Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-22
URGES RELIGIOUS
STUDY IN SCHOOLS
New Highlander Finds No
Merit in Sectarian Teach
ing on Pupils Time.

Addressing the group "B meeting
Of the department Of superintendent
at the First Congregational Church
this afternoon, Henry Noble Sher-
wood, State Superintendent Of Public
instruction. Indiana polls, Ind. de
clared learning alone will not build
a technique adequate for the problems
of any generation"
Mr.. Sherwood said: We must have
an intelligence established on faith.
built in prayer and nourished by good
will. Church and state should CO.
operate in this matter Of religious
education. Every room should be
well constructed. Immediately kept
and artistically decorated. Another
factor which the State can contribute
is the teacher. She could be identified
with one or more organizations whose
purpose is to build character.
The most important organization
of this kind is the church. A teacher
should be sufficiently active in the
community in moral and religious
work that her aims and ideals along
these lines are obvious TO any observ.
ing citizen.
Effective Teaching.
This makes possible the most eff
fective teaching in the World-teac CHI
ing by example. Religion is taught as
well as caught. American childres
will receive their inheritance The
outlook for this joyful contamination
is reassuring. We are training sDir!t-
ual minutemen for the cause of re-
igious education. The signal fires for
mighty effort are burning spir-
itual renaissance is imminent
Charles :. Meek. superintendent Of
schools, Toledo, Ohio. and Ernest w
Butterfield, State commissioner Of
education, Concord. y. H, also spoke
Mr.. Butterfeld declared ANY plan
for sectarian instruction on school
time is but new form of the old
experiment Of state-enforced religion.
AS Nation, we are attempting, not
too successfully. to make our people
dry by law. The plan OF week-dsS
religious instruction on school time
would try to make our children right.
eous by formula.
Formal instruction in religion does
not produce character. Different de-
nominations have maintained in
America parochial schools for MANY
years, and no evidence has ever beer
presented to show that the graduates
of these schools with formal religious
instruction are more faithful, con
sclenuous, industrious men and
men or more patriotic. law-abiding
citizens than the graduates Of the pub
lie schools.
Here is the weakness of the whole
argument of theology on school time.
NO amount of theology. given or
IA hours per week in sacerdotal
environment, will produce anything
but sectarian ideals and intellectual
concepts. If we want theology. we
must teach theology. II we want
character, we must train for char
acter. There is no general transfer
The skills are in separate psychic
fields
When we careIessly speak of re-
hgIon in the schools, do we mean the
religion of belief? It's teaching is the
great duty of church and home. Do
we rather mean the religion of be
haVlor? This has been taught in tho
American public schools for many
many years. 1t is taught by devotion
10 the school subjects. 1t is taught BY
the imitation of devoted teachers
FROM the beginning it has been ono
OF the chief aims of public education