The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-05-11
A BROAD AND GRAND WORK
THE AMERICAN SUNDAY SCHOOL
UNIONS Field.

The seventy-second Anniversary of It's Ex-
istence Appropriately COMMUNICATED at
the United Church Last Evening-A
Glance at the Great Work 1t Has Accom-
p1ished-A Brilliant Address by Rev. DIR.
Boynton of Boston-other Able Speakers.
The American Sunday school union
attempts a work as broad as its name,
extending to nearly every state and
| territory of the United States.
| While it's main offices are in Phila-
! delphia, it has departments in New
York. Boston, Chicago, st. Louis, Cleve-
land, Topeka and the SOUTH
During the seventy-two years of its
history its men have organized Sunday
schools at the rate of over four new
Sunday schools for each day of each
year. 1t has circulated Christian liter
| ature and Bibles to the value. of more
than eight millions of dollars-perhaps
larger sum than the cost of the whole
great plant of Yale university.
! Among its presidents have been two
| justices of the United States supreme
| courts. The Hon. William Strong, LII.
| D., of the class of 1928 at Yale, served
for twenty years until his death. The
new president, Mr.. Morris X. Jesup of
| New York; has received the honorary
degree of NJ. A. from Yale and his faith
er and grandfather were graduates of
the college. Mr.. John r. Keator, a Yale
| graduate and prominent Philadelphia
| lawyer, is a member of the board of
| managers, and Rev. Moseley Fl. Will
| liams, Yale ga, is engaged in the edi-
| torial work. The secretary of missions,
Rev. James M. Crowell, d. d., is loyal
| to his alma mater, Princeton, while
| Rev. Edwin w. Rice, D. D., editor-in-
chief, is an alumnus of Union college.
| Rev. Addison P. Foster, D. D., of Bos-
| ton, New England secretary, took his
| degree at Williams college, and the
chief speaker of the anniversary, Rev.
| Nehemiah Boynton, D. D., of Boston, is
| a son of Amherst.
The union gathers neglected children
| into Sunday schools. 1t is estimated
that some eleven millions of young peo-
| pie in the United States are yet un-
1 reached.
| Among the distinguished men who
| testify to the benefits derived person.
| ally from schools established by mis-
| sionaries of this society are Alexander
| H. Stephens of Georgia, who often told
of his experiences in the old Powers
| Creek log school house, and Senator
| Cockerell of Missouri
| 1t is the policy of the society to trans
act business on business principles and
make it pay its way. so that all benev-
/ olent contributions may be expended in
| missionary work.
! The John c.. Green fund Of a hundred
| thousand dollars is perpetual trust
| from which five-sixths of the income is
| to be devoted to missionary work and
sixth to the publication Of a Chris
tian literature of high order of merit.
| The society has secured a number of
premium books and has just issued an
offer of two prizes of $500 and $400 re-
| spectively for the two best books upon
| the formation of Christian character
upon the principles of the Bible. The
manuscripts will be due October 1, 1897.
Another fund of fifty thousand dol
| lars, from a legacy of John Crerar OF
| Chicago, is to have its income expend-
ed in the northwestern district, of
which Mr.. F. G. Ensign of Chicago is
superintendent.
| The anniversaries of the society were
held in Philadelphia for many years,
| and constituted notable events in the
religious life of the City of Brotherly
Love. But of late it has been deemed
best to make the anniversary "a NOV
able feast" that different cities may
share it's interest Among the cities in
which these anniversaries have been
held are New York, Boston, Chicago,
st. Louis, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Balti-
more and Washington.
This year, by the courtesy of DR..
| Munger and the United Congregational
church. New Haven welcomes the
American Sunday School union to its
hospitality for the celebration of its
seventy-second anniversary, which was
held last evening at 7:45 o'clock.
The chair was taken by Morris X.
Jesup. esq.,, of New York, president of
the society since the death of Justice
William Strong of the United States
supreme court.
The Rev. James M. Crowell, D. D., of
Philadelphia, secretary of missions,
showed that the society is doing work
| in needy districts not occupied by other
agencies, and presented statement OF
the years work, showing that during
the year 1879 new Sunday schools had
been organized, having 655OS teachers
and scholars; that 443 schools had been
reorganized and aid extended on 1881
occasions. There have been 1887 hope
full conversions reported, although only
partial returns are made. There have
| been 4,S25 visits to families for re-
ligious instruction and prayer and 49,
! 24O Bibles and Testaments were dis
tributed. Churches have been organ
| ized in Iii cases.
Rev. Addison P. Foster, D. D., secre-
tary for New England, reported that
twenty-seven of the societies mission
aries were supported in whole or part
| by funds from New England. There is
! great destitution in the outlying dis
tricts, One missionary in eight and a
half wears has organized Isl new schools
| in which have been 242 conversions.
An honored citizen of New Haven, Mr..
William A. Ives during twentythree
wears contributed and as a result 447
schools were organized, with 1883
| teachers and scholars, resulting in q
500 conversions and thirty church or
ganizations. Another citizen of New
Haven, Mr.. Hiram Camp, supported
!