South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-02-28
S.PREACHING
MAY Be OVERCOME
Sunday School Worker Holds
Boys and Girls Will Rebel
at Too Much.

Boys who are playing a square
game OF baseball are as religious as
the adults who kneel at the altar OF
the church and pray that they may
be saved. The boy is living up TO
his religious position as the adult,
but in a majority of cases the stern
church member believes the boy Is
falling 10 DO his duty as a Christian
declared Rev. ]. V. Thompson. SUI
perintendent Of the teen" depart
mental work of the Methodist Epis-
cOpal Sunday school board Of Chi
cagO. in his address to more than
1900 Sunday school workers Of the
city, at the First NJ. E. church sun
day afternoon.
The entire staff Of the Sunday
school board consisting Of six mem
bers from Chicago, representing the
Methodist Episcopal churches of the
United States, was present Sunday,
and each delivered a sermon in the
morning and evening at a Methodist
church Of the city.
Conference Held.
DR.. Thompson delivered his ad-
dress on the work among the young
people at the afternoon general
meeting at the First church which
was followed by three conferences
in the church. Mrs. NJ. S. LamoreauX
spoke to the young people on ele-
mentary work, Rev. ]. V. Thompson
spoke 10 the boys and girls on ad-
descent years, and Rev II. G. Will
son, Rev. A A. Brown a0d Miss
Helen A. Patten spoke TO the adults
on the subject Work and Admins
tration and Teacher Training in the
Church" The conference meetings
were followed by discussions and
round table talks.
Rev. Thompson described the way
in which the boys and girls of the
church could be handled to the best
advantage. In speaking to the adults
in regard to the care of the young
people he said that common sense
should be used more and the youths
in their teens" should be given a
chance 10 lead and learn the ways
of the church by experience.
you can't preach TO the boys and
girls and make them church work
ers. but you will find that such
preaching will do harm TO them in
stead of good. The way to bring
up the young people to be Christians
is 70 let them get out into the work
and learn by doing. 1t would be a
laughable sight to see a manager
of the baseball team get up and try
TO tell his green recruits the game
and the way in which they can be-
come stars. The thing he must do
TO develop his men is 10 get them
into the field and see where they
are weak and put forth special effort
to eradicate that weakness. If the
player is a poor man with the bat
he is given special training not by
speeches but by the actual expert
ence.
THE same is true Of the young
Christian. We should stand before
them at all times and tell them how
to do as it is wasting time, but we
must, if we expect our boys and
girls to become Christians which will
benefit the church. let our young
people get into the field and play
their own game. They must have
the practice at the bat as we'll as
the ball player. If the boy is lack
ing in his Sunday school work he
should be put in a position where
he has charge Of some part OF the
work and he will be a changed boy
in a few weeks.
=. =. Most Important.
THE work of the Sunday school
is more important by far than that
of the church. The church is en-
deavoring TO redeem the lost sin
ners and Christians and bring them
back into the Christian life while
the prime object Of the Sunday
school is not redemption but proven
ton. 1t should work TO prevent sin
from entering the hearts of the
young people.
The strategic point in the life Of
the man begins when the individual
is u years old. 1t is this period
in which sin enters his life and it
is this period when the work of
Christ should be in evidence. 1t is
a great work when a down and out
is converted by the church
but II is a greater thing when the
life Of a young boy or girl is made
a Christian life from the start.
AT present there are, according
TO statistics, 100000 young boys and
girls coming into their adolescent
years annually and but one-third of
them are connected with the Sunday
school. There are at present in the
United States nearly 1000, 600 young
people in their adolescent years in
the Methodist church who do not
the Sunday school
The church must develop every
side Of the youth. The physical.
mental and intellectual sides should
be cared for as we'll as the spiritual.
Ii is as necessary for the boy TO
have a gymnasium either in the
church or some Christian institution
as it is for him TO have a Sunday
school class 10 go TO. church
without all these branches is doomed
TO failure"
The DISTINGUISHING feature OF the
work is the pupil holds the central
place instead of a lesson system
and the work Of the school is deter
mined by the needs OF the pupil"
said Rev. VI. G. Wilson. superin-
dandap+ % tho sunday school hoard