The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1899-01-27
Why Have Not Sunday Schools Effected
More Good?
(Continued.)

NCohllhuOusj
In my former paper before the last,
mentioned several defects and faults in
the machinery of the Sunday schools.
In this paper wish to come to the
question, What can be done to give
Sunday schools new vigor and reani
mate the whole system?" The persons,
male and female, who now occupy the
seats of Sunday school teachers, must
arouse themselves, and each individual
must consider for himself or herself
what he or she can do to elevate and
improve and extend Sunday schools;
and the first question will relate to their
own schools. Is the apartment or room
as convenient and attractive as could
be? Not all Sunday schools can have
modern conveniences, but that is not
saying that the rooms.need tobe dirty or
smoky. All schools cannot have carpet
on the floor or venitian blinds to their
windows, but there are cheaper methods
of preventing noise and excluding an
CASCoo VI llSIO, "A1Sh CllO W1Oiilli OilO
reach of all. How often have l gone
into neighborhoods to conduct Bible in
stitutes and found the room anything
but inviting People would be perfectly
willing to allow me to clean and fill
lamps and TO clean the globes for few
nights, until | aroused their interest,
when they would take h Id and do it
themselves. But some way it needed
some one to go ahead to show the people
what ought to be done. If organs had
seDsibility my heart would go out at
once for scores of them. How sorry l
would feel for their unkept and I'M
washed condition, like a neglected
street Arab. Somehow it seem so very
natural for dust to gather on the Sun
day school organ. 1t seems to be every
body's business to clean it, and you
know what is everyones business is no
ones, In like manner the Sunday
school library in the country-Oh
for some good tidy old maid in every
neighborhood that would make the
cleanliness of the Sunday school room
her special burden and pleasure at once.
She would surely aCd much to the sue
cess that school in that one particu
lar line
How about the order of general con
duct? Is it favorable to the best infu-
ences? Were superintendent would
certainly lay much responsibility upon
each teacher for the behavior of their
respective classes How about the
singing and the song book? Have you
taught that IS nging is worsh pr" Too
many superintendent, as also teachers,
or else chorister or organist take en-
tirely too much on the music of the
various pieces they select and pay very
little attention to the words. 1t simply
shows that seriousness is lacking in
that respect. Is the prayer appropriate
and to the point? If short let it be
good If very long shorten it trife.
Pray for what you need, leave the
needless for some other more conven
lent season In respect to lessons; the
attention given them during the week;
the length of time devoted to them on
Sunday. Very few superintendent al
low enough time for lessons because of
superfuous preliminaries, Do you dote
Onplain and systematic reading of the
lesson in concert? That is often great
trial to an orderly person. Do you try
to have secretary who reads loud and
distinct. One that has defective speech
or reads very low OF indistinct, or again
is overturned, should not be chosen for
that Office if you can do better.
Finally, in aspect to the General sys-
tenn of legislation, attendance, visiting,
admitting and dismissing, training of
Bible classes, infant or primary classes,
etc. Are these various interests as we'll
guarded and cared for as may be? Is
the working body of our teachers
united? If there high tone of religious
feeling among them? Do they ever
meet periodically to talk oyer difficulties
or difficult classes or scholars with the
superintendent? Is our standard of
duty sufficiently elevated, and is the
public sentiment of our corps so correct
and defined that every delinquent is
silently rebuked by it? We have seen
the card, Il am Late, suspended con-
picuously on the back of d closed door
But alasl there were almost as many
late children as late teachers to read it.
1t might as we'll have been a blank
piece of paper.
HENRY BEELER,
Mankato, Num-,
Missy Am. Sunday School Union