The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-03
LOCAL HISTORY
Birthday OF the Sunday School,
WHAT HAPPENED SEPT. Z

| oTNHudy OF tne sunday SCHOOL,
On Sunday. September 3. 1850. Robert
Raikes established the first Sunday school
at Gloucester. England. Raikes is the
father OF the Sunday school. and. al
| though there were numerous Isolated
Bible schools both in England and Amer
lea prior TO this time. Raikes conceived
the idea OF the Sunday school that Is so
general all over the world today.
According to contemporary testimony.
! Ralkes gathered some street boys in July,
1850. into a room in Sooty alley, Glou-
cester, under the temporary care Of d
Mrs, Meredith. to instruct them In the
Bible. and his little effort proved so sue
cessful that less than two months after
wards he was able to establish the Sun
day school with q very fair attendance
at more pretentious location In South
gate street; The pupils were not only
| instructed in the Bible. but In reading
and in catechisms OF the day; Later
re Crypt church. the first church in which
a Sunday school was held
This first school seems to have had as
teachers received a shilling day from
Raikes for their work. He worked quiet
ly and experimentally for three years.
and then; on November 3, 1888, began
the Gloucester Journal
In the extension Of the Sunday school
Idea Raikes accords much credit to John
Nichols. OF the "Gentlemen's Magazine"
The cause was notably furthered by
Hannah More, John and Charles Wesley.
and even the queen herself expressed
an interest In the movement and asked
Raikes 10 visit her and describe his plan
The first Sunday school In London was
started by Rev. Rowland Hill in 1884. In
1856 1ye schools were reported In or near
London. and ten years after that date
there were 1912 Sunday schools and 65,-
600 scholars: 1t was not until the close
of the eighteenth century that paid
teachers gradually ceased to be employed
and Christian workers took up the teach
Ing. Before Raikes died, in 1911. there
We're 100000 children In the Sunday
schools OF Great Britain alone.
On December 10. 1890. a number OF
Christian workers met together In Phil
adelphia and organized the first Sunday
school in this country. which was opened
on January II, 1891 The American sun
day School union was formed on May "a,
1894. and at the first anniversary meet
ing Of the union. held In 1882. fifteen
states were represented. The -first ma
tional convention was held on October 3
OF that year. and the first president
chosen was Hon. Theodore Frelinghuy-
sen. The general headquarters OF this
organization today is In Chicago
The Sunday school movement has be-
come worldwide. AT the meeting of the
twelfth international Sunday school con-
ventIon. held in Louisville. KY. In June.
1908. the report showed that the total
number Of teachers and scholars In the |
"oriu was Zo.foz.eoo: Inc thirteenth In |
ternational convention, which will be
held In San Francisco next year. will |
no doubt show very great increase In |
the number.
schools In all parts Of the world. includ- |
Ing even farHway Australasia and the !
FIJI islands. The United States has by |
far the greatest number. 140.5l9 OF the |
total being credited to this country. con-
siderably more than one-half
In this list IS not calculated the schools |
OF the Roman Catholic and non evan
gellcal Protestant churches. The number
schools In the United States Is estimated |
at 100000 by clerics.
II Is noted that In the days OF the
kings of Judah the Levites were travel
ing Bible teachers. According to the
TalmUd and of Josephus. a system OF
religious schools. in connection with the
tury before Christ. This system included
many OF the features of the modern
Sunday school Selected Bible lessons
were arranged for series OF years. Free
tvated. Such schools were general in
Palestine in the days OF Jesus. and there
Is reason TO suppose that he was pupil
in one OF these in his Nazareth home
The plan OF Raikes. therefore was only
the new application OF an old idea.
On September 8. 1903, Henry Hudson
arrived in New York bay; the treaty OF
Paris in 1888 and the GregorIan calen-
iar was adopted in 1853. Today is the
birthday Of Eugene de Beanharnais.
poetess GIs9): Gorham D. Abbot. clergy
man and educator GS0T): Gardner Colby.
Qslo): John Drew. Sr.
keeley motor notoriety GS2O. and Sarah
orne Jcwett, author GSI9). II Is the
late OF the death OF Oliver Cromwell. in
1858. and Sir Edward Coke. the eminent
mol 1iGh et I'm