Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-06-11
ORGANIZATION IN THIS STATE.
SPLENDID Work Is Now Growing Most
Rapidly.

Rapidly.
Talk by ]. M. Way, General Secretary
of the South Carolina Sunday School
association, before the York County
Sunday School convention.
In discussing Organized Sunday
School Work In South Carolina 1t Is
not out of place to say that our state
is one of a block that has not MADE
very great progress until within the
last two or three years. Virginia,
North Carolina, Tennessee, South car
olina, Georgia and Florida have lag
ged behind, but 1 do not consider 1t
worth while to discuss the causes at
this time. Kentucky, Missouri, Okla
homa, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana,
Mississippi and Alabama constitute q
block, which taken as whole, has
been making Very satisfactory progress
for several years. Four of these states,
Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Ken
lucky, have done sufficiently aggress-
i've work to turn the eyes of the coun-
try to them.
Up until 1907 our own state asso-
citation seems to have been struggling
against great odds. A state, county or
township association will be just what
its leaders choose to make 1t. At the
Georgetown convention in March,
1907, Captain ]. Adger Smyth, Jr., a
very successful young business man,
was placed at the head Of the work,
and things began to take place imme-
diately.
sitting quietly in my Office at Ashe-
boro. N. c., I received a letter from
Captain Smyth, then to me a perfect
stranger. Having a position that
very much loved, and work present
ing an opportunity as great as the
man, | was not looking for a new po-
sition. However, this business man,
beginning in April, succeeded In land
ing me as General Secretary in Sep
tember, 1907, from which time only
shall discuss the work.
Without records, without an ONCE,
without equipment or help, we launch
ed anew the Organized Sunday School
Movement in South Carolina. AT that
time eight or ten counties claimed TO
be organized, and during the next SIX
months l was able to find seven town.
ship associations in the whole state.
SO far as department work is con-
cerned, know Of none that was being
done.
Today the number Of county associ-
ations in the state has increased TO
twenty-five, and we are very hopeful
that the number will be thirty-five by
the next state convention. The num-
ber Of townships reported as organ
lied at the Orangeburg convention was
sixty-nine. Since that time have not
gathered statistics for the state, put L
believe the number has doubled. I'm
til we complete the organization on
the state it will be practically impos-
sible to secure statistics However,
i,fn r hand.
I now believe there are several hun
dred Adult Bible Glasses organized ac-
cording to the International Standard,
that there are more than hundred
Home Departments, scores of Cradle
Rolls and a good many Teacher
Training Glasses.
Previous to September, 1907, the
state association was attempting to DO
the work without paid workers. we
now have three, who were employed
I'm the following order: The general
secretary, September, 1907; the ofnce
secretary, July, 1908; and the ele-
mentary superintendent, June, 1909.
The year closing with March, 1907, the
state association collected in round
numbers about $500. Between the
Union and Orangeburg conventions, a
period of ten and a half months, 1t
spent Ill viz "NiN'
than $4,000. o
During the interim between the 1908
and 1909 conventions, 1900 packets IT
literature, about 1000 personal letters
and about $1,000 copies Of The Pro
moter were sent out from the office or
the State Association. The work has
grown to be so heavy that the general
and office secretaries have found 1t
necessary to do simply what they can,
and we are sorry to say, let the other
go, for it is a physical impossibility to
take care of any great part OF the
work that Is before us.
Though the Organized Sunday
School Movement is not new, yet 1T
was new to many of our people. At
first it was hard to make people who
needed the very work the state asso-
citation is doing, understand that 1t
would help them. We encountered
iealousies and doubts, and fears but
under all the circumstances we have
tried to be patient, remembering that
old proverb: He that hath patience
can have what he will'', until now we
see the work so greatly developed as
to become an ever increasing problem
I'm taking care OF It,
The funds for prosecuting the work
come from voluntary contributions and
III Is Sa1e 10 say lndl our
hake far Outgrown our finances. Ken
lucky has five regular paid workers
and two who work part time. Ala
bama has four regular paid workers
and one who works on part time. Last
year Kentucky collected over $4,000
for it's association work. If we had
that amount of money at our disposal,
we would be able to place I'm the field
sufficient number of workers on full
time and thus take care of the rap
idly developing opportunities of our
Statewide Sunday School Work.
May ! not ask all the friends Of the
Sunday school, not as an institution
| confined to your own small church.
| but as an institution that is as wide
as the Christian world. to pray daily
| that God will direct all of our efforts
| to the honor and glory of His great
name, for the salvation of souls. and
| that He shall call the much needed
laborers into His vineyard. both as
voluntary and regular workers, and
| that He shall open the windows of His
| great store-house and provide every
| thing needed to prosecute the work ?