Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-05-10
NOTABLE CONVENTION
County Sunday School Workers
Met in Brattleboro
Climax Of Meeting Was Address by j..
N. Barss, Superintendent Of Vermont
State Industrial School.


The most largely attended meeting of
the Windham County Sunday School as
ISOLATION since its organization nine
years ago was held in the First Baptist |
church Wednesday. All three sessions
were exceptionally interesting, the eli |
max coming in the evening, when J. n. |
Barss, superintendent of the Vermont |
industrial school at Vergennes, spoke
before an audience that filed the first
floor to it's capacity. Mr.. Barss gave a
specially strong address, which deeply
stirred his hearers. All the addresses
were helpful and uplifting and were
given close attention. The association
was first formed in the church where
this convention was held. over 100 at
tended the morning service Wednesday
and in the afternoon over 200 were pres
ent, making it necessary to adjourn
from the chapel to the main audience
room.
Rev. John r. Cow, d. D., pastor of
the entertaining church, conducted the
opening devotional service, and the well
come was extended by Rev. d. E.
Trout of the Unversalist church. Then
followed the reports, of which the re-
port Of Secretary w. II. FaT of Bel
lows Falls was of general interest. II
included the following facts: Number
| Of schools in the county, IS, of which
| 50 were in session ~ months; officers,
| $780, teachers 430; scholars, 4151; total
| membership, 4911; loss from last year,
due to a revision of the roll, 60; av-
erage attendance, 1884, or 53% per cent;
"a cradle rolls, a gain of two; member
| ship of cradle rolls, 647; home depart
ments, 33. loss Of two; home depart
ment membership 1045; grand total con-
nected with the Sunday school, 6609.
| The schools having the largest average
attendance were: Brattleboro Swedish
! Congregational, 80 per cent Townshend
| Congregational, S2h per cent; Bellows
Falls Universalist, 76 per cent; Grafton
Baptist, rs per cent; Londonderry Con-
| gregational, 721a per cent; South New
| fame Baptist, II per cent. Mention was
made of one boy, DeWeese Dewitt of
| Newfane, who has been perfect in at
tendance eight years The roll includes
! 2200 children between the ages of 5 and
is, number of men s67, number of
church members 1912. Seventeen schools
reported III additions to the church, or
20 more than for the previous year. The
other schools did not report on that
feature. For home expenses the schools
raised s2261S0 for missions s76S.S9; for
general benevolence S261.30
The address of the forenoon was by
Rev. Morgan Z. Pease, pastor of the
| Baptist church of Richford. His theme
was Progressive evangelism, a new
viewpoint" Mr.. Pease emphasized the
idea of progression in teaching the great
religious truths, beginning in early
childhood and following through to ma
turity. The state secretary, Rev. DIR.
| II. A. Burfee of Burlington, spoke on
the Bible school conference in North
field, also of the Vermont Sunday school
standard of excellence adopted by the
state association. A vote of thanks was
extended to the officers for the good
work done as shown in their reports.
Brattleboro workers provided a good
dinner and a good supper in the Con-
grega tional chapel, also entertainment
for those who remained over night.
Rev. ]. E. Berry of Putney presided
in the afternoon. Rev. Joseph Mexican
of Townshend offered prayer, and ar
address on Temperance" was given by
Rev. Clifford H. Smith of Burlington
superintendent of the Vermont Anti
Saloon league. feature of his ad-
> dress a reference to the reasons
given by seven Nermonters why a youne
man starting out in life should be a to-
tai abstaner. The seven Vermonter:
were Gov. John A. Mead of Rutland, DIR
Henry D. Hoton of Brattleboro, DIR
Don d. Grout of Waterbury, j. N. Bars.
of Vergennes, Clarke c. Fits of Brat
tleboro, Joseph A. DeBoer of Montpele'
and Mason s. Stone of Montpelier.
( Resolutions as submitted by the com
mittee on resolutions were adopted. anc
1t was stated that the schools of thu
county gave for county and state worl
last year s253.S2, of which $215 went t,
A the state work. The home department
banner for the most lessons studied an,
the most work accomplished was award
. ed to the South Vernon school. TIL
prize offered by the state organization
to the local secretary returning the an
I nual report the earliest was awarde,
to the secretary Of the Methodist schoo
in Wardsboro, who sent in her repor
vt.aer n anly-
The department Of missions, whic
= was new the past year, was presente
S by Miss Grace Chaplin of Saxtons River
Under the head Of elementary work tn
It speakers were Mrs. d. F. Pollard, Mis-
: Mabel Nichols and Mrs. A. p. Pratt @
= Bellows Falls and Miss Lenore Ayre
and Mrs. F. E. Perry Of BrattleborC
: Rev. A. E. Martin Of Wilmington spok
n on intermediate and senior work. !
n quiet time was conducted by Rev. MOI
i gan E. Pease of Richford. The wor
> Of the home department was discusse
by Miss E. M. Gorham Of Bellows Fall
=, and Mrs. C. F. Aldrich of Perkinsvill'
y The closing talk was on teacher trair
~ ing, by Rev A. P. Pratt Of Below
=, Falls.
- Dr. Henry d. Holton, president, pre-
sided at the evening session. and Ere
C. Adams sang a SOLO The nominatr
committees report was accepted ar
l. these officers elected: President, L.
Ie Landman OF South Londonderry; viz
president for district No /, Rev. f,
ward A. Mason of Saxtons River; vii
president for district No 2, Rev Dal
lei Mcintyre of Westminster West; vi
president for district No. 3, Charles ]
Parmelee of Wilmington; vice preside
for district No. 4. c. o. Kimball
West Townshend; vice president for di
trict No. 5. L. T. Landman; secreta
and treasurer, W. II. Farr of BelloV
Falls; department superintendent
teacher training Rev. A. p. Pratt; ell
mentary work, Mrs. d. F. Pollard; I
termediate and senior work, Rev. A.
Martin; adult class work, Rev. w.
Davenport of Bellows Falls; home d
partment, Miss e. M. Gorham; mission
Miss Grace Chaplin: temperance, Rev.
e. Gould of Readsboro.
Mr.. Barss talked about an hour
social conditions in this state bringd
out facts of which the state may W
be proud and Others which certain
are not creditable. The youth of tod
he said, is the same youth that ages
men have tried to reach and bring
noble manhood, but the youth of tod
is more complex than the youth of ev
few years ago and is harder to reaa
This is because the nervous system
the young person is coming to the frC
while his physical development is la
ging behind The boy problem Is
greatest problem of the day and VII