The Penn's Grove record., 1923-09-21
Week Day Religious
Glasses Start Oct. 3
Rev. Depue breaches on "Shall
We Teach Our Religion to
Our Children"

ular school curriculum has drawn con-
siderable attention thruout the neigh
boring village and township, and its
successful outcome is being looked for
from every angle. Those fostering
the movement are sure of its success
and the parents of the children who
are receiving this excellent training
are awaiting the results as will be
produced in the minds of their chill
dren.
The regular Wednesday instruction
will begin on October 3rd when the
first four grades will report to their
respective Churches at nine o'clock
for a fifty minute period. The fifth to
eighth grades inclusive will receive
their instruction during the first
period in the afternoon. Following
this period the children will report to
the schools for their regular instruc-
ton.
Last Sunday morning in the Union
PRESBYTERIAN Church, of Carneys
Point, the pastor, Rev. Frank +. De
pue, preached very forceful sermon
on, "Shall we teach our religion to
our children" with his theme bearing
directly upon the great movement
which is about to envelop the commu-
nifty, bringing them face to face with
the facts concerning the religious
training. His text was from Mat
thews 1872, "And Jesus called a little
child unto Him, and set him in the
midst of them" AS this big world
movement is of such vital Importance
to every parent and Rev. Depue's SER
mon having so direct bearing upon
the movement in the community, we
present below a full report OF 1T.
The Rev. Depue said: snail we
teach our religion to our children?
You answer, Yes, most assureuiy'
But we are not doing it. Reports show
that only one-fourth of the children or
Professionalism receive definite religious
training and they on an average of only
thirty minutes per week for tnlfty 10
thirty-fve weeks per year. The state
REQUIRES one thousand hours OF every
child each year for secular education
while the Protestant Church Is giving
only fifteen to seventeen hours for feI-
gious education and that TO-DAY one
fourth of its children.
The Inter-Church World Survey of
| 1920 shows over twenty-eight and one
half millions of Protestant children
under twenty-five years of age, not en-
| rolled in any Sunday School. There
are less than half this number enrolled
in Sunday Schools. The best authori-
/ ties tell us that less than one-tenth OF
Protestant children receive effective
religious training.
| Reasons peculiar to this age have
| contributed to this unfortunate situa-
! ton.
! First, shortcut methods and speed
! ing-up processes characterize this age.
These spare not even our children. The
/ IL S1I1l pIrn
| demands of them that encroach on their
| time for home life, recreation, and So
| cial activities The intensive demands
4 made upon the child during the week
make it averse to anything that is of
| the nature of the study on the Rest
Day. Thus spiritual teaching, the
! basis of the highest moral training, is
crowded out. This is not said in con-
demnation of our Public Schools, for
they are simply the product of the
spirit of our day.
Second, the changing attitude toward
| our Rest-Day. Formerly it was day
| largely set apart for religious culture
F.: and worship. People, very largely, at
tended divine service. Today, it is too
largely given to recreation and pleas
ure People do not attend divine wor-
ship either regularly or in so large
numbers. Children who might become
. interested in our Sunday Schools do not
; become so because of their frequent
absence from home with their parents.
This Indifference of parents towards
religion and the Church can not help
but make a deep impression on their
children.
We further recognize that the Sum
day School has not impressed the pub
| lie with the importance and value of it's
work. This may be due in part to a
lack on the part of the Church to re-
alize the vital Importance of religious
education. 1t is true that the Church
has not given the time, equipment, or
money necessary to successfully carry
on this part of her work. Too often the
curriculum, management and staff of
teachers of the Sunday School do not
compare favorably with that of the
Public School. This tends to lessen
the interest of the child. 1t is very
evident that if our Sunday Schools are
to continue, it is because they shall
prove their efficiency as an educational
force. Custom or tradition are no
longer effectual as forces either to fill
our Churches or Sunday Schools.
1t is said, Sunday Schools fail to
give definite religious teaching" We
would expect that. The course is over
loaded 1t reaches only one-fourth of
our children. Thirty-f1ve half hours a
year are not sufficient under the most
lutdl llOnS, To give InOSe w no uO
attend adequate religious training. The
intervals between sessions are too long.
The child forgets the connections be-
tween lessons. Besides, we too often
put into the hands of our children PAM
phlets giving information about the
Bible, when we ought to give them the
Bible itself. How can we expect our
children to know the Bible if we do not
place it in their hands. We would not
think of teaching geography or history
in this manner.
But, after all, the Sunday School as a
religious educational institution has
rendered a great service.
Notwithstanding the many limitations
of the present Sunday School system.
it is marvellous what splendid results
it has achieved. Thousands of noble
and useful lives have received their
start and inspiration in this department
of the Church's work. We believe it
has a larger future. The Graded
Courses of Religious Instruction, put
out by the various denominations can
not help but raise the standard of it's
work. We rejoice that now there are
available for our Sunday Schools,
aonrSaS tbat command ba rasnaot and