Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-06-17

nominate officers for the ensuing year.
J. B. Reynolds, Mrs. Ford and J. J..
Humbert were appointed as such com
mittee.
The reading of the reports of the
secretary and treasurer was postponed
to Thursday morning.
The committee on officers reported
the names of the old officers. and on
motion they were reelected.
No evening session was held, but in
stead, Prof. Arnold, of Chicago. lee
tured in +. NJ church, illustrating
with a number of stereopticon views
his subject.
THURSDAY MORNING, JUNE 10.
The convention met in M. f. church
at 0;Ij.
Mr.. w. J. Wickham, of Dodgeville,
was not present, and in consequence
his subject, Temperance Cause in
Sunday School," was not discussed:
but instead the subject Home Depart
mcnt of Sunday School Work. was
admirably presented by Mr.. w. j..
Reese, whose paper showed how
thoroughly he is imbued with the spirit
of this department. The paper out
lined a scheme of study for those shut
off from Sunday School instruction.
This scheme awakened considerable
interest, and comments were made by
Revs. II. w. Straw and Il. Kent, Mrs.
Evans, Miss Hayes, Mrs. jerks, and
Mr.. James Jackson, all of whom were
favorably impressed with it. Mr..
Jackson, pleaded earnestly for the
adoption of the plan, that all might
get nearer to Christ, and in direct line
with His teachings.
"The Religious Influence of the
Sunday School," was u very able pa
per by Rev. VIM. Atkinson, who
spoke about the latent influence of
the Sunday school and the blessed re-
suits which followed. The charge
that there We're criminals who had
been Sunday school scholars could
be met on the ground that they
would have been ten-fold more Grim
inal saved for the Sunday school.
This latter point, SO admirably
made by Rev. Atkinson, in the dis
cussion which followed was ompha-
sized by Rev. M. Chase, who quoted
the late Prof. Swing, to show that he
had the same thought in mind when
he said the good morals in the inf
del came not from his own teachings,
for these would upset all good
but from the good old mother and
her prayers and Christian sentiment
and songs of our land. George Craw-
ford spoke in Il somewhat similar
vein, and said that many years ago
he realized the fact that his talents
did not lie in the direction of teach
ing Sunday school class, but never
theless he had long time connection
lieved that without the Christian
training of the church and Sunday
school ours would be Il land of dark
ness, and he was glad to welcome,
and to meet and greet SO many Sum
day school workers as We're present
upon this occasion. Messrs. James
Spensley and n. II. Arthur briefly
followed; and Rev. II. Kent gave
some very interesting statistics in re-
gard to the question of criminals and
their Sunday school connection. He
made the admirable point that in the
Minnesota state prison which he Wis
tied, there were four women and
about four hundred men; and so the
argument would run, if boys stayed
in the Sunday school like the girls
the ratio might be the same.
The next paper was by Mr.. II. H.
Arthur, on the use and Abuse of
Lesson Helps" The abuse Mr.. Ar
thur said. came in where the lesson
was taught in the most formal and
perfunctory way, and the teacher re-
lied exclusively upon the helps, and
had nothing to offer outside of the
printed page. These helps We're to be
regarded rs suggestive rather than
exhaustive. He illustrated his point
by two incidents where Sunday
school teachers tried to hold their
classes by this perfunctory teaching
when aided by ghost stories, love
stories, and base bail experiences.
These features, he said, could not
make up for the lack Of spiritual sym
pathy, interest and study, and the
end came when theylost their novelty
and charm.
The paper was good one and Mrs.
jerks, Miss Hayes, Rev. Straw and
Messrs. Osborne and Reynolds all
,,,oln >,o1pab1o observations Miss