the teaching of the meanest and poorest sect in the country. The people who call themselves Secularists, who send to us ministers stupid tracts, printed badly, on poor paper, in bad grammar, are those who have as loudly as any shouted against sectarian teaching in the public schools. Now, their doctrine is that it is possible for men to be good without God; and it is their doctrine which, by the avoidance of the name of God, is being taught in a good many public schools. There is here a loud call of the Church to exercise every endeavor to bring home, even to little children, the fundamental message of Jesus, that "there is none good save one; that is God only." But this means that the Religious Education Association is charged, through its Sunday School Department with the task of rousing everywhere a passionate determination that this Secularist poison shall spread no further, and that somehow children shall receive the great message that God must be known and loved if men would be good.

I believe that in relation to the children the churches ought, in larger number and with more efficiency, to attempt the giving of religious instruction in connection with the Bible schools on week-days. I know that some denominations already succeed in a very creditable measure in doing this. A large number of Lutheran ministers find it possible, during the holiday season as well as at other times, to gather their children for parts of one or two week days and give them sound consecutive teaching in Christian history, Christian doctrine, and the life and meaning of the Church. If this is done still more than at present, it will enable our churches to emphasize the religious side in their Sunday work. They will gather the children distinctively for worship. It will be felt, that if a child is being well taught in the history of Israel, or in the details of the life of Paul, during the week, on Sunday his attention must be fastened upon the great spiritual lessons; that his heart may worship the living God.

DISCUSSION

REV. LEMUEL CALL BARNES, D.D.

PASTOR FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS

First, the only problem which we ought to be discussing at this particular hour is "The Church's Problem of the Religious Education of Its People" through the agency of the Sunday school.

This involves, however, at the outset, the fact that the Sunday school is utterly inadequate to the religious education of the people, even the church people, to say nothing of the community as a whole. The Sunday school is not only inadequate as it is now constituted; it

will be hopelessly inadequate when it has been brought to that state of perfection toward which this Sunday School Department of the Religious Education Association is to help it to come. The live church has already at least five well-developed organs of religious education; first of all, the Christian Home; second, the Pulpit; third, the Woman's Association; fourth, the Men's League; and fifth, the Young People's Society. A number of other functions of healthy life are evolving organs for their expression. We have boys' work, girls' work, lecturecourse work, and many more kinds of religious educational work.

In the second place, therefore, our problem is so to specialize the work of the Sunday school that it shall have the clearness and sharpness of purpose, the intensity of interest, and the incisiveness of impact. which belong to a specialty. What shall be its one aim? Shall it be to impart a knowledge of the Hebrew-Christian Scriptures? The tendency to call it a Bible school perhaps points in this direction. If it tried to do nothing else, might not its religious outcome be greatest? Could we not trust that unrivaled and supernal literature to do its best work when left to itself? Is it not possible that we blunder educationally in putting many things in our one hour a week between the Holy Spirit's matchless work and the pupil's spirit? Whether all evangelistic, indoctrinating, and inspirational work, as well as all other educational work, might well be left to other organs of the church, is a real question. At any rate, even if not exclusive of other things, the one dominating specialty of the Sunday school must ultimately be the study, the actual study, of the Sacred Writings.

Third, when the purpose of the Sunday school has been clarified, the next factor in the solution of our problem will be the method of teaching. The method which has prevailed for the most part is the sermonette method. In the average Sunday school class self-activity on the part of the pupil has been at a minimum, oftener at zero. In all other educational institutions, from the kindergarten to postgraduate fellowships, the principle now mainly depended upon is "learning by doing." Instead of coming into the Sunday school last, it ought to have come into it first, because it is pre-eminently the method of Christian education, as the great Teacher himself said.

The Sunday school teachers who have been most effective have always been those who got the pupils to doing something about the lessons themselves. The simple written answers of the Bible Study Union lessons have been an immeasurable good to hundreds of pupils.

Fourth, having obtained a clear purpose and a right method, we

should be ready for the most important factor of all in the solution of our problem namely, the training of teachers.

Then should come a fifth factor; i. e., Sunday school equipment. Not one Sunday school in ten thousand at the present time has the rooms and appliances which are desirable, if the very best work is to be done.

Whatever we may think of these five factors, or of any other way of analyzing the problem, the one inspiring thing about the whole matter at the present time is the fact that we have discovered that there is a problem, a tremendous problem, awaiting solution. We have the joy of working in a situation where the best things are all in front of us, to be growingly discovered, growingly appropriated, and growingly put into fruitful service.

CLARA BANCROFT BEATLEY

PRINCIPAL OF DISCIPLES SCHOOL, CHURCH OF DISCIPLES, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

The problem of the education of the religious sentiment of the people of the Church will be solved as the Church succeeds in providing for the growing life within its care, a continuity of high spiritual influence and instruction.

The children of the Church are its most important care. In the solving of no other problem may it more truly be said, A little child shall lead them."

A forward step has been taken by churches in establishing kindergartens during the hour of church-service. The home is thus strengthened at the time of its greatest need. The formation of the stay-at-home habit, the self-centering of family life, the gradual lowering of spiritual ideals these insidious dangers are all averted by the foresight of the Church. While the children are happily cared for in the kindergarten, parents may be constant in church attendance and be helped from week to week into a growing appreciation of the home ideal.

A nursery, in some instances, accompanies the kindergarten. One may well believe that hymn and prayer, and every spoken word, will glow with new significance as the thought of the sleeping child and the happily playful child, intelligently cared for in the church nursery, suggests in quiet undertone the gospel message.

A church that secures the constant attendance of the parents of young children implants its message in willing minds and receptive hearts,— minds and hearts recently elevated and chastened by the nearness of mystery and the joy of life's richest experience. No church can afford to lose the opportunity to touch the homes thus quickened

to new consciousness of duty. The old custom of taking very young children to the church has given way to its deplorable opposite. The child is brought to the church to be christened, and may not again appear until he enters the primary department. The parents, meanwhile, unconsciously lower their standard of church attendance, appearing for service only at Christmas and at Easter, or at other convenient intervals.

The school which the church establishes should provide, through carefully chosen services, an atmosphere of reverence in which all lovely qualities take root. A graded system of instruction, presided over by trained teachers, leads the child step by step into a knowledge of his spiritual inheritance. He catches the enthusiasm for truth and service. He reaches out in loyalty to the church that has shown him the blessed way; he rejoices in the crowning experience of acknowledging his relationship.

Through the growing vision of the past, the ideal of a school associated with every church, has been constantly unfolding. Many have consecrated their lives to this ideal. There have been periods of eminent leadership and glowing attainment. It remains for the Church to provide the conditions of sustained leadership and attainment. A volunteer service becomes daily more difficult. The Church itself has created the philanthropic agencies that increase the call for volunteer workers at every hand.

Continuity of guidance, trained teachers, an established school curriculum that provides for recognition of the child's progress,- these are the great needs in the church to-day. To fulfill these needs is to inspire the confidence and loyalty of parents and secure the elements of stability and permanence essential to a successful school.

In planning for the establishment of a graded school, certain truths are evident:

1. The choice of a trained service and a graded system does not imply the failure of other methods. It recognizes the good already attained, while it seeks a higher good.

2. A trained service may be a volunteer service.

3. A trained service may be the service of such day-school teachers as have special aptitude for religious teaching - teachers whose positions are reasonably secure, through successful experience, and who welcome the Sunday class as a joy. To such teachers the compensation may give means of vacation travel, or other recreation, so that the repair of nervous energy may be equal to the demand.

4. Teachers who are insecure in their daily work, who are over

whelmed by unfavorable school conditions, who have not acquired the serenity of conscious power, or who have heavy responsibilities out of school hours, should not be urged to Sunday teaching. I infer that President Hyde has this class of teachers in mind, when he so reasonably points out the wrong of pressing day-school teachers into Sunday service.

5. Trained service, again, may be that of a mother whose contact with child-life in the home, added to a successful experience as a teacher, makes her pre-eminently a leader of the young.

6. A graded system may be introduced so gradually that the transition may occasion no disturbance.

7. Day-school methods should only be introduced as they harmonize with the spirit of the Church and clearly make for efficiency.

8. The minister, freed from the disappointments of an uncertain teaching service, touches the school at his highest spiritual power, and becomes, above all, the true preacher and prophet, ministering to the souls of his people.