PRESBYTERIAN SABBATH SCHOOLS’ UNION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19238, 31 July 1924, Page 11

PRESBYTERIAN SABBATH SCHOOLS’ UNION.

ANNUAL MEETING, The 17th annual meeting of the Proebytohan Subbath Schools' Union was held in First Church Hall on Tuesday evening, when there was a large attendance. The president (Mr D. S, Beath) occupied the chair, and the meeting was opened with a hymn and prayer. Tire annual report (already published) was submitted and its adoption was moved by the chairman. He expressed satisfaction at the evidences of the continued good work being done among the schools in the Presbytery, but deplored the fact that in many cases the family altar had been broken down. The Kev. A. tC. W. Standage, in seconding the motion, stated that the apparent decrease in numbers, both of schools, scholars might be due to the possibly less efficient method of collections statistics adopted by the Assembly last year and not to any real decrease in numbers. The report, which was spoken to by Messrs J, W. Todd, R. Duncan, and J. Farquharson, was adopted. The statement of accounts showed that the general account had improved to the extent of £2, and the prize fund account to the extent of £l4. The election of office-bearers resulted as follows:—President, Mr K. Duncan; vicepresidents, Messrs D. K. M'Donald and ax. Neill; hon. eecretary, Mr Ivan E. Sutherland; hon. treasurer, Mias Teller; representatives on the Council of S.S. Unions, Messrs D. S. Beath and K. Duncan; imn. auditor, Mr J. B. Brugh. A motion that Sunday schools be asked to appoint a representative to the executive from each department of the school instead of one from each school was carried. The following motion was carried unanimously;—"That acting on the recommendation of the Dunedin Presbytery, this meeting asks all superintendents to observe Sunday, November 2, as a special Temperance Sunday, and that special pledge cards be distributed to be signed by each child in the junior and intermediate departments, who has not already signed one. Further necessary arrangements in connection with this matter were loft to the executive to deal with. The following motion, moved by Mr 1. E. Sutherland, and seconded by M r J. Farquharson, was also carried unanimously: "That this annual meeting of the P.S.S.U. representing the Sunday school teachers jn the Dunedin Presbytery views with alarm the steadily increasing growth of the gambling spirit among the young people of this land, and as one means of counteracting this tendency calls on all superintendents to observe Sunday, November 30, as a special Anti-gambling Sunday, the executive to have power to make all arrangements." A suggestion that the Prebytcry be written to requesting it to declare that Sunday an AntiGambling Sunday in all churches with its bounds was referred to the executive with power to act. The executive was empowered to draw up a special lesson-help for the use of teachers on that day. The Rev. A. C. W. Standage pronounced the benediction, after which all partook of supper.