IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOLS

IN no surroundings of childhood, except the home life, is there a more suitable or fruitful place in which to spiritually nourish and grow up Colored youths than in the forty-six thousand or more Colored Sunday Schools where over two million boys and girls are regularly having impressed upon their tender and open minds the religious teachings of the Bible.

As a step toward further broadening the Sunday School work among American Colored children and at the same time enabling them to get better teachings about the Christian religion, The International Sunday School Association began in 1911 to organize classes for specially training Sunday School teachers among the young men and women attending Colored colleges and large schools. Many white friends to the Race became interested in this good movement, especially Mr. W. N. Hartshorn of Boston, Mass., who gave of his own personal money $15,000 to pay the expenses of a fair trial of the work. This Christian effort has aroused so much interest and has grown so rapidly that at present upward of two hundred Colored universities, colleges and large schools have accepted and given this Sunday School Teachers’ Course a regular place in their class room studies.

Some of the foremost religious leaders who are helping to direct and carry on this much needed work among American Colored children are Bishop Geo. W. Clinton and Dr. R. H. Boyd, both life members of the International Sunday School Association; Prof. Wm. B. Matthews, member of the Executive Committee of the above association, Dr. H. G. Lyman, Supt. of work among Colored people, and Mr. M. L. Finckel, President of the American Sunday School Union. (Ref.: Work’s Negro Year Book, 1918-1919 edition, pgs. 1-257-8).