The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-19
UNFAIR
Charge That S. s. Methods Are Far
Behind Public Schools Only
Partially True.
The Objects Of the Two Should
Be Considered, Say Local
Workers.

Its an unfair comparison Is the gist OF
local comment upon the charges published
in Chicago by Professor Ernest Dewitt
Burton and Professor Smaller Mathews
that American Sunday schools are far be-
hind the public schools In pedagogic meth
DDS and are almost on the level OF the
old district schools.
F.. A. Bartlett. state missionary Of the
American Sunday School Union. non
denominat iona1 association OF Protestant
churches which is chiefly concerned with
Sunday schools in the country districts,
says that Sunday school work Is not alto
gether educating. "The aim Of the
teachers Is mainly to Undue their pupils
with the Christian spirit. Still, the teach
ing Of the Bible is very important and
improved methods should be adopted
when fully tested.
Professors Burton and Mathews sug-
gest that Sunday schools ought to be
graded. But this is not new idea. A
system Of grades has been introduced In
many city Sunday schools. Periodic ex-
aminations are held. There Is even a
teachers training class. In the country
schools such a plan Is usually i'm
practicable. Y.
can important fact in country schools.
and in city schools as we'll, is this-we
can't insist on specified qualifications in
our teachers. We don't hire them.
Their work Is voluntary. If we were to
draw rigid lines, we should exclude many
of our most devoted men and women, who
don't know much about pedagogic meth
DDS, perhaps, but who are the very best
mediums for imparting love Of Christian
ideals" E
---rs Not Altogether Wrong.
1.-THE Chicago professors are not alto
gether wrong says j. s. Porteus, su-
perintendent of the Sunday schools of the
Westminster Presbyterian church. There
is no question that most Of our
Sunday schools are behind the times IN
matters Of method. But it's labor OF
love. The teachers contribute their
service. We couldn't enforce standards
and discipline II we were foolish enough
to try. ,E.:."
Nevertheless, there has been a big i'm
provement in Sunday school teaching
within the last few years. The teachers
have met so, often in city, county, state
and national conventions that a knowl-
edge Of improved methods has become
Widespread "A spirit of emulation has
been aroused among the workers.
Not Destructive Criticism.
This criticism is not destructive crit
icisrn," says Harrington Beard, formerly
Sabbath school superintendent Of the
Plymouth Congregational church. u
know something Of the, Chicago mems
WOTh, dOUSu MI ocdIur - dLICIuCO AAO'
long ago a convention in which Professors
Burton and Mathews were leaders, con-
vention that was devoted largely to this
very subject Of improved methods in Sun
day schools. The professors have the in
terests of the Sunday school at heart, and
they are fully justified In their statements
Without any doubt the. pedagogy: Of, the
Sunday, school is behind that Of the pub
lie school. b., = sr,e.:r II. {
"Still, we mustn't forget that the meth
cd ofreligious instruction Is something
different from pedagogy. The, Sunday
school teachers have accomplished grea
work because of the spirit with which
they have labored. The spirit, in such
work, is the main thing. Yet this is ne
reason whatever why Sunday schoo
teachers should not do their best at al
times toslearn to follow the most enlight
ened methods. 49, 81, $50 = =
Grades Good Thing.
"As far as grades are concerned, :
know that they are a good thing. In ou
junior department at Plymouth church
the classes are divided into grades, from
the first to the fifth. Grading less elab
crate has been introduced into our othe
departments. The results have been YER!
encouraging.
I Gut in the country it wouldn't be prac
! ticab1e to grade Sunday schools thoroly
or to put into practice all the modern
methods These improvements should b.
left chiefly to the Sunday schools in thu
large towns and the cities"