The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-07-08


Union Being Celebrated During This
Year-Has Established an Average Of
Four New Sunday Schools Day for
Hundred Years.
So many great forces for human bet
terment are at work in America, out of
reach Of human eye, that list of them
would be fairly astonishing. The great
est Of the pioneer agencies Of the Sun
day school, for example, is this year
celebrating its centennial. Yet, even in
the church press, there is scarcely any
recognition of an anniversary that
makes a unique and immeasurable min
istry.
The present generation scarcely knows
that the American Sunday School I'm
ion has pioneered the modern type of
individual school. 1t pioneered the In
ternational Sunday School conventions.
1t pioneered the uniform system of in
ternational lessons, and it pioneered the
Sunday school lesson paper. While the
union was more prominently in the pub
lie eye half century ago than 1t is now.
for the great denominational Sunday
school development has entered one
portion of the field it formerly occupi-
ed it still employs more than 200 mis-
sionaries in America alone. 1t is said
to be the only organization that delib-
erately turns over to others the fruit of
its activities. In thousands of commu-
mites which are not large enough to
support a church, there are found Sun
day schools organized and maintained
by the Sunday School Union. Large
numbers Of churches have come out of
these.
A Creating Agency.
approximately 10000 Sunday schools
have been established by the missiona.
ries of the American Sunday School
Union-an average OF about four a day.
Every state in the union is included
within its field.
What this means when broken up in.
to a years service is better understood
when the last available report is ana
lyzed. This shows that within twelve
months 1413 new Sunday schools were
organized, enrolling more than 1000
teachers and more than $4,000 schol.
ars. Added to that much of the years
work was the visiting, by the societys
representatives, Of 14,753 Sunday
schools and the helping Of more than
seventy-six teachers and nearly a mil.
lion scholars. An irreverent commen.
tator might be tempted TO speculate how
far the lung power that was expended
In the Unions work during this one
year would drive a fleet Of sailing YES.
sells; for more than $4,000 addresses and
sermons were delivered by these mis-
sionGies. In addition. they visited over
100000 families in their homes. and dis.
tributed 10000 Bibles and $4,000 copies
OF the New Testament, not to mention
little thing like a quarter OF a million
books and other Sunday school reaui.
sites
The destitute rural region is not the
only recipient OF Susday School Union
aid. Theological students and Christian
workers received free more than 5000
special books. Sixty-nine churches of
various denominations came into exist.
ence during the year from Union Sun.
day schools. and about 500 young peo.
pies societies and prayer meetings were
established. Twenty.nine new houses
OF worship were erected. More than
two million copies OF Sunday school pc.
riodicals were distributed.
Goes Ahead of the Church.
Those figures may be as dry as some
sermons. Yet they show that. despite
Americas boasted progress there is stnl
work for the pioneers to do. The Am.
erican Sunday School Union. represent.
ing all denominations, is distinctly a
pioneer force. Its agents are the from.
tiersmen OF the church. They can tell |
tales OF backward America that seem |
fairly incredible to the city dweler.
For example. II was in the geograph- |
ical center OF the literary life of.Ameri |
ca according, to an Indiana report that
one OF these men found a locality. in
the hills OF southern Indiana, where
there has not been n Sunday school for
twenty-five years. Two dlstilleries were
among the limited means OF diversion.
The people knew practically nothing OF |
religion and seemed to have no. desire
to learn. They lived in log cabins and
crude frame houses. and were. the mis-.
sionary said, about fifty years behind
the times. one OF the old residents.
sixty.five years OF age, was about TO
take his first ride on a railroad train.
The peoples method OF conveyance was
an old stage coach. al that was In the
year 1916.
When one OF the missionaries OF the
union, following the modern passion for
made a survey OF n single
county In a middle west state. he found
twenty.four church buildings which had
been abandoned for a period OF from one J
to twenty years. The union declares
that hundreds Of abandoned churches
are TO be found in nearly every state.
IL seems rather proved that when a
church goes down the whole community
begins to decline the public school at.
tendance falling Off. and even the school
houses at times being abandoned.
Another missionary from the middle
west. apparently a young man with
modern training, made this report
After thirty.three months as mis-
sionary in this field. which for nearly
forty years has been saturated with the
iaint OF unwholesome influence OF half
dozen distilleries and a half score "a.
looms, stepped In corrupt politics and
graft with many OF It's churches aban.
ioned and the Christian forces scatter.
ri, | am glad 10 say that | know that
Ih0ra IL "A r.r,ne ,,s,,.ts tk.t 80. L.. -. /