Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-06-21
SUNDAY SCHOOL MEET
GREAT WORLDS CONVENTION
IN ROME.
Fifteen Hundred Delegates from 81
Different Lands In BtE-
Ecst Sunday school Gathering in
History of the World.


There recently assembled in Rome.
Italy, the greatest Sunday school gath
ering in the history Of the world. For
five days about LOO delegates, repre-
Senting thirty-Sevcn different lands,
nearly all evangelical creeds, II o.
100000 Sunday school adhcrents, met
together to G. reports of progress
throughout the earth and study the
hest methods of winning the world to
Christ through the medium of the Sun
day school. From beginning to end the
keynote of the fifth worlds convention
was h Sunday school as Il missionary
force. 1t was clearly brought out hat
the hope of evangclizing the world lies
in the potential energy, as yet largely
untouched. of the Sunday school.
Near the close of the convention
there occurred the most epoch making
event since the inauguration of the in
ternational system of Sunday school
lessons Il generation age.
There was formed the Worlds Sun
day School Association to rapidly de-
velop and promote Sunday school work
throughout the entire world. Bishop
HartZcll was chairman Of the commit
tee which brought this action before
the convention, and in moving its adop-
ton he declared it was the most i'm
pOrtant movement he had ever been
privileged to endorse, Without doubt
it will mean an unparalleled advance
of Sunday schools during the next few
years. The lot fell to England to have
the first president of the world aSSocia-
ton in Rev. f. r. Meyer, of London;
but to America was given the chairman
of the executive committee, DR.. George
W.. Bailey, of Philadelphia.
A strange and impressive scene was
presented at the opening meeting. The
representatives of thirty-seven lands
made a polyglot company as on the day
of Pentecost in Jerusalem, and as hen
all were with one accord in n place
praying and praising God in divers
tongues. There were seen in the audi
ence dark skinned men of Egypt, with
their red fezes native delegates from
PALESTINE; a dark faced college pPesi-
dent from India swarthy men and wo-
men from Spain, Bulgaria and other
countries of southern Europe; fair
haired delegates from Sweden; consid-
cradle delegations from France and
Germany; over 300 delegates from
Great Britain ; as many as could crowd
in the building from Italy, and about
500 from the Uuited States and Can
ada.
The five days of the convention were
crowded with addresses by famous
Christian leaders; reports of Sunday
school progress in all lands; confer
ences in Italian and German n Eng
fish, and committee meetings Of the
widest import by the prominent bust
ness men who had charge of the con-
vention and the worldwide Sunday
school movement. Among the speakers
who stirred the convention by their
messages were Rev.. F. 3. Meyer, Bish-
op J. C. Hartzell, Mr.. Marion Law
rance, Rev. B. B. Tyler, D.. D., and
numerous others, including Madame
Bieler, Of Paris, the daughter Of Pro
fessor D'Aubigne. the historian of the
Reformation. One man, DR.. w. A. Dun
can, of New York State, ~journeyed over
6,OOO miles to Rome and return, SIM
ply to address an Italian and 4 German
conference on the home department Of
the Sunday school, which he founded.
Not the least impressive feature OF
the convention was the sight'of a mum.
Der of prominent business men OF
,,or;,, o,I J,pn1or3 III Yny-;y,r II t1aiS
great energy into the task of making
the gathering an eDoch-making affair.
A large part of the convention was
taken up with reports giving a birds
eye view Of Sunday school conditions
throughout the world. Many of these
the hearts of the audience with new
enthusiasm for assisting the work in
lands where the movement is yet In
its infancy and where the work is car
| ried on under the greatest difficulties.
For example, in Belgium, there are only
$500 scholars enrolled in the schools
in Tunis 5000; in Bulgaria 5000; In
Spain $500; in Egypt 1881. In many
other countries the humble in the Sun
| DAY SCHOOLS is large anu the WOTk Is
growing and developing at an astonish-
ing rate. In Japan there are $4,000 in
the schools; in France $1,000; in India
100000; in Germany 100000; in Great
Britain 2.25O,OOO in free Church
schools, and 100000 altogether, but
not all are affiliated with the associa.
ton. Last comes America with about
100000.
The next convention will be held in
1910, the executive committee has
not decided in what city it will o
vene. Previous to this it is planned to
have a specially chartered ship sail
from New York in December, 1908, car
rying nearly or quite 500 Christian
leaders to make a Sunday school cruise
around the world. 1t is expected that
the English delegates will board the
ship as it passes through the Mediter-
ranean and numerous conferences and
conventions will be held in Egypt, In
dia, China, Japan and other countries