finds its way into the village; perhaps there is only one man there who can read. In the long winter evenings his neighbors gather around him, and he reads the story that to them is so new and so interesting—the story of the Redemption. They discuss, they compare what they have heard with the practises of their priests, and are convinced that the two do not agree. Before the missionaries visit the place, there is the nucleus of a church there.

Thus, the study of God's Word, the work of the Sundayschool, is the beginning of all things in the Mission field; of churches, of schools of all grades, of hospitals and medical work, of Evangelistic propaganda, of the elevation of woman, of the Christian home. "All things shall live, whithersoever that river cometh."

The story of the difficulties overcome in establishing Sunday-schools in some places in our field would fill a book. Let one instance suffice. In our mountains there is a large town, into which the missionaries had tried in vain for many years to introduce the Scriptures. While making the attempt, at one time, a missionary and a native pastor were met by a great mob, stoned from their horses, and left for dead upon the ground. Our opportunity to return good for evil came in 1879. The lawless element in the town rebelled against the Turks, fought a detachment of soldiers in the streets, and drove them away over the mountains. Instantly the military determined to take a bloody revenge. An army of eight thousand men, with a battery of artillery, was assembled, and all the preparations made for the march of twelve hours, and the assault that should wipe the town from the face of the earth. The two missionaries at the place from which the army was to start were in great distress; for they well knew there would be no discrimination, the innocent would perish with the guilty. Just at this crisis they were summoned to the telegraph office by the British Consul at the seat of government of the Province, four days' journey away. He begged

them to go to the town in rebellion, and secure the submission of all its people to the Turkish government, as the only means of averting the destruction hanging over it. He said that the Governor-General would keep back the army till the attempt was made. Immediately one of the missionaries went up over the mountains to the town. He remained there a week, pleading for peace, and imperiling his life in the caves among well-armed and desperate robbers. He came back with forty stands of arms and other things that had been taken from the Turkish soldiers in the preceding fight; and with a paper signed by all the notables of the town, promising submission to the government.

But the missionary found on his return that the officers of the army had made every preparation to advance; they wanted no reconciliation; and they prevented the telegraph operator from forwarding to the Governor-General an account of the missionary's success. A whole day was spent in vain endeavor to get the message sent. That evening, the colleague of the brave emissary of peace put the precious papers into his breast-pocket, mounted his horse, and with one of his young students started for the seat of government. By riding day and night for thirty-six hours, with one hour of sleep, and changing horses twice, the house of the British Consul was reached in the early morning of the second day. The two men, covered with mud from head to foot were lifted from their horses; and without having opportunity even to wash, were hurried into the presence of the Governor-General. By him the papers were read, and a narrative of events was listened to. And by him immediately four messages were sent by telegraph— stopping the advance of the army, and removing from office its commander and another high official, also the operator who had refused to wire the missionary's message. Thus, peace was established, and that great town was saved. The result was that no more opposition was made to the entrance of the gospel there. And now a strong church

and Sunday-school are in that town. They have sent many good students, both boys and girls, into our colleges; and young men into our theological seminary. The missionaries have always felt that they did right in stepping aside for a time from their preaching and teaching, to do a bit of "secular" work that has had results like these.

The United States of America

W. N. HARTSHORN, CHAIRMAN OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

I am privileged to speak for the youngest of the many nations represented in this convention. Our heritage is derived from that great nation whose christianizing reign encircles the globe, and upon whose domain "the sun never sets." Ours in a noble ancestry. We are also debtors to each of the 44 countries and great divisions here represented for sending to us physical and brain material from which, under conditions existing in the United States, great men are made. There is, however, naught that we possess as a nation that we have not first received. Therefore, we boast not.

But I am to speak for the army of 13,000,000 of the Sunday-school forces in the United States. Our God whom we worship is the God of Israel. Our creed, the Sermon on the Mount. Our practise, the twelfth of Romans. Our spirit, that of the Christ. Our purpose, that of service. No one liveth unto himself. If God has given you wisdom to serve wisely above your fellows, impart it. If success in service, share it. If opportunity for doing good to others about you, do it. God's government issues no patents. There are no exclusive rights. Each belongs to the other, and all is God.

Our vision for the organized work will not materialize until the remote, the isolated, and the discouraged schools in all lands have come into sympathetic and helpful relations to the Sunday-schools that have wise leadership.

God is swinging wide open to the Sunday-school workers of the world the door of opportunity. In this brief talk I will not deal with details, but rather with principles and results, showing some unfinished work, and the ever widening channel of opportunity and responsibility.

The estimated population of the United States is about 85,000,000 Number of Sunday-schools

Number of officers and teachers.

Number of scholars...

'Total enrolment about

Population enrolled in the Sunday-school

140,000 1,450,000

I1,000,000

13,000,000

15 per cent

The organized and co-operative Sunday-school work of North America is conducted by the International, State, Provincial, and Territorial Sunday School Associations, and county, district, and township conventions and conferences. The International Association holds a convention once every three years-all others hold annual conventions.

The International Triennial Convention is composed of delegates elected by the state, provincial and territorial conventions, or by their Executive Committees, and number about 2,200, all denominations being represented.

An Executive Committee, composed of ninety-six business and professional men, representing the denominations and every section of the continent of North America, is elected by the Convention to serve for three years. This Committee holds one annual meeting; its sessions continue three or four days. Each member pays his traveling and hotel expenses. Through several sub-committees it inaugurates and supervises various departments of work, among which are Teacher-Training, Elementary, Intermediate, Adult, Home, Educational, Missionary, Temperance, Work among the Negroes, etc., etc.

This Committee employs seven Field and eight Office Secretaries and stenographers. Mr. Marion Lawrance is the General Secretary, and is in charge of these forces. The International Headquarters are in the Hartford Build

ing, 140 Dearborn St., Chicago, Illinois. It is estimated that 14,000 Sunday-school conventions were held in North America in 1906. It is expected that $90,000 will be received by the Executive Committee and expended for organized work during the triennium between June 1905-8. This large amount does not include the expected securing before the Louisville Convention of one hundred life memberships of $1,000 each; this amount to be used for special needs in the development of the work.

The work done by the Lesson Committee, first created by the Fifth National Convention at Indianapolis, Indiana, April, 1872, has made possible the inauguration and the development of organized and co-operative Sunday-school work as now carried on in America by the International Executive Committee.

The idea of having one uniform lesson-one topic, one text--for every class and every department in the individual Sunday-school in every town, village, city, and state-then in every Sunday-school, in every denomination in every town, village, city, and state, has so possessed the Sundayschool forces of this continent that it has been easy for denominational leaders to unite upon a common purpose and to adopt approved methods for gaining the same results. The uniform-one lesson-idea has encircled the globe so that fully 25,000,000 people each Sunday are studying the topic, text, and lesson selected jointly by the American and British sections of the International Lesson Committee.

It is thirty-five years since the first series of Uniform Lessons was adopted. The original plan is being modified. Graded Lessons, to more reasonably suit the age and conditions of pupils, are sure to be adopted, but these graded lessons, topic, and text, are still to be selected by the International Lesson Committee. With new members from time to time, it has served the Sunday-school world for thirty-five years without one cent of compensation,