The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-04
BAPTIST SUNDAY. SCHOOL
 TEACHERS INSTITUTE
BY A. E. PAGE.

sor of New Testament in the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky, on the Acts of the Apostles" Dr. Robertson Is fully equipped for his work, having taught New Testament in the theological seminary for 22 years.
 Those who heard pr. Robertson will feel better equipped for teaching this pe- riod. While he gave only six lectures, yet he covered the ground thoroughly.
 Dr. Robertson kept his audience in a good humor with his wit. If there Is anything ridiculous in a lesson he sees it. As a scholar and author he ranks among the first in the land. He has just published what is considered by many the best Greek grammar on New Testa- ment Greek that has ever been published Also he is the author of ''The Life and Letters of John A. Broadus,' who was his father-n-law; "Epochs in the Life of Jesus" "Epochs in the Life of Paul" besides a number of other works of great value.
 One Of the most pleasurable features of the institute was the lunch served every evening between 630 and 7:30 o'clock by the ladies of the different churches. An average of $50 people were served with lunch every evening.
 Those teachers and Sunday school work CTS whose places of business are in the city went straight to the First church without having to go home, where they were served with lunch.
 The different churches served in the following order: Monday evening, the First Baptist church; Tuesday evening, Southside; Wednesday evening, East Lake; Thursday evening, Woodlawn. and Friday evening, East Birmingham. West End and Calvary (Northside).
 It may he. of interest to know that it was in Birmingham the Sunday school board of the Southern Baptist convention was organized IS years ago. In the spring of 1891 the Southern Baptist convention met in Birmingham, and 1t was at that meeting that the Sunday school board was organized. Until that time the work now done by the Sunday school board was done by the home mission board Since that time the Sunday school board has not only furnished the denomination with Sunday school literature, but has grown into one of the most successful financial enterprises in the south. Last year the Sunday school board donated $25,000 to the Young Womans Missionary Training school of Louisville, besides endowing chair of Sunday school pedagogy i. in the Theological seminary, Louisville.
 The Sunday school board now supports five field secretaries three the east of the Mississippi river and two on the west, whose duties are to build up inter- est in Sunday school work and organize new schools.
 Methodists, Presbyterians,5 5Baptists and others recognized for some time that the only way to successfully prosecute their several mission enterprises is to teach it in the Sunday school hence missions are constantly being taught the young peo- pie and children.
 Whatever attitude one may take toward prohibition, it is an undeniable fact that the late wave of temperance that swept over this country Is the result of the training of children in the Sunday school during the preceding generation. Once every three months for years the interna- tional lesson committee has placed in the Sunday school quarterlies a temperance lesson. This constant work has told, and is telling, for temperance more than any other one thing.
 Nearly all the missionaries who have gone out to foreign fields were Sunday school scholars. Almost every penny given by the church for the support of missionary enterprises is given by Sunday school scholars. Missions are taught in the Sunday school, and the children are trained in giving
 When Robert Raikes, editor of the Gloucester Journal, and member of the Church of England, obtained a small house from a Mir King in St. Catherine street, Gloucester, England In 17S0, and organized his Sunday school among the poor children who were unable to attend the day school, he little dreamed of the gigantic proroi tions to which his school would grow. Robert Rakes school was the forerunner of the modern Sunday school movement. He employed ladies to teach in this school at a shilling day, and soon had gathered quite a band of poor children, who attended his Sunday school, learning what beginners now learn in the primary class of our public schools
 But he had given the world the idea of the modern Sunday school. The church in a few years saw that in his idea there lay vast possibility, and 1t soon grafted RailSes' idea into its policy. As Is true with every new idea, this one met stern opr rosition from many pious brethren in the church, but it soon overcame all op- position, and now every Protestant de- nor. ination has adopted 1t as a church scl ool or Bible school.
 The Sunday school is simply the church trying to carry out that command of Christ to 'teach all nations" It is the church exercising it's teaching function. m a modern church the Sunday school is looked upon as being the source from which it draws its new membership largely. At least three-fourths of the
 
 the Sunday school. It is the feeder of the church, and the church without good Sunday school is called dead church.
 The teacher training idea is compara- lively new one. Only few years ago any one who made any pretensions to piety at all could and often did teach in the Sunday school, whether they could read well or not. Not so now. To teach in the Sunday school now one must not only be pious, but must have a certain amount of qualification and training. In a few more years no one will be allowed to teach in a well-organized Sunday school who is not peculiarly and fully prepared for the work. The Sunday school is initiating the day school in that respect. The church needs trained teachers, as well as the public school. The purpose of the institute just held and of others of like nature is to train teachers for the great work of teaching in the Sunday school.