The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-06-11

the coming year.
The only point at which we are COM
PEELED to record failure is that OF
finance. AS we shall hear from the re-
port Of the treasurer we nave spent
more money this, year than we have
received and are consequently more
in debt. Four years ago upon begin
ming my work as general secretary 1
inherited a debt, which, although it
has never been eliminated, has never
increased until his year. The work
has expanded and the budget has
doubled during that time.
The cause for this lamentable con-
dition this year is due to the fact
that the schools have failed to res pond
with pledges in proportion to the in
creased amount of work. If every
school in the state were responding as
many OF the schools are there would
be plenty of money not only to MAIN
tain the work in its present condition
but to expand it according to the wi
dent needs. Individual pledges have
been quite az generous as ever, but
county officers have depended on these
to meet their apportionment and have
not been as urgent in their pleas to
the schools as could be desired.
Consequently, a new system of ap-
portionment is recommended by the
executive committee, which apportion-
ment We are asking the counties to &C
cept and underwrite by pledges from
Sunday schools alone. In most cases
the county need assume no RESPONSE
bility for securing pledges from in
dividuals. The state will attend to So
Letting these personal pledges and re-
cord will be kept of the counties from
which they originate. But for the COM
ing year the county apportionment will
be made on the basis of what is ex-
pected from school pledges only. Con-
sequently point No. 5 Of the County
Standard "apportionment paid in full
will be lowered for every county this
year but county officers cannot depend
upon the state to assist them in Sc
curing this apportionmnt. That will
depend entirely Upon their own efforts.
1t is hoped in this way to eliminate
the difficulties which have confronted
the state officers this year and it is
expected that this will provide suf-
nclent funds for the needs of the COM
ing year.
The plan of giving high school credit
6tor Bible study work done in Sunday
school as conceived and executed by
Dean Squires of the state university.
has made North Dakota famous. Nu-
merous magazines and newspaper ar
ticles have been written upon this
SUBJECT and a constant flood Of in
qnir1es has been received by our of
nee as well as by Dean Souires him
self. Epery mail brings inquiry re-
gardlng this plan M almost every
week sees some new newspaper article
regarding it. Your general secretary
attended the Michigan state associaL-
ions last November convention to
speak upon this subject. He pre-
sented the matter also at the Lake
Geneva. Wisconsin training school last
summer and the subject will be pre-
Esented at the coming international
convention in Chicago this month by
taly.
Many states are copying the North
Dakota plan and it is evident that
Walaln a year a number of states will
Iaonptiess have it in operation.
Up to June LIST inquiries have been
received from ABS cities in IS states
and also from Australia. China, ia
pan. Korea, Peru, s.. A., PHILIPPINE IS
lands, Scotland, Nova Scotia and
cuba. This will indicate the wide
sprea6 interest and the great publi-
city which North Dakota has received.
instead of being noted for billiards.
aod wheat North Dakota, is becoming
noted for a new plan Of Bible study.
And the work has been very popu-
lar within the state itself. although /
do not feel that the interest is az
widespread as it ought to be, Three
state examinations have been given
from which we have records ana the
fourth Will be given this week. From