The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-03-10
KINDLY PROTEST
Church and Parents Only
Have Right to Teach
Children Religion
Says DR.. Stod-
dard.
BOYS Y. M. C. A. UNWlSE
Should Devote Itself Only to
Such Boys as Are Desti-
tute, Who Have No
Parents. Homes
or Church.

Under the head of "A Kindly Protest
Parents Please Read" the Rev f. L.
Stoddard writes the following in st.
JOINTS Bulietin'':-
There has recently been started in con-
nection with the Young Mems Christian
Association at Hasbrouck's, what is call
| ed boys department These boys are
gathered for religious meetings at least
once a week and there is Bible class
| for them on Saturday morning. With
the general purpose of the Y. NJ. c. 4.
in SO far as it provides a home, gym
nasium, reading room and Christian IN
fuences for the young men of our city
who otherwise would have none of these
privileges, am in sympathy, though the
results of the work are, l confess, dis
appointing to me- But I consider the
boys department an unwise adjuact
which l trust will speedily be eliminated
| except on one condition which I Will mem
| tion later.
My reasons are as follows
a. There are only two sources from
which any child under sixteen should re-
ceive religious teaching. These are the
child's parents and his pastor. These per-
divine authority but they are directly
1 responsible to God for the way they edu-
cate the child, and they are the only
ones who are responsible.
This is especially true of such churches
as call themselves catholic
In the most solemn words, our church in-
sists that parents and pastor shall co.
operate in the religious training OF the
fboco fr.,fbs nj r,ripcirless xxrl1scl3
/ are so dear, so sacred, so essential 10 4
churchman. can conceive of nothing
more unwise and mischevous than to un
settle childs mind and leave him all at
sea as regards the vital principles of his
faith by turning him loose at an early age
to such teachers. however wei meaning
they may be, as the Y NJ, c. A., or any
| similar institution is likely to give hirn4S
! If this is bigotry, you must make the
most of it. but it is useless to deny .--sI
our church method of training children.
| and preparing them for their Christian
life is entirely different from methods pur-
sued elsewhere, and from long experience
we believe ours to be vastly superior
| method.
80 l think all will agree that There
should be only two places whore chilli
One is a private home the other is mis-
church home. I beg the parents of s.,
Johns to give no countenance to the var
ious boys clubs, no matter what religious
name they may bear Let your ch.4dren
have as good time at home as possible
Give up everything if necessary to such
good times.
Let EN- when they do not, need 70
study, fiji the house with their friends.
Lot them make up little companies and
go to other houses.
But in Gods name, keep them off the
street. keep them from even such a place
as the y NJ c. A. at night, and have
them in bed before ten O'Clock.
With us, as soon as boys or girls
reach fourteen and a half or fifteen, they
are confirmed and then the clergy anx-
iously desire that they shall join a cnurcn
guild This may bring them to eaurch
once a week. and if the boys and girls
are working it brings them at night.
But their presidents and the clergy arc
there, and what they are taught, what
they sign, what they do. is all along the
line of church development. In such g
guild they are as safe they can be out
of mothers arms.
w Hen Cney are Sixteen OF SSVcilSS-i
they sing. what they do, is all along the
but then there is a gymnasium, a reading
room. billiard room and good compa;l-
ions provided for the boys in connection
with their own church.
.If, however, at that age they choose to
join the Y NJ c. A. there is no objection
II am making my protest only as re-
CARDS the young boys, whose place is at
home or at the church. whose religious
education is not completed, and whose
training might be easily upset. | don't
wonder when fathers and mothers too go
off to club that their babies want to go
also But it is all wrong. Rather make
your home life attractive so that till they
are 16 or even older your children like it
better than any other place on earth
Gather your children round you as they
study If out of school let them have
their little games with you. Make your
self dear parents, one with them, and 50
retain your influence over them long after
the time when in these days it passes
away.
IF however, this boys movement in
the Y. M. C. A will devote itself only to
such boys as are destitute who have no
| parents and no home, or who go to no
church and are therefore under no re-
ligious training I will declare myself in
sympathy with it. and should be happy
to urge my Christian young men and
women to assist in it. But even then the
effort of the association should be to
bring these destitute children into afii,ia-
tion with some church. There Is but one
institution appointed for teaching rsligion
or making men religious, and that Is the
church. AS soon as you set up any otaer
institution to do that work, you Insult
| the church and mock her Founder 50
even il the whole effort OF the Y. NJ. G. a.
should be devoted on Sunday afternoon
/ A. Old audW Ill Tried Hemody.