The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-11-03
STATE S. S. CONVENTION
Unusually Successful Annual Gather
ing at Woodstock Attended by
200 Delegates.

ton which was held at Woodstock
during three days last week was one
of the most interesting and success
full conventions in the history of the
Association. The meeting began
Wednesday afternoon at four o'clock
and closed Friday evening. Nearly
200 delegates were in attendance and
there were many visitors at the meet
ings besides those who Registered as
delegates.
Bennington was represented by two
delegates; one from the Second Con
gregational Sunday School of this vii
lage and one from the Guideboard
Branch school. The North Benning
ton Congregational Sunday school al
so sent q delegate Rev. e. NJ Full
Ter, pastor of the Baptist church at
Manchester Center, formerly Gener-
al Secretary of our State Sunday
School Association, and now Presi-
dent of the Bennington County or
ganization, had a prominent part in
the meetings of this convention. Mr.
Fuller has spoken in Bennington and
will be remembered by many as an
able speaker and strong leader in
Sunday school work. Bennington
county was particularly fortunate in
being represented by him.
The opening session in the conyen-
ton consisted of several department
al conferences held in the various
churches in the village, under the fol
lowing leaders, Mrs. f. Il. Perry, of
Brattleboro, Elementary Conference;
Rev. Arthur Peabody Pratt PHI d.,
Bellows Falls, intermediate Confer
ence; Rev. j. A. McKirahan, South
Ryegate Organized Adult BibleClass;
Rev w. r. Davenport, Orleans, Con
ference on Aggressive Temperance
Effort; Rev. Charles +. Echterbeck
err Windsor, Teacher Training Con
ference; Miss Edith Nj. Balch Bur
lington, Home Department Confer
ence; State Treasurer Mr.. f. II. Shep-
ardson, The Financial Side of Orga-
nized Sunday School Work; General
Secretary DR.. H. A. Durfee, Burllng-
ton, held conference with County
Presidents and Secretaries.
Most of the Bennington County del
egates arrived at Woodstock at
about $50 O'Clock Wednesday after
noon Delegates were met at the
train by autos and taken at once to
the Baptist church where they regis
tered and were assigned to the
places where they were to be enter
tanned. When these assignments had
been made the autos and carriages in
waiting took all guests to hotels and
homes where they were most hospit
ably cared for until Saturday morn
ing.
Woodstock is most beautiful
town of about $500 people. The peo-
pie were royal entertainers and did
all in their power to make the brief
stay of their guests pleasant. Dele
gates were welcomed everywhere and
were shown every attention. All
were loud in their praises of the hos
pitable kindness of the Woodstock
people.
The regular meetings of the con
vention were held in the auditorium
of the Congregational church which
was tastefully decorated with chrys-
anthemums and autumn leaves. over
and around the chandeliers were ever
green boughs. The whole effect of
the decorations was most pleasing.
The Wednesday evening meeting
opened with an enthusiastic praise
service led by Rev. Benjamin Swift,
pastor of the Congregational church.
Mr.. Swift was an excellent leader
and the heartiness and earnestness
with which the people sang in this
opening service of the first evening
did not diminish during all the meet
ings of the succeeding days.
Gen. N G. Williams of Bellows
INa1I ..r1n Y,,npnhar nf tho CT a ~
of former Governor Bell, also of for
mer Governor Proctor. was the pre-
siding officer of the Convention. Fol
lowing the address of welcome by
Rev. l.. H. Garfield, of Woodstock,
General Williams made the response.
He spoke of the Association as not a
collection of denominationalists but
a body of Christians WORKING for a
common transportation FOR citi-
zenship and for life.
Rev. j. W. Rae, of Harvard, Conn,
General Secretary of the Connecticut
Sunday School Association, made the
address of the evening. His subject
was Truths That Triumph Today"
Mr. Rae is a clear and forceful speak
er who has had experience in Sunday
School work in "a field much like our
own. MrA Rae stated that no man
can live In the light of the present
day without adopting in some meas
ure the doctrine of revolution. Great
epochs have marked the progress of
truth through all it's stages. We Of
this time can look back <and note
these epochs and witness to evolution
of religious truth The revelation
which God has made of himself to
man is progressive. Four great truths
are necessary for winning victories
in the church; we must have %
Faith in the living Christ. Consci
BUSINESS of his : presence gives
strength and courage for difficult
work (2) Faith in a living Book. No
discussion of the doctrine of inspira
ton was entered into here but en-
phasis was laid upon the vital mes
sage contained in the book which
comes to us from God, even though
II comes through the mind of man.
When the Spanish conqueror Pizarro
went to Peru he gave the ..-.- the
Incas Bible saying to him, There
is book that will tell you how to
govern your kingdom" The Chief
nut the book to his ear, listened, and
then dropped the book, much to the
horror of the Spaniards who were
shocked at the tsacrlege. CD Faith
I'm a living Pledge. The pledge is a
potent force in our civilization. One
of the finest things in our Christian
civilization is the Home which is
founded upon a solemn pledge. The