The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1913-02-12
LAY PLANS FOR
BIG CONVENTION
EXPECT 1000 DELEGATES TO At
TEND ANNUAL SUNDAY
SCHOOL MEETING.

Grand Forks, n. D., Feb. 12.-Plans
for the biggest state convention Of
Sunday school workers ever held in
this state were laid at a meeting of
the superintendent of the local Sun
day schools with A. L. Bishop. presi-
dent of the state association, and Wal
ter A. Snow, secretary of the state as
sociation. last evening.
Those attending the meeting besides
the visitors from Fargo were r. e.
Griffith of the Baptist Sunday school,
Thomas Porte of the Methodist
church, c. w. Reese of the Episcopal
church, G. M. Morton of the Congre-
sational church and George +. Wer-
ner of the Y. M. G. A.
Full 1000 delegates are expected
here to attend the annual convention
which will be held on June 10, II and
II. An effort will be made to secure
special trains from various parts Of
the state to bring the delegates here.
Another meeting will be held next
week for the purpose of naming COM
mittees to take charge of the arrange
ments.
A strong programme has been ar
ranged for the annual meeting, which
includes some Of the foremost men in
religious education in the country.
Prominent on the prOgra mme will be
the third annual graduation exercises
There are about LOO students now
enrolled in the department from all
parts of the state and are guided in
the work by DR.. Wallace ~ Stearns,
professor of Biblical literature in
Fargo college and formerly of the
university, who is teacher training
superintendent of the state associa-
ton About seventy five are expected
to be present at the convention and
receive their diplomas.
Altogether the prospects are bright
for the largest and most enthusiastic
convention next June which has ever
been held in the state.
InterdenominationaI Union.
The North Dakota Sunday School
association is the interdenominatiOnal
educational Sunday school work of
the state created and supported by the
Protestant churches of the state. It
is affiliated with the International
Sunday School association for which
Marion Lawrence is the general sec
retary. It seeks to do for the Sunday
school teachers and officers of the
state through its conventions and in
stitutes what farmers Institutes and
conventions do for the farmers and
what the normal school and teachers
Institutes seek to do for the teacher
Mr.. Lawrence says, "OrganiZed
Sunday school work is the only re-
ligiOus organization which calls all the
children of God together regularly,
frequently and in large numbers, to
consider the general interests of the
Kingdom of God"
The international association rep
.rcsents about 100000 Sunday school
people in North America. The North
Dakota association represents about
$4,000 of this number gathered in
1,500 Sunday schools. North Dakota
has the distinction of having the
smallest average sized Sunday school
OF any state in the union or in other
words the largest number of schools
in proportion to the population. This
speaks well fort he energy and efficien-
cy with which the work is , being
pushed.
Counties Are Organized.
The fifty counties of the state are
all organized auxiliary to the state as
sociatlon save two of the newer ones.
Each of these has a quota of officers
so that there are about SEQ county as
sociation officers in the state. Each
OF these will be represented at the
coming stale convention.
The officers of the state association
are:
President--A. L. Bishop, Fargo.
Chairman Executive Committee-R
b. Griffith, Grand Forks.
Treasurer-M. B. Cassell, Hope.
Secretary-W. ]. Lane, Fargo.
The paid officers of the association