The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-02
SUNDAY SCHOOLS OF OLD
REV. Il. 4. GOODWIN RELATES HIS
EARLIER EXPERIENCES.
Gives an Entertaining Talk at Merid-
i~n-street VI. T.. Church-Addrcss
at the Y. Vi. 4. A..

At the Meridian-stree VI. T.. Church sun
day School yesterday morning Rev. T. \.
Goodwin talked OF his earlier experiences in
Sunday-schoOl work. He said:
II am requested to tell you about my first
Sunday school. The object. l suppose, Is 10
contrast that with this. 1t was seventy
years ago, and the first Sunday SchoO. at
tempted in BroCkville. a few Years later
than the first Sunday school in lndianapo-
us. 10 appreciate il you must bear In mind
lhere were no public schools then In when
tuition was free, and the private schools
were so expensive that many children could
not attend them. hence in d large sense
tncy were charity schools to give this kind
or instruction that Is now given at our pub
lie schools. There were classes, or indi-
VldualS I'm the alphabet, classes in spelling
ana reading from the primers and spell
ing books and readers in common use: only
those who could read fairly well reading
IN the New Testament Religious i%nstruc-
tlon Seemed 10 be secondary and incidental
and consisted chiefly in reading a chapter
or two vherever the teacher might happen
10 open, for - had not studied any par,icu-
questions, such as: What did Christ say in
the thirty-third verse; What did Peter
answer Perhaps the most valuable work
OF the schools of that period was the COM
hitting TO memory of whole chapters of
the Scripture and reciting this to the
teacher. n section Of that school-and it
was a representative school of the period
let down into this school would be a sur
prise, but a section of this school let down
INTO mat would most Likely produce con-
Stelndtl0n. These NiOlinS and other inStru-
ments would not have been tolerated for a
minute, anc such singing a. we have. those
Valleys ana rocks never heard, and more
IMAM mat. they did not want TO hear il.
Inc superintendent was one of the best
men In the town or in any town, and by far
tnt most competent man available for the
place. As the school was almost wholly for
children and youths who wanted to learn to
read. Few grown young people. and almost
no older people attended, except those who.
OFTEN with much coaXinS, were drafted as
teachers. hence the full chorus of an old
fashioned Methodist congregation was not
on hand; either, to pitch the tune or
10 carry II. But the superintendent was
equal 10 the occasion. He knew two tunes.
one was old Father Grimes and the other
wasn't. and he never failed on either.
nearly always gave out a common meter
hymn. After reading it through he would
announce 1t, two lines at a time, then
mentally hum over the first line of Grimes
and then pitch the tune to the music. Once
started he never failed to get through. and
the hymn was quite as apt TO be:
Plunge in a gulf of dark despair
we Wretched sinners lay
as anything else. No such bright. sweet
sentiments as
II am Jesus little lamb:
therefore, glad and gay | am
" Jesus loves me. this | know.
For the Bible tells me So
Was ever heard in a Sunday school Of that
period. No wonder that many If not most
or the children of the veally age, between
childhood and manhOOd-too big to be a boy
or girl and not quite big enough to he a
man or wonan-dropped out Of the school
until the schools became schools for study
ing the Scriptures and applying them 10
life.
This school. with all its splendid appoint
ments. with its devoted teachers, ranging
from the kinderCarten department TO the
critical Bible classes, is a growth, not a crea-
ton. 1t is, as ii should be, a part of the
machinery of the church as much as the
pulpit is, and the church can no more per-
form It's mission without a vigorous Sun
day school than it can without a live and
efficient preacher; and no member of the
church, old or young. can render full serv-
Ice 10 the church without as regularly at
tending il as he attends the preaching serv-
ice. unless the of age or domestic
duties that cannot be avoided forbid