SUNDAY SCHOOL CONVENTION AT WASHINGTON.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 832, 30 July 1910, Page 9

SUNDAY SCHOOL CONVENTION AT WASHINGTON.

LETTER FROM NEW ZEALAND'S REPRESENTATIVE. Our Shannon correspondent writes: —An interesting letter has been received from the Rev. J. A. M'Kenzie, who recently attended, as New Zealand's representative, tho International Sunday School Convention at Washington, U.fe.A. The letter, wlncli was read to the children of the Presbyterian Sunday School, at Shannon, last Sunday afternoon, states that many of the meetings were held in Convention Hall, :i huge building accommodating 6000 people. This was frequently quite full, ami thousands woro turned away. Other conferences wore held in* large churches seating from 1200 to 1500 people. It was in ono of these churclies that Mr. M'Kenzio gave New Zealand's response to tho Roll Call of Nations. Others who responded that day represented Brazil, the West Indies, and South Africa. On tho first jiignt of the convention Mr. Taft, who is a very big, stout man, and made Mr. M'Kenzie, who is not exactly a dwarf himself, feel very small, addressed the assembly. In connection with the gathering thero ' was a great parade of Bible classes, which took tlurty-fivc minutes to pass a given point. Each Statu marched under its own banner. The motto on ono banner was, "Tho Men of Texas for the Man of Galilee." Other inscriptions were:—"Tho Saloon Must Go;" "Where Men Go, Boys Will Follow." Mr. M'Kenzie noticed delegates from Sweden, Norway, 'Denmark, France, Bohemia. Italy, Turkey, Asia Minor, Syria, India, Korea, Japan, Mexico, and Brazil. Forty-seven different denominations were represented. _ On the Sunday night Mr. M'Kenzie addressed the congregation'in ono of the churches,: and spoke, on Sunday School and Foreign Mission work in New Zealand. In his letter he told tiie children that the Sunday schools of tho world ha'/e 27,883,47!) members, including 2,500,000 teachers and officers. Some members are on the cradle roll and others are eighty years old. In America thero are plenty of old folk who liavo never left tho Sunday school. In two different 'schools which ho visited he saw men and women in the adult class over fifty years of age. At the closing meeting of tho convention seventy-five boys and girls, each dressed to represent a different country, camo into the hall and marched up* the aisles singing "Onward Christian Soldiers." 'I'lio flags of the nations, borne by the children, were all grouped in front of the platform, tlio lights' wore turned down, and a large cross, dazzling ivitli electric liglit, blazed up from behind the platform. While in Philadelphia he visited a famous Sunday school with about 3000 oil its roll. The Hon. John Waujiaker has taiight in this school for over fifty years. This gentleman is a millionaire, and was formerly Post-master-General of tlio United States. His departmental store in Philadelphia has a floor space of forty-five acres. He lias other _ stores in New York and Paris. Mr. .M'lCcnzie intends visiting tho Old Country and the Continent before returning to New Zealand.