The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-11-18
POOR CHURCH HYMNS
Sunday School Music Criticised
at Convention.
TWO SESSIONS ARE HELD
"oPEN PARLIAMENT ENJOYED
BY THE TEACHERS.

/ Moist skies and muddy streets played
/ havoc with the attendance at Saturday
/ evening" session of the salt Lake coun-
/ ty6unday school convention at the First
NJ. E. church. All of those named to
4 take part in the programme, with one
| exception, were on hand. and the few
! score OF teachers who turned out de-
/ spite the dfscouraging weather were
! treated to an interesting series of en-
/ tertainnent and instruction.
". A. Wight. president of the ASSOC
/ cation, presided, and in a brief ad-
/ dress explained that it was the asso-
/ cations effort to help in every possible
/ way in the Sunday school work, and
| requested all Sunday schools to assist
! by sending in reports of their work
/ and needs.
A singing service opened the meet
/ ing. This was conducted by T. II. Gil
/ bert, who interspersed the singing with
/ criticisms of several hymns found in
[ hymn books for use by Sunday school
! children. Some of the hyn ms, he said,
/ were so senseless that if put in a book
! by themselves without music they
would not be given house room. As ex-
/ amDles of these he pointed to three
/ hymns entitled Beautiful Land"
/ What a Wonderful Savior" and cal
vary The last, he called musically
| foolish, capable of nothing but afford
! ing a volume Of sound. He asked
| teachers TO be careful in their choice
/ Of hymns. and to select those that
| while they were musical, contained
| thoughts that would appeal to chill
] 6ren.
/ The song service was followed by a
! scripture reading from the Psalms, and
| a prayer by the Rev. W. H. Bagby.
/ Mr.. Wight then announced that the as
/ SOciatiOn's letter asking State President
! G. Z. Brainard to deliver an address
/ had not reached him. and that he had
! unfortunately made arrangements to go
/ TO Idaho before finding that his name
was on the programme. Mr.. Wesley
/ Davis sang a sacred solo, and the Rev.
! James 3. Eddy was introduced as the
] speaker of the evening.
Ideal Sunday School Teacher.
Mr.. Eddy spoke briefly on What An
! Ideal Sunday School Teacher Should
Be" The first essential, he said, was
/ knowledge, and the speaker took the
ground that it is as imDertinent- and
/ as great presumption for a Sunday
/ school teacher TO appear before his
! class without having thoroughly pre-
/ pared the lesson as Tor a preacher to
/ step unprePared into the pulpit. Equal
| " essential with knowledge, Mr.. Eddy
said. is good common sense and tact.
! He was of the opinion that principles
and not rules were what were needed,
and that the teacher should carefully
! study each pupils nature. The third
/ essential he held to be large hopeful
! ness and cheerfulness.
! Gloomy people" said he, may make
/ good mule drivers, but they are not
/ fit to associate with children"
/ A broad sympathy and a deep yedrn-
! ing love were also necessities, he said.
( In concluding, he advised all teachers
( to study the character and methods of
/ Christ, who, he said, was the one ideal
! preacher and teacher.
"open Parliament"
Miss Alice KidweH sang I Am Near
/ err My Home Today" and was followed
/ by DR.. Z. V. Silver, presided over open
/ Parliament" For the next half hour
/ things were kept lively, DR.. Silver fir
! ing at the audience questions on Sun
/ day school work and the audience fir
/ ing back answers. Some of the ques-
/ tons brought out brief discussions, as
! for instance the one as to whether
/ teachers might be non-Christians. Sew
I eTaI opinions were given and the final
decision was that Christians should be
used wherever possible, but when
J Christians could not be found good,
/ moral nom Christians would do. AS
I one speaker expressed IT, If you can't
/ deliver your goods in d fOUr-wheel
/ wagon, deliver them in a tWo-wheeI
I cart"
Another point of contention was as
to whether lesson helps might be taken
into the class by the teacher. The ma
/ jOTity were against this. The Rev. w.
II. Bagby was OF the opinion that
1 teacher had the same right TO take
/ these helps to his class as the preacher
to take notes to the pulpit 1t was OBJ
jected that helps were other mems
notes and that the teacher never took
] to the pulpit any but his own.
1T would be better sometimes if
they did remarked Mr. Bagby.
The meeting closed with a song by
the congregation and the pronouncing
( of the 5enediCtiOn by the Rev. II. b.
I Steelman.
During the afternoon a short session
/ was held in the Y. NJ. e. A building
Professor /. NJ. Gillian presided over
/ a workers conference during which
subjects Of Sunday school government
and work We're brought up by the
teachers and discussed by all present.
This was followed by all present join
ing Dr. w NJ Paden's regular Satur-
day afternoon training class for teach
ers, in which the Sunday school les
son for today was thoroughly gone
into,
This morning the Rev. DR.. A H.
Henry Will preach at the First NJ. e,
church on the subject of Sunday
schools, and all teachers were asked TO
attend In the afternoon at the same
place at $3.50 there will be a children's
rally.