The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-20
THE CITY'SSUNDAYSCHOOLS
4 Mass Meeting Of All The Schools at
the Independent Church.

the Independent Church.
The First Meeting Since the Organiza-
ton of the Chatham County Sunday
School Association-A Talk on Sun
day School Statistics by Rev. C. z.
Dowman-John Wesley the Founder
| of the First Sunday SchooI-Rev. E.
L. Parks Address on Sunday School
Work.
The Chatham County Sunday School
Association held its first mass meeting
last night since its organization, at Yves
ley Monumental church, last February.
The mass meeting was held in the In
dependent Presbyterian church The
Trinity, Wesley, Marvin, Grace, hide
pendent Presbyterian, First Presby-
terrain, Christian, Baptist, Duffy Street
Baptist and Anderson Street Presby-
terrain Sunday schools were well repre-
scented, each school assembling at its own
church room and marching in body to
the place of meeting.
The Independent church was crowded
with Sunday school children and Sunday
ing the work in Chatham county.
After the song, Onward, Christian
Soldiers, " by the schools and prayer by
DR.. Dlipps, Rev w. +. Smith of
Grace church read the sixth chap
ter of Deuteronomy. The singing
of the schools was one of the
most interesting features OF the meeting.
The songs chosen were admirably adapted
to Sunday school work, and the music
was led by Prof. Smith.
SUNDAY SCHOOL STATISTICS.
Rev. DR. G. f. Dowman's address came
right in the line of the work which is
being done by the association. His sub
jec5 dealt with the statistics of the Sun
day schools in Chatham county, especi-
ally In comparison with the statistics of
attendance on the public schools.
He showed that there were in round
nun bers about 1920 children in Chatham
county who regularly attended the Sun
day schools. Comparing these
figures with the number in attendance in
the public schools he showed that there
are more than :, 800 children Of school age
in the county who attend no Sunday
school OF those who attend, he said,
only one-third were boys while two
thirds were girls. These $500. he said
ought to be in the Sunday schools, and it
was the main object of the association to
push forward the work of getting them
all to attend.
THE FIRST SUNDAY SCHOOL.
During the course of his address DR.
bowman referred TO very interesting
bit of history in connection with
Christian work in Chatham county
1t was the fact that the first Sunday
school in the world was founded here in
Savannah about 1886, over $50 years ago.
The work was started by John Wesley
who, when he was in Savannah used to
gather the children together every Sun
day afternoon and held such religious
exercises as would interest and instruct
them. This was the beginning Of Sun
day school work. 1t was not taken up in
England until nearly fifty years later,
when Robert Raikes, by his arduous
work, was credited with being the founder
OF Sunday schools, but the
seeds sown by John Yves
ley gradually spread over the
scarcely a village chnrch but what has
its Sunday school.
REV. E. l.. PARKS ADDRESS.
After the song 80, Where Are the
Reapers, - Rev. e. L. Park of Atlanta was
presented and made stirring address on
Sunday schools as a means of advancing
the cause of Christ.
He referred to the work of the associa-
ton and said that all the energies of the
Sunday school workers in the county
should be directed toward bringing into the
Sunday schools those in the country who
had not had the advantages of Sunday
school training.
The institutions of country, he said,
determined the perpetuity of its civiliza-
ton, and among these the Sunday schools
in our nation stood in the front rank.
They were the schools, he said, where
Christian training began, and they led
the scholar up to a religious life. They
were educational institutions and covered
a field of work more important, even,
than the secular schools. The education
OF soul and intellect were both important,
and while neither should be neglected
that of the soul should be con Sidered above
all else He made a strong address APP
pealing to the Sunday school workers to
exert all their efforts for the advance
ment of the cause in Cha than county.
THE FIRST MASS MEETING.
This is the first mass meeting of all the
Sunday schools that has been held in the
county. Meetings of the association, that
is of the Sunday school workers of the
county, are to be held quarterly, with Oc-
casional mass meetings of all the Sunday
schools as that of last night. The
objects of the association are to
bring the Sunday schools of Chatham
county into closer harmony and to culti-
vate cooperative relations between them
Their main endeavor win be to get all the
children Of the county into Sunday
schools for the purpose of giving them
that training and instruction in religious
matters that is essential to the well-being
of a Christian community.
a MEpz rrnrr rr,zrv smonv