The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-07-10
B. F. JACOBS.

mediately after it the second worlds
Sunday school convention will meet and
sit till Sept. 6, and about the same time
an informal convention will be held of
the international field workers in the
Sunday school line. Of these three the
first is the historic and important one,
and among it's promoters are many of
the most noted religious educators in the
world.
The numbers given above are but
round ESTIMATE from the known growth
of the Sunday schools, but in exact fig
ures the last report showed 2,051 ,679
teachers and 19,026, 918 scholars, a grand
total Of 2o,07S, 505, of whom but few
less than one-half. or $500, All, are in the
United States. Add the $50, 800 in Can
ada, and it will be seen that considerably
more than half Of all the Sunday school
attendants Of the world are in English
speaking North America. In Great Brit
ain and Ireland are 1890, 6s5 more, and
every other country is SO far behind that
it is not in it for comparison.
In truth, the Sunday school was from
the start and still is an English-American
institution, ard whether it be decided
that the great iberality Of thought and
progressive energy of this great race, this
two nationed race, so to speak, be the
cause or the result of Sunday schools, or
that each promotes the other, the fact is
equally suggestive and instructive Ger
many comes next with 431 1881, then
Sweden with 238, 082, Holland with 1877
676 and Switzerland with s9,459, after
which the numbers fall off with surpris-
ing suddenness. In all Austria there are
but 1881, in all Russia but 6,465 and in
all Spain but s,400. Yet it is pleasant
surprise to read that Mexico and Central
America contain 1863, 900 Sunday school
attendants and South America 153, 0O0
Wherever English is the language the
Sunday school is established as soon as
a colony has children enough to form a
class, and next in this line are the speak.
ers of German, Dutch and the Scandi.
navian tongues. Even farof Australia,
so recently great country that old peo-
pie still think of it as Botany Bay, the
land of exile for criminals, has 457 1923
teachers and scholars, while little New
Zealand, but yesterday the home of the
wild Maori. has 109,872 Hawaii-Nei
Official name of the Sandwich Islands)
has II, 1853 and the English islands gener-
ally 10000.
/ 1t should be noted that many sections
are omitted. Very few Catholic churches
sent in any returns, and large part Of
the Episcopal schools are not included,
as they are given differeAt name. So
it is believed that the total Of teachers
and pupils in the world exceeds 22,000.-
900. Still more remarkable is the fact
that of the 19o,575 places of meeting re-
ported the United States alone has 1885,
939, or nearly three-ffths Of all in the
world, as in this country generally the
churches are used and room is abundant,
while elsewhere the schools are often
held in immense halls. In st. Louis are
64,337 teachers and pupils by the last
report, and these will consider the del
egates as their guests and the guests of
the city.
st. Louis has devised and maintains in
great activity an original system of house
to house visitation in connection with
her Sunday school work. Her Sunday
School union and the Missouri State as
ISOLATION are making thorough prepare
tons to receive and entertain the visit