The record-union., 1896-04-03
PRESIDENTS REPORT.
A Comprehensive Review of the Work
of the Year.

OF the 16ars
Dear Friends and Fellow Workers:
We meet to-day in the Capital City of
the State of California to celebrate our
twenty-ninth annual convention. The
work of the past year is now a matter
of history. How we, as members Of the
great Sunday-school army, have dis
charged the duties devolving upon us
is matter of personal knowledge and
individual responsibility.
No doubt many opportunities for do
ing good have been neglected-too
often have we acted as the Priest of
Levite and passed by on the other side
when we should have initiated the
good Samaritan and rendered the best
service in our power to those who
needed our sympathy and assistance.
Let US honestly seek pardon for all
our past failures, and implore grace
for the future, in order that we may
be thoroughly furnished unto all good
works.
Our International Sunday-school AS
ISOLATION has very plainly stated the
great purposes of these conventions,
viz: Organization, Evangelization, Ed
ucation. The union of the different de-
nominations in our Sunday-school con-
ventions has done more to cultivate
that spirit of oneness-to bring into
closer relationship all those who love
the Lord Jesus Christ of whatever
name, than perhaps any other agency
Why should there exist any jealousy?
1--WE be brethren" comes ringing down
the centuries. Let US rejoice in the
fact. "One Lord, one faith, one bap-
tism. one God and Father of ALL
Then why should not the prayer Of
our blessed Master be speedily an
STANDARDIZATION pray / for these
alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word, that
they all may be one, as Thou, Father,
art to me and / am in Thee, that they
also may be one in u.s.
THE POWER OF NUMBERS.
What a blessed union DR.. Wood, the
naturalist, tells us that there is a race
of very small ants in Africa which
travel in great armies, covering sew
eral miles, and that as they go, every
living creature fees before them. The
elephant rushes off into the wilderness;
the lion, which fees from nothing else,
plunges into the forest with cry of
terror, he well knows that if he once
gets into that crowd he would never
get out. Millions and millions of little
teeth would fasten upon him and mill
ions more would surround him on
every side and devour every fragment
of his flesh. The most powerful wild
beast of Africa-the king of that great
forests a little ant. The secret of
his power lies in one little word, union,
the union Of a great multitude of little
beings, all moving together
Do you realize how true the saying,
Union is strength
A CHRISTIAN HOST.
I want to remind you that in these
United States there are more than
eleven million members of our Sunday
schools, with nearly one and half
million officers and teachers. What an
army, what a power we should be- how
the giants of sin would flee before us
If we were only thoroughly organized
and deeply in earnest in the discharge
of every Christian duty.
The salvation of all who are not
now Christians would soon be accom-
plished; efficient service would be the
outcome of Christian education, and
the convention motto a blessed reality.
But l must speak more particularly
of ourselves. The past year has not
been marked by any great advance so
far as the organization of counties and
townships is concerned, and one of the
sad features is that a numebr of those
organized during the visit of National
Field Superintendent Reynolds in
1894, have not held any conventions
since. I am sure the fault cannot be
charged to the good brethren who did
the work-the fault was in the election
of Indifferent or incompetent officers.
During the past year / have written
scores of letters, asking for informa-
ton necessary to the furtherance OF
our work, and in very many cases have
been unable to get any answer. al
though stamped and addressed envel-
opes were Enclosed, and in a good many
instances two and even three communi-
cations have gone to the same person.
LACK OF INTEREST.
Why is 1t that such lack OF interest
is manifest? Is the business of the
Sunday-school not as important as any
-----