which has been emphasized here, that while they may not be able to provide regular ministrations of the church in all these sections, they are wisely endeavoring to establish Sunday-schools as the nucleus of future congregations. And we find, Mr. Chairman, that all these bodies, the Methodist body, the Presbyterian body, the Anglican body, are all appointing field secretaries in order to look after the Sunday-school work in these new districts as a first step in the religious organization of this new life. We have had that truth manifested here in this Convention. Those of us who are related to this new work will go back fortified in our opinion that this is one of the directions in which the different religious bodies must endeavor to strengthen themselves and to carry out their work in hand.

"My one other thought is this: I think in Canada we have this advantage over any district I have yet come in contact with; we have all the religious bodies of Protestantism united in this work. The Methodist, Baptist, Church of England are all using the International Lesson scheme. Why should not that attitude be taken which will enable all of the Protestant bodies to unite upon this great work? It is worth working for. It is worth doing our best for." And the Reverend E. E. Braithwaite, of Massachusetts, said earnestly:

"As the Christian era, notwithstanding the fact that we have not accomplished all that we might have in the glorious opportunities that have been before us in the Christian church, nevertheless, represents the wonderful progress that has been made during these centuries, so with the new emphasis that is now being placed on missionary work. And particularly since the emphasis is being put in the right di- . rection, in the education of the young in this particular manner, it seems to me that from this we may take courage and go forward with the note of inspiration and triumph as we go down from this Convention, and believe that for us is coming, if we take advantage of these privileges

that are ours, the greatest triumphs yet in the history of the Christian Church, and in the history of the world."

Early on Thursday morning, our last day together, some of us went with Dr. N. Walling Clark to the catacombs of Domatilla, one of the few places where it is quite certain. that the Christians were wont to meet for worship in the days of persecution. We passed out of the brilliant morning sunshine into the cool of the descending stairway, and thence with our small tapers through the narrow, tomb-lined passages to a small room cut in the soft tufa. We were standing now in the room where other Christians had met in secret in the last resting-place of their dead, to speak with one another of the gospel of life. A faint light came to us from an opening overhead in the passageway beyond the room. Many of our small lights were put out as we stood close together. We sang "My faith looks up to thee," and we prayed together where others had prayed in centuries long past, and we prayed that we might not forget. After we had prayed in the words of the prayer that our Lord taught his disciples, we turned once again to take our way through the dark passages to the open air above.

And a child in the midst of the company, whose light had not gone out, was touching the candles of others now with the little flame he held so that they might have light once more for the journey upward. We came into the broad daylight once more, and took the Appian Way to the city. Wherever the eye turned there was the appeal of historic association. The last evening hours of the convention drew on and lengthened as we sat together in fellowship, while many bore testimony to the impress of the convention, and Dr. Tyler lifted us to the heights in his closing address, "Arise, let us go hence." But some of us go back in our thought to the little room in the catacombs for the heart of the convention, and see again the light-giving child in the midst.

The Claim of the Child

BY THE REV. DR. G. CAMPBELL MORGAN

Dr. Morgan's Opening Prayer:

Our Father, most heartily do we pray thee to solemnize and quiet our hearts in thy presence. We thank thee for the subduing and uplifting consciousness we have had already that we are indeed in thy presence. We have not to ascend to the height to find thee; neither have we to descend to the depth to bring thee up. We have to make no proclamation to come to the place where thou art. In thee we live and move and have our being, and moreover, for us the veil has been rent. We come a company of priests, desiring to appear in the Holy of Holies, the sacred place of our priesthood, offering to thee the eucharist, the great thanksgiving of our deepest hearts, presenting in thy presence our petitions, our intercessions, worshiping and adoring thee, and receiving from thee the gifts which thou art desirous of bestowing upon us. And yet in our coming we are afraid, not of thee, for thou hast commended thy love toward us, "in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," and "Perfect love casteth out fear," but we are afraid of ourselves, our Father. We have so often been in the place of vision, and our eyes have been holden and we have not seen. Aye, verily, thou hast spoken to us and the babel of earth's voices has drowned the accent of the still small voice of God. We have been, as we now are, in thy presence and thou hast been near to us with purposes of blessing, and we have awakened presently as from a troubled dream, crying out in our amazement, "Lo, God was in this place, and we knew it not." Deliver us from such a failure now. Not only do we ask for the vision, but for eyes anointed to see; not only that thou wilt speak to us, but for ears opened to hear; not only for thy nearness, but that we may be keen of scent in the things of the Lord. Sanctify to every one of thy people their being here