SUNDAY SCHOOLS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18512, 24 March 1922, Page 3

SUNDAY SCHOOLS

DIOCESAN TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION. The Diocesan Sunday School Teachers’ Association held a conference yesterday, tho proceedings commencing at 8 o’clock in St. Paul’s Cathedral, when Holy Communion was celebrated, the Bishop officiating. The attendance was good. At 10.50 a.tn. a demonstration of kindergarten methods was given at St. Andrew s I Presbyterian) Sunday School by Miss Low with her class and assistants, Misses Graham and Allen. A largo number of -the teachers took advantage of the >m Ration and great interest was manifested. Later, the members of the association were shown over the building by the directress, Miss Findlay, and the system of working tho school was explained in detail. Warm expressions of thanks were voiced, all obviously feeling that the morning had been far from ill-spent. In the afternoon there was an Intercession Service at St. Peter’s, Caversham, conducted by the Rev. W. Uphill. An adjournment was made to the hall, where the Rev. H.“ 0. Fenton gave a very interesting account of tho S. Sulpin system of Catechism. In, tho evening an Intercession Service took place in the Cathedral, conducted by the Rev. C. H. Ritchie. This was followed by tho conference, in the crypt, to which a general invitation had been issued. The attendance was fairly numerous, and included among those present wore prominent Sunday school workers of other donominations. The chairman of tho conthe Rev. J. 11. Rogers, occupied the chair. The chief business was the delivery of two interesting lectures, by the Rev. Mr Ritchie and Mr John Reid. Mr Ritchie, in tho first place, mentioned that tho Church was differently placed with regard to the training of teachers from ordinary educational work. The State had an elaborate system of training teachers, the result being that teachers became specialists in education. With regard to the Church, however, the teachers were merely a body of voluntary workers. Still, tho responsibility waa the same. From the fact, however, that Sunday School teachers were not specialists there was a lack of realisation of the responsibility of the position. Teachers must not look upon themselves as merely taking a class on Sunday: they must educate themselves for the work they had to do. Mr Ritchie gave some practical illustrations of the necessity of having knowledge of the Bible, and tho conditions of the times to which the various books belonged, _ and, in a plain and manner, pointed tho way to a higher ideal in preparation. He also stressed the fact that from the Christian standpoint there was a great difference between the Old and New Testaments. Teachers must us every means possible to bo equal to the presentation of Bible truths, so that they would remain in the children's minds. Having thus dealt with the intellectual responsibility, he proceeded to deal with that of inculcating moral and spiritual truth. The individuality of the child counted tremendously. The opportunity was presented to every teacher 'to influence each individual soul, and this was only to be achieved by an understanding of each. In conclusion, Mr Ritchie said that the taking of a Sunday school class did not mean only 45 minutes every Sunday afternoon. Teachers had to bo a friend of each of their children, and_ the responsibility followed the whole daily life of each. Further, 1 it was not enough to teach children about Christ; they must form Christ in the child, and to that end they must have Christ in themselves. If Christ were in them, He would express himself to the children through them. Mr Reid spoke on “Sunday School Development in the Light of Child Psychology.” At the outset, he said, teachers must read some books on child psychology. The Bible was not sufficient in itself for the needs of the Sunday school teachers. For this reason, he took it for granted that those present did have a certain amount of knowledge of child psychology. Ho condemned the system of crowcliilg children together, and spoke of grading, emphasising tho necessity of “atmosphere.” It was not the sermon that counted; it was tho atmosphere. The child could not be dealt with in the mass. Tho school must bo decentralised into suitable department* and the children dealt with one by one. They would only fulfil tho Spirit of the Master, the CQnnnand “Feed My .Lambs,” by the grading of both scholars and teachers. Mr Reid strongly advocated tho getting of teachers while they were still young. That, he said, had been largely the secret of success of 'the St. Andrew’s Sunday School. Then, too. they must have trained leaders. The young teachers must realise that they had much to learn, and a class for teachers was essential. Teachers must set themselves to “grow,” and they must be continually growing. By numerous illustra*uul/, many highly comic, Mr Reid showed the need for a clear idea of the individual scholar, an understanding of his mind and point of view, and so lead on to tho desirableness and the necessity of giving each the food he needed. The study of child na riu , e called aloud for graded teachers, children, and graded buildings. The meeting was afterwards thrown open for general discussion, and several questions were put, chiefly regarding the difficulty of dealing with the schools in small charges. The proceedings were closed with tee singing of the “Doxology” and the pronouncement of the “Benediction.”