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 ANNUAL ADDRESS 
 
 TO THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL CONVENTION OF THE 
 
 EAST PENNSYLVANIA AND EAST GERMAN 
 
 CONFERENCES OF THE U. B. CHURCH. 
 
 Delivered at Annville, Lebanon Co., Pa., on May 17th, 1870, 
 
 BY REV. L. TETERS. 
 
 'S^ 
 
 Subject: THE BENEFIT OF VISITING SUN- 
 DAY-SCHOOL SCHOLARS AT THEIR 
 HOMES. 
 
 »i^^< 
 
 Dear Brethren and Sisters^ co-lahorers together in the great and good 
 
 worh of the Simday-sehool : 
 
 Another year of life's toils is o'er ; another year of anxiety and 
 care, (but thank God, of joy and prosperity), is gone by; and we 
 are permitted through a kind Providence, to assemble in our An- 
 nual Convention to take counsel together, and, if possible, to 
 stimulate each other, in the great work of promoting God's glory 
 in the Sunday-school. 
 
 Much has already been done, but there remaineth yet a great 
 work; much has been said and written, and much inay yet be said 
 and written. Though I may not be able^o add anything new, I 
 may perhaps say something that will assist in stirring us up to 
 practice that which we are already familiar with. 
 
 The subject to which I call your attention, this evening, is of 
 more than ordinary benefit to the Sunday-school ; and if practi- 
 cally carried out, will do more, in my humble opinion, than any 
 other single means, for the permanent establishing of the Sunday- 
 school, especially in Sunday-school missionary work, in cities and 
 manufacturing districts, where' the poorer classes of persons are to 
 be found more abundant. 
 
(2) 
 
 The Sunday-school is a partnership work, and consists of four 
 parties, namely: The school, the parents and children, the church, 
 and the teachers themselves, who, of necessity, must be the princi- 
 pal workers in the firm. 
 
 The benefits to be derived by the parties, as individuals, or as a 
 whole, are many, a few of w^hich I call your attention to. 
 
 The first benefit we claim for the school, is 7iwnerical increase. 
 No other plan or system that can be adopted will so efiectually 
 add numbers and permanency to any school, as a regular system 
 of friendly visiting scholars at their homes, and ^particularly is this 
 fact true in reference to Sunday-school missionary work. 
 
 As a a proof of the truth of this fact, we refer to an essay written 
 by Rev. James M. Freeman, and published in the Swiday-scJwol 
 Times, Feb. 26th, 1870, in which he gives the statistics of a certain 
 mission school, and compares its attendance under the plan of re- 
 wards, and under the plan of systematic visitation of the scholars 
 at their homes, with the following results: 
 
 From 1861 to 1864, under the system of rewards, a gain of one 
 scholar. Between 1861 and 1866 under the same plan, or system, 
 the utmost monthly gain in four years was 48, or about 70 per 
 cent. 
 
 From 1866 to 1869, for three years, with regular visitings, the 
 greatest monthly gain was 91, or about 128 per cent. 
 
 We must not forget that in this school, the exercises consist 
 mainly of teaching the scriptures in their " simplicity, with no re- 
 wards for attendance, with no music to attract, (for it is a Friends' 
 Sunday-school), with no object-lesson to amuse while it also in- 
 structs ; the most difiicult of all classes to gather, the most slippery 
 to hold, and the hardest to control, have been gathered in increas- 
 ing numbers, held and controlled Avith a steadfastness, which can 
 challenge any school tot;omparison." 
 
 I am inclined to believe that if we as teachers in our Sunday- 
 schools were to adopt the plan of regular and systematic visiting of 
 the children of all classes, rich and poor, at their homes, we 
 would succeed, even beyond our most sanguine expectations, in in- 
 creasing the numbers and permanency of our Sunday-schools. 
 This plan will also, to a great extent, operate against the irregularity 
 of attendance, which is one of the greatest weaknesses of our Sun- 
 day-schools. 
 
 John Hart, author of "Thoughts on Sunday-schools," says : "If 
 
(3) 
 
 it gets to be understood, that the teachers will visit all their scholars, 
 regularly, at certain intervals, and that they will, invariably visit 
 in case of every absence, absenteeism except for satisfactory rea- 
 sons will soon cease." 
 
 If the absence of our scholars be thus immediately followed up 
 by a visit from the teacher, it will either shame them out of the 
 practice, or drive them from the school, whichindeed I think would 
 be preferable to the fitful attendance of many Sunday-school 
 scholars ; and the irregularity of attendance, except for legitimate 
 reasons, would soon be among the things of the past. 
 
 Another benefit to be secured to the Sunday-school, by the visit- 
 ing plan, is a more thorough preparation of the lesson, and, as a con- 
 sequence, more pleasure and interest to all. By the teacher's visits 
 to the homes of the children, he soon learns the opportunities 
 for study they have ; it gives him an opportunity of explaining to 
 the parents exactly what kind of preparation is needed for the 
 Sabbath'; and when parents see such interest manifested on the part 
 of Sunday-school teachers, in behalf of their children, they will 
 become more interested themselves, and engage (as they ought) in 
 the work formerly neglected, either because they considered it of 
 little or no consequence, or because they did not know how to per- 
 form it. 
 
 These are a few of the benefits, among the many which might be 
 mentioned, that the Sunday-school will receive, namely : Numerical 
 increase and permanency, regularity of attendance and a more tho- 
 rough preparation of the lesson. If these results can be gained, 
 and I am confident they can, at least to a much greater extent 
 than they have yet been attained in most of our schools, we may 
 expect the end to be accomplished intended in the institution of 
 Sunday-schools. 
 
 The second parties or persons, to be benefited by these friendly 
 visits at their homes, arc the parents and children, individually and 
 collectively. 
 
 It is sometimes alleged that Sunday-schools have a tendency to 
 supersede parental training, and many parents act as though this 
 were really the case. This is to be lamented ; and none are more 
 grieved at it than the earnest worker in the Sunday-school. We 
 hear it said of old, " that it was the custom, of the fb.ther to gather 
 his household around him on the evening, or some other hour of 
 the holy Sabbath, and give religious instruction on religious subjects/' 
 
(4) 
 
 If this custom ever were general, it is certainly not maintained 
 at the present day, and it is feared by many that the cause of its de- 
 cline has been the Sunday-school. This evil can only be remedied by 
 regular and systematic visiting the homes of the children ; pointing 
 out to the parents the lesson ; giving instruction, and thus reviving 
 the good old custom, (if ever a custom it was) or establishing the 
 good and God blessed custom of proper religious household instruc- 
 tions, and thus show that the design of the Sunday-school is not to 
 supersede family instruction, but only an aid, and addition, a sup- 
 plement, to what the father and mother can and ought to do. No 
 device of man can do away with the parental obligation. God 
 does not intend that it should be done by any means ; therefore, one 
 of the fii-st benefits to be secured to the parent is an active co-oper- 
 ation of the Sunday-school in training up the " child in the way 
 he should go." 
 
 Another benefit it brings about is, a better understanding be- 
 tween the teacher and the parents, thereby securing active home 
 co-operation with the Sunday-school. By those friendly visits the 
 parents will soon be led to look upon the teacher as a personal 
 friend, and thus the way will be prepared by which the evil refer- 
 red to can most efl^ectually be removed. The kind and friendly 
 relation thus established often leads parents to make the teacher 
 an assistant counselor and adviser, even in worldly affairs. In 
 cases of poor families particularly, are these beneficial to the parents ; 
 but the influence to be exerted is not confined exclusively to rich 
 or poor. If you would draw the parents to the school, to the 
 Bible class, you must not only give them your sympathy, but show 
 it to them ; not only welcome them at school, but be welcomed 
 by them at their homes ; show yourselves their friends, not only 
 in word, but in deed. 
 
 Teachers, do not under-estimate your abilities or influence to do 
 good to the parents of your scholars, for the very reason that, 
 " their hearts are already opened towards you, by what you have 
 done for their children ; they are prepared to look upon you as 
 friends ; do not disappoint them." Coleman L. Nicholson says : 
 " the way to the mother's heart is through her children ;" this is 
 true to a great extent, not only of mothers but fathers also. .,.,^,,; .., 
 
 The teachers can and ought to take advantage of their influence ; 
 find their way to the homes of the scholars, and there, under all 
 
(5) 
 
 circumstances, either in the hall of wealth, or humble abodes of 
 poverty, stand as a counselor, or comforter, as the case may be. 
 
 Especially is this so with the poor. Though their expectations 
 in reference to themselves, have so often been blasted, and crushed 
 by stern poverty or affliction, so that life's sweetness is wrung out, 
 and they have ceased to look for great things for themselves, the 
 bright colors have faded from their youthful anticipations to re- 
 turn no more ; yet, hope springs immortal in the human breast, 
 and they kindly cherish it, that fame and fortune have yet in store 
 for their children the good things that have, somehow or other* 
 eluded their own grasp ; and few indeed are so degraded as not to 
 hail with pleasure any effort to elevate their children. They wel- 
 come to their homes any who take an interest in their children, 
 and are often open to receive their counsel and advice. 
 
 These are opportunities,which as Sunday-school teachers we should 
 improve. We have neglected these opportunities too long, and while 
 we, as protestants, have been sleeping, or standing criminally idle, 
 the Catholic Church has been active in this work, and, as a conse- 
 quence, can not only boast of adding Protestant children to their 
 schools and nunneries, but Protestant parents to their ranks. 
 
 Stop, my brother ; do not be so hasty, in saying these are mere 
 notions, mere fantastic imaginations ; pause a moment ; look around 
 you. See how frequent these opportunities present themselves 
 in your midst. 
 
 In trouble, in sickness, in sorrow, the hcai't yearns for sympathy. 
 Those of you who have sat under the shadow of some great afflic- 
 tion know the preciousness of that human sympathy, that leads 
 some friend to come and sit with you in your loneliness, and help 
 bear your grief These are the opportunities God has given us, U) 
 point the stricken heart to himself, who alone can console ; to de- 
 clare in His name that there is, "Balm in Gilead," and "a physician 
 there." 
 
 This is an influence that few other persons can so effectually 
 exert as the faithful Sunday-school teacher; even the minister 
 himself is often no exception. He who has been going in and out 
 in the home of that little boy or girl, who are now gone to the 
 silent grave ; he whose name they have been lisping in their child- 
 ish innocence ; he who has^ thus, by his friendly visits, been twin- 
 ing cords around the hearts of the loving parents, is now, above 
 ail others, the one that can approach and show sympathy, give 
 
(6) 
 
 counsel, and point them to the " Lamb of God." He can also 
 jwint them to the " Home of the blest," whither their loved ones 
 are gone — their treasure is in Heaven. Urge them to meet their 
 loved ones in that rest : this is an influence for which, whether we 
 we use it, or whether we forbear, we will one day be held responsible. 
 
 As an illustration of this fact, let me give you an instance as re- 
 lated by C. L. Nicholson. He says : " The father of a scholar of 
 one of our city mission schools, on his dying bed was visited, occa- 
 sionally, by an officer of the school, and after death had claimed 
 him, and the wretched room grew very lonely to his wife and child, 
 the teacher visited them occasionally, and offered words of comfort 
 and sympathy ; but owing to engrossing business, he was unable 
 for some weeks to call and see his stricken friends. One morning, 
 passing that way, he stopped in, the widow's face lit up on seeing 
 him; she exclaimed, ''Oh! sir, I'm so glad to see you; I thought 
 you wouldn't come no more ; Iv'e been several times around by 
 your office to see if I could catch a sight of you ; sometimes I did, 
 and once I heard your voice talking, to some jnen ; it made me 
 feel light-hearted like, and I told Johnny when he came home, I'd 
 seen you and heard you talk. Oh ! sir, when it gets so lonely here 
 I can't stand it any longer, I go up to your place just to see if I 
 can see you, and then I don't feel near so lonely." Eighteen 
 months after this interview she came to his office again. Fearing 
 she was in need, he offered some assistance, ''Oh! no," she said, 
 " I do not want any help ; I just came to see you ; my heart warms 
 to you; you were kind to Bob, when he was sick. I can never 
 forget you." This, my friends, is the result of a few friendly visits 
 on the part of the teacher and officer in the Sunday-school ; it cost 
 them nothing and yet all the good accomplished, eternity can only 
 reveal. This influence, we ought not, in fact, we have no right to 
 throw away. Now, if these friendly visits produce such hallowed 
 influences upon the parents, we may also expect some good to be 
 accomplished for the children. 
 
 One of the first is : You succeed in gaining the confidence and 
 affections of the scholars. Every one that knows and appreciates 
 the influence of the heart upon the head, also, how slow the mind 
 is to receive or understand that to which the heart is averse will 
 see at once the necessity of gaining the confidGnce and affections of 
 the scholars. 
 
 It is a fact which we cannot denyi that much of the difficulty 
 
(7) 
 
 we have in our Sunday-schools, in training the scholars, is because 
 they have regarded the teachers as their natural foes, and not their 
 friends; and when this unhappy idea once takes possession, it 
 places the child in an attitude of resistance against instruction. 
 This difficulty can, to a great extent, be removed by friendly visits 
 at their homes ; and the teacher in a Sunday school, with an eye 
 to business, as w^e sometimes say, will soon set about removing the 
 difficulty. " Religious teaching, beyond every other kind, depends 
 for its success upon the good will and confidence of the pupil." 
 There are several reasons for this : First, Because attendance upon 
 religious instruction is voluntary, to a greater extent, than attend- 
 ance upon other instructions. Secondly, It is one of the effects of 
 sin to make the mind averse to religious knowledge by vitiating 
 the taste and corrupting the judgment ; hence our work is hard, 
 but much can be done to make it easy by the visiting plan. 
 
 The visiting plan also acts as a connecting link between the school 
 and the home. Unless we can make the scholars feel and recog- 
 nize that there is a connection between their home and the Sunday- 
 school, if they remain at all in the school, they will feel irresponsi- 
 ble for their actions, while in the school ; but let the teacher search 
 them out at their homes ; inquire into their circumstances ; know 
 their parents, brothers, and sisters; enter into their plans and 
 hopes, their pleasures and disappointments; in short, become 
 acquainted with their every day life ; their struggles and victories ; 
 be ready to drop a word of advice here, of encouragement there, 
 and christian sympathy everywhere, and it won't be long until you 
 find your scholars as careful of their actions in school, as in their 
 homes ; and, especially, will this have a salutary influence upon the 
 so-called wild Arab, with which every city and many country com- 
 munities abound. "He has found a friend that feels for him ; a 
 teacher, that knowing the circumstances with which he is surrounded, 
 can sympathize with his troubles, and help him overcome his fail- 
 ings." This will give him a self respect for his character he never 
 knew before ; and when you meet in school afterwards, his eye 
 seeks the teacher with a new^ meaning in it. His conduct is much 
 improved. He says by his actions : "The little Ishmaciite has 
 found at least one man's hand which is not against him, and from 
 against that one, he lets fall his own," and becomes anxious to please 
 his new made friend. 
 
 Again, the impressions produced on the mind of the reality of 
 
(8) 
 
 a religion that will lead the teachers, thus to labor for them, will 
 not fail to bring about glorious results in the future. 
 
 The Church of Christ will also receive her share of benefit by 
 the plan proposed in this address. The first benefit will be the 
 cultivation in the minds of parents proper church sentiments ; the 
 teacher must show that the Sunday-school effort is not an outside 
 affair, to be managed and conducted apart from the Church. The 
 impression of many persons is that the school is an entirely sej)arate 
 arrangement from the Church, having no connection with it what- 
 ever. This accounts to a great extent for the conduct of many of 
 our otherwise good brethren and sisters in the Church in reference 
 to the Sunday-school ; they act according to their opinion, hence, 
 you seldom or ever see them in the Sunday-school. It is true, 
 they do not directly oppose the work ; but indirectly their influence 
 is against it. Seeing no connection between the Church and Sun- 
 day-school, they have become accustomed to look upon it as a kind 
 of innocent amusement, gotten up for the special accommodation 
 of the children and young folks: enjoyments for which they have 
 long since ceased to desire, because they have grown old ; there- 
 fore so few grown persons, and fewer still of aged persons are found 
 in our Sunday-school classes. 
 
 The same is true of the children in reference to the Church, they 
 become accustomed, by the example of the parents, to regard the 
 Sunday-school and the Church as a separate and distinct organiza- 
 tion, having no union whatever ; hence, as soon as school is over, 
 they feel like getting out of the way of their venerable sires, think- 
 ing the Church is no place for them ; and, therefore, while that 
 good old parent is hearing the burning words of the gospel of 
 Christ, and singing the praise of God, the children are excluded, 
 or, at least, left to infer that they are excluded. This is all wrong, 
 and the evil has long been seen and felt by the earnest Sunday- 
 school worker. This evil can, to a great extent, be removed by 
 the visiting plan. Let it be taught in the family to the parents, 
 and to the children by the teachers, that tlie Sunday-school, while 
 it is not the Church, is nevertheless the Church— the people of 
 God. exercising their christian activity in this particular way ; show 
 them that no means is more effectual, for securing the salvation of 
 their children, and a proper moral cultivation, than a well ordered 
 Sunday-school. 
 
 The church cannot do without the Sunday-school, and the Sun- 
 
(9) 
 
 "day-school cannot exist without the church : they are one ; and as 
 already said, it is only the Church exercising her Christian activity 
 in this j)articular way. 
 
 Let these sentiments be taught properly by the live teacher, in 
 the family, and it won't be long till our fathers and mothers, as 
 much as possible will be found in our Sunday-schools, not only as 
 officers and teachers ; but they will swell the rank and file of the 
 great Sunday-school army now marching on to glorious conquest, 
 singing as they go, "I'm glad I'm in this army, &c;" and in return 
 it won't be long until the Church will see the gathering in of thou- 
 sands, coming up in the name of King Jesus, and placing them- 
 selves under the care of the Church, saying to your fathers and 
 mothers in Israel, teach us; prepare us for the conflict, so that 
 when you are gone, and your bodies lie silent in the tomb, and your 
 spirits are singing around God's bright throne, w^e may take your 
 places, and push the battle to glorious victory. Let the fact be 
 understood, and followed up, as.it ought to be, and the church will 
 have her ranks increased, with many valiant and noble hearted 
 men, who otherwise will be lost to the cause of Christ, and finally, 
 lost forever. 
 
 And now, if these visits are important, and profitable to the 
 school, the parents and children, and the Church, are they not so to 
 the teacher ? Are they to have no reward ? Is the laborer to toil 
 without pay ? The sower to sow without reaping ? Verily no. It 
 is true, in this life of activity and business, we toil all week, day 
 and night nearly, and on the Sabbath day we rush to our classes 
 in the Sunday-school ; hear them recite their lessons, then dismiss 
 them from our sight and minds until the next meeting, and very 
 frequently do not even know who the persons in the class w^ere ; 
 very often if you meet them on the street next day you would 
 hardly know them. These things my brethren ought not so to be ; 
 you have more to do in this great work, more to learn ; and I can 
 assure you, if as a teacher in the Sunday-school you adopt the visit- 
 ing plan, your reward will be sure. 
 
 True it is not dollars and cents you must expect to receive, but 
 something more precious and profitable still. " We need to pause" 
 in our career of money making, and turn our minds to nobler 
 objects occasionally; for it is "not all of life to live, not all of 
 death to die." " We have need to pause" in our social and intel- 
 lectual enjoyment ; to consider the position we hold to the Sunday- 
 
( 10 ) 
 
 school, the Church, and our fellow man ; to consider the responsi- 
 bilities that attach themselves to our positions. And as a certain 
 writer says, "We need to be shaken out of our selfishness, and 
 dipt into sympathy with the poor ;" we need to throw aside our 
 pride of education, of Avealth, of position, and stand side by side 
 with them on the broad platform of Christian brotherhood, remem. 
 bering that in that just balance that hangs above, in which we 
 shall, all of us, be tried, there is neither prince nor beggar; there 
 is but the undying human soul. 
 
 We have need to leave our ceiled houses, carpeted halls, and 
 easy sofas, and find in " earth's dark places," cause for humble 
 gratitude to the bountiful Giver of all "good and perfect gifts," for 
 the many rich and precious blessings enjoyed. " We need to visit 
 the poor," to learn endurance, trust, and charity. These lessons 
 perhaps, some of us have never learned, because we were never 
 destitute ourselves, or were never among those who were destitute. 
 Go out on this mission of christian love and benevolence ; learn 
 the great lesson of " endurance from some poor widow holding her 
 household around her," struggling with poverty, while her loved 
 ones are crying for bread, and the cold winter winds are making 
 melancholy music through their humble dwelling. Perhaps that 
 little boy or girl of hers is a member of your Sunday school class ;. 
 you have missed them, no doubt, (if you have not you should) but 
 you cannot tell what the cause of their absence is. Go, brother^ 
 leave your bright fireside, your cheerful and happy children, and 
 find their humble home. 
 
 It may be, you will find the little boy or girl, destitute of cloth- 
 ing fit to shelter them from the cold, and hence their absence from 
 school. Or, perhaps you will find them in, want of bread, yet you 
 find them enduring all this, with less complaint, than you have 
 been wont to make, when sitting in your easy chair, after you 
 are done with your day's success. Go, my friends, and you may 
 learn, " trust at the bed-side of the sick and dying," where some 
 poor, pain-stricken fellow-mortal has been struggling with disease^ 
 lo, these many years, yet they are trusting God with a resignation 
 that puts to shame our feeble, wavering faith. Go, learn " charity 
 in the self-denying bounty of the poor to the poor." These are the 
 lesson we may learn, as teachers, if we adopt the visiting plan — 
 namely: humility, endurance, trust, charity, and gratitude to the 
 God of mercies while the good accomplished, eternity can only reveal. 
 
(11 ) 
 
 In conclusion, my clear brethren and sisters, I cannot leave you 
 without saying, that if we would win souls to Christ, we must go, 
 not only to the halls of wealth, but also to the poor of this earth ; 
 we must go at the masters bidding, to their homes, go in that 
 Christian faith, that sees in every man a Christian brother, and 
 reaching out to all humanity, would gather it to that fold in 
 which we have found rest and peace ; go in that faith that seeks in 
 its actions, not for the applause of men, but alone for the approval 
 of Him in whose cause are undertaken alike its feeblest actions 
 and its noblest efforts. 
 
AnnJa^add-rel? to the Sunday school 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 
 
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