The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-18
ELOQUENT AND WHY
Says Tabernacle Baptist sundaySchool
Is Best in World.
STATE CONVENTION AT FAYETTEVILLE
An Interesting and Valuable Programme Pre-
pared for The Three Days Meeting
Which Will be Attended by
a Number of Delegates,
a Number of Delegates.

The enthusiastic and earnest work
MIR. Marion Lawrance, of Toledo,
Ohio, Secretary of the International Sun
day School Association. reached eli
macteric point Sunday afternoon at the
Tabernacle Baptist Church.
1t began with a lesson study held with
the teachers of the Tabernacle Sunday
School on Friday night, followed by an
the city on Saturday afternoon, and
talk before the Tabernacle Baptist Sun
day School on Sunday morning
Referring to this school Mr. Lawrance
Lad high compliment to pay He de-
clared it to be the best Sunday School in
the United States. hence the best in the
world Mr.. Lawrance has visited every
State and Territory and the leading Sun
day Schools in them, so that his state
ment is from actual knowledge. He was
delighted with the work of Mr. and Mrs
Joe H. Weathers with the primary class
and declared that Mr.. Weathers was a
genius in his magnetic. dealing with chill
dren. He spent much time in the pri-
methods.
Despite the inclement weather there
was splendid attendance at the Sun
day School mass meeting held Sunday af-
ternoon at the Tabernacle Baptist church,
and the exercises were most interesting
The address of Mr.. Lawrance was filled
with matters of deep interest to Sunday
school workers, and he produced a pro-
fOnD6 Hp ic
eloquent and thoroughly imbued with the
spirit of progressive and aggressive Sun
day School work.
The exercises began with music, fol-
lowed with fervent prayer by Rev G.
#. Adams after which Mr.. Lawrance was
presented by Mr.. ~ B. Broughton, who
expressed the qualification of all interest
ed in Sunday School work at having so
able and so distinguished a worker pres
ent to address the meeting.
Mr.. Lawrance used no notes in his ad-
dress. Neither did he waste time in use
less rhetorical fights, but talked from
the shoulder if that expression suits. 1t
was heart to heart" talk, and one for
got the medium as he enjoyed the dis
course.
Mr.. Lawrances theme was the SUNDAY
School and he began his address on
Twentieth Century methods by tracing
the growth of the Sunday School idea
from its inception as a child's school with
the catechism as its boundary, to it's de-
velopment into the school for all ages of
today. The growth he illustrated by
showing and reading from a catechism of
$780, whose instruction was of a crude
style and showing the advance to the
Bible study Of today
Afte touching upon many points of in
teest he spoke of the vast attendance on
Sunday Schools and deplored the fact
that there were three times as many
girls in attendance as boys, though the
proportion was about equal in the world S
population. So important was the work
becoming that he declared the day was
not far distant when in theological semi
naries there would be chair of Sunday
School instruction in them. that the work
was magnifying. and that even now in
these institutions there were addresses
made frequently on Sunday School work.
There were four cardinal points in the
work to which he directed attention
First of those was the influence of the
Sunday School as a social power as it
drew people together as no other agency
there being in the Sunday Schools TWEEN
ty-five millions of people. two-thrds of
whom were present every Sunday. AS it
was day of clubs. so the Sunday School
was club greater than all, as late hours
and drinking were absent features. It
was a great social organization with it's
library, its debating society, it's musical
organizations and it brings all denomi-
nations together as no other gathering
did
Looking TO its future development he
spoke of great meetings to be held in
Fayetteville this week, Denver in 1902
London in 1908 and Jerusalem in 1904. all
these being meetings which would still
further develop the social as well as
other influences.
His second cardinal point was the Sun
day School as a civil power. 1T stands
for good citizenship" he said; lit teaches
the children of the realm to love truth
and bye and bye all the world will love
truth because of this Here he told of
the wonderful work done by Sunday
School influence in McLeansville, Hamil-
ton county Ohio, where in seven years
from a beginning in which the place of
500 people was found with no churches.
but filled with barrooms and crowded to
overlooking in its pail there had come
five churches with Sunday Schools, no
barrooms and an emptied Jail.
The standing army of the United States,
he declared, was not the 100000 soldiers,
but the greater Sunday School army. The
Sunday Schools popularized the Bible,
for annually it toook six million copies
to supply the demand, a number four
times as great as the combined produc