Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1910-06-01
WHAT is THE REASON Z?

are lost to the church and never
make professions OF faith."-E. T..
| Foster, Detroit Mich.
''That Is the most astounding
statement have heard in this coun-
| try. There must be something radi-
cally wrong with the system which
| permits it. In England we do not
| lose more than 3 per cent. - Dele
gate from Haverhill, England.
1t would be well for our Sunday
school workers. and especially the
parents Of Sunday school children
to read the two paragraphs quoted
| above, then read them again, and yet
! again. There is world Of meaning
! in them, and abundant food for
| thought and serious reflection. Why
| Is it that in America we lose 75 per
! cent Of our boys from the Sunday
schools while England loses not more
than 9 per cent? Are English BOYS
| better or do they take to matters re-
! ligious or moral more readily than
do the boys Of America? We think
not. Nor do we suppose for an in
! stant that the English teacher IS one
whit more competent or more inter
esting than the American teacher
| Where then lies the difference in the
results Of Sunday school work. as
shown by these two widely different
reports, both Of which were made at
! the session of the Worlds Sunday
School Conference?
We do not believe that either the
| Sunday school pupil or the Sunday
:, houi teacher Is 20 blame. And if
! the trouble does not lie there, where
. does it lie? There is but one other
: place to rest the blame, and that is
OH the parents of the pupils How
many parents do you find in the Sun
day schools? There are wofully few
Of them to be found in the Sunday
schools Of Walhalla, whose schools
are doing good work, it is true, but
not the tenth part Of what they
, fact. our Sunday schools are doing a
good work in spite. rather than with
the assistance. OF the parents And
they are not accomplishing what they
ought to.
The same condition prevails here
that Mr.. Foster complains of-that
is. the Sunday schools lost about -
per cent OF the boys. How many
boys Is years OF age and over can
YOU find in attendance on the sun
day schools? Mighty few, and as
the years go by they grow fewer and
fewer We often hear the question
, discussed with wonder. and it seems
to create little surprise on the par.
OF the parents that their children.
after they enter their teens. do not
care anything about Sunday school.
But is there any reason for sur
prise? The child nature longs for
pIeaSur" and outdoor fun and frolic.
and 1t is the most natural thing in
the world that they should prefer TO
b" out in the automobile or driving
with the parents rather than to sit
in the Sunday school room with com
paratiNe strangers and learn the les
sons that teach, among other things.
that the Sabbath is day hallowed
and TO be kept holy. They naturally
question why they ought to go to the
Sunday school to learn these various
lessons that their parents do not
seem TO need. They wonder why
they should be packed off to be
taught by some young lady who
ought 10 be pupil in the Bible
class, and they doubtless ask them
selves time and again why, ii the
Sunday school is good for them. it
would not be somewhat OF good
thing for their fathers and mothers?
And that IS very pertinent uucs-
ton.
Why is it that we lose - per cent
OF our boys from the Sunday school?
We think the main reason is that we
have lost almost 100 per cent OF our
parents from the same institution.
AT any rate it might not be a very
pad ldca Tor the parents. here and
elsewhere, to investigate the matter,
and try to answer the question salts
factorily. If your absence has in the
past had no bad effect on the school.
your presence will not benefit the
school, and YOU need not attend any
great length Of time to be able to
tell. II, on the other hand, the Sun
day school is benefited by your re-
turn to its work, you may rest as
surcd that you have at last discov-