speak of their main reliance upon educational efficiency. Seventythree report a systematic follow-up of absentees, by post and visitation; sixty-four leave the matter entirely to the individual teachers. One hundred twenty-seven have one system or another of prizes to individuals and thirty seven of prizes to classes. Class organization is mentioned by 37. Fifty-nine report some system of marks and reports, to which in most cases publicity is given on an honor roll, efficiency chart or the like. Fifty report the use of contests, though several add "Never again." Fourteen mention good music; seven athletics; three stereopticon or motion pictures; and ten the home co-operation which one may believe that all tacitly assume.

A few typical quotations follow:

"Organized classes with mid-week interest maintained. Efficient teachers. Interesting public exercises on Sunday. Good orchestra. Dignified and helpful devotional exercises. A good educational program." (Fly).

"Flags in the class where all are present. Postal cards to each absentee with a follow-up. Published roll of honor. Awards to individuals qualifying under attached rules which aim at study of lesson as well as presence. We emphasize the class as the unit and so depend chiefly on the teachers to get regular attendance." (F10x). "Over fifty different systems, constantly changing. It would take pages to describe them." (F49x).

"An efficiency record by which each scholar is awarded points for efficient service to the church and school. See report enclosed." (F54x).

We rely on the interest of the subject-matter taught. No prizes are offered. The use of the stereopticon is an aid in holding the interest of pupils taking courses where the visual appeal can be used." (F63x). "Largely personal work by officers and teachers. We have a Dean who co-operates with the teachers to encourage them to follow up pupils. We also call for 'star' classes to rise each Sunday and place a star on a chart." (F64x).

"Chiefly two: (1) we insist on the fact that the school is doing as effective work as the public school and that it is worth attending; (2) the teacher organizes the class into a lookout committee." (F71x).

"Primarily, the interest of the pupils in what the school offers them in study, training and social life. This interest is further stimulated by our interest in them, shown by visitation and otherwise." (F83x).

"A school worth while. Small classes and personal interest of teachers. Intelligent co-operation of the home." (F86x).

ORGANIZATION

4. Is your school graded? What are the departments, and what is the enrollment in each department?

The term "graded" as applied to the Sunday School has become increasingly ambiguous. It may refer to organization methods or lesson material. In the first sense, any school organized with more than one department, with promotion from the one to the other, may

claim to be graded, whatever the lesson material used. The term is used in the second sense by those who speak of "Graded Uniform" lessons; in the third sense by those who use the International Graded lessons, the Completely Graded series, and the like.

This question refers to organization, not to method or lesson material. Of the schools using uniform lessons, Class A reports ten 2-department, nine 3-department, and ten 4-department schools; Class B nine 2-department, twelve 3-department, ten 4-department, four 5-department, and one 6-department; Class C four 2-department, three 3-department, four 4-department, and two 5-department. The graded-lesson schools report 14 with two departments, 28 with three departments, and the remainder with four or more. Those having four or more list 140 Beginners' departments, 187 Primary, 178 Junior, 182 Intermediate, 168 Senior, and 120 Adult. The part-graded group is so miscellaneous in organization as to be profitless to report in detail. .

In general the nomenclature follows that of the International Sunday School Association. The significant exceptions are in the occasional use of the terms Kindergarten, Elementary or Grammar, Secondary or High School, College, Graduate or Post-graduate. Several schools divide into separate departments for Women and Girls on the one hand, and Men and Boys on the other. One school lets the boys remain in the Main department, but has a department for Young Men and another called the Men's Forum.

LESSON COURSES

5. Give a list of the courses used in each department, and state where published.

6. Give some statement of your experience with these courses. In what respects have you found these courses of study satisfactory, and in what respects unsatisfactory? What suggestions do you have to make for revision or for the construction of new courses?

Practically all the uniform schools use the International Uniform Lessons. Out of 257 graded-lesson schools, 195 use the International Graded Lessons, 9 the Completed Graded Series of the Scribner's, 2 the University of Chicago courses, 10 the Bible Study Union courses, and 41 original combinations of material selected from the various series. In these original combinations the Scribner and Chicago courses find larger place relatively than would be indicated by the figures for the group as a whole.

The answers to Question 6 present a great body of criticism and constructive suggestion which it is impossible to attempt to summarize here. It has been placed at the disposal of the lesson committee, and has been and will be of real service in its work. Many respondents have taken great pains in this matter, and have set down the results of their experience in such detail and to such constructive purpose that the Commission owes them especial thanks.

There is a light vote respecting the satisfactoriness of the uniform lessons - doubtless because many respondents interpreted the letter

courses.

to mean that the Commission wished to inquire only about the graded Thirty-two express satisfaction with the uniform lessons, 19 dissatisfaction. Fifteen state that they prefer the graded lessons and are working toward them; 15 express decided objections to them, some having given them up after trial.

In the graded-lesson group, 137 reports express general satisfaction with the lessons, and 25 dissatisfaction. The criticisms center for the most part about the lessons for the Junior, Intermediate and Senior departments. The largest amount of trouble is in the Intermediate as one might expect. A number of respondents, indeed, qualify their criticism of the Intermediate lessons by the statement that they fear that the real difficulty lies in the period of life itself rather than in any particular lesson material or text-books.

TEACHER-TRAINING CLASSES

7. Do you have a teacher-training class or classes? What is the enrollment?

8. Give a list of the courses of study used in your training class and state where published.

9. Give some statement of your experience with these courses. In what respects have you found these courses of study for training classes satisfactory and in what respects unsatisfactory? What suggestions do you have to make for revision or for the construction of new courses?

One hundred seventy-seven have definite provision for the training of teachers: 159 through classes of their own and 18 through city institutes of religious education. Nineteen of these are uniform schools; 110 are graded-lesson schools; 42 part-graded and 6 unclassified. Of the schools maintaining their own courses, 30 have less than 100 pupils; 64, from 100 to 200 pupils; and 65 over 200. Though the answers are not always clear on this point, a large number of the graded-lesson schools maintain teacher-training classes of young people in the senior department, either in addition to or instead of classes for the training of teachers already in service. Seven schools report two classes each and 1 reports three classes. A number of uniform schools report coaching classes for the study of the next Sunday's lesson. None of these are included in the figures given above.

Sixteen schools report the use of original courses devised by the pastor or the leader of the class. The following text-books were used by more than three classes:

Other courses reported were "The Evangel Advanced Standard," the University of Chicago Courses, "The Canadian First Standard," Coe's Syllabus devised for the New York County Sunday School Association, and books by Athearn, Kent, James, Mutch, Roads, See, and Hazard and Fowler.

The figures for the Pilgrim Preparatory course and for Miss Slattery should be added to give a true impression of the extent to which her book is used. Most of those, again, who report the use of Weigle's book, are doubtless beginning the "Pilgrim Diploma Course," as several state that they intend next year to take up Winchester's "The Youth of a People." Athearn's "The Church School" will also be largely used in the coming year. It is significant that so large a number of schools are using original courses, the comment being made in most of these cases that a satisfactory text-book could not be found.

It is significant, too, that in this as in most reports of teacher-training work, nearly all classes report the use of elementary courses. It has become clear that one of the greatest faults of the so-called "First Standard Course" is that it does not as a rule lead on to future work. One pastor writes "The revised Hurlbut Course is only an outline and is the thin edge of the wedge for better things. The danger is that people become satisfied. We need to have courses which awaken a desire for more. (A685x).

About one-half of the reports express satisfaction with the courses used or make no comment. The remainder contain a number of criticisms and constructive suggestions which will be of service to the teachertraining committee of the Commission. In many ways they reflect local conditions of course; and there is a clear line of cleavage between those who want less psychology and pedagogy and more Bible, and those who want less about what to teach and more on how to do it. Three general tendencies are indicated: (1) a growing dissatisfaction with the "First Standard" course of 50 outlined lessons designed to be drilled into the memory rather than to be understood; (2) a desire for better introductions to the Bible which will reflect the modern point of view and will deal more definitely with teaching values and with the pedagogy of Biblical instruction; (3) a need for specialized courses on methods of teaching in the several departments of the Sunday school.

ADULT CLASSES

10. Does your Sunday School have an adult class or classes? What is the enrollment?

11. Give a list of courses used by adult classes, and state where published. 12. Give some statement of your experience with these courses. In what respects have you found these courses of study for adult classes satisfactory, and in what respects unsatisfactory? What suggestions do you have to make for revision or for the construction of new courses?

Five hundred twenty-four schools report adult classes. They are evenly distributed among all the groups, being reported for about 90%

of the schools in each. While the figures for enrollment are not always clear, the outstanding fact is a tendency on the part of the larger schools to have a number of small adult classes in place of unwieldy lecture classes. The courses used are reported as follows:

In addition to these, 16 other courses are reported, consisting usually in the study by the class of some book such as Brown's "The Main Points," Rauschenbusch's " 'Christianizing the Social Order," Stalker's "Life of Christ," etc.

It is worthy of note that so many adult classes use the Uniform Lessons. They are reported by 131 schools in the graded-lesson group. The general attitude of the reports from this group is well summed up by one respondent: "They are not quite satisfactory to the better educated and more thoughtful; but for the average adult pupil they are better than anything else we have yet found. It is easier to keep a good attendance while using these lessons than when some of the more scholarly courses were tried." (E164x).

The criticisms and constructive suggestions made in answer to question 12 have been placed at the disposal of the lesson committee. In general the need is voiced for courses in real Bible study, less fragmentary and more consecutive than the Uniform Lessons, yet not too academic or demanding too large an amount of study. There is a general feeling too that the courses should have direct application to the conditions of present day life; but the tendency is deprecated to make the Bible a mere appendage to a list of social or political topics.

PASTOR'S CLASS

13. Do you have a pastor's class? What is its purpose? What is its enrollment?

Three hundred twenty-five churches report pastor's classes, many of them two or more. Of these, 60 are described simply as for Bible study or as "regular" Sunday School classes. Sixteen are boys' classes and 101 are classes in the Senior and Adult departments. About one-third of the latter describe their purpose as to hold young men and women and to train them in the Christian life. In 23 schools the pastor conducts a teacher-training class or a class out of which supply teachers