The Sunday School Secretary (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1917 edition. Excerpt: ...a county secretary, both schools Actual r.. i, f, Examples being in the same town. One report showed a membership of five hundred and thirty-seven, which was an increase over the previous year of fifty-two. The other showed about the same enrollment, but a decrease of five, in comparison with the previous year. This was all the data called for, and it is not hard to know which report was received with the more favor. As a matter of fact, when the investigation was carried direct to the school, it developed that the first school had used various plans to get in new members, but its emphasis was laid on numbers instead of efficiency, and its campaign was still on. It had had three hundred and eighty-seven withdrawals during the year. In the great majority of cases the teachers, when questioned, said that they did not know why the scholars had left, but guessed that most of them were merely visitors and should never have been enrolled. When asked how many of those who were reported as actual members would be withdrawn a little later for this same reason, even guesses were not ventured. In the case of the second school, with practically the same enrollment, there had been only eighty-two withdrawals. That school knew why every member had left and there was not, during the whole year, a single withdrawal for a poor reason. Which school was really the more prosperous? The average school is content if its enrollment and attendance are equal to the preceding year, and rejoices if an increase is shown. Such a school needs to be reminded that the death rate does not equal the birth rate in a healthy school. In this connection, a business incident will help to illustrate the intensive study which should be given this subject. In a factory, one of the...