S. S. and C. E.
A word must be said about the co-operation of the Sunday-school and
that other great modern agency for work with the youth, the young
people's religious society. Whatever is said will be as true of the
Epworth Leagues, Baptist Unions, and other denominational
organizations as of the Christian Endeavor societies; but since the
latter, like the Sunday-schools, are found in all denominations, and
since my own especial work lies among them, it will be quite
appropriate in this connection, as well as less confusing, to use only
the one name, Christian Endeavor.
Though of ages so unequal, "S. S." and "C. E." are sisters. Both are
international and interdenominational. Both apply the principle of age
classification to religious work. Both are strongly evangelical, and
earnest seekers of souls. Both are held in strictest subordination to
the church. And both are Bible lovers; for the Christian Endeavor
pledge requires daily reading of the Bible, and the weekly
prayer-meeting topic calls out no slight amount of Bible study.
Moreover, this topic is usually in line with the week's Sunday-school
lesson,--not the same as the latter, but suggested by it. The two
agencies are at work in different fields. The one puts in, the other
draws out. The one studies, the other practices. The Christian
Endeavor society affords an excellent test for the Sunday-school, and
is its complement. Whatever helps the one aids the other, and the two
should labor hand in hand.
There are even some things that the Sunday-school might learn from its
little sister. The principle of the pledge has proved attractive and
powerful in the Christian Endeavor society. Why not adopt it in the
Sunday-school, asking the scholars for voluntary vows that they will
attend regularly and will spend fifteen minutes a day in studying
their lessons? The monthly consecration meeting maintains wonderfully
the spirituality, zeal, and discipline of the Christian Endeavor
society. Why not a monthly consecration and experience meeting of
Sunday-school teachers? Three or four Christian Endeavor societies
cannot exist in the same town without forming a local union for mutual
encouragement and consultation. Sunday-schools have their county
conventions, but why not also this beautiful interdenominational
fellowship among the Sunday-schools of every community? A large part
of the remarkable success of Christian Endeavor is due to its being a
work of the young people for themselves. There is close pastoral and
church supervision, and it is welcomed; but the Endeavorers feel that
it is their society, for whose honor they are responsible, and whose
victories depend upon themselves. As far as possible, this spirit
should be incorporated in the Sunday-school, so that the Bible study
may not seem a work impressed on the scholars, but elected by
them,--_their_ work, and not their teachers'.
How can the Christian Endeavor society help the Sunday-school? Greatly
in its prayer-meetings, by remembering the allied Sunday-school topic
of the morning. Here is a chance for the teacher to enlarge upon some
theme treated too hurriedly in the lesson hour, and for scholars to
show their appreciation of their teacher by repeating some thought he
brought out in the morning. If rightly managed, the Christian Endeavor
meeting furnishes an admirable opportunity for advertising the
Sunday-school, and practically applying the truths there taught.
But the help given may be far more direct. Every well-organized
Christian Endeavor society has a Sunday-school committee, whose
members put themselves under the direction of the superintendent, and
make it the one object of their term's work to push in all possible
ways the interests of the Sunday-school.
The members of this committee are usually chosen with an eye to their
fitness for acting as substitute teachers. Sometimes the committee
constitutes itself a normal class and studies the lessons a week in
advance, considering especially the way to teach effectively. On the
next Sunday, therefore, the superintendent will find any of these
Endeavorers well prepared to fill a vacancy.
Everywhere, too, these Sunday-school committees help the busy teacher
to look after the absent scholars and to care for the sick. It is far
easier for these young people than for the teacher to learn the real
causes of absence and to urge better attendance. In some schools the
teachers fill out blank cards every Sabbath, giving the names of
absentees or of the sick on whom they would like to have the
Sunday-school committee call. These cards are collected, the calls
made, and then the Endeavorers report to the teacher.
A kindred ministration is the gathering of new scholars. In many
cities the Sunday-school committee has conducted a fruitful
house-to-house canvass for new scholars, sometimes canvassing at the
same time for new members of their society. Other committees
distribute printed cards of invitation. Others organize "recruiting
squads" among the scholars, and give little rewards to those that do
the best work. Others make it their business to hunt out all the young
strangers in the morning congregation and give them a personal
invitation to the school. Still others distribute among the scholars
"suggestion blanks," on which each scholar writes the names and
addresses of young folks that might be won for the school. These
Endeavorers call at the strangers' homes and go with them to the
school, while others stand ready to welcome all strangers at the door
and show them to appropriate classes. Thus they follow them up, that
it may not be a case of "light come, light go."
The Endeavorers, under the direction of their Sunday-school committee,
may be very helpful in the music. A choir or an orchestra may be
organized from their numbers. An occasional song appropriate to the
lesson may be rendered as a solo or quartette. When Sunday-school
concerts are to be given, the Endeavorers will afford trained
assistance. But especially the committee should become thoroughly
familiar with the Sunday-school song-book, so that its members,
scattered over the room, may carry with vigor any unfamiliar hymn, and
give force and sprightliness to all the singing.
The Sunday-school librarian will find among the Endeavorers some
efficient aids. The Sunday-school committee may advertise the new
books in the Christian Endeavor meetings, and get the society to add
to the library certain books of especial interest and helpfulness to
Endeavorers. Sunday-school library socials have been held by some
societies, the evening's exercises being so planned as to call
attention to the best books in the library. The Endeavorers will help
in covering books, in hunting up those that are lost, in reading new
books and giving an opinion regarding them. Where subscriptions are
taken for special papers or magazines, the Sunday-school committee
will be glad to undertake this work. After these periodicals have been
read, they will gather up the old copies to send to the hospitals.
The decorating for Christmas and Easter exercises or for Children's
Day may be assigned to the Christian Endeavor society. The Endeavorers
may be set to gathering in the scholars for Rally Day. They should be
called upon for help on all such special occasions.
Some societies give parties now and then to the classes that have the
best record, or divide the school into sections according to age, and
entertain each section in turn at a Christian Endeavor social, closing
the series with a pleasant evening spent with the teachers and
officers alone.
It would weary you if I should rehearse all the ways in which Christian
Endeavor societies have proved helpful to the Sunday-school. Many a
primary department has gained much from close association with the work
of the superintendent of the Junior Christian Endeavor society. I have
heard of a large number of places where the Endeavorers organized and
maintained mission Sunday-schools--schools that in many instances have
grown to churches. Often the Endeavorers take charge of the ushering of
the school, furnish flowers for every session, offer rewards to the
scholars for excellence in various directions, help with swift feet in
the messenger service of the home department, turn their trained forces
into an occasional Sunday-school prayer-meeting,--indeed, they are as
ingenious in discovering ways of helping this elder sister of the
Christian Endeavor society as they are zealous and persistent in these
labors after they are inaugurated.
If in some churches this help is not given, it is probably because it
is not invited, or very likely through lack of organization. If the
Christian Endeavor society has no Sunday-school committee, let the
Sunday-school superintendent, who is a member of the society _ex
officio_, interest himself in obtaining one. And then through this
committee he can draft into the service all the other usual committees
of the society--the lookout committee, to get new scholars; the
prayer-meeting committee, to aid in the school's devotional exercises;
the temperance and missionary committees, to give assistance in the
special lessons on those themes; the music committee, to aid in the
singing, and the flower committee, to help in the decorations; the
social committee, to seek the absent and the sick; the good-literature
committee, to help the librarian.
And if the Endeavorers do this, or a part of this, for the
Sunday-school, why should not the Sunday-school do a little for the
Christian Endeavor society? The superintendent may help it by calling
upon it for assistance and by recognizing on fit occasions its
officers and committees. He may even give it an occasional
advertisement from the desk; and he, with his officers and teachers,
may do much to put himself in touch with the young people by attending
the Christian Endeavor meetings now and then. The teachers may help by
introducing into their talks before the classes an occasional hint on
the Christian Endeavor pledge or committee work, or by remembering
the prayer-meeting topic and suggesting a thought or two that may be
developed in the meeting, or by urging membership in the society upon
those that do not already belong to it.
Thus it is seen how intimately these two organizations are related,
and how much each may do to help the other. Do not allow them to labor
apart. Parallel threads are weak; cables are made by twisting them
together.