AUCKLAND SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 5657, 5 January 1880, Page 3

AUCKLAND SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION

The annual meeting of the members, subscribers, and friends cf the Union, was hold 011 De ember 12, in the building of the Young Men's Christian Association.—Mr. .T. C. Firth in the chair. Mr. Edward Wood read the minutes of the previous annual meeting, which were cinfirroe;! : also, the fifteenth annual report, from which we ta'-te the following:—"The schools in the Union had be;:n augmented during the year, several that had withdrawn having returned. The following schools had joined the Union during the year, tvro Episcopalian schools — oce at Panmure the other at Otahuhu; one Pr<3byteriau school (St. David's) ; one Wesleyau school, at Hamilton; one Congregational school, r.t Miuugituroto ; one Free Methodist school, at Mount Eden ; one Baptist school, at Otahuhu ; two undenominational, one at the Queen's Redoubt and one at South Mauku : total, nine. The following schools 1 had withdrawn during the year :—One Presbyterian school at Blenheim, one do. at Masterton.oneWesleyanschool at Masterton, oue Episcopalian school, Ss. Mary's School, Auckland, leaving 121 schools at present in connection with tho Union. The finances of the society were in a highly prosperous state; arrangements had b?en made for carrying on the wotk with vigour during the year. The following are the financial reeult3 of the year :— Heceiyts, including balance from last year : C-ish sales at depot, £710 15s 9d ; amount rec-ived from schools 0.1 depot account, £743 9s 6.1 ; panorama account, >4s ;

culatiug library account, £1 ; r-.j -.utimi at aunual meeting, £10 10.-3 3d ; bl.i Socie'y (rent), £30; school an J other su'rio'ipt'o-'s. £47 Ss (51 ; Industrial fixhibir.il': account, t'2flS Kis 4d : total, £1547 4s c;~. ii vpend - : ure. iucludiog £10S2 12s 9J, .',eoi to the Home Mission for goods, £1512 2a 7d; It-ai'ing a c.'2>iii ba'auoa of £3;io 23 lid. Assets : Stock ill depot, £953 17s 21; due by schools, £!S0 9j; cadi in h;ind, and in bank, £335 23 Id ; furniture, library, pano rama, &c., £143 15 Sd : total £1013 3) lid. Labilities: £S-il Sj lOd i leaving assets, £7OS 15 j Id.

The ''JiiAllrman" said : In accordance wibii j the uauai custom it becomes my duty to 1 move the adoptiou of the report aud ln?incd ahtet just submitted ti you. You will lave I observed oue vary interesting feature ruoning | through the report, that is, s'eady progress j and increase in every department : in the: ; number of schools, in .the number of the publications oraeted from home, and in the ■ number distributed hire. Tho stock in larger, and the property of the Union is a'so in.-teased ; its capital fund, if I may so colt it, is now represented by the haiidtioine figure of £76S 15j Id. These Sgures, I need hardly say, are very encouraging to the promoters, friends, and adherents of '.his useful institution ; but they have another aspect. I noticed one very important; sentence in the report, which I will take the liberty of renting- "We heartily desire that our Union may continue to prove its claims by its real usefulness." That, I think, is a very modest statement —a very reasonable desire—as modest as it is notable. If everybody, if e?ery institution were to modera.e its desires so as to be in accordance with the real value of the Eervices rendered, things, I venture to say, would bo very different in this world from what they are. lam very glad that this society is proving its usefulness, and that its usefulness is being I acknowledged. I may say so much without committing myself to any statement that would be chargeable with exaggeration. The society itself does not make any very high claim. What it says of itself is very little. It is wise not to ovorr".t" the work, but we all know how useful aud valuable t.'>" work is that it is doing, and has done d ;riug past ye»ra. The gentlemen who are members, I a.m glad to see, are too wise to boast. They strive aud 1 am glad to thiuk with great success, to make themselves and their work to be felt rather than heard. They aim at carrying tho influence of the Union into the Sundayschool and through the Sunday-school in:o the homes and into the hearts 0 the young. Nay, more, through tlir ~ fluences which this institution, exoiie on the minds of the young there is bop« -~i 'fc it may also influence parents and othe-a *'-'ho li.ive the grer.test iutui est, next to the young people themselves, in the prosperity of the society. You will be glad to hear that this Union has circulated last year 55,000 magazines aud periodicals. The influence for good that these high-ela's periodicals will exert, must be very consider able. These are publications which can be read, which may b- 1 read, and indeed are read by all classes of people of all ages. The influence for good whijh this most wholesome literature is exerting upon tho population of a young country like this, it would be difficult to calculate. In these days more than ever, when the printing pres3 is asserting such marvellous powers— not always, as we may think, wisely or well —it is well that every Christian man" should lay hold of an engine so mighty for good or for evil, and endeavour to direct its energies towards tho mental, moral, and physical improvement of our race and generation. It ought not to be forgotten that, although many* publications have a tendency not towards good, but absolutely towards evil, aud that these are scattered by means of the printing-press over the whole face of the esrtti, it should be our part to counteract such pernicious influence by using that press for the dissemination of a wholesome literature, by which mankind may be certaiuly benefited. I am that the committee have recognised thtir duty in this respect, that they have taken care to circulate these magazines and periodicals in every part of ttie world. lam glad to say that in this wav millions of excellent, wholesome, and enlightened periodicals have been circulated annually in this way. In days gone by, when readers were few, the good that might be done by the printing-press j was neither so apparent or so extensive, but

in these days when every cue ;.s s. reader, wlie, c/j,ii tell the vast influence that such an institution ss this rnav wie!d through the right use of the printing press. More especially is it important that, every effort should be made to extend this whoiesomo iuflumco in ell directions along the line 3 in which the Sun-day-school Union works before the minds of the ynung may have become tainted with uubelief. It: should not be forgotten that the mind of a child is like a bian'i page— what is wr':':ceu on it first ia mc:" likely to remain there. ay, it >■ ■ y be S' ; - -hat the miv.d of a cliiUl resembles: iu 3om.'.> respects a patch of virgin soil, , to receive seed, whether good or bad. :Vr.yield an ample harvest, good or bad, in "eturn. There is this important difference, ••(■weve'", between the two figures—while you uiay siy that thj page will remain blank if no one writes upon it, you cannot say the same of the patch of virgin soil. In this latter case if you do not put good seed into it the -winds themselves will scatter indiscriminately the seeds of fruits and weeds, but the latter in such proportion as to stille the growth of th-j former, until the soil at length becomes aids only barren but the source of noxious influences, spreading in every direction. If wo do not takt possession of the miud of the child, we may depend upon it that the bad seed will vegetate there. Therefore, I regard with deepest thankfulness, as affording the great est possible eucouragement, the vigorous, steadfast, and energetic progress that is beiug made by the Sunday-school Union not only in this community, but over lar™e areas o£ the world, whither civilisation and Christian truth have reached. To secure your further progress, to continue your influence, it ia the first requisite that you should possess the minds of your children before -b.ey have become corrupted by contact with the infidelity that stalks abroad in our tirae3. Some one has eaid, with a great deal of truth ''Give me the writing of the ballads oE the people and I care iioc who makes the laws." Sunday-school teaching may say a somewhat similar thing, but with much more force, " Give us the minds of the children—let us teach them and hnpart to them sound principles of religion and morals—ajad wa need take very little trouble as to their behaviour when they become men." We all know that the work of teaching has it.s unpleasantness, its difficulties as well as its advantagej and its pleasures. But in this 1 do not tbink it differs much 'from most other enterprises undertaken ontliia sublunary sphe»e. liverywhere we see light an.l dark" brightness and gloom, the easy and Ihe difficult, blended together or following in close succession. Against every hill there is a valley, darkness succeeds to light, so it is throughout nature, and so it is yith the works men enter upon. The whole constitution of the miad of men, the whole framework of the universe, is based on this great principle, that nature abhors a stagnant level: —If gocd work is to be done there will be difficulty in its|progres3 ; if there is to be progress of a healthy kind, there will bo obstacles in the way. Therefore, I should think the man

is bat poorly prepared for th* future difticaifcy o* danger, who h his past carser exp rie ced either "t? 04 io Ido not regard the difficult-' :, buff ncc ' and reverses which occur ia the tory of an institution of thii k-.' y i ls " than things—tbst, to h/ '?i?. C , , for ; and second, things to ha cnm,, i Looking to the past we haw everv ro to be thankful th.t wo have accomnU,h^° n much. While I 3ay this I am P f£ boasting, but rather xvi-h tj con"ratnliM™ selves upon the f,cv that we nee 1 n the difficulties that may beset the future Bat tnere 13 one tiling we shoalj he guarded against, and la respect of waioh we should keep careful watch over our conduct-thai is, an indolent satisfaction with the rite f the progress we are nuking, wlvch >m,hfc incline us to shut n " p the comfortable circumstances which D ro sperity aliouls, and in our enjoyment fad to loos forward lo the obstacles that may be expected to present themselves. We may have faith in the future, but it is fiqually needful that in the present we should cist aboct and see what work 15 to be don», and having found it set about that work diligently. Jb is no doubt a good thing 11 he a'jle to submit s.-. satisfactory a rep >rt and balance sheet to our member?, subscribers, and friends. But these figures, after all, are but means to ends. The great objects which, sack an institution as this mn.t keep steadily in sight are tn o—the ben: fit of mankind and the gU-ry 01 God. You must vork diliaeotly to accomplish these olije ts. Iu "these directions should be our highest aims, and to promote these ends should our greatest energy be employed. 1 bej to move, "That the report and b'dance-sheet be printed for circulation amount the members under the direction of the c i;;niittee."

Mr. Ellyp it seconded the uiotion, which was carried unanimously.

Election ok Officers. — T ie following gectu ineu were elected :—President, Mr. J. (J. FuiL: ; rr;, M.:sar3. EUyett, ]i li.evff. Nelson, Oarrick, and Morlev ; treasurer, Mr. J. I'.ttci-; einv.isser, Mr.J. soorPt-.ry, M.\ ''V. H. Lyon. (There was a recommcndati m to the com"jittee t > 'iltct a strcovi secretary. Tho | committee is elected I>7 : ■ f> . .schools.)

Tkis concluded th- 'u -- -iness of the meeting.