Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-15
AMID BLOSSOMS AND GREENS
Ohildron's Day is Observed in Many Of the
Protestant Churches.
PASTORS PREACH TO THE YOUNG FOLK
Sunday schooI Pupils sing and Recite
and Receive Diplomas and I'm Some
of Churches CantRtas
Are Given.

Flowers seem never to yield themselves
more gracefully to decorative Offices than
when they lend their beauty to children.
Yesterday more than half the Protestant
churches of the city were bowers Of bios
SONS and g~arlands, wherein the little ones
spoke and sang and had sermons preached
TO them, diplomas handed to them and an
thems sung I'm their especial honor. In
some churches the homage to the children
was paid in the m~orning-at others in the
evening, and in certain ediices at both
services. The scent Of the June roses per-
meated the temples, tiny canaries sung
In gilded cages while the little girls In
their ~faultless ~toilettes and the little boys
In shirt waists and unruly hair, lisped brief
verses which concerned chiefly the flowers,
the pure air and the birds and the Savior,
1t mattered little, really, what the children
said or sang. The artlessness of their
presence and their own oft-written irresist-
ible charm won all hearts and refreshed,
mayhap, some tired hearts, rather unused
to loving by dint of long abstinence.
Graduation for Sunday Schools.
Children's day has grown to be recog-
nized In nearly every Protestant church In
the country. 1t serves as q graduation to
the Sunday school classes and is the point
of demarkation between the primary"
and the intermediate and the bible
classes" Diplomas tied with pale blue rib
bon are presented to the classes by the pas
tor, and well bound copies of the Book to
the youth on the threshold of understand
ing. The exercises vary, of course. accord
ing to the whims and tastes of pastors and
Sunday school superintendents, and there
is no fixed time for the day, but 1t is al
ways in the leafy summer, when there Is
plenty OF green and flowers and feathered
songsters. AS a rule the preachers do not
attempt anything very weighty in sermons,
dwelling upon simplicity and the sublime
contentment and almness of childhood.
At First congregational.
At the First Congregational church yea
terday morning the entire morning service
was given over to the children. Beginning
with the primary department the classes
carried out a long program, interrupted
only by the presentation of diplomas by
Rev. Herring. The latter had no time to
make a sermon, as 1t was noon when the
girls and boys had finished. The congrega-
ton Joined in the hymns and the pastor
addressed the classes solicltiously when he
gave them the bibles. The special music
at this church in the evening was also in
clined toward the children and the topic
Of the sermon was Angels"
In the First Baptist, seward Street Meth
odist and Calvary Baptist churches the
morning service hours were likewise given
up to the children. At the First Baptist
the exercises were similar to those at the
First Congregational. while at the Seward
Street church great attention had been paid
to the adornment, which was exceptionally
lovely and In keeping with the spirit of the
occasion.
Cantata at Calvary baptist.
During the special service in Calvary
Baptist church the children under the d.
rection of Mrs. q. w. Noble rendered THE
KinE's. Garden" The choir followed with a
sacred c~antata, 'fThe Singing of Birds"
By a. w. Warren, with solos by Miss Rob
erta and Mrs. Noble. In the evening spe-
elaI music was given also.
A children's day sermon was preached in
Knox Presbyterian church In the morning
and the exercises by the school were In the
evening. Westminster Presbyterian church
had Its special services in the morning and
a celebration of holy communion in the
evening. Trinity Methodist Episcopal
church had it's observance in the evening
and the interior of the edihce was fragrant
with roses. Miss Arnold sang several times
and there were songs and recitations by
the children. The pastor gave an appro-
priate sermon in the morning at CASTELAR,
Street Presbyterian church and the special
program was carried out In the afternoon,
the children of the Sunday school uniting
with those OF its two missions, Park For
est chapel and Ontario Street chapel. The
evening sermon was an object lesson to old
and young.
Clifton Hill ana ST. M"ry'S.
At the Clifton Hill Presbyterian the SER
mon preached In the morning was suited
TO children and in the evening the Sunday
school rendered the c~antata, "The knights
OF the New Crusade" Rev. Yost preached
an illustrated sermon adapted TO children
mt st. Mary's Avenue Congregational in
the morning and administered the rite of
baptism. Children's day services were sub
Rtituted for the ordinary services at Wal
nut Hill Methodist and in other churches
of the city the occasion was recognized in
. similar manner.
BAD MAN CANNOT BE BRAVE.
$500