South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-04-05
SAYS RELIGIOUS
TRAINING MUST BE
GIVEN CHILDREN
Rev. 3. ID. Beck Warns Par.
ents Of Responsibilities in
Sunday Address.

The CONGREGATION ~ Grace MethO-
dist church heard "a sermon sunday
morning on Parental Responsibility
ST. Religious Training" The Rev. 3.
T. Beck chose for his text. Eph. So.
Bring them up in the nurture and
admonition ~ the Lord some re-
cent discoveries have opened our
ewes 90 the needs of religious educa-
ton" tho pastor said. The war re-
veaied the startling fact that thou
sands OF our fighting men could
neither read nor write"
Following on the heels Of that the
survey of the Interchurch World
Movement showed that we have five
and one half million Hlterates in the
United States: we have 58.0O0,0O0
who are NOT Identified with any
church. Jewish. Catholic or Protest
ant. we have 100000 Protestant
children and youth who are not en-
rolled En- any Sunday school or other
institution for religious training
Such conditions command attention
They call for three great campaigns,
VIZ campaign or Amer!canization..
3 campaign Of adult evangelism and
q campaign OF spiritual nurture or
childhood"
Parents Responsible.
seThe parents OF children bear first
and last responsibility for the spirit
ual nurture OF the rising generation.
The church comes 10 their aid and
Supplements their work but does
take over their work. The church
Il constantly preparing itself 70 do
its training more effectively. Since
this training is brought near child
a parent is responsible for seeing that
his child gets II. Much Of the blame
for these $1,000. 600 Protestant child
rem and youth who are receiving no
religious instruction from the
churches rests upon parents VINO
have not seen 20 this
There is growing conviction
that our Sunday school training must
be supplemented By weekday reli-
e,fous instruction. Pres't Burton OF
the University Of Michigan, recently
declared that our secular education
f. doing for us what Germany's edu-
cation did for her. We must intro
duce the study Of morals into our
public education
Must Teach Religion.
Religion is the motive power Of
morals It also furnishes the ideals.
To teach morals effectively religion
must be taught Because It was
wise for the founders Of our nation
10 seDarate the church and the state,
ou~ peopIe have divorced religion
and education. Now that we see
CRYING need OF a remarriage OF cul-
tire and morals we fear any ap-
proach toward #. Numerous pro-
rressive cities have instituted sys-
TENS OF weekday religious instruc-
ton Independent Of the public
schools vet closely related 20 them.
In some instances the study periods
81 the school Of religion are held
during school hours. the children be
fnr excused for this work From the
view roint of the parent and the citi-
zeus 10 is wholly a matter Of whether
the study about the Greater OF the
world is as profitable as the study
OF the geography Of &C. or the mathe
mates of IL.
'In other instances the classes
meet after school hours. Sometimes
the classes are held In the school
buildings. sometimes outside. In
every case the school Of religion pays
Tor the building and hires its own
teachers Certainly these public
buildings could be put TO no better
use. The wholly non-denOminationa'
Character of the training would and
does remove all objection to the
plan. The parents of children share
with the citizenship of this and
every other city the responsibility OF
pupplementing what moral and re-
ligious training our children are get
ting with effective weekday train
ing. IF Icadins educators are righ
IN their diagnosis Of our malady ir