Middletown transcript., 1911-09-30
BETHESDA ). S. RALLY DAT
Prof. George " Twitmyer Made
Zine Address

On Sunday afternoon at ESQ O'Clock in
teresting special exercises were held in
the large audience room of the Bethesda
NJ. E. Church by the Sunday School, it
being the yearly Autumnal occasion
known as Rally Day.
A goodly number of people, some of
them from The Presbyterian and Episco-
pal Churches, greeted the speakers.
The performance opened with singing
by the school followed by prayer by Mr..
A. G. Cox, whereupon the entire school
sang "Let the Gospel Light Shine" The
Superintendent, Mr.. Martin B. Burris,
made brief address on the significance of
the name Rally Day. and added some
timely suggestions on the necessity OF CO.
operation in Sunday School work upon
the part Of church members.
He thereupon introduced as the chief
speakerof the hour, Prot. George W.
TWitmyer, Superintendent of the Will
mington Public Schools, who made a fine
address, replete with kindly and timely
criticisms of present methods and with
wise suggestions for future improve
ments. The speaker claimed that instead
of the Sunday School being an adjunct
to the church, rightly understood, the
church was an adjunct to the Sunday
school, and the significant array ct stats
tics which he marshalled, seemed to make
his contention good.
Thus in 1910, Al, 900 members were add
ed to the $4,000 Methodist Churches in
the United States with their membership
of 3,4S5, 900; while on the other hand,
IS, 900 boys and girls were added to the
35, 900 Methodist Sunday Schools with
their sc, 900 teachers and 1865, 900 mem
bers. Again. There were l46,OOO con-
versions in the SundaySchools in the ysar
1910, and even if every one of the 4l,0OO
additions to the church in that year, had
come from the Sunday School-Whieh
could not possibly have been the case
that would still leave l05, 900 converted
Sunday School scholars who had never
been brought into the church, percent
age OF loss, which would be utterly ruin.
GUS if occurring in any secular business.
The speaker contended that conserve
ton of the purity and innocency OF child
hood through the agencies of the Sunday
School, was policy of wisdom; that it was
much cheaper to save the youth OF the
land from sin by means of the Sunday
School, than for the church in later years
to accomplish through costly eysnge-
Iism their reclamation and salvation.
1--WE ought to be ashamed of ourselves
as members of the Methodist Church for
our treatment of our Sunday School! AS.
named of ourselves because of the meager
results flowing from our labors in those
schools. The Sunday School should re-
present the best life of the church; those
who had been helped in the Sunday
School ought in return to be willing, by
their labors therein, to help save Others"
Again, the speaker said the church
made no proper provisions for the child.
ren's physical needs and comfort. Thus
for example, there were provided in the
big audience room of the church itself no
small seats fitted for little hearers.
Again, making reference to home con.
ditions, Prof. Twitmyer stated that in the
State of Delaware, one.half of the boys
and girls were not in any Sunday School
were not, in fact, cared for reiigiously
by anybody apparently. To show the
application of his argument, the Professor
remarked that in his audience there were
possibly a dozen or two older church
members, but that all the rest were
scholars and teachers-young people; but
on the other hand, in the preaching SER
vices the thing was reversed-only a few
young people being present.
He urged that the church form training
schools both for the instruction and i'm
provement of the members themselves in
their duties, but also for the Sunday School
teachers.
The address was in many ways no.
table one and was heard by all, old and
young, with marked attention.
At the close of the Professors remarks
the School sang "The Fight is On"
The Superintendent next introduced
Rev. Francis H. Moore, who spoke briefly
but effectively to the topic of the hour, CIV
ing some pleasing travel memories OF Bris.
tol and Gloucester cathedrals in England,
especially of the latter in which the cele.
brated Robert Raikes, founder of Sunday
Schools, once taught. He stated the sur.
prising fact that in the Sunday Schools in
all England only one fifth of the scholars
appear in the churches. He also referred
to an utterance of Mrs. Catherine Booth,
that when working in the slums of Lon.
don she found the most abandoned wom-
en- so familiar with the words of the
hymn. "Just as I Am Without one
Plea, "thst they could sing it without add
They had plainly once been taught in
the Sunday SchooIsl
Mr.Moore also pleaded for greater par.
ticipation in Sunday School work by
church members.
The School then sang "Do Something
For Somebody" and were dismissed with
the benediction by the Rev. W. Fl. Hut.
chin.
The songs were led on the organ by
Miss Maud Deakyne as organist. The
songs were tuneful and delivered in ex-
cellent tempo. The school is in aprosper-
GUS condition under the present corps of
superintendent and teachers.