Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-10-02
ON THE TRAIL OF
SUNDAY SCHOOLS
A Big Crowd and a Great Day
Spent at Sayersville-Dinner
On the Ground.
Editorial Correspondence.))

istSt ouilu'iy maze my 1lrSt WISH
to Sayersville. The occasion of my
visit was Sunday School Rally tc
which l was kindly invited through
my friends, George Lambert and Alex
Beavers, two prominent citizens of the
Dry Fork community. A little "gos-
sip about this trip may be of some
interest. 1t was, of course, expected
that l would have something to say
about Sunday Schools and not wish
ing to be unaccommodating | made
"a few occasional remarks" 1t is
something wonderful and very graft
Tying and encouraging the interest
the people-old people, as we'll as the
young-arc takin in Sunday Schools
all over the county. 1t used to be the
case that if announcement was made
that man was going to make a Sun
day School address, everybody would
take to the woods, or go fishing, but
not SO now. The old time Sunday
School address has become obsolete
and out of date. The new speech,
from a different point of view, is
heard with interest now. 1t no long
er consists of lecture to children,
how they should behave-obey their
parents, not go a-fshing on Sunday,
play marbles, ball or fight, and other
questions of juvenile morality, impor-
tant as they are. These questions,
and others cognate, are supposed to be
taught in the home or in the class.
The address now is along different
lines, such as the why, the how and
results aimed, etc, and the people are
interested. They see the subject and
the work as they havn't seen it be-
fore. A Sunday school rally or pic
mic anywhere now is the occasion for
the coming together of great crowds
of all the people,.
So it was at Sayersville last Sunday.
The exercises were held out of doors.
There is no church house there, and
the small school room used by the
Sunday School and for an occasional
sermon was far too small to accom-
modate half the crowd last Sunday,
and, so seats were prepared in nice
level space under the overhanging
trees of a big ridge-on the bank of
Dicks Creek, near the former site of
Sayersville.
When 1 arrived the crowd had al
ready assembled. A large number of
improvised seats were filled with peo-
pie, while larger numbers sat on
CT, =, 4
There was large crowd. They were
singing gospel songs.
Rev. H. N. Boyd was master of
ceremonies. He offered prayer aand
said few kind words of introduction,
and l went to my task, and did it the
best l could. The crowd listened at
tentively while tried to explain the
aim and object of the Sunday army of
SO million strong, on the battle fields
of the world-an army of conquest,
but an army of peace. 1t was my first
speech in that section, and 1 had the
advantage of being able to repeat
some of my old anecdotes and illus
trations in between.
Crockett's Cove, Horsepen, Baptist
Valley and other outside districts were
represented in one of the largest, most
orderly nd best behaved crowds l ever
addressed. Then came the dinner and
the social hour, in which | had the
pleasure of obtaining personal ac-
quaintancc with a number of splendid
people, some of whom / had known
through the paper only. After the
service a large number of people re-
quested that copy of the paper be
mailed them.
Mr.. Monk is Superintendent of the
Sunday School, and is doing the best
he can and is succeeding.
Revs. H. N. Boyd and Wiley YOst.
Another service was held in the af-
ternoon, at which Rev. Wiley Yost
preached an excellent sermon from
the text, Remember now thy crea-
tor in the days of thy youth, while the
evil days come not in which thou shalt
say, I have no pleasure in them" /
had to leave before the conclusion of
his sermon.
Mr.. Boyd, who was present and
made several short speeches, is said
to be fine preacher. He is compar-
atively young,-an earnest and intel
ligent man. He was born and reared,
believe, in Dickinson county. His
father, Rev. Isaac Boyd, was an old
fashioned, fiery, Methodist preacher.
His mother was one of those old fash
ioned women of strong, natural intel
lects. She reared large family of