The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-12-14
IDEAS ON SUNDAY-SCHOOL
Conference of Leading Workers OF In
diana and Illinois Yesterday.
Free Interchange of Thought and Suggestion
for Betterment of the Work-NOt
Large Attendance.

The district conference Of Sunday-echool
workers, under the auspices of the Indiana
~sunday-school Union. was held yesterday
morni. y afternoon and night at
the Fin Baptist Church. b rep
resentation extended largely over
this State and Illinois. and
the meeting was Of q very interesting and
instructive character, under the direction
of the Rev. DR.. VIM. F. Reynolds, nuperin-
tendent OF the organization for the Inter
national Sunday-school committee. The
Rev. Nm. NJ. Bell, editor OF the Indiana
Sundsy-sohool Union. presided.
Home and house visitations, as connected
with the work, were discussed upon
the theory that absent scholars should
be looked efter even more closely than
new ones. and q number of plans were sug-
gested for the regulation of the attend
snce. 1t was decided that Christmas en-
tertainments, etc.. should be conducted on
the benevolent line. and contributors were
not to expect a personal return for the
amounts they gave for the Christmas
cheer of the poor. A great many
short speeches were made concerning
the time of day Sunday schools should be
held. Adversely of opinion led to the con-
clusion that the expedience of the condi-
tlons and circumstances surrounding the
members of the school should decide the
time.
DR.. Taylor talked about the relation of
Bible study to the power and useful
ness OF the Church. The mere trans
lation of the holy text, without infusing
the spirit of Christ into IL, was
comparatively worthless. All life should
ha romnarad nv an aaeanfa0 standard thar
hould tend toward its elevation. The
standard or Christ was the only one. me
university extension lectures were called
"fads," and were not the word OF God
when religious subjects were treated.
They were disconrsging Institutions and
should not be accepted on he's Sabbath day
instead of ermons.
DIR. Rondthaler explained the duties of
Sunday school teachers, and omment
on the classification of scholars. DIR. Rey-
nolds informed the conference that the on
~ way to get competent teachers for the
classes was to educate them In the work.
tuted all over the State of Illinois which
had resulted d~esirably. Illinois Sunday
schools had more teachers than they
needed, and the best teachers in the United
States- The normal training class idea was
Endorsed By the entire conference
The cooperation in Sunday-school work.
State. district. county and town
ship organizations, it's benefits,
objects and methods was discussed briefly
by DE-. Halnes. Professor Johnston. late of
Lagrange, Mo-, remarked on the growth
of the work IN that State, and as q resi-
dent of this city Dr.. Haines claimed his
services. Rev. j. A. Pollock. president OF
the Marion County Sunday school Associa-
tion, talked about the admission of chill
dren into the church at an early time OF
life. some objections were urged 70 the
ideas Of many parents TO the effect that .
child ahnnlh raach NATIVITY hafora ~ ennIA
be converted.
Last night the Rev. William Reynolds
made q strong argument for the work of
the internatiopal union. There were but
q few present. as Mr.. Reynolds - one Of
the national organizers his knowledge of
6undsy-school work In the United States
was abundant. In this he said,
were 10000 evangelical Sunday-school su-
perlntendents, 1905 600 teachers and To-
100000 youths being instructed. Only two
or three of these suporintendents
received Day for their work. "Superln-
tsndents of large Sunday-schools," said Mr..
Reynolds. must be paid in the future. 1t
ts only right that they should be when
their work requires nearly all their time.
If these teachers who do voluntary work
were paid 81 per week 1t would q &c.,
0O0.oO o a year to pay them. and al this
labor is done free of charge. The great
question that confronts Sunday-school
workers of to-day il that of better teach
ers, and the only way to get them is to edu-
cate them. LII the world is ever evangelical
IL must be through their agency, for you
can't plant o Sunday-school anywhere
but that in time q church grows
ont of it There is no work spreading and
progressing like Sundsy-school work. We
hare drawn multitud es of Catholic
children to us through 1t, ana the Catholic
Church Is now driven to the Institution of
such q church auxiliary itself. All it re-
quires to start q Sundsy-school is q few
Bibles and c6nsecrated hearts. The ques-
&t1n Of anreaaaful 2nn Aau-achnnta 40 ~
vital Importance to this government A
few weeks before the last cleo
ton i was talking to the editor
OF q powerful New York daily newspaper.
York politicians OF national fame in his
office. They asked me about ILLINOIS and
the prospects in my state. i said the pros
poets were good-that we had thousands
of Sunday. schools in Illinois. 20 but W.
were speaking politicallyv they said. and i
told them that i was speaking politically
also. They saw the lpoint, for
they were politicians! If this
country is saved from disaster. its morals
must do the work! The cities. we all know,
are governing us. Who has not found it
Quit Why did Illinois swing round in the
last election as she didf p1l tell You why
1t was because eight thousand saloons In
Chicago, each or which controls no less
The came spectacle of moral depravity was
presented by New York and Brooklyn.
The churches OF every denomination all
over this land are working up TO the in
fuence of the Sunday-schools and still
there is not between the two institutions
the desired cooperation. There is not any
institution in the United States to-day in
creasing like the Sunday-school institution.
Even the whisky men are following their
plan of organization and are holding con-
ventions. The whisky men OF Peoria held
one the other day. and on tho next day
the undertakers convened and organized.
There never had been q church or Sunday
school In Hamilton county. Illinois. fol-
fifty years until i organized one there in
1861. AZ that time tha Jail was full and
over fifty people chained on the out
side. Seven years after, five church
steeples were seen in tho county.
seat, and not o saloon existed.
No saloon has been there for twenty years.
Shoals. Ind, never had q church or o Sun
day-school in it, In conclusion DIR. Key