New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-12-21

galore about the religious poSers chiIdreh
put to their parents. but according 10
Franklin {. Lewis. superintendent OF inc
Ethical culture School. ooys and si'lS
brought Up in unorthodoN homes. where
religion. as commonly understood does
not enter into discussion. never think
about it at all.
t'uriousJv enough. Mir. Lewis though a
the head of a school where pure ethics
take the place Of teaching about God and
2 hereafter is himself member OF an
orthodox church and teaches his own
children at home to say The LORDS Prayer
al night.
81 was brought up i'm q Christian
church. he said the other day, and
though ! became a student Of phllosop"!
ana though it is very hard for me To rec
orcilc belief in d God with NY KNOWLEDGE
of the suffering in this world my carry
training has remained with nc. But
school is not the place for religious tt2ch-
ing. nor will il ever be until We are all OF
the same faith-if that time ever comes.
THE WORD GOD" is NOT SAID.
In this school the word God is never
mentioned. except as 1T occurs I'D 'hu
song America. which We sing. ana I'D
plscos like that | don't believe II con
VOWS any idea to the children's minds al
least they evince 10 curiosity rs TO VINO
God is. The teachers here tell the chill
drep stories from the Bible. but they
are very much changed: in the tale OF
tho Garden Of Eden for example, the
characters arc a boy and girl in gar
den. and their father This IS the sates'
and best way for a school; home Is lh'
placc for religious instruction: ana "he'
there is no definite religious instruction
al HONEYWELL. the child is unfoI tuhat''
that Is all For while there are rev
minds that can be held to a righteous
curse bv pure ethical teaching, a telie'
I'm some form Of persona Coo is inc ''S'
guide for most
Leaving religion out Of the course has
made the Ethical culture School 2 more
neacefuI place than some of the PUBIC
schools where doctrinal strikes have ~
terruptcd the study Of the three KS
Take that school i'm East New York ior
example. where ;he children sUuc"
acai,s, singing the Christian songs
which bccau the day. some objected Q"
.ectariar grounds. being Jews but some
werc plain sgnostics, and claimed TO
have blazel the path themselves.
MY OWN OPINION,
81 don't believe We know where we
60 when We die" said one boy. NO my
Parents didn't teach me that ] JUST
thought it out for myself
In an effort 10 find out some facts anout
vclision and the modern child, The Trio
,,ne reporter asked Mrs Susan ". Fltz-
gerald. of Boston. the well known SUI
frarist what she thought of the East
New York boys impiety. Mrs fllzsei-
aid has three children herself.
II don't call that impiety' she ssiu,
1T showed logical mind. Personally, )
don't believe IN botherinG children WIFI
religious matters; let them develop 'h
their own way. Some Will ponder these
things and some won't, according 10 theiF
natures and the things they hear. one
Of my little girls. for example. IS Just
now undergoing an attack Of piety. she
informed me that she SAID five prayers
every Wednesday night. Why she says
all her prayers one night, and why She
selects Wednesday. | don't know ! sup
pose her reasons are sufficient TO herself,
for she is but eleven years old
JUST HEARD STORIES.
Leaving children free to follow their
own path in religious matters may result
IN their becoming ardent churchgoers.
II has in the case of the three chill
dren OF Mrs. George Perry Morris, OF
Brookline, Mass, suffragist and offcer
of the Drama League. When they
were little their father told them stories
from the Bible on Sunday afternoons, but
beyond that their minds we're left free IN
these matters.
u never taught them TO say prayers
AT night" Mrs. Morris said, but Wneh
the oldest boy, Carl, was quite young
had the habit Of saying God bless you
when | left him at night. one night he
said to me. i wish you wouldn't say that
I stopped for awhile, but about six months
afterward ! said God bless you on leaV-
ing him just 10 see il he had forgotten
lie raised himself on his elbow and OBJ
served reproachfully, 4 asked you not TO
say that ! never did again, and never
knew why ne objected.
..It may be that children coming from
homes where religious subjects are never
discussed. and who don't come i'm con
tact with such discussion, don't wonder
about these matters But one way or an
other most children do hear talk on these
things. and their minds are set going My
little girl, Mary, liked to test everything
She had heard somewhere that God AL
WAYS answered when called upon. One
day she suddenly took her stand in a
window and yelled at the top Of her
voice: God. God, God" Then she waited
a minute. and at the end OF the minute
she turned 10 me.
- knew He wouldn't answer she
said.
But Mary and Carl arc now, without
any urging from their father or me, regu-
lar churchgoers. They attend the Uni
tartan church. to which We have always
belonged. and allow nothing TO interfere
with their attendance. / think IT is be
cause they find the minister's sermons
very interesting.
MRS. sLATcH's IDEA.
Mrs. Harriet Stanton Blatch says that
al to prayer she thinks it has a quoting
effect on chld's mind 10 shut It's eyes