PRESBYTERIAN SABBATH SCHOOLS.

Evening Star, Issue 14637, 5 August 1911, Page 4

PRESBYTERIAN SABBATH SCHOOLS.

Fifty or sixty members of the Duntdiu Presbyterian Sabbath Schools' Association attended the fourth annual meeting, held iti tho First Church Kail List night. Mr J. W. Todd (president) occupied the chair. Mr O. W. Carring'ton, juu., cue or the joint, secretaries, read the report (part of which has been published) ami the balancesheet (showing a credit of £ls 17s 5d in the general accouut). The members who moved and seconded the adoption of the report, did net make sp.ecbes. Mr J. Reid criticised the action of tho Executive in arranging for an address at, the annual meeting. That meeting should be left open for the teachers to discuss matters of interest to the association. He also objected to the recommendation to have a centra 1 library It would be much better that each school should have a library of its own, even though a small one. He hoped that the Church would soon stop tho system of prize-giving. It was a system that vitiated the appetites of the children. They should be encouraged to work for Clirist, not for prizes. The money spent on priz-.:s could be, spent to better advantage, in supplying tho teachers with graded material and in other useful ways. The children who won prizes were mostly ministers' sons, elders' daughters, and so "on, and only a small proportion of the scholars in each school went iu for tho examinations.

The Kcv. H. B. Gray, who attended to give the address of tho evening, said he quite agreed with Mr Reid that the address should give way to a frank and free discussion of Sabbath school methods and aims. ft would bo a great joy to him if the discussion crowded out the address. He was with Mi- Reid iu his remarks' about the examination system. The taste of the children was to a certain extent being vitiated. It would be far hotter for the teachers to bo left freo to give to the children direct instruction on the lrrsons brought forward. A discussion followed, in which Messrs TJ. Duncan, C. K. Smith, and A. Austin took part, but no amendment was proposed, and the motion was agreed to. Two proposals with regard to changes in the constitution were considered and carried.

The meaning of the alterations was that an executive shall bo elected annually by the association, and shall consist of a president, two vice-president*, secretary and treasurer, organising secretary, a member from each charge, and three from the Presbytery. Nominations were then disclosed, and the following declared elected:.—President,-'.Mr D. S.'Bcat'h (North-east Valley); vice-presidents, Mr 11. Duncan (St. Clair) and Mr I>. Xaye (Souih Dunodinj; secretary and treasurer, Mr G. W. Carrington. jun. (St. Leonards); organising secretary, Mr 0. E. Smith (Caversham). As the time was getting on, the Rev. Mr Gray made an apology and left, his address not being delivered. Mr J. Reid expounded aud strongly recommended the American scheme of new graded lessons, which provides for courses of instruction for beginners (under 6), primary pupils :6 to 8), juniors (9 to IS), intermediate (17 to 20). Instead of one portion of Scripture bffing sclented as the les3on for every child, the new lessons vary according to the children's wants and abilities. Mr C R. Smith narrated his experiences of. the new system in'the Caversham school, and declared that in his opinion it-provided a solution of the teacher difficulty.