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Show Page 65<br><br>year (1895), and much enthusiasm was aroused. It is not possible at present to organize in Washington county, owing to the fact that there is but one evangelical church and but two workers. This station is at St. George. In Iron county almost the same condition holds. There are workers at Parowan and Cedar City, but one pastor has charge of both mission stations. It will be seen that in the fifteen remaining counties no organization can at present be effected, owing to the absence of evangelical churches and schools. The last few years of work has won for the work of the Territorial Association many friends and co-laborers, and has demonstrated the right of the association to exist. It has made known to the workers all over the Territory what the purpose of the association is. It proposes to win for itself a higher place in the estimation of the Church, a wider field for work and a stronger hold on the affection of the people. It asks the hearty co-operation of all Sunday-school workers and their undivided support. "United we will stand." The aims of the association are: 1. To establish new schools until there is one within reach of every home. 2. To secure the attendance of all upon these schools. "Every child a scholar." 3. To improve these schools through county conventions, institutes and distribution of Christian literature. 4. To secure an accurate statistical account each year of the condition and work of each school. 5. To bring about the time when the Sunday-school shall be the Bible-class of the Church. To reach the undeveloped Sunday-school work of Utah, the association is at present emphasizing three lines of work. First, house-to-house visitation. This work has for some time been carried on in the smaller towns, but within the last two years has been started in the cities and has resulted in great good, hundreds of scholars being added to the Sunday-schools in Salt Lake City and Ogden. Second-The organization of "home classes." The need for a "home department" in every Sunday-school has been discussed in nearly every county convention and meets with general favor. The workers fell that this aid has come to stay and will result in soon adding to our schools double the number who now attend. Third-More thorough training for teachers. Plans are now being prepared to accomplish this end, and it is believed that in the near future a normal department for training of teachers will be ours. It is the hope of the association to very soon be able to employ a field secretary, who shall give all of his time to starting Sunday-schools in places where now there are none, and whose business it shall be to visit every town where there is a school; hold meetings and arouse the enthusiasm of the workers. Such a worker is not a luxury, he is a necessity. The means for carrying on the work of the association have been solicited directly from the schools, from counties and from individuals. This year (1895), for the first time, a rally day was instituted, and all the workers invited to Saltair. Quite a large sum of money was secured in this way. Despite the hard times of the last few years, the work of the association has been most encouraging. Conventions have been held this year in the following counties; Cache, Box Elder, Summit, Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, Utah, San Pete and Juab. The necessity for township organization has been noticed, but at present this subject has not received the attention it deserves. We are glad to say that a splendid start has been made in the free distribution of Bibles, several needy schools having been supplied with the Word of God. Our statistics give us a total of 132 Protestant schools, 800 officers and teachers, and a total enrollment of nearly 9000. As we look over our State we are apt at times to feel discouraged because our progress has been slow, and yet when we consider the conditions which prevail here, we are glad to be able to point to so many organized counties as we can, and whose record is such as to justify persistent effort on the part of the workers to keep up the cry for further organization. We who are working and laboring in Utah have come to realize somewhat of the advantages which organization brings, just enough to long for more and better work. It might be at first sight that we are still much behind other States in organized work, but it must be remembered that many of our counties are but sparsely populated and in fifteen of them there are no evangelical churches or schools. We hope to follow the lead of the States at a more rapid pace and ere long become the friendly rival of those who now far outstrip us in the work accomplished and organizations effected. The outlook for the future is brighter than ever before, and we feel that the Sunday-school work of Utah will bear a favorable comparison with the work of any State, especially when it is remembered against what odds we are at present working. On the whole, we are hopeful for the future and encouraged to press forward and perfect our organization and try to place Utah in the front rank with our sister States in the great work for organization for evangelization. Ready hands and willing hearts are responding to the call. SUNDAY-SCHOOL STATISTICS. Schools/Teachers/Scholars/Total/Av. Attendance/Libraries/Volumes Presbyterian ....37/223/2398/2621/1513/21/$2000 Methodist .......29/211/2104/2315/1456/12/1300 Congregational ..13/83/965/1045/661/9/1000 Baptist .........9/66/813/879/645/5/700 Episcopal .......10/40/850/890/600/5/400 Lutheran ........5/25/150/175/100/../..... Christian .......2/16/169/185/116/../..... Union ...........1/6/45/51/45/../..... Totals ..........106/670/7511/8181/5136/../$5400 <br><br>Edward Vernon Silver, M. D.<br><br> Dr. Silver was born in Brooklyn, N. Y., July 24, 1860, where he lived until the summer of 1875. In 1878 he graduated from Phillips Academy at Andover, Mass.; he immediately applied for admission at Yale University and passed without conditions. In 1882 he graduated from "Yale," taking rank as one of the honor men. After a post graduate course in medicine at the Sheffield Scientific school of Yale, Dr. Silver entered the college of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City, and graduated in 1885. He successfully passed the examinations in Roosevelt [PHOTO: E. V. SILVER.] Hospital of New York City and served as surgeon in that hospital for two years, going abroad to Vienna in the fall of 1887. After completing a year's course of study in Europe, he returned home and practiced medicine in New York City for two years or more, being connected with Roosevelt hospital and the Vanderbilt Clinic. In December, 1891, Dr. Silver came to Salt Lake City, where he at once took rank at the head of his profession, enjoying the esteem of his medical co-workers and the confidence of the entire community. Not only is he a leader in his profession, but is intensely interested in all lines of Christian work. For the past two years he has been president of the Utah Sunday School Association and has entered Into the Territorial work with great enthusiasm, visiting county conventions and working for successful Territorial meetings. In the Y. M. C. A. work he has taken great interest and is a director and vice-president of the association. He has been one of the most active members of the board and labored to build up the entire work in all its varied departments. As a member of the well-known Orpheus Club he has helped to contribute to its successes. Always ready for any good work, he may be depended upon at all times to advance the right. He is an active member of the First Presbyterian church and assistant superintendent in that Sunday school.<br><br> J. L. Loar.<br><br> James L. Loar was born in Pennsylvania thirty-one years ago. He has been a resident of Utah for about four years and a half. Since coming here he has been very active in all church and Sunday-school work. For two years he has held the position of president of the Utah Sunday-school association, and is now chairman of its executive committee. He was honored by being the first president of the Utah Epworth League Territorial association, which position he held two years, and is now first vice-president. Soon after coming to Ogden he was elected superintendent of the First Methodist Sunday school, which position he has held almost continually ever since. |
