Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-10-21
SUNDAY SCHOOL WORKERS
Meet in Convention at BrattIeboro.

vices and Listen 10 strong Addresses
by Noted Workers---Some of the SUBJ
jects Treated.
The state Sabbath school convention
has been held this week with the Brat
tleboro churches, and a large attendance,
good music, speakers of widely acknowl-
edged ability, practical and helpful sug-
| gestions and manifest enthusiasm have
! combined to make it an occasion of unus-
ual interest and profit. The weather has
| been favorable, except for a slight shower
/ on Wednesday morning. Though the
! colors i'm natures autumn gown were be
| ginning to grow slightly dimmed they were
| vet bright enough to make BrattlebOrO and
! its surroundings charming picture and
To call forth from visitors many praises.
In the report which follows will be found
an outline of the proceedings and sugges-
tons of the lines of thought touched upon,
up to Thursday mornings session, which
is all our time and space will permit this
week. The convention closed with this
mornings session, which was continued
somewhat beyond the time set, so as to in
clude the afternoon numbers and close in
time for delegates to make the afternoon
trains
The opening session of the oath annual
convention Of the state Sabbath school
association of Vermont was held Tuesday
evening i'm the Baptist church. The
audience room was prettily decorated with
evergreen and laurel. brilliant autumn
leaves and cut flowers and the notices,
" Vermont for Christ and More and
better work for Jesus appeared prom-
nenty. About $50 delegates had already
registered, and the tOwnspeople came out
in sufficient numbers to fill to the last seat
the floor and first gallery of the church.
After delightful song service of half an
hour, led by l.. w. Hawley, the president,
Rev. l.. O. Shcrburne Of Enosburgh Falls
opened the exercises of the evening by the
reading of Scripture. telegram was read
from Rev. T. J. Nillers of Gloucester,
Mass. saving that because Of wreck on
the Fitchburg railroad he would be unable
to reach Brattleboro until 10 o'clock, and
VIM Reynolds, Esq, of Peoria, ILL.,, an
enthusiastic Sunday school worker who is
associated with the International COM
mittee. was introduced in his stead.
He spoke Of the rare privilege Of living
in this country. the grandest in the world,
and in this age, when mans life counts
for so much more than at any time before
in all history. one of the encouraging
signs of the day, he said, was the endeavor-
ing of the young people Of the land to make
their lives successful as God counts success
and the unsurpassed opportunities for
reaching people, especially the young men
Various powers and forces are reaching
out to control and mark out the future Of
the country, but the power is in the hand
of the Sunday schools, which have the
youth of the country in the molding period
upon whom to impress the principles and
religion Of Jesus Christ. Each Sunday
of .bi brpnu1t
under these influences and taught that the
chief thing in life is to Gorify God sun
day school work is the most important
agency i'm the hands of the church, and the
church realizes the advantages of it, more
than three-fOurths of the additions to the
churches i'm 1890 being through the sun
day school. But there is another side to
this question With the 10000. 900 in our
SUNDAY schools there are over 100000
outside of religious influences. Some of
them are in Vermont, and that is what
this gathering means. The fact that there
, are 40 per cent to be reached is worthy the
best thought of the people of the state, and
the need is Tor personal, house-to-house
work to accomplish it,
After singing Rev. DR.. f. Russell of
New York was introduced and delivered
, an address of wonderful vigor and force.
: He is an orator of eloquence Of language
and rare eNpreSsycucss Of face and gesture
3 and held the closest attention of his listen
! ers. His subject was THE religious con-
dition Of communities and followed APP
] propriately and tremendously upon the re-
/ marks Of Mr.. Reynolds. one of the APP
/ e. pallng things i'm the consideration Of this
r question. he said, is the wide separation
r which exists between the two classes. those
who have Christ and those who were with
/ out, a separation which is not paralleled
e in the social in educational, or in political
, relations of men; and another Is the vast
a numbers to he reached. Dangers that
n threaten both church and state were de-
I lineated and the need OF alertness on the
4 part of the church and Sunday school tC
hunt them down and build up right senti-
B., ments on all questions was strongly empha-
! | sized. To effectually reach these great
y numbers systematic, united work in every
city and town must be done, the power OF
i personal touch and acquaintance being the
5 strongest instrument in the hand of the
church. Great stress was laid upon the eff
e fectiveness of wisely directed, tactful ter
p rltoral work to accomplish the ends aimed
n at. The advantage of the greater friendi
p ness and unity of different denomination,
t is Unreasonable in this work of reaching
and drawing in through personal effOr
n all those who are now outside. TIL,
y churches must go in solid phalanx agains
d a common foe and for a common cause
Y The action of churches in his own cit,
h in Withdrawing more and more from tn,
d parts of the city where the multitudes es
Il pecially need the lives and help of Christ
n ian people and crowdfng together in tn
o better sections, was deeply deplOred. Tn
l. same compassion which Christ showed t.
3 the multitudes that gathered about hin
d and the system in the work which shall
II bring Christian people into personal contac
Il with every needy soul We're urged. In
Re stances of beautiful charities of this sor
:; in his own observation and the inevitabl
y good results were given. The address
bristled with valuable points and was O
II deep interest to the audience.
II At the conclusion of the address tn
/ benediction was pronounced by Rev. MI
n Ramsey of Royalton and the servic
d closed.
|, On Wednesday morning the session
sr were resumed, opening at $50 with
It prayer service. The Congregational au
III dience room was handsomely trimme
he about the platform and choir rail. Tn
l. addresses of welcome by Rev. A. II. Web
Id of the Methodist church, and Rev. f. j
Parry of the Baptist church were happ
n in their expressions and cordial in the we
IL come extended to the visitors on behalf {
N all Brattleboro. A fitting response wa
Iy made by President Sherburne.