THE EVENING SITTING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 118, 11 February 1908, Page 9

THE EVENING SITTING.

MODERN METHODS OF SUNDAY SCHOOL WORK. ADDRESSES BV EDUCATIONAL rXPERTS. ' ' "' Tho evening sitting, "whicii /was 'Held at tho ! Congregational Church, .Newtown, was devoted to addresses.by .Mr. G. Ilogben, M.A., Inspector-Gehoral of Thiols,.,.and;Mr? Wil-liam-iGray,' M;A.,' Principal "of tho'.Traiiiihg .Collego, :: '."on " Modern 1 . Methods'of*' Sunday, School ..W;ork." \ During tho evening* an oxeellent choir ' rendered -anthems, and at tho, •conclusion .slipper was , dispensed ; in : the schoolrobm. "... - . ; MFIiiHOOBEN'S ADDRESS;

Mr. Hogbon prefaced- hu remarks by quofc ing-;what';-.lie hinis'olf'considered 'to- 100 one; df ■the-best- definition's!: of 'education, he liad ever. :sedn. : r' ;,'';Ediicatidnj! , j;said .tho writer; '' may' lib .v.iowed from three standpoints. Tlinrn is -tlid child, tho- being, to bo -cducatod... Viewed--1 froni' that side, education ls-developnient or ■ovolutidn: .'^Wheir;cbnsidercd : from, the standr' lioiutiof. knowledge, -education ,is t lie acquisi■lllo^'bf .a'.certain...body-of facts 'that tradition, considers;'neoessary.- 'Hut! we'can. thijik of. an-individiiar pnly;'as' "rolated to tho people., -with I ''whom /lift - live'3,arid consequently; tho socialpoint of ;view.r:bccomes. proiiiinent. A iiiarrow;. .'.jjomt'-.'bf} yicw -nith'ircgard to .this. Considers '.education • to ~be -.preparatioiiv for, • the •;&opialf relntionßliips only/. No of theto 'Vjiews-; is ; 'adequato" in itself. - The ' broader .ineaninK.; of;-sducation J includes all; -laying 'stress,-however,• biV•'tho"social sidol 1 "Education involves (the development of the natural powers; of ;thp : ,individual and : the acquisitionof J.knowlpdg'ei . so -thati. ho (iiiay Ibecomo :ad!j\istcd to.the ideals towards whioh society;,is,, moviiig. ,'i Social, efficiency is, therefore, tlio : : : Kest,;dxpres3.ibn,of.,our 'goal,;emphasising the -c^jpacity^!tp, f clb;;jas ; wells Jijiow;" ■It : might ..be^',added,' said .Mr/,. Hogben/- that - ill-; .asniuch ..as thoir .'ideal society-, was- the- King,dom of-God, the ideals -to,which., they wished" ' tb; see;' 'their, children adapted, -in their nat■jiiraKdevplopmentj and iii their acquisition of knowledgb, ',',-;\vere ; those jde'als: which v ;wer,6 : characteristic of the Kingdom' of"- Qml. "Tho, dovelopihent of tho moral character 'was tho .funda«ic'iit(il y eL.ffliiqatiou.i.diKi, )'<? - would,; add; ! ;tlie oharaoijer) .jvolved;in 'thoibjroador conception;^fntfe«v,wpr(l 0 ! : c - mornl/'/l/ lii -'spite of- tho- fact:.'that;'their.-1 I'.schdpls Iwpfo.jjiopularly called-, " secular,", hn /^aa-^; p.f'opihioii'-.... thati:;-; thib fundamental constantly.^^.pr'es'ent';to"fh'o :mintl ''of • and thoughtful -tcaclior.' ,'lle';ligipn,'iaiid.(ch.anicter werp so intimately, re:: .'latedHKat niari's religion-miglit bo. said to; jConstitiiio' the key to his charactor, and his 'character was tho best, index to his religion.-,

Religious Instruction■ In-Schools;; Speaking as a privato citizen, not. as In-spcctor-Genoral:. of. Schools, Mr. • Hogbon agi ccc V.. if;, tliey .wero :logioal,: they, shbuld . :no : mora •. exclude. from ..their public'- school I system,-tho,'teaching: bf . elementary. 'religious, j • idiia's ;thah should, exclude tlio teaching (of!■ arithmetic or.', Hjstory/'■£Any, attempt'to,] 'teach'. _f prniijl' and., distinctive. religious, dogmas; •tochildren;.' qf; tender;, years,; howeveryhe. would.consideu to..be an egregious educational. , blunder. '(JJhi Wli'qpd; was' a part of lifo, with ■.its jown' experiences,"powers,;; thoughts,joys,' only; a preparation; for 'adult-:Jifo' jn..the.'sojiso that it : was;the,'first; 'fitagfe .hi-.a. process, pf 'dovGlopmont. qf . winch manhood, and womanhood vtfas 1 the . later' .stage.;!;; Therefore- they should not import into childhood, or the education of 'the'child, roxpononces and ideas,foreign, to that stager-It-was obvious, ho went 011 to say, that tho '.teaching of the public , school, ; should .bo (supplemented .by tho teaching of the. home aiid-of; the : Sunaay : .School., ; , The Functions of; the Sunday School. i.'Tho'.Sunday Schools in'New'Zoalnnd -at tho'presejit 'day.-.wnujd .seem'tq; havo-two main" .To supplement'tho-workof tho p'ublic v ßchool, by .giving Elementary 'religious; including a knowledge;of' stiit-ahi-•' ■portions; of: the- Bible ;•• and ;(2): to. supploniant l tho religious teaching of the homo, mid,bring the child's' homo .-lifo and experiences into 'closer, relation with the church;.- Referring to" ;ths historical ;and .scicntific which must ! inoV|itably be interpreted and enlarged by-tho" ;perceptions .and' oxpon'onces" of mankind v in; the, tpachingrof' religion, the' speaker ! "said. Jtha't';, they.,; could >mot• entirely ' escape from-: 'dogma, and -ho -suggested; what 1 might bo con- 5 sidercd' siiitablo'dogmas for .children:— , ; ' (1) The . Immanence 'of, God 'in • visible nature;- based on 'experience of-the:order.a'nd 'beauty, of, the Universe, .-leading to .the; con-, 'elusion that- • •■ •; "'All are but parts of a stupendous wholo,' ; ' '";.;\yhose3 body- Nature'.'isy and ' God tho ;.;souli"p -v■■■■■■ • ; ;('2i), Tho: Inimanenco of God in history, as [shown; by tho'asCeiit of man from lower: form's alwl lower conditions. ''>'(3) ';-Tho tFatho'rhood .' of . God,- based on: 'analogy from tho; b'est ; that' wo know 'iiv human lifo, ranging'-From a mother's love to tho.self-sacrifico of Christ, withsonship'as' a■ cpmpleniiiiitary.'tnitli. 1 ir ,."[' ' ;'/(4) 'rho' Brotherhood;of Mail, and its corollaries, 'including: tho' Golden Rule as the' '■general:- statement .of tho 'duties implied in ;| human brotherhood. ' ■■ : v; / ' : '

Tho Teachers. . !v ; -:>Vith .regard to tho teachers. themselves, Mr. Hogbtiu consiUefpa 4 • that; these sh'ould.'.boas - .carefully "trained as •: the State/ schoolteachers, and if training classes could not bo prganisod then there should. bo regular conferences, at; which methods might bo discussed. The teacher's practico should bo based :upon a careful observation of- child •nature.; ho should have clear ideas as to the aims-of tho relifiidUsVEducation of tile child;' .ehdulesson should..have.' a. definito purpose; tho teacher should-Ij'o freo, within the limits of. conformity to.a general, schpme, to chooso liis own subject;.'ho should keep'up''to'date mid carefully'prepard his .loSsons boforehand. .Mr. Hogben stated that ho did not approVo of 'tho -International Lessons,'- and he ns strongly disapproved of: competitive examinations .in-liiblo. knowledge. '.Those had, no doubt,partly succeeded in their purpose, biit' .they; lnicl ..no part .in the. development of tho child's powers, The child .developed host through work,tluit appealed to his interestThere should.also he.some-nature study,.although thy aim ■ oi. this branch oT,. teaching in' the Sunday School differed somewhat from .that, of tho day school. The purpose of, tho day school teacher , was to'develop by studios in nature habits of. sciontifio observation-and-thought.. ln : tho Sunday School, such teach'ing should lead,. b,v ; 3uceessivo. stages, to h realisation . of (iod'. in nature. ; Beginning with;.inanim.ato nature, they might go'tin to, plants and animal life; then man from sav-'

agedom to tlio higher oivilisation, and so on to Christ himself. Biblo stories should bo dramatically represented, and pictures, drawings on the black-board, note-books should all enter into tho general scheme of instruction, which should bo made as' real and interesting as possible. Tlio speaker concluded his addross by mentioning several text-book's which might ho. used with, advantago by Sunday School, teachers. REMARKS BY MR. CRAY. . Mr. Wm. Gray, Principal of the Training College, said that life itself was made tip of' certain, stages, _ each one completo in'itself; In the education of the child it was essential to know tlio individual, and success lay in the recognition of this principle, ami ih- the ability to supply the child's needs at each period of its development. Referring to religious teaching'to children, bo thought tbo.'day'was coming when a-confercnco'on this important-question would not only be consideredf advisable, it would bo possible. I'V the present, however,, there was need for reform in 'teaching niothods aiid ideals.' In giving lessons, every 'effort should bo inado ,to make' that lesson a concrete and living roality;, ovciry device should be made use of. to bring tho subjects under review actually-before the eves of tlio children. And not, only that,- but to approach tho subject by, avenues:"of, reasoning, based upon tho child's own! experience in the'world, as lie knew it: "Lumber''teaching'"—and by that ' he: meant -tho aggregation of a ,'uiass of in-formation-which-tlie child mipht find of uso at- a later -stage "of,his' ■ life—should ' be avoided, Ho,' tho' speaker, did not. wish it to ,be understood that ho disapproved of 'memory/ work. 1 ' A"certain amount, of that was inevitable. ,

Cutting; Prfnoiple.' .... *. ■ ' The . guiding ■ principle ;of their teaching should be to .afford. sucli;instruction as the child would apply immediately;'afterwards, thereby/impressi'ng it upon'riis/iheniory.' Tlio child should-have a vital interest'iii,' ; and an intimate, association ivith", the subject'of the -lesson. : He: should handle' it,"- examjno it, , and-'.understand it in'-the light'of hisown experience. The speaker agreed with Mr. .Hogben in tho statement that'the-" inter; national lessons" 'had solved'their ."purpose. There was, ' in' the education' of tho child, .what was known as. the- point of. cpntact.' The point of contact was reached wlion a perfect understanding 'between tho.'child : aiid his teacher had been 'established. To arrive : at this stage,, .said Mr Gray,. the teacher must-know the natiiro'of tho individual. Ho must has familiar with the child's okperiehco pi, Kfe, and capable of• presenting an' Entirely new subject in such a wayi an'd'illtistrated' by such analogies as tho child iVris" intimately. - acquainted with, that' his interest is awakened and' his co-operation 'seciii'ed.