RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Evening Star, Issue 22442, 12 September 1936, Page 6

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

[By Forward.]

‘S.S. PROGRESS.’ The first number of volume 15 of the ‘ S.S. Progress ’ has come to hand from the publisher, Mr A. H. Reed. With this number is incorporated ‘ Problems and Achievements,’ previously published as a separate magazine by Mr A. W. Reed, Wellington, tvho now becomes joint editor of ‘ S.S. Progress.’ Readers are asked for contributions of news as to plans, adopted in their schools or means of overcoming some of the problems of their work. This issue contains articles' discussing such subjects as ‘ Sunday 7 School Problems,’ ‘ The Training Class,’ 1 Discipline,’ 'Grading a One-room School,’ and others, all of which are of value to S.S. workers. . HOW THE HOMES MIGHT HELP. Schools might receive, to begin with, assistance along five lines ir—1. Attendance.—The child must be sent regularly to the Sunday school session. In times of bad weather or other discouragements, the home must take the school’s side of the question .and help in maintaining a high rate of attendance for the quarter. Parents must forgo week-end plans that involve a break ■ in their children’s religious studies, a • Discipline.—The authority of the teacher and the school must be faithfully * supported, even where points are reserved to 'be discussed later, perhaps with some warmth, with the teacher or the superintendent. No school can do much for a child who has caught from his parents on attitude of rebellion, contempt, or even indifference towards its representatives. When the school sends home, as it should, a report card to be inspected, signed, and returned, this| should meet with all the respect that is given to similar cards from the day school. 3. Focilitation.—Meal hours at hme and other regulations of daily living are now usually made to conform to the children’s school tasks and hours. Vacations close in time for attendance at school on the opening day. The little ones are restrained from interference with school materials or study hours. Exactly the same deference should be paid to requirements from the Sunday school. 4. Sympathy.—When children are given tasks arouse their interest and challenge their powers and the home’s resources, the parents should sustain this interest with earnest co-operation, attend pageants and exhibits, and so lend moral support to the Sunday school. 5. Financial Support.—Whatever system is followed in maintaining the Sunday school’s work on a high plane of efficiency through adequate budgeting, wise parents welcome the call to bear their share. They also help to raise whatever proportion of the local amount is contributed to those overhead organisations’. denominational and community, that ensure to the local work continued progress towards higher standards. Further, to extend the programme into the home, the school needs:— 6. Academic assistance to the pupils in lesson study, so far as is practicable, with encouragement to the compietion and skilful elaboration of the Sunday school tasks: ■ 7. Habit-forming Assistance. —As the school, department, and class take up some habit, like church-going, for continued emphasis,, practice, and attainment of a sense of value by the pupils, so that the control, beginning as a mere habit, may deepen into principle the helping ' home unites with the school: in ..maintaining regularity of observance:■and in, clearing away whatever might. break continuity and weaken the habit’s hold on mind, heart, and life; Beyond these other services of educational value to the “project of religious education for the boy or’ the girl. If the home will, but do its part in helping the Sunday school teacher, the Spirit will soon reveal “ greater things than these.” And when school and home give ip each other

value -for value, both - services.. wiH gain. MAKING CHARACTERS LIVE. Whin you have chosen your story and thought out your character how will you make him live? How will you “make others see what you see and touch, their minds with the live coal from the glowing altar of your imaginatLnn ? la some way you must make your hearers believe in your characters and have some sympathy with them; otherwise your story will fail to interest and grip and teach. Dress is always a very present help. You give the tired mind and the sluggish imagination something to lay hold upon. “ A certain (nan ”■ has not interest for anyone. But “ a tall man in a fur-trimmed purple robe with a headeloth the colour of“pala amethyst,” has begun to live. It is not necessary that you should, cuter into too much detail. In many, cases 'it is better that you should not.. Listen to Matthew. “ John himself had his raiment of camel’s hair and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey.” Twentythree words and a perfect portrait,' .You have not only the outward. appearance of the man.' but the inward spirit and the, attitude of his, soul are laid bare. AX OSLO. “I am sitting in the convention.had of the W orld Sunday School at Osl® waiting to hear Dr Kagawa. The hal] is buzzing with enthusiasm to hear thik wonderful man. This is the twelfth; convention which is held every fone years in different parts of the world, tha last being held at Rio de Janeiro, ip South . America. There are five invitations for the next, in 1940. Here wa have 48 different countries. represented and nearly 3,000 delegates. Never be* fore has there been held such a repre-j tentative meeting in all the world, hop even the League of Nations—we hava nations that aro not in the : League., This is" the fourth day (July 9) of tha convention, and we have had some wonderful meetings. I' left London lasij Friday in the evening, by way of Harwich, to Denmark, arriving at Esbjergin, Denmark, on Saturday, and thea Eroceeded across that country to Co penagen. On this portion of the journey] I met the Rev. W. J. Law, of Korea, He was happy when he found someone who could speak English, and he came and stayed at the same hotel in Copenhagen. He is a minister in Seoul; Ha wishes to stay in Palestine for a while on his way home, but he will be disappointed,. because all. tourist traffic is stopped in that country. He stayed in Copenhagen all the next day.. I came on to Oslo by train, and on this train I met Dr Sherer, from Syria, who introduced me to Dr M'Laughlen. .fromj Cairo, and the Rev. Warty Bonlus, from Egypt, and we joined the party of Sir Harold Macintosh; It-took 13 hours in the train, and we had a wonderful time—a real league of nations. Some Norwegians joined in, and wa had a sing-song of hymns during tha latter end of the journey. We arrived in Oslo on Sunday evening. A very interesting part of the journey was tha crossing of the Baltic Sea from Denmark to Sweden. We did not have ta leave the carriage once. They took portion of the train across in a ferry. Meals on the train are excellent, especially the strawberries. u I have been the guest of aNorwegian, who is a missionary in Finmark, the very furthest portion of Norway, among the Laplanders. He showed ma all around the city and took meta lunch, where I had a wonderful meal of fresh salmon and strawberries. . Ha is very interesting to talk to, and want* me to* go back-with him. He is leaving on Sunday for, the land of the midnight .sun. .. , . , “ Kagawa’s meetings were a great success. He spoke to the Youth (imm cil; of which. I am a. member, in tfe< afternoon. There are 15 nations repre* sented on this Youth Council, the mem< bers of which are between the ages ot 18 and 25. and we have had some wonderful discussions. “ I was in the circle group with Dr Howard, of Chile, who revealed sotn< wonderful truths about South America, He was born in Argentine of British parents, and is very sociable. I was the only Australian at this council, and 1 have been asked to go to a conferenc* in Geneva on youth work.”—-Extractj from Mr B. J. Burton’s . letter ii ‘ Front Line.’ r.