The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-28
BIG GEORGE TALKS
HE GIVES 4 FULL REVIEW OF THE
SUNDAY SCHOOL WORK.

SUNDAY SUhUUL WUhh-
He is the Heavy Weight of the Conference,
| and Is Given Charge of the Sunday
ing the Year He Gathers Some Strange
But Very Interesting Data as to Chill
dren and Young PeopIe-He is En-
thusiast in His work-TeIIs of Happy
Instances During the Year.
Some three years ago the conference
appointed Rev. A. P. George, D. D., as
its normal Sunday school secretary He
travels at large over substantially the
| territory as the Eagle, holding normal
Sunday school institutes, children's
meetings, teachers meetings. organiz-
| ing Sunday schools and stirring up the
good brethren of his church to better
Sunday schol work, to a more faithful
use OF the Bible as the schools only
text book and urging the children TO
give their hearts to the church and
unite with the church. He is a well
| known man in northern Kansas. in
fact, all over the state, and has held
one or more Sunday school meetings in
every county, save one, in Kansas be-
sides many in Oklahoma, Iowa, Missou-
| II, Nebraska, Indian Territory and Col
| GRADE. Wherever he goes he is known
! by the children as..Big Brother George. 8"
In fact during the conference he has
been addressed by this name by many
OF the preachers and laymen. He was
born in 1S4S in western New York His
| father was an eminent divine of the
| church in which the son is so promin-
| ent. Being natural organizer and an
untiring worker secured for him the
| presiding eldership of the old Garden
City district-being some $4,000 square
miles Of the southwest part of this state
He is broad shouldrered, good looking
! fellow, light complexion and tips the
beam at 230 pounds. He works in the
| Methodist church, laboring by confer
ence direction while his ministerial
brethcren in Kansas. lie seems 10 love
his work, in fact is enthusiastic over II.
| He has no allowance" as the Method
| list call the salary, but depends on the
| collections and contributions from per-
sonal friends. His report for the year
| just ending which will be read this
| morning is as follows:
| DuTlHS the year just F0ul0S i nave
| held within the bounds of the confer
| ence meetings of from a single session
to two days convention, or seventy
six of the PASTORAL charges. In the fall
I spent a few weeks in Iowa, al the re-
| quest of the preachers there and some
! ten days within the bounds of the south
| Kansas conference. All together have
held services as follows:
| Sessions of normal institute ..... pa
Addresses delivered on Sunday
| School work 800. ..........-..-. %
Sermons preached .... 80. $500. "A
| Children's meetings ... ... 100
| Sunday schools addressed ....... A.
other services 49,. -. ........... "a
| Total services for year $50. 800. 596
| Places visited &C.,. -. . 1914
| Miles Travelled ..... ........... 200
| Letters written -. .... ........ SIG
| Pages tracts distributed ......... 1900
81 find better Sunday school work
| than / was enabled to report a year
ego. Some schools have made a marked
| Improvement. There are many who
might do better.
There are more teachers meetings
and more normal classes-in this line
the growth though slow is steady. The
inordinate use of lesson leaves is still
too prominent-in some instances driv-
ing the Bible out of the school. The
choir is then in harmony when il sings
Nothing But Leaves" But few of our
schools are disloyal to the publishing
| interests of the church. The number is
growing less quarter by quarter. The
superintendent of one schoo, told me
| they we're driven to outside houses on
account of money matters. When I
offered to secure a donation for his
school in its poverty he became indig-
rant and said, mo, no; we are abun-
dainty able to pay all our bills" 1t is
not poverty but dislOyalty. / admit
however, aftimes it is through ignOr-
ance. His pastor did not preach on
Christian literature" as DR.. Young, of
| the Central, has suggested.
Some pastors have organized and re-
organized their schools on a congrega-
lstional basis. Then comes a pastor who
Els a Methodist and one who minds ev-
cry point, great and small in the Meth
odist discipline" and calls together the
Sunday school board. Trouble follows.
1--WE never heard of a board" they ex-
claim in surprise. The preacher VINO
tries to do his duty is accused Of being
narrow and biggoted.
ut is the duty Of the pastor" says
paragraph S31 Of the Methodist book
Of law, aided by his superintendent
and committee on Sunday schools 10
decided as 10 what books and other
publications shall he used in the
schools" / call attention 10 it-part 7.
chapter of the discipline, the chapter
on Sunday schools. being paragraphs
$40 to 335. inclusive, is made a part of
this report and can be read with profit.
to each congregation, at the time of the
preaching the semi-annual "On the sub
g ccbo-1ls apT rplioin1,s in