The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-12-24

The Week day Church school move
ment was presented to the Ministers
club of this city, at its Monday meet
ing, in very able manner by Pro-
feSsor p. M. GlasSoe, professor of
chemistry in st. Olaf College, North
field, and Professor Cecil ID. Smith
of Hamline university. The members
of the club were intensely interested
in the discussion, as they were aware
that week day religious instruction
is coming, and, that people must be
prepared to meet the emergency
which is sure to rise in this COM
munity. \
Professor Glassoe began by tell
ner in New York, fifteen years ago.
Or. Wenner argued that the public
school took so much time of the pu-
pills that the church had not time for
| adequate religious instruction. And
! on account of the tradition of the
American free schol that no reli-
gion should be taught In schools
supported by public taxes, il left the
student without religious foundation
necessary to right living. The ap-
| peal of DR.. Wenner was well receiv-
ed at the time but it has only been
during the last five years that the
| week udy
schools has taken practical shape.
Professor Glassoe mentioned the pc J.
culiar points in the Dakota plan, the
| Colorado pI2- the Indiana plan and
the plan of G Y, Van Vert. Ohio, and
other cities; but spoke in more de-
tail of the work in his own town OF
| Mortified. The Lutherans in North
field four years ago tried it alone
They secured permission Of the
school authorities to have their chill
dren one hour a week. But the
children were at a disadvantage on
account of missing school with the
others. However, all the churches
Catholic and Protestant, Joined in
in favor of the work. To begin, the
children of the first eight grades
were simply handed over to the
churches to instruct for one hour a
week with only the general and sim
pie direction that the instruction
should be done well. Reports were
made OF attendance to the public
school The teaching is done with
out pay in Mortified. In Faribault
also eight grades are turned over tc
the churches for an afternoon. In
Faribault and Albert Lea the teach
ing is done mostly by the pastors.
L fIOlcSSOI SllHltu VI col II
estly advocated the plan of Maiden
Mass. The Maiden plan empha
sizes community control Of the week
day religious schools in distinction
from church control or control by
representatives of the churches. He
advocated, as a first step, the or.
ganizing of community training
school for teachers and developing 9
community consciousness, and fin
ally the democratic organization BY
all the citizens of a council or board
of control representing the whole
| city rather than particular churches
He expressed his conviction that cy
cry, community would someday have
a. superintendent of religious instruc-
ton. He illustrated the value Of
this form of democratic organization
by experiences of the week day
schools of Evanston, Gary and othel
places. .. r
The conviction on the part of mos
of the members of the Ministers clut
after hearing these two strong, cleal
presentations of these two very dit
ferent plans of procedure. was, tina
Mankato must and will and can worl
out her own plan. The Gary plan i!
ditions are peculiar in Gary. Seven
j ty-f e per cent of the population arr
foreign. 1t is regarded as mission
4 ary territory by different churches
And missionary boards send II
money and teachers. The school!
were supported by corporation sub
scriptions. local subscriptions and b!
grants from various missionar!
boards. The school authorities dt
. not supervise CT support the schools
They simply dismiss the pupils a
the request Of the parents. Fou
groups are dismissed Including tn
first eight grades. 1t cost S12.25 pc
pupil the first year, but through clos
err CO. operation Of the churches
only cost IS last year. The Pres
byterian, Christian, Congregatlonans
Methodist, U. p. Baptist, Reformed