El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-02-15
SETTING PROPER
EXAMPLE, FOR
CHILDREN
Value of Educating Them
Properly Addresses at
Religious Meeting.

uudl survey at the general CONVENTION
of the Religious Education association
today was given by Prof. w. c. votaw
of the University of Chicago, on the
Progress of Moral and Religious Edu.
cation in the American Home He said
Twice within each century the hu-
man race is renewed. Every year 3d.
! 100000 people die, and SO, 000,O00 are
born % replace them. This is the way
! of irogress; the future lies with the
! children The destinies of the race
| pass rapidly from one group of people
| to another
The child is the major opportunity
/ The characteristics he inherits. the
| qualities which his surroundings devel-
/ op in him, and the life purpose which
he works out of these. determine what
/ his contribution to race history will be.
! 1t is a small thing for an individual TO
J live with reference only to himself; it
| is a large thing for him to live in such
way that future generations will be
better and happier.
TT is the duty Of men and women
to adopt the ideal of parenthood; it is
the duty Of society to promote only this
kind Of race renewal. and it is the duty
Of the state to enforce a standard of
marriage. We cannot get far in the
moral and religious education Of the
race until the children whom we are to
educate have a fair start and reason
| able maintenance.
The chief means Of parents is their
own example. Children follow in the
main what they habitualIy see and hear.
They contract from those nearest them
their manners and emotions, their moral
principles of duty, honesty, truth, jus
tice and industry, their social interests,
purposes and services. their religious
reverence. aspiration and faith"
Sunday School Week.
Needs of the smaller Sunday schools
were pointed out by Franklin NOEL
fresh. Of Chicago. to the department Of
Sunday schools of the association. Mr..
McElfresh said:
The Lord must have loved common
people, said Lincoln. He made so
many of them, There must be q like
divine favor for small Sunday schools
there are so many of them. The aver
age enrolment in America is 90. The
problem Of the small school is the prob
lem Of the majority Of the schools. It
furnishes by far the largest number of
religious workers; il receives small
share Of encouragement from religious
leaders; and,it has peculiar discourage
ments
hS SICdlCSl uoSO III TIE american
Sunday school today, is a larger num-
Der of trained, earnest teachers. The
most difficult, the most important prob
lem in education, is the problem Of re-
ligious education. The Sunday school
must have large share in its solution.
The greater part of the work must be
done in the small school. One Of the
hardest problems to be solved. is to re-
veal to the isolated worker the dignity
of this service"
Training Parents.
Before the department of churches
and pastors of the Religious Education
association today, Prof Irving F. Wood.
OF Smith college. Northampton. Mass,
spoke on the Responsibility of the
Church for Training Parents" saying:
The subject suggests a new concep-
ton Of the relation between church and
the home 1t puts the church in the
relation Of a normal school to TIE
home; and that is it's proper place.
1T should train parents in the now
we'll known facts Of normal moral and
religious growth. It should train pa
rents to do some religious training of
the children themselves. The ideal
motto for the church should be- Moth
ing done for the child in which the
parent does not share the responsible
ty. The church should help the parents
to meet new conditions, and should
show how such subjects as prayer, the
Bible, the Sabbath, amusements, creeds,
can be wisely treated in the modern
home. It should see that parents teach
the children to think Independently
to expect religious canges and
to meet them without loss of
of this training by sermons, by the
mid week meetings, in some cases,
through mothers meetings and mems /
clubs Parents classes in connection
with the Sunday schools might well be
formed for short courses. There ought
to be courses specially for such parents
cassles. and when the churches demand
them, the publishers will produce
them"
Church, School and Home
How Can Church School and Home {
Get Together" was a question asked
and answered by John S. Nollen. Phi. D., /
at meeting of the department /
Of Churches and Pastors of theReligi-
ous Education association here today.
DR.. Nollen's conclusions were:
Il. The present tendency of Iegisla-
ton and Of court decisions is to ex-
elude all religious instruction from the
public school. The curriculum of the
school can therefore serve our purpose
only indirectly, by furnishing an his
-orical and literary setting for the facts
and the heroes of religious history.
80. Personal contact of parents and |
religious leaders with teachers. and ac-
i've cooperation of teachers with some
organization are the most eff
lective means of unifying the efforts Of
church, home and school.
20. There should be far more inter-
sst in the character of teachers, as well
Is in their professional equipment, and
wiser expenditure to secure personal eff .
iciency; and to this end the election
# competent schol boards is vitality
important.
4. The home ought TO be a larger
actor in the education of children.
American parents have much to learn
n the giving of intelligent support to
he discipline of the school.
''5- The first condition of proper CO.
operation by the home in religious edu-
alton is the revival of the habit of
amily worship, and Bible reading.
Sc. The church may add largely to
Ter efficiency as an educational agency
" the further improvement of the
eaehing force and the course of study
n the Sunday schol and by the devel-
pment of effective expository preach