The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1909-08-27

seven classes instead of eight, as in the
preceding years. The collections aver
aged $l.75. In 18S3-84-85 Bro. McCan-
less was superintendent and Bro. Bes-
sonette secretary. In 1883 Bro. Stone
was pastor. in 1884 Bro. Sage and in
1885 Bro. E. w. Spraggins. In 1883
the enrolment went down to 54 schol-
ars; 1884 it went up to n, and in 1885
So was the greatest number enrolled;
collections averaged 81. so each Sunday.
In 1886 we had Bro. Steger as super
intendent and Bro. j. M. Wyatt as
pastor. Bro. Steger was jealous
Sunday school worker and closed his
work with the highest enrolment the
school had attained to, it being SO.
Collections this year was about s1.75.
In 1887 Col. j. A. Blair was superin-
tendent and Bro. Eugene Johnson pas
tor. Col Blair was methodical in his
work. prompt to do his duty and ex-
pected the help of all his teachers,
and each Sunday appointed one of them
to address the school on the subject of
the lesson. The highest enrolment
this year was 73 scholars, with eight
classes. In 1888 w. T. Steger was
superintendent with Eugene johnson
pastor; in 1889 j. A. Blair was superin-
tendent with N. G. Augustus pastor; in
1890 j. M. Hoyle was superintendent
and N. G. Augustus pastor. 1890
closed with the highest enrolment that
had been made, which was SO.
In 1892 we had w. A. Belk, an en-
thusiastic and able man. for superin-
tendent and E. D. Sheffield as secrc-
tary. Bro. Bessone.te had held the
secretary's place from 1880 to this
time. Bro. E. H. Moon was pastor.
The highest enrolment this year was
81, officers. teachers and scholars. In
1893 we had for superintendent S. j.
Harkey, a man devoted to the work
and always prompt to do his duty; for
secretary F. johnson and Bro E. H.
Moon pastor. Bro. Moon died this year
and Bro. j. w. Henell was pastor the
remainder of the year. From this time
until 1899 Bro. Harkey was euperin-
tendenteand Bro. Johnson secretary,
with Bros. w. T. j. Sullivan, R. A.
Meek and S. B. Meyers pastors. The
enrolment for 1899 was 80.
Commencing with 1899 j. H. Strain
was superintendent, Bro. johnson Sec
retary and S. B. Meyers pastor. Bro.
Strain was superintendent until 1908,
and during this time, from 1899 TO 1908.
our pastors were Bros. Meyers, Bowen,
Lewis and Black. During these nine
years the enrolment went from 80 to
1874, and 1908 came in with the present
administration Bro. Strain was su-
perintendent nine years, and upcn his
own earnest request was allowed. to re-
sign. He did faithful work and the
school prospered under his manage
ment, increasing more than 100 per
cent. Bro. Johnson has been secretary
sixteen years, and we will say that no
Sunday school has more faithful or
efficient officer, and we haye no doubt
but that he will be secretary for our
school for then next sixteen years.
Bro. Ledgard, our present superin-
tendent, with his efficiency. enthusi-
asm and tact. made it necessary to add
large Sunday school room to our al
ready commodious church, and we are
indebted to Bros. Ledgard. Reeves and
Kinds for their care and sacrifice of
time in attending to the erection of
this new building.
During all this long period Of time
the school has had a faithful and COM
petent corps of teachers who have done
their part in this good work and greatly
aided, if not highly responsible for, its
growth both numerically and spirit
ualIy.
The Sunday school of the First Meth
l.odist church of TuEelo is now one of
1.-THE largest in this section, having an
enrolment OF 377, with good average
J attendance every Sunday.