Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1895-09-13
Sunday. School Picnic at Nendon.

ward to that day with great expec-
tations. About $50 o'clock the
teams commenced to drive into Men
don. and at 1890 the First NJ. Z
church was surrounded by merry
pncourse of people. Here you could
See the white-haire6 father and
mother, who, although on the west
&n slope OF life, were happy as they
boxed into the faces OF the young
folks. and remembered years ago
yhsn they, too, were young. There
dbuld alec be seen the young mother
Who tenderly looked after her child.
Then there was "the young Ameri-
can" In ths true sense OF the word,
not boisterous, but, like the bird just
let out OF the cage, all ready for any
thing that might come along.
At 1O:45 the caravan began to
move south to the picnic grounds in
c. II. Whittall's beautiful pasture.
In about half an hour there was
some 400 people on the grounds.
At IL O'Clock the Mendon Sunday
school OF the NJ. E. church, followed
by representatives from Newcomer
and Zion schools, all joined in sing
ing that grand hymn ''Blest Be the
Tie that Binds" after which a fer
vent prayer Was offered by Rev. j.
NJ. Settle, OF Triplett, followed by
song. Then came q soul-stirring
speech by Mr.. w. r. McGrsw. His
theme was: "The Sunday-school OF
the Past" The speaker went back
to bis boyhood days and related
what he went through in order to
attend Sundsy-schooI. SIN my
day." said he, Eve had no shoes to
wear to Sunday-school, we only had
one pair OF shoes a year and il We
wore them out we were obliged to go
bare-footed. We had no lesson
leaves as we now have. We commit
ted Bible verses to memory, and az
ter recelving a number OF cards we
would get a little Testament. In
my day we only had the Bible and
Testament" The speaker told how
he left his Testament out on the
fence one night, and in the night it
rained and next dag he had the larg-
est Bible in the neighborhood-his
little Testament had got soaked by
rain and swollen. Mr.. McGrew said:
ave have young men now who nde
around more on one Sunday than
we were allowed to ride in a year" |"
He closed his remarks by exhortipg
the young mea not to drink whiskey,
not to use tobacco and not to use
profans language, but TO follow their
mothers God. His speech was well
calculated to reach the hearts OF all.
Next came a song by a class OF
young girls and boys, of Zion NJ. L.
Sunday-school. The subject: "The
Sunday-school of ths Future" WAS
ably handled by J. 1. Grassland, su-
perintendent of Zion Sauday-school.
Mr.. Grassland was glad that the
country and times had so improved
that now the children could ride to
Sundsy-school. He said he was not
q prophet nor q son of q prophet,
but at the rate OF improvement that
had taken place in the last 60 years
he was afraid to tell the people what
his idea Of the futnre Sunday-school
was. He believed the time was fact
approaching when all young men
and ladies would be found in the
Sunday-school. The best boys oi
to-day, he said, are those
who attend Sunday school. His
experience as q superintendent
was that the best Sunday
schoc scholars were these that had
religious parents and Bible training
at home, and were brought up in the
church. He concluded by saying
that it was nearly impossible to find
! q good Sundsy-school scholar IN q
J person who had given the best part
OF their life to sin. He also said VI.
ought to be more careful of our chill
4. dren and bring them up in thu
church. He believed in advancing
: with the times, but that We should
keep Christ In our souls and homes
His speech was OF such characte