end of life, proximate from ultimate grounds of obligation, or finite from infinite
duties. Those whose training has been more religious than ethical can hardly
teach morality per se satisfactorily to the noli me tangere [Touch me not] spirit
of denominational freedom so wisely jealous of conflicting standards and
sanctions for the young.
How then can we ever hope to secure proper training for the will?
More than a generation ago Germany developed the following method: Children
of Lutheran, Catholic and Jewish parentage, which include most German
children, were allowed one afternoon a week for several years, and two
afternoons a week for a few months preceding confirmation, to spend half of a
school day with instructors of these respective professions, who were nominated
by the church, but examined by the state as to their competence. These teachers
are as professional, therefore, as those in the regular class work. Each religion is
allowed to determine its own course of religious instruction, subject only to the
approval of the cultus minister or the local authorities. In this way a rupture
between the religious sentiments and teaching of successive generations is
avoided and it is sought to bring religious training to bear upon morals. These
classes learn Scripture, hymns, church service,—the Catholics in Latin and the
Jewish in Hebrew,—the history of their church and people, and sometimes a
little systematic theology. In some of these schools, there are prizes and
diplomas, and the spirit of competition is appealed to. A criticism sometimes
made against them, especially against the Lutheran religious pedagogy, is that it
is too intellectual. It is, of course, far more systematic and effective from this
point of view than the American Sunday School, so that whatever may be said of
its edifying effects, the German child knows these topics far better than the
American. This system, with modifications, has been adopted in some places in
France, England and in America, more often in private than in public schools,
however.
The other system originated in France some years after the Franco-Prussian War
when the clerical influence in French education gave way to the lay and secular
spirit. In these classes, for which also stated times are set apart and which are
continued through all the required grades under the name of moral and civic
instruction, the religious element is entirely absent, except that there are a few
hymns, Bible passages and stories which all agree upon as valuable. Most of the
course is made up of carefully selected maxims and especially stories of virtue,
records of heroic achievements in French history and even in literature and the