Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-03-24
LESSONS FOR 10000. 900

LESSONS FOR 40, 900, 900
The Berean System and the Men Wht
Fix the Subjects.
The twelve men in whose hands til,
task of virtually fixing the subject.
for the lessons Of 20, 900. 900 Sunday
school attendants held meetings il
Philadelphia last week.
There are fifteen men ON the Inter.
national Lesson Committee, of whom
three were absent. Rev. DIR. ]. H
Vincent is chairman. lie is Bishor
of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
and is famous wherever the name
Chautauqua is known, for he is the
father of the Chautauqua work Of ed
ucation. The secretary of the com
mittee, Rev. DIR. Warren Randols, is
pastor of Baptist church in Newport,
R. l. He has been secretary of the
Lesson Committee from its inception
Rev. DR.. John Hall. of New York, is
the head of the Fifth Avenue Presby-
terrain Church, one of the wealthiest
and most influential to the great me
tropolis.
The only member Of the committee
present from outside the United States
was Rev. DR.. John Potts, who is gen.
eral secretary of the Victoria Univer-
sity at Toronto. He is a Methodist
and an earnest and brainy man. BIZ.
Jacobs, the chairman of the Interna-
tional Executive Committee, is bus
mess man of Chicago and he, as we'll
as DR.. Hall, has been connected with
the work since its start. Hon. S. II.
Blake, the other Canada member, is a
Church of England man and holds
the office of Queens Councillor, cor
responding to that of United States
Attorney in this country. He is one
of Canada's most prominent lawyers.
Rev. DR.. NJ. ID. Hoge is a Presbyte-
rian and is located at Richmond, Va,
where he has been pastor Of church
for forty years.
The Massachusetts member of the
co,,,,p ittaa &c u AZ, ~ L n,,..,;..x-
of Boston. He is Congregationalist
and edits the paper of that name
Professor ]. Id. Hines is from Leban
on, Tenn, and is on the faculty OF
Cumberland Presbyterian College.
Rev. DR.. ]. S. Stair is also a college
professor. His home is Lancaster
Pa, and he teaches in Franklin and
Marshall. Rev. DR.. John A. Broadus
is president of the Baptist Theological
Seminary at Louisville, Ky. Rev. Dr..
B. B. Tyler represents the Church Of
the Disciples and has charge of New
York congregation. Rev. H. Louis
Baugher is member of the German
Reformed denomination and is a pro-
lessor i'll Pennsylvania College at Get
tysburg. Rev. DIR. D. Berger comes
from Dayton, O., and is minister Of
the United Brethren Church.
The Importance of the work which
these men did may be seen from the
the fact that of the %, sos, 66I Sunday
school scholars and teachers in Evan
gelic churches in the world, about 20,
900, 900 use the lesson recommended
by the committee The work was be-
gun practically in Chicago; there was
much opposition to the efforts of the
men from that city who labored to Sc
cure its wider adoption, but they kept
up the agitation for the uniform les
son and National Uniformity" was
much discussed, one opponent trying
to kill it by calling it National Mo
notony" 1t was better liked the
more it was discussed and when the
Convention of Sunday School Work
ers met in Indianapolis, in 1879, the
first Lesson Committee was appointed
and the work has progressed ever
since. A new series of lessons to go
through the Bible in six years began
with 1894, and is now in progress.
Professor Dwight, of Yale College;
Professor M. B. Ride,l, of Allegheny
College; Professor Willis N. Beecher,
of Auburn Theological Seminary; Dr.
Alexandria MacLaren, Canon Tristrani
and other scholars contribute every
week some explanation or comment
upon the lessons.
Professor F. K. Sanders, of Yale, rep
resented the Institute of Sacred Liter
ature, and he favored the addition of
lines of study which would prove
worthy Of the efforts of the most adj
vanced theological students.
Rev. DR.. Z. w Rice was at the meet
ing in the interest OF the American
S, n lay School Union, and Mrs. Mary G..
Kennedy, of Philadelphia, Mrs. w. +.
Graft, Of Pittsburg and Mrs. J. w. Os-
trander, of New York, represented the
international Primary Teachers I'm
ion. They suggested the substitution
of separate lessons of more element
airy kind for primary classes.
Between the extremes of the views
of tie Teachers Union and the Insti-
tute OF Sacred Literature, there were
all grades of opinion aud no two cor
respondents or visitors agreed entire
ly as to the proposed notifications.
A fair hearing was given to them all
however, and then they began the
work Of selecting lessons for the year
1896, those for 1895 having already
been decided on and made public.
This meeting had special signifi-
ance, because all restraints which have
before this been put upon the work OF
the committee, as to the amount oil
time taken in covering the Bible and
the character and size of the Scrin.