The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-05-13
MORAL BANKRUPTCY THROUGH
SPIRITUAL ILLITERACY

spiritual liiteracy leads TO moral
bankruptcy" declares DR.. J. Fl. Rey-
nolds, director general of the Chris
tian Education Movement Of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
DR.. Reynolds is not preacher, but a
thoughtful layman and an educator Of
wide experience. In explaining the
scope and purpose of the Christian
Education Movement with view to
securing its full and enthusiastic sup
port throughout the church, DR.. Rey-
nolds makes the startling announce
ment that America is facing moral
bankruptcy through spiritual litter
acy. He presents some very interest
ing proof along this line which those
interested in the future of the race
would do well TO keep in mind.
DR.. Reynolds says;
ain 1916 the Sunday Schools Of the
nation enrolled 21,sSs,521 children,
but in 1920 this number had shrunk to
i5,617,OOo. Thus in four years there
was loss Of more than six and a
quarter million children from the Sun
day schools. There are now more than
26,500,000 children in America who
are receiving no form Of religious in
struction or training whatever--and
this is half the number of children in
the nation.
with Ealf the children growing up
spiritually illiterate and the Sunday
schools losing students at the rate Of
more than a million and half each
year, it is easy to compute that we
will soon be nation of spiritual ililt-
crates unless tie present tendency is
speedily counteracted. And spiritual
illiteracy means moral bankruptcy,
while moral bankruptcy means-the
Lord alone knows what!
Protestants Are the Worst Offenders
"In this deplorable situation the
Protestants are the chief delinquents.
The Jews give their children 1856 hours
of religious instruction each year--one
hour each day for eleven months in the
year. Therefore, the Jews are the
most solid block of religionists on
earth, and among them Christianity
has made slighter progress than
among any other people. 1t is as if
the very power of the gospel itself
were impotent against the religious
training of childhood.
"The Catholics are next in their ap-
probation of the significance of re-
ligious education--and consequently
they are the next most solid block Of
religionists. They give their children
200 hours of religious instruction each
year--four hours each week.
But Professionals train their children
part of them-only half an hour
each week, twenty-six hours each
year, and that in a disgracefully indif-
ferent and slipshod manner. Conse-
quently, Protestants are least loyal to
} their churches, more prone to confuse
J trivialities with fundamentals, more
given to schisms and divisions.
: "Here is a situation which clearly
bodies no good to the nation, to relig-
e ion, to Christianity, to Professionalism
1t were treason to God to sit idly by
and in our half-satiSfied complacency
, do nothing about it.
Methodist Burden Is Greatest
"The M. E. Church, South, has a
l large responsibility in the premises
! larger than any other-because con-
si6erably more than half of the chill
dren who receive no religious training
whatever are in those sixteen states
] where our church is strongest. In
!, these states are 14,251, 1878 of the &c.
100000 spiritually illiterate children.
, "What are we 20 do about it? The
Christian Education Movement comes
= forward with the first large and COM
: prehensive plan of action to save our
people and remedy this situation which
: is now national menace. One of the
distinct and clearly stated detectives
of the Movement deals with this very
: matter.
The NJ E. Church. South, maintains
, ninety schools and colleges of various
: kinds broadly covering all of the six
teen states in which the worst condi-
: tions, from the standpoint of the re-
igious instruction Of children, prevail.
These colleges enroll $4,000 students
each year; they are forced to turn
away 5000 others who apply, and if
they were equipped to receive and ade-
quately care for all who could be OBJ
tanned by reasonable publicity and So
Ilicitation, $4,000 additional could be
obtained.
"The Christian Education Movement
viii supply the necessary space,
teaching force, equipment and endow-
ment. and then these same schools and