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Do not fear failure.

Shew faith and

perseverance.

takes any who come, and those who come are those whom public sentiment allows to come. Its teachings in showing forth Jesus Christ are opposed to the idolatry and caste of the land, but that is not the opposition that excites opposition. The organized Church must plant itself distinctly on the brotherhood of all its members, and must practise that doctrine in the assignment of its offices and the administration of the sacraments. But the Sunday School has not yet attained to that formal organization where such a position is necessary.

Go to Mtesa on the shores of Lake Nyanza and Kwikwi on the heights of Baibinda and tell those polygamous kings that they are God-forsaken wretches and must leave their hundred and one concubines at once, and you would be guilty of that folly condemned here this morning. Instruct them first in the truth of the Bible, the principles of God's government of men, bring them to accept Christ and acknowledge Him, and then, when they know the way of chastity, let them go on in the way of uncleanness without rebuke for fear of their opposition, and you would be guilty of that other folly condemned here this morning. The first form of folly would be that of the Sunday School were it to spend its time in fighting the peculiar superstitions and unbrotherly customs of this land, before the people knew anything better to put in their stead. The second is that of every organized Church that fails to oppose idolatry, superstition and caste. The Sunday School is generally saved such error, because those who go to work in that belligerent fashion do not get their Sunday Schools started.

On the other hand the fear of failure need not prevent any one from going to work in the right way. There are very few places where it cannot win its way. The lack of workers is a great hindrance, but that lack did not hinder the apostles from doing what they could in Jerusalem and Samaria and the regions beyond, and it never need hinder one or two Sunday School workers from doing what in them lies.

Be

It is the pride of the British army that it always goes to war with but few troops but wins by greater bravery. So let us make up for our paucity of numbers by greater zeal, greater activity, more prayer, more faith. A sculptor worked eleven years at a statue of the Lord Jesus Christ, and then asked a little girl who it was. cause she could not recognize any one in the form, he turned again to his work dissatisfied and worked on many months longer. Again when he called his girl, she said, "That is the One who said, Suffer little children to come unto me." So the Sunday School must show forth the Lord Christ, so that all who attend shall recognize Him and say, "That is He who said, Suffer the little children to come unto me." When that sculptor was asked to make another statue he refused to undertake it, because he was unwilling to work at any ideal less than that which he had already perfected. So the Sunday School must refuse to take up

any lower standard than that of showing forth the Lord Jesus Christ. And then shall it be effectual in saving many, not only

of the children but of the adults of this land as well.

SECOND SPEECH BY THE REV. E. W. PARKER, M. E. C.,

Moradabad.

I desire to give a few practical thoughts on this subject drawn from our experience as a Mission. We have in our Mission four classes of Sunday Schools:-(1) Schools for Christians-(2) Mixed schools for both Christians and non-Christians-(3) Non-Christian schools with day-schools as a basis, and (4) Non-Christian schools where we have no day-schools. Of the Christian schools I hardly need speak. As an example of a mixed Sunday School I will refer to the one at Moradabad where I reside. There are usually 300 present in this school. On the right the Christian girls and women are seated, usually numbering about 125. On the left are the boys of our day central school, Christians, Hindus and Mahomedans, about 150. Behind these are men. All assemble in the hall of our school building for general opening exercises, after which the boys and men leave the hall and retire to the eight class rooms of the building for the study of the lesson. At the ringing of the bell all gather again in the hall and the children are catechised. In answering the questions all the children take part freely. In this school the International Lessons are used and the Historical Catechism is taught in the general exercises. The only inducements given in this school are the little Sunday School paper which is given weekly. At the last quarterly review that I attended in this school boys and girls started up one after another, and each gave a brief statement of one of the lessons for the quarter. After this the chairman asked the children which word in the quarter's lessons seemed the best. At once a boy arose and gave a word which he thought best, and gave his reasons. A girl followed with another word and gave her reasons; and so on until twelve boys and girls had presented each a word. The last word was Jesus. This seemed spontaneous, though of course the children had been prepared. Then followed words to be hunned in the same way. The hall was crowded with respectable friends in the city.

Our Sunday Schools where we have day schools are comparatively easy, as the children come regularly and do not fear to learn whatever we may teach them. We have many of these, for nearly every one of our day schools forms the basis of a Sunday School.

It is more difficult to collect Sunday Schools where we have no day-schools. However, we have many of these. The usual custom in collecting and in carrying on these is about as follows. Some person is found who is willing to aid us, and a small sum monthly is given him for collecting the children. Then a ticket

Christian
Schools.

Mixed

Schools.

Schools with day-school basis.

Schools

without dayschool basis.

Books used.

Teach the

children.

is given to each boy who comes with a verse of Scripture, and for twelve of these tickets a picture book is given; and when four of these little books are secured, a larger picture book is given. In this way a Sunday School of 50 boys costs about three rupees per mensem. These schools are among all classes and religions, and are the means of quietly scattering many thousands of religious papers and pictures in the families of the children.

Beside the International Lesson Series, we have two historical catechisms and a small paper for children published weekly as aids in our work.

In teaching these children the main point is to remember that children as they are children. If we teach them as we would old people, they will not come more than once. But if we interest them, they will come again and again. They should be taught as children, not as Mahomedens and Hindus, we should try to forget everything except that they are children to be filled with truth.

Teachers'

meetings.

"Indian Sunday School Manual".

Believe in

success.

Try the work.

In teaching these children in Sunday Schools we can do what we cannot do in day-schools. In all the general exercises we can inspire enthusiasm and draw the children to us, as we cannot in class teaching.

Teachers' meetings are very necessary in order to secure success; sometimes during the week all the teachers should be called together and the lessons for the coming Sabbath should be carefully taught, and the points especially fitted to the circumstances of our children set forth. In thus getting the thousands of children we are securing a mortgage on the future men and women of this land, and by and by we may foreclose and secure these people for Jesus.

REV. DR. SCOTT, M. E. C., Bareilly, said:-This is a most important subject. A minister once saw a hearer in his congregation taking notes. He said, "Friend, I can save you all that trouble. You will find what I am now saying in a certain volume of my published Sermons.” What I have to say on the importance of the Sunday School and methods of work, you will find in a little book called The Indian Sunday School Manual. I wish here merely to give a few words of exhortation. Many do not succeed in Sunday School work from want of confidence and certain other tempers of mind needful to success. (a) Believe that you can do the work. The British soldier wins in the face of vastly superior numbers because he believes he can win and goes in for victory. His enemy fails because he has after all but little confidence in success.

Almost any one, and in any place, can make a success of this Sunday School work if he will with ordinary tact, undertake it with faith. (b) Try to do it. Faith is one thing, effort is another. Faith without works is not fruitful. But keep on trying. Remember the old refrain

If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again."

children.

Love the children.

The work may seem difficult but keep on trying and you will hit on the solution of every difficulty. Necessity is the mother of invention. In the face of difficulty you will find out ways and means. (c) Believe in the children. It is a profound and tre- Believe in the mendous fact, continually illustrated before us, that the boy is to become a man and the girl a woman. Keep this fact in mind, and believe in the susceptibility of the little ones. You can make something of them. What you make the boys and girls, that will be the men and women. These are important facts but they do not impress us. Moulding the present of the children, we mould the future of the country. (d) Love the children. Let this love be genuine and not a pretended and fictitious love. Some persons put on an air of loving children but there is nothing real in it. Some will snap their fingers playfully at children and whistle to them in the presence of their parents, but there is nothing real in it. Get interested in them and if you have a heart you will love them. Jesus loved the children, and if we cultivate His spirit we will be drawn toward them. Are your hearts really drawn out after them? Do you look on the children in your schools with something like affection? Do you yearn over the little onesragged and dirty it may be in the streets? Love the children and they will be instinctively drawn toward you, and you will not have much difficulty in gathering them into the Sunday School.

DR. J. L. PHILLIPS, F. B. M., Midnapore, said:-Luke tells us that the men of Athens took Paul and brought him unto Areopagus and there they listened to his words. For many of us, I believe, and particularly for the new missionary, the Sunday School is the Areopagus, where we may be heard, even before we can begin preaching in the bazars. We can go from house to house and bring in the children and we can teach them when brought into the School.

Maurice has well said:"Never take away from a man the shadow of a religious faith unless you can give him the substance in its place." However it may be in the bazar and mela, we should always bring God's word fresh to our pupils in the Sunday School. This is the substance that can drive out all the shadows of superstition. Seek out the children. Teach them wherever you can find them, in a hut, under a tree, on a babu's verandah, in the street if need be. We should be "apt to teach", and improve every opportunity. The ear is the road to the heart. By reading, singing, talking and praying we may reach the pupil's heart through his ear. The child is the best listener, and when the bazar crowd seems deaf the child still listens.

Begin in the
Sunday
School.

Teach God's word.

the Christians.

But the primary and fundamental Sunday School work must be Begin with done in our native Christian communities, for these must supply us with teachers for heathen schools. We should get our native Christians, young and old of both sexes, to attend the Sunday School. A few years ago I tried to find out the number of native Sunday Schools in Bengal, and was surprised to find a num

Teachers'

class.

Afternoon
service a
Sabbath
School.

ber of churches without any. I hope it will not be so after this Conference. The Sunday School is the nursery of the Church. In India, as in America, it will be a strong converting agency, if we use it right. Our Sunday Schools will lay the foundations for future churches. Many a church in the Western States of America began with a Sunday School.

Every School should have a Teachers' class for the study of the lesson to be taught on the following Sabbath. We can't get on without this weekly Teachers' meeting. We must have it, on this planet at least. I can't speak for the others. In the House of Parliament recently some one asked, "What are the rivers made for?" An enthusiastic member answered, "To feed canals for irrigation." The churches and the Sunday Schools are to save India, this is what they are made for. They are to irrigate this arid land and fertilize it. There is power, prestige and promise in the children. Let us influence the little ones for God, and by and by they will help us in our work.

Cure for One thought more-our churches foreign and native in India, spiritual need the Sunday School for a field of exercise. There is a great dyspepsia deal of dyspepsia in the world. Nobody knows just what it is, but more people are ill from it than anything else. It makes doctors a lot of trouble. So the churches in India to-day are suffering from dyspepsia from a lack of exercise. We must have more work for Christ. This is the remedy for spiritual dyspepsia. Let us give our congregations the very best food we can on Sabbath mornings, and in the afternoons let the people go out into Sunday School work in the bazars and villages. We shall thus have healthier and stronger Christians, and be accomplishing more for the heathen. Let us have more work for Christ. REV. L. L. UHL, A. L. M., Guntoor, Madras, said:-I come from the great Telugu country. That country seemed small as I came into great Bengal. As my country and iny work rises in my mind I still feel it great. We have shared in the large general movement of the lower classes to the Saviour. The simplicity of the people makes Sunday Schools adapted to their wants and so all through our Mission the afternoon service is a Sabbath School. I speak of what I know. About seven years ago we changed the afternoon service at Guntoor into a Sabbath School. The teachers and classes were few, and the pupils were less than 80. It was cold and without enthusiasm. We worked up the School and have now with the irregulars, above 200 pupils. They like the school. We begin with a song and prayer. Then I, as Superintendent, explain the leading points of the Scripture for the day, after which those present are sent to their respective classes, filling the Sunday School room and going into the church and a little corner school-room. We have outgrown earlier days. Then the Scripture is repeated by the pupils and taught by the teachers and all again gather together, when there is a final talk. And this talk, it seems to me, is the crowning of the work, the place of

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