Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-06-22

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Modoc, S. C..
Sunday School as Prime Need.
at is estimated by competent au-
thorities that there are 668,34O chill
dren in South Carolina who are re-
ceiving no religious instruction what
ever. In the South as whole: there
are reported to be 14,251,s75 chill
dren totally neglected in this regard" !"
so DR.. Wilson Gee, professor of ru-
raj social science at the University OF
South Carolina, write in the fore
word for "The Rural Sunday School," !"
lhte most recent bulletin to be pub
Ilished by the university.
'The rural Sunday School," DR..
Gee points out, "is the institution in
South Carolina which ministers to
the religious instruction of the young
people of the state. Anything which
tends to make it more efficient in its
work constitutes a real service to
our citizenship" The bulletin, en-
bodying as it does, the result Of care
full study into rural Sunday school
conditions, is the work of G. E. Keep
|ley and was submitted by him as his
! master of arts thesis in the depart
ment of rural social science at the
university.
Fosters Religious Life.
The purpose of the rural Sunday
school in the community, Mr.. Kepley
thinks, is to foster religious life.
taThere are other agencies" he says,
"to entertain people and to minister
to their social needs; there are means
provided for the secular education
of the children but there is only one
universally recognized Institution en-.
gagged in the spiritual training OF
children. This institution is the Sun
day school. 1t exists for the purpose
of training and fostering religious
life. If it fails in this it has failed
in everything. The real test of the
Sunday school is whether it produces
spiritual life. in it's community"
Secondary aims, listed in the bull
letin as goals which the rural Sunday
school should attain, include; the
training of rural and other leaders,
promotion of cooperation. "The great
est rural problem, perhaps" Mr..
Kepley finds in making his research
for his thesis, "is that of leadership
and there is no better training for
leadership than religious training. Je'-
sus alone possesses those qualities
that make men great. His teachings
furnish the basis for harmonious,
constructive community life"
School of Cooperation.
Much of the progress made recent
ly in the building up of better rural
communities, in the making of rural
life, broader and more pleasureful,
is to be traced, Mr.. Kepley thinks, to
the influence and work of the rural
Sunday schools. "Little bands of Sun
day school workers." he says, shave
been the means of bringing together
the rural people and thereby laying
the foundation stones on which great
communities have been developed.
Much of the rural cooperation in
scientific farming and road building
can be traced back to the influence
of the Sunday school,"
A history of the Sunday school
movement and a minute survey of
the organization and needs of the ru-
raj Sunday school make up the great
er part of the bulletin, which, DR..
Wilson Gee thinks, will be found of
benefit to "every rural Sunday school
superintendent and teacher as well
as every country PASTOR" The bull
lletin is distributed free of charge by
the university extension department.
The State.
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