The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-04-08
The Methodist sunday school.

AT Jne annual meeting ON Jll6 Ou0udy |
School Board of the Methodist church, |
held Monday evening of this week, the |
following officers were elected for the |
ensuing year: Superintendent, F. A. |
Greenslet; Vice-Superintendent, VIM. |
A. Austin; Lady Superintendent, Mrs. |
w. d. Newton; Assistant, Miss Katy |
Redwood; Treasurer, Andrew Maurer;
Secretary, E. B. Hurlburt; Librarian, E. |
T. Griswold; ChOrister, NJ. b. Morgan;
Organist, Miss Lula futile. 1t was |
voted to publish the following Secre-
tary's report.
TO the officers and friends Of the Metho-
dist Sunday School: Your Secretary
respectfully submits the following re-
port for the year closing April Sd, 1892.
The whole number of members en-
rolled during the year has been 1866, of
this number Al have been new scholars.
We have lost by removals and other
causes, 81, which leaves present men,
bership 800, or gain of four over last
year; of this membership 2S3 are schol-
ars and 46 are officers and teachers.
The school has met in session each of
the so Sabbaths during the year; and
while our average attendance has not
been quite so good as it was last year,
yet we feel that this is undoubtedly &C
counted for from the fact that we have
had great deal of sickness, especially
during the latter half of the year.
Our attendance began to fall off at the
latter part of September: on September
Goth, it was ia and on the following
Sunday it had dropped to 151, and re-
manned at about this figure until De-
cember 9th, when we had an attendance
of 1871. During this time our children
and parents were waging a defensive
warfare with the measles. From De-
cember 9th, to January 3lst, we had a
very good attendance. Through Febru-
airy and March we witnessed the ravages
of scarlet fever, which resulted in the
closing of our public school and played
great havoc with our attendance at Sun
day school, completely annihilating
some of our classes, for the time being;
reducing our attendance on March goth,
to SO which is the smallest attendance
in four years. The average attendance
for the year has been 16l against III for
last year. The largest attendance during
the year was POS on June 18th, and also
August 10th. Those who have been
most faithful in their attendance are
Miss Eliza Puffer, Miss Jennie Venable
and Earl Hurlburt who have not been
| absent during the year; also our pastor
among us. Miss Sophia Maurer and Miss
Drucilla DaRin have been absent but
once during the year.
With the falling off of our attendance
there has also been some shrinkage in
the amount of money raised by the
school. The amount raised by penny
! collections has been SlS4.55, by Mission
airy collections, S63.52, from other
sources, 1920 making the total amount
raised S290.27 against $327.S5 raised last
year. The class raising the largest
amount by penny collections is Mr.. Col
lins's the amount being 5000. The
pastors class raised the largest amount
for missions, the amount being Sl1.09
and considering both the penny and
missionary collections his class raised
S32.53, which is the largest amount
raised by any class in school, We have
contributed $50 to the church expenses
and have also spent about $50 in replen-
ishing our library and issuing new
catalogue for it. The school is sub
scriber for 265 Berean Lesson Quarter
lies, 81 Teachers Journals, which is a
gain of five over last year, - Youths
Temperance Banners, 40 Sunday School
Advocates which is gain of three over
last year, 40 Dew Drops and one leaf
cluster. In addition to the above we
have subscribed, at their expense, for
40 Lesson Quarterlies for the Chapel
Sunday School.
Our Children's Day, June 18th, was OBJ
served as has been our usual custom.
The church was beautifully trimmed
with flowers, evergreen and Canary
birds. In the morning the Rev. A. ID.
HeaXt addressed very profitable SER
mon to the children and young people,
his text being l. Timothy. ", 8,
| Goodness is profitable unto all things,
| having the promise of the life that now
is, and that which is to Gomez The
evening was devoted to Sunday School
exercise called the Pearl CATERERS,
which represented Christ as being the
only true Pearl of great price.
Owing to the great celebration, COM
memorating the one-hundreth annivers-
airy of Vermont admission to Statehood,
and also the dedication of the Benning
ton Battle Monument, the preparation
| for which absorbed all the time and atten-
| ton of both old and young, it was thought
unadvisable to undertake an excursion
or pleasure day for the school. Indeed
we were all too full of patriotism to de-
vote any time to pleasure seeking; and
as Sunday, August 10th, was the one
hundred and fourteenth anniversary OF
the Battle of Bennington, it seemed just
and proper that we should commemorate
the day with patriotic religious OBJ
servance. Accordingly the church was
draped and decked with the Stars and
Stripes; also life-sized portrait of Cen
eral Washington occupied a conspicuous
place over the platform. In the morn
ing we listened to grand and inspiring
sermon by our pastor, the text being
found in Joshua, ". 21st. to oath.
verses. The evening was periodically
observed with singing and Rotations by
members of our School.
| Christmas came in its happy way with
Peace and Good Will to ALL We celebrat
ed it with a Christmas cantata, called
the Trial of Santa Claus, which was pre-
scented in Library hall, Saturday evening,
December Goth. 1t Melted the school a
a profit of S32 and joyful time.
Now as we look back over the year,
with its gains and losses, considering
what we have cOntended against it
seems as though we should take courage
and press on with grateful hearts and
above all we should feel thankful to God
that he has been pleased to deal with us
so mercifully, for so far as is known we
have had but one death among the men,
| beers of our school.
Respectfully submit tied,
Charles b. Wall, jr., Secretary.