The Penn's Grove record., 1923-09-21

a very efficient training school Of the
young in thousands Of communities. II
engages the children four or five weeks
during their summer vacation in the
highest type of religious education and
culture. Its aims are similar to the
Weekday Religious School about to be
opened in our community.
The purposes of these two types Of
religious schools designed TO supple
ment the work of the present Sunday
School are:
First to give religion its rightful
place in the whole plan of the child's
development and education and so in
sure it's presence as a working princi-
pie in later life and character.
Second. to secure for the teaching Of
religion, educational standards. com
manding the respect of the pupil and
on a par with the phases of education.
Third, to bring under the influence
Of religious instruction many who are
at present untouched by the agencies
Of religious bodies.
Fourth to secure the time and fire.
auency necessary to give to the child
such religious information as may seem
necessary to secure for the child re-
Iigious experience during his school
life that may be as definite and real as
other experiences of that period.
Teaching religion was in earlier days,
given in the home the Church. and the
school. Today the home negleets it,
the school can not give it, and the
Church gives it only in part That
which is most essential for right 1iv-
ing. has very limited place in our
present school order. It is apparent
therefore, to those interested in the
training of the young that something
more must be done.
Religious knowledge and training for
Christian living are the rightful heri-
tage of every child. To keep it from
them it to deprive them of the best aid
and fitness for right living and true
service 1t prepares for the life that
now is and that which is to come.
The teaching of the Christian Reli-
gion is the peculiar duty of the Chris
tian Church. She is the custodian and
divinely appointed teacher of a reli-
gious literature. the Sacred Scriptures.
The State can not do this. Religion is
matter of conscience. To teach reli-
gon is to teach some kind of religion.
To do this is to infringe upon the con-
science of some. This the State must
| not do. Freedom of conscience is a
/ fundamental principle of our natural
life. In this every lover of liberty re-
/ ioices. 1t prevents oppression by a rul-
/ ing class and secures to each person
/ freedom of worship, Separation of
/ Church and State; therefore results in
1 the separation of the teaching of secu-
/ lar and religious knowledge. The Pub
/ lie School curriculum is forced therefor
to omit an essential subject.
To train a people in secular knowl-
/ edge only, is to produce secular citi-
zenship. and this at the time when the
/ cry is heard everywhere for the adop.
! on of Christian ideals We can not
hope to maintain the Christian stan.
dards woven into our present civiliza-
i ton, much less introduce those higher
/ ideals which will bring peace and
unity to the waring classes and nations
unless we train a generation who will
practice the precepts of our Christian
Religion The hope of a better future
rests largely on the work of the
| Church School. 1t is the Church thai
must save the State.