The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1910, Page 36

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36:

The-Lutheran Pioneer.

Village Schools in India.

Writing of village schools in India, a missionary
says:

The village school as a department of mission
work is very important, but connected with diffi-
culties. There is no law in India compelling chil-
dren to attend school, nor does the teacher have
much help from the parents in securing attendance.
They often say, “We never learned to read, and
why should they?” ‘The teacher must, therefore,
not only impart the education, but also create the
desire for it. Our village school is taught by the

hears a loud buzzing noise, which he discovers is
the studying aloud of the pupils. It is hard to
teach boys and girls in India to study quietly, as
children in our country do. <A general custom is
for one child to call out a few words of the lesson,
and the rest repeat them in concert. Then a few
more words are called, and these are repeated by
the rest.

The village school standard is not very high.
An examination in secular subjects is held by the
Government Inspector. The missionary, whenever
he visits the village, examines the school in religious
subjects — the catechism, Bible stories, singing.

Village School in India.

wife: of one of our native helpers, or catechists.

There are three classes only — the first, second, and.

third grades. The school furniture consists of a
small wooden blackboard, a stool, a map, and some
sahd on the floor for the little ones to learn to
write on. As the people are generally poor, the
little ones have no slates or primers: to begin with.
They first learn’ to write in the sand or dust. When
the teacher has examined their copies, the children
wipe them out and begin anew.

If a village has a Prayer House, the school is
held inside, but many assemble wherever a suitable
_ place-is found: Sometimes the teacher follows the
children to -the fields arid teaches them under the
téees; while they are‘herding ‘the cattle.

Whent one approaches a school in India, he often

‘and my Lord.”

As the parents are very poor and the children
must work part of each day, it is very hard to get
regular attendance in a village primary school.
One teacher told me recently that several of her
children were coming to school only fifteen minutes
a day. , But we missionaries are glad to say that
with every passing year there is shown a greater
desire for education. The schools in which religious
instruction is given do much good to the children
and to their parents.

Ir is one thing to say, “Christ is a Savior;” it
is quite another thing to say, “Christ is my Savior
( The devil can say the first; the
true: Christian alone can say the second. .