The Washington herald., 1915-09-19

The following interesting figures ant
information with regard to the presen
use of the Bible in public schools ar
from the Christian Statesman:
/. In eleven States and in the Distric
of Columbia the law is favorable to tn
use Of the Bible. These are Georgia. In
diana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts
Mississippi, New Jersey, North Dakota
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota
In Mississippi the provision is found ii
the State constitution.
Q In eleven other States either tn,
courts or the State school superintend
ents have decided that the use Of th'
Bible in the school room Is lawful. II
Maine. Michigan. Kentucky. Ohio. Texas
and West Virginia favorable decisions
have been rendered by the supreme
courts. In Arkansas. Idaho, Rhode Is
land, Utah and Vermont the State schoo
superintendents have SO decided.
B. There are thirteen States wher'
there are neither laws nor opinions bear
ing directly upon the matter. These arr
Alabama, Colorado. Connecticut. Della
ware, Florida, Maryland. New Hamp
shire, North Carolina Oregon, Soutf
Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wyo
ming.
4. In eight States there are opinion.
supreme court, the attorney general OF
the State school superintendent. Illinois
and Wisconsin are the only two Statei
in which the supreme court has so de
cided. There is a decision by the su
preme court of Nebraska against the sec
tartan use of the Bible which has beer
regarded by some as adverse to any use
of 1t, but this is not a fair Interpretation
The attorneys general have declared 1t.
use illegal in California, Missouri. Min
nesota and Washington. The school su
perintendents have given similar opinioni
in Arizona, Montana and New York. Ii
the last named State opinions are con
f1icting, each superintendent deciding &C
cording to his own wish In the matter.
5. In two States 1t would be difficult
to find a school in which the Bible IL
read, although there are no decisions
against il. These are Nevada and New
Mexico. 1t is quite generally read in thu
Protestant sections Of Louisiana, while
in the Roman Catholic sections 1t is ex
cluded.
Thirty-two colleges, forty-six prepara
tory schools. and five theological semi
naries were represented at the students
conference at Northfield this year. Yale
had the largest delegation, sending ovel
sixty men. Harvard came next.
It was in 1901 that Rev. r. G. Boville
started in New York City the first daily
vacation Bible schools. The first year he
had five schools. In 1907 he inauguratet
national plans. That year he had nine
teen schools. He has just made a report
TO the directors of the National Vacation
Bible Schools Association for 1915 show
ing 34S schools this year In over seventy
cities and centers of the United States
and Canada These 34s schools had fr
them 1852 children, all creeds and races
In their six weeks course they received
the equivalent of Bible teaching of a
whole years attendance in a Sunday
school Schools this year were held In
churches of many communions. Presby'
terian, Baptist, Episcopal and Methodist
led Instruction was uniform in method
and provided for manual work. music
and organized play. Sunday school. mod
ern settlement, the church. the college
and street child came together. The BAN
ner schools of the country were Brad
ford, Pa. s2s boys and girls: Homewood
Pittsburgh, was second: -Aitken's 1nstf-
tute. Chicago. was third, and Malcolm
Memorial, st. Louis. was fourth. There
were 2.332 earnest college students and
volunteer assistants. These gave splen-
did help and got invaluable experience
Sixty per cent of the instructors gave
their services free. Churches gave
through these schools wage-earnins
homes a PRACTICAL exhibition of Christian
helpfulness that brought nearer a better
understanding between the church and
la Dor than mere pamphlet could accomp-
lish. They gave the children q happier
summer and to students a saner view
Of life. showing them how helpless ne
cations and criticisms were. The
churches recognize that these schools
have given them new and valuable open
ings to the masses of children beyond
the reach of Sunday schools. The asso-
citation has rendered a natural service
to the missionary societies. 1t has pre-
pared and furnished them with vital
methods of meeting new situations. II
is encouraging every Christian body to
organize and support schools. The Pres
bvteran home mission board led the way
and now the Baptists and Lutherans
have national societies in the field. These
bodies are responsible for eighty-seven
schools this year and in most cities are
cooperating Loyalty with the inter-church
movement. Russell Colgate, Of New
York, is president of the association. J.
Adams Brown is national treasurer. and
Rev. r. G. Boville is national director.
ne OF suCn SCHoOiS ="
ton was successfully conducted this cuni-
mer at lexington Presbyterian Church.
There has been much complaining and
lamenting about the falling OF Of the
number of men going into the ministry.
Most of the lamentations have been
founded on feeling rather than figures
and sentiment, rather than statistics.
saws the editor of the Congregationalist.
Talcott Williams, director of the Pulitzer
School of Journalism, Columbia Univer-
city, brought some facts and figures
which are reassuring to the graduating
class of Hartford Theological Seminary.
Mr.. Williams asserted that from 1856
to 1910 the number of ministers has grown
faster than the number of lawyers or
physicians. In this thirty years the
United States census being witness. the
number of ministers had increased from
81 Sss to Is2, ,ess. or had more than dou-
bled. The lawyers have increased from
Ga 1S7 to 12l. .149. while in the same time
the number OF physicians has grown
from S671 to Ii, ,95S. The clergymen
alone have grown faster than the popula-
ton.
Further, the number of theological stu
dents in the United States has doubled in
years. There were 5.A2 in
1880 and 1896 in 1913: while in Germany
students have fallen of one
half in this generation, and in England
the number has remained the same.
During the last fifty years the popula-
tion has trebled. while the value of
church property has grown skiold: dur
ing the same time national wealth has
increased from four to sixfold. From
1890 to 1906 church membership increased
from 2o.5O00Oo to 5000. .0oe-about 90 per