2. In 1803 ''The London Sunday-school L^nion" was organized. It was composed of lay Sunday -school workers of different denominations of Christians resid- ing within a radius of five miles from the city post- office. This limitation was adopted as a measure of convenience and unity of action, but with no design of limiting the influence of the union to the circle thus de- scribed. This imion has had an honorable and prosper- ous career from its origin to the present time. It has never conlrolled a large amount of funds, nor been able to take statistics on any scale of great importance; but it has steadily and consistently pursued its specific de- signs, and in so doing has been able, from its central position, to influence favorably the Sunday-school cause not only throughout (ireat Britain, but throughout the world. The following have been its more important functions: 1. The publication of Sunday-school requi- sites, lesson-pai^ers, and periodicals. Of the latter. The Sunday-school Teachers' Mof/aziiie and several juvenile monthlies have long held a high rank. 2. The promo- tion of activity and improvement in the work of Sun- day-school instruction. For this object the position of the union, in the practical centre not only of London, but of England, has been eminently favorable. This ad- vantage has been diligentl}' and wisely improved by a succession of intelligent and faithful workers, who, by personal and co-operative efforts, have kept the stand- ard of Sunday-school instruction continually advancing. As a permanent means to this important end, they have secured the erection of a fine building in a central location, in which they maintain courses of lectures, training and model classes, together with competitive examinations for teachers.
3. In 1810 "The Keligious Tract Society" of London was founded. This society, although not bearing the name Sunday-school in its title, or specifically naming Sunday-school objects in its constitution, has neverthe- less been, from its origin to the present time, one of the
SUNDAY- SCHOOL SOCIETIES 25 SUNDAY- SCHOOL SOCIETIES
most serviceable auxiliaries to the Sunday-school enter- prise. Its publications have been unrivalled for cheap- ness, elegance, religious character, and adaptation to Sunday-school wants. As such they have challenged and secured the patronage of all Sunday-school workers throughout the British dominions. Vast numbers of them have been reprinted in the United States.
Of several other general associations we are not able to assign the exact date of origin. The order of their establishment is indicated in the list, and the specific object of each is sufficiently expressed by its title. They are as follows: "The Church of England Sun- day-school Institute ;" " The Ragged Sunday-school In- stitute;" "The Wesleyan INIethodist Sunday-school Union." The Wesleyan Methodist Church has long had a form of denominational action in behalf of both week- day and Sunday scliool education. It has, moreover, through its publication -office, issued many books for Sunday-schools, as well as requisites and juvenile peri- odicals. Between the years 18G0 and 1870 it thought proper to adopt more specific measures in behalf of its Sunday-school work. Hence the institution of the union last named, and the appointment of a connection- al Sunday-school secretar\'. In general, it may be re- marked that the greater part of the churches through- out Great Britain maintain their Sunday-schools by in- dividual Church effort, often aided by the co-operative influence of local unions.
II. A merican. — I. Not counting the Church action alluded to in the preceding article, the first general Sundaj'-school organization established in the United States dated from Jan. 1 1, 1791. It was formed in Phil- adelphia, under the title of "The First-day or Sunday School Society." It was composed of members repre- senting different denominations of Christians, among whom were several members of the Society of Friends. "The first article of the constitution of this society re- quired that the instruction given in the schools estab- lished luider its auspices or receiving its beneficence shoidd 'be confined to reading and writing from the Bible and such other moral and religious books as the society may from time to time direct.' The teachers were paid for their services." Like its predecessor of similar design in London, this society did not have a very long or influential career. Neither did the New York Sunday-school LTnion, formed in IS Id, nor the Phil- adelphia Sunday and Adult School Union formed in Philadelphia in 1817. ■
2. In 1824 the last-named association was merged in "the American Sunday-school Union." This union, like that of London, is composed of laymen belonging to different denominations of Christians ; but from the first it has assumed and maintained a far more promi- nent position and more aggressive modes of action than its English prototype. It has undertaken the double work of the publication of Sunday-school literature and the missionary enterprise of founding Sunday-schools on the frontier and in all destitute portions of the United States. For these objects, it has appealed to its sup- porting churches for funds. Those appeals have been honored in large amoimts from year to year ; and thus, during more than half a century, it has carried forward a grand and expanding work in many places where de- nominational effort could not have commanded success. As an indication of the work it is and has been accom- plishing, we subjoin its principal items of statistics for the year ending March 1, 1879 : Sunday-schools organ- ized, 1087, containing 4915 teachers and 39,709 schol- ars. Schools aided, 2718, containing 16,022 teachers and 152,902 scholars. Miles travelled by its agents and missionaries, 232,622. Addresses delivered, 5521. Bi- bles distributed, 2137. Testaments distributed, 6068. Families visited, 14,140. It has expended in mission- ary operations an aggregate of $2,471,020, while the value of books and papers it has put in circidafion is not less than $7,000,000. It is easy to perceive that such a system of evangelical effort, steadily and ener-