Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-21
SUNDAY SCHOOL ARMY
Vast Source of Church Mem
bership in America.
ARE OVER $4,000, 900
Public Schools Have Four Million
More.
ARE RECRUITED EACH YEAR
Constant Effort to Increase the Sur
passing Strength-All Denomina-
lions in the Work.
ARE RECRUITED EACH YEAR
Written for The Star.


There they go-three Sunday panoplied
dots in the broad thoroughfare-your three
buds. bound Sunday schooIward. Proudly
you watch them till the corner claims
them. Would your pride in them be any
greater did you realize that they are de-
cidedly important component parts of the
biggest Sunday school army in the world?
Nearly one-half of the worlds Sunday
school scholars are nephews and nieces, big
and little. of Uncle Sam.
If the old gentleman were to undertake
some Sunday to call the combined roll of
his lands 10000 schools, and were he to
call off the names at the rate of thirty
minute, it would take him fourteen and a
half government working days eight hours
to day. to run through the rs.
If the combined armies and navies, peace
footing, of the seven great powers of Great
Britain, Russia, Japan, France, Italy, Ger
many and Austria-Hungary were brought
to attention in one long mult-colored and
gHttering line this line would be only a
little more than a fourth as long as the
one made by Uncle Sans Sunday school
scholars similarly marshaled. The strength
OF oa aii tn these warriors numerically is nearly
3,Seo.00o that of cur Sund lay schools, Cath
Ole and Protestant, almost ~ 250CO0.
These nine and quarter million boys and
girls and three million grown-up scholars.
population of Pennsylvania, Illinois and
Maryland. The seven states of North Caro-
lima, New Jersey, Alabama, Minnesota, Mis-
sissippi-ffteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth,
Eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth, respec-
lively, in population-Nebraska,- twenty
seventh. and Colorado thirty-first, are at
present inhabited by only as many persons
as there are Sunday school scholars in ell
Hawaii included.
The enrolment in our public schools is
only four millions in excess Of the Sunday
school Observation-Disclosures answer to the
argument, sometimes advanced, that the
youth of our land Is no longer being care
fully educated religiously.
Despite our vast strides in manufac tur-
ing, agriculture is still our leading occupa-
ton. but we have two million less worship
ers at Ceres shrine than we have syste-
mat1cally studying the Bible every Sunday.
Pennsylvania Great Division.
Pennsylvania division in this vast army
is the most imposing-the only one requiring
seven figures to record its strength, 2S5, 600,
scholars. $4,000 officers and teachers; a to-
tai of 1,444.0o0. Canton, the eighth city of
the world, has 100000 dwellers, and St.
Petersburg, the ninth city, 100000 less. II
all Pennsylvania's mighty division were to
eneamp In one spot for a Sunday school
convention, the metropolis of the state
would no longer be the Quaker city, with
aus l,5UU,OUO Souls. but this tented Sunday
school city for @ week
Pennsylvania public school rolls show
244,OO0 names less than it's Sunday school
rolls. The public school enrolment is II So
or its entire population. The states church
communicates are stronger than the Sum
day school membership by less than 500 900.
Its church edifices number nearly 10000; it's
Sunday schools over 10000. 1t is one of
the very few states with a Sunday school
for every church and some to snare New
nd |, nIc.
Ohio, nearly 1900 churches and few more
than 5000 schools. Illinois has nearly 5000
schools, about 500 in excess of its church
edifces. New York is second IN number
of scholars and teachers Do, 900 less than a
Million and Ohio third, with three-quarters
of million scholars and one-eghth of a
million teachers and officers. The rank of
the states according to population does not
hold good IN the Sunday school statistics
The largest UNCONVENTIONAL corps in this
vast army bears the distinguishing badge of
Methodism, north. It's full mustered
strength, scholars, teachers and officers. is
$4,000. about 10 per cent in excess of the
church membership. This corps comprises
about one-fourth of Uncle Sans Sunday
school army, and Sunday in and Sunday
out, good weather and bad, 1t answers the
roll call about one and three-quarter mil
lions strong.
To maintain so gigantic an army de-
mands millions. The current expenses
for the Methodist corps alone were 81 100. :
600 in 1904: The 100000 Presbyterian
(nortD scholars contributed last year over
half million dollars to the support of the
various schools, sl50, 600 to other boards of
the church, and nearly $4,000 to general
s9a5 oo I Hn 0 work grand total Of
that amount-how would you Hike to have
it come to you, In the course of a year.
mostly in the shape of 1-cent and scent
pieces?
Recruiting for the Vast Army.
1t would seem that the commanders of
this army would be satisfied with its sur
passing size. Such is far from being the
case, however. The various CORPS COM
manders have their recruiting sergeants
Il mean missionaries-at work all through
the country, in thickly populated states like
New York and Illinois, as well as in the
sparsely settled regions like the Appa-
lachan mountain counties and the arid
stretches of the far west. These lone men
and women work so diligently that hun
dreds of new schools are formed yearly and
tens Of thousands of new scholars en-
rolled
The Presbyterian Church, North, has 121
missionaries at work in thirty-eight states
and territories and in Cuba This little
band organized 1877 schools last year and
recognized 318, thus gathering together
$1,000 teachers and scholars. The Con-
gregational Church has about fifty mis-
sionaries, organizing 900 new schools a
year. In the year ending March /, 1905,
the American Sunday School Union. nom
sectarian, started 1886 new schools mem
bership 10000. and reorganized 652 schools,
membership $4,000.
The Baptist Church has force of fifty
missionaries. beside 100 colporteurs, who
also take an active part in organizing
schools While the missionaries Of other
denominations go about the country after
the fashion OF the old-time circuit rider, or
with a mule team, the Baptists supply their
missionaries with gospel wagons in the new
sections of the country. They also have
six chapel gears, which are carried free
OF cost by western railroads. There is the
car "Evangel' In Indian Territory. The
Emmanuel on the Pacific coast rhe
Good VIII" in Texas, the Glad Tadings,'
in Wisconsin. The Messenger OF Peace
Is shown in Missouri the Herald of Hope
travels back and forth along Michigan's
steel arteries
The missionary ventures wherever he
thinks there is sufficient population, no
matter how scattering. to support Sum
day school. He penetrates into the heart
of the wild, "mountain white country, rid
ing and walking several thousand miles In
the course of a year. He follows close on
the heels of the settler. hoping to repienish
his purse In newly opened country. Okla
homa Territory was thrown open to settle
ment on Tuesday; the following Sunday
Methodist field workers. as their recruiters
are called, organized fifty-four Sunday
schools. The veteran missionary of the
American Union Martin b. Lewis has gone