The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-17
|DR. PHILLIPS SPOKE
INTERESTING ADDRESS ON SUM
 DAY SCHOOL woRK.
Distinguished Presbyterian Minister of Richmond Addressed Interest ed Audience in Behalf of
 Young People of the Church.

| fttCH>
 mond. Va, Secretary for sabbath Schools
 and Young Peoples Work. of the Pres byterian Church in the United States. de- | livered strong plea tor better Sunday ! Schools before a good sized and appre- ctative audience in the Sunday School | room of the First Presbyterian Church at ! 7:30 o'clock last night.
 | pr. Phillips made an excellent address
 on a subject with which he Is thoroughly
 familiar and treated each phase of 1t h
 way that showed the defects In the
 present system of Sunday School work | and the need Of reform.
 He spoke for about an hour and a half | and his audience listened attentively to | subject which he declared to be a vital one in the Interests of the Presbyterian Church. His audience was very much
 pleased with hts address and the lnfu- ence of his words will probably have . decided tendency for improvement h the work hn represents
 Dr. Phillips was introduced by Rev. c. W. Patterson. pastor of the First Pres oyterian Church In a short appropriate speech pr Phillips took. up his subject of
 model Sunday Schools and explained the requisites for such schools. He spoke of the present method of teachers In In. structing their classes and said that the one great defect of the present method
 was the lack of thoroughness Teachers. he said. would skip about in the lessons of the Bible. taking up first one subject and then another and the logical result was that the child obtained only a con fused idea of the times and places of the Bible subjects These gaps in the teach ing. he declared. to be bad and suggested change of method. The Bible was not a book of philosophy but a series Of pic- lures to the child's mind and the series should not be interrupted.
 That Is not Presbyterian, thorough ness" he said. Unless the children un- derstand at least some of the teachings of the Bible they cannot understand the doctrine of the church which Is based on the religion"
 The new scientific way of teaching chil- dren Sunday School lessons. he believed to be unsatisfactory in ultimate results. Some people think that a child win not understand some of the lessons taught In the Bible and that therefore they should not be taught by the Sunday School teachers.
 "If they don't understand t." pr. Phil lips said ,''let them have a chance to wonder over 1t anyhow"
 He urged the parents to see to 1t that their children learned their catechism lessons and pointed out the absolute ne. cessity of their doing so, if the parents WlSneO InSlT CHtfoTen 10 BFOW up BOOo members Of the church. understanding its doctrines In the model Sunday School the geography of the countries mentioned In the Bible should be taught to the children so that they might have q clear Idea of where the affairs spoken of happened. It was logical that they would not understand the lesson as clear
 y without knowledge of the geography as they would with knowledge of the geography.
 Let them go further and study Bible history after they know their catechsms and let them know also that the Bible Is a work of literature besides being a rec ord of events. said Dr. Phillips They should know who wrote the Bible. why 1t was written, how 1t Is made up into different sections and for what purpose 1t was written. The children. he said, should be taught the differences In the books of the Bible. "I did not know the books of the Bible fin order when started to preach and do not know that could give them cor rectly now. but the children ought to know them in order" he said. Dr. Phillips said that a new book for Presbyterian Sunday School use. teach Ing the geography of the Holy Land. Egypt and Rome wRs soon to be pub 1ished in Richmond and that it would fill a long felt want in that direction. He said the Presbyterians are leading in Sunday School work and he wished to see them continue to set the pace for the other denominations The Sunday School for the children. he said. was not only a place of instruction but a place of wor- ship A great many Presbyterian chill dren do not attend the church services and in that way the Sunday School is the only place of worship that they have. For that reason the Sunday School should be made as attractive Ns possible.
 He emphasized the importance of pray CT at home and said 1t was to be regret ted that this old custom of family pray CT in the church was observed in a lax manner by many Presbyterian families
 "On the subject of Psslm-singing in the Sunday Schools. Dr. Phillips said that the children, now days did not know all Of the good old Psalms and that they should therefore be taught them. He argued that they did not take enough in- terest In the hymns and that they have not the proper reverence in the Sunday School work.
 In closing his remarks Mir. Phillips said that there were 2.5OO000 children in the South who did not attend any Sunday School. This be thought, was a deplor- able state Ot affairs.
 pr. Phillips addressed the Sunday School teachers of the Central Presbyte- rian Church in the Sunday School room at 6:So o'c clock yesterday afternoon.
 Dr. Phillips Is a fine looking man and his manner of speaking Is clear and straightforward. His arguments are log ical and show a great deal of thought He has a way of putting his arguments before his audience which is at the same time forceful and entertaining.
 He will leave Montgomery this morning for Opeliks where he will deliver .an ad- dress on the same lines as the one he gave last night.
 TO CURE A COLD IN ONE DAY.