The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1920-10-04
Sunday School Convention
Is Great Success

means that will bring them to Jesu.
and our Lord. We should have ou1
eyes open 10 grasp the opportunities
Mrs. Harlan Tolman sang the offer
tory solo, follown" wnich W. Vernon
Lvtle addressed the congregation OF
"Sulveys in the Field of Religious
Education" He spoke as follows:
Recent Investigations n the field
of General education have revealed
conditions that are of vital concern to
all hberty-loving Americans. One
fourth of the young emn of our ma
ton, when examined for service in
the United States Army. could not
read a newspaper or write a letter
home. One-third of this group were
below normal phvsicallv Sixty per
cent Of all the girls and bows of Am
erica are enrolled in rural schools.
! These schools are found to be the
weakest. The tendency among all
! teachers is to leave the service after
short term of service to secure
more trainnr and higher 20
! sitions. The result is that the child
dren of the nation are being taught
! by immature teachers with made
/ Quate preparation, Approximately
/ half the children of the nation being
taught bv teachers who have had less
than a high school training. These
facts have a vital bearing on all nha,-
es Of our national life. To meet the
urgent needs in our public schools the
Smith Towner Educational Bill has
been framed This bill provides for
the creation of a Department of Ed
ucaton with Secretary of Education
in the Presidents Cabinet at its head
and the authorization of an appropli-
alton eff $100,000000 to aid and en-
courage the states in the promotion
Of education.
Similar Investigations in the field
of Religious education have also re
vealed startling facts as to the eff
fectiveness of the church schools in
developing Christian attitudes and
conduct. The young men who fought
in our armies were found to be in al
most complete ignorance concerning
Chris .ianitV, the Bible and the
Church. They rendered to the
churches formal respect but as far
as vital motivations 90 they were not
Christians at all. Further tests among
those who attend the various services
Of the church, includir~ the Sunday
School, have revealed the fact that
the church has failed to teach the
vital, fundamental elements Of the
Christian faith in way that would
command the respect and allegiance
of the young people just now coming |
to maturity.
The church school has suffered in |
the inevitable comparison that the
average child draws between it and |
the public schools. The lack of
trained teachers, adequate programs,
sufficient time, graded literature and
financial support has handicapped
the church as a teaching agency. The
exact nature of the church's failure
has been revealed by the survey COM
mittee on education of the Inter-
Church World Movement.
The knowledge Of the actual con-
ditions has aroused the conviction
that the church has not succeeded in
teaching Christianity to its own
church members, let alone distribute
a clear knowledge of it through the
at large. 1t has created
nominal church members but has not
rained them into any genuine knowl-
edge of what religion means in daily
life.
We must judge finally of the sue
,ess or failure of our educational
! bo +Ln4 ,,,.aI,,o-
ID in life. The failure of life today
5 the result of the failure to proper t
y instruct young life. The hatred,
ealousy, strife, selfshness, injustice
md oppression of the world are an
Indication of the failure of the insti =
utions whose business it is to make
he righteous, the love and the peace
hat characterize our religion opera
i've in the hearts of all
Misleading ideas of the function of
cligion in life and Of the place Of
he church in human society have
een very largely responsible for the Il
hurch's failure in education. The n
opular idea of religion is that it is
means of getting to heaven that it
as a little or nothing to do with the
fe that now is This has led to the
doption of methods to secure quick
esults in the way of church member
hip and church loyalty. The business
f religion is to support life The
lessage of Jesus is the message Of
he abundant life Our business as
'hritian educator is to develop III
'hristian character; to send out into
he world men and women who will
eact to all the experiences of life in
Christian way. To do this we must
'ork in accordance with the laws of
ne developing life. Our task is an
EDUCATIONAL task. Character does not
ONE by miracle, but it is the gift of
od to those who obey llfe's laws
hese laws of God Cooperate in the
oiritual realm of his universe as well
: in the nhvsical. We shall produce
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