The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-11-18
CLOSING
SESSIONS
OF the State SundaySChOOl
Convention.
TREASURER'S REPORT.
Governor Dyer's Address at the
Evening Session.
REMARKS BY DIR. BLAKESLEE.

The afternoon session of tho Rhode
Island Sunday School convention was
held yesterday in Grace Church at
o'clock. 1t was opened with devotional
service 10y Rev. Floyd w. Iomkins, .Jr.
This was followed by an address by Prof.
Hamill, on Normal Work. "
The report Of the treasurer Rev. f. ID.
Blakeslee, ID. d.. showed total receipts OF
S2323 3S, and total expenditures of S22SS. Is,
leaving balance of s35. 20.
Rev. Il. ID. Anderson, ID. d.. of this
city, delivered an address OIL "City VS..
Country-Our Duty" ITc was followed
by Rev. A. S. Deming. ID. d., of Boston,
who spoke on How to Make the Most OF
the Sunday school,
Following this were brief addresses by
Mr.. Archibald, Prof. Hainill and Sec
retary Wilson.
The evening session at the Mathewson
street Nj. h. church last night was opened
by n short stereopticon praise service fol-
lowed by an address by His Excellency
Governor Elisha Dyer. He said in sub
stance: When l was asked to come here
and speak To you / knew not what |
should FAY for knew that L was To meet
many good, faithful and well-trained
Sunday school workers to whom |
thought / should be able to say little
helpful or interesting. But then l
thought of my duty. the duty that every
public officer has to try to do all that he
can to better mankind and the conditions
which surround man, and 1 decided To
come. The sunday school work Is the
best work that is going OH in the world
today. 1t is as old as the Jewish dispense
ton, and even so long ago as that we can
see what marvellous power for good 1t
was. In the middle ages we find Chris
tian life purest ana best at those times
when the Bible work and Bible schools
were most common.
TO teach nhildlife the great truths and
instil Christ into their hearts is one Of
tho 0randest triumphs of Christian work.
Martin Luther called children and schol-
ars the seed of the church. John Bright
said that no field of labor or benevolence
had yielded so great n harvest as the sun
day school. Look at the marvellous re-
suits in this state since Samuel Slater
founded the first Sunday school in the
state at Pawtucket in 1907.
The statistics OF the National conven-
ton in 1898 show that there were Mt that
time in the United States 123, 173 Sunday
schools, with !, ,305, $50 teachers and
q. us, 433 scholars, not including the
Roman Catholic or other non-evang elical
denominations. How can we estimate
this gigantic power for good! Beyond
the reach of our churches and out on the
borders of our civilization the Sunday
school was founded. Ii grows and
gradually other good things grow up out
of IT. other services are added until n
church is established, but the Sunday
school retains Its prominence. So might
90 on and on with this magni iflcents subject
for my theme but / would only he telling
you what you already know and realize
of the marvellous power of the Sunday
school. Paul may plant, Appollas may
water but God alone gives the increase.
Rev. Dr. Blakeslee followed with a
stereoptcon lecture on Gods Silent
Witnesses.