngures do
not include the children who attend the Epis-
copal schools. There l52 Sabbath schools
ill Pittsburg and IS in Allegheny.
Taking the census represented by the
churches the Presbyrerians are away in the
lead. having 23,072 pupils The Methodist
Episcopal Church is next, with 20.967. The
mum her of pupils in the other churches are as
follows: Presbyterian Chinese IS; United Pres
byterian, Ii, ,70O Methodist Protestant, $50: Re-
formed Presbyterian. 2, l58: Reformed Presby-
terian Chinese. 70; Christian Protestant, 1913;
Baptist, $50; Evangelican Lutheran, $3.50: Re-
formed Church. lis; United Evangelical, 2,S4O;
Christian, 1855; Congregational, 1,0l9; Protest
ant Episcopal, ASS; African NJ. E., 1.2l6.
This report has been also sent to Superintend-
ent of the Census Potter, together with the
amount of money contributed by the Sunday
schools to the cause of missions.