OCR Text |
Show ADVOCATES RELIGION -IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS "I am In favor of doing awav with the Sunday School. 1 hopo the day will come In America when tho public school will give five hours a veok to do what the Sunday school now gives a short half hour and that In a way that will meet with the support of public opinion we will enthrone God In our public schools and glvo tho greatest book In the world, the most Important part of llfo and tho very heart of real education a plnco in the curriculum and the lives of Uie millions mil-lions of American boys and girls," 6aid Rev. Frederick V. Fisher in his sermon last night at the Methodist church on "Tho Amorlcan Public School, Our Pride and Problem." Among other things Mr. Fisher said: "The problem of how to have a gicat school system without crushing tho Individuality of our boys and girls Is no small one. Grades, examinations, examina-tions, grooves, passing, nil these essentials es-sentials lo our modern schools aro positive perils to the real development of our children. The Ideal plan would have nono of these und would study on foot In tho outdoors moro than In buildings but all that means more toachers and that moans more money so we still run our schools more for tho mass than the boy. "Tlie forgotfullness of tho home is another problem. Most scholars today board homo and live outsldo and the homo world and school world have, nothing iu common. "The making of brains without backbone back-bone and red blood to uso tho brain with is a serious problem of tho past. The play grouud and gymnasium may soon solve It. "There are omissions in our courses which are very serious. Wo teach tho hoy and girl about every thing but themselves anil the most sorloun sidos of tholr lives. Thoy learn to parse sentences but go out Ignorant of tho so: problem, the thing which more than anything In tholr lives may make or wreck their futures. "It Is perilous to tho republic to sharpen the" brains and wits of our boys and girls and not develop tholr fl consciences and moral sense. Wo must g put morals flrst lu our schools if we aro to have the next generation men 3 and women and not rogues, The home hi not teaching morals and thousands of boys aro not even in Sunday school and a whole generation is growing up with Httlo moral training. But we all know that tho only solid basis oi morals is religion, that if a man hus no respect for tho God who made hlra ho will have little for his fellowmen. l So Ihe real problom is how lo get the E growing generation faco to face with I God, t "Even sceptical France teaches re- liglon In her schools and Germany 1 has an hour a day set apart for iL E But Christian America dare not let t her public school children know she u believes in God. "Somehow we must meet this prob- I lem and solve it even If we havo to K imperil some ot our pet Isms while we exalt God and childhood. Germany's Ger-many's plan could do It without for a moment being unjust to any paront's religious convictions. J ''0 the grandeur of a teacher's life. It Is they who are making or marring tho America to be. Lot us stand by them, cheer them on and may our children ace In their faces the v'elon of God." |