The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-06-12
THURSDAY. JUNE ~, 1913.
SYSTEM AND SUNDAY SCHOOLS.

. lLNA shAND
The Sunday school, like the church,
and the school. and the business office.
and the farm, and every other depart
ment Of human activity, is exposed TO
two dangers. One is the danger OF
having no spstem. and the other is the
danger of having too much system.
with the danger that comes from lack
OF system most Of Us are measurably
familiar, for the subject is an old one,
and most persons have long recognized
the need for the systematization Of
work in whatever direction 1t was un-
deftaken.
But with the other danger there is
Less familiarity, for its existence on
any large scale is comparatively new.
It does exist. however, as has been
found in the experience OF many In
stitutions to the cost of those inter-
ested in them. A few years there
swept over the country a craze for
system in business. and ingenious
brains were worked overtime to meet
the demand for system in everything.
Every day saw the addition Of some
thing new to the mass of what had
been invented before. some new curli-
Gus added to the maze in which bust
ness was beginning to lose itself. There
was q system for this and a system
for that, a card index here and a per-
centage table there. Every thing was
vaaghed and measured, and timed and
placed. and analysed and counted UNI
til ofices were swampe with masses
Of information. the collection and
tahulation Of which was in danger of
involving more labor and cost than
the actual productive work Of the Of
Ace.
Persons who were carried away with
this thing had accepted the truth that
system is an excellent. an important
and an indispensable thing. but they
had failed to make discriminating ap-
plication OF 1t. They had added so
many wheels to the machine that most
Of the power generated was
ed in making these extra wheels go
round, and there was little left with
which to turn out the product that
was the object Of the machines exis-
tence. Business firms that had been
carried away in this n were the
first to abandon this curse and start
on q new one. for in business false
motions cost money m affect the
bank account. and waste must be
checked Il the business is to thrive.
Many other institutions not Of a
business character have been less for
tunnte. for the q Of effort in them
10 not % readily detected. and they can
continue to run. after a fashion, even
r. most or all Of their effort is wasted.
Every institution that exists worth
lly exists for . purpose. And its suc-
cesU must be measured by the manner
IN which 1t performs its proper func-
ton. in other words, by the manner
In which It delivers the goods. The
school. for instance. exists for the in
o1ucden and training of youth. II IT
performs that York well. that is, II 1t
<aFns out pupils who are properly in
eesuatsd and we'll trained, It. is achiev-
Ing Ito object. It can attain its end
estter BY the adoption Of one method
than by the adoption Of another,
hanoe one method rather than another
30 selected. But the method is inn
poFtaat only 70 1t affects the result.
The number Of recitations, the divis-
ion and subdivision Of classes. the
character Of the exercises held. the
accuracy with which the rolls are kept,
To order Of procedure. all these and
. score Of other things are of no the
slightest account in themselves.
Hence there is confronting all So
cieties. especially those of a social,
educational or religious character, the
danssr Of 10 much system that there
Will be time for nothing else, The
Sunday school occupies a place in the
religious held similar to that OF the
public school in the secular field. It's
work 70 largely with young people,
and its purpose is to give its students
V0S SOiiA IitOIdl ana IcllKIOuS lnSJTuC-
ton and training. The Of it's
success IL not the number of persons
who attend its sessions. not the course
Of study that 1t uses, not the elaborate
ness Of it, exercises, not anything that
pertains to system or method, but the
influence that 1t has on the lives of
those With whom II Gomez in contact.
business houses have not abandoned
system. by any means. But they have
reduced their systems to the simplest
possible forms. They employ no sys-
tenn which requires two motions vher.
one would sufice. The great organ
1Sations which exist solely for human
pettermsnt can learn a valuable les
ION from mere business.
THE SPIRIT OF PLAY.