SHORTLANDWESLEYAN SUNDAY SCHOOL.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2225, 15 December 1875, Page 3

SHORTLANDWESLEYAN SUNDAY SCHOOL.

' Thh anniversary of the Shortlaid Wesleyan Sunday School was .held at the church in?Willoughby-stree*t, last evening. There was a very large attendance,' and a • oapitai 'tea 1 was provided.; After tea was • cleared away,and; the tables removed, a raised gallery was constructed at the ind of the church, on,r which' the. choir ; and sohpol children, to the number of about 120, were accommodated. lev J. : Crump, presided; 'and the Bevs J, T. Hinton and! E, Laishley were also present. The proceedings commenced by singing the hymn " Let hymns of thanksgiving,", .and . prayer by the .Chairman, ■ After further,singing'by the choir, ■' ; v ,,; ; " The^iiEMAN..called, the, children'to ; 'attention and "order,-arid/saiil:--'Late intelligence from Australia. informs us of & clever, Sydney auotipneer who, being.in want of/money" 'for/ his, mimng'speculations, with' 'ii^bKlinMy'ingeiiii% ; i'oufc out'the signatures ;directors lof ;a Wdiog. f |!)gie^'fcom .paper, insMte'i.ffiem* in« a^pwmjsroiyrnote ; .f(jr £4,950, and covered the joins with.duty stamps,.. This'incident is one .of many : others that may/be,'given -to siiow the utterj unaoundness -of a tbeory .which . some time sinco was pretty provalent and popular, viz., that-education is isynony.mouswith_ religion—that : intelligence is. identical with yirtuo. Now this is all the more 'dangerPus^Bn ; error-•because.it has an of Vtruth in; iti : '*&■ virtuous man must, to a certain extent;'be'intelli-. gent, otherwise ignorance will be a virtue. • Buit.it by: no f tneans follows r that an in-■ telligent man iwiirb'e virtuous. " X hardly . ■ think that the rebpected'sebrefafy of this gohopl (who- has good opportunities .of forcing an opinion) wilt he ptepared 'tb' assert 1 th the- fairly educated men he, has kncfwn on. the Thamea; dariiiig the last' ■ in morality and- integrity.", The.; Bight - Hon. W. iJ. 'Eorster, M.P., made some spund^ob«ervations,;on;-this,.point in a . speech on University .Extension at Leeds. " Would -Leeds," ■ he. said, be happier, : and' wiser,-and'better .wheneveryone is educated ? Some.; people-might think it : v hardly worth while to answer such ques* tions, but'he j did not think; so.. r It was: worth while asking whether Leeds would: be richer! "He thought'it.would, but he ... was not so.sure.;- But of one thing ho was '«ure-rif education was not "eagerly; promoted: Leeds' vpould certainly, be .poor; Would they,.be;\happier P.',Undoubtedly ( there.would be more means' of pleasure, with less of the stings of: pain. Knowledge .puts more means of happiness in , the way of its . possessor, "Would Leeds be rbetter P..Thafc' he * did not know. .It must be remembered that -though know 1 - ledge iwas. power, :ifc was--not .-virtue; Knowledge was not. the power - : over'one's self,'as-was' ever being exemplified. ; It " was puffer oyer iiature j"it 'supplied themeans'to';reMßt';6thers,;? from ■ tyranpy - it did; not, givo ; They' must not, claim top,much;fbr education.-' In thp spint;pf. ffiese ihe Sab-: : bath-school is oondupted." Its aim is to ■"> impart knowledge— r the "highest; '-and most -''- elevating for - the ; mosfcveialted purposesrr but : ever lunder th e "'- 1 conviction/ that' *' th ©' j fear -' of thtf.Lord -is 'of (wisdom j" "A'ioodunderstanding have they that keep '£«• com^andment'tf" If yeinow 'In : to- ■ you that' thesei;iiigheir J obv ; jects t have; .been and ,wo are thankful (o say far, as we can -j u dge,i n many cases secured, j.Th'o. senior classes - are vigors, them , have . deel ared theml el ves i; 'on Jth'e • .Lord's side". A fortnight since it was -a .pleasing sight to sc'o go many young : convcrls... at .the Lord's table avowing theiridisoipleshi'p, to Christ.. As it will be. the last anniversary that-I-may attend) it is-peculiarly.grali--;fy ingt to -finer and-cause ior much < thank' : - there are; Others overborn' wetyearn.Wo 1 "dread' tho thoug^t v th'at any scholars should ' pass through the

school and grow up to tarn their back on the Saviour. Much more so that any teacher should be'disloyal to. Christ, and finally be classed with those who despise . and reject the Lord Jesus' Christ. - The Lord has spoken to us by His word and in His providence. Death has been among ,us.' ,0. that - many more may hear the voice- of the Son of God, and live. - (Applause.) - The Sbobetaby (Mr J. A. Miller) then read the annual report, which gave details ; of the' Sunday school. The number of scholars on the books was 160 girls, 145 boys, and. the average attendance was'Bo morhing and 180 afternoon. The receipts were £43 16s lOd, and the expjnditure £42 3s. Proceeds of the present anniversary £25. ~ : Mr J. Sesshaw moved the adoption of the report. He expressed pleasure in being present and hearing such a report 1 read. . The sight now before them was one which must afford great pleasure to every father and mother present. This was not the only- schoobon the" Thames, although it was, he believed, the best, and such a. meeting "as.this was a source of pleasure to the whole of them. He attributed the moral character of the Thames to the influence of the Sunday schools,HHre r often .heard people bewail' the wickedness which surrounding them, and he wondered where they were brought up. For his own part he was never in a place where crime was less frequent, and lie liked the Thames and respected: the people in it. 'He was a firm believer in the present system of education in : regard to day •' schools. It was a fair platform on which 'all classes could meet, 'but in other respects tbo .Sunday school work ,was.requisite.;,-The day sohools lightened, .the work of the Sunday schools, for they had not now to teach; tho children to spell ; and read, only to "'teach them religion, and he believed thai'was the reason why ■, there, were Jsqvmfmy conversions during the last year. /(GheerSf). ■ ■ ' Mr Tbedannick seconded the. action, of the report in an appropfiate speech, in ' which he likened Sunday schools to the ' rivulets which flowed.-: into *;t-hb- large rivers along which; he" travelled in' New. South Wales and Victoria.. He dilated on the J great usefulness, of Snnday'scheols" in forming the youthful mind iand fitting it for contact with the world. , ;The .T., HiNTON said .that he was deeply'interested in 'the report, and some of the .figures' . might - usefully perhaps be 1 ' brought more prominently before them. He alluded to the great between the number; ofi scholars on the 1 books, .and the average attendance; and he called the attention of Mr spooks,the; pfficial visitor, to, the 'matter, and,that of the parents of the . children, as well, ; urging moreenergy. < He trusted that when ho,heard their next . annual report there would not bo suoli a

contrast in these figures;' He expressed his great at the other, portion of tto/ rep'prtj''recording the number of . which'had taken placo. He contended;that'it was never tod early to think of religion,.and charged' the. Sunday I '-school'teabhofs] 'to . greater .earnest* neas. in * sowing /the good seed, and impressed upon them the, great important of the work which they were occupied in.* ' v-. ; - : V-. :v, :MrAsHßY,:ihe'school superintendentjthen ' addressed the = meeting..: He ex-; plained the of the figures "alluded -16 by Mr Hiritoir ! as being .attributable to the measles epidemic, wet Sundays, and othei* causes not mentioned iu the, report, and he hoped that for the year upon.which they now entered'they would be able to present them with a

largerroporfc in a larger schoolroom, for lie assured them that, even with the 180, they were] -ctfteot Mmb)sl;.- ai£heir "wife?" _fo? ; want ,of ; ; accommodation. He'-concluded;

headdress by, referring to tlie death . of se'yeralof the Sunday scholars who had left behind them evidence that they were gone to: another sand -a world. :; invited the co-operation of pareflts daring the.ensaing year. . , jThe ijov iß;' I/aishiiET referred with regret ,to tlie 11 ;facfc- .that, .'this was ; ihe closing.iyear „of -Mr Crump's ministry amongst' them.:' He', then addressed himself specially;>to -thg young, urging activity "<?n partsL; in the,' work of the. Sunday-school. He urged that every possible effort should be used to interest the not losing sight of; the great object of reaching their hearts. •, .

Mr No'ddee moved a rote of thanks to'

the donors of the trays, the ladies who to the young gentlomar yha played the harmonium ■ '• '

Mr Jones seconded the,motion, wliioli fas heartily accorded, and the meeting ilosed'by'singing the Doxology; We may add that the choir during,the avening sung'a.number of anniversary hymns 'with great spirit and superior execution, ' , : -