Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1911-08-02
S. S. CONVENTION.
Profitable Session of the Edge
field Sunday School Conven-
ton Held at Stevens
Creek Church.

VI
morning in company with our gen.
ial sheriff, we betook ourselves to
the historical old church of Stevens
Creek to be present at the Edgefield
Baptist Sunday School convention.
En- route to this great convention,
our mind would involuntarily re-
vert to that day many years ago,
when we, as mere boy, started TO
old Horns Creek church to attend
the first organization of this great
body of Sunday school workers.
Many are the sad "reminiscences that
occupy our mind as we contemplate
the great number of men and wo-
men who were present and took
part in this first meeting of the con-
yention, the most of whom have al
ready passed over the river" The
only one remaining now who took a
prominent part in the organization
that we can call to mind, is that old
and venerable. soldier of the cross,
Rev. J. P. Mealing, who if we mis-
take not, was the first president of
the convention. Many at that time
had great fears as to the advisable
ity of attempting to form separate
organization from the association
for the furtherance Of the Sunday
school work, claiming that accord
ing to Benjamin Franklin 1T was
better to let the little kittens pass
through the same hole in the, door
that the old cat went in at.
Brother Mealing was at that time
a very enthusiastic advocate of the
convention, and has ever remained
a strong supporter of this great
work. We remember how few
years ago at a meeting of the con-
vention at Parksville some of the
younger heads thought it best to
abandon this work. Bro. Ncaling
arose, and after reviewing the strug-
giles that he and other veterans had
made to maintain this, to his mind
the most important organization for
the furthersace Of thesSandSgsc school
cause, pleaded earnestly that the
Sunday school convention should
be perpetuated. 1t is needless to
say that we have all seen the wis
dom of his position. Bro. Mealing
is not able to attend these meetings
now, owing to the infrmity of age
but we feel assured that, as we as
semble from year to year, his
faithful heart rises in prayer to God
for the success of the convention;
but enough of these "reminiscences
and back to the convention.
We arrived on the grounds at an
early hour, and were soon shaking
hands with friends from every di-
rection. In snort time the>great
stream OF vehicles that began to
pour in from every direction con-
vinced us that people had not for
gotten the time inlmemorial adage:
IF you want to have good time,
and be we'll entertained, go to Stew
ems Creek" Promptly at the hour
appointed, the convention was call
ed to order by the president, Bro.
w. D. Holland. Devotional exer-
cises were conducted by Bro. r. T.
Strom.
The first order of business being
the election of officers for the en-
suing year, the present officers, Bro.
w. D. Holland, president, and Bro.
w. E. Lott, secretary, were elected.
The welcome address was made
by Bro. J.P. Mathews and res pond-
ed to by Bro. G. NJ. Mellichamp.
We were all made to feel that we
were welcome, and Bro. Mellichamp
expressed very beautifully our ap-
probation of this hearty welcome.
Next came the report of the Field
Secretary. This being rather a new
feature of the work, there has not
been made that progress that is to
be desired; still it is to be hoped
that in the future this may be made
an important factor in the conven-
tion.
There was only enc of the speak
ers on the first query present Bro.
P. H. Bussey, Jr. Subject: The
future men and women, what are
they to be-" What we missed in
numbers was amply repaid in the
able manner in which the speaker
discussed the subject. We were
made to feel proud and
our heart arose in gratitude to God
for giving us this young preacher,
who so forcibly and eloquently pic.
tured the great possibilities of the
men of the future. He proved con-
clusively that it rested on the par
ents and teachers to determine
what the men and women of the fu
tnre would be. After listening to
others on the subject, the dinner
hour having arrived we adjourned
to the long table in the grove where
we were we'll fed by the good peo-
pie of the community. We will
not say that the table groaned un-
der it's weight of good things, but
we might say that there was SON .