The Monitor-register., 1897-10-08
Salem County Sunday-school Con-
vention.

A NEW DEPARTURE IN UNDAY-SCHOO1
WORK-sALEM OUNTY THE PIONEET
THE INSTITUTE FEATURE A SUCCESS
"A SPLENDID CONTEMPORARIES
EsTING EXERCISES - GENERAL AD-
vANCEMENT IN II SCHOOLS
The thirty fifth annual convention o
the Salem County Sunday-school Asso
citation, held in the handsome new M. e
Church, at Elmer, on Thursday and Fri
day last, like all its predecessors, was
feast of good things and presented assur
ing indications of the progress of thu
work in the county.
The new departure entered upon thii
year, of holding an institute the frs
day, with special instructors in primary,
intermediate and home department work
more than met the expectations Of iii
projector-State Secretary Ferguson
and fully justified the time and effor
expended. The attendance, for an OK
detrimental meeting, shows that suct
provision for the training Of Sabbath
school workers is being recognized ant
gratefully appreciated. and when itl
helpful features shall be more fully IN
derstood there is no doubt that it will
become a popular adjunct of our county
conventions. Salem county has the honor
of being the pioneer in this new field,
and it's initial success here will open the
way for it's adoption in other counties.
The institute began on Thursday after.
noon, and was divided into separate sec
lions, State Secretary Ferguson being In
charge of the intermediate department,
Secretary Stultz the home department.
and Mrs. T. 81. Skillman, Of New Bruins
wick, the primary department. Instruc-
ton as to the methods of teaching was
the aim, and all were mostss diligent
scholars. There were about % enrolled
in the intermediate department, II inSthe
home department and "a in the primary
department. Certificates will be given to
each of these. These departments also
had periods of instruction on Friday
morning and also first after the moor re-
cess. 1t was a most helpful feature of
the convention.
Z The convention proper opened with
the usual devotioDs, in charge of the
pastor, Rev. Alfred Wagg, after which
the President, Rev. j. G. Edwards, of
Salem, took the chair, with greetings and
the minutes of last convention were read
by M. H. Stratton, Secretary, and Rev.
Forrest E. Dagger, d. D., of Philadei.
phia, followed In an address on How to
| Secure and Hold Attention." The nat
ural man, he said, one who has not been
born again-regenerated, knows no more
of spiritual things than q horse knows of
the thoughts of a man, henoe the diff
Guilty of centering the mind upon spirit
ual things. And yet we become like
what we feed ~upon-think upon-"as a
man thinketh 10 his heart so is he," what
we assimilate in our nature. He illus.
trated the point by the remark of an
eminent writer, that paradise Lost
onoe fed on the hills of Scotland" Mil
| ton was very fond of mutton, and the
| sheep fed on the green pasture of Scot
lands hills.
Man becomes like God because God
| reaches down and takes hold of his
thoughts and words. 1t is always the
| stronger reaching down to lift up the
weaker. Attention, therefore, is to
| stretch forward. If a man is interested
in what is said he leans forward and
listens NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. Mere outward
| listening, however, is not attention; it is
merely bodily, not mental. In ~llnstrsH
| ton Mr.. Dagger spoke of a man sitting in
a congregation, apparently listening to
the preacher. Suddenly he started, as if
awakened out of sleep or a dream.
Afterward, in explanation. he said be
had been viewing owe again in his mind
the magnificent display attending the
appearance of Bismarck in Berlin, and
had not heard the sermon. To be able
to attend, he said, is a high power. The
speaker said he had been trying all his
life to be able to control his own mind
and concentrate it u~nterruptedly upon a
given subject, but did not think he had
yet fully succeeded.
Attention, he defined, as the energetic
application of the mind to what is said.
People often listen because they think
they ought to do SO. The child has not
that ''ought' In his mind, hence there is
no use in trying to appeal to what is not
there. If we want to hold the attention
of the child we must do it by the charao.
ter of the object presented. If we show
a candle to q child it will look at it. but
if an electric light is brought in contrast
it will turn its attention to that, because
It is brighter. The way to ecu atten-
ton is to present something more
attractive.
He illustrated by a boy inviting his
comrsde to 60 fishing, but was unmoved
until he began to paint in glowing terms
the size of the fish, and the fact that he
had the tackle and bait sill ready. So
the teacher must begin by painting some
thing bright enough to attract the atten-
ton of the child from what it is thinking
about.
In teaching q lesson. he said, the chief
thing is the introduction; and this should
be bright and cheerful, and a foretsste of
the good things yet to come. He said
enthusiasm was a good thing by which
to command attention, and recommended
that the happiness of the disposition be
shown in the face. Mystery is also a
good thing by which to excite attention
and interest, and then the privilege of
questioning the teacher is often valued
by the child. He said Fichte's two rules
were Never tell a child anything that it
can tell you," and "Never give any piece
of information that you do not ask for
again." Try to see the child through
the eyes of your own childhood.
The lesson should be a regular trail set
to catch the child's heart. 1t is a bring
ing up of the child's heart to the point
of the lesson, using these steps: 1. Fix
the attention. Q. Create feeling. 3 Com
pei remembrance. a. Constrain to action.
Mr.. Dager's address was a most excel
lent presentation of the subject and full
of helpful suggestions.
This following committees were then
named by the President:
ResolutiOns-Rev. s. j. Mcdowell,
Rev. Alfred Wagg, Rev. F. J. Collier.
Mrs. M. E. Lawrence, and Rev. Geo. s.
Wendell.
Auditing of Treasurer's Accounts
George Dare, J. R. Edwards, DR.. W. II.
James, R. B. Ernest and W. G.. Patter-
son.
Nomination OF Ofioers-James T. Tor.
ton, W. ]. s. Broadway, Mrs. s. D. White,
G. G. Avis and Mrs. 8. N. johnson.
Enrollment-Rev. John Goorley, Miss
Belle g Crothers and J. T. Mayhem.
Death of Members-Dr. John Ewing,
Rev. E. G. Hulse, W. P. Finlaw and
Harmon Hitchner.
Reports from the township secretaries
present were next heard, all giving an
encouraging outlook for the work. Those
reporting were George Dare, Salem;
VIM. Richman, Elsinboro; Mrs. Mary E.
Lawrence, ManDington; Lewis Sayre,
Alloway; ". ]. s. Broadway, Lower Al.
loways Greek; T. M. Birchmeier, Quin
ton; Walter Sylvester, Upper Pittsgrove,
and J. r. Edwards, Pittsgrove.
State Secretary Ferguson, in reporting
the State work, called attention to the
fact that a great deal of work is required
to keep the organization up to the desired
standard; and yet we wish to do even
better than this-to advance and to intro
duce new methods. AS an illustration,
the inception of the summer primary
school of methods was referred to and
the success which had attended this
work, though its beginnings were little
understood. Now there are eiphteen
unions in the State, in which sections
unite to study primary methods, and the
union at Woodstown received most favor.
able mention. Encouraged by the success
in this direction, and realizing a still