Norwich bulletin., 1912-02-24

F$dr original papers, covering top
les relating to the attendance Of boys
at church and Sunday school, were the
feature numbers in the programme Of
a conference held Friday evening at
Trinity Methodist Episcopal church
under the auspices Of the boys work
committee Of the Men and Religion
Forward Movement The conference
had an attendance of IS, including
representatives from the older boys OF
the schools, boys work committees OF
the church, Sunday school superin-
tendents and workers with boys In
general
The conference began with a supper
served at SIS by the Ladies Aid So
cfety of the church, and for the pro-
xramme that followed J. 3. Stanton,
chairman Of the committee, was toast
master. After the singing of the hymn,
Blest Be the Tie That Binds, the in
vocation was offered by Rev. f. w.
Coleman, pastor of the church. Chair
man Stanton then made some intro
ductory remarks upon The Scope of
Boys Work, indicating how there was
both a physical and social side to 1t.
Why older Boys Don't Attend Church.
He introduced David l.. Bacon to
present the first of the papers upon
Why Don't the Older Boys Attend
A-IuEEu 0tINiNtS- Ecuoulu INlCS IL
There2 Mr.. Bacon spoke as follows:
II a boys father went to church reg
ularly the boy himself would be en-
cours9ed to go oftener. The father is
the email boys ideal; he serves as a
model which the boy tries to follow
both in the home and elsewhere,
We have learned from several lee
turers that the leader is the model
which the gang tries to initiate, and
that without a good leader the gang
can do practically nothing.
Apply this to the family, and we
have the father as the leader, the
boys as the gang. If the father goes
10 church the bobys go with him; but
II he goes fishing the boys are still
more likely TO accompany him. From
this, as l take it, the first thing to do
is to get the boys father-his natural
leader-to attend church.
Perhaps a boy is persuaded by some
elder person that he ought to go to
church if he wishes place in after life.
He tries ii for a few Sundays and
gives it up, because the services soon
become uninteresting; the minister
uses big words. far above his under
standing; the sermon is long and tire
some to him, and deals with subjects
In which he has but little interest The
boy would prefer a discussion OF
come UlOEG dllNt llld4l Olu L ColcA-
nrent storis, which may be all right
for older people to think about and
draw morals from, but which serve
only to make a boy feel sleepy.
Thus far / have been blaming other
people: now let US see where the boys
themselves are at fault A great many
boys are rather young to go to church,
and they know it, but as they grow
older they keep the same ideas, which
,ep I'D 20
fnitely the time when they expect to
attend church. At this rate they new
er get there. Being taught that Sun
day is a day Of rest, many try to car
y out the Divine will by staying in
bed until long past church time
These boys when called to account
eive various excuses. They stayed up
too late the night before, or they over
worked themselves during the week.
Some Of them will admit that it is
only a lazy habit A few boys say that
read, and accordingly stay at home
with book. A great many spend Sun
day morning playing golf, AUTOMOBILE
ing, and enjoying themselves in other
ways. ! think until they are made to
believe that church going is more
profitable to them than other ways of
spending the Sabbath that they will
remain fast in their old habits.
Should the Older Boy Teach the
Younger?
This was followed by the paper OF
Harold S Burt upon the topic, Should
an Older Boy Teach Younger Boys
SUNDAY School Glass? lie gave the
following as the answer.
The older boy Of our Sunday school
is too much inclined TO forget TO come
TO Sunday school The reason for
this is that either the teacher does
not make the lesson interesting to him
or he has nothing to do and therefore
becomes more Interested in things out
side Of the Sunday school, where he
should be at work.
The older boy should teach the
younger boy. Some say that a class
Of small Boys just out Of the primary
department need the more gentle su-
perintendance Of a woman teacher.
That may De good argument in some
ways, for a girl OF woman has the
natural ability to please youngsters,
but she has never been a boy herself
and has not had the feelings and de-
sires which the young man has had,
therefore she can not look back on
her own life to find out just what is
needed TO get the boy started right.
Some viii say, give them a man
who will be able to keep them quiet
and at tho same time teach them from
~ older and wiser brain; but have
you ever stopped to think that the
man OF today does not look at a qUes-
ton in the same simple direct way
which he did when young boy?
There is only ono thing to do, then,
ana that is forget more young fellows
who are nearer the ages Of their pu-
pills to take their classes. They have
the ability to look back and. analyz-
ing their own boyhood desires, decide
Dhat Is The best for the young boy in
their Sunday school class
The boy may think a good deal of
his lady teacher, but he will initiate
follow and think more Of the young
man who is his teacher the one who
knows just what it is to be a boy and
can enter into the game as one OF
them In Sunday school and out
N0a may think that the gain is all
IN one side. but ii Is far from that
Hle Young man teacher is all the time
broadening in his powers Of stating
facts sleariy and simply. so THAI they
may be fully understood by both the
young ana old lie is regaining his
former power OF looking at things
from the standpoint of his boyhood,
from which he has so lately removed.
The teacher gets g slight knowledge OF
the growth Of the human mind from
The reasoning of the child 10 the rea-
soning Of the young man. Though the
progress of the child's rec soning pow
Ell is SLOW, il is evident enough so
that the teacher is kept interested,