The Monitor-register., 1897-04-30
New Jersey Sunday Schools.

The Year Book of the New Jersey
Sunday School Association, which has
just been issued by the General Score
tary, Rev. E. M. Ferguson, of Trenton,
gives an interesting exhibit of the Sun
day school work of the State tor 1896
The statistical tables include all evan
geiioal denominations. There are $3.50
Sunday schools, IN increase of 40 over
the number reported for 1895. Enrolled
10 these are SO, S48 officers and teachers,
and $40, 937 scholars; total enrolment,
$50, 1871. an increase of 10,441. The
sehot-fs of school age Is to IS years
nun Ger 200,293, which is only 45.6 per
cen. Of the school population. Nearly a
quarter (24.2 per cent? of the whole
population are in the Sunday school.
O.her facts which may be cleaned
| from these ia bles are: Number of union
Sunday schools, 242; open all the year,
l 954; hold a teachers's meeting, 239;
nave a ''home department." 159, with
5,3lS home scholars; have a separate
room for the primary department, LOAF,
with ga, Ats scholars enrolled therein;
present the temperance pledge, 376, with
ID, 435 signers; scholars church members,
rs, 261; united with the church, 10, 1877, a
slight decrease from last year; contri
buted for all purposes; $3.50, 1854; for be-
nevolent objects, $91, 1888; for county,
state and international Sunday school
work, So, 500, with 1896 schools contri-
buting.
The rural counties seem to have the
largest proportion of Sunday school
membership to population, the percent
ages ranging from 80 for Gloucester and
1874 for Cumberland, to 173 for Essex
and 1913 for Hudson. The schools of
Essex county take the lead IN contribu-
tions $48, $50 IS, of which more than half
was devoted to benevolent objects.
The organization of Sunday school
work in New Jersey appears from the re-
port to be in a forward state. There is
an auxiliary association in every county,
with a secretary for every township and
city district. Besides the General Sec
rotary, a Home Department Secretary,
Rev. L.. D. Stultz, is pushing that phase
OF the work, apparently with good re-
suits. Township associations have been
formed for about M third of the state,
and report lat meetings held. There are
twenty primary unions, meeting weekly,
and organized into a Estate Primary
Council" which is in charge of the State
Associations special work for the pri-
mary teachers.
Announcement is made of che fourth
annual session of the Summer School of
Primary Methods" to be held at Asbury
Park, July 5 10. A course of ten lessons
in black board sketching by Miss Struble,
OF Trenton; ten lectures on 'Child-
study" by Miss Cushman, of Newark,
and five studies in practical primary
class work, by Mrs. Barnes, of Newark,
are among the important features of the
program. Through this school aud the
primary unions. Secretary Ferguson
estimates that Is per cent. of all the Sun
day schools of the state nave been helped
to the better teaching of their little ones.
The report is sent to pastors and sup
erintendents throughout the state, and
will well repay careful perusal. If the
Sunday schools are behind the age, as
some think, in the quality of their teach
ing work, this report is an encouraging
evidence that they are trying to improve.