Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1914-06-25

a
week he is making addresses. con.
ducinE conventions and leading his
assistants. Not every county sees
him every year now. for he has not
the time; but he visits every part
, OF the state, works on the train and
Ia a Sunday school dynamo always
In operation.
Back OF II all 10 q purpose and an
ideal. THE world Is done with the
, old fashioned Sunday school that
started nowhere and never got any
where" said he. discussing his work.
There Is no reason why there
should not be In the Sunday school
the same system and accomplish
ment of definite ends that we get
In the common schools. What we
have been trying TO do In the Sun
day schools of Kansas is to make
them educative forces, not alone for
the historical information given out
but for development of the religious
factors of the child's life. Then we
want to get somewhere. We have
now a standard of 10 requirements |
which. when met, entitle to a diplo-
ma. Training schools for teachers,
presided over by our field workers,
are making the teaching more eff
cient. The Sunday school is becom-
ing systematic and is a growing
power for the upbuilding of the
church. Over $4,000 church addi-
tions came from the Kansas Sun
day schools last year"
But there is another step yet to-
ward which Mr.. Engle is trying to
lead the Sunday schools of Kansas.
That is the correlation of the high
school and the Sunday school. This
is the only possible method of
uniting in way harmonious with /
our Americanism the church and
the state" he explains. "If our COM |
mon schools are to give credits for 6
feeding the hogs and hoeing potatoes 4
why not for religious study? Color '
ado has the system now; North Da- '
kota has a modified form of it, and 7
hope to see Kansas next to take (
t up. t
Here is the idea: The high v
chool student should receive credit
or such systematic work as he does g
n the Sunday school, provided it is r
lone along we'll defined lines. His A
DRY is largely bound up with the o.
history of religion, and the philos- e.
ply of education is not complete m
Tithout the history of religious edu- W
alton. The state agricultural COL 81
sge is now working out a plan by m
hitch credit may be secured ON the OF
'ork OF the college student for eff
ort spent in the Sunday school.
he history of education, for in
lance, includes the history of re- HI
gious education and this can be
lught in the Sunday school. It
Ill awaken the interest of the
oung person, and each church may ra
ut upon the established facts of the WI
STORY of religion whatever interpre- re
tion 1t pleases. The state Is thus in
no way connected with doctrinal Fs
In Colorado, where the te
an is elective, all denominations mi
q using the systematic study in La
with the high schools in wi
veral towns Of the state. It leads tn
the salvation of our young folks in,
and they need salvation badly" ne
Mr.. Engle is one of the inf1uen- ."'
Il men of the River Brethren uo
urch, in which his father was such GU
power. He teaches a large Sun sr'
y school class in his home town Ao'
lenever at home on Sunday, and o"
kes part in the management of WI
g church. The organization is one
the most conservative in Amer y
!, almost Quakerlike in its SIM
city with the older members, but An
. young generation, of which Mr..
gle is a type, is progressive in its
las and through his efforts many
ps have been taken that adapts
, church to the present times. oi
ity
wal
The other day Mr.. Engle was nos
cted secretary OF the Kansas ing
nday School association for the hill
leteenth year, and it seems that IN
s earnest, vigorous, energetic lior
mayer of things religious will con- urv
ue for a long time to guide the cab