The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-04-26
MEN, WOMEN
AND THINGS

Our minds are on the army. the war
fills our horizon, soldiers in khaki swarm
before our eyes, patriotic talks and songs
sound in our ears. This will be the order
of the day until Germany is beaten.
But for several days there has been an
army of a different kind in Birmlng-
ham In it's ranks are men and women
drawn from all parts of the state. They
wear no Insignia of rank, but march
quietly under the banner of the cross.
Their battle cry is Onward. Christian
soldier" Their fight is against sin, the
invisible enemy which lays low so many
of the children of men. The Bible IS
their ammunition, the sword OF the Loro
is their weapon in fighting the cohorts
of Satan, their shield and buckler is faith
in Jesus, the captain of their salvation.
The rise and growth of Sunday schools
is one of the romances Of Christianity
T am aware that it is claimed and per-
haps with sufficient reason that Robert
Raikes, was not the founder of Sunday
schools, but then in spite OF the fact that
Columbus has been challenged as the dis
coverer of America, he gets credit for 1T
in the popular mind, and therefore to
save time and trouble l will just take 1t
as true chat Raikes, the Englishman, is
the patron saint of Sunday schools.
If YOU want to know just how modern
is the Sunday school idea that we know,
you need only to be told that Robert
Raikes died in 1911. 1t was in 11Sl he
founded several Sunday schools in his
native town of Gloucester in which he
engaged needy women to teach at
shilling a day; but it was only in 1893
largely through his efforts, the Sunday
School union was founded. Under God
the handful of children gathered out of
the ALLEYS have multiplied in more than
a score of millions who come out of how
els and palaces every Lords day to at
tend Sunday school.
The fire lit in an English town has
blazed its way around the world until
today there is hardly country anywhere
without the blessing of Sunday schools.
II have attended some of the interna-
tional conventions and read the reports
of others, and the magnitude of the
work almost surpasses belief. The mere
fact that the next worlds convention is
scheduled for Toxic shows the range OF
its reach 1t is one of the geratest forces
for the upbuilding Of Christianity.
While it is true that number of the
denominations have their own Sunday
school work organized on big scale,
even where it is as it is here in Alabama,
where the Baptists have their own state
Sunday school convention, yet they prob
ably predominant SO far as numbers are
concerned in the Alabama Sunday School
association. which is undenominational.
spright DowelI, the president, is Bap-
list but Leon Palmer is an Episcopalian,
and ,nany of the executive board are
Methoiisrs, Presbyterians. or Christians.
I know the personnel OF the ministry
among the Protestant churches probably
as we'll as nearly any man in the state,
and the present session here so far as
preachers are concerned looks almost like
a Methodist conference, Baptist con-
vention, or a Presbyterian synod; the
beauty Of it being that without sacri-
ficing any OF their UNCONVENTIONAL diff
ferences they come together in cooper
alton 70 study and meet the pressing
needs of seeing to it that there is Sun
day school within the reach of every
child in Alabama.
There may have been time when a
Sunday school convention was little more
than pleasurable religious outing.
where hospitality and good addresses
were the lure, but that day has long
since passed A body like the one now IN