A Superb Volume prepared by men of the greatest ability, and $100,000 By Special Arrangement with the publishers of The People's Bible History, The Interior is able to extend to all an opportunity to secure, practically without price, a copy of this magnificent work of over 900 pages (including 57 full page illustrations), well bound in cloth, and costing $4.50. THE PEOPLE'S BIBLE HISTORY is a complete narative of Bible history, divided into 17 sections, each prepared by a scholar of eminent ability for the subject in hand. The whole work is edited by Rev. Geo. C. Lorimer, D. D., pastor of Tremont Temple, Boston, Mass. The introduction-a volume in itself-is by the world-renowned statesman, the Right Hon. Wm. E. Gladstone. Its contents constitute not merely a book, but a library, covering, by celebrated writers, scholars and orators, the entire period of Bible history, from Creation's Dawn to Christianity's Triumph. No one volume, no one library, has ever contained such priceless information. THE INTERIOR The Largest and Best Presbyterian Paper in the world, makes possible the placing of this marvelous book, almost free of charge, upon the family table of every Christian Home. HOW TO SECURE IT The Price of THE INTERIOR is $2.50 per Year Send us your own name, or that of your friend, with $2.50 for a year's subscription to The Interior, and enclose 50 cents additional ($3.00 in all) and we will send you this book. The name sent us, whether your own, or that of another must be a new subscriber and not a renewal. If you are already a subscriber, you can easily secure some one else who is not, as The Interior, with its 16 ably edited and handsomely illustrated departments, appeals strongly to the religious and educated element in every community. The best writers of the day maintain its high literary standard and keep its pages filled with vigorous, bright and interesting articles on all subjects. It is today, and has been for thirty years, a Beacon Light, leading on to all that is good and beautiful and true. This offer is only for a limited time. Send us a subscription at once while it lasts and secure the greatest religious book of the century. A prospectus of the People's Bible History, giving opinions of leading editors and clergymen, with sample copies of The Interior, sent upon receipt of ac. stamp to pay postage. Address Department "Y" THE INTERIOR 69 DEARBORN ST., CHICAGO, ILL. VOL. 17. JUNE, 1898. BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC. JULIA WARD HOWE. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord: He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fatal lightning of His terrible swift sword: His truth is marching on. I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps; His day is marching on. I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel: "As ye deal with My contemners so with you My grace shall deal; Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel! Since God is marching on." He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat: In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born, across the sea, No. 6. THE WAR WITH SPAIN. There have been conflicts in the history of nations that have been termed "holy wars," but it has frequently occurred that the real issues have been less in the cause of righteousness than in the interests of political or even commercial aggrandizement. But in the war with Spain into which the United States have been drawn there is an issue which justifies the pending struggle being called, if not a "holy war," at least a just one. America has nothing to gain in the struggle and it should be a source of deep gratification to the Christian public to realize that our nation has for so many years been free from war and only now are the military resources of the nation enlisted in behalf of the innocent victims of a relentless despotism. The Christian sentiment of this country has found full expression in favor of the action of our national leaders in the present crisis. The Christian and Missionary Alliance justifies the action of the United States upon the ground of the war being a Christian duty, in the following editorial: It is true the spirit of the New Testament is peace, but it is also true, and the teaching of the New Testament, that earthly powers are ordained of God, and that earthly rulers are ministers of God to be the terror of evil powers, and for the praise of them that do well that they bear the sword of God and that they should not bear it in vain. If ever there was a cause that justified war surely it is the spectacle of a helpless race, crushed and outraged by a cruel and despotic nation, and calling upon us in the name of God and humanity to protect and rescue them from their ruthless destroyers. In this conflict the United States will have the sympathy of lovers of liberty, humanity and righteousness among all nations. The most hopeful outlook in connection with this conflict is not merely the liberation of an oppressed and struggling people like the Cubans, not merely the disenthralment of the people of Puerto Rico and the Philippines from the intolerable yoke of Spanish oppression, but also, and of far greater moment, the opening of all these fair islands to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is beating open the long-closed doors. Let us be ready as soon as the walls of Jericho shall fall to enter in, and take the city for Christ, His gospel and His glorious coming. THE YOUNG MAN AND THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. The attempt of Edward Bok in the Ladies' Home Journal, to show that Sabbath schools were on the decline has met with much comment and ample refutation. His criticisms on the methods and personnel of the modern Sunday school are perhaps justified by existing conditions in some schools here and there, and possibly in some sections of the country unknown to the writer, and his article will undoubtedly do good in such quarters. It is not true, however, that any such conditions exist widely. Pastors and teachers in all parts of the country are earnestly striving to move forward in the Sunday school work rather than to stand still, and the correspondence that comes to the writer from time to time convinces him that they are seeking for light on their problem in every quarter which seems at all promising. Not only has the standard of efficiency been raised, but the field of work for the Sunday school has been broadened. Robert Raikes' idea of a Sunday school was one limited to children and there are a great many people even in this generation who have entertained the same idea. But there is no reason why our ideas of the nature and usefulness of Sunday schools should remain in their infancy, while all other ideas progress from year to year. The Sabbath school might properly be termed Sabbath university now, for it is numbering among its attendants large numbers of grown men and women. Out of 2,000 registered scholars in the Central Presbyterian church of Rochester, at least 1,500 are over eighteen years of age. The idea that boys and girls should drop out of Sunday school when they approached the mature age of seventeen or eighteen, is certainly not a reasonable one. To attain any reasonable success in life, or to acquire even a moderate culture, study and effort are indispensable. Is religious growth and understanding worth striving after? Is the spiritual nature worth feeding and training? Then it is worth while for any young man or young woman to continue the study of God's Word, and the consideration of its relation to life's problems, and we believe there is no difficulty in convincing the great majority of them of this fact, if only they can be gathered and held long enough to give an opportunity to appeal to their best na tures. While every one has been saying, "we want to hold the young men in Sabbath school," many have been inclined to add, "but we do not know how it can be done." Well-it has been done and is being done in many places all over our country, and the purpose of this article is to set forth briefly how it is being done in Rochester, N. Y., and the story of our success is substantially the same as that of every other worker in the same line. We have learned that as "Fishers of men," we must use the same worldly wisdom that other fishermen do, and use bait that will be attractive. If a parent wishes to keep children from running abroad, he will certainly try to make them happy at home. He provides his little girl with a doll, and his boys with a drum, or a ball, a top or a kite. The father or mother who tries to hold and entertain a growing, energetic boy with a doll will surely fail, and deserves to, because of poor judgment. Young men are but boys of a larger growth. They have outgrown drums, tops and kites, perhaps, but they enjoy a baseball game, a bicycle ride, a chance to cheer, to be enthusiastic and energetic. They fall naturally into groups, clubs, "gangs," with the members of which they enjoy good fellowship. This is their nature. They are bound to manifest it, for "they are built that way." The organizers of successful Sabbath school classes of young men have adapted themselves to these tendencies and inclinations of those whom they seek to attract. The writer is the teacher of the so-called "Alling Class" in Rochester, N. Y., and has seen that class grow from its very beginning. It was an ordinary class of eight or ten boys which gradually developed a strong class spirit, which was fostered and encouraged in every reasonable way. They perfected an organization, elected one of their own members president, selected a class badge, held an occasional class rally, held a class picnic, organized a class baseball club, bicycle club, debating club, and thus encouraged in every legitimate way an enthusiasm for their class. They felt that the class was theirs, rather than the teacher's; that they were responsible for its growth and welfare, and they therefore threw themselves into its plans with all the energy which young men possess. These various features of class life were not all added at once, but came along from time to time as they were needed. The result was a rapid growth which is summarized in the following table: Total Number Average Largest In 1895 the class apparently reached its maximum size, for its average attendance is now a little lower than at that time. Meanwhile there have grown up all around us in other churches in the city similar great classes of young men. They are using similar methods to our own, and meeting with equal success. There are at least 2,500 men enrolled in the Sabbath school classes of this city. Very many of these would get no religious instruction or association were it not for their class membership. Some of them are attracted and held by the baseball club, or the bicycle club, or some form of activity in which they are greatly interested, but meanwhile from week to week they are receiving spiritual lessons and impressions which have already resulted in leading many of them into church membership and in bringing many others to a conception of religion very different from anything they previously entertained. The general method of teaching the lesson in these classes is by informal address, although some teachers are able to handle the lesson on the question and answer plan. Teachers are not all alike, classes are not all alike, and what is best for one may not be best for others. To hold the attention of young men, petty questions and unimportant teachings ought to be omitted, and the main teaching of the day made as clear and telling as possible. We have followed the International Lessons for many years, but occasionally there comes a lesson which seems not to be made for our class. It fits old men perhaps, or young women, or children, but it does not seem to contain anything that will command the attention and interest of young men. Under such circumstances, we do not hesitate to dodge the lesson, and to substitute some other one. Sometimes it is a temperance lesson that we substitute, sometimes one on gambling; and national holidays like Washington's birthday, Decoration Day and Fourth of July, are recognized by letting the lesson take some form that appeals to the patriotism and good citizenship of young men. We often take ten minutes of the lesson time for some topic of the time in which the young men are interested and many a man has been attracted and held by these talks, and thus brought under the religious influence of our regular class work. |