Our Sunday Schools.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XII, Issue 12, 1 June 1922, Page 382

Our Sunday Schools.

The agitation about Socialist Sunday Schools m N.S.W. calls for two observations. The general public had little anxiety when " Agnostic" Punday Schools were opened to undermine religion and teach blasphemy and atheism, but as soon as these developed into Bolshevist Seminaries there was an immediate putcry. Yet the general public claims to be Christian-! 'Which is of more importance, reverence for God. and righteousness which lie at .the root of all morality and civilisation, or •orderly government ? Secondly : Why this anxiety over the teaching- of Socialist Sunday Schools?. People are at last beginning to realise that the character of beliefs imparted to children will mould their whole. future lives and. conduct. Education, and especially religious or anti-religipus education, is really the most important question of the day. la it not time that Churchmen realised the immense importance of. our

Sunday Schools ? Instead of being a mere appendage to Chiifieli le£t m the haiids of a few, enthuiiastic' parishioners, mostly ; zealoiis^ i^cmng girls themselves untrained,' ou^lit^i|iej; not to be reckoned as the y most valuable instrument in '-the parish- for teaching the Christian faitji- and building tip the Church and .'cpngreT •gation? Ought we not to' bend' all: our energies towards making 'them/ efficient? Do we hot wi£rit~ the; y&ry best aiid highly trained teacKej's m r them? Should riot their work be^ organised to the highest point ofih efficiency, arid a sylkbud of teaching be laid down by the highest Churchauthorities calculated to make tnein ; the nurseries of true arid loyal Churchmen ? Too long have parentsregarded the 'atteridarice or otherwy^ of their children -as uriiniportant, andChurchmen m general, yesiries aj;|others, looked upon therii as butsido* the sphere of active inierest.- \

Why are our Sunday ed for funds when they ' are* on£ of the most essential parjts of our ' Church- machinery? The State is : waking up to the supreme importance of its schools, when will theChflrch do the same? A few town parishes put their Sunday Schools m the "first;rank of their, activities, but m some: of them the Sunday School is sfill regarded as a little ' ' sideshow. %. While the country vicar who can never get into his Sunday Schools, himself, sees the children, of "rins-' flock at the mercy of inefficient - Itea- : chers unsupported by p;arents and without the guidance oi an authoritative syllabus. The Church herself needs to take up this subject vigor- . ously. We need urgently m this dio-

cese an organising teacher and inspector of Sunday Schools. We need a regular syllabus. We need Summer Schools, or Winter Schools for teachers, not only m Napier^ where few can attend, but, at some period of the year m every main centre, e.g., Gisborne, Bay of Plenty, and Southern Hawke's Bay. We , want something' definite to be taught, teachers instructed how to teach it, parents interested and enthusiastic over the education of their children, and expert supervision of it all to see that it is efficient and practical. People are afraid of Socialist Sunday Schools they teach and train the children to practice disloyalty. We should find-some encouragement • m our Sunday Schools if, instead of wasting time, m teaching stories, hymns and texts, they taught the vigorous practice of Churchmanship and Christian living. -