USA > Pennsylvania > History of the Church of the Brethren of the Western District of Pennsylvania > Part 16
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The 1905 convention obligated itself to remunerate the District Secretary for his time for one month each year at the rate of one dollar per day, and that the Sunday-schools take at least one collection a year for that purpose.
The 1907 convention continued Brother Lehman as sec- retary and gave him Brother Ross D. Murphy as assistant. When Brother Lehman went to California in the same year he resigned and Brother Murphy succeeded him.
In visits to the different schools, in conference with Sun- day-school officers and teachers and in local Sunday-school
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conventions Brother Lehman had in view these five specific things : More evergreen Sunday-schools, more trained teachers, more home departments, more cradle rolls and more older members in Sunday-school work. He issued the first statis- tical report of the Sunday-schools for the year ending Decem- ber 31, 1903. In the 1904 report Brother Lehman made these statements: "There are sixty-seven churchhouses, eighty-eight preaching places, but only fifty-seven Sunday- schools. Why? Not half of our schools are evergreen. One school out of every nine has a teachers' meeting. Only one school in the entire District has a home department. During the year five local Sunday-school meetings were held."
From the 1905 report I glean the following: Eight years ago the office of District Sunday-school Secretary was cre- ated in Western Pennsylvania. There were then thirty-seven Sunday-schools in the District (reported). The next year forty-eight schools reported, twelve of which were union schools. In 1900 forty-five schools were in session, and in 1901, fifty-five schools reported; in 1902, fifty-three; in 1903, fifty-five; in 1904, fifty-seven and in 1905, sixty. There are now seventy-six churchhouses, eighty-three preaching places and sixty Sunday-schools. During 1905 local Sunday-school meetings were held in the following congregations : Quema- honing (and, by the way, Quemahoning congregation was the first congregation to hold local Conventions, in August, 1897), Rockton, and Brothers Valley each held one; Shade Creek, Johnstown and Dunnings Creek each two. Georges Creek, Mt. Union and Ten Mile united in the Tri-county Sunday- school Convention.
Work in normal training lessons was conducted at Wal- nut Grove, Moxham, Windber, Berkey, Pittsburgh, Pigeon Creek, and Ten Mile. Pigeon Creek reports an enrollment of thirty in the home department, and Ten Mile fifty in the home department and nine in the cradle roll. The sixty schools reported 4,033 scholars.
The 1908 convention chose Brother R. D. Murphy as District Field Secretary, and Brother William Judy, as as-
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sistant. The same meeting passed the following motion : That the District Secretary and his assistant shall visit each Sunday-school in the District, and that they use their own discretion as to the time spent in so doing. All former rulings are to be discarded. Salary, one dollar a day and expenses." To meet these expenses the meeting decided that the schools shall contribute at the rate of three cents apiece for every scholar enrolled. At the 1910 Convention the salary of the field secretary was raised to two dollars per day.
The need of a constitution having been felt for some time Brother Murphy presented one to the 1910 convention for ex- amination, and if agreeable, for adoption. M. J. Weaver, W. M. Howe, H. S. Replogle, J. J. Shaffer, P. J. Blough, Ida C. Shumaker and R. T. Hull were appointed a committee to examine the constitution. It having been found satisfac- tory, it was adopted by the convention.
CONSTITUTION of the SUNDAY-SCHOOL ASSOCIA- TION of the CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN of WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.
CONSTITUTION. Article 1 .- Name.
This organization shall be known as the Sunday-School As- sociation of the Church of the Brethren of Western Pennsylvania.
· Article 2 .- Members.
All the members of the Sunday-schools of the Church of the Brethren of Western Pennsylvania shall constitute the member- ship of the association.
Article 3 .- Purpose.
The purpose of the association shall be to establish a uniform standard of excellence for the schools of the District and to unite the forces in bringing every school into the front line to the end that souls might be more speedily brought to Christ.
Article 4 .- Officers.
The officers of the association shall consist of a president, vice-president, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, superin- tendent of home department, superintendent of cradle roll, super- intendent of teacher training and superintendent of adult Bible class, all of whom shall be members of the Church of the Breth- ren.
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Article 5 .- Duties of Officers. President.
Section 1 .- It shall be the duty of the president to be chair- man of the executive committee and call meetings of the same when necessary, to appoint two auditing committees of three mem- bers each to audit the reports of the District and missionary treasurers, and appoint a nominating committee of three members, one of whom shall be the field secretary and the other two not members of the executive committee.
Vice-President.
Sec. 2 .- It shall be the duty of the vice-president to perform the duties of the president in case of absence or inability.
Secretary.
Sec. 3 .- It shall be the duty of the secretary to record the minutes of the annual convention and the business meetings of the executive committee and to send a report of the annual convention to the Gospel Messenger.
Assistant Secretary.
Sec. 4 .- It shall be the duty of the assistant secretary to per- form the duties of the secretary in case of absence or inability.
Treasurer.
Sec. 5 .- It shall be the duty of the treasurer to receive and dis- burse all funds as directed by the executive committee and to solicit each school for their annual contribution.
Department Superintendents.
Sec. 6 .- It shall be the duty of the department superintend- ents; viz., cradle roll, home department, teacher training, and Adult Bible class, to have general supervision of their respective departments in all the schools of the District, to organize such respective departments in schools which have none and to furnish helpful suggestions to the local superintendents.
Article 6 .- Election of Officers.
The officers of the association shall be elected annually at the convention and assume their duties at once.
Article 7 .- Executive Committee. Members.
Sec. 1 .- The executive committee shall consist of the officers of the association and the field secretary.
Duties.
Sec. 2 .- It shall be the duty of the executive committee to ar- range for the annual convention, to provide a program for the
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same, to elect the field secretary and direct his work, to fill any vacancy occurring during the year and to solicit through the treas- urer such an amount of money from the schools as the association deems wise to be used in the work.
Article 8 .- Powers of the Association.
It shall be the power of the association to determine the amount of money to be solicited from each school, to determine the salary of the field secretary and to accept or reject the report of the nominating committee.
BY-LAWS.
Law .1 .- Each school shall be allowed two delegates at the convention regardless of the total enrollment.
Law 2 .- Each school having more than one hundred in the total enrollment shall be allowed one additional delegate for every one hundred or fraction thereof above the first one hundred mem- bers.
Law 3 .- The delegates shall constitute the voting power of the association, but any Sunday-school worker shall be allowed to take part in the discussion of any question before the associa- tion.
Law 4 .- All delegates shall be members of the Church of the Brethren.
Law 5 .- The standard of excellence shall consist of ten points; viz., (1) School open all the year. (2) Statistics reported promptly. (3) Contributions to the District Work. (a) Field secretary Fund. (b) Mission fund. (4) Cradle roll. (5) Home department. (6) Teacher-training class. (7) Organized adult Bi- ble class. (8) Teachers' meetings. (9) School represented at An- nual Convention. (10) Average attendance one-half the main school enrollment.
Law 6 .- Each school attaining the ten points of the standard of excellence shall be called a Front Line School and shall be presented a diploma secured by the executive committee.
Law 7 .- Each school attaining any eight points of the standard of excellence shall be called a Banner School, and each one at- taining any six points a Star School, and both shall be presented certificates accordingly.
Law 8 .- Expenses of all officers incurred by correspondence shall be paid out of the treasury.
Law 9 .- Any Sunday-school of the District may call upon the superintendent of any department to assist in organizing work in that department in their school, providing the necessary expenses are provided for.
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Law 10 .- No school shall be considered an up-to-date school that does not contribute regularly to the temperance movement of the Brotherhood.
Law 11 .- The total enrollment of all the departments is includ- ed in contributing per member to the field secretary fund.
Law 12 .- It shall require a two-thirds majority of all the dele- gates present at the convention to amend this constitution.
From the field secretary's report to the convention in 1911, among other things we note the following: Twenty-two per cent of the schools now have teacher-training classes ; fifty-eight per cent have cradle rolls ; thirty-four per cent have home departments; sixty-three per cent are evergreen ; twen- ty-two per cent have nine months school ; fifteen per cent have six months school. This is the first year that all schools re- ported. In 1909 we had 6,000 Sunday-school scholars, and in 1910 we had 7,700, an increase of 1,700, while the increase of the entire Brotherhood was only 4,400. An appeal was made for one-tenth of the scholars of the Brotherhood next year, or 9,700. In 1909 the schools contributed $2,804, and in 1910, $4,137. The schools are urged to give more liberally for mis- sions and the support of missionaries. The printing of a Sunday-school Bulletin was also recommended by the secre- tary.
In 1911 the following schools were granted certificates of recognition : Meyersdale, Walnut Grove, Plum Creek, Scalp Level, Windber, Rummel, Penn Run, Roxbury, Pittsburgh and Greensburg.
In 1912 the following schools, having reached the Front Line position, were granted certificates : Summit, Elk Lick, Locust Grove, Red Bank, Moxham, Conemaugh, Purchase Line, Rockton, Garrett and Viewmont. First seals were given to the ten schools having reached the Front Line Standard last year.
In 1913 the following schools were granted Front Line certificates : Sipesville, Bolivar, Mt. Joy, Pike, Trout Run, Morrellville and Rayman. First year seals were given the schools that a year ago had attained to the Front Line Stand- ard. The second year seals were not presented at the con-
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vention, but it was stated that of all the schools that had two years ago reached the Front Line Standard, none had fallen below the standard.
An interesting report was given of the Zürich, Switzer- land, convention by the field secretary, which he had at- tended.
In 1914 Glade Run and Elbethel had reached the Front ·Line Standard. All the schools previously mentioned as hav- ing reached Front Line were given their respective seals.
January, 1914, Brother Murphy having been called into the employ of the General Mission Board, Brother I. E. Holsinger was called by the executive board to become the secretary of the District. Although continuing his school work, he has visited in sixty-eight schools, held twelve Sun- day-school conventions, and divided the entire District into eleven circuits and organized the same for more extensive work in behalf of the Sunday-schools.
Mission work of the Sunday-schools: The first intima- tion that we find in regard to mission work by the Sunday- schools is contained in the sixth item of the report of the com- mittee on resolutions of the 1906 convention. The committee were H. S. Replogle, Myra Hoffman and Walter J. Hamilton, and it reads as follows : " We recommend that steps be taken by the Sunday-schools of Western Pennsylvania toward rais- ing a fund for the support of a missionary in the foreign field."
Two years prior to this, however, the committee on reso- lutions inserted as their fourth item the following : " Since our dear brother, J. W. Swigart, has consecrated his life for work in the foreign field, and is soon to depart for his chosen field of labor, being supported by a congregation (Quemahoning) of this District, be it Resolved, That our prayers and good wishes accompany him, that he may be abundantly blessed in the winning of souls for Christ." The committee were V. C. Finnell, C. O. Beery and S. S. Blough.
At the 1907 convention a letter from Brother J. M. Blough to the convention so stirred the meeting that it was decided to appoint a committee to look for some one who
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would represent the schools on the foreign field, and to look after his support. The committee on selection and support of missionaries is P. J. Blough, W. M. Howe and D. K. Clapper.
In 1908 the committee reported $146.54 in the treasury, but they had not found a missionary. In 1909 they reported that Sister Ida C. Shumaker had decided to go to India as a missionary, representing the Sunday-schools of the District. During the summer of 1910 she, in company with Brother Murphy, visited the schools of the District, becoming ac- quainted with the people and creating missionary sentiment, and at the convention that year she made her missionary re- port. The coming fall she sailed for her chosen field in India.
In 1911 the following suggestions by the missionary committee were passed by the convention : " Suggestion 1 : In view of the increased missionary spirit in the Sunday-schools of our District, as evidenced by our enlarged treasury, and believing that our contributions will never be less, but rather more, we, your missionary committee, would suggest that at this convention we appropriate $40 to supply a home for a native evangelist and $120 to build a room for a Bible Student and family at Bulsar, India.
" Suggestion No. 2: In view of the awakened condition of our Sunday-schools, which is shared by many, and be- cause of stated convictions, we are free to suggest that our Sunday-schools arrange to support another missionary in the foreign field, and that we elect and ask Brother Ross D. Murphy to arrange to represent us in India or China, as he himself may choose."
The way did not open for Brother Murphy to go to the foreign field, but the Mission Board found two others of our number who were ready to go; viz., Quincy A. Holsopple and Olive Widdowson, of Clymer, Pa. The recommendation of the committee that we ask Sister Widdowson to represent us in India was unanimously accepted. Brother Holsopple is supported by the Quemahoning congregation, he to take the place left vacant by the death of Brother Charles H. Bru- baker. · Sister Widdowson sailed for India in 1912.
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In 1913 the convention decided that we will support a third missionary, and it becoming known that Sister V. Grace Clapper, of Scalp Level, is a volunteer, after one or more years' preparation, for China, the convention decided to send her as soon as she is prepared to go. The 1914 convention gave her some assistance to continue her preparation.
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CHAPTER VIII.
Sketches of Our Sunday-School Secretaries.
It seems appropriate, and eminently fair, that a few pages be given to the life-work of our District Secretaries. All but one are still with us and are adding to their biography from day to day. This will, no doubt, be written by another hand in the years to come. We will consider them in the order in which they served.
SILAS S. BLOUGH.
Silas S. Blough was born in Quemahoning Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, April 27, 1868, and is the second son of Elder Emanuel J. and Sarah (Barndi) Blough. He grew to manhood on his father's farm, and all his common school education he received in the Walter School, in Jenner Township. In addition to attending the county normals, he spent a number of years in Juniata College, graduating in the normal English course in 1893. He taught common school ten terms in Somerset and Cambria Counties, Pennsylvania, and two terms of Normal. While pastor of the Batavia church, Illinois, he took a seminary course in Bethany Bible School, Chicago. To take this work he traveled over 25,000 miles on the interurban railroad.
Since 1911 he has been teacher of the Bible department in Manchester College, Indiana. Along with his teaching he has taken considerable school work, graduating in the A. B. course in 1915. During one and one-half years of this time he also served the Manchester church in the capacity of elder and pastor.
As a boy he enjoyed only two summers of Sunday-school in the old Pine Grove church. But he was always taken
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Elder Silas S. Blough and Wife.
regularly to the preaching services, and while yet in his teens he and his brother, E. E. Blough, united with the church, be- ing baptized in the Quemahoning Creek. After reaching ma- turity he spent some years in Scalp Level and Johnstown, and on June 17, 1894, he was united in marriage to Sister Mary Alice Wertz, daughter of John A. Wertz, of Johnstown, Professor W. J. Swigart officiating. He had already become an active Sunday-school and church worker, and June 28, 1894, he was elected to the ministry in the Johnstown con- gregation. He took his turns in filling the appointments till 1900. In the spring of that year, with his family, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, having been sent by the Home Mission Board of Western Pennsylvania to take up mission work there. Of his work in Pittsburgh mention is made in the history of that church. He was ordained to the eldership in the Johnstown church May 27, 1902.
From 1908 to 1911 he was pastor of the Batavia church, Illinois. Since that time they have lived in North Manchester, Indiana. He has held a number of evangelistic meetings, as well as Sunday-school and Bible Institutes. He has assisted in sixteen Bible terms and Sunday-school Institutes. He has
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preached on an average of more than three sermons every two weeks for more than twenty-one years. He was the first Dis- trict Sunday-school Secretary of Western Pennsylvania, from 1897 to 1900.
Elder Blough repeatedly served as secretary of District, Sunday-school and other meetings of the District. He rep- resented his State District on the Standing Committee at the Los Angeles and Seattle Annual Conferences, and is elected on the same committee for 1916 to convene at Winona Lake, Indiana. In 1914 he was appointed on the Sunday-school Board of the Brotherhood.
HERMAN A. STAHL.
Herman A. Stahl was born March 18, 1859, near Somer- set, Pennsylvania. He was the second son of Ananias and Barbara (Miller) Stahl. He had two brothers and one sis- ter. His two brothers died long ago, but his sister, who is Mrs. W. H. Myers, survives, and lives in Preston, Nebraska. His father was a faithful member of the Lutheran Church, while his mother was a faithful member of the Church of the Brethren.
His father was drafted in the early stage of the War of the Rebellion, and while in the army took fever and died and was buried at Washington, District of Columbia. This left the young widow with four little children to care and pro- vide for. After struggling on for five years the Lord called her home, and four little orphans were left to the mercies of kind neighbors. Little Herman secured homes for his sister and little brothers, and last of all he got a home with Brother D. H. Hauger, at Somerset, where he remained for over eight years. Here he received religious training, and was given school facilities. He now learned the carpenter trade, at which he worked during the summer. For three winters he followed school-teaching.
He was born into the kingdom of God's dear Son on April 30, 1877, being baptized by Silas Hoover during one of
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Elder Herman A. Stahl.
Stephen H. Bashor's meetings in the Middle Creek congrega- tion.
Brother Stahl and Sister Kathryn Boyd, daughter of Brother Chauncey and Sister Sally Boyd, were united in mar- riage on October 16, 1881, by Elder Josiah Berkley, of Somer- set County. To this union four children were born; viz., Or- ville A., Mamie, Ruth and Anne Lucile. His son and daugh- ter, Mamie, preceded him to the spirit world. His son Orville taught two terms of school, then attended Juniata Col- lege, Huntingdon, and graduated in 1906. At Brother J. M. Blough's farewell meeting he was so impressed by the mis- sion cause that he volunteered to be a missionary in the for- eign field. He was preparing and planning to get ready to go in 1910, but in November, 1906, he fell a victim to that dread disease, typhoid fever. Thus the mission field was deprived of the services of another bright and earnest young brother.
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After his conversion Brother Stahl became an earnest church worker, and the church, noticing his zeal and earnest- ness, saw fit to call him to the office of deacon in 1885. After serving in that capacity five years he was called to the minis- try on June 20, 1890. He took up the ministry with his char- acteristic zeal and determination to succeed, and it was not long until his services were in demand as an evangelist. He lived in the Middle Creek congregation, where he did much preaching when at home, but much of his time was spent in the churches in evangelistic meetings. In this kind of work he was quite successful. His first series of meetings was held in 1891 in the Indian Creek congregation, Westmoreland Coun- ty. His evangelistic services extended over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska, but he did more work in the former than in any other State. His records show that through his meetings 1,191 persons were added to the church.
He also preached many funerals and married many couples. Since he was in the ministry few District Meetings, Ministerial Meetings or Sunday-school Conventions were held in the District that he did not attend. Not very many im- portant measures passed these meetings upon which he did not express his opinion. He frequently acted in the capacity of clerk or some other office at these meetings. When the present organization of the Mission Board was effected Brother Stahl was elected a member of that Board for three years. In all he served on that Board over ten years, and for a number of years was secretary of the same. Having a good deal of time to devote to church work, he was often sent by the Board to look after the interests of weak churches. So we find him laboring considerably in the Ryerson Station, Clarion and other isolated churches.
He was the second District Sunday-school Secretary of the Western District of Pennsylvania, being elected for a period of three years in 1900. At that time the District did not provide any means to pay traveling expenses, so whatever visiting Brother Stahl felt like doing he had to do at his own
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expense. He may be termed one of the pioneers in the work, which at this time means so much to the welfare and progress of our Sunday-schools.
Brother Stahl was ordained to the eldership in the Middle Creek congregation on May 20, 1911. His health was not good for a number of years, and on Easter Sunday, April 12, 1914, he took his bed with that dread disease, cancer of the stomach. He had a desire to get well, and before he had to take his bed he called Elder Joel Gnagey and Brother J. W. Wegley to anoint him, on March 1, but the Lord willed it otherwise, and April 28, 1914, he fell asleep, aged 55 years, 3 months and 10 days. He had made all his funeral arrange- ments, and according to his request Elder W. M. Howe preached his funeral, and interment was made in the Middle Creek cemetery.
LORENZO JACOB LEHMAN.
Lorenzo J. Lehman is the oldest son of Hiram and Lizzie (Knavel) Lehman, and grandson of Elder Christian Lehman. He was born in Richland Township, Cambria County, Penn- sylvania, October 5, 1873. His boyhood was spent on his . father's farm, and he attended the Blough public school and made good use of his time. As a profession he chose teach- ing, and he made a success of it. He taught thirteen years in his native State, in Lordsburg College, California, three years, and in Los Angeles, California, until he had a nervous break- down. In 1898 he graduated from Juniata College.
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