The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-08

quoted Colonel Mallory as saying that the Sunday School army of Alabama vas twice as large as that which General Lee commanded and is three times as large as the one that the United States has sent to conquer the Philippines. We have no reason to be discouraged because the number of children in the Sunday Schools l in Alabama is so small for modern Sun day School work only commenced l20 years ago.
 Judge Carthel- said that greater pro- portion of our people were out Of the Sunday School in the mountain districts. Some places there were only per cent in and 96 per cent out. In other places there were F per cent in and S8 per cent out. Still in others there were 36 per cent of Opelika 75 per cent of the population were in the Sunday Schools with only 3 per cent out. He said that the reason that Opelika had such good record was because they were organized.
 In 1890 when the Sunday School work was commenced in Clarke County. Judge Carthel said there were only fourteen Sum- 1891 there was a beat in Clarke County where there was not church or Sun day School butt now there are five Sun day Schools and three churches in that ty reported an Evergreen Sunday School with n pupils in 1t. and it is kept open all the year. This school has sent forth missionaries and established other In Montevallo beat there were only five Sunday Schools twelve months ago, but today there are twelve. We have not only increased the number of Sunday Schools but the work is more efficient. Opelika has made her schools interesting, the Bible is taught well and that is why so many are in the schools in that East
 Sunday School work said Judge Carthel, is no longer spoken of as for children. but they are for. all the people. The Sun much importance. that for one to absent himself from the Sabbath School without good excuse is just as much disloyalty | as not to attend the church. We are re- people are on the outside of the Sunday | School is because there are so many church members on the outside. Many churches in this State have twice as many pupils in their schools as they have in their church.
 There are fifteen counties in Alabama in which every beat is organized. There are ten other counties where nearly every beat is organized. We have ffty-four | counties that are working to organize every beat. Alabama easily leads the United States in primary work today. At Goodwater the Primary Union has in creased from 10 to 19. The Sunday l-Schools of Goodwater have greatly in- | creased as a result of this work. Dale County showed similar results from the union dropped down to two at one time but from it they started to work and now in the little town of Dalesville the Pri- mary Union has fifteen members
 A beat in Lee County reported that three years ago they. had Sunday School attendance of thirty or forty. To- day they have niiety-two on the regular
 ment and forty-one in the Cradle De.
 partment, making a total of 205 in that
 beat as against thirty or forty three l years ago.
 Eighty per cent of those who join the
 church join before they. are H years oi
 age. said Judge Carthei. What if a man | serves the devil sixty years and then
 comes into the church. he saves his soul One-fourth of the human race, he said
 die before they are six; one-half die be-
 fore they reach sixteen. If these statis-
 tics are correct is it not important that
 the truth should be presented to them
 before they reach the age of sixteen.
 Judge Carthel said that the Sunday
 School work of the State, and 1t is a
 grand work. is being done at less ex-
 pense than 1t takes to run one of the. city
 churches. great many good men and
 women were going out and were helping
 in this work free of cost, and that ii
 why it is being done at such a small ex.
 pense.
 Mir. W. T. Atkins then took the stand
 and made few remarks in place of Dr
 Hurt. who was too ill to speak. Dr. Hurt
 was to speak on '"The Christless Homes
 of Our Land" How can we change then
 to Godly homes? asked MT. Atkins. H,
 dwelt with great force on how the con
 science of the church had been aroused
 and told of the work that was being
 done to bring these Christless homes ts
 Christ Many children are being bori
 into homes today though and are beini ] reared without being taught that thef,
 is Christ. He spoke of careless moth
 CTS and careless fathers. although mum bers of the church they send out thei } childrens without a knowledge of God Europe is emptying her criminals int
 this country. and the free thought o that country is permeating this who'll . land. It is my duty and yours to heaC
 of this teaching by meeting 1t with thu
 Word of God.
 MT. Atkios made statement about tn,
 cost of the work in the State and took III
 collection for the benefit of the Statl
 and County work for the ensuing year
 There was liberal response to the col
 lection, and over half as much money al he asked for was contributed. He said
 he would make some of the Sunday
 Schools miserable If they did not come
 up and help in this good cause.