Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-05-12
NOTES OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL CONVENTION
RETIRING SECRETARY HAS
RESUME OF HIS LAb0RS
q state OF stagnation.

a state OF stagnation.
That fellowship and intercourse
that has made so many enterprises
successful, brought the Sunday schooI
workers together, binding them into
the forceful body that is so effective
today, and that is so constantly grow.
ing into a larger, and more practical
age of child religion and child teach
ing. To seek light rather than have
light thrust upon one, is the highest
tyne of progression, for there Is then
an assurance that stagnation will new
er be found lying at the doors Of such
seekers.
History Of State Work.
This chronicle, however, Is not
dissertation on Sunday school COOP
GRAFTON, so much as practical aggre.
CATION of facts for future record, ana
as a matter of history, and that WILL
touch only that especial period that
had it's historic place since the writer
has had the general oversight OF the
work. viz, from 1896 to 1910, a period
of IA years.
Casselton, in 1896, gave the call to
the writer to become the state secre-
tary, and to give one month to the
field, with the Office duties. Such linn
tied time, however, was but drop In
the bucket for the state as it was
then, much less for the steady growing
population of the west. Three hum
dred fifty dollars in the budget for
years work, for $1,000 cildren and
1900 teachers and officers. Through
the generous membership of the east
ern part of the state association
the secretary was allowed to work for
the middle west almost exclusively,
even though the Valley counties paid
the entire budget.
At this time not a single department
had an organization, and there was
not even q Cradle Roll known to the.
who're Sunday school constituency,
neither was there an official list OF
the ounties organized, and but very
few of the pastors or superinitendents
were in touch with this larger plan of
the Sunday school world.
You may thus more clearly realize
now handicapped the secretary was;
indeed it was foundation work from
the very bottom.
Fargo, in 1897, saw a more hopeful
outlook, the first year Of paid state
omcer, even though but one month In
active service, had set before the
state an open door, and the touch OF
inspiration from this little service,
made the workers realize what might
be theirs, and more especially that OF
the west, when the day of hope was
finally consummated in the full SER
vice of a general worker.
Work Arouses the West.
The beloved Marion Lawrence came
to us at this crisis, and gave Of his
spirit and power at the 1897 conven-
ton. At once the whole body caught
the vision, and now it was only finan-
ces that would stop the state from
realizing their ideal. The secretary
had been limited to the valley and
middle west counties, so that but 10
counties were yet organized, and only
those on the eastern side of the Jim
river. This years work began to
arouse the west. We all realized the
condition of the west at this time.
Whilst the prohibition forces had
made splendid Roadway along the val
ley, and even as far west as James,
town, yet this city, and all tho cities
west of Jamestown, and through to|
the Montana line, were wide open
towns; DRINK had given to US 4
darkened preferential for our western
constituency, and to lift the massts,
as well as clarity the atmosphere was
the work of giants: And so the state
association saw that one of the first
things to do before a living, wide.
awake people could be moulded for
this larger work, that campaign of
education should begin and that
should reach the entire state. Liter.
ature, personal appeals, open public
meetings were among the means used
by the state during 1898, until that
which was such hindrance should
no longer hold sway. This was a bat.
tie of the gods with the God, and It