THE CHURCHES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14393, 7 January 1911, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE CHURCHES.

A NEW OFFICE. "DIKiiCXOIIS OF EDUCATION.*' Ia tho .Evolution of church. vui something I.no u new proieatuou teuws to have vniuigeu. it i* tuc tioii ot worn umigua to u "dneetur ol' education." bu tar tue sp«ciiio title

by wuiuu tlua waiter may bu kir/tvu luis not oeen determined upon; out the root tuut aur.ng tlJ<3 past year or two si'Uiotii.uji lute (.rtcuiy-uic per&oiu have tauen pouit.oiis (is <iii'eotor» ol: religious evuuahon jii connect.on with churcues, fcCBIUS til UlcllClUO, toil Yrt I'JIO JiiU'tiiyiiitcr (Acu VaiKJ) lhat wo h.iFO Jie.e u uew ami necessary calling. As Uie lic;icl of tUe department oi IC'Mgjous viliKiitjijjij Jie \wlt iiltuiy "sunumi to the pastor Virtually tlio tiu.lllo rujution tliut'si college protcwior suuti ns to the president, ' tlio iiOKtor bo'iiji the administrative head ol' the v.Jioio cliurcn and the new oliioex* being tUo J c-'-pou&Jj.o JUeud of his department. ih.a oitici'.il "will seek to form a rjniprchensivo and unitary eduoational Lilan tor the ontiro Church." Ho will not only organise tlio Sunday-school and young people's soe.eties on a. grided basis, but will correlate one tvjtU the other, correlate tlio church E-.hool * r ! i. ,e 10mc » the church 3c!i >ol withh the day-schools. He will iook after printing nnd public.ty, provide exhibits and lecture couiv.es, and l.im- j self classes, deliver lectures, and wi'ita articles.

-Many whoso taste is for religious mid educational work, without wishing to adopt the ministry with its prcnchl/ig -function,- will find congenial service hero. Ino writer reviews some of the attractive features of such a calling and declares that the need of betu-r moral and religious educat'on seems to many the most fundamental and th® greatest need of our civilisation.. child is not getting either in the homo or the church the trailing which ought to be its heritage, this writer <>vms. The Cliurrli 'tself needs for its tfficiency and perpetuation just what she seems at present to lack. We read more: '

"Some one has. said, 'Evei'y problom is fundamentally an educational ;>voblem.' Do we desire our young'people, to know and love the Bible, .16 v® wish,them to have well-grounded.Chris-tion beliefs, do we desire them to he Sosset by the filial and fraternal fpirit, o Ave want them to be interested in missions, in personal and social', eration? Do we expect them- to he vital and joyous sympathy witli the spirit, tire purpose, and the . method of Jesus P Childhood and youth is tnt. period of golden opportunity for', Ilns "Often, nwever, tlia lay Sundayschool superintendent does- not fed qualified to meet thb lvghcr demand. Child psychology, the better methods of organisation and teaching, the nrw wealth of Biblical scholarship, the many improved oourses of study, .-ro apt to bewilder him. He feels that a 'decree of exact and parbieulaiylciww- " ledge is required,, which,, as a layman, lie; dors not possess, and, which,. w'th 111: tiir.e at his disposal, he feels ho enn ot acquire. I/ke many, others, ho .is ..wiling .and-glnd to work. on ~£oßM>< detail' of- a general plan' if that the plan is right «hd itt the l.jie of the best- light -available;- but .1)0 'wants some one who knows to the plan and supervise its. execution.' "Nor does the .average minister feel qual to meeting this new need. 1 'csaibiv he has no special intercut iu cr aptitude for educational .work. Or, U. lie has, wliere can _ he, in justice, to other imperative claims, find .the t'n.o to devote to this exacting domaadf . Of the pioneers already in the field we read:

"Some of these directors are faomeii, i a number are young men just entering I upon ministerial work, while a' , few ! are ministers in full and regular stand- ; ing who have decided to specialise in ; this particular field or religious service. Again, some of tlie above are educatioual directors in individual churches, a few are over groups of churches, and at least one.is director of all the schools in a city which have entered into the local federation of churches. In this enumeration I have not included those who have become -educational secretaries of' denonnnationsj nor those who occupy similar positions in colleges, nor, of. w«ira?» those who fill chairs of .religious psychology and peragogoy in our seminaries. But enough has perhaps boon said to indicate that, if not a new profession, at least a new specialisation in an old profession is coming into boing. • . b "Now this fact can only be-explain-ed on the ground of a deep and conscious need. The churches in their efforts to Christianise the world are undoubtedly waking to a new sense of the wonderful opportunity fo rtslling Christian work among the young and to tlie fact that this opportunity is not fullv improved." MODERN VIEW OF PRAYER. The pious man mil not pray for a violation or suspension of any of <hoso ! fixed expressions of the divine will ; which we call the "laws of 11 at ate. ' I A tme instinct warns us not to pi ay ! that the law of gravitation may cense to operate when wo pass bv» oor to pray that the moon should fail io r.ttract tlie tides, nor to ask that the buried' dead should rise from their graves. Prayers for-changes *ll tho weather held their ground much \mpor than other •indiscriminatfng forms of ppt'tion, because people did not realise that the apparent regularities of the weather are as much the result of f laws as the revolution of our o»irtli around the sun or tho rise and fall of the tides. On the other hand, we know that no man has ever prayed sincerely without effecting changes in his character-that otherwise would never have taken ' place; and unless nil the teaching of modern physiological psychology be false, no man can affect his character ' without affecting his nervous system, I and through the nervous system Jus j entire physical organism. ; Psychology lias done much to vindicate the roasounhlonoss of prayer by coordinating it with other t familiar phenomena of our mental life. Fcr cjcampl!?. isome of tlvc* workings of pravcr are an-nlogons to tho results brought about by suggestion and <eifsuirgostion. A man. let us suppose, pravs. and invites others to pray \.-it n bini that ho 111 a vhave strength to Krerconie the craving for nloohlv»i. Th«-se petition* art as powerful snir«:<' fstion*. which, if thev # nro cnt'tiued temr ouou«?h, and assuming that is o snr'ous lesion of tho brain, v-ll aethe d-psired rpsoU. Wc Kicw, too.' that m*aycr "under certain v rnlitions has 'u hose* of s : ckne«s a thVrenentie efpraev. 'Hie Vves of great re--I'iious n?r c onalities, such. a* Vutustin«, Frane : s of Ass««i. *nd Luther, nndth* growth of and p-nvor-heMiiif cul+s in onr own time, offer such abundant proof that c"ly rjipnraure nv >d n*v V»t jrc* affect to doubt 41 3 al- - ' T> ' " " McCombs. D.H.* in the