The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-10-23
By DOLLY pALRYMpLE

 S of the largest southern cities, and I find everywhere that the Sunday schools are doing their bit during these strenuous wartines to develop a national
 and patriotic spirit of loyalty, and all though depleted in ranks by so many of our men joining the army, they still work bravely on and sustain the splendid attitude taken by our brave American boys who are risking their lives for home and country"
 Miss Minnie Kennedy, elementary su- perintendent of the Methodist church.
 south, with headquarters at Nashville, who Is a prominent visitor to her old home, Birmingham, this week, being on
 the faculty composed of many of the greatest Bible students in the world, who are in attendance upon the Bible Train ing school. which convened Monday, ex- pressed herself tersely, concisely, and enthusiastically In the foregoing sentence yesterday regarding the conditions oo- taining throughout the Sunday schools of the country during the war period.
 Miss Kennedy is perhaps as greatly be- loved in Birmingham as any woman who ever lived here, her vital. appealing serv- Ice as secretary of the Birmingham Sum- day School association having endeared her to every one with whom she came in contact, and who admired her for her
 beautiful. Christian character and her sterling and noble young womanhood. Since going to Nashville as elementary
 superintendent of the Methodist Episco- pal church. south, Miss Kennedy has travelled far and wide, her territory in cluding everything from Virginia to the far west. including Washington.
 It matters not how far one may go. though, nor what fields she is called to in her splendid work, she will never find a sweeter affection nor more genuine friendship extended to her than right here in her old home of Birmingham. "Throughout the country great move ment has penetrated the Sunday schools since the war began, to honor our sol- diers who have gone to the front. A roll | of honor has been established and there l the names of our heroes are enrolled I whenever they do a. great and valiant service. We keep in close contact with
 our soldiers by sending them letters, | thing to remind them that they are not | forgotten"
 1 'Of course the Sunday schools are
 working valiantly to supply the places of the teachers as we'll as pupils who have 1 joined the army; mostly this work has 1 been taken up by women, just as 1t has been taken up in economic conditions '
 Miss Kennedy said. "and with good re- suits. Patriotic features are being en- couraged in all Sunday schools; the little l tots four and five years old up to the
 oldest pupils are singing our national 1 hymn, and few Sunday school pupils 1 can be found nowadays who don't know My Country Iris of Thee.'"
 The progress being made in Sunday
 school work Miss Kennedy said. "ev'
 anywhere is most gratifying. I want to l say right here that no town in all the country stands higher than Birmingham l 1t has reputation for Sunday schoo
 work, other cities have accomplished per I haps as much along certain lines, but none has done such excellent city-wide work as Birmingham.
 "The school of methods this year has opened with magnificent prospect, Miss Kennedy said. "The first school l of course, sets splendid standard with 2200 members. so in living up to that we have a very high mark. In Sunday
 school work there are improvements go l ing on all the time just as in every othei branch of work throughout the civilized | world; two important activities are now | worth mentioning, the first being the de velopment in the Sunday school of sepa-
 rating the school into departmental work l for each period of development, in this way training the children and youth to
 worship; secondly, the tremendous inter
 est in adolescent life--boys and girls from l 12 to 20 years of age. The churches have
 realized that the adolescent age is the