Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-08-10

ley, Mass, she must have had the
same spirit of helping those around
her and being helped. By mere good
fortune | recently came into possession
OF an agc-stained letter written by her
three months before our Sunday school
was organized in May, 1908. In this let
ter she relates her religious experience.
From that letter I will quote a few
lines selected from the body of the
letter: 81 have thought strange that
persons could deny the doctrine of to-
tai dcpravity if they understood it, or
ever saw their own true character. |
think nothing looks more plain than
that does"
One Of the early superintendent fol-
lowing Mr. Thurston was Moses Rip
ley, who for term of years directed
the affairs Ct the school. He became
member of this church in 1892, uniting
by letter. one who remembers him
speaks of him as q lovely man. Mrs.
Elizabeth Fairbanks and Mrs. Harriet
Webb were members of the Sunday
school when he was superintendent.
Seventy-six years ago he made his APP
pearance in the community and I'M
mediatcly showed his loyalty to God
by identifying himself with the church
of God Mrs. Webb, referred to above,
has a little Sunday school book which
he gave her when she was little girl
in the Sunday school.
The Sunday school methods of today
were unknown or not even thought Of,
such as the Home Department, Cradle
Roll, maps, pictures, contests and many
other things. Moses Ripley and those
who followed modestly and earnestly
led in the way towards growth and in
creased efficiency. In 1916 Rev. David
Thurston, speaking of religious condl-
lions in the District of Maine. says:
1T is adjudged that upwards of $780,
600 in this district are without chris
tan ordinances. Many of them have
no Bibles, and an incredible number
have only part of the Holy Scripture.
The population is rapidly increasing.
In many of these destitute places the
Sabbath is nearly forgotten, and in all
is shocking by profanity. They are not
all so poor as to be unable to support
the Gospel. They more highly prize
their riches and pleasures than the
means of salvation. In these destitute
regions many thousand children and
youth are coming forward in life with
out having experienced the benefits of
good family government. They re-
ceive very little moral or
religious instruction. Children
10 and II years old cannot tell who was
their Creator. Persons of Is are found
who never heard d sermon. Wise and
sympathetic as Father Thurstcn was.
he could not let pass unchallenged
these conditions and 50 eight years be-
fore began in his own church on sun
day a school for religious instruction.
| have before me while writing and
from which is quoted the above ex-
tracts. a sermon written by Father
Thurston and delivered before the
Maine Missionary Society at Saco III
1916 In it | have searched in vain for
any reference to his Sunday school. In
nearly all of his writings which have
been preserved. he avoids any refer
ence to himself 1t was in the period
from 1905 to 1916 that Father Thurston
advocated religious instruction in the
nul,lic schools Instead of secular In
struction on Sunday, as was the prac-
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