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Churches for instruction by the parish priests. Under our present disorganized and chaotic condition, both in the Churches at large and particularly in our haphazard Sunday Schools, this plan, though it would be of some advantage, will not, we venture to think, meet practical requirements. Several conferences have been held in New York City, led by the Rev. Mr. Wenner of the Grace Lutheran Church, at which Fr. McMillan of the Paulist Fathers, Eishop Greer, Rabbi Mendes, and Dr. North urged upon the Board of Education the dismissal of children on Wednesday afternoons, on written application by the parents, to attend their own Churches for religious instruction. In Illinois and Ohio, several Church parishes have for a year or more been taking advantage of similar provisions in the laws of their public schools, and in one instance quite successful weekday schools of religious instruction have been maintained.

But we can safely go somewhat farther. The school buildings are acknowledgedly the property of the citizens who have paid for their construction. This is recognized in the New York administration by the use of the schools for evening clubs, debating societies, public lectures, etc. Why would it not be feasible (and it certainly could not arouse the slightest sectarian differences) to have all children dismissed, say on Wednesday afternoons, and the school buildings themselves, with their pedagogical day-school equipment of separate rooms, desks, maps, blackboards, etc., be freely thrown open to any religious body asking a room for the establishment of a sectarian school for religious instruction in that locality of the city? There are never less than ten rooms to a school and there are several hundred schools, so that counting all religious bodies, it is practically impossible that there should be a dearth of accommodations. It might be urged that the parents of some children would not want any religious instruction given, but the statistics of the Federation of Churches have shown that so-called "atheists" scarcely average more than one to 80,000 even in New York, at least so far as putting themselves down as "atheists" when it comes to the point of record. It would not be unfair to demand that some amount of religious instruction should be given every child whose parents are enrolled under some creed. It would also be fair for the school authorities to demand that the re

ligious instruction given and paid for by the Churches should be of high educational standards under properly trained teachers, as a condition of securing rooms in a school building. This would put the responsibility clearly and fairly on the religious community. Even if the matter of school attendance on religious instruction was purely voluntary, the fact that such week-day schools were held, and children dismissed to attend them, would certainly give a marked impetus to the entire matter of religious education.

Calvary Church, New York, has for over a year conducted a week-day school of religion, containing over 100 children, meeting Wednesday afternoons after school hours. The curriculum has been strict and severe; and excellent results have been obtained. This would certainly be practicable in other cities.

QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT AND DISCUSSION.

1. What would be the detailed definite duties, in order, of your Superintendent, presuming that he "superintends"?

2. What functions are properly those of an ideal Secretary? In what ways might the fulfilment of such duties hinder the working of the School? How might the work be improved in your School? 3. What books would you suggest to your Superintendent for addition to the Library? What for teachers' use? How should the Library coöperate with the Public Libraries, when near by? How would it do to suggest book lists posted in Sunday School, of Public Library books of help and inspiration? Could not a Teachers' Circulating Library be secured among your corps by individually subscribing each to purchase one book?

4. How would a Grading Teacher aid your School?

5. What special dangers would the Examination Committee be apt to meet with? How could it avoid them?

PART VIII.

The History of Religious Education

The Source of Teaching

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