THE living question in the Sunday school of to-day is that which
considers its form of organization. As every good public school at the
present time is a graded school, so every first-class Sunday school must
be. There can be no efficient, regular, and satisfactory work done in a
Sunday school without a system of grade.
On this subject there is extensive inquiry, yet general lack of
information. The majority of superintendents and teachers have either no
conception or at best an exceedingly vague idea of what constitutes a
graded Sunday school. We propose in a few words to set forth what are
the essential features of a graded Sunday school.
The first essential is that the school be divided into certain general
departments, which may be three, four, or five in number. In our opinion
the best division is into the four departments--Primary, Intermediate,
Junior, and Senior. These departments should exist in reality, as well
as in name, and each department should be recognized as a separate
element in the working of the school.
A second essential is that of a definite and fixed number of classes in
each department. It is not a graded Sunday school where a teacher and
her class are advanced together into the Senior Department whenever the
pupils reach the specified age. The inevitable result of such a course
will be to have in a few years in the Senior Department a large number
of "skeleton classes," each with a few members, which is the very evil
to be avoided in the graded system. There should be in each department a
definite number of classes, proportioned to the size of the school, and
this number should be kept uniform. A Sunday school is always "dying at
the top," by the loss of its scholars after the age of fifteen years.
For this fact there are many causes, some necessary, others avoidable.
But, whatever be the cause, it is a fact to be provided for in the
management of the school; and the provision should be, not in adding new
classes, but in advancing scholars from the Junior Department and
filling up senior classes already organized. The classes in the Senior
Department should be kept few in number, but kept full in size.
A third essential of the graded Sunday school is that of regular
promotions from grade to grade, with change of teachers. It is not
necessary for the pupils to pass from one class to another every year in
the Sunday school, though this is done in the public school. While a
pupil remains in the same department he may continue in the same class
and with the same teacher. But when he passes from one department to a
higher, or from Junior to Senior, there should generally be a change of
teachers. At the period of change from Primary to Intermediate, from
Intermediate to Junior, from Junior to Senior, the pupil should come
under the care of a new teacher. If teachers are advanced with their
scholars the entire system of gradation will be broken up, and the
school will be graded in name only.
A fourth essential element is that of stated and simultaneous transfers.
The pupils should not be changed from class to class or from grade to
grade whenever the superintendent thinks a change should be made. All
the promotions should be made at once throughout the school. A
"promotion Sunday" should be observed, and provided for long in advance.
For three months preparations should be made, the superintendent and
teachers should consult, a committee should consider every case, and the
changes should be made deliberately and systematically. On one Sunday in
the year pupils should be promoted from department to department, and
classes should be advanced from grade to grade in the several
departments. The basis of promotion should be age, knowledge, and
general maturity of character, and the authorities of the school should
decide just how much weight should be given to each requirement.
The above are all the elements that we consider essential; but there are
also two adjuncts of Importance in the graded school.
One is that of a graded supplemental lesson for each department. Some
regard this as an essential, and consider no Sunday school properly a
graded school without it. We regard it as important, but do not look
upon it as one of the necessary features. There is need of a
supplemental lesson; it will greatly aid in making the Sunday school
efficient, and it should be adapted to the various grades. But the
supplemental lesson, valuable as it is, we do not regard as one of the
essential features of the graded system.
Another is that of the annual examination. There are a few Sunday
schools which require the pupil to pass an examination as the condition
of promotion. This follows the analogy of the public school; but in our
judgment it is not an essential part of the graded system. The
examination in the Sunday school must of necessity be a very easy one,
since it is upon lessons studied but little at home and given for a few
minutes only once a week. It is apt to be a mere form, and sometimes is
only a pretense. While we recommend examinations we believe that they
should be left optional, and that the requirements for promotion should
be those of age, general ability, and fitness of character. Some reward
might be given in the form of a certificate, but it should not be
necessary to obtain the certificate in order to receive promotion.