The Washington herald., 1908-06-18

day school is now a part Of the general |
curriculum Of a number Of New England |
theological seminarles. and in proof OF !
the closeness Of the seminary to the |
Sunday school, il may be mentioned. that |
every member OF the faculty Of Yale !
Divinity School is a teacher in the Sunday
school. This year twenty-five State and
provincial organizations will have summer
schools for Sunday school teachers, while
foTty-one other summer schools will in
clude this work in their curriculum. The
teacher who goes before the Sunday
school class OF to-day must be as care
fully equipped for his work as the teacher
who holds down any siZeable chair in any
modern institution OF learning. The pro-
gressive spirit Of the times demands IT.
Proved by the light of lbs years, the
earlier a child is placed in touch with
Sunday school work. the better II IS for
HIS future. Every school OF notable prog
ress now has It's cradle roll" and there
the names of babies are placed as soon
as they are born into that particular sun
day schools world. The last triennlal
report showed 2l1.s32 names on the cradle
roll Of North American schools The
Wilderspin 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
10 count by lifting their toes I'D and
down. Yet this was only a foreshadOwing
OF kindergarten methods that are finding
sure place in the modern Sunday school.
where daily new ideas come for adoption
20 make the lessons as attractive as pos
sible. and where the blackboard, with
whose use S. ". Clark. Of New York, was
accused OF 'secularizing the Bible" In the
early SOS. is an integral factor.
At the Louisville convention, which IS
to be the greatest gathering OF its kind
that the world has ever known. the
question OF grading Sunday schools will
come up. and promises 10 be the biggest
question Of the meeting. A graded
course OF lessons. covering the entire
range OF sunday-school work. will be
presented, as the result Of the findings
Of a special committee, which met last
January in Boston 10 consider the Ques-
tion. II Is highly probable that many
thousand schools will adopt the system.
and many thousand more will not. as
many are not yet ready for H. Under
the new system, a higher standard Of ed
ucation and preparation will be exacted
OF the superlntendents and teachers, and
despite the rapidlty with which the gen
eral educational movement has spread.
many smaller schools can, for the pres
ent. work best with the older system
though eventually all will doubtless swing
In line with the movement.
II the Louisville convention adopts the
graded system, II will mean that the
present International lesson system, now
thirty-five years old. will remain undis-
turbed for those who prefer using Il:
that the international army will be tenn
porarily 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 al
work for almost a year already. sup
plementing the work of the regular com
mittee. The new course will be ready
for use In January next. and will be ar
ranged In a two years beginners course
tor the ages Of four and FIVE years. q
three years primary course for pupils
OF from six to eight. and a four years
junior course for pupils Of from nine TO
twelve years.
The lessons as now prepared by If
teen learned men on this side the Atlantic
and thirteen in England, must, accord
ing to the requirements OF the general
organization, cover the entire Bible in
six years-three and a half years on the
New Testament, two and a half on the
Old. This plan was first started in 1872
as an International work 1t Is the out
growth Of one hundred years experI-
mental work, aad the solution of a COM
prehensive lesson for an enrolment of
26,000,000 souls. There are daily Bible
readings that are offered for family read
ing TO further elucidate the Sundays les
son idea and II is estimated that no less
than million men and women through
out the world read the same passages
of Scripture night and morning.
Another notable feature Of this weeks
convention will be a congress composed
OF 1000 superintendent who will gather
from every corner of the continent to
compare notes on their successes and
failures, trials and triumphs Represent
atves from missionary societies and lead
ing missionaries from ali denominations
represented in the association will be
present to confer on the great work.
offering their own experiences In the
evangelization OF foreign lands.
The American and Canadian delegates
who have attended the great worlds con
ventions abroad viii hold a reunion in
Louisville. Those who went 70 London
in 1889 and 1898, to Jerusalem In 1904. and
70 Rome In 1907 Will meet and renew old
friendships, foreshadowing, doubtless, the
sixth world convention, which will be
held In Washington June 10 Z 1910. The
world bond among Sunday schools IS
drawing the nations closer. Sunday, Oc-
tober IS. will be observed as a universal
day OF prayer for Sunday school, through
out the world. when the 2S.00O000 mem
bers 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. lOOs. by Frederic J. HaS<ia,l
TO-mOrrow-War on the HOusefly.