Cylchgronau Cymru

THE WELSH WEEKLY, June 3, 1892. BIRKENHEAD WELSH SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION. This Union was started about twelve months ago, and last Sunday week the first annual general meeting was held under its auspices. A new feature was initiated in the town and neighbourhood, by the Nonconformist ministers changing pulpits at the different chapels. Sermons were preached dealing with the Sabbath School and its work. In the afternoon, at Parkfield Chapel, a general meeting of all the schools that are connected with the Union was held. This large chapel was crowded to excess, the audience numbering between eight and nine hundred persons, and many had to leave, as they could not be admitted for the want of room. In the unavoidable absence of the Rev. S. P. Jones, Mr. Richard Hughes, Exmouth Street, presided, who said that the appearance of such a vast audience in¬ spired his heart with gladness, and was pleased to see the changing of pulpits that day, and members of the Union were going to make a canvass from house to house to find the Welsh people, and induce them to come to the Sunday School. The audience joined in singing hymn—" Mae'r Brenin yn y bla'n, ' Rym ninnau oil yn hy'" ; Miss C. Hughes Woodlands recited the 2nd chap, of 1st Epistle of Peter, and the Rev. Thomas Williams engaged in prayer. Parkfield Choir sang " Praise the Lord," under the leadership of Mr. E. Jones. An address was given by the Rev. T. D. Jones, subject— " The School and its Book." He remarked that all other books grew old, but the Bible was always new and fresh, and this Book gave birth to the Sunday School also a name, a history, a crown, and a character. The work done by the Sunday School, with the Bible as its book, has raised our moral character. The greatest aim and object of the Sunday School is the salvation of souls. This one¬ ness of aim maintains its influences, its crown, its history, its character. The Sunday School is the best means to convey and explain the Scriptures; there is room in this school for all talents to exercise themselves, and give honour to God. The Rev. Joseph Davies addressed the meeting on *' The School and the Church." He said that it was a duty upon church members to be members of the Sun¬ day School. Some thought that there was no obligation upon them to become members of the Sunday School. He appealed to parents who do not come to Sunday School. The question was, Was it right for others to take the trouble to teach and labour with their children while they were home sleeping the afternoon away ? No ; there is a place for all to work in this school: yes, the poor, the rich, and all who can work in it ; but the idle, there is no room for idlers. The Rev. Thos. Grey delivered an address in English ; subject, " The School and the Young People." He said : " The pleasant task of addressing you, my dear children, falls to my lot. I must com¬ press my thoughts, and confine my remarks, so as to keep within the limited space of time allotted to me. The historical function of the Sabbath School started from the great spiritual awakening of the Methodist reformation in the middle and latter part of the last century. I<; is one of those ameliorating institutions, such as the Home and Foreign Missionary Society and the British and Foreign Bible Society, which had their root, growth, and expansion in the intellectual, social, moral, and religious revival, through the instiumentality of such men as John and Charles Wesley, George Whitfield and others in England, and Griffith Jones, of Llanddowror, Rowlands, of Llan- geitho, Howell Harris, and others, in Wales. The primary object in the minds of such men as Robert Raikes and Thomas Charles, of Bala, of instituting Sabbath Schools, was to meet the requirements of the young and the illiterate, to teach the rudiments of religious truths, the principles of Divine realities. Let us look at the Sabbath school in four different aspects ; firstly, as an educational seminary; secondly, as a social reformatory ; thirdly, as a moral armoury; fourthly, as a religious nursery. The school is an intellectual seminary to implant into your minds and mstil into your hearts the seeds of spiritual and divine truths. You come in contact here with the divine seed, which is the Word of God : the seed will not take root, and bring forth fruit unto righteousness and holinesSj unless it be sown by a skilful hand, and nurtured by an unseen influence. You are to grow in the knowledge of the truth—the moral truth of Christianity and the spiritual truths of salvation. You come to school to learn. What are the great lessons of the school? The truths of morality and the truths of theology. You.are taught here always to speak the truth, not to say anything which has the shadow of a lie, always to be honest, not to reach your hand to anything which does not belong to you, always to do that which is right, which is true, honest, and pure in the sight of God and men. These great moral truths you can know and under¬ stand, even young as you are. But there are are other-lessons which you are to learn, truths about God. "That God is love." That he is your Creator and Father, that Jesus Christ is your Saviour, that His life is an example, that for Him you should live, that His death is an atonement for your sins, that he now intercedes on your behalf in heaven, that He sends his Holy Spirit to be your comforter, your guide and light, that he has gone to prepare a place for you in heaven, after you die. These are great lessons which you are to learn in school. What are the qualifica¬ tions you should possess in order to learn these lessons ? Firstly, an attentive mind ; secondly, a re¬ tentive memory ; thirdly, a tender and pure heart; Fourthly, a determined will. Attend to your lessons, commit the verses of the Bible to your memory, retain them in your minds, resolve to get on, from one class to another, until you get to the top of the school. Men and women that are strong in the Scriptures are strong in understanding and wisdom. The best divines are those who know most of the Bible. Such men were the late Dr. Owen Thomas, Dr. William Rees, Rowland Hughes, and Mr. Spurgeon. Secondly. The school as a reformatory. You come to school not only to strengthen your minds and to increase your knowledge, but also you come here to learn Divine manners. I don't mean mannerism, but Christian manners, how to behave yourselves, and how to conduct yourselves in a becoming manner in all circumstances and relations of life. There are three virtues which you should exercise in order to gain the character of well-behaved children and people. I. Obedience to your parents and to your teachers. II. Respect towards your elders and to all men. III. Self control and self reliance. The first and foremost virtue in a child is obedience. This is a positive command of God in the moral law. A disobedient child, a wilful and stubborn youth, brings upon himself the punishment of God and men. Be always respectful to old people, to the poor, and the deformed. Do not despise or mock the old, the poor, or the deformed; never be spiteful to any¬ one. Whenever I see a boy or a girl, a young man or a young woman, insulting an old man or an old woman, be they poor or deformed, I always put it down as a want of common sense and common intelligence, and a sure sign of the want of proper, social, moral, and religious training. In the school you should aim at controlling yourselves, controlling your little tempers, bridle them well. Do not let them get the mastery over you. Rely on your own powers and your own resources. Do not always be depending on others, but resolve to go on conquering and to conquer, speak as little as you can, think as much as you like, bear in mind that children and young people should be seen and not heard. We like to see you, and look at you; you are really beautiful and lovely. And sometimes we love to hear little voices singing the praises of your God and Saviour ; but remember, though speech is silvern, silence is golden. Thirdly, the school as a moral armoury. " Take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to with¬ stand in the evil day.....Put on the breast¬ plate of righteousness .... the shield of faith . . . . the helmet of salvation . . . . and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God." Physical strength is a blessing and comfort. Intellectual strength is very valuable, and much to be desired, but the moral strength is indispensable to subdue the evils of your own hearts, and to withstand the temptations of the world and Satan. Fourthly, the school as a religious nursery. I use the word nursery both in its agricultural and domestic, or household sense. The school, in an agricultural sense, is the nursery of the Church, as the vineyard of Jesus Christ. There are lovely flowers and tender plants, which must be well cared for and well watered in order to bring forth fruit to the glory of God. But I take the word in its domestic sense. There is here a beautiful picture gallery, a lovely doll- house for you little girls, a grand Royal Academy for you young people. Gaze on its walla! Look at its picture ! You have a picture of the Garden of Eden, with Adam and Eve walking among its flowers and trees in majestic love and pure innocence. You see here a picture of Noah's Ark, with all creatures of different natures entering therein. We have here a picture of a pure and innocent, a God-loving and a God-fearing boy, Joseph, who was afterwards raised to be the Governor of Egypt. Do you see there a beautiful babe, with tears trickling down his cheeks, in an ark of bulrushes by the river side ? Who can it be ? Moses, the servant and the Prophet of God. Look there on that fine lady, leading a band of women, singing with a tambourine ; who can she be ? Miriam, the Prophetess. You little girls some¬ times speak of talking dolls; I see here a picture of a talking ass, in Balaam's ass. What do you see there ? It is a shepherd boy leading his sheep by the riverside. He is David, the shepherd boy, who afterwards-became the King of Israel. Look down there and you see a den of lions. Who is that young man in their midst, with a peaceful countenance, and a self-possessed attitude ? He is Daniel the inter¬ preter. Look up there, and what do you see, a choir of angels, flapping their wings, raised on a platform of air, above the fields of Bethlehem, singing a divine- human anthem to celebrate the birth of the Saviour of the world. Among the innumerable pictures in this Art Gallery, this Royal Academy of the Sabbath School, I see a picture of the strongest of men in Samson, the wisest of men in Solomon, the best of men in Jesus of Nazareth. Among its scenes of mountains and glens and valleys and rivers I see one scene which is a vision—the vision of heaven in all its grandeur and glory, founded on the Hills of Immortality. I invite you to come to this nursery, to look at these beautiful pictures, to gaze on these lovely scenes, to meditate on these glorious visions. The school, as a divine institution, has been handed down to you in its efficiency ; and your fathers and forefathers have done their best to hand it down to you in its present efficient state. May it be your privilege and honour to hand it down to generations yet unborn, who will heap their praises on your divine-human legacy, and crown your memory with a garland of immortal evergreens." During the afternoon Miss Annie Parry sang " The Better Land," and Miss Dora Grey, R.A.M., sang " Hen Feibl mawr fy Mam " (My mother's old large Bible). Mr. Newell represented the English Sunday School. NOTES FROM THE MIDLAND METROPOLIS. It was my pleasure, a few days ago, to see and meditate over an impressive sermon on canvas. " The Eeturn from Calvary," by Herbert Schmalz, is a most wonderful religious picture, and of very high rank as a work of art. The principal group consists of Mary, mother of Jesus, carefully led by John to his own home, and supported by Mary Magdalene; they are represented as ascending a flight of broad stone steps which lead up from Jerusalem on the left in the foreground. Following this group are Mary's sister, and Mary the wife of Cleophas. The city is seen between these groups and the Mount of Calvary, which is in the extreme distance on the right. The city is in partial darkness ; the palace of Herod has its faint artificial light within. The three crosses stand out in desolate relief on the top of the hill—the middle one the highest. Now the darkness which overshadowed Jerusalem is as if slowly disappearing; and be it observed the streak of light in the sky breaks out above Golgotha! and the light increases, and follows the beloved ones of the Saviour. The picture has been exhibited ia London and elsewhere, and is now at Mr. Collier's Gallery in this city, and I would recommend all that can to go and see it. The tide is still flowing out in the Welsh circle in our city. I have to record the departure of Mr. David Jones of the General Post Office, and family. Mr. Jones has been promoted, and appointed the Postmaster at Carnarvon. He had been in the General Post Office at Birmingham 24 years, having gone through the several departments, and was for several years past an Inspector. He was chosen from a goodly number in the service, from various parts of the country, to the office at Carnarvon. Mr. Jones was a constant and valuable member of the Calvinistic Methodist Church at Hockley Hill, and was elected a deacon about seven years ago, which office he has filled with zeal, discretion, and ability, and his departure is much felt, not only by the Church and congregation, but also by the Welsh in general in the town. A farewell meeting was held one evening the other week at Hockley Hill School room. Mr. William Thomas, the oldest deacon of the church, presided. The meeting, which was well attended, was addressed by the Eev. John Pritchard, the pa^t^r; Mr. Richard Jarrett and Mr. Ellis Davies, deacons; Mr. W. Owen and Mr. Thos. Jones, deacons from Granville Street, and others. Eev. J. Eoberts-Evans was unable to be present, being from home. An illuminated address, and six vols, of Dr. Geikie's " Hours with the Bible," were presented to Mr. D. Jones as a token of appreciation of his services, and an album was given to Mrs. Jones, who is a daughter of the late Mr. John Daniel, who, for many years, was a deacon and leader of singing at Granville Street Chap e 1 Mr. D. Jones responded on behalf of his wife and himself, and thanked his friends in fitting terms. The Welsh Baptists' 22nd anniversary was held com¬ mencing on Saturday evening last, continuing through Sunday, and ending oa Monday evening. Hockley Hill Chapel was lent for the occasion. The Eevs. W. Jones, of Treharris, and E. William?, of Holywell, officiated. The preaching was earnest, and listened to by large congre¬ gations. Cymbo. THE EDITOR'S LETTER BAG. A Constant Reader.—The Lectures on Christianity, by the late Principal D. Charles Davies, M.A., have appeared in the Traethodydd. Some of the lectures have been published separately, particulars of which you can obtain by writing to Mr. T. R. Jones, 22, Old Bailey, London. Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria is on his way to London.