Evening star., 1901-02-25
SEVENTH ANNIVE ERSARY
CALVARY BAPTIST SUNDAY SCHOOL
TO HOLD CELEBR ALTON.
Exercises to Commemorate the Conn
pletiOn Of It's HOme-Sysfem
of instruction.

The seventh anniversary Of the completion
of the Sunday school house of Calvary Bap-
fist Church. this city. will occur Easter OF
this year. This Sunday school house is the
pride Of all Baptists as in some respects,
they assert it stands alone and beyond any
thing else of the sort in the world
Referring to its operations, Mr.. Miles NJ
Shand the superintendent said recently
that in the public schools the grading of its
pupils is rightly considered an absolute ne
cessity to real success. Equally essential
is the matter of grading in the Sunday
school, if the best sort of Bible study is 10
be done in the most effective manner.
january l. 1882 he continued, 'the
Sunday school of Calvary Baptist Church
had a membership of 655 and met in the
vestry of the church building, which.
though underneath the auditorium, was not
as are SO many such rooms below the side
walk, but a few steps above. Here, for
twenty-six years there had been but two
departments, the primary and the main
school. During all that period much splen-
did service was done and solid foundations
laid for the grander Sunday school organ
iZation of the present.
''The gradual but ever-increasing growth
of the adult membership made it necessary
to better the conditions. and SO after much
careful thought and work the adult depart
ment of our school was organized. in 1889.
with a membership of seventeen classes and
auditorium of the church and had its own
opening and closing exercises. This
and untried move was made with consider
able fear ana trembling on the part of
many, but the wisdom of it was at once ap-
parent in the increased interest in Bible
study on the part of adult members of the
church and the coming into the school of
many attracted by the unique adult depart
ment which gave to the work a dignity
impossible to attain under the old organiza-
ton.
Mr. Shand said that a few months after
the formation of the adult department the
primary department was divided into four
departments, and the work was carried ON
for five years The lack of room, the bad
sanitary condition and the imperative need
of improvements forced the department
into larger and better plans than had been
dreamed of by any of the people of the
church. These plans eliminated, Mr..
Shand said, in the building of the finest
Sunday school house in the world, at a
cost, including the furnishings, OF $105,0OO.
school Reorganixed.
Upon the completion of the Sunday
school house. which was dedicated Easter
Sunday, 1894, the school was reorganized
into five departments. and it has since been
SO conducted, except that home depart
ment has been formed, which has not
large a membership would seem to be
possible, considering the size of the con-
gregation, many of the adult member;
being enrolled active members of the
Sunday school. The five departments are
the following: Kindergarten, primary, in
termediate, junior and adult. The kinder
garten receives the smallest of the chill
dren, some of them but two years OF age
and retains them until they are ready to
enter the first grade of public school, at
six years of age.
The primary has children from first to
third grades, ages six to ten years. In the
intermediate the scholars are in the fourth
to sixth grade, from ten to thirteen years
of age. The junior has those from the sew
irfa n
years of age, when they are promoted 10
the adult department.
The international lessons system Is used
throughout the entire school, Mr.. Shand
saws though the study varies greatly in the
different departments. In the kindergarten
the simplest sort of teaching is given, with
bright and happy motion songs, marches,
etc, the main purpose here being to open
I'D the mind Of the child. In the primary
department, which has been conducted as
one class, but is now about to be subdivided,
a great deal of attention is given to the
memoriZing of Scripture. In the intermedi-
ate department there are twenty classes.
The lesson work of the teachers is limited
to the story. a statement of the facts sur
rounding and including the lesson of the
day. while the practical and spiritual appli-
cations thereof are made by the superin-
tendent in. charge. Much supplemental
work is also done in this department. The
teachers here mark class books, take the
offerings of pupils. visit. etc, and 1t is pro-
posed that the teachers in the primary shall
do the same work.
One Of the features Of the intermediate
organization is the opportunity afforded the
teachers therein, most of whom are young
people. to hear teaching from the platform
means an endeayor is made to train and de-
velop their teaching capacity. 9j4
Women as Teachers.
Speaking Of the methods employed and
other features. Mr.. Shand said:
"An three of the departments named are