Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-10-03

w no has been Il w OIkeT II OE lIt
Church and Sunday School All
His Life
1t will be of interest to Pennsylva-
MIA Sunday school workers to know of
the place which DIR. Martin G. Brum-
baugh, of Pennsylvania, occupied at
the great worlds Sunday school con-
Vention held in Zurich, Switzerland,
last year. The Pennsylvania delega-
ton at Zurich was by all odds the
largest from any American State or
European province, Switzerland eN-
cepted. Every member of that dele
cation, of which II. j. Heinz, of Pitts
burgh, was the head, and which COM
prised some of the leading business
men, educators and religious workers
of the Stale, was proud OF DIR. Brum-
baugh as a great educator, lecturer
of unusual ability and force, and a
Christian gentleman. The already
high standard of PENNSYLVANIA was
advanced and the attention of reliS-
ious educators of the world was at
tracted by the notable ability OF the
scholarly and forceful address of this
eminent son of the keystone State.
DR.. Brumbaugh's theme was The
Sunday School as an Educational
Force He said in part:
IAN educational force is to be
measured by its character - viewed
pedagogically; by its scope-vleWed
both as to its extent and the field 1t
covers; by it's aim-viewed theureti-
cally and theologically; by its agencies
viewed from the point of its capaci-
ties to obtain its aim; by its support
viewed as an agency in which many
believe to the extent of awarding 1t
their personal effort and financial
support; by its necessity-viewed in
the general system of educational en-
deavor, and by its results-viewed as
an accomplishing power and not as an
enthusiasts dream.
Aim of the Sunday School
''To these essential standards the
Sunday school must yield, if ii is to
be regarded as an educational force
of moment. Moreover its place among
the great educational forces of society
must likewise be found in its relative
efficiency in the several tests here in
What may be safely assumed to be
the pedagogic meaning of the Sunday
school? We are all born into the
world whose entire meaning is as yet
unknown to us. We must be led by
skillful and competent guides into an
understanding of our complete en-
vironment, physical, social, economic,
civic and spiritual. The agencies de-
voted to this end are pedagogic. The
Sunday school is confessedly an agency
for the Interpretation of ones spir-
itual environment. 1t aims to give its
pupils spiritual insight into the his
tory of the race as recorded in GODS
Book; into the spiritual experience of
a perfect life as exampled in Jesus
of Nazareth: into the origin and his
tory of the Christian church; and into
the meaning of life guided and ordi-
mated by Jesus Christ.
1T aims to develop in the impress
sionable years the foundations OF
Christian character and holy living.
In it's essential function and in its en-
tire method 1t is pedagogically sig
nificant.
when one thinks of the Sunday
school as an educational agency whose
pupils are reckoned by tens of mill
lions: whose teachers by millions
whose separate schools by hundreds
of thousands, and its countries by
hundreds; surely it's scope warrants
the declaration that the Sunday school
is. next to the church, the greatest
agency ever devised to keep Gods
Word in the forefront as the guide to
life and to eternity. 1t is one of the
few educational forces that has been
so extended as to merit the holding
of worlds convention.
What may be set down as the aim
of the Sunday school? 1t is Gods
agency to man for his upbringing in
the kingdom of heaven. 1t aims to
make real to each one the Divinity of
Christ and the divine inspiration of
the Holy BOOK. II StthS " put liie
open Bible into the open hand of
every opening heart that is quickened
ny life from God.
What the Sunday School Accomplishes
There is also need for such
worldwide understanding of the value
of the Sunday school as to make it
impossible for children to grow up
without having trained teachers for
their religious instruction. / believe
firmly that we can in no more, effec
tive way advance the cause of Chris
tisnity than by attending adequately
to the great task of training men and
women to teach the word of God
wisely and well to the children. Such
are some of the agencies necessary
to complete realization of the aim
of the Sunday school.
Are we giving the personal atten-
tion and financial support to the Sun
day school which it merits and needs?
The State compels its youths to attend
the public school. 1t wisely visions
the fact that its own safety and per-
petuity is involved in enforced at
tendance. Do we at all sense the i'm
portance of compulsory attendance in
the Sunday school | do not mean
the compulsion of law, but compul-
sion of our constant endeavor, and
what is of more moment, the great
value of our own example in regularly
attending Sunday school.
zone of the marvels of the Sunday
school movement is it's financial status.
For the most part its entire cost in
money is met by the voluntary offer
ings of its members. In every Chris
tian's gifts to the Lord there should
he included a definite sum for the
Sunday school I am praying for
the day when men and women of
large wealth will endow, with large
gifts, the Sunday school movement in
its worldwide aspects.
1.-THE church aVowedly seeks to in
c1ude in the scope of the school a
preparation to live hereafter. and a
training of the soul for service now.
No other teaching agency avowedly