Evening star., 1952-11-02
The Week in Religion
By RELIGIOUS News Service


A plan for teaching moral and
spiritual values in the public
schools will be given a tryout in
San Diego. Calf, next February,
1t was announced this week.
The plan, in the process of de-
Velopment for more than a year,
was devised by the School, Com
munity Advisory Committee and
Incorporates suggestions by rep
resentative Protestant, Roman
Catholic and Jewish clergymen
who reviewed it.
Syllabus Is Prepared.
In its tryout months from Feb
ruary to June, the program will
center upon teaching about re-
ligion and upon instilling rev.
erence for God. A syllabus for
the guidance of teachers in this
work is being prepared by an
elementary and a high school
teacher and is expected to be
ready in January.
The plan was conceived as a
replacement for the released
time religious education program
dropped from San Diego schools
some time ago because of possible
legal complications and some local
objections.
Churchmen and school admin
istrators throughout the country
are expected to watch the San
Diego experiment with great in
terest. Both groups have been
searching for a formula whereby
spiritual training can be given if
public schools w 'lout sectarian-
ism which could be considered as
violating the principle of church.
state separation.
So far, few attempts have been
made to inculcate spiritual con-
ceptS directly in the public schools
as part of the regular curriculum.
The San Diego program will be
one of the first major efforts along
this line.
Experiment in Kentucky.
Kentucky schools, however. have
been conducting a unique expert
mental program since the fall of
1949 stressing moral and spiritual
values in education.
The program attempts to dis
cover moral and spiritual values
already inherent in the schools.
After these values are identified
the teachers strive to develop
them.
DR.. F. E. Lund, president of
Alabama College for Women, said
at a Birmingham, Ala, teachers
meeting this week that "a teacher
can bring a child to the threshold
of religious experience" but that
Is as far as "she may dare to go."I
Charles Taft Comments.
At the annual meeting of the
National Education Association
last summer Charles P. Taft of
Cincinnati, a noted Protestant
layman, urged non-controversial
courses in public schools stressing
God and man.
Mr.. Taft offered two specific
suggestions for increasing religion
and spiritual and moral values in
education. ......
The first was that teachers who
have personal religion" be picked
and trained. The second was that
every effort be made to secure
agreement among the major faiths
in any locality for the inclusion. !.
in non-religious courses, Of the
maximum amount of religious ma
terial of a on-controversial ma
ture.
Released-Time Program.
Mr.. Taft also advocated the re-
leased-time program Of religious
education being conducted in
many States.
Proponents of this program re-
ceived a brief shock a few weeks
ago when the attorney general of
Kansas held that public school
students in the State cannot legal
~ be released from classes for
weekday religious instruction.
The opinion was rendered after
the State superintendent of
schools asked for clarification of
Kansas law in view of the United
States Supreme Courts decision
last April that New York's re-
A~kx~Ak~k