Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-01
The Subject Considered at the New
Church Gathering.
TIRE DAILY NEWSPAPERS ATTACKED
Rev. Mr.. Worcester's Paper on
Lesson From the PARALLELS.
DEDICATION ARRANGEMENTS

American New Church Sunday School As
ISOLATION, and was called to order by the
president, Rev. Fl. Clinton Hay of Provi-
dence, r. |. The religious exercises We're
conducted by Rev. George Henry Dole.
At the same time the board of home and
foreign missions was holding a meeting in
the pastors study, the principal business
being the considerable of the boards re-
port, which is to be presented at the gen.
eral convention of the New Jerusalem,
which commences tomorrow afternoon.
L There was considerable business of in
terest before the Sunday school workers,
coming up for the most part in the way of
reports. Rev. VIM. H. Mayhem read the
reports of the secretary and treasurer, both
of which were adopted
Attack Oh the Daily Papers.
The report of the committee on library
gave rise to considerable discussion. 1t re-
ferred to list of books which has been
prepared as suitable for children in the
fields of religious literature, fiction and his
tory, and called attention to the Importance
of properly training the literary tastes of
children.
During the discussion Mr.. F. A. Dewson
of Boston. who said that he had been con-
nected with the secular press in times past,
took occasion to speak in Scathing terms of
the daily Oh tH-S country, WHICH, he
said, furnish the only reading matter for a
large proportion of the people. He said
that as between rum shops and the daily
paper the latter is the greater evil. Rum
selling is admitted evil and can be
treated such while the newspapers work
in inSidiouS manner in lowering the
moral tone of the community.
Rev. VIM. l.. Worcester of Philadelphia
presented the report of the committee on
Sunday school lessons, outlining the course
of study which ii recommends and con-
Guiding with the chart of lessons for the
year
At noon the president of the associa ton
read his annual address. taking for his sub
ject THE Sunday School In and Out of the
Church."
In the course of his paper Mr.. Hay said:
The progress and preservation of the
state depends upon the public schools; so
does the progress and preservation of the
church depend upon he Sunday school, or
its equivalent in some form. knowledge is
power-for the state, knowledge of the
book Of nature and human experience; for
the church, knowledge of the book of life,
the word of God. A church is a church
only III the degree that it understands the
Bible Alright and obeys it. The three great
functions of Il church are: l. to understand
and teach the word of God; >, to obey it
in daily life; 3, to worship the Lord by
means of it. The Sunday school finds its
place in the first of these. 1t should never
be thought of as another organization, but
as the church itself engaged in the per
Torrance of this first and Indispensable
function. 1t is for all, young and old alike
1t is the nursery of the church, not be-
cause it provides for the care of children
but for that nurture of the intellect which
enables all TO advance more and more into
the service and worship of the Lord.
THE Sunday school in its essence is not
so modern an institution as we may i'm
as!ne: an earlier form of il existed in the
synagogue school of the Jews
The Sunday school is becoming more
and more to be relied upon as a successful
means of building up and keeping Up
churches.
The Sunday school is admirably suited
TO New Church methods of missionary
work: 1t is indeed practically the method
which has always been relied upon in the
New Church. A Sunday school composed
OF all ages and classes provides oppor-
tunities for teachers of various attain
H.entS and for workers in many other di-
rectlons. a Sunday school begins with the
chlldreil, whose attendance is quite easily
secured, and every child who is won can
IN time he made a missionary to bring in
other scholars and older brothers and sis
ters, and even the father and mother and
oiuef HlendS are frequently led to follow
furthermore. in beginning with the chill
dren and enlisting their co-oreration we
pegin with minds free from errors and
preJGdiceS, and most open to the Influences
OF the Lord and His angels from within.
He who teacheth a child is like one who
Wrlteth with ink on clean paper but ba
who teacheth an old person is like one
VINO wrltcth with ink on blotted paper'
ohderful results have been obtained in
ihlS way In the churches about lis The
magnitude of pioneer Sunday school work
with ITS results of church gatherings is
one OF the marvelS of the century There
are are reasons with which we are all more or
less familiar, why we cannot EXPECT as
great results in the New Church as ara
found IN other churches. at least not now
But that something con be done has been
SHOWN in the work of the mission of tho
New Church in New York. Indeed may
we not question whether a great deal
might not be done, great deal more than
we nave ever dared to wish, if we, would
adopt these methods with the trust anil
devotion which inspired Stephen Paxson
THOSE who know best about it are led
TO realize that many of our Sunday schools
gre not enlclent, are not performing this
important function of the church work
well. WI
As long as this is SO, the church cannot
perform well Its other functions of daiIv
obedience and Sabbath worship. Hence. it
cannot be expected to thrive either In bring
ing forward its own children, young and
old' or IN reaching and holding the chill
dren and their families in the neghbor-
hood and outlying community.
Every pastor ought to be the supervisor
or his own Sunday school; he ought to be
qualified to lead, encourage and direct the
flock In this great function of its life as
a church of the Lord.
IF a layman is the superintendent it
should be with the distinct understanding
on his part. and on the part of the pastor
and people, that it is as an assistant shep-
herd, helping to care for the lambs and
sheep Feed my lambs feed my sheep is
the Injunction of the Lord to His apos-
ties"
Lesson From the Parallels.
At the afternoon session Rev. Mr. VIM
L. Worcester read an able paper on the
theme, "A Lesson From the Parallels" In
his paper he recommended kind of study
for older classes in the Sunday school. The
parable was assumed to apply not only to
those Immediately before the Lord as He
spoke, but to all people in all time The
children represent the innocent things
stored up in every one in childhood, keep
ing the soul open to the influences of
heaven. The voice of the children calling
to their fellows in the market represents
the influence of heaven as it comes down
into our life of natural, worldly interests.
The message is Of two kinds represented
by mourning and piping. The children
mourn when the Innocence within us feels
panied by the evil of the ways into which
we are falling, and heaven calls us through
the voice of conscience to repent. If we re-
spond to the mourning of the children by
sincere repentance we ere prepared TO en-
ter with enjoyment into the exercise OF
good affections. The appeal of good affec-
lions to be received by our hearts and ex-
ercised in our lives is represented by the
of Io INV