New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-07

separate cias.es7
How far can the methods Of ne day school BE-
copied by the Sunday school7
These few OF the questions which DR..
Richard Morse Hodge. lecturer m Biblical nts-a-
turs at Teachers College and at Union Theo-
logical Seminary, will discuss with his students IN
tho class IN psdagOgcs for Sunday school teach
srs which was organized last week.
Teachers College has long been interested n
Sunday schools. and has partially maintained e
private one OF It's own IN so far to give for the
last three years the Of room Tor this purpose.
Pupils pay SIS year. or n trihe over p cents q
Sunday, for the privilege OF attending this scien-
thcaly conducted Sunday school, but there are
scholarships established for children whose parents
are too poor TO pay. The teachers. who are all
salared are many OF them students IN Teachers
College.
THE radical defect IN Sunday schools" said DE-.
Hodge n Tribune reporter. is that the teachers
are not allowed 20 specialize u Is said that the
teachers are so busy keeping books. teaching and
running businesses through the week that they
have time to study up their Sunday school les
sons but this while. OF course. II masniAes the DIFF
hculties IN the way OF specializing. furnishes no
reason against T.
statistics show that there 1000 Sunday
school teachers in New-York. and that they teach
On an average four years apiece Now, suppose
one OF these teachers was to spend her four years
teaching boys Of nine the story OF the EXODUS
don't you see how much more Efficient she would
be than II shs were always being asked, at Few
weeks notice to teach the life OF Christ. or the
Psalms and Proverbs. or the history OF the early
Church under Prul7
But IL We can't have the graded Sunday school.
with the specialist teacher, at least we can nave
the graded curriculum. and the moment you have
the graded curriculum you destroy the Internal
tonal Sunday school lesson
'T would not be understood unqualinedly eis-
approving OF the international lessons. They came
a., Srt,., ont have themselves
been given I'D by many OF the churches. and the
Baptist and Congregational papers are this year
publishing a lesson series. which Is graded by
departments Nor am opposed 70 the catechisn.
II II is taught pedagogicaly. although II is notable
that the Church Is the only educational Institution
that uses a catechism. II a man has only an ola
fowIing piece will not only permit him 70 Use H.
but will shoot with II myself. Only the point. OF
course would be TO encourage him to get oettsr
gun.
ION. thing an sure of-ths Catechism cannot be
taught pedagogicay II II Is taught sectarisny be-
fore the age OF fifteen. II the object Is TO press
child into a given mould and simply make him a
Roman Catholic. or Baptist. or an Eplscopahan;;
II the object is 10 teach him the Bible and develop
be done by filling him with the tenets OF creed.
How can any child be In position ts 10 aF Bg p hs
does not know enough 70 eomPare ss Tl1 TEs
parrot. and what a narrow conception Ok sunday
Sunday schools. We already have them gra5ed at
the top and bottom into the adult and primary
departments. but not between Every one admits
that the problem Is how to do the best Tor the
between ages. Most Sunday schools go on az
they began. retaining the conventional ways or
teaching for no better reason than that they rave
always done things that way IL Is not alone the
Roman Catholic Sunday schools that are con-
Quoted on conventional lines. L would IKE 10 nave
the Protestant Sunday schools stop looking back
ward"
Asked II h. believed that Sunday school teachers
should be salaried. Dr. Hodge said:
Yes: when there IS money enough. At least. the
tuperntendent and primary teachers should be
paid for they are the most important members OF
the sunday school corps y salary won't corrupt
the SUNDAY school teacher any more than II cor
rupts the minister / think you Will always find the
clergyman in favor OF paying the Sunday school
teacher.
cit is too late 10 raise the question OF the adj
visibility Of paying teachers. for IL Is already
done. Miss Harlow. who has raised John Wana-
makers Sunday school from a membership OF sew
enty to over twelve hundred. receives a salary.
and salaries are pa5d in some schools in New-YOrk.
"A certain college president has said that the
day school teacher who teaches Sunday school IS
committing suicide But take this case. which has
come 10 my knowledge: college student used 10
spend her Saturdays In merding and her sundays |
in rest She got a chance to teaeh sunday scnoci
for small sum. perhaps 81 a sunday. That |
enables her to put her mending out and have |
Saturday n day OF rest. while she spends part
OF Sunday in church work where shs u Tar more