,,seven ,,graded ,,sunday ,,schools ,a ,,series ,,of ,,practical ,,papers ,,edited ,,by ,,jesse ,,lyman ,,hurlbut ,secretary of the ,sunday ,school ,union of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church ,,new ,,york3 ,,eaton ,,mains ,,cincinnati3 ,,curts ,,jennings ,copyright1 #ahic1 by ,,hunt ,,eaton ,,new ,,york4 ,,contents4 ,,page ,,the ,,essentials ,,of ,a ,,graded ,,sunday ,,school4 ,by ,jesse ,l4 ,hurlbut1 ,d4,d41 ,secretary of the ,sunday ,school ,union of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church #e ,,the ,,akron ,,plan4 ,by ,hon4 ,lewis ,miller1 of ,akron1 ,o4 #aa ,,the ,,wilkesbarre ,,plan4 ,by ,george ,s4 ,bennett1 ,esq41 of ,wilkesbarre1 ,pa4 #cc ,,the ,,detroit ,,plan4 ,by ,horace ,hitchcock1 ,esq41 of ,detroit1 ,mich4 #ea ,,the ,,erie ,,plan4 ,by ,h4 ,a4 ,strong1 ,esq41 of ,erie1 ,pa4 #fe ,,the ,,chicopee ,,plan4 ,by ,hon4 ,l4 ,e4 ,hitchcock1 of ,chicopee1 ,mass4 #gi ,,the ,,lynchburg ,,plan4 ,by ,irvine ,garland ,penn1 of ,lynchburg1 ,va4 #ij ,,the ,,plainfield ,,plan4 ,by ,jesse ,l ,hurlbut1 ,d4,d4 #ajc ,a ,,model ,,sunday ,,school ,,room4 #aac ,,the ,,essentials ,,of ,a ,,graded ,,sunday ,,school4 ,,by ,,jesse ,l4 ,,hurlbut1 ,d4,d4 ,,the living question in the ,sunday school of to-day is that which considers its form of organization4 ,as every good public school at the present time is a graded school1 so every first-class ,sunday school must be4 ,there can be no efficient1 regular1 and satisfactory work done in a ,sunday school without a system of grade4 ,on this subject there is extensive inquiry1 yet general lack of information4 ,the majority of superintendents and teachers have either no conception or at best an exceedingly vague idea of what constitutes a graded ,sunday school4 ,we propose in a few words to set forth what are the essential features of a graded ,sunday school4 ,the first essential is that the school be divided into certain general departments1 which may be three1 four1 or five in number4 ,in our opinion the best division is into the four departments--,primary1 ,intermediate1 ,junior1 and ,senior4 ,these departments should exist in reality1 as well as in name1 and each department should be recognized as a separate element in the working of the school4 ,a second essential is that of a definite and fixed number of classes in each department4 ,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 age4 ,the inevitable result of such a course will be to have in a few years in the ,senior ,department a large number of skeleton classes1 each with a few members1 which is the very evil to be avoided in the graded system4 ,there should be in each department a definite number of classes1 proportioned to the size of the school1 and this number should be kept uniform4 ,a ,sunday school is always dying at the top1 by the loss of its scholars after the age of fifteen years4 ,for this fact there are many causes1 some necessary1 others avoidable4 ,but1 whatever be the cause1 it is a fact to be provided for in the management of the school2 and the provision should be1 not in adding new classes1 but in advancing scholars from the ,junior ,department and filling up senior classes already organized4 ,the classes in the ,senior ,department should be kept few in number1 but kept full in size4 ,a third essential of the graded ,sunday school is that of regular promotions from grade to grade1 with change of teachers4 ,it is not necessary for the pupils to pass from one class to another every year in the ,sunday school1 though this is done in the public school4 ,while a pupil remains in the same department he may continue in the same class and with the same teacher4 ,but when he passes from one department to a higher1 or from ,junior to ,senior1 there should generally be a change of teachers4 ,at the period of change from ,primary to ,intermediate1 from ,intermediate to ,junior1 from ,junior to ,senior1 the pupil should come under the care of a new teacher4 ,if teachers are advanced with their scholars the entire system of gradation will be broken up1 and the school will be graded in name only4 ,a fourth essential element is that of stated and simultaneous transfers4 ,the pupils should not be changed from class to class or from grade to grade whenever the superintendent thinks a change should be made4 ,all the promotions should be made at once throughout the school4 ,a promotion ,sunday should be observed1 and provided for long in advance4 ,for three months preparations should be made1 the superintendent and teachers should consult1 a committee should consider every case1 and the changes should be made deliberately and systematically4 ,on one ,sunday in the year pupils should be promoted from department to department1 and classes should be advanced from grade to grade in the several departments4 ,the basis of promotion should be age1 knowledge1 and general maturity of character1 and the authorities of the school should decide just how much weight should be given to each requirement4 ,the above are all the elements that we consider essential2 but there are also two adjuncts of ,importance in the graded school4 ,one is that of a graded supplemental lesson for each department4 ,some regard this as an essential1 and consider no ,sunday school properly a graded school without it4 ,we regard it as important1 but do not look upon it as one of the necessary features4 ,there is need of a supplemental lesson2 it will greatly aid in making the ,sunday school efficient1 and it should be adapted to the various grades4 ,but the supplemental lesson1 valuable as it is1 we do not regard as one of the essential features of the graded system4 ,another is that of the annual examination4 ,there are a few ,sunday schools which require the pupil to pass an examination as the condition of promotion4 ,this follows the analogy of the public school2 but in our judgment it is not an essential part of the graded system4 ,the examination in the ,sunday school must of necessity be a very easy one1 since it is upon lessons studied but little at home and given for a few minutes only once a week4 ,it is apt to be a mere form1 and sometimes is only a pretense4 ,while we recommend examinations we believe that they should be left optional1 and that the requirements for promotion should be those of age1 general ability1 and fitness of character4 ,some reward might be given in the form of a certificate1 but it should not be necessary to obtain the certificate in order to receive promotion4 ,,the ,,akron ,,plan4 ,,by ,,hon4 ,,lewis ,,miller4 ,,after an experience of more than twenty-five years with the graded system as carried on in our ,akron ,sunday school it can with confidence be recommended to others4 ,it embraces the entire school for all this time1 but more especially a course of sixteen years which ,i will try to explain4 ,our rooms are a great convenience1 and aid much in perfecting the classification2 the system1 however1 can be carried on in any of the present ,sunday school rooms2 in fact1 for a number of years this system was a success in a church at ,canton1 ,o41 also in the old ,akron ,church4 ,in each case there was one larger room and but a few separate small rooms4 ,the classification is based on the age of the scholar2 if1 however1 a scholar seems from some cause to have advanced beyond his age in his general studies1 which in most cases is determined by his standing in the public schools1 such scholar is put in a class suited to his advancement4 ,the following analysis will show more definitely the system4 ,,the ,,infant ,,department meets in a separate room1 fitted for the purpose with elevated seats4 ,children of about four years of age are received into this department1 and remain until they are between eight and nine4 ,boys and girls are kept together in the same room or class4 ,the class can be of any number2 we sometimes reach one hundred and fifty4 ,the class is put in charge of one teacher1 with as many assistants as desired4 ,the regular ,international ,berean ,lessons are taught1 and much time is given to song4 ,in our ,missionary ,society this department becomes a separate band1 with name and motto1 making separate contributions1 of which proper records are kept4 ,,the ,,intermediate ,,department meets in a separate room1 fitted similarly to the one described for the ,infant ,department4 ,scholars from the ,infant ,class are promoted into this department when eight years old1 or sooner if1 in the public schools1 they are in the ,second ,reader grade4 ,this class may be of any number2 ours sometimes reaches one hundred4 ,girls and boys are kept in the same class4 ,this department is also put in charge of one teacher1 who has such number of assistants as desired4 ,the regular ,international ,berean ,lesson is taught in this room1 similar in method to that in the ,infant ,class4 ,the ,no4 ,one ,catechism is taught in this department as a supplemental lesson1 and it is expected that1 before a scholar leaves this room1 the ,catechism will be thoroughly memorized4 ,a public examination is made before the scholars are promoted out of this department4 ,this1 like the ,infant ,department1 becomes a separate missionary band4 ,,the ,,youths' ,,department meets in the main room1 which is provided with a small table for each class2 chairs are used2 books and papers are kept in the class table1 the teacher carrying the key1 the superintendent and his assistants having master-keys4 ,scholars are promoted from the ,intermediate ,class to this department when ten years old1 or when1 in the public schools1 they are in the ,third ,reader grade4 ,as nearly as possible scholars of the same standing in the public schools are put in classes together1 and this distinction is made with scholars of the same age4 ,in this department boys and girls are put in separate classes numbering not to exceed eight1 six being the standard4 ,each scholar is expected to have a ,bible and read the story of the lesson4 ,much attention is given to have the scholar understand and comprehend the simple story as told in the ,bible4 ,the regular ,international ,berean ,lesson is taught3 the lesson book or ,berean ,leaf is given to each scholar to aid in preparing the lesson4 ,the memorization of the names of the books of the ,bible1 names of the prominent ,bible characters1 and sections of the ,catechism are required as supplemental lessons4 ,for these supplemental lessons a series of pocket memory lessons is prepared by the school2 it is a neat little book1 suited for a boy's vest pocket4 ,an examination is made at the end of each year1 and the names of scholars having the proper standing are placed on the ,roll of ,honor4 ,scholars remain in this department about four years4 ,the younger classes are put nearest the superintendent's stand and1 as they are promoted1 are moved back each year1 the teacher remaining with the same class during the four years4 ,each one of these classes is a separate missionary band and makes its separate report of missionary contributions4 ,,the ,,senior ,,department classes meet in separate rooms4 ,scholars are promoted into this department when they are fourteen years old1 or when they can show a standing equal to the public high school grade4 ,boys and girls are put into separate rooms1 in which they remain under the charge of one teacher for three years4 ,the class membership numbers from fifteen to twenty-five4 ,the regular ,international ,berean ,lessons are taught1 more in the analytical form1 requiring simple analysis4 ,a blackboard is permanently put on the wall of each room1 which affords good opportunity for blackboard explanations4 ,for supplemental lessons the scholars in this department take up the study of ,bible history1 ,bible geography1 and sections of the ,catechism in suitable form for memory exercises4 ,these classes form themselves into regular missionary bands1 taking a missionary field for a name1 with suitable mottoes4 ,it is expected that members of these classes acquaint themselves by reading1 and by communication with some missionary1 with the country and people which they have selected4 ,the classes are socially entertained at the homes of the teacher or parents as frequently as is deemed proper to keep up a social interest4 ,,the ,,normal ,,department4 ,scholars1 when seventeen years old1 or sooner if graduates of the public high school1 are promoted into this department4 ,the class may be of any number2 our classes have averaged about sixty4 ,ladies and gentlemen are placed in the same class1 one teacher having charge4 ,they organize themselves into a regular society1 having a simple constitution1 and subject to the regulation and direction of the ,sunday school society4 ,to the teacher is given the responsibility of seeing that proper decorum is always maintained4 ,as nearly as possible the regular ,chautauqua course of normal study is pursued4 ,regular monthly literary and social meetings are held at the homes of the parents1 which aid much to keep up the interest of the normal study4 ,at the end of two years the scholars that have the proper standing on the several written examinations in the normal studies receive1 at the annual graduating exercises1 suitable diplomas1 prepared by the school4 ,the scholars do not understand that they are expected to leave or are excused from remaining longer in the school1 but they are only now prepared for a better and higher work1 that of teaching and leading others in the good work4 ,many of these graduates become volunteer teachers2 they join what1 in our school1 is known as our ,,young ,,people',s ,,department4 ,we have now three large classes in this department1 numbering in the aggregate about two hundred4 ,one of these classes calls itself the ,reserve ,corps4 ,they are mostly composed of the normal alumni4 ,this class take up the regular lesson one ,sabbath ahead of the school and1 in regular order1 become supplies for absent teachers4 ,they also study the best methods of impressing scriptural truth4 ,the other two classes in this department include quite a number of our young married people4 ,they aim to bring out the higher and deeper thoughts and teachings of the lesson4 ,,the ,,assembly ,,department is composed of adult members of the school1 meeting in a separate room1 under one teacher2 the number in the class is not limited4 ,the lesson is here taught more on the lecture plan4 ,a course of reading has been prepared1 suited to each grade1 which will give new life and interest to our library1 and will enable us1 without interfering with the regular lesson study of the school1 to impress many things of deepest interest1 such as temperance1 church government and history1 amusements and proper entertainments for young folks1 leading them on1 step by step1 to habits of proper employment of leisure hours4 ,our aim is to interest the entire church by intrusting the educational interests of the church to the ,sunday school society1 electing many of our oldest members to offices and selecting them as teachers4 ,one of our officers is over seventy years of age1 and no one in the ,sabbath school takes greater interest or is more efficient1 none more acceptable4 ,the school is regularly organized and governed by the constitution1 as approved by the ,general ,conference1 and placed in the ,church ,discipline4 ,teachers are selected and placed by the superintendent1 with the concurrence of the pastor1 in the departments to which they are1 in the superintendent's judgment1 best adapted1 and remain with the scholars or class through one department only unless specially changed by the superintendent4 ,promotions are made only once a year2 exceptional individual promotions may occur in some instances4 ,this system possibly seems complicated and difficult to carry out2 we find it simple1 easy1 and natural1 solving many problems that constantly arise in an ungraded school4 ,it especially solves the problem of how to retain our young people in the ,sunday school4 ,our system is thus given in detail in the hope that other schools may profit thereby4 ,i will add some suggestions for practically working the scheme3 ,there must be entire unanimity among the officers and teachers in order to successfully start and carry out a graded plan4 ,first4 ,it must meet with the approval of the pastor4 ,second4 ,the superintendent must with the whole heart be in the effort4 ,in fact1 he should be1 and ,i believe must be1 the prime mover in every step4 ,the superintendent and assistant superintendents in our school during all these years have every year done all of the work of classifying and arranging of classes1 made their own roll1 etc4 ,in this way1 and in this way only1 can they be properly strengthened for the work4 ,they may1 if they so choose1 call other officers to their aid2 the pastor should1 of course1 at all times be consulted4 ,the secretary might1 in some cases1 be of service4 ,third4 ,the officers other than the superintendent1 are expected to give their full approval and do all in their power1 by encouragement and talk1 to aid the work1 and1 where this cannot be had1 secure at least no direct opposition4 ,fourth4 ,the teachers have much to give up4 ,the scholars in whom they have taken special interest may be taken away from them4 ,they may not be assigned to have charge of such a class of scholars as they desire2 they may be asked to take a place or room which to them for some reason is not agreeable4 ,fears will be entertained by some that scholars will be lost from the school1 etc4 ,all these various objections should be overcome4 ,the aggressive members should have much patience until the teachers are1 as a body1 at least willing to forego their fears and misgivings and will give the scheme a fair trial4 ,harmony will nearly always produce enthusiastic workers4 ,,method ,,for ,,getting ,a ,,proper ,,grade4 #a4 ,make an enrollment of the school as follows3 ,john ,brown1 ,third ,reader1 age eleven years1 ,march #af1 #ahib4 ,samuel ,findley1 ,fourth ,reader1 age twelve years1 ,july #ac1 #ahib4 ,in this way complete the enrollment of the entire school1 commencing either with the older or younger scholars1 as may best suit2 of course those whose ages are above twenty need not be taken2 all above that age should be enrolled as married and young people4 ,this kind of an enrollment enables a clear understanding into what class to place every member of the school4 #b4 ,prepare an outline floor plan of the ,sunday school room on a scale large enough so that a space can be marked which each class is to occupy1 and in each space write the names of the scholars1 their ages1 the number of the class1 and the name of the teacher who is to have charge4 ,for rooms with galleries or without the outline plan is the same4 ,arrange your plan so as to have all the different class spaces on the same sheet of paper4 ,the diagram on page #bc will give an idea of one kind of room4 ,a sheet three feet by two and a half will be needed for a school of a thousand members4 #c4 ,having the age and standing in ability on a sheet of paper1 outlined as described and illustrated1 the next step is to make the selection of the scholars for the different grades and classes they are to occupy4 ,commencing with the ,infant ,class1 write all the names of the ,infant ,class scholars into the space outlined for their class4 ,then place the names of the ,intermediate ,class in the space outlined for them4 ,these two classes are not difficult to arrange1 as all below eight years1 boys or girls1 are placed in the ,infant ,class1 and those between eight and ten in the ,intermediate4 ,these two grades may be subdivided into as many classes as may be desired2 in our school we have each of these two grades under one teacher1 with one or two assistants4 ,where rooms are convenient subdivisions by age could be made with profit2 we so divide these classes1 and sometimes teach them by sections4 ,illustration3 ,,plan ,,of ,,akron ,,school4 ,n4 ,b4 ,this plan represents two floors on one diagram4 ,the rooms numbered from #a to #aj are in the gallery2 those from #aa to #ai are under the gallery on the ground floor4 ,the classes numbered from #bj to #ef are not separated by partitions1 but are seated in chairs around tables4 ,the ,youth's ,department is separated into classes of six to eight members each1 and occupies the main room1 boys and girls in separate classes1 but so arranged that there is a class of girls1 then a class of boys1 and so on alternately2 as far as possible for boys we have a lady teacher and for girls a gentleman4 ,we place the older scholars in the rear of the room1 or in the rear circle1 as we say in our school4 ,the roll of the school now serves an excellent purpose2 select all the boys that are past thirteen years old1 but not fourteen1 and list them with their standing in the public schools4 ,this is probably best understood by grade1 say3 ,john ,brown1 seventh ,primary ,grade1 thirteen years1 ,march #f1 #ahib4 ,samuel ,jones1 seventh ,primary ,grade1 thirteen years1 ,july #bd1 #ahib4 ,jacob ,smith1 seventh ,primary ,grade1 thirteen years1 ,september #af1 #ahib4 ,isaac ,miller1 seventh ,primary ,grade1 thirteen years1 ,april #bj1 #ahib4 ,joseph ,crankshaw1 seventh ,primary ,grade1 thirteen years1 ,may #ai1 #ahib4 ,thomas ,marshall1 seventh ,primary ,grade1 thirteen years1 ,february #aj1 #ahib4 ,you will not have much difficulty1 in a school of three or four hundred scholars1 to find several class lists all in the same grade and same age4 ,this will also permit the selection of certain scholars somewhat in accordance with their social standing4 ,probably one or two classes of each age will not all stand in the same grade as in the public schools1 and there will be others who are not in the public or any other school4 ,the judgment of the superintendent or committee must guide2 age probably will be much the best guide1 and one1 at least1 that scholars will recognize and consent to more readily4 ,as fast as classes are formed the names are placed in their locality on the diagram or school room plan4 ,sometimes1 in order to keep the grade by years1 the classes may not number six and sometimes may exceed six4 ,all the classes are selected in the same way1 a class of boys1 then a class of girls1 and the names of the scholars placed on the diagram as illustrated4 ,scholars above fourteen and under seventeen are comprised in another department1 and should be grouped in the same way1 only into much larger classes4 ,where separate rooms can be had fifteen or twenty will not be too many--young ladies and gentlemen separate4 ,in small schools1 of course1 the classes would be less in number4 ,the age will largely govern in this grade2 only such as are advanced ahead of their class will go into higher grades4 ,the names for each class should be placed in the space they are to occupy on the diagram4 ,the ,normal ,department is next to be selected4 ,all above seventeen and below twenty that desire to take the course should be put into one class4 ,if a room can be secured large enough fifty to seventy will not be too many4 ,ladies and gentlemen are placed in the same class4 ,this class becomes an organized literary society1 the teacher ex officio president4 ,they meet frequently through the week at some home2 a short literary program is arranged and the evening filled up with proper social entertainment4 ,the class may be composed of all the grades1 first1 second1 third1 and fourth1 on the same plan as the ,c4 ,l4 ,s4 ,c4 readings are arranged1 all the grades taking the same studies at the same time1 as the studies are so prepared that either may precede the rest4 ,not all who enter the ,normal will probably pursue the studies with such vigor as to undertake the written examinations1 of which there should be at least two each year4 ,a good plan is to have all go along with the class1 because such as will not do thorough work enough to pass these examinations will1 after all1 probably get as much good in this class as they would in any other1 and the associations are such as will in nearly all cases retain them in the school2 and many times1 before the final graduation comes1 they will make up the required work and finally receive their diplomas4 ,only those who have pursued the studies and have1 with credit1 passed the written examinations1 should receive diplomas2 this gives the proper recognition and is an incentive to study4 ,all who began the ,normal work at the same time pass out of the class at one and the same time1 unless by special request some one or more remain behind4 ,those who have not passed the examinations go out without diplomas1 in our school we hold to a two years' course1 half of the class moving out of the class each year1 and new members being promoted into the class4 ,this1 it will be perceived1 keeps a continuous class1 some coming into the class each year and others being removed1 either with or without diplomas4 ,with us this plan is working admirably1 keeping up a continuous interest4 ,the ,assembly or ,post-,graduate ,department3 ,the ,department of the ,young ,people is divided into a ,reserve ,corps and a ,young ,people's ,class4 ,the ,reserve ,corps is made up of young people who have passed through the ,normal ,department and such others as will obligate themselves to act as supply teachers in cases where regular teachers fail2 from this class permanent teachers are usually chosen4 ,other young people's classes are provided for those who do not thus obligate themselves but are willing attendants4 ,in addition a ,young ,married ,people's ,class and an ,old ,folks' ,class belong to the ,assembly or ,post-,graduate ,department4 ,having thus arranged to place in some department and class every member of the school1 and having every name placed on the diagram in the place or class where each scholar belongs1 you can study the school members and their varied wants and desires1 and so adjust teachers1 rooms1 and locations and provide for a thoroughly harmonious school4 ,all this work should be done at least a week before promotion day1 so that changes can be made after a careful looking over of the scheme of classification4 ,do not consult teachers or other officers than those who have been aiding in arranging the classification4 ,you must give teachers and scholars to understand that all has been done that is possible in the judgment of the officers for the interest of all the best possible results4 ,secure from the school a willingness to submit to the judgment of those whom they have placed at the head4 ,all preparations being completed before the day of promotion1 it will not need to exceed thirty minutes after the school is opened on promotion day to place every scholar in the class and department to which he belongs in a school of six to eight hundred scholars4 ,the superintendent1 with diagram in hand1 remains at his desk1 the assistants being his aides4 ,he first calls the names of the ,old ,folks' ,class and asks them to go into whatever room is assigned them2 next the ,young ,married ,folks' ,class1 the ,reserve ,corps1 and ,young ,people's ,class1 each in order will be asked to retire into the rooms or apartments assigned them4 ,the teachers assigned for these classes will at once be asked to take charge of such classes4 ,the ,normal ,class members will be asked1 with their teacher1 to remove into the room assigned them4 ,then the classes between the ages of sixteen and seventeen1 with their teachers1 to the rooms assigned them4 ,the assistant superintendents will see that the rooms are in readiness and that the scholars recognize the rooms that they are to occupy4 ,in the same way classes whose ages are between fifteen and sixteen1 with their teachers1 will be arranged in their rooms or apartments4 ,in like manner the classes between fourteen and fifteen4 ,this disposes of the ,assembly or ,post-,graduate1 the ,normal and the ,bible or ,senior ,departments4 ,if in a modern room1 with a full suite of apartments1 these departments can be asked to close their doors and proceed with arranging themselves for work4 ,the ,youth's ,department comes next in order4 ,every class1 section1 or desk being numbered to correspond with the diagram numbers1 and the assistant superintendents being fully posted as to the order of these numbers1 the teachers should be asked to remove to the class place to which they were assigned by the superintendent4 ,the older scholars will be asked first1 by reading the names of the scholars who belong to each class separately1 requesting them to move to the class to which they were assigned4 ,read slowly enough to avoid confusion1 waiting after the names of a class are read until all are fairly in their places2 soon all will understand and the work will proceed rapidly4 ,having thus called every teacher and every scholar and placed them in their proper classes in their order in the ,youth's ,department 7the whole being done much quicker than it can be told how to do it71 this department is set to work2 the names of the scholars are carefully ascertained by the teacher of each class1 preparatory to making up the class record1 then the lesson can be taken up4 ,all children between the ages of eight and eleven are placed in the ,intermediate ,department and placed under the care of the teacher selected for this division4 ,then all children under eight years go into the ,infant ,department4 ,in some schools these last two departments might be placed in one room and a suitable number of teachers provided1 so that grading1 similar to that of the ,youth's ,department1 might be arranged4 ,,the ,,wilkesbarre ,,plan4 ,,by ,,george ,s4 ,,bennett4 ,,the topic assigned me is a large one4 ,being a business man ,i shall not attempt anything theoretical1 but shall be as practical as possible4 ,the best way ,i can serve you will be to give you the result of the effort made by our own school in trying to solve some of the problems of to-day1 in the organization1 management1 and grading of ,sunday schools4 ,we have been asked to do this1 and in speaking1 therefore1 of our own school1 do not accuse us of seeking only to parade our school before you4 ,we shall give you only the plans that have worked well with us1 and tell you of the system and methods employed and now in actual operation in the ,sunday school of the ,first ,methodist ,episcopal ,church of ,wilkesbarre1 ,pa4 ,it has taken some time and much labor to get our machinery in working order4 ,we do not claim to be pioneers or original4 ,we have taken many of our ideas and plans from others2 we have no patent right on our system4 ,what we have is yours1 and if we should find anything of yours in this line suited to our use we should not hesitate to appropriate and incorporate it in our own4 ,,church ,,and ,,school4 ,we have a short and simple constitution1 the form of which can be found in the ,discipline of the ,church4 ,the school is a part of the church1 and is under the supervision of the ,sunday ,school ,board1 consisting of the pastor1 the ,sunday ,school ,committee appointed by the ,quarterly ,conference1 the officers and teachers of the school4 ,the superintendent is nominated annually by the ,sunday ,school ,board1 and confirmed by the ,quarterly ,conference4 ,the other officers of the school1 male and female assistant superintendents1 secretary1 treasurer1 librarian 7who appoints a suitable number of assistants71 chorister1 organist1 teachers of the ,primary and ,intermediate ,departments 7who appoint their assistants71 and the teacher of the ,teachers' ,class1 are elected annually by ballot of the board4 ,the teachers are nominated by the superintendent1 with the concurrence of the pastor1 and are elected annually by the board4 ,the school is thus brought under the immediate care and control of the church1 and is not a separate or distinct organization4 ,being thus one department of the church the official board of the church annually appropriates a sum of money sufficient to meet the ordinary running expenses of the school4 ,extra expenses are met in various ways4 ,,executive ,,committee4 ,we have an ,executive ,committee of five1 elected from among the officers and teachers1 with the superintendent as chairman4 ,this committee represents the school in the interim between the stated meetings of the ,sunday ,school ,board1 conducts all examinations1 has charge of all promotions from one class or department to another1 the distribution of pupils to classes1 and the assignment of teachers to classes4 ,,building4 ,the building occupied by our school is one of the finest ever erected for ,sunday school purposes4 ,when dedicated1 in #ahgg1 ,dr4 7now ,bishop7 ,vincent declared it to be the most complete ,sunday school chapel in the ,united ,states1 and this1 he added1 meant the world1 for the buildings of the ,united ,states for ,sunday school use were infinitely superior to those of other countries4 ,it is constructed in the shape of a semicircle and is two stories high4 ,the first1 or ground floor1 contains a prayer room1 church parlors1 class rooms1 and the library4 ,the second1 or principal floor1 is arranged especially for ,sunday school uses4 ,this is a vaulted room with a gallery running entirely around it4 ,beneath the gallery1 and facing the superintendent1 are placed the ,primary and ,intermediate ,departments2 their seats are on raised platforms4 ,large folding doors with glass panels and illuminated ,scripture texts shut off these rooms from the ,junior ,department4 ,the gallery over these rooms contains five large ,senior ,class rooms4 ,the floors are a series of wide platforms1 and chairs are used for seats4 ,lifting glazed doors1 beautifully ornamented with appropriate ,scripture texts1 shut off these rooms from the auditorium4 ,the main floor is occupied by the pupils of the ,junior ,department1 who sit on chairs grouped around their class tables4 ,the ,normal ,class sits at one side and the ,reserve ,corps at the other side1 behind the ,junior ,classes4 ,the superintendent1 from his platform1 commands a view of the entire school4 ,he can see everyone and everyone can see him and the blackboard behind him4 ,the rooms are so arranged that at the opening and closing exercises the schoolrooms can be made one audience room4 ,the visitors' gallery is behind and over the head of the superintendent1 facing the school4 ,the woodwork of the interior is of ,southern pine1 finished in oil4 ,the entire building is beautifully painted and frescoed1 but the decorator's hand is shown more prominently on the walls and vaulted ceiling of the ,sunday schoolroom1 where the passion flower and grapevine are artistically blended with the ,greek and ,latin symbols representing ,christ4 ,in the arch over the superintendent's desk is a large--almost life-size--oil painting on canvas1 and attached directly to the wall4 ,it is a copy of ,hoffmann's celebrated picture1 ,christ in the ,temple1 and is pronounced a fine work of art4 ,the floors are all covered with carpets1 which are of colors that harmonize with the wall decorations1 and the rooms are seated with chairs1 making this ,sunday school building unusually attractive and elegant4 ,,grading4 ,our school numbers #gjj1 officers1 teachers1 and pupils1 with a large percentage of men and women in the ,senior ,classes4 ,we have most of the modern appliances for ,sunday school work1 and a most enterprising and faithful corps of officers and teachers4 ,until within four or five years our school had been divided into the usual ,primary1 ,intermediate1 ,junior1 and ,senior ,departments1 and the teachers had for many years sustained a successful weekly teachers' meeting for the study of the lesson4 ,there were1 however1 manifest weak points in the work done4 ,the instruction on the part of the teachers1 in many cases1 was superficial1 and there was lack of study on the part of the pupils4 ,the ,sunday school had been considered too much as a place where an hour or two could be pleasantly passed on the ,sabbath1 where the members could be entertained without much work or study on their part1 and consequently was of little profit4 ,our officers and teachers for some time considered how our school might be improved1 made more efficient1 and more satisfactory results be obtained4 ,a committee was appointed to consider the whole subject4 ,the public school of to-day is looked upon as a model in method and thoroughness of work4 ,while there are many points of difference between the two1 yet progressive ,sunday school workers have sought to overcome the apparent difficulties1 and incorporate1 as far as possible1 the best features of the secular school4 ,some of the members of our committee had been either directors1 officers1 or teachers of public schools1 and thus gave to the subject the benefit of their knowledge and experience4 ,the committee spent considerable time in studying the plans adopted in successful schools--some of the more noted were visited2 prominent ,sunday school leaders were consulted1 and in every way light and information were sought4 ,they in due time made their report1 which1 after being thoroughly considered and discussed1 was unanimously adopted1 and the committee were instructed to carry out the recommendations of their report4 ,the committee had a delicate task to perform1 to take a school of #gjj members and arrange them in the different grades sought to be established4 ,the whole plan was carefully explained to the school1 and printed circulars1 containing full information1 were placed in the hands of the ,senior ,department1 where the greatest changes were to be made4 ,the teachers for the new classes to be formed were first chosen1 then the committee met with the other teachers of the classes in the ,senior ,grade1 and by mutual agreement their scholars were permitted to leave any of the existing classes and join any of the new classes to be formed as they saw fit1 without the least hesitation or embarrassment either on the part of pupil or teacher4 ,the members of the ,reserve ,corps were secured by special invitation from the superintendent4 ,the classes of the ,junior ,department were1 with the general consent of their teachers1 divided by the committee into the first1 second1 third1 fourth1 and fifth years4 ,the committee used their best judgment and made the assignments without examination1 general attainments and age being the standards4 ,transfers were also made from the ,primary to the ,intermediate1 and from the ,intermediate to the ,junior ,department of such as should be promoted4 ,most of these changes were made on a review ,sunday1 though some time was previously taken in the necessary detail work1 and the transformation was accomplished with the best of feeling1 both on the part of teachers and scholars4 ,we have six grades4 ,primary1 ,intermediate1 ,junior1 and ,senior ,departments1 ,normal ,class1 and ,reserve ,corps4 ,,lessons4 ,the ,international ,lessons are used throughout the entire school4 ,the standard of promotion from one department to another is the age of the pupil1 knowledge of the ordinary lessons1 and especially of the supplemental lessons studied in each class of the school1 with two or three exceptions4 ,these supplemental lessons occupy the first five minutes of each lesson period1 and contain valuable information in regard to the ,bible and the ,church4 ,,the ,,primary ,,department4 ,in this room the instruction is oral1 and the lesson is taught to the entire class by the principal4 ,she is assisted by several ladies in maintaining order1 leading the music1 marking the roll1 taking the collection1 noting birthdays1 and caring for the wants of the children4 ,the blackboard and visible illustrations are freely used4 ,the children remain here until they are eight years of age4 ,they are taught besides the regular lessons the ,lord's ,prayer1 the ,beatitudes1 a number of verses of ,scripture1 and several ,psalms4 ,on passing an examination on these supplemental lessons they are promoted to the intermediate ,department4 ,,the ,,intermediate ,,department4 ,in this room also the instruction is mainly oral4 ,the children are taught the lesson by the principal1 who uses blackboards and charts when needed4 ,she likewise has her assistants1 who perform for her the same service as is rendered by the assistants in the ,primary ,department4 ,the ,catechism of the ,church1 the ,ten ,commandments and the ,apostles' ,creed are taught as supplemental lessons4 ,here the children remain three years1 or until they are eleven years of age4 ,on passing an examination on the supplemental lessons they are promoted to the ,junior ,department4 ,,the ,,junior ,,department4 ,in this department the boys and girls are assigned to separate classes4 ,as far as possible the girls are taught by male and the boys by female teachers4 ,each class contains six or eight pupils1 who sit around a little table1 the drawer of which holds their order of exercises and singing books4 ,the pupils remain in this department five years1 or until they are sixteen years of age4 ,these classes are divided into five sections1 representing the five years of study in this grade4 ,the pupils of the first section1 or year1 occupy seats to the right1 immediately in front of the superintendent2 the pupils of the second year at the left1 immediately in front of the superintendent2 the pupils of the third year behind the first1 and the pupils of the fourth year behind the second4 ,the pupils of the fifth year sit at one side1 at the left1 and are divided into two large classes for convenience sake1 and use for recitation two of the church rooms on the first floor of the building4 ,the teachers go with their classes as they are promoted from year to year in this grade1 and when their classes are promoted to the ,senior ,department they turn back and take new classes from the ,intermediate ,department4 ,the pupils of the first year1 the most recent from the ,intermediate ,department1 remain in this section one year1 and then1 if able to pass a satisfactory examination in the names of the books of the ,bible and the five doctrines of grace1 they may be promoted with their teachers to the second year4 ,the supplemental lessons in this grade are printed on cards and furnished to each scholar4 ,the pupils of the second year remain in this section one year1 and then1 if able to pass a satisfactory examination in ,bible biography from ,adam to the ,judges1 the ,apostles' ,creed and the ,beatitudes1 they may be promoted to the third year4 ,the pupils of the third year remain in this section one year1 and then1 if able to pass a satisfactory examination in ,bible biography of the ,judges and ,kings1 the ,ten ,commandments1 the ,great and ,new ,commandments1 they may be promoted to the fourth year4 ,the pupils of the fourth year remain in this section one year1 and then1 if able to pass a satisfactory examination in the biography of the ,new ,testament1 the women of note in the ,old and ,new ,testaments and the eight points of ,church economy1 they may be promoted to the fifth year4 ,the pupils of the fifth year remain in this section one year1 and then1 if able to pass a satisfactory examination in ,bible geography and history1 they may be promoted to the ,senior ,department4 ,,the ,,reception ,,class4 ,connected with the ,junior ,department is a ,reception ,class for pupils between the ages of eleven and sixteen4 ,all new scholars who join the school and are entitled to enter the ,junior ,department become members of this class4 ,the teacher makes it her special duty to learn the scholar's age1 attainments1 home influence and surroundings1 and tests his punctuality and regularity of attendance4 ,after the scholar has passed a satisfactory probation he is assigned to a class in the graded system of the school4 ,,the ,,senior ,,department4 ,in the ,senior ,department the classes occupy three of the five large rooms in the gallery4 ,the members of these classes remain in this grade three years4 ,they study as supplemental lessons ,the ,chautauqua ,text ,book ,number #ai--',the ,book of ,books1' divided into a course of study for three years4 ,those who pass satisfactory examinations1 and who desire it1 are promoted to the ,normal ,class4 ,there is connected with the ,senior ,department a ,lecture ,class1 where the lesson is taught entirely by the lecture method4 ,no questions are asked the members4 ,visitors and strangers are made welcome to seats in this class4 ,there is also a ,general ,bible ,class1 where the lesson is largely taught by questions and answers4 ,these two classes--the ,lecture and ,general ,bible ,class--occupy large rooms in the gallery1 and are for those graduates of the ,senior ,department who do not wish to fit themselves for teachers in the ,normal ,class1 and for all others of mature years who wish to study the ,international ,sunday ,school ,lessons without entering the graded system of the school4 ,,the ,,normal ,,class4 ,the ,normal ,class occupies seats on the main floor1 at the left of the superintendent1 during the opening and closing exercises1 and uses for recitation one of the church rooms on the first floor of the building1 furnished with blackboard and maps4 ,in the ,normal ,class the regular ,international ,lessons are studied very briefly4 ,for two years the class is taught the lessons of the ,chautauqua ,normal ,union1 and passes yearly written examinations on the studies pursued4 ,at the end of two years the members who have passed satisfactorily the examinations on the printed papers furnished by the ,normal ,union are graduated1 receive their diplomas1 and are promoted to the ,reserve ,corps1 to be drafted on occasion into the teaching force4 ,,the ,,reserve ,,corps4 ,the ,reserve ,corps consists of the graduates of the ,normal ,class and others who are specially fitted for teaching4 ,they occupy seats on the main floor1 at the right of the superintendent1 during the opening and closing exercises1 and use for recitation one of the church rooms on the first floor of the building4 ,the members of this class enter it with the distinct understanding that they will hold themselves in readiness to teach when called upon1 and they act1 in turn1 as substitute teachers for the regular teachers who may be absent4 ,they study the lessons one week in advance of the school1 so when asked to teach a class they are prepared by the study of the previous ,sabbath4 ,from this class the permanent teachers of the school are generally taken4 ,this fact is a great incentive to diligence and punctuality on the part of the regular teachers1 as they know that a number of qualified persons stand ready to take their places if they are irregular or not acceptable4 ,,promotions4 ,examinations in each department are held during the month of ,march1 by the ,executive ,committee1 and the promotions are all made on one ,sunday in ,april4 ,this promotion or commencement day becomes one of great interest and importance4 ,the members of the ,normal ,class who have passed their examinations are presented before the entire school by their teacher for graduation4 ,they receive their diplomas from the hands of the pastor1 who presents them with words of praise and encouragement4 ,they then take their seats with the ,reserve ,corps4 ,promotions from the ,senior ,department then fill up again the ,normal ,class4 ,promotions from the ,junior ,classes fill up the empty room in the ,senior ,department4 ,the ,junior ,classes are all advanced one year1 and the ,intermediate ,department gives a new first year to the ,junior ,grade4 ,the depletion of the ,intermediate ,department is then supplied from the ,primary ,department4 ,the primary room fills up1 not by promotions1 but by constant accessions made from ,sunday to ,sunday4 ,,conclusion4 ,we have tried to give you1 as best we could1 some idea of our school4 ,we are by no means satisfied with it2 there are too many weak places yet to be found4 ,we do not allow1 however1 our pupils to go on from year to year without learning something1 and we afford them the opportunity of gaining much valuable knowledge4 ,we shall continue to labor on in this line and try to make it what its name signifies that it is1 a school--a school on the ,sabbath for the study of ,god's word4 ,we have gone into detail in regard to our work that we might help some out of difficulties under which they may labor4 ,if we have dropped a word1 or made any suggestions that shall be helpful to ,sunday school workers in organizing and conducting their schools1 we shall be amply paid for the preparation of this paper4 ,,the ,,detroit ,,plan4 ,,by ,,horace ,,hitchcock4 ,,for many years1 while serving as superintendent of ,sunday schools1 ,i saw hundreds of children grow up to young manhood and womanhood1 and in a majority of cases go out from the school because they had reached such maturity4 ,every conceivable effort was made to retain them by securing the best teachers and offering such attractive social influences as could be introduced into a class4 ,occasionally some magnetic teacher with marked and strong personality would succeed for a time in holding a considerable number of young people in the school1 but such teachers were hard to find4 ,the ,the scholars never seemed willing subjects1 but bound in some way to a service that was neither palatable nor in all cases profitable4 ,why is this so8 was the question asked by troubled teacher and superintendent1 and too often it was attributed to the perverseness of the young people1 and they were given over to the world with the hope that early instruction might have left some seed in their hearts that would in future years bear fruit for their good and the glory of ,god4 ,in the midst of these discouraging conditions1 which seemed to be almost universal in the ,sunday school 7so much so that in every institute program was found this topic3 ,how can the young people be retained in the ,sunday school1 and when the paper was read and the discussion ended1 the mystery was not solved71 the writer began to search for the cause that produced these conditions1 and asked the question of himself4 ,why did you leave the ,sunday school at the age of sixteen1 just as these people do you are so troubled about8 ,going back to those days and digging out of memory their thoughts1 ,i found that there existed in my mind the thought which was confirmed by the conduct of all schools1 that the ,sunday school was for children1 and not for young people1 and that as ,i was no longer a child ,i was out of place4 ,it was not that ,i did not like to be in the school1 but that ,i had changed conditions and the school had not2 therefore was not adapted to me or my wants4 ,this was a revelation which led to the thought that the fault was not in the splendid young men and women who left us1 but that of the organization and adaptation of the school to their needs4 ,the conclusion was that if we would retain our young people in the school and church1 we must adopt methods and instruction which would be in accord with their age and thought4 ,the public schools at once gave a pattern to be followed4 ,the graded system made some part of the school fit every scholar who came to it1 and gave to each one in lower grade a laudable and helpful ambition to reach the higher4 ,this idea1 ,i conceived1 might1 in a modified form1 be introduced into the ,sunday school1 and as soon as the plan was matured ,i proceeded to introduce it into the ,central ,methodist ,episcopal ,sunday ,school of ,detroit4 ,i will as briefly as possible outline it1 trusting it may be helpful to others4 ,,grades4 ,the school was divided into four grades1 namely1 the ,primary1 ,intermediate1 ,junior1 and ,senior1 with two other departments1 the ,normal and the ,home1 each one of which was under the direction of a special superintendent1 all of whom were under the direction of the general superintendent1 the object of this being to make some person who was adapted to the place responsible for the department2 and it has proved to be an excellent feature of the graded system1 as every assistant superintendent1 without any friction with others1 has been ambitious to make his or her department as successful as possible4 ,,the ,,primary ,,department4 ,this grade should consist of all children under eight years of age1 under the instruction of a single teacher1 with such assistants as are needed4 ,kindergarten methods of instruction may be introduced to give variety1 and by the object lessons used to teach through the eye and by the movements of the body lessons from the ,word never to be forgotten4 ,before promotion to a higher grade scholars should be able to repeat from memory the ,apostles' ,creed1 the ,ten ,commandments1 and the ,twenty-third ,psalm4 ,the ingenious teacher in this grade will invent a hundred methods for instruction1 but before all she must comprehend that she is in the most responsible position in the school4 ,she is laying the foundation for the instruction of the other grades1 and as she builds so will the superstructure be strong or weak4 ,,the ,,intermediate ,,department4 ,this grade should be made up of scholars promoted from the ,primary ,grade1 and all between the ages of eight and twelve years1 and should be divided into classes of about seven scholars each4 ,they should study the same lesson as the ,junior and ,senior ,grades1 and in addition to that the ,catechism of the ,church to which the school belongs4 ,this may be taught by the teacher of the class or by the superintendent of the department4 ,promotion to the ,junior ,grade should be made when scholars are about twelve years of age1 or upon a test of fifty questions in the ,catechism1 to be answered in writing1 the scholars to pass if forty are answered correctly4 ,this is the test we employ in this grade4 ,it is important that much should be done for these scholars4 ,special printed programs and reviews should be prepared for them1 and they should receive much attention from the officers of the school4 ,this department should also be a training school for teachers1 who should be selected from the ,seniors for their fitness for such work and after a pledge has been made that they will attend the weekly teachers' meeting for study and help in methods4 ,these teachers should be promoted with their classes when they show they can do more advanced work4 ,great care should be taken in the selection of a superintendent4 ,one who is apt to teach will find abundant opportunity to assist both teachers and scholars4 ,,the ,,junior ,,department4 ,all scholars between the ages of twelve and sixteen should be placed in this grade4 ,in most schools this will be the largest department4 ,the wisest and best teachers should be selected for it1 as the scholars are of that age in which we find them restless and difficult to interest4 ,as a rule it will be in the same room with the ,seniors1 and should be recognized as a grade as frequently as ,seniors4 ,it may be done in many ways1 but should be especially in the opening and closing exercises of the school4 ,they may be called upon to read responsively with the ,seniors1 or to sing the solo part of a hymn while all join in the chorus4 ,special work may be given them in connection with the school1 but not jointly with any other department4 ,if you can keep the ,junior ,grade busy you can both educate and benefit them4 ,they have great pride in being recognized as a separate organization4 ,the members of this grade should be promoted at the age of sixteen to the ,senior ,grade4 ,it may be on some examination1 but ,i believe it not best1 for this is the point where the boy and girl have gone away from school because they thought they were no longer children and a child's school was not the place for them4 ,recognize the fact that they are young people as soon as they do1 and promote them because they are1 into an element that is congenial4 ,at once they are bound to the school by personal pride and by social influences that they are not quick to abandon4 ,use these elements wisely1 and the school has won a victory4 ,the superintendent of this department should be a person whom all the boys and girls like because he is one of them1 and while he is one of them he should not forget above all things that he is their superintendent1 with a responsibility resting upon him to secure their salvation4 ,,the ,,senior ,,department4 ,this most important grade will have in it all persons over sixteen years of age1 and all classes should be on an equal footing2 that is1 that all should be called ,senior ,classes1 whether the members are sixteen or sixty4 ,there should be no ,bible classes4 ,in the formation of ,senior ,classes great care should be taken so to adjust them that there shall be no friction4 ,the social idea must be considered1 although the scholar should not know that it is being thought of4 ,scholars who would have no sympathy with each other1 and who would never harmonize1 should never be placed in the same class2 if they are1 one or the other will leave the class or school4 ,in the selection of teachers for the ,senior ,classes great care should be taken4 ,these scholars must be taught1 not entertained2 so men and women must1 if possible1 be found who are well informed1 apt to teach1 consecrated to their work1 and who will give to their lesson and class such attention as is required to insure successful work4 ,it is far better in this grade to have a few good teachers with large classes than many teachers1 some of whom are incompetent to instruct1 and smaller classes4 ,special instruction should be given in the way of courses of consecutive lessons1 lectures1 and anything that will supply the intellectual wants of these young people4 ,never allow the methods of instruction to get into ruts4 ,teachers should be helped by pastor and superintendent1 and nothing should be left undone which would interest and attract the young people4 ,the social element should be employed under careful supervision1 but always with the ,senior ,grade alone4 ,never allow the children of lower grades to have a part in a social gathering with the ,seniors unless by special invitation of the young people4 ,this is the point where they are sensitive1 and it must be well guarded4 ,employ the young people in every possible way4 ,let the ruling members of the church recognize them and give them all the church work possible1 and they will do it1 not only well1 but with a spirit that will be inspiring to the church4 ,many years of experience convince me that from this department must come the best material for teachers for the school1 and will help to settle the vexed question as to where we can get teachers4 ,take them from the ,senior ,grade and give them such ,normal training as will fit them for teachers and officers4 ,the knowledge that the superintendent is looking among the ,seniors for competent persons to fill all places of responsibility is a great inspiration to them1 and exalts their idea of the character and usefulness of the ,sunday school4 ,the members of this grade are at an age when they are ready to enter upon some business1 and the question as to what it shall be and where they shall get a situation is a very serious one to them4 ,there is no way in which officers and teachers can bind the young people more closely to themselves and the school than by taking a personal interest in their business1 and helping them to secure such employment as they need1 and securing situations where they will be under good influences4 ,,suggestions4 ,in the ,primary ,grade a great effort should be made by the teachers to secure a personal acquaintance with the mothers of the children4 ,if possible call at their homes and thereby learn something of their home life1 always making a memorandum of such things as impress the teacher as having an influence upon the character of the scholar4 ,a ,saturday afternoon reception for the mothers1 who1 if possible1 are to bring their children1 is an excellent method4 ,it should be very informal4 ,avoid in this grade1 as in all others1 the idea of paying scholars by prizes1 or in any other way1 for efforts made to learn or do what is right1 but always keep before them the idea that they are to do well because it is right4 ,this gives the little ones a self-respect which is powerful in its influence4 ,in making promotions from one grade to another it is not best to have ironclad rules4 ,if a class is to be promoted it is not best to leave one or more out because they have not quite reached the age required4 ,neither is it wise to insist upon a scholar being promoted because he has reached the proper age1 unless he is willing to leave the class he is in4 ,promotion may be made once or twice a year4 ,i think once is best1 and then it should be at a special service in which all the school should take part4 ,if a teacher is a misfit in a class the time for promotions is the time to put that teacher where he can work without friction1 without giving any publicity to the change4 ,it is also an excellent time to place a scholar not easily controlled with a teacher who is especially fitted to handle him4 ,the scholar should never know why the change was made4 ,every ,sunday school should have a ,normal ,class4 ,courses of study have been prepared which can be handled by any good teacher or pastor who will make an effort4 ,this course will give not only teachers but scholars an exalted idea of the ,bible as a book1 and prepare them to expound the lessons as they could not without such a course of study4 ,if there is not a class individuals may take the course alone and pass examinations1 which will entitle them to the diploma of some of the ,sunday school assemblies4 ,many superintendents say they cannot grade their schools because they have not separate rooms for the departments4 ,it is desirable to have separate rooms1 but if you do not have them you should grade the school1 putting each grade by itself in some part of the room1 if you have but the one4 ,an aisle or a curtain may be the dividing line4 ,most excellent results have been realized where the whole school was in one room4 ,the ,home ,department is for the benefit of persons who cannot attend ,sunday school4 ,the conditions upon which membership is secured are that they shall study the lesson for the day one half hour on the ,sabbath2 all members to report quarterly whether they have kept the pledge4 ,those who join this department are members of the school and entitled to all its privileges1 such as lesson helps1 the use of library1 and all other things that other members enjoy4 ,this department should include persons who are distant from the school1 the aged1 the sick1 and may include persons who reside hundreds of miles away1 especially those who have been members of the school in other days4 ,this department should have a superintendent who will give it attention and look after all who become members4 ,,the ,,erie ,,plan4 ,,by ,h4 ,a4 ,,strong4 ,,the query often arises whether the modern ,sunday school is now at its maximum of efficiency in the line of its development4 ,wonderful is the progress already attained4 ,the introduction of the ,international ,lesson ,system marks an epoch4 ,before that separate schools and even teachers were a law unto themselves4 ,now schools are in touch one with another2 sectarian barriers have been broken down2 the unity of the cause is recognized4 ,the ,church is one2 so are her schools4 ,the culture and the spirituality of the ,church catholic everywhere are now the teacher of the teachers4 ,helps to ,bible study are so multiplied and improved that it is difficult to see how an advance step could be taken here4 ,the testimony is well-nigh uncontradicted that the ,bible is studied as never before in the light of modern research and science4 ,teachers1 as a body1 are measuring up to these privileges and responsibilities4 ,the advance movement in ,sunday school work may not be in its literature1 nor in the efficiency or the enthusiasm of its corps of teachers4 ,elsewhere must we look for the necessity for improvement4 ,the ,sunday school is a school4 ,the expression sounds trite and tautological2 but it needs emphasis4 ,bishop ,vincent in his latest book1 ,the ,modern ,sunday ,school1 discusses the proposition that the ,sunday school is and must be a school4 ,out of the fullness of his knowledge and experience proof is there given that the organization1 system of teaching1 and methods of the public schools must be appropriated by the ,sunday school of the day4 ,the modern ,sunday school must stand or fall as it is contrasted with the modern public school4 ,by such a comparison alone can excellencies or deficiencies be revealed4 ,wonderful has been the development of the public school system in the present generation4 ,great teachers have appeared in all ages and schools have gathered about them4 ,but this age is remarkable in this1 that it has adopted a system of instruction for youth and has trained teachers for that system4 ,the combination of these two elements makes the modern common school system4 ,let the adults of to-day state the case of their day4 ,such a comparison would show the value of the present4 ,the great boon from the ,state to the youth of to-day is an educational system based on scientific principles4 ,in that system two essentials must be emphasized3 first1 departments2 and1 second1 the place of the pupil4 ,these departments form a series that are mutually related and dependent4 ,they each mark a step in the development of the mind of the pupil4 ,again1 the pupil has his proper place in that system1 assigned not by caprice but by a principle4 ,that principle is the attainment of the pupil in the studies of the system4 ,a competent instructor could find by examination the true place of any pupil in any city public school4 ,such a statement is so self-evident that it excites no surprise4 ,it is as it should be4 ,the method of assignment and promotion is the public school system4 ,without it that system would not be what it is4 ,apply now these essentials as tests to the ,sunday schools4 ,how are pupils there assigned and promoted8 ,the answer must be that such assignment and promotions are there unknown4 ,here we touch a radical defect and weakness4 ,the statement of that weakness hardly needs elaboration4 ,as we study further the public school system we find there a course of study4 ,that course of study1 comprehensive and complete1 the work of educators1 is the glory of the system4 ,it is this curriculum that makes its pupils students4 ,in these points also compare the ,sunday school4 ,a summary of these conclusions may be made4 ,the modern ,sunday school is not the peer of the modern public school4 ,the ,sunday school has a defective system of unrelated1 independent departments4 ,the modern public school has a perfect system of correlated dependent departments4 ,the ,sunday school has no system of promotions1 no training school for teachers1 and no course of study4 ,do its pupils study8 ,why1 they are not required1 nor examined4 ,is there a remedy for such defects8 ,could its department be perfected8 ,yes2 but the disease is deeper than that4 ,could a system of promotions be devised8 ,undoubtedly4 ,could a teachers' class be formed8 ,many schools have that4 ,to treat these symptoms separately is not to reach the source of the disease4 ,it is but to tamper with difficulties4 ,the solution lies in a ,course of ,study4 ,in the public school the system rallied around a common center--its course of study4 ,all the agencies employed were to render that course effective4 ,out of a supplemental lesson system will arise conditions that will crystallize into correlation of departments1 methods of promotion1 a ,normal ,department with its commencement day1 and1 best of all1 by the help of the home and the church1 an atmosphere of study for the scholar without which a school cannot be4 ,it is believed that such a course of study is practicable4 ,is it not thus that the modern ,sunday school as a school must be improved8 ,it is evident that the course of instruction in the ,sunday school will be different from that of the day school4 ,there1 mental culture is sought2 here1 spiritual culture is the end in view4 ,there1 many are the text-books on diverse themes2 here1 one book and one theme4 ,the ,bible and its revelation must be the book and the theme of any supplemental lesson system4 ,it may be taken as an axiom that that system will be the most efficient and acceptable which has the most of the ,bible in it and whose teachings best mirror the ,bible4 ,the writer has prepared a series of text-books to be used as a supplemental course of study in the ,sunday school4 ,these books have been compiled in connection with his work as superintendent2 and as they were completed they were tested in the ,sunday school at ,erie1 ,pa4 ,the first one was written five years ago1 and since then they have been continuously used4 ,this school1 as now graded1 consists of the following departments3 ,primary1 ,junior1 ,senior1 ,normal1 ,reserve1 and ,assembly4 ,the ,primary ,department has a four years' course and classes to correspond4 ,the ,normal ,department has adopted the two years' course of study of the ,chautauqua ,normal ,union4 ,the course of study to which attention is directed is an eight years' course--four years for the ,junior ,department and four for the ,senior ,department4 ,this course receives pupils from the ,primary room at the age of about ten1 and1 after it is finished1 passes them on to the ,normal ,department4 ,,the ,,books ,,of ,,the ,,course3,a ,junior ,department3 ,first ,year--,catechism4 ,second ,year--,catechism4 ,third ,year--,life of ,christ4 ,fourth ,year--,church ,history4 ,senior ,department3 ,first ,year--,jewish ,history4 ,second ,year--,jewish ,history and the ,bible4 ,third ,year--,christian ,evidences4 ,fourth ,year--,christian ,evidences4 ,all these books are catechetical in form1 simple in statement1 and seek through the questions to give the theme a natural unfolding4 ,they are printed uniform in series4 ,the ,junior books have each about twenty pages the size of the ,church ,catechism1 and the ,senior books have each about thirty pages4 ,the ,catechism is the first book of the series4 ,experience teaches that then memory best aids in its mastery4 ,to these text-books on the ,catechism is added a supplement on the books of the ,bible and its history and geography4 ,the ,life of ,christ undertakes to tell that life in the words of the gospels4 ,church ,history treats of the apostolic ,church and great events in that history1 as the ,crusades and the ,reformation under ,luther and ,wesley4 ,the first ,senior book1 ,jewish ,history1 follows mainly the outline of the ,old ,testament emphasized by the lessons of the international course4 ,the second year book completes that history1 and has chapters on the ,bible--its translations and geography1 etc4 ,the third and fourth years are employed in the study of ,christian ,evidences4 ,a glance shows that the course of study is a study of the ,bible1 the ,junior books being taken from the ,new ,testament1 while the ,senior cover the ,old ,testament4 ,this system calls for regular examination in which the classes of the school participate2 it creates an atmosphere of study for the scholars4 ,they are expected and required to study1 and they meet that expectation4 ,this system further promotes harmony between the different departments of the school and forms a basis for promotion for the scholars and classes4 ,promotions are as regular and as judicious as in the public schools4 ,for what it is1 and what it promises1 it is brought to the attention of the ,church and ,sunday school4 ,,the ,,grading4 ,in this work the number of departments into which the school is to be divided must be fixed4 ,the following will probably be found requisite3 ,primary1 ,junior1 ,senior1 ,normal1 ,assembly1 and ,reserve ,departments4 ,the ,primary ,department may be graded in unison with the school and a course of four years' study be adopted4 ,the ,normal ,department takes the ,chautauqua ,assembly course of study4 ,the ,assembly is the adult ,bible ,class of the school4 ,graduates of the ,normal ,department constitute the ,reserve ,department4 ,this department studies the ,sunday school lesson a week in advance of the rest of the school1 and stands ready to fill the places of absentee teachers4 ,the main body of the school constitutes the ,junior and the ,senior departments4 ,the course of study is for these ,departments1 and covers a period of eight years4 ,their grading is a work of tact and difficulty4 ,the scholars should be formed into classes1 averaging seven to a class4 ,these classes1 when organized1 should be seated in the school1 with the view of promotion from year to year4 ,in a school of five hundred pupils the classes would average about five to each grade4 ,where these departments occupy the same room the ,juniors may be seated on one side1 according to rank1 and the ,seniors on the other side4 ,the position of the class1 being won by merit1 becomes a place of honor which the superintendent wisely uses4 ,in the first organization a perfect grade is not attainable4 ,out of the material given only an approximation to the ideal can be hoped for4 ,time will cure defects4 ,each year the entire system moves4 ,with a few annual promotions the actual attains the ideal and the system becomes perfect in its grade4 ,in this we make haste slowly4 ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,the ,,books4 ,the time of the introduction of the books and the method of their study are for the decision of the school4 ,a suggestion may be offered4 ,the ,sunday school year may follow that of the public school4 ,if so1 their study would begin in ,september1 and the examination would be the ,june following4 ,but1 whenever introduced1 it should be made plain that the books are auxiliary only to the ,international ,system of ,bible study4 ,each session should have an allotted period of time1 at least five minutes1 for their study4 ,each teacher can divide the given matter into convenient parts so that the whole may be mastered in nine months4 ,this study will be tested by an examination4 ,,the ,,annual ,,examination4 ,this examination is the keystone of the whole system4 ,without it the course of study is a failure4 ,its importance must be emphasized before the whole school4 ,how to emphasize it is a problem that each school must solve4 ,a description of the plan adopted in the school where the system originated may throw some light on that question4 ,some ,sunday in ,june is selected as the day for the examination1 and of that day the school is forewarned4 ,examination questions1 twenty in number1 and covering the work of the year1 are furnished each scholar4 ,these questions are so printed as to leave blank spaces under each question for the answer to be written by the scholar4 ,the whole session of the school is given up to the examination4 ,the papers are gathered and careful work is put thereon in marking the same4 ,each answer is marked on a scale of #e1 and1 if the answers are correct1 the paper is marked #ajj4 ,the marks thus make a system of percentage easily understood by all4 ,the minimum percentage to pass the examination is #ge4 ,those who get #ge and upward are known as honor students4 ,the ,sunday following the examination a full report of the work of the school is read4 ,an honor roll of students who pass the examination is placed upon the blackboard or printed in fine form and placed upon the walls of the room4 ,these honor names are arranged alphabetically and without the percentage of standing1 so that it is an equal honor to all students4 ,the ,commencement ,day of the graduates of the ,normal ,class occurs shortly after the examination4 ,these exercises are given on some suitable evening of the week1 and are made the event of the school year4 ,after the exercises comes the banquet4 ,for this occasion the ,sunday school room is made by the graduates a veritable bower of floral beauty4 ,the ,normal graduates and the honor students are received as the honored guests at these festivities4 ,such a description may make plain how to emphasize the examination4 ,at least two months before the examination the superintendent should make short1 pointed appeals to the scholars and try to fill them with the spirit of study4 ,these examination honors1 open to every one1 should be made plain to all4 ,adults work with an object in view4 ,it is the same with the children4 ,the written examination1 its report read to the school1 the roll of honor1 the promotions1 the ,commencement and its banquet1 are appeals not made in vain to the modern child4 ,what must be the legitimate result of such an appeal to the children8 ,they work for the examination as they do for the examination in the public schools4 ,these last weeks are busy ones4 ,they meet evenings at the homes of the teachers1 and on ,sunday they gather at the church in special session for class study4 ,under such inspiration whole classes have handed in perfect papers4 ,and yet some may and will fail4 ,for them a second examination is given4 ,then on the day of promotion the whole school moves forward and occupies the rank won4 ,a course of study can thus revolutionize a school and create an atmosphere of genuine study4 ,,footnote3 ,a ,these books have been published in pamphlet form by the ,methodist ,book ,concern as ,graded ,lessons for the ,sunday ,school4 ,,the ,,chicopee ,,plan4 ,,by ,,hon4 ,l4 ,e4 ,,hitchcock4 ,,can the graded system be successfully used in small ,sunday schools8 ,the plan described in this article has been in successful operation for several years in the ,central ,methodist ,episcopal ,sunday school in ,chicopee1 ,mass41 in which the membership during that time has averaged #bjj and the average attendance has been about #aej4 ,before describing in detail the plan it may be well to stale three principles on which the plan is based3 #a4 ,a school1 in order to be such1 must be instructive as well as evangelistic1 and if instruction is to be given there are many principles of instruction which have been worked out in our system of public schools and which have come to be accepted as right principles of teaching anything1 and these principles cannot be ignored in teaching in the ,sunday schools any more than they can in the day schools without impairment of the results desired4 #b4 ,in general terms1 the most important principle of successful teaching is that it should be progressive and adapted in succeeding years to the normal development of the mind of the average child1 and this relates to the method of teaching a given subject as well as to the selection of the subjects which shall be taught4 #c4 ,another principle of successful teaching which is of almost as much importance as the one just alluded to is that there shall be one person at the head with a definite plan of work4 ,applying these principles to ,sunday school work1 this school supposes that there is certain instruction which properly belongs to the ,sunday school to give2 that there is no reason why the ,sunday school should not make use of the best methods of instruction which are known to educators so far as applicable2 and that when the superintendent is elected to his place the church in effect commits to him or her the entire care of that part of the work of the church1 and that it is perfectly proper for him to direct his teachers in the work which he will have done in his school during his term of office4 ,,plan ,,of ,,organization ,the school is divided into three departments1 ,primary1 ,intermediate1 and ,senior4 ,the ,primary ,department keeps the children until the ,new ,year after they are eight years old2 the ,intermediate takes them through a ten years' course of study1 and then the ,senior ,department receives them into the ,bible classes4 ,the ,primary ,department1 which meets in a room by itself and has its own order of exercises1 is divided into as many classes with separate teachers as may be necessary for the proper care of its little folks1 and all under the care of a superintendent of that department4 ,the usual exercises of this department are of the general character customary in such grades4 ,in ,july the class which will graduate at the end of the year is formed and placed in the care of a certain teacher1 whose special duty is to see that the class is prepared to graduate4 ,the graduating exercises are public1 and a neat diploma is presented to each scholar who thus graduates4 ,the ,intermediate ,department is divided into ten grades1 each representing a year of study and each containing two classes1 one of boys and one of girls1 although there is no reason why boys and girls should not be together in the same class4 ,there is no division of the ,senior ,department into grades4 ,it contains only three classes1 namely1 the ,young ,men's ,bible ,class1 the ,young ,ladies' ,bible ,class1 and the ,general ,class4 ,,courses ,,of ,,study4 ,the principal work of the school is done along the lines of the ,international ,lessons1 which are used in all the departments1 although the method of teaching them varies in the different grades4 ,in addition to the ,international ,lessons ,supplemental ,lessons are taught in the ,primary and ,intermediate ,departments4 ,in the ,primary ,department these include the ,lord's ,prayer1 the ,ten ,commandments1 the ,twenty-third ,psalm1 the ,beatitudes1 and the ,apostles' ,creed4 ,the following schedule will show at a glance what are the specific studies of each grade in the ,intermediate ,department3 ---------------------------------------- ------------------------------- ,age4 ,grade4 ,international ,lesson4 ,supplemental ,lesson4,b ---------------------------------------- ------------------------------- #i ,i ,learn and recite the ,first half of ,catechism memory verses4 ,no4 #a4 #aj ,,ii ,same as ,grade ,i4 ,last half of ,catechism ,no4 ,i4 #aa ,,iii ,learn memory verses ,life of ,jesus4 and one thought4 #ab ,,iv ,study persons 7if any7 ,studies about the and one thought4 ,bible4 #ac ,v ,study places 7if any7 ,bible ,geography4 and two thoughts4 #ad ,,vi ,study manners and customs ,bible ,history4 and two thoughts4 #ae ,,vii ,teachings of the lesson ,history of ,christian having special reference ,church4 to manhood and womanhood4 #af ,,viii ,same as ,grade ,,vii4 ,history of ,m4 ,e4 ,church4 #ag ,,ix ,teachings of lesson bearing ,doctrine and rules directly upon practical of the ,m4 ,e4 ,christianity4 ,church4 #ah ,x ,same as ,grade ,,ix4 ,government of ,m4 ,e4 ,church4 ---------------------------------------- ------------------------------- ,some explanation of the above is needed3 #a4 ,the study of the ,international ,lessons4 ,in all the grades the first things to be learned in each lesson are the title1 the ,golden ,text1 and the lesson story1 and after these are learned the teachers take up the specific grade instruction as above4 ,the lesson thought1 which appears first in ,grade ,,iii1 is carried through all the remaining grades as the central thought for the session4 ,these thoughts are selected by the superintendent1 and by him indicated to the teachers at the beginning of each quarter4 ,to illustrate3 ,take the lesson for ,september #aa1 #ahib1 the title of which was ,philip and the ,ethiopian4 ,after learning the title1 ,golden ,text1 and lesson story the different grades will study as follows3 ,grades ,i and ,,ii4 ,learn the memory verses3 #ce-ch4 ,grade ,,iii4 ,learn the memory verses and study thought3 ,philip preached ,jesus4 ,grade ,,iv4 ,study about the persons3 ,philip1 ,candace1 the eunuch1 and ,esaias1 and also the same thought as in ,grade ,,iii4 ,grade ,v4 ,study about the places3 ,jerusalem1 ,gaza1 ,ethiopia1 ,azotus1 and ,cesarea1 and the two thoughts3 ,philip preached ,jesus1 and ,prompt response to call of duty4 ,grade ,,vi4 ,study customs3 going to ,jerusalem to worship1 ceremony of baptism1 riding in chariot1 and the same two thoughts as in ,grade ,v4 ,grades ,,vii and ,,viii4 ,thoughts-- ,philip preached ,jesus4 ,prompt response to call of duty4 ,habit of reading4 ,understand as you read4 ,act up to your knowledge4 ,grades ,,ix and ,x4 ,thoughts-- ,philip preached ,jesus4 ,i can do the same4 ,prompt response to call of duty4 ,how these calls come4 ,fulfillment of prophecy4 ,immediate conversion and baptism4 ,the new-found joy4 #b4 ,the ,supplemental ,lessons4 ,the aim of these lessons is to furnish systematic instruction upon the subjects indicated1 which are matters that every well-informed person ought to know1 but which cannot be taught from the ,international ,lessons4 ,each year contains thirty-six lessons which can easily be memorized and recited in the twenty minutes usually allowed for this study4 ,the titles readily suggest the nature of the lessons4 ,a weekly teachers' meeting is held under the direction of the superintendent for the purpose of assisting the teachers in the right understanding of the things required to be taught on the succeeding ,sunday1 and instructing them in methods of teaching that particular lesson4 ,it is a sort of teachers' meeting and normal class combined4 ,,examinations ,,and ,,marks4 ,written examinations upon the ,international ,lessons are held at the end of each quarter1 and one upon the ,supplemental ,lessons is held near the close of the year1 upon each of which the scholars are marked4 ,each scholar is also marked at each session of the school upon a scale of five credits1 as follows3 one for attendance at the opening of the school1 one for attention during school time1 one for attendance at closing the school1 one for attendance upon preaching service1 and one for lesson study at home4 ,these marks1 taken in connection with the examination marks and the knowledge of the general work of the scholar during the year1 determine his promotion at the end of the year4 ,the scholar who completes the course satisfactorily is awarded the diploma of graduation and admitted to the ,senior ,department of the school4 ,no special work other than that usually taken up in ,bible classes has been attempted in any of the classes of the ,senior ,department4 ,,spiritual ,,work4 ,although great stress is laid upon the work of instruction in the school1 it must not be concluded that the spiritual work is overlooked4 ,this is attended to in two ways3 first1 in the lesson thoughts in connection with the ,international ,lessons1 which are selected1 as far as possible1 to enable the teachers to illustrate and enforce spiritual truths2 and1 secondly1 each teacher is expected to do all she can in the way of personal example and influence to bring the members of her class to ,christ4 ,of course1 if any special religious interest at any time in the church seems to call for it1 the work of the school is suspended and all the energy is brought to bear upon the evangelistic part of the work4 ,,results4 ,the actual working of this plan has demonstrated that many things which might seem to be objections have been only imaginary4 ,at the start the scholars were classified according to their ages1 with occasional modifications with reference to their places in the public schools1 and the teachers were placed in the different grades with reference to their relative abilities1 and they were asked to teach certain specific things1 which of course they cheerfully did4 ,the scholars1 who are accustomed to this method in the public schools1 at once caught the idea1 and their parents became interested to see that their lessons were learned before coming to the school4 ,the attendance of teachers became more regular1 for each teacher1 having his own specific work to do1 very soon realized that if he were absent his work could not be fully done by a substitute1 and the attendance of the scholars was much improved1 for they could see actual advancement from ,sunday to ,sunday4 ,the attendance of scholars in the ,intermediate ,department averages fully twenty per cent more than in any other department4 ,of course1 the adoption of any system of graded work means considerable work for a superintendent at the start1 and this to a busy man is a serious matter2 but after the system is fairly started it works easier and with less friction to annoy than any other plan1 and the cause is worthy of the effort required4 ,two reasons why schools should be graded may be given3 #a4 ,children will be interested in what they can understand1 and if the instruction both as to form and substance is adapted to their growing intellectual abilities it will easily be received and taken care of1 while1 on the other hand1 if it is not comprehended it excites no interest in the mind of the child1 and he is glad to get out of the school as soon as he can4 #b4 ,the teachers do not go on with their classes from year to year indefinitely1 and by this means it is possible to bring ten succeeding classes under the teaching of the ablest teacher you can get in a particular grade1 instead of confining that able teacher to only one class for ten years4 ,there can surely be no question as to which is the better course4 ,,footnote3 ,b ,these ,supplemental ,lessons have been published by ,hunt ,eaton1 ,new ,york1 as ,the ,ten ,minute ,series4 ,,the ,,lynchburg ,,plan4 ,,by ,,irvine ,,garland ,,penn4 ,,it was early in the year of #ahij when it became a positive fact1 to the superintendent who is now leading our ,sunday school1 that we had accomplished practically nothing as a school during the twenty years of our existence4 ,in this school our superintendent was entered when but a lad of five years4 ,he had shifted from class to class1 not by reason of any promotion by the superintendent1 teacher1 or any other officer of the school1 but as he advanced in age from five to eight1 eight to ten1 and ten to fifteen years he correspondingly grew in size1 and of his own free will and accord he moved from class to class1 with no other recommendation for promotion but age and size4 ,at the age of fifteen he was made secretary1 and in that official capacity he took account of the pennies collected1 disbursing them as the board might order4 ,our future superintendent was then promoted to be the teacher of ,bible ,class ,no4 #c4 ,it was not ,class ,three because its members knew more or less than ,class #a and #b1 but because its members were a class of misses1 while ,classes #a and #b were masters and young men4 ,in fact1 ,class #c was as much entitled to be ,class #a as ,class #a was to be ,class #a4 ,he was then promoted to his present position4 ,his career is related in order that it may be shown that the conclusion which he had reached was founded upon personal experience and observation1 which he took no account of then1 but which served to demonstrate more forcibly to him that the ,sunday school was accomplishing nothing save the one fact that it met on ,sunday mornings ostensibly for religious instruction4 ,it must be said1 however1 in justice to other superintendents1 that1 whatever inclination he had to seek and ascertain the defects and best needs of the school1 he was led slightly in that direction by those who had shown that something was needed1 and who knew that a change must take place if our ,sunday school would maintain her standing as a large and growing one in the community4 ,we numbered four hundred1 in round figures1 and while during the boyhood of our superintendent the corps of teachers were not efficient1 by reason of the lack of advantages necessary to proper qualification1 yet when he came into office he found himself surrounded by a corps of teachers nearly all of whom were prepared by intellectual and divine strength to teach anything that could possibly be put into a ,sunday school course with propriety4 ,no longer were there blind leaders of the blind in the school1 but intelligent leaders in mind and heart4 ,it was a proposition that needed no demonstration to our superintendent that he now had the opportunity to present the one thing needful in the school1 namely1 method and system in instruction and the adaptiveness of work to the susceptibility of the pupil1 which is the essence of the grade idea4 ,as soon1 then1 as this idea was clear1 our superintendent at once began inquiry and to hunt literature bearing on this subject4 ,the ,modern ,sunday ,school1 by ,bishop ,j4 ,h4 ,vincent1 was the first book consulted1 and the first sentence of ,chapter ,,xii1 on ,gradation1 gave the idea which settled the conviction4 ,the sentence reads3 ,the ,sunday school is a school4 ,nothing is truer than this one sentence1 and the sooner our superintendents and teachers get this one idea ineradicably fixed in their minds the better it will be for our ,sunday school interests4 ,most assuredly the ,sunday school is a school to teach the things of ,god1 to instill his truths and impress his good deeds and loving favors to the children of men upon the mind and hearts of those who must grow up in the admonition of the ,lord1 if they would make valiant soldiers and good citizens4 ,it was evident that our ,sunday school was a school1 though poor in order1 poor in work1 and poor in everything but singing and the giving of picnics4 ,dr4 ,vincent's book was further consulted1 with others1 and our superintendent reserved several months to mature his plans and present them4 ,in the meantime several articles in the ,sunday ,school ,journal of ,may and ,september1 #ahij1 greatly helped him4 ,a plan of action was finally decided upon2 first a new registration1 giving name1 age1 educational fitness1 and some minor matters1 was gotten of each pupil as accurately as possible4 ,in the meantime our plan had by this time been told the school1 and the taking of a new registration1 preparatory to the gradation1 created a genuine revival of interest in the work4 ,and1 too1 when the fact was known that the school was undergoing a change which would give larger and better opportunities to the children1 fathers and mothers who could not themselves read1 but who knew what it was to have ,john and ,mary to go from ,catechism to ,catechism1 from class to class1 every time higher and higher1 gave vent to their feelings in many ,amens and ,god-bless-yous4 ,to these expressions of approval and the prayers of this class the success of our system may be greatly attributed4 ,the registration having been taken1 our superintendent was intrusted with the gradation of the school4 ,on the one hand the burden was light2 on the other heavy4 ,the labor was light1 for no amount of it could seem a burden1 so great was the interest in the four hundred souls who were now for once to be put into the shape of an ideal ,sunday school4 ,on the other hand1 it was for once a burden to do duty as he saw it1 because there were large boys and girls who had been hitherto neglected in this ghost of a school1 and now had to suffer the worry of doing a thing over when it might have been done well at first4 ,but our superintendent had no time now to indulge in sentimentality2 the work was to be done1 it was given him to do1 and he knew it was for the best good of the school2 hence he went at the work in the fear of the ,lord4 ,during three weeks of incessant prayer and labor the work was done1 submitted to and approved by our board4 ,what a change to be made during the next ,sunday6 ,john1 who could not read1 used to be in ,bible ,class ,no4 #a2 now he is to study the ,catechism4 ,during the next ,sunday the grading was done1 classes rearranged1 teachers replaced to suit the departments2 and after all was done we looked calmly upon the scene1 and never in all the history of our ,sunday school did it look so well1 and never have we seen children with such bright and happy faces as were in that school on that morning4 ,it will never be forgotten even by the smallest pupil4 ,as ,i have said1 they were always good singers1 but with new life in them they sang the praises of ,god on that morning until it seemed we were all tasting of the riches of ,god as never before4 ,the three departments arranged were ,primary1 ,intermediate1 and ,normal1 with provision for a ,normal ,training ,class4 ,it may be said here that we have seen the necessity very clearly for the introduction of a ,junior ,department or ,course on account of the length of our now existing departments4 ,this will be done on ,promotion ,sunday after our ,january examination4 ,a course of study was carefully arranged to cover the three departments1 consisting of seven years3 ,primary ,course 7provided child entered at the age of three71 ages from three to ten years2 five years' ,intermediate ,course1 ages from ten to fifteen years2 five years in the ,senior ,course1 ages from fifteen to twenty years4 ,these departments1 and the years in each1 will be slightly modified by the introduction of the ,junior ,course4 ,the course embraces in our ,primary ,department the ,international ,lessons in the form of the ,picture ,lesson ,paper4 ,the ,lesson ,paper is1 however1 not taken up until the pupil has been in this department for four years1 presuming that he enters at three years of age4 ,the lessons during the first four years are orally taught1 and consist of selected verses of the ,bible1 ,lord's ,prayer1 ,beatitudes1 and selected portions of ,catechism ,no4 #a4 ,since the day school system only admits pupils at six and seven years1 it is presumed that they are not prepared to be classified in any way as students of the ,international ,system on account of their inability to read4 ,thus all of the pupils from three to six years are put into one class and taught orally1 as explained above4 ,there are sometimes exceptions to this general rule in the case of children who may have had early training around the fireside4 ,the pupils in the ,primary ,department1 having received the ,lesson ,paper at seven or eight years1 have only from two to three years to remain there before the proper age is reached1 all other things being equal1 for their transfer to the next department4 ,during the last two or three years of the ,primary ,course the pupils have for supplemental lessons selected ,psalms and verses1 ,catechism ,no4 #a to ,question #be1 inclusive4 ,it has been demonstrated to our board in our promotions that this ,primary ,course is well conceived and serves admirably well the purpose intended1 which is to lay a foundation upon which a structure might be reared without fear of tottering4 ,in our ,intermediate ,course the ,international study begins the first year with the ,beginner's ,leaf and is used during three years of the five years' course4 ,in the remaining two years the ,berean ,lesson ,leaf is used4 ,in the use of the ,beginner's and ,berean ,leaves the course of teaching is laid down by the ,examining ,board1 and the teacher directs her talk and instruction in that direction4 ,this is to avoid what may be termed splatterdash teaching--the teaching of everything with special reference to no one particular thing1 the teaching of what is understood and not understood4 ,the supplemental lessons for the ,intermediate ,course include the ,ten ,commandments1 ,catechisms ,nos4 #a1 #b1 and #c1 and the ,old ,testament read and thoroughly considered from ,genesis to ,numbers1 inclusive4 ,in this department special effort is made to impress the ,baptismal ,covenant1 the ,ten ,doctrines of ,grace1 ,ten ,points of ,church ,economy1 etc4 ,the pupil is now fifteen years of age1 and1 all things being equal1 he is ready for the ,senior ,course4 ,in this department the ,senior ,lesson ,quarterly is used4 ,the supplemental work consists of a completion of the ,old and ,new ,testaments thoroughly read and considered during the five years4 ,in addition to this1 ,mc,gee's ,outlines of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church is studied the first year2 ,the ,teacher ,before ,his ,class1 by ,james ,l4 ,hughes1 in the second year2 ,normal ,outlines for ,primary ,teachers in the third year2 ,history of the ,sunday ,school1 by ,chandler1 in the fourth year2 ,discipline of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 and ,christian ,baptism1 by ,bishop ,s4 ,m4 ,merrill1 in the fifth year4 ,our pupils are then entered in the ,normal ,training ,class1 where they read such books as ,open ,letters to ,primary ,teachers1 by ,mrs4 ,w4 ,f4 ,crafts2 ,hand ,book for ,teachers1 by ,dr4 ,joseph ,alden4 ,they also consider more fully the doctrines of our ,methodism and the history of that great religious movement1 as one has termed it4 ,the pupils of this class subject themselves to much training for ,sunday school teachers4 ,they are permitted and are expected to meet the teachers in their weekly meetings in order that they may go over the lessons with the teachers and be prepared in case of an emergency4 ,our examinations are held semiannually4 ,in the supplemental work the examinations are conducted in written form4 ,as to the ,international studies1 the recommendation of a pupil by a teacher is sufficient to determine his work and his ability to pass to a higher grade4 ,the teachers conduct their own examination and make tabulated results1 the whole of which is submitted to our ,examining ,board1 consisting of eight members1 who carefully pass upon it and order the promotion4 ,the promotion is then made by the superintendent according to the tabulated results4 ,as an encouragement to pupils we have found it wise to issue certificates to everyone as they complete the course of study of each department1 and finally1 when the ,senior ,course is completed1 to issue a diploma4 ,the assembly idea also obtains in our school as a part of our system4 ,this has been found indispensable as an incentive to devotion1 because it makes our higher ,intermediate and ,senior classes feel their importance in a measure when they are called together every fortnight to hear some talk or paper upon some religious topic1 apart from the ,primary and lower ,intermediate classes4 ,in order that the teachers might be more thoroughly interested in the success of the system1 and thus influence their children1 our superintendent has very wisely introduced the social feature into our work1 and very often in our consideration of ,sunday school matters we find ourselves in the midst of a pleasant and agreeable reception4 ,this has worked well1 for we are all creatures of humanity with the same innate social tendencies4 ,the day of days1 yes1 the red-letter day1 is ,promotion ,sunday4 ,these ,sundays will never be forgotten4 ,the enthusiasm is equal to that of ,children's ,day in every respect4 ,boys and girls with eager hearts pass from class to class4 ,as a means necessary to the success of our system our superintendent very carefully presented the necessity of a larger library than we had4 ,the plans for raising the money were arranged1 and1 to use the popular expression1 they worked like a charm4 ,hundreds of dollars were raised1 with which we now have over one thousand volumes and a neatly built library case of twenty feet in length4 ,it would be a pleasure to tell how that money was raised4 ,as to the results accomplished in our school by the system1 suffice it to say they are manifold4 ,order1 system1 interest1 care1 study1 regular and punctual attendance by officers and teachers1 have been some of the results4 ,in conclusion1 let us pray that our superintendents and boards will see the necessity for this system in their schools1 and that before long the schools of our ,methodism may be one of continuous gradation4 ,,the ,,plainfield ,,plan4 ,,by ,,jesse ,l4 ,,hurlbut1 ,d4,d4 ,,two years have passed since our ,sunday school was graded1 and the results of the system are now so apparent that we can safely recommend our plan1 for it has met and endured the test of time4 ,our ,sunday school1 before the grading was accomplished1 embraced about four hundred scholars of all ages1 with an average attendance of two hundred and seventy-five4 ,its officers and teachers were fifty in number4 ,it was by no means an ideal school1 though above the average in the efficiency of its work and the interest of its exercises4 ,its building1 however1 is a model of convenience and adaptation to the work of the ,sunday school1 having around the main hall eighteen class rooms1 all capable of being either secluded or opened together at a moment's notice4 ,we found in out ,sunday school certain evils and defects1 all of which may be seen elsewhere4 ,some of these were3 #a4 ,skeleton classes in the ,senior ,department1 consisting of four or five scholars1 being the remains of what had once been large classes of boys and girls4 #b4 ,a constant tendency among the young people to fall away from the school after reaching the age of sixteen or eighteen years4 #c4 ,great discrepancies of numbers in the classes2 large and small classes side by side in the same grade4 #d4 ,in almost any given class a lack of unity in the age and the intellectual acquirements of its members4 #e4 ,great difficulty in obtaining suitable teachers for new classes1 or to take the places of teachers leaving the school4 ,after many conversations a conclusion was reached that most of these evils might be removed1 and others of them might be lessened1 if the school were reorganized according to a good system1 and then maintained as a thoroughly graded school4 ,a committee was chosen to prepare a plan4 ,correspondence was held with graded schools1 all printed information was carefully studied1 a plan was prepared1 printed1 submitted to the ,sunday ,school ,board1 discussed1 modified1 and finally adopted unanimously4 ,the following are the principal features of the plan1 for which we make no claim of originality1 as each of its elements was already in successful operation in one or more graded ,sunday schools3 #a4 ,that the school should be arranged in four general departments3 ,the ,senior1 for all over sixteen years old2 the ,junior1 from ten to sixteen years2 the ,intermediate1 from eight to ten2 and the ,primary1 for the children younger than eight years4 ,these divisions are not arbitrary1 but represent the average standard of age1 to which exceptions might be made in special cases4 #b4 ,in each department the number of classes to be fixed and invariable1 except that in the ,junior ,department there might be some necessary elasticity in the number of classes1 owing to the varying number of scholars promoted into the department in different years4 #c4 ,promotions to be made annually1 and all at the same time1 on the last ,sunday of ,march4 ,except in special emergencies no changes in classes to be made during the year1 either by teachers or scholars4 ,if a teacher accepts a class on ,promotion ,day it is generally to be considered an engagement for the entire year1 unless a necessity arise4 #d4 ,while in the same department a teacher and his class to be advanced together2 that is1 from the first year of the ,intermediate ,grade to the second1 from the first year of the ,junior ,grade to the second1 etc4 ,but the promotion from one department to another to be attended with a change of teachers1 in order to keep the same number of classes in each department1 especially the ,senior ,department1 from year to year4 #e4 ,while special supplemental lessons may be provided for each department1 the promotions to be made upon general fitness1 age1 and intelligence1 and not upon the result of an examination4 ,no examination upon the plan of the public schools is practicable in the ,sunday school1 where all the classes are studying the same lesson4 ,all attempt at making an examination the prerequisite of promotion is apt to become a pretense in the actual working of the scheme4 #f4 ,it was also decided that the entire school should be reorganized on a certain day1 in accordance with the above plan4 ,a careful committee of seven members1 including the pastor and superintendent1 made a canvass of the school1 ascertained the age of each scholar under seventeen1 conferred with the teachers1 and then prepared a new list of teachers and scholars for all classes in the school1 making many changes1 both in the teaching staff and the assignment of scholars4 ,sunday1 ,march #cj1 #ahij1 was a memorable day1 being our first ,promotion ,sunday4 ,we approached it with some anxiety1 for on that day our committee held in its hands the fate of every teacher and every scholar4 ,old ties were to be broken1 new relations were to be entered upon4 ,ten teachers were to be returned to the ranks as ,senior scholars1 and the complexion of every class was to be changed4 ,no one could tell what heart-burnings would be engendered and what disappointments would come4 ,the superintendent made a statement of the new plan1 and proceeded to read the new roll1 beginning with ,class ,no4 #a of the ,senior ,department4 ,as the names were called the members left their former classes and took their new places in the class room4 ,eight classes were assigned to the ,senior ,grade1 each having a separate room4 ,these classes were a young men's class1 three young ladies' classes1 a class of elderly ladies1 a lecture class of ladies and gentlemen1 a class of reserve teachers1 and a normal class to be trained for teachers in the course of the ,chautauqua ,normal ,union4 ,in the ,junior ,department sixteen classes were formed4 ,those of the lowest rank1 the first year1 took the front row of seats2 the second year the second row1 etc4 ,those of the fifth year ,junior were in two classes1 one for boys and another for girls1 each having a room4 ,the teachers of these two classes remain constant1 and change their scholars every year2 but during the first four years of the grade the teachers advance with their scholars1 changing their seats every year1 but retaining their classes4 ,the ,intermediate ,department consists of two large classes1 each in a separate room4 ,one class is of little children just promoted from the ,primary ,department2 the other1 of those who have been in the ,intermediate ,grade a year4 ,the teacher remains with each class for two years1 the term of this grade4 ,we are inclined to favor a three-year term in this grade1 with a class for each year1 thus making the age at admission to the ,senior ,department seventeen instead of sixteen years4 ,our ,primary ,department formerly consisted of nine or ten small classes under one ,primary superintendent4 ,in the reorganization we constituted it as one class1 with a teacher and an assistant4 ,this change released a number of teachers for service in the school1 and was on the whole an improvement4 ,whether it would be desirable everywhere depends on circumstances4 ,in many places it might be easier to find ten teachers1 each of whom can teach ten scholars1 than one who can teach one hundred4 ,when the roll of the school had been fully called every teacher and every scholar had been assigned1 except one boy1 who had joined the school that day1 and was left standing in the middle of the room in a bewildered state of mind over the revolution which was going on around him4 ,a view of the newly arranged classes from the platform showed the school looking more orderly than ever before1 and gave it the appearance of having twice as many adult scholars as formerly4 ,one item must not be forgotten4 ,the superintendent announced that each department would hold a reception adapted to the age of its members4 ,the ,senior reception was appointed for ,monday evening of the next week1 and was to include upon its program music1 addresses1 readings1 cake1 and cream4 ,all the young people were eager to be counted in1 and hence willing to leave their old classes for the new ones4 ,a fortnight later the ,junior ,department held its reception1 with a stereopticon entertainment and the refreshments4 ,even if a boy can obtain a superabundance of cake at home he will be drawn by the prospect of another slice to the ,sunday school sociable4 ,each department held its own reception1 all were happy1 and the young ladies and gentlemen were not made to feel that they were simply on the fringe of an institution adapted mainly to little children4 ,the system thus inaugurated has been in operation two years4 ,what have been its results8 ,there were at first some complaints by teachers1 scholars1 and parents4 ,but only one teacher left the school2 the classes settled down to work and soon became acquainted2 a few changes1 but only a very few1 were made in the assignments of the scholars1 as1 for example1 where a mistake had been made in the age of a pupil2 and soon everybody was satisfied with the new arrangement4 ,among its manifest benefits we may note the following3 #a4 ,the ,senior ,department is maintained with large classes and growing numbers4 ,there is a social feeling1 an esprit de corps1 in a large class which is not found in a small one2 hence the shrinkage is less4 ,and whatever loss is met is more than supplied from the new blood infused each year on ,promotion ,sunday4 #b4 ,the scholars in the ,junior ,department have an aim and a hope before them4 ,they look forward to their promotion with earnest expectation1 and are on this account the more loyal to the school4 #c4 ,inasmuch as all changes are made at a given time they are prepared for4 ,for three months the superintendent is planning for ,promotion ,sunday4 ,if a teacher can be better fitted with a class1 a change is made at that time2 and where many changes are made at once the friction of each is reduced to a minimum4 ,classes are made more nearly uniform in their constituency1 and the school is kept up to an evenness of organization which greatly increases its efficiency4 #d4 ,there has been a marked increase in the membership of the school4 ,notwithstanding the organization of a mission school by the church1 taking away several workers and some scholars1 the school has an attendance from seventy-five to one hundred larger than that of two years ago4 ,after a trial of two years we are sure that the establishment of a graded system and a faithful adherence to its plans have greatly benefited our ,sunday school4 ,a ,,model ,,sunday ,,school ,,room4 ,,the ,sunday school is the door to the ,church through which enters the great majority of its members4 ,this fact alone would account for the increasing interest that the ,church now manifests toward the school4 ,as the institution which trains the young for the ,church1 and leads both young and old into the ,church1 the ,sunday school is entitled to the ,church's support and care4 ,the housing of the ,sunday school is one of the most important subjects that can come before the ,church as the guardian of the school4 ,too often the work of the school is impeded by unsuitable and inconvenient quarters4 ,just as the public school building now claims the attention of architects and sanitary engineers1 the ,sunday school hall is also attracting notice4 ,it is only twenty-two years since the first building thoroughly adapted for the uses of the ,sunday school was erected at ,akron1 ,o4 ,this building1 the joint conception of the ,hon4 ,lewis ,miller1 superintendent1 and ,mr4 ,jacob ,snyder1 architect1 has furnished most of the ideas peculiar to ,sunday school construction1 and is therefore entitled to preeminence in the record4 ,others have improved upon the details of the ,akron plan1 but its fundamental principles have never been superseded1 and can never be4 ,those principles are only two1 and they seem almost incompatible with each other4 ,they have been called aloneness and togetherness2 that is1 that each class in certain departments shall be isolated in a separate room1 and yet that all the classes may be brought together into one room for general exercises without delay1 without confusion1 and without the change of seats by the classes4 ,illustration3 ,,first ,,floor ,,plan ,,vincent ,,chapel ,among the dozen or more ,sunday school buildings on the ,akron plan one of the most convenient and most complete1 yet not one of the most expensive1 is that connected with the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church in ,plainfield1 ,n4 ,j4 ,as this was for twenty years the church home of the ,rev4 ,bishop ,john ,h4 ,vincent1 the ,sunday school bears the appropriate name of ,vincent ,chapel4 ,the plans were drawn by ,mr4 ,oscar ,s4 ,teale1 architect4 ,mr4 ,teale was at that time the efficient secretary of the school1 and added to an architect's knowledge a worker's practical acquaintance with the needs of the ,sunday school4 ,the chapel1 as may be seen by the diagrams1 embraces a large room1 with eighteen smaller class rooms around it1 nine upon each floor4 ,the partitions of the class rooms are so arranged as to offer no obstruction to the line of vision from any seat in the building to the superintendent's desk and the blackboard fastened to the wall back of it4 ,thus the superintendent can see and be seen by every pupil and teacher in the building4 ,he can also be heard with perfect ease in every class room1 as the acoustic properties of the building are excellent4 ,the main room is used by the ,junior ,department1 in which the scholars are from eleven to sixteen years of age4 ,the classes are seated according to grade1 the first year ,juniors on the front row of classes2 the second year ,juniors on the second row1 etc41 for four rows1 the boys on the superintendent's right1 the girls on his left4 ,each year1 on ,promotion ,sunday1 the classes move one row farther from the desk1 and the new classes formed from the ,intermediate ,department take the front row of seats4 ,the nine class rooms on the ground floor are used as follows3 ,in the left-hand corner1 just where the most of the scholars pass in entering and leaving1 is the secretary's room4 ,next is the fifth year ,junior1 into which all the girls enter after four years in the ,junior ,grade1 leaving their former teachers for a new one4 ,in this class they stay either one or two years1 according to age and acquirements1 and from it are promoted to the ,senior ,department4 ,the third room is that of the ,ladies' ,bible ,class2 the fourth1 the ,reserve ,class4 ,next comes the church parlor1 seating a hundred people1 and used by a large ,senior ,class4 ,the next room is for the first year ,intermediate1 that is1 those just advanced from the ,primary ,department2 the seventh1 the second year ,intermediate2 the eighth1 a young men's ,senior ,class2 the ninth1 and last1 the boys' section of the fifth year ,junior1 the largest class of boys in the ,junior ,department4 ,on the ground floor are four entrances1 one at each corner4 ,as the chapel stands at the rear of the church it was necessary to have the principal entrance on each side of the room facing the school4 ,this is a slight drawback1 as a rear entrance would be preferable1 in order not to distract attention to the late comers4 ,the partitions between the class rooms are windows of ground glass of amber color4 ,they are movable1 so that classes can be united whenever desirable4 ,those between class rooms and the main room are double doors of ground glass1 so hung that they may be swung aside easily1 and arranged when open not to interfere with the line of vision4 ,all the rooms are well lighted and well ventilated2 and the main room1 when all the rooms are closed1 has abundant light and air from a clear story above1 with movable windows4 ,to the gallery and its classes there are three entrances4 ,the one from without the building leads exclusively to the ,primary ,class1 which1 by having its own exit1 can adjourn earlier than the rest of the school4 ,the two other stairs are interior and lead to the gallery corridor1 on which all the class rooms of the upper floor open4 ,these are separated from each other and from the main room by sliding doors of amber glass1 so that they may be united or isolated at will1 and in a moment4 ,the seats in these classes rise in tiers so that those in the rear as well as in the front can see the platform and the blackboard4 ,there are nine class rooms1 of which the central one is for the ,primary ,department1 and all the others are for the ,senior classes4 ,all the ,senior classes are large1 and are kept full by promotion every year from the ,junior ,grade4 ,illustration3 ,,gallery ,,plan ,,vincent ,,chapel ,the library room is at the main entrance1 so that books may be delivered by the pupils while passing into the school1 and might be given to them while passing out1 though in fact they are brought by the librarian to the classes4 ,on the opposite side of the building1 in the rear of the entrance1 is a kitchen1 which is used at entertainments and social gatherings4 ,for these two or three of the class rooms are thrown together as a refreshment room adjoining the kitchen4 ,one advantage of such a chapel is its expandable character4 ,when all the rooms are closed there is seating capacity for two hundred and fifty chairs in the main room1 which generally suffices for the prayer meeting1 while room after room may be opened as the congregation increases4 ,this form of building is equally adapted for the ,sunday school1 the prayer meeting1 and the social gatherings of the ,church4 ,,the ,,end4 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,obvious punctuation errors repaired4 ,page #ea1 repeated word ,the removed from text 7,the scholars never seemed7