The Portland daily press., 1898-03-18
SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
District Association Convention at Chest
nut Street.

tlOn held It's business session yesterday
morning at Chestnut street Methodist
church. This district includes the
Sunday schools of our own city, Deering,
Westbrook and Gorham, and includes a
goodly number.
The devotional service was conducted
by Rev. e. o. Thayer, d. D., with the
address Of welcome by S. E. Cordwel,
president, Westbrook; the response by
Rev. William Cashmere, Gorham, Mr.
Cordwell presiding at the meeting.
In the platform phrases several of
the superintendent responded to the
topic, "What Single Method or Plan has
seemed to accomplish most goodf'' or
What Single Hindranoe have 1 noted in
my work." Most of them seemed to feel
that there were fewer hindrances than
helps. The hindrances were rather mega
tive than positive, for the need was for
more teachers and more pupils. One
superintendent, Mr.. johnson, Woodfords,
spoke of the good gained from Normal
classes. Mr.. Halliday of the Chestnut
street church gave as his testimony the
necessity of trying new methods, to in
terest the children and stimulate their in
terest Mr.. Nor of Williston told Of
help from having "star classes"
Then followed an address by Rev. ]. l..
Smith. Cape Elizabeth. Mr.. Smith gave
q very stimulating word on the subject,
elbow Shall the Sunday School be made
a Mightier Power for Good9' He said
that this very way of putting the subject
shows that it was power for good, but
the question for him to answer was how
to make it mightier. How to make the
positive good comparative. and superla-
tive. The Sunday school had not yet
reached its ideal, but hopes for "better
things and larger triumphs. y In ordeS
to gain these larger triumphs, Mr.. Smith
felt that it was necessary to get more
material The material is not commensu-
rate with the machinery. The equipment
today is more than equal to the amount
to be worked upon, and one way to make
it greater power for good is to gather in
more pupils. The second necessity was
for more life, abundant life, to make the
inner work more intense. open the
draughts of the furnace said Mr.. Smith,
"and not be afraid to get the power at
white heat. p,4
Mr. Smith was followed by Mr.. N. S..
Greet of Somerville, Mass, who gave one
of his characteristic and pleasing talks on
ssThe Spectrum OF Perfect Teacher,
which he illustrated very cleverly, on the
black board. The perfect teacher should
contain all the colors of the spectrum as
shown in:
T.eachableness, (violet.)
E-enjoys the work, (indigo.)
Apt Illustrations, (blue.)
Comes prepared, (green.)
Home visitation, (yellow.)
Expects results, (orange).
Reaches upwards. (red.)
AS Mr.. Greet talked he finished out
each line of his spectrum, adding the
color, and made many excellent and hap
py suggetions for the Perfect Teacher. :"
An informal conference of primary
teachers in the vestry, followed the bene-
diction, given by Rev. DR.. Jenkins.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The afternoon session opened with de.
yotional service conducted by FEY. Rollin
T. Hack. The teachers talks were re-
sponded to by several of the workers, and
proved very helpful to all A well written
address was delivered by Rev. George
Lewis, d. D., of South Berwick, on The
Sunday School and Citizenship," In
which the speaker brought out very clear
ly the difference between born voter
and made Citizen.
DR.. Lewis opened his address by a
description of the different kinds of men
who are born with different kinds of
talent, one being an inventor, another a
poet, and so on. In America. he said, oil
men are born voters, but not citizens.
From this Mr.. Lewis went on to explain
his ideas of citizen. one, he said: 'iWho
is in true and honest sympathy with the
views and organic law Of the Lord. -
Manhood is his first qualification, and to
gain this knowledge there can be no
better training for American citizenship,
than the study of the Bible in Sunday
school. So the Sunday school Is not only
the nursery Of the church, but of the
State as we'll.
Notices were here given of the Sunday
school paper, "The Evangel," and of the
summer school for Normal course in
Sunday school work, to be held next
summer at Northport, from the Both of
July till August 10Th.
Here followed the question box, con-
Quoted by Mr.. Archibald and many in
teresting ones were sent in. Among them
were these: "What do you think of a
Sunday school teacher who goes to the
theatre?'' (Which would you start first
in Sunday school, kindergarten class
or normal clasp 'Shall ! we teach
little children to memorize what they
don't understands
In answering the first one, Mr.. Archl-
bald said he did not like that kind of
questions, he did not like to have the
spirit of criticism brought in to those
questions, and although he should rather
not have the Sunday school teachers go to
the theatre, still he objected to the idea
of trying to see the mote in the eye of the