South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-10-15
SAYS SUNDAY SCHOOL
IS IMPORTANT FACTOR
Rev. J. L. Gardiner Addresses
County Convention in First
NJ. {. Church.

The principal features OF the Thurs
day morning session OF the st. Joseph
County Sunday School association
were an address by Rev. James L
Gardiner. pastor Of st. PauIs Metho-
dist Memorial church on the subject,
The Church and the Child, a re-
port on the golden jubilee convention
held at Indianapolis in June, by Miss
Miriam A. Rausch, county secretary,
and survey Of the Sunday schools IN
the county by Rev. George y. Burnle.
The convention which has been at
tended by 100 delegates from IA
townships, Will close this evening with
devotions at the First NJ. r.. church
ana an address by Rev. J.. h. Van
Wrinkle OF Mishawaka on An Ade-
quate Program.
In her report on the state cOnven-
ton Miss Rausch emphasized the i'm
poTtance OF more effective work IN the
secondary department of the Sunday
school. "All the problems in the adult
and elementary departments have not
heen solved" she said but a great
many OF them have, while IN the sec
eudary department the problems have
not been taken care Of at all. Inc
adult and elementary departments
have been established but the second
airy department is just pioneering
Problems Of the'Teen Age.
She also dwelt upon the problems or
the teen age. saying in part: What
standard Of spirituality should teen
age worker keep in mindT The leader
Of the teen age should understand
the pupils. have sympathy with them,
he natural, and teach them from the
teen age viewpoint and not from that
of "A mature person Persistence and
the ability 90 organize are also re-
ouirements. A teacher who ism [
reading at least one book a year on
the teen age problems is getting be
hind. When the boys and girls drop
out OF Sunday school we must remem-
her that there is nothing wrong with
the boy or girl but with the teacher
or the school"
Others were called upon for reports
on different phases OF the convention,
including Mrs. Deller Of South Bend
ON the teachers training department,
Mrs. Bucks OF South Bend on the
missionary department, and Mr..
Trumble OF Lydick on the home de
partment. Ralph Bennett or New
Carlisle gave a general talk.
The survey conducted by Rev.
George " Burnie consisted of reports
from the superintendents and officers
Of the various Sunday schools of each
township which we're charted as a
working basis for the county.
importance Ol AlAliNAiOOu-
IN his address on 1.-The Church and
the Child. Mr.. Gardiner said in part:
Jesus Christ was the first great
teacher, who laid emphasis on the i'm
pOrtance of childhood. The great
teachers of classical Greece or Rome
did little or nothing for the child. 1t
remained for the Man Of Galilee TO
discover the true value OF the child in
the world. No one can read the New
1UnnT2CGnn
with the fact that in the sight of Jesus
Christ the child was of infinite value
1T was Jesus Christ who said 'Suf-
fer the little children 10 come unto
Me and forbid them not for OF such
is the kingdom of heaven 1t was
Jesus who said Except ye become
converted and become as little chill
dren we can not enter into the king
dom OF God You VIII remember too
that it was the Christ who when
leaving this world called one Of his
disciples 10 Him and said Feed my
lambs We have in these latter
words one of the most emphatic COM
mands Jesus ever gave TO disciple
and through his disciple TO the church.
How may the church be strength
ened? 7 answer, the most hopeful
field is the Sunday school We must
seek to win the children &c the church
and to Christ The sunday school
teacher has an important task 10 per-
form. II is her duty not only to i'm
struct the child i'm the deep things OF
God-it is for her TO lead the children
committed TO her care TO the Lord
Jesus Christ And let me say that the
most important thing about the teach
or is not what she knows or even what
she SAYS. that COunts-it is what she
is Ii is character after all in the
teacher that counts for most. The
L fef 40 40
fore she can lead her children to
Him"