Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1898-05-04

NG WILLIAMS.
Mr. Osgood and friends had hopc d
that my turn to answer to toast would
not come so early. so that l might have
time to get warmed up and enter into the
enthusiasm which always enters into tbs
class but when asked to give my conoep.
ton of our scho d, take it that it is not
the individual school that he refers to This
present occasion brings to my mind an oc-
casion that have read about which hap
pened many years ago. 1t my memory
serves me, $50 years before the birth
our Lord. The first report we have of an,
Bible school was after the return from III,
captivity the people were anxious TO lear
the law and Ezra, the scribe, explained the
law to them. He took his stand in a wood
en- pulpit and read the law with distinctness
and gave the sense of it and all heard with
understanding minds. So this class is not
different from the first Bible class, this oc-
casion does not differ from that when Ne
hemiah said to them, "We are to rejoice
for this is the Lords Day, we are tt
rejoice that his word has been explained
TO us with understanding Come, eat til
fats and drink the sweets" The people
went and did as Nehemiah had told them,
they ate the fats and drank the sweets and
made great mrth. Now we have the pre-
cedent for such an occasion as this way
back in those early days, rejoicing aut
mirth after the day OF instruction. This
was the first conception of Bible class.
Next we have Robert Rake of Glouces
ter, Eng. who gathers the poor that are
1 e. \ Al r
rooms and instructs them in the things per-
tanning to this life, because of their needs,
and working in with this the church cate
chism. Then the first American school ii
1886, and in 1871 the one in Philadelphia
Then comes that noble colored woman, Kate
Ferguson, who gathers the poor children
On the Sabbath day and instructs them il
the law of the Lord. Then comes tina
wealthy manufacturer of cotton goods,
Samuel Slater of Pawtucket, r. l., anc
gives interpretations on the Sabbath. Then
Mrs. Bethune and her friend travelling in
England in 1901 and 1904, returning to
his country, established schools in New
York, paying all expenses of the schools
Up to this time teachers had all been hired
From 1909 to this day teaching in the Sab
bath school has increased in methods am
Efficiency until we have today as fine mind,
IS there are in this country engaged in thi
work, and this is for the love of souls, the
love of God.
John said, "God is Light and in Him
here is no darkness at all" God is Light ];
see what it shows to us of the character of
the Father in Heaven. Light reveals: when
walking along dark road at night you Go
not know where to place your foot next,
suddenly flash Eliminates the whole land
scape; or when in a dark attic and you
wonder what there is there throw open the
shutters and the light flows in and reveals
not only the furniture but the dust on tina
furniture. Light reveals, God is light
Gods light reveals to us our sins, and wher
YOU hear man say that he isn't SO very
bad you may know that the light of God
has never shone into his heart. Light
beauties. When the light of God shines
into our lives then comes forth the charac-
ter that makes man glorious. wish to
congratulate this class upon having its
Ezra to excound to them the scripture
not only as the law OF Moses, but the word
of Jesus Christ.
DIX EDWA RD hiRh LAND
We are sll acquainted with DIR. Qui-,e
and DIR. Diet and | am reminded of it'll
apecdote of young doctor who was tell.
ing an older doctor of his success in treat
ing patient "Ah, and of what did you
relieve bim?" asked the elder doctor
Ten dollars" answered the younger
But, to my mind, that story, does not as
well express the next speaker as this which
think | have heard him give. A doctor
who wished to establish himself in the
minds OF the people met farmer one day :;
he was the family physician and SO he said
to the farmer that he had studied in two
schools, one where they gave medicine and
one where they gave tumbler of water
"Ob," said the farmer, "that is nothing,
l had a calf that sucked two cows but it
did not make anything but common
steer" The next toast will be ''Our
Need, DIR. Kirkland.
When Mr.. Osgood invited me to come
here tonight he told me l would not have
much to eat, and so pictured sandwich
and glass of cold water and fortified my
self suitably before left home and | have
also eaten another meal here. This makes
me think of story | heard about farmer
who hired new man. At o'clock the
first morning the man was called and told
that breakfast was ready. He came down
and ate and then started back upstairs and
went to bed again. H said that was the
best place he ever worked in his life, for
they called him up in the middle of the
night and fed him.
I am to speak upon Our Need" l do
not think need is necessarily want
We may need what we do not want and
want what we do not need. The school
boy needs to 60 to school, but I'll bet be
wants to go fishing. We often hear it
said "That child wants spanking" He
needs one but he doesn't want it. A need
is something we ought to have, a want is
we think we ought to have.
Of course we have great many needs.
What do we need as Individuals Bel
lows Falls is a frst-rate place to live in,
but it is small place and a good many do
not get away very often. Small place,
tend to somewhat narrow one. We need
TO cultivate broader views, more liberality.
to accept new views,-we do not
want to be prejudiced against them. Then
we need a more thorough study of the
scriptures. l think, perhaps, the tendency
Of most schools is to let the teacher do all
he work. We need to do some of it our |
selves, and do it more thoroughly. do
not come to Sunday school very often. but
here is one time in the year that 1 realizs
hot 7 m, a ypernbor ~ Al. olonz