The Washington herald., 1907-07-19
Sunday School Growth
BY FREDERIC j. HASKIM
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

1T seems as if I had discovered a new
country where no other adventurer
chooses 70 follow" Robert Raikes wrote
pathetically in 17SS He had introduced
into Gloucester, England, a novel school
that was open only on Sundays. and in
which children Of the factories were
gathered for simple instruction in the
rudiments OF education and religion. The
school and its founder We're hooted at
and derided. The churches opposed the
work as direst sacri}ege, the state 0p-
posed it on the grounds that the masses
must be made TO keep their places and
given less education, or England would
have a horror equal to the French revo-
luton. Yet Robert Raikes. newspaper
man and philanthropist, went on with
his work despite the fact that mo other
ADVENTURE seemed coming his way In
proof Of the good Of his theory the rag
amufin school Of twelve street urchins
has grown into a worldwide organiza-
tiOn over twenty-six millions strong. IN
the United States alone there are nearly
100000 pupils and teachers in the sun
day schools, enough to make an army
equal TO one four times as great as the
combined standing armies Of the United
States, Great Britain, Germany, France,
Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.
The Sunday school children of the
United States, with the addition Of one
million Of their teachers. could easily
replace the population Of Mexico, and yet
they represent the growth Of an idea
hardly a century old in this country
The German sects OF Pennsylvania are
said 10 have had Sunday school before
the time Of the one in Gloucester and it
is claimed that a Methodist woman, Han
nah Ball. had Sunday school in sue
cessful operation fourteen years before
Railles founded his. BE that as it may
II was from the seed that Raikes sowed
and so faithfully tended that the present
system is generally conceded TO have
sprung. From all accounts, this Robert
Raikes was a sunny hearted fellow, who
had learned much of the pathos OF the
world through his work as newspaper
man. and who was anxious to try some
means of alleviating the sufferings Of
little children. He had seen the horrors
of prison life and had tried 10 help
there. but found that one must begin
earlier on criminals and prevent the dis
ease in the young rather than try 10
effect a cure III the adult, especially when
the sentiment OF the times was against
it. So on sundays he gathered in from
the street the waits who worked week
days in the factories. and with the help
OF a woman 10 whom he paid a shilling
each Sunday he began 10 teach the first
principles Of morality and lay ground
work for education.
Church, state, and press were against
him for while; then the work in its
goodness spread out beyond his control. It
began its conquest Of county after coun-
", and those who had opposed it awoke
eventually to its great helpfulness and
realized thar il was doing for the nation
what other Institutions had failed To do
In 1904, twenty-four years after he had
first discovered his new country" the
freedom Of the city where he had been
cerided was given him. and the idea had
spread from England into Scotland. Ire
land, Wales, and America. Little is
known Of these first American Sunday
schools. Records show that at the home
OF Thomas Crenshaw, i'm Hanover County.
Va a school was organized under the
direction of Bishop AsbuTy in 1856 The
Methodist conference Of Charleston. :. c.
In l0 passed a resolution in favor OF
Sunday schools. but 10 further record is
found of such work In 1871 Philadelphia
organized the First Day. or Sunday School
Society, still in existence. whose object
was 10 establish Sunday schools for the
poor Boston followed with one in 1871
New York with cne under q negro teach
ct. in 1IS3, Paterson, y. J., in 1874; Paw
tucket, r. l.. 1871, and Pittsburg. Pa, in
ls0t These We're the pioneers in this
country
The first schools We're primarily for the
children Of the poor. and for that reason
We're unpopular for a while, American de-
mocracy resenting such discrimination. In
fact, they were called ragged schools. r
after an English fashion. and the name
held until as late rs 1880, when Dr Lyman
beecheF tooH his own children into the
schools, asked his better class parishion-
ers to do the same, and so removed the
stigma Of caste which had been uninten-
uonally placed on the schools Since then
rich and poor great and small have
shared alike IN the benefits that accrue
from class study Of the Bible.
sunday schools have greatly increased
IN popularity since the day-eighty-seven
years ago - when an irate Connecticut
minister shook his cane at a pretty girl
Of his congregation and accused her Of
doing the devils work because she had
organized a Sunday school Bishops. min
listers. and laymen are all working to-
gether now for the common good that can
be done by this agency. In 1926 there were
10000 pupils in the Sunday schools Of
the United States. something Ike one
slNty-slxth of the present number. The
second anniversary Of the American sun
day School Union was held that year. As
there were only 2o0 miles Of railway in
the country at that time the attendance
was necessarily small. the knowledge of
the work not very widely disseminated
and the concerted effort Of all Protestant
denominat' ~Fs not yet secured. The early
lessons W + such as each school might
choose fc itself Usually they were GER
tain pas ses Of the Bible, with explana-
tions by he pastor or the superintendent.
Long T tsages and whole chapters were
memoI ed and repeated. and the faculty
Of reg IN was not developed in the child.
In 70 Z a child was not supposed 10 be
Capd q Of reasoning.
or day some one made the astounding
dis very that q child can think. that il
re- y has ideas OF its own that il can
re by interpret passages Of Scripture and
q I intelligent questions about them
fen the enlightened gr0wn-ups set about
feparing a better order Of lessons. IN
sec the American Sunday School Union
Grged a scheme for the adoption of Sc