Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-12-01
Sunday School and the Community
BY WILLIAM a. spWEN

{Ths following address, entitled
aThe Relation Of the Sunday School
20 the General Community was de.
livered by william A. Bowen At the
opening Of the Sunday School Teach.
ers, Conferences recently held In the
Parish house Of Central Union church.
Perhaps The Relation of the Sun
day school To the General Community
cannot be better shown than by a re-
view of the story Of the Sunday school
established at Gloucester, England, IN
1871 by Robert Raikes. He certainly
intended that school, established for
religious instruction, to be reforms
tory in character, and thus not only
prove helpful to the scholars them
selves, but, also, in this way to become
decidedly beneficial to the general com
munity -. =. =.
He had noticed the greatly increas.
ing lawlessness of the children in his
own city, and the consequently increas-
ing turmoil, and noise, and depreda'
tions that were spreading out into the
country round about, spreading, in
deed, to such an extent as to compel
farmers TO stay at home on the Sab
bath to protect their property.
He had occasion one day to see q
man who lived near pin factory,
and the noise of the street was so
disturbing ITO him as TO bring some
expression from him in regard to It.
Whereupbn he was promptly inform
ed that the noise was as nothing com.
pared with the noise and distractions
Of Sunday. II was then that the idea
took possession of him that the situa-
ton might be helped BY the establish-
ment of school on Sunday, and he
hired four women who were accus.
toned to teach poor children to I'M
dertake the work. He, himself, brought
I'm the scholars TO be taught.
He. therefore, has the distinction of
being the founder of Sunday schools
In England. The plan found favor eve
Ffywnere Id other localities, and grew
with amazing rapidity. His methods
were those OF q very earnest man. His
school was for work, on the part
of teachers as well as scholars. The
children were to come soon after 10 In
the morning and to stay till II; they
were then to 60 home, and return at 4;
and after reading q lesson they were
to be CONDUCTED to church. After
church. they were to be employed In
reading the eatechism until after 5
O'Clock, and then to be dismissed, With
an Injunction to 90 home without max
ing noise, and by no means to play
in the street, The statement is made
that latter long series of years not
one OF his scholars had ever been in
either q city, or county prison"
So 1t win be seen that the influence
of his school, in its relationship to
the general community, was Of decided.
Nv helpful and uplifting character. In
deed, so far as its effect on the gen
eral community Is concerned, here
quote the testimony brought out by
Rev. George Whitefield Mead in his
hook UPON Modern Methods In Sun,
day School Work as follows s:.ss
s.Lord Mahon says that the Sunday
school organized by Robert Raikes was
the beginning Of new era in the ma
tional life OF England. Green. the
ENGLISH historian. speaking OF the. eff.
feet Of Raikes work on England's dark
and troubled days following the Amer,
lean Revolution, says was then
that the moral the philan.hropic, the
religious ideas which have nodded
English society into its present shape
first broke the spiritual torpor OF the
eighteenth century. "
Marion LaWrance. general secretary
Of the international Association. in his
book upon How to Conduct Sunday
School, says:
s.The Sunday school is the noblest
development Of the 10Th century. The
sunday school idea is many centuries
old; but what we.call the modern Sun
day school is compar atiyely new. Il
did not originate with Robert Raikes
hut it certainly was he who put sun
day school upon the market.
Mr.. Lawrance then adds what, In
his view. the Sunday school really Is
what position It occupies In the Chris
tian work or the world, and puts the
matter so clearly and wei. that quote
the oDening nages of his hook entire