Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-06-18
WORLDWIDE INTEREST
American Sunday Schools
RY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN

whose services could never have been
had on a monetary basis. In 1871
grateful Sunday School union inquired
that Its teachers were then contriput-
ing in their services over 100000 an
nually to the cause. Now 1t amounts
to something like $2S, 100000. A teachers
congress will be held during the Louis
VILE meeting, with the secretary of
the, teacher training department In
charge, and the influence of this con-
gress will go out to benefit the other
million and half workers throughout
the country.
The training of teachers is one of
the most important features of the Sum
day school work of today. Fifty-six
associations have approved teacher
training departments and twenty-s1x
others have work on the same line. A
large amount of instruction with refer
ence to the Sunday school is now a
part of the general curriculum OF a
number of New England theological
seminaries and in proof OF the close
ness of the seminary to the Sunday
school 1t may be mentioned that every
member of the faculty of Yale divin-
ity school is teacher in the Sunday
school. This year twenty-five state
and provincial organizations will have
summer schools for Sunday school
teachers, while forty-one other summer
schools will include this work In their
curriculum. The teacher who goes be-
fore the Sunday school class of today
must be as carefully equipped for
his work as the teacher who holds
down any sizeable chair in any modern
institution of learning. The progressive
spirit of the times demands it.
Proved by the light of 12S years
the earlier child is placed in touch
with Sunday school work the better
1t is for his future. Every school of
notable progress now has its "cradle
roll" and there the names of babies
are placed as soon as they are born
into that particular Sunday schools
world. The last triennial report
showed 211,S32 names on the cradle roll
of North American schools. The Will
derspin family, far back in 1920,
amused critical England by seating the
tots of their primary Sunday school
class in a circle on the ground and
teaching them to count by lifting their
toes up and down. Yet this was only
a foreshadowing of kindergarten meth
DDS that are finding sure place in the
modern Sunday school, where daily
new ideas come for adoption to make
the lessons as attractive as possible
and where the blackboard, with whose
use S. w. Clark of New York was
accused of "secularizing the Bible in
the early sixties, is an integral factor.
At the Louisville convention, which
Is to be the greatest gathering of it's
kind that the world has ever known.
the question of grading Sunday schools
will come up, and promises to be the
biggest question of the meeting. A
graded course Of lessons covering the
entire range of Sunday school work
will be presented as result of the
findings" of a special committee
which met last January in Boston to
consider the question. 1t is highly
probable that many thousand schools
will adopt the system, and many thou
sands more win not, as many are not
yet ready for 1t. Under the new sys-
tenn a higher standard of education
and preparation will be exacted of the
superintendent and teachers, and de-
spite the rapidity with which the gem
eral educational movement has spread
many smaller schools can, for the
present, work best with the older sys-
tenn, though eventually all will doubt
ess swing in line with the new move
ment.
If the Louisville convention adopts
the graded system 1t will mean that
the present international lesson sys-
tenn now thirty-five years old, will
remain undisturbed for those who pre-
fer using it, that the international
army Will be temporarily divided into
two loyal branches, each using the
same lesson courses, though one will
have its lessons graded by an expert
committee that has been at work for
almost a year already SUP .Jlementing
the work OF the regular committee.
The new course will be ready for use
in January next and will be arranged
in a two years beginners course for
the ages of four and five years, a three
years primary course for pupils of
from six toSeight, and a four years
junior course for pupils of from nine
to twelve.
The American and Canadian dele
gates who have attended the great
worlds conventions abroad will hold
reunion in Louisville Those who went
to London in 1889 and 1898. to Jerusalem
In 1904, and to Rome in 1907, will meet
and renew old friendships, foreshadow-
ing, doubtless, the sixth world conven-
ton, which will be held in Washington
June to z, 1910. The world bond among
Sunday schools is drawing the nations
closer Sunday, October s. will be OBJ
served as a anniversary day of prayer
for Sunday schools throughout the
world, when the 26,000,00O members of
the schools and millions of others who
sympathize in the work will join in a
petition asking for that which is the
keynote of the Louisville convention,
efficiency In service"
Copyright 1908. by Frederic J. Haskin.>
Tomorrow-War the House Fly.