RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Evening Star, Issue 22893, 26 February 1938, Page 6

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

[By Forward.l

«“ We are coming to see that no sacrifice is too deep and no expense too groat tor the winning of our youth to Christ and building them up in Christ.” OTAGO SCHOOL OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION. A copy of the calendar for 1938 has been received. The school will open on March 15 with a public lecture. As in past years the courses offering are;— Biblical, departmental, and general. Biblical courses include Old and New Testament studies. Departmental methods include the primary and tho junior departments of the Church School'and leadership in young people's work. General courses for this term are: Principles of moral and religious education, organisation and administration of religious education, religious instruction in State schools, and basic facts of pur faith. Intending students should watch for advertisements in this paper for further information. HOW TO APPEAL TO PROSPEC- . TIVE TEACHERS. Dr A. C. Crews tells somewhere of meeting a superintendent who described his method of getting new teachers. This man spoko to a capable woman and asked her to take a class. “ Oh, no,” she replied, “I couldn’t think of doing anything of the sort, for my time is alf taken up.’ l “ But,” persisted the superintendent, “ will you make the matter a subject of prayer?” To this tho lady agreed. About a week later the superintendent met her again, and remarked: ‘‘That class is still waiting for you.”- “ All right,” she answered, “ I will take it next Sunday.” Many another superintendent would discover that his teacher-finding problem was lightened if ho would follow the method of this superintendent. A certain judge whom the superintendent had Jong been trying to get to take a class of boys, and who was admirably fitted for the work, always pleaded that he was too busy. So the superintendent said to the boys: “Of course, you will want to select your own teacher, but to help you I am giving you the names of three men, any one of whom would make you a good teacher. You may think of someone else you prefer, but these names will be a start.” The boys chose the judge. The superintendent made no comment, except to say he was sure they would like him very much. “ You ask him if he will accept,” the boys urged. “ No,” said the superintendent. You go and ask him yourselves. You are the fellows he will have to work with.” The class sent a committee of three to interview the judge. Boys who were iu trouble of some kind often came to his house, so when they entered the room he asked naturally; “ Well, boys, and what’s your trouble?” “We haven’t any trouble,” they told him. ‘ We just want you to teach our Sunday school class.”, “ Teach your Sunday school class! 1 haven’t time for anything like that.” They presented their arguments in their own way. Finally the judge said: “ I’ll think it o“ver, boys.” “We aro in no hurry,” they assured him. “ We’ll wait till you decide.” The upshot of the matter was that before they left the judge had promised to go on a hike with them during the week, and to try out tho class the following Sunday. The superintendent accidentally (?) met the judge during the week after that trial Sunday. “ I’m surely sorry,” he remarked, “ that you cannot find the time to go with that class of boys. They have taken quite a shine to you.” “ Give up those boys!”-exclaimed the judge. “ Why, I’d give up my seat on the bench first!” Alnmst everyone has read ‘ Tom Sawyer,’ and will _ remember the episode about the whitewashing of a certain fence. You recall how the canny Tom not only got others to do the work, but had them pay him lor. the privilege of doing it. In other words, Toni, by lus method of conducting the transaction, made whitewashing seem a highly desirable recreation. This episode might aptly serve as a guide for superintendents desirous of building up the teaching force. To coax a person to teach, to state what a great favour that individual would be doing the Sunday school by acting in that capacity, is to assume decidedly the wrong attitude. The opportunity to teach should be made a privilege. Tho superintendent should invite people to do so, _ inferring that it is because of their fitness for the work that he feels justified in proffering them the opportunity. . •?*? fe ac h is a privilege. Tho responsibilities of the Sunday school teacher aro greater than those of the week-day teacher, but the opportunities for good aro tremendous. Imbued with these facts, any conscientious superintendent cannot only impress upon a prospective teacher the importance of the work, but can raise the standards of his teaching force. A successful superintendent said he used to approach prospective teachers with the plea that the work would be easy. One day, however, he drove out to his brother’s farm when the family were picking chickens. His brother came up with a dozen broilers ready for pinfeathering. His three little girls were paid a small sum for this work, and they were instantly upon their father, exclaiming: “ Oh, give me the hardest one! Oh, I’ve got the hardest one!” And the youngest exclaimed in triumph“l’ve got the best! Mine •has 50 million pinfeathers.” The superintendent asked his brother what possessed those children to beg for the hardest job. “ They like to see that they’re accomplishing something,” was the reply. “ It was sound psychology,” said the superintendent, “ and I adapted it to getting teachers. Ino longer approach a prospective teacher with tho plea that the job I want her to take is easy. I tell her squarely that teaching a Sunday school class is no snap, that it calls for the best in her, but that nothing offers a better opportunity for accomplishing something worth while. The new plan not only works, hut I get better teachers than when I used the argument that anybody could teach a Sunday school class.” IT STANDS THE TEST. Tho first objective of Christian religious education is the development of a consciousness of God as a reality in human experience and a sense of personal relationship to Him. The second objective is the development of such an understanding and appreciation of tho personality, life, and teaching of Jesus as will lead to experience of Him as Saviour and Lord, loyalty to Him and His cause, and manifest itself in daily life and conduct. Then follow in’ these objectives—development of Christ-liko character, participation in jthq huildinft of a Christian, social cftderjj

active participation in th© Christian church, assimilation of the best religious experiences of the race as recorded in tlie Bible, and development of a Christian philosophy of life. It is fair to ask whether or not the Christian philosophy of life, based on the teachings of Jesus, and. accepted and consistently followed by His disciples, actually stands the acid tests of the trials and experiences of life. This question is particularly apt at this time when persons of all classes, rich and poor, high and low, throughout the world have undergone the severest tests of life experience incident to the world-wide economic depression. In other words, docs the Christian philosophy of life work? Does it stdnd the test? We are too close to those experiences to use illustrations, for to do so wo would have to make reference to persons now living whom wo know accept and scrupulously follow the Christian philosophy of life, and who have experienced the severest trials and tests of this way of life. Any one who has observed and noted carefully the experiences and reactions of those who are genuinely Christian in their philosophy of life must have observed that these principles do stand the test. Such persons are not the ones who have committed suicide or who have completely broken down and given up. They are those whose faith is fixed on God, and who know that if they consistently seek to follow His will they will enjoy the richest spiritual blessings revealed only to those who communa with Him. Those whose reliance is entirely on themselves and material things fail even when they seem to succeed, while those who accept and follow the teachings of the Master win triumphantly even when, judged hy a materialistic philosophy, they seem to have failed. One who follows the Christian philosophy of life has been beautifully, though only partially, described as; One who never turned Ms hack, But marched breast forward, Never doubted clouds would break, Never dreamed though right were worsted. Wrong would triumph. Who held wo sink to rise, Are baffled to find better, gieep to wake,,