DIOCESAN SUNDAY SCHOOL ASSOCIATION.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1352, 14 June 1878, Page 3

DIOCESAN SUNDAY SCHOOL ASSOCIATION.

A meeting of the members of the above association took place last night in the College Library at eight o'clock. There were present —His Honor Judge Grc-sson, Mr T. H. Webb, Revs. H. C. M. Watson and Flaveil, and a number of teachers belonging to the association. Mr T. H. Webb occupied the chair.

An apology being made for the unavoidable absence of the Dean of Christchurcb, a paper was read on the subject of " Rewards and Punishment in Sunday Schools," by Mr W. G. Brittan. The paper contained a number of valuable suggestions, the result of a lengthened experience! in tuition, and was listened to with great attention. He deprecated the ticket system, which he would replace by reward cards, as being more efficacious. Corporal punishment was quite out of the question, but much might be done by appealing to the children's sense of ridicule, a feeling to which they wore very sensitive In extreme cases expulsion might be resorted to, but in every ca-.e ho strongly insisted on inflexibility in carrying ouL any punishment awarded for misconduct. A discussion emu d, in which Rev. 11. C. M. Watson arid Mr Gee both agreed that in some cases corporal punishment Mas admissible, though only to be resorted io in extreme caves. His Honor Judge Grcsscn dissented from the previous speakers. Corporal punishment ho thought quite opposed to the spirit of Sund-ty ei'hoob, and he would fur sooner prefer to restrain the children by kindness and persuasion, and when driven to the Li'fc extremity expulsion might be resorted to. The lit v. Mr Flare]] was strongly opposed to corporal punishment,, which he c mfcidered quite opposed to the spirit of the Go-'pc-l. Like Mr Gre, he thought consid. rahle mischief might arise from holding a child up to ridicule, it was apt to recoil upon the teacher,

and could not in any way benefit the child. That portion of the paper which recommended expulsion was worthy of attention, but it was an extreme measure which should only be resorted to in order to benefit tho rest of the school.

Mr Murphy thought it better to flog a bad boy than to run the risk by cxpulnon of turning that boy into the streets to become a worse one.

The Chairman spoke approvingly of Mr Brittan's piper, but remarked that he had seen the ticket system tried, but without any success. Children did not value them much, and the working of the system was intricate. From his own experience, he thought the simple plan of marking the number and the place of the children in the school according to the manner in which they said their lessons wis the bestthat could bo devised. In the Sunday school in which he himself taught they never prompted an imperfect child, but parsed him over. Children having the highest number of marks were moved higher up in tho school, and the three top boys or girls in the school eventually received prizes. Children behaving badly were sent down to tho lowest class. He further explained his plan, which was simple and worked well. He objected to the syst em of punishing children by keeping them from the annual treat, and he would sooner expel a child if it deserved extreme punishment. Although the necessity of such severity was to be deplored, still in the interest of the whole school it had to be resorted to. A medium step was, in some cases, to ask a child to stay away for a time, instead of resorting to absolute expulsion, lie differed entirely from the systems of rewards and punishments in Sunday schools. Children should not bo stimulated by the promise of reward, they came to the school to be taught what they are, and that they had souls to be saved. Prizes tended to make the children hypocrites, and to cause them to aim rather at reward than to become good. Children should not be taught to aim at getting earthly reward for good behaviour, but rather to look for a better reward hereafter.

Mr Brittan having replied to tho remarks that had been made by the several speakers, His Honor Judge Gresson moved, and Mr Gee seconded—" That a cordial vote of thanks be passed to Mr Brittan for his valuable paper." Tho motion was carried unanimously.

Rev. T. Flavell said that the next ordinary meeting of the association would be held in St. Luke's schoolroom, on Thursday, July 11th, when a model lesson would be given by Mr Gee. The usual quarterly meeting would be held in tho College Library, on Thursday, August Bth. The Eev. Mr Watson gave notice of motion that he would at the next general meeting of the association move—" That rule 4 be rescinded for the purpose of inserting the following ; —" That every Sunday-school on payment of half-a-crown a year shall become part of the association, and its teachers shall be enrolled as members of the association in accordance with rule 5." The Doxology being sung, and a prayer being offered up, the meeting terminated.