The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-09-26
DR.. MEACH TELLS
Of EVOLUTION Of
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL


The rain last night did not dampen
the ardor Of the speaker or audience
at the First Christian church revival.
Dr. Mcacham was in his happiest
mood and carried his audience with
him in his own inimitable way. He
brings to his task wide experience
and the leaders in the church are re.
solved to adopt at once every sug-
Gestion he makes. Ardmore never had
an opportunity to listen to a series
of Sunday school addresses equal to
these.
Secrets of Success is the subject
of the lecture tonight DR.. Brooks
advised all his flock to go to the circus
this afternoon and attend church this
evening. NiopticOn pictures will pre-.
face the program. Prof. SaXton will
sing and the male quartet has prom
ised song
Last evening Mr. .Meacham reviewed
in an analytical and detailed way the
history of Sunday school work, from
the days of Robert Raikes and his as.
sociates down to the present time.
He declared that the first period of
the Sunday school might properly be
called the period Of the Ragged
School"
Through the long years the reach
of the Sunday school was only for the
ragged, dirty, neglected urchins of the
streets. Because in those days, there
was no system Of public schools and
many parents were not able to pay an
instructor to teach their children,
thousands Of children were neglected
and grew up in Ignorance. MIR. Raikes,
seeing this neglect and desiring to
give to these children, as far as posi-
BILE some cultural and educational ad-
vantagcs. gathered some of them to-
gether on Sundays and taught them
to read and to write and spell. In
those days the educational idea was
chcfest and not the religious. And
all the plans and programs were lin
tied to children. GroWn-ups We're not
included in the Sunday school plans.
Later ON, the religious idea grew and
finally changed places with the educa-
tional idea. The Sunday school then
passed into the second period of its
existence.
This period we might call THE
Children's Church" During this pc
rod the school was in reality the
nursery of the church"
Its ministry was still limited to
childhood No plans were made for
any one else. Nobody else was eX-
pected to attend its sessions. For
many years this thought Of u "nur.
sery" obtained.
The third period of Sunday school
history was brought about by reli- !
gious controversy and hatred and ieal
ousy. In order to save their chill
dren from "heterodoHy" and to be
sure that they received orthodox"
teaching 81 system Of text books was
provided for the schools. These were
arranged in series Of questions and
answers and We're called catechisms.
This period we will call the "Minia
ture Theological Seminary" period.
Later on the International Sunday
School Association was born.
Then came the arrangement of uni
form lessons by the committee.
This brought US into the fourth
period of sunday school history, the
period Of the Bible School"
Again the emphasis was placed up
on the Bible. The reach of the school
now included all ages,-older people
as well as children, and all were en-
couraged to read and study the Bible
regularly and diligently.
And now while still emphasizing the
need of Bible study and holding to
the Bible as our one and only text
book we have come into new and
larger period of existence. Today we
look upon the Sunday school as the
school of the Church." We have a
right to expect and do expect the
church to support the school, to get
behind it and underneath it and TO
foster and encourage and support the
school with utmost faithfulness. Every
church officer should be actively at
work in the Sunday school. The
church should provide for the mainte-
nance of the school out of Il general
budget. then lift the motive for Civ
ing for all The school of the
Church means the whole church at
work at the lob.