The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-01-24
Rector osborne on
Home Sunday
Schools.
interesting Papers by
Island Clergy and
Laity.

The second annual Convocation of
the Jurisdiction of Honolulu was open
ed yesterday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock,
Bishop Restarick in the chair as
conference on Sunday school work.
There was a large attendance. The
first paper read was written by Rev.
-Jno osborne, on the subject of Local
Difficulties 1t follows:
/ do not think the Importance of our
Sunday schools can be overestimated,
nor the distractions to a successful
school be looked into too closely.
/ do not know that the difficulties
in having successful schools in the
diocese should be greater than they
are elsewhere, but 1 think there are
few places where Sunday schools are
what they might be and what they
ought to be.
must acknowledge I take exception
somewhat to the ordinary Sunday
school as we know it. In Christian
country where all men and women
have grown up under the teaching and
influence of the church and religion,
surely the parents of children should
be their best Sunday school teachers
and cannot see why Miss A. should
teach or train Mrs. BIS children in
their religious duties, nor how Mrs B.
is justified in transferring to Miss A
so sacred duty--a lady perhaps she
has never seen or knows nothing about.
1t seems to me that the proper place
for a Sunday school is at home with
the mother for the teacher, where the
parents themselves would probably be
&C hn
It is to be regretted that even in Il
Christian country there are many par
ents who are quite incompetent TO ur-
dertake any such charge and their
children must be taught by others, yet
there are many who are quite COM
petent and who might be induced to
devote one hour every Sunday to their
children's religious training, and it
would be so much better, for they have
all through the week the opportunity
of illustrating or impressing the Sun
day lesson.
The object of Sunday school workers
is to have the children of the parish
well taught in the Christian religion.
1t is wise to have this done wherever it
can be best done. do not think that
Sunday school superintendents are
careful enough in informing themselves
as to what the children are really learn
ing:
If the school Is orderly and growing
the offertories are good, the scholars and
teachers fairly regular, all causing no
anxiety, the superintendent, think,
is usually satisfied. without his having
the least idea as TO whether the chill
dren are learning any thing or not.
I have had my breath taken away
more than once by the ignorance of
T -tz% haif1 on
had been we'll taught for years. Cate
chising does not always reveal these
weak spots.
One great difficulty then is obtaining
competent and effective teachers who
will be sufficiently interested in their
class to make friends of the children
and keep in touch with them during the
week.
We have no coercive authority over
the children and the only way we can
reach them is through their affections
and if we cannot touch these we can
never teach them much. They wills be
irregular and inattentive, not learn
their lessons, and incite others to do
the same.
Then the parents are so often in
different; they do not seem to care
whether the children go to Sunday
school or not; in fact they often throw
obstacles in the way. Take them to
the country perhaps for Sunday, or
keep the older ones at home to help
them in something.
We must make our children our little
agents as it We're as well as our schol-
ars. We must make the Sunday school
so attractive that they will want to
come: that they will look forward 10
It as a pleasure and take some trouble
to get there. 1 think all my children
come because they want to come, NOT
because they are sent, although my
school is a long way from what
should like it to be. Bright music PIC
lures, maps, reward cards, and so on
all help to bring children w1thln the
grasp of our influence and make them
IovaI and interested pupils.
And 1 think it is good TO proFohe
emulation by a fair and just system OF
prizes. with one handsome prize OF
medal for the best child of the year,
but unless this system is strictly ana
Justly carried out it is useless
And 1 think it is the poorest klnu oL
economy to buy these little three anu
four-cent class books for anything that
Continued on Page 81