The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-20
HERE is A WORKER
The Head Of the NJ. L. Sunday
School System.
SOME STARTLING STATISTICS
Rev. Dir. Hurlbut Tells of the Won.
derful Things Accomplished by
Methodist Church Members.

|
| church of America, who has been in at
tendance at the opening of the Norwegian
NJ. e. conference in this :ity, left last
night for Portland, where he begins a
series of Sunday school meetings. DR..
Hur.burt was interviewed yesterday
afternoon by an Astorlan representative
TO whom he spoke for a considerable
time ON the subject which he has made N
life study He is O man with a strong
personality, and impresses a listener in
very short time with his fitness for the
responsible position he occupies. He said:
My primary errand to this state was
to visit the series of Methodist Episcopal
conferences now meeting in oregon ana
Washington, but since coming mere. ana
at the request of many pastors of ala
denominations have decided to give a,
course of Sunday school teachers
which Will take me to Portland Albany.
oregon City, Pendieton, Baker City. and
other places. In these meetings l will
ua-k OF the work in general way, with
out reference to our own denomlnational
ideas, for 1t Is considered by all the mora
liberal union churches that Sunday
schools partake more Of an universal
than narrow and sectional Christian
effort. There is no department of Chris
tian work where so much similarity ana
unity of sentiment exists. nor is this to
be wondered at. A Methodist PRAYER
meeting differs in some important re-
poets from one held by the Baptists.
Congregiationalfsts or Presbyterfans. but
thelr Sunday school methods display no
such difterences. Their aims and objects
are al very much alike, and we Metho-
dlsts rejoice to think that it Is so. Ten
million people of our country-one-sev.
enth of the total population are con-
nected with the Sunday. schools. getting
some sort of an education from them
and the various denominations have an
army OF over one million Sunday school
teachers working hand in hand to bring |
about a common result"
In connection with my work I edit |
elsht periodicals. with a total circulation |
oI S'SoV'OVO copies. These papers go an |
over the country, and penetrate every
wnere' Since coming to the West / |
nave peen remarkably impressed with |
one thing. The methods of Sunday
school work out here the general plan
Or the work, and the results obtained
1iifer In no material points from the
work in the East. In some of the re-
mote villages this side Of the Rocky
Mountains l have come across Sunday
Schooas, small of course, but Just as
prollilc in results, just as earnest in
every way as the schools in the heart
Of New York city. And when you begin |
TO consider how this comes to be. the |
explanation Is easy. Our Sunday school |
literature is so simple and explicit its |
universal applicability is so practicable |
that any man or woman of common aver |
age Intelligence can after reading II |
carefully for few months become thor |
oushly capable of teaching a class. no |
matter In what part of the world they |
put forth their efforts. They have the |
same means of educating themselves in |
lhe work aus their fellow iaborers in |
large cities and in all essentials II can
De said to their credit they bring forth
'esuts that are not beaten in any
crowded center of population. There IA
more of the real Sunday school enthus-
asm in the West than l expected To
ina here Your people are on the whole
ust as devout and regular attendants at
hurch as they are anywhere in the
Cast, and in fact believe that the pro-
'ortion of church going people compared
With the population Is bigger in Oregon
han 1t Is in Pennsylvania or New York"
The NJ. 10. church Is beginning to turn
IS attention this year to educating Sum
ay school teachers more carefully ana
pecifically than has been done in Che
,st. We are starting normal training
lools, just as you have In secular work.
nd are beginning to send out thorough !
= grounded men and women who will
o doubt In a few years give the work
stable character that it lacks at pres
mt. In mining districts OF the country
'e find the work greatly handicapped
y the transient character of the popu- !
ltion. Teachers are continually chang /,
lg, and Of course that does the schools
o good. But In settled communities ,
Ike you have in this city and state the ,
esults are most satisfactory. In many !
arts of the unsettled West the Sunday
chool Is the forerunner Of the church. I
Few earnest people who cannot get ,
ogether money enough to start church =
egin with Sunday school. They have
cheap room and apply to US for sup /.
lies. We at once send them books of all {
inds and a small but well selected IL :
rary as we'll ais grant of money, out i
( a fund specially set aside for such pur- /
oses. Towards this fund prominent 4
alffornian few years ago made us a
rant Of s25,0O0."
THE NJ. e. Church is establishing 20
unday schools and three churches in
his country every week. We have two
iouSdHu ounudy eCHOOiS III lHuld, anu =
xteen thousand regular attendants at
I. II. schools in Switzerland. Our mis- !
lonaries are doing magnificent work s
! india; in the last nine months we I
ave had 5000 conversions there and b
e near that there Is every probability t
the accession Of another 1900 in the c
ext nine months. Our Sunday school +
Derations there are conducted in a pc
lliar manner. The calls for men to
ach the gospel are so great that our
gn missionaries cannot begin 10 supply
le demand. Tney take a native, teach c
m to read a little teach him some par ]
'les, and short sermon. and send him z
It among his countrymen. He will get
band OF them In circle on the ground
'ound tree, and using the sand for
blackboard, wia talk to them. He
sivers that single sermon three times II
day for whole month. and then goes
Iek to headquarfers TO be taught more, q
3 place being taken by another ma =
re who has advanced little further I,
an the novice.
And 50 IL Is the world over. Our
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