Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-20
SUNDAY SCHOOL WORKERS.
Bv Frederic J. Haskin.

For the past six months the Sunday
schools all over America have been FORM
ing their plans for the assemblage or
a mighty gathering i'm San Francisco
for the week beginning today. An army
Of at least 10000 Sunday school workers
is expected to attend this thirteenth an
nual convention Of the American Sunday
School Association, which includes both
Canada and the United States Preced-
ing the convention by ten days there has
been an adult class tour of 100 Sunday
school workers, divided into eight differ
ent parties. These have stopped In va
rious towns along their way and helped
thousands of other Sunday school work
ers who have been denied the privilege
of attending the big convention. They
have held meetings of various kinds. as
time permitted, at which the latest sub
jects of Sunday school work were brought
forward. These parties have covered
points extending from the Mississippi val
ley to the Pacific coast. Three of them
started from Chicago and one each from
Winnipeg, st. Paul. Memphis and New
Orleans. and their work will greatly aug
ment that of the convention In creating
renewed enthusiasm for Sunday school
advancement.
There are now about 100000 Sunday
schools in the United States. Their en-
rollment appreximates 100000, and the
number of teachers and officers is at
least 100000. While 1t Is generally
understood that each Sunday school rep
resents some particular church. and that
every Protestant church has Its own
Sunday school. the latest statistics show
that q per cent of the churches In Amer
lea. mostly rural. have no Sunday school
and do Sunday school work. In one
state in the Union there are COS churches
which have no Sunday school in connec-
ton. However. there are quite a num-
Der OF union or undenominational sun
Gay schools. which include a scholarship
reaching at least to 100000.
The Sunday School Association is non
sectarian. and the adoption of the uni
form graded lesson
Uniform Lessons system has done
more than anything
denomination barriers between the sun
day schools of all the Protestant
churches While the first uniform les
sons were put forth by the Sunday Schooi
Association eightyfve years ago, their
general adoption by all the churches is
| comparatively recent. and the new sys-
tenn is great Improvement over the
earlier issues
The graded lessons proved an advance
step In several ways. 1t already has
done much toward retaining the interest
of the older scholars. There are four
courses. namely: Beginners, for chill
dren under six years. primary, TOT chi-
dren from six TO nine; general. Tor pu-
vanced or adult for those older than
fourteen. Promotion systems are now
being planned in the Sunday schools
modelled after the methods obtaining IN
the public schools, and these VIII ADD
still more to the efficiency of the graded
lesson system The advantages of a
uniform system of Sunday school in
struction are obvious, and there are rev
schools in the United States which are
not using the same lessons. Inc diHef-
ent church denominations issue Sunday
school periodicals of their own, but al
most without exception they publish the
Bible lesson as scheduled and arranged
By the Sunday School Association
With uniformity OF lessons and a resn,
lar system Of promotion comes the need
of uniformity In the qualifications OF
teachers. which is one Of the matters TO
which the convention will give special
attention The time is coming when
Sunday school teacher will need to have
q knowledge of pedagogical methods sim
liar to that required by the public school
teacher in addition to a thorough and
adequate knowledge Of all scriptural sub
jects
Training schools for Sunday school
workers are already in existence, and
their number is multiplying. Special
summer courses in this work will be held
In various parts of the country. large
number of those will be located In the
mountains or at resorts. SO that the stu
dents find their surroundings as pleasant
as those of an ordinary vacation. Cor
respondence schools through which ad-
vanced Sunday school work may be stud
led at home are also being arranged for.
With the demand for trained workers
comes the question OF paid Sunday school
teachers, which has
pnv of Teachers already been met In
some schools with
NCW ICoCuAC' good success. The
volunteer teacher cannot of necessity
give the time and effort to his work that
would be possible If II were remunera-
tive The fact that all Sunday school