The Springdale news., 1909-08-27

lived and taught as though diyinely sent.
 During the 18th century a num- Der of philanthropists moved by the degraded condition of child ren of the flower strata" of so- cfety, undertook a moral and intel lectual up-lift of such children These efforts sprung for the most part from pity for the unfortunate and an apprehension for the future of society. Among such philan- thropists may be mentioned the names of Webb. Moffot, Stock, Compton and Raikes, men who at heart had the desire to improve the condition of these dirty, degraded, lowly born urchins of the streets. The hope of these men was to check that procession which is ever ripe or ripening for the gal lows But to Robert Raikes, alone, remained the task of in stituting d work that should bloom within a few decades into the most powerful religious institution the world has ever known The Or ganized Sunday School
 A man of station and business sagaeity, an affectionate husband and father a social character eyi- dencing personal vanity, a lover of gay attire, in the popular phrase "a dude'-yet down deep in his heart Robert Raikes possessed a burning desire to lift the falling Waifs Of the street
 All know how Raikes gathered a number of poor children from the streets of Gloucester. England, and had them taught on Sunday in place called 'Sooly Alley" by d poor woman whom he paid some thirty cents for each days instruc- tion How. he and his teacher, Mrs. Brendon, when passing along the street with their charges, were jeered and often greeted with the cry Bobby Wild Goose and his ragged regiment. How, after some five years experiment with these poor children he secured the inter- est of such men as Wesley and Whitefield How, amid these trials and tribulations he brought forth a text book, entitled eR-e-d-i-n- mad e-s-y' tReading made-easy1 whose contents were in harmony with the needs of these schools on Sunday At this date there were several such schools
 Thus, do we honor the memory Of Robert Raikes as the founder of a school on Sunday. for a few ragged street urchins which school time has transformed into the mod ern Sunday school
 The date 17S0 and the name Rob- ert Raikes will ever be associated with the term Sunday School
 At the outset there was no thought of introducing religious training. The movement was simply the product of a philanthropic mind. But, as the experiment gain ed favor, phases of religious in- struetion were introduced. In Eng land as late as QS20 children were required in some of these schools, to sit on the floor, the while hold ing their toes and knocking first one. then the other heel, on the floor, as they counted from l to 100. In Amereia greater progress was being made
 Notwithstanding the fact that the
 Ragged School was doing a grand work and rapidly gaining favor. it was often bitterly condemned by  the clergy The clergy was some times given to such statements as the following You are imps of Satin, doing the Devils work. It was thought that these schools might destroy the supremacy of the church creed, or weaken the power of the clergy II was church supremacy against the individuals ty in religion
 The great movement spread until II had yerily covered England and the American colonies Then. such questions as these: Can the child think. can it reason" Shall i these juvenile schools be permitted to go beyond the memoriZing of the prescribed cateehisms?" ''Can the clergy permit free thinking? Is not the church to be the loser? l etc, etc. Despite such stubborn op- position; never despairing in it's pur pose; ever seeking the neglected; ;; l