The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-05-09
Hudson County Convention
Opened Last Evening In
Parmly Memorial
Church.
REV. SWAFFIELD'S ADDRESS
Mr.. Cronin Inctructs EARLY
Goers To Leave Contribu-
tion-Other Features.

opened its five-course convention last
night in Parmly Memorial Baptist
Church with a very good audience of
teachers and non-teachers. and an inter
esting programme.
The Rev. II. C. Cronin, chairman of the
Lower Jersey City District, presided. The
opening piece on the programme was an
anthem, Gloria from Mass Bordese, by
the choir of Parmly Memorial Church,
Mrs c.. H. Sewell, leader and organist
then came a fifteen minute song service,
led by the choir. Prayer, at eight, for
mally opened the meeting, with a re-
sponse, Lord, Let Thy Mercym Bat
tishal1; the reading of the Scripture Iese
son, and a second response, God Is My
Song Beethoven.
An Introductory address was made by
the Rev. H. c. Cronin, who said that he
was there to explain the meaning of
the convention. I'm one single
word" said he, 'it means betterment.
That is the end we are after. We be-
lieve that upon the integrity and intel
ligence of the people rests the ultimate
fate of the nation" He then went on to
speak of the Sunday School and its work
as a national factor, saying:-"It is lust
as important as the day school," and
mentioning the fact that three-fourths of
the day school teachers were to be found
IN the Sunday School, together with doc
tors, clergymen and other. professional
men and women. And we are Just ego
tistical enough" continued he, .sto be-
lieve that the boy or girl of sixteen who
has been in our Sunday School seven
years, under a good teacher, knows more
about the Bible than the father and
mother who have been attending church
all their lives. The entire Bible is COW
cred, under the International system of
lessons, every seven years, and we are
now trying to do it, under pressure. ev-
cry six"
Mr. Cronin next spoke Of the Importance
OF bright and intelligent teaching in the
Sunday school,. The boys and girls. he
SAID, had this all the week, and grew i'm
patent unless they had the same on Sun
day.. Hence the Importance of educat-
ing teachers.
The Sunday school is not only a place
for the dear boys and girls. It is a place
Tor the dear fathers and mothers as well.
and they had better wake up to that
fact"
AAGAl III Gu lii importance
OF the sectional meetings which convene
every evening, during the present course
OF lectures, in the primary room, half an
hour prior to the regular service. witt
all due respect to DR.. Hoyt,'' said he,
you will get more help from these sec
tional meetings down stairs, and I speak
from experience, because you will come
heart to heart and hand to hand with
your fellow teachers
Mr.. Wallace here rendered a solo. after
which the mex speaker, the Rev. w. ].
Swaffield, was introduced, and addressed
the assembly on .eThe Text Book of the
Sunday School," which, of course. was
the Bible.
MY subject" said Mr.. Swafield. "com-
pels attention to the Bible. What is the
purpose and mission of the Sunday
school? If we are clear on thai point we
must surely be clear on the text book.
We must have recourse to. the Book of
Books, which treats all the higher char
acteristics of man. The question is
whether the Sunday school is an evan
gelical or educational institution. If the
Sunday school mission be evangelical we
must come to the Bible and accept it as
AN tSAN PCCh VI tlC OuICdy OCuOOl, IOr
Jesus Christ has no history aside from
the Bible"
He then spoke of the Sunday school as
an old institution, quoting from Deuter-
omy VI. wherein Moses is commanded to
instruct the children in the law Of the
Lord, and went on to urge upon the
teacher the Importance of knowing the
Bible SO well that he would be able
to answer every argument with it. s4Mem-
orize the Word of God yourselves" said
he, land then insist upon it that your
pupils memorize it,
Christ" continued the speaker, crust
ed the Scriptures. He never put an in
te%rrogation point in any part of the Old
Testament The story of Noah and the
Flood Jonah and the Whale,' and a
few other recent Biblical points of inter-
rogation were mentioned. and the speaker
continued, with due respect to DR..
Briggs, l would rather accept the sigma
ture of Christ. If Dur Lord made mistakes
in quoting from the Old Testament, I
would rather accept his mistakes than
the interrogation of any modern critic.
(Applause.) But Christ made no mis-
takes. He could afford to take the
Scriptures as they were. He used them
as his text book. I would rather take the
whole Bible just as it is than lead men
and women to question the authenticity
of Moses or the Inspiration of Revela-
tions."
"Do not" said Mr.. Swafield, in conclu-
sion, .let the commentator guide you or
be your master. Go to him for facts,
but not doctrines. For doctrines go to
the Book itself"
The Rev. J. w. Young was next intro
duced and gave some excellent remarks
on 1.-THE Teacher" followed by the choir
in an anthem, 20 Lord, Our Governor"
1t was at the conclusion of this hymn
that, as the hour was growing late. several
persons rose to go. The chair evidently
mistook this act for an effort to escape
the offertory and called after them not
to forget to leave their contributions,
with some expressions of regret that that
part Of the service had not come earlier.
An address on s"The Scholar was made
by the Rev. c. S. Wright, and the Offer
tory service was conducted while the
choir sang s'The Radiant Morn and
after twenty minutes of prayer and a
hymn, the meeting adjourned until his
evening, when the Rev. Wayland Hoyt.
the evening.
GRANTS WILL PLAY EUCHRE.