The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-09-09
Meeting of the State Sunday School
Convention.

Mr.. Editor: had the pleasure of
attending the State Sunday School
Convention in Greenville last week,
and as the only representative from
Sumter County, some of your readers
may be interested in an account of
the proceedings.
There were 125 Sunday school work
ers in attendance from fifteen counties,
nine-tenths of them from the North
western part Of the State. There were
but four from east of the Wateree and
Santee rivers: Mr.. Green from
Georgetown, Rev. K. McKas-
kill from Williamsburg Miss
Inez Cooper from Lee county
and myself from Sumter; one from
Charleston, and the balance from ten
counties along the line Of the Char
lotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad
and westward; so that the great cas-
tern and southern section of the State
was almost without representatives..
The good people of Greenville enter
tained Us most Hospitality, and if there
was any lack of warmth on their part
it was not noticeable and was more
than made up by the weather! Hot?
Well, the thermometer may have been
higher in this part of the State, but
for genuine, penetrating, allpervadlng
heat give me one Of those hollows
among the foot hills Of the mountains.
Now as to the work of the conven-
tion: There are ten counties in the
State organized along inter-denomina-
tional lines. wish that every Sun
day School in the State could have
been represented there by its most
ultra-conservative worker. l went
there fearing there would be too much
of the spectacular, too much froth,
to much "milk for babes and not
enough "strong meat of the word OF
Cod The opening exercises Tues
day evening with congratulatory and
complimentary speeches; the music
with its great pipe organ, piano,
violins and horns, good orchestra
and trained choir and last but not
least q woman speaker on the plat
form, seemed to fully justify my fears.
But when we heard the "words OF
soberness and truth that characteriz-
ed all the following exercises, the ear
nest desire of each one to help to a
better knowledge of the Scriptures,
the study of child nature, and grown
| up nature, too, with the best way OF
reaching all classes with the truths of
Gods word, and above all the utter
dependence of the most learned and
best trained minds upon the renewing,
enlightening, and sanctifying power OF
the Holy Spirit, the fears of the most
conservative would give place to a de-
sire to help on this good work.
Besides the devotional exercises
which were part of each session. the
following. normal course" we might
call it, in Bible study was very In
structive:
/. "The child we teach" by Mrs:
Mary Foster Bryner, of Illinois, Field
worker Of the International Conven-
tion. Every teacher in Sunday and
day schools, yes, and all parents who
are child's earliest teachers, could
have profted by this lecture.
2. "How I prepare my lesson,' by
| Mrs. Bryner.
3. "Some useful and necessary
Helpers by George G. Hodges. OF
Greenwood, Prof Hodges laid stress
upon the need of the very best school
rooms and furniture attainable accord
ing to the means of the school and
church.
4. can hour of Modern Primary
| work. by Mrs. Bryner.
5. Round Table, conducted by Rev.
Thos. q. Law, D. D: Subject
Home Department of the Sunday
School, and open discussion of same.
This was very interesting outline
of the plan for. getting the "stay at
homes'' to concerted study Of the
Bible.
6. "Home influences in Christian
training by Mrs. Bryner was
another subject that would do "Home
Makers the fathers and mothers of
our land, good to consider more
seriously.
I. "Decision Day." by Rev. G. H.
Roper, was an able argument for draw
ing the attention of children to the
need for coming ont on the Lords side
by openly confessing His Name and
joining His Church.
8. "Mesnods of Primary Union
work. by Mrs. Bryner showed the
great SOOo OF CSacuSTS moeGluSS. a
union teachers club was organized in
Greenville to meet every Friday after
| noon when one of the teachers will
teach the next Sundays lesson. Mrs.
NJ. A. Carlisle testified to the great
benefits the teachers of Newberry had
derived from such meetings for the
past few years.
8. ssUse of Blackboard in Sunday
School, was left out by reason of
absence Of Rev. ". B. Duncan who
was to lecture on it Mrs. Rryner
made such good use of the blackboard
ia all of faer work that a lecture on
the subject was not needed. We had
object lessons in it's uses.
10. 'Next Sundays Lesson taught
to Primary Glass % by Mrs. Bryner,
is an experience quite number of the
little boys and girls of Green-ille will
long remember with pleasure.
IL. "What is the Church acco.4,-
plishing as a Teacher Of the word ot
God" by Rev-EH. &. Murchison. was
one of the strongest appeals to the
~ut>ola -ooro haitian