Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1904-06-17
VOLUME AZ, NUMBER 4s

4
Raikes was the one who put the
Sunday school on the market. He
held the first Sunday school in
Gloucester, England, about one
hundred and twenty-five years ago, in
a room ski feet. The Sunday school
| idea spread like wild fire from that
one to $4,000 Sunday schools today,
and from that little handful Of boys
to twenty-six million scholars, The
Sunday school at first had nothing to
do with the church. 1t was for
ragged children of the street who
would get, in no other way, an idea of
the bible. But today it is adopted
into the church life and holds most
important place there.
DIN speaking of the organization
of Sunday schools. Mr.. Lawrance
said that London organized her Sun.
day schools over century ago. The.
American Sunday School Union
organized first in 1882 and Is states
were represented. Other conventions
were held and in 1872 at Indianapolis
they adopted the International lessons
that we now use. This was the last
of the National conventions. They
were henceforth to be called Inter.
national conventions (which includes
all of North America.)
They decided here that Interna.
tional conventions were not enough.
They must have state conventions.
These. too, were insufficient. Here
was the place to light the fires but
they must have county conventions
to fan them into blaze. It was
found that they could not reach all of
the Sunday schools in the county,
even through the county conventions
SO these in turn, were divided into
townships or districts. This is of
course the ideal for organized Sunday
school work, and is what all the states
are striving TO attain. Our state has
as yet, many counties unorganlzed,
our own county among the number.
But it is to be hoped, that, before the
year is over, our state will have taken
a big stride toward the ideal of
organized Sunday school work.
The first Of the Worlds Sunday
school conventions took place in Lon
don in 1889. Two hundred and forty
two went from this country. There
have been three other Worlds
Sunday school conventions since then,
the last one being held in Jerusalem
during March and April of this year,
eight hundred and seventeen going
from the United States. Marion
Law rance, Mr.. Pearce and our own
general secretary, Rev. Chynoweth,
we're among the number, SO we heard
echoes from that great convention all
through our state convention.
These Worlds conventions were
possible because of organization.
Organization stands for cooperation
to do common work. Organized
Sunday school work is a better
guarantee Of safety, prosperity and
perpetuity than an army. There are
over 20, 900 Sunday school conventions
year in the United States and
Canada, where over two million
workers gather for help.
Then another thought about this
work. 1t is INSTRUMENTATION
MethodistS, BaptiSts, Presbyterians,
Congregationalists and other Protest
ant churches gather together in this
common cause Of winning the boys
and girls for Christ. It has given the
world it's best demonstration of
denominational cooperation. Many
helpful suggestions were given for
Bible school workers by Mr.. Pearce
and others.
The Bible readings, throughout the
convention by Rev. Chynoweth, Mr..
Pearce, Mrs. Hobart and Mr.. Kellogg
were helpful and inspiring and made
US feel, more than ever, our need of
sitting at the feet of the Great =
Teacher to be taught of Him, that We
may guide Alright, those under our
care.