Bepartment 
 
 BY 
 
 MINNIE K. L. KARNELL 
 
 4B ^ « tt < |C{ <H«&<Hgt<iHg><a' 
 
0i OF FR/^ 
 
 BV 1578 .K3 1919 
 
 Karnell, Minnie Karine Lund 
 
 Mathisen, 1876- 
 The Home department 
 
-0^ CF PR/v^ 
 
 ?|ome department 
 
 A 
 
 e 
 
 BY y 
 
 MINNIE K. L. KARNELL 
 
 CHAIRMAN OF THE HOME DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE, 
 INTEBNATIONAL SUNDAY SCHOOL ASSOCIATION 
 
 PHILADELPfflA 
 
 THE WESTMINSTER PRESS 
 1922 
 
Copyright, 1919, 
 By F. M. Braselman 
 
Contentfif 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Introduction 5 
 
 Foreword 7 
 
 I. Six Great Aims of the Home Department 9 
 
 II. History and Organization 19 
 
 III. Members, Their Duties and Privileges 25 
 
 IV. Officers, Their Qualifications and Duties 28 
 
 V. The Art of Visitation 34 
 
 VI. The Quarterly Council Meeting 39 
 
 VII. The Home Department Canvass 43 
 
 VIII. Standing Committees and Their Work 47 
 
 IX. Social and Special Occasions 52 
 
 X. Cooperating with the Sunday School 59 
 
 XI. Family Worship and Responsible Christian Par- 
 enthood 67 
 
 XII. The Home Department and the Teaching of Self- 
 
 Knowledge 74 
 
 XIII. Group Work 78 
 
 XIV. District, County, State, and International Or- 
 
 ganization 83 
 
 XV. State Standards 89 
 
 Bibliography 94 
 
Snttobuction 
 
 The home is God's holiest and earliest school. No 
 organization, divine or human, was ever intended to 
 supplant it. It is in the home that the young growing 
 lives should get their first impressions of God and their 
 first lessons in God's great Book. 
 
 The ideal of the father being the priest in the home 
 and the mother the priestess and teacher and guide to 
 the tender lives of the children has never been abro- 
 gated. It is just this that affords the greatest oppor- 
 tunity for the Home Department, for where the Home 
 Department is recognized and carried out according to 
 the modern plans in any home, there God's Word is 
 studied, and if there be children they become familiar 
 with the Book and are early taught to pray. 
 
 Then, too, where there are no little people, in the 
 chamber of sickness, in the solitude of old age, in the 
 room of the shut-in for any cause, and with those who 
 are unable to attend the services of the house of God 
 for any reason, the Home Department comes as a 
 blessing from the heavenly Father. 
 
 This book, written by one whose heart is ready to 
 burn to the socket for the advancement of Home De- 
 partment ideals, will find a hearty reception as it goes 
 forth into the world. It will be found not only to be 
 a manual for workers, but a source of inspiration as 
 well. That it may greatly increase Bible study in the 
 homes and bring joy, confidence, and rest to many 
 hearts is my wish and prayer. 
 
 Marion Lawrance. 
 
The ideal of the Christian Church is the Christian 
 home as a unit. The reahzation of this ideal is the 
 high aim of the Church. The strongest force in the 
 service of the Church, in working for the attainment 
 of this ideal, is the organized Sunday school, and the 
 strong right arm of the Sunday school is the Home 
 Department. This department has for its field all 
 who for any reason cannot or will not attend the regular 
 sessions of the school. 
 
 The work of the whole school is to give to the whole 
 family the Word of God; to teach and train the whole 
 family to know God, to love his Word, to worship and 
 serve him, and to bind together in close unity the three 
 most powerful factors in the building of Christian char- 
 acter, the home, the Church, and the Sunday school. 
 
 This book is written for those who have had a vision 
 of the possibilities of the Home Department and who 
 are now engaged in its work. It is sent forth with the 
 hope that it may inspire them to renewed zeal and 
 greater efficiency and with a prayer that it may lead 
 to a clearer understanding of its value, and a deeper 
 appreciation of its opportunities and responsibilities, 
 those who have not as yet added this department to 
 their Sunday-school work. 
 
 This book does not concern itself with untried 
 
 7 
 
8 jForetoorb 
 
 theories, but with theories which have been put into 
 practice and found to work. Every plan suggested, 
 and every method explained, has been used by the 
 writer or carried out with success under her own obser- 
 vation by those with whom she has been associated in 
 the work for fifteen years, as a local superintendent, 
 county superintendent, member of State Home De- 
 partment Council and member of State Home Depart- 
 ment Committee, state superintendent, member of In- 
 ternational Home Department Committee, secretary 
 of the International Home Department Commission, 
 and chairman of the International Home Department 
 Committee. 
 
&ix (great ^ims? of tfje H^omt department 
 
 The most important factor in a nation's life is the 
 home. The one aim of the Home Department, at its 
 inception, was the systematic study of the Bible in 
 the home. While it has held true to its original pur- 
 pose, its sphere of usefulness has widened and deep- 
 ened, till an up-to-date Home Department now has six 
 outstanding aims: 
 
 1. To secure the systematic study of God's Word on the part 
 of the individual and to make membership in the Sunday school 
 possible for all. 
 
 In spite of the great enlightenment of the age, the 
 widespread knowledge of God's Word, the increased 
 activity for political and social reforms, and the multi- 
 plicity of organizations of the Christian Church, we 
 have come upon a condition in the home life of the 
 nation that is alarming. The home has gradually 
 given up its duties and functions, abdicated its rights 
 and prerogatives, until there is danger that it will be 
 no longer the center for building a nation in virtue, 
 religion, and prosperity. 
 
 The first great need is the revival of the study of the 
 Bible in the home. In thinking of any community it 
 is possible to call to mind a vast army of people who 
 are never seen in Sunday school or church. Many of 
 
 9 
 
10 tE^{)e ?|ome department 
 
 them are hindered from attending by reasons wholly 
 beyond their control : mothers with little children or 
 other household cares; the sick and the shut-ins and 
 those who care for them; the aged, many of whom 
 were once active in the work of the Church and Sun- 
 day school. Then, too, our economic and social life has 
 made it impossible for thousands of others to attend 
 because they are employed on the Lord's day. There 
 are also multitudes who are far away from any church 
 or Sunday school, in lumber camps, mining districts, 
 and great farming sections, and on the sea. 
 
 Fifty years ago the Sunday school was largely con- 
 sidered a children's school No plan had been perfected 
 for reaching youths and adults and those who could not 
 attend. To-day the Sunday school not only has classes 
 for all those who can attend, regardless of age; it is 
 also making it possible for those who cannot attend to 
 share in the privileges and blessings of the organized 
 Sunday school through its Home Department. 
 
 2. To aid in every possible way in the continuance, restora- 
 tion, and erection of family altar worship, and to furnish a simple 
 plan for those without family ties to have daily devotions. 
 
 If the first great need of the home is a revival of Bible 
 study, the second great need is a revival of family wor- 
 ship. The home should be God's first and holiest 
 school. Surely the Christian family should gather at 
 least once a day for the reading of God's Word and 
 prayer, but we deceive ourselves if we think that this 
 is the usual practice even with Church members. It 
 
^ix (Bvtat ^imsi of fte J^omt department 11 
 
 would perhaps be difficult to find a church where even 
 one fourth of the members observe family worship. 
 Yet it should be the right of everj^ child to look back 
 in the hour of temptation and be able to recall the 
 voices of father and mother in prayer and in the read- 
 ing of God's Word. Such a picture in the gallery of the 
 human mind is the strongest shield against the enemies 
 of the soul. No work of any organization in the Church 
 or outside of it can compare in influence with the years 
 spent in such a home as is spoken of in Rom. 16:5 
 where the church was in the house. If the Home De- 
 partment did nothing more than enlist families and 
 individuals in home worship it would be of permanent 
 value in any Sunday school or church. 
 
 A statesman tells the story of a visit which he made 
 to a small western town. There were no hotels and 
 he was entertained in a private home. His mission 
 was not above reproach, and he was anxious to retire 
 to his room to avoid being questioned by his host. The 
 father called the family together, saying, "Our guest 
 wishes to retire, so we will not detain him." He handed 
 the Bible to the eldest son, who read a chapter, after 
 which the father prayed. He prayed earnestly for 
 those in authority, that they might be kept true to 
 their trust. Then, mentioning his guest by name, he 
 prayed that he might have no cause to look back upon 
 this visit with regret. That night the statesman could 
 not sleep. "The whole night through the fight raged 
 in my soul," he said, "and with morning I returned to 
 my home without carrying into effect my plan. That 
 
12 tlTfte l^ome department 
 
 family altar did for me what years of churchgoing had 
 failed to accomplish. I am now a servant of the Most 
 High God." 
 
 3. To secure the sympathetic interest and helpful cooperation 
 of the home in all the work of the Sunday school and church. 
 
 One of the needs most keenly felt by all Sunday-school 
 workers is the lack of cooperation between the Sunday 
 school and the individual home. This is perhaps due 
 in part to the fact that a large number of the children 
 come from homes where the parents themselves are in- 
 different to the church and the school. In many in- 
 stances the attendance of the children in the Sunday 
 school is due entirely to the active efforts of the 
 Sunday-school workers, not infrequently^ in the face 
 of active opposition on the part of the parents. Still 
 we realize that unless we can interest the homes in 
 the work of the school, and secure their sympathetic 
 cooperation, much of the Sunday-school work will fall 
 short of the desired result. It is here that the Home 
 Department has found a wonderful opportunity for 
 service. 
 
 A pastor of a church in New Jersey told me that two 
 thirds of his Sunday-school children came from homes 
 which had no other connection with the church, and 
 added: ''How are we to secure the cooperation of these 
 homes? We have the children for about an hour and 
 a half on the Sabbath Day; without some help from 
 the home, the results are very doubtful. In some of 
 these homes there is no real opposition but, what is 
 
^tx (Bttat ^imsi of tfje f^ome department 13 
 
 just as harmful, an attitude of life-killing indifference. 
 If we keep forever after the children, the parents will 
 let them come; when we stop persuading, the children 
 stop coming." A year later I was invited to address a 
 gathering of Home Department members and Sunday- 
 school workers in that church. The pastor with beam- 
 ing face told me that they were really solving the prob- 
 lem through the Home Department visitor, who was 
 bringing constantly to the attention of the home the 
 aims and the work of the school, and interesting the 
 parents, as real members of the school, through the 
 Home Department. 
 
 4. To reach the home a helping hand in the teaching of self- 
 knowledge and the fundamental truths of life and purity. 
 
 There is perhaps no subject so generally discussed and 
 with such diversity of opinion as the question. Who 
 shall instruct the children and youth of the land in 
 morality and the fundamental truths of life and purity? 
 That this instruction is greatly needed is acknowledged 
 by all; but just how and by whom it is to be given, is 
 an open question. 
 
 An attempt was made in New Jersey to introduce 
 this teaching into the public school, but the order was 
 soon repealed. The teaching force and the parents 
 alike were strongly opposed to it. The teachers claimed 
 that they had had no special training for the teaching 
 of this important subject. The parents contended that 
 the average teacher was not fitted either by training or 
 by experience to present this subject successfully; that 
 
14 tBf)t J^omt department 
 
 the right atmosphere could not be secured in a class- 
 room; that to place it on the same basis as arithmetic 
 or history would do more harm than good; and that 
 knowledge alone would never compel purity. The 
 National Educational Association has gone on record as 
 opposed to placing the subject in the curriculum of the 
 public school, claiming that the home has already 
 abdicated so many of its distinctive functions that to 
 remove the responsibility for the teaching of morality 
 and the truths of life would only do further injury to 
 the home. 
 
 The suggestion has been made repeatedly that the 
 Sunday school undertake this important task. Some 
 attempts have been made, but with little success. It 
 has also been suggested that the pastors undertake 
 this task, but the average pastor is a person of so many 
 responsibilities that it is out of the question. 
 
 It has • also been suggested that the phj^sical in- 
 structors of our various organizations within and with- 
 out the Church assume the responsibilit}', but this 
 would mean the reaching of a comparativel}^ small 
 number, and at an age when the best time for such 
 instruction is already past. Experience testifies that 
 discussion of the subject is resented when a certain 
 age has been reached. 
 
 The whole matter is the repetition of the story of 
 two men who, seeing a boy in the water, began dis- 
 cussing how they should go about to save him. Should 
 they throw him a life belt, swim out to him, or use a 
 boat? While they were discussing ways and means 
 
^ix (3ttat ^imsi of tfje J^ome department 15 
 
 the boy drowned. The Great War taught us that some- 
 thing must be done, and done quickly, to awaken the 
 home to its responsibihty and give it such help as can 
 be put into practical use at once. No greater new move- 
 ment could be undertaken by the American Sunday 
 school than a definite plan for helping the home at 
 once. 
 
 The Home Department has an open door into thou- 
 sands of homes, and no department is discharging its 
 full responsibility if it neglects now the opportunity to 
 help the home, so that the children and youth of our 
 land shall be safeguarded from the evils of the present 
 day by their knowledge and appreciation of the sacred- 
 ness of human life and the wonder and beaut^^ of 
 parenthood. (See Ch. XII.) 
 
 5. To stimulate, awaken, and create a responsible Christian 
 parenthood spirit. 
 
 One is made to feel at times that the only thing that is 
 now required of the home is to produce the children, 
 and to feed and clothe them. For all other needs some 
 outside organization will be responsible. Societies of 
 every description clamor for the presence of men and 
 women for all the hours of the day, and they answer 
 the clamor and forget the home. The simple joys of 
 the family meal, where mirth and good fellowship pre- 
 vail, the quiet evening at home with father and mother, 
 seem things of the past. The most dangerous change, 
 however, has been the shifting of the responsibility for 
 leading the children to a definite decision for Christ, 
 
16 Kht J^omt department 
 
 from the shoulders and hearts of the parents to outside 
 persons or organizations. 
 
 The Church of God is guilty in this respect because 
 it has continued to magnify the teacher and other re- 
 ligious workers and to be almost silent about the sacred 
 duty and privilege of the man and woman who brought 
 into the world a living soul, and from whom God in the 
 final analysis will surely demand an account. Many 
 parents seem to feel that when the child has been 
 dressed and sent to the Sunday school they have dis- 
 charged their full religious duty. If the child fails 
 to develop a fine Christian character, the parents 
 seem to feel that the Church or the Sunday school is to 
 blame. 
 
 The very efficiency of our Church organizations may 
 in part have created these conditions, yet we are face 
 to face with a numerical decline in the Church, and the 
 fact that three out of four pupils leave the Sunday 
 school without a definite decision for Christ. It is 
 only too evident that the failure of the Church and 
 the Sunday school is due in large measure to the in- 
 difference and lack of cooperation in the home. 
 
 The Home Department enters into a closer associa- 
 tion with the home than an}^ other agenc}^ of the 
 Christian Church, and has here a great opportunity 
 for service. The aim of the Home Department visitor 
 should be to help the parents to a realization of the 
 privilege and joy of leading their own children to a 
 definite decision for Christ, showing them also the 
 remorse and sorrow which must surely follow if they 
 
^ix (^rcat ^imsf of tfje l^ome Bepartment 17 
 
 permit some one else to hold this place in the life and 
 expenence of their child. 
 
 6. To use this God-given opportunity for personal work in the 
 home. 
 
 If the duty of the Church is to win men to Christ, 
 and to make men like Christ, what about the great 
 mass of people who are never found where the gospel 
 is taught or preached? Is our work done when the 
 church bell is rung, the church duly advertised, and 
 the best that can be had provided for the services, 
 when we know that many, even within the sound of 
 the bell, cannot or will not come? Ought we not to 
 feel a special responsibility for those without? Should 
 they not receive this blessed invitation even if it has 
 to be carried to them in their homes? Few churches 
 can afford to employ regular parish visitors, and in 
 many churches the pastor is the only person engaged 
 in home visitation. It is here that the Home Depart- 
 ment visitor, trained in the Home Department Coun- 
 cil, steps in and becomes a pastor's assistant ar d a soul 
 winner. 
 
 The author has had the pleasure of having charge 
 of two large Home Department councils in which the 
 visitors regarded their office as a gracious opportunity 
 for personal work. Many hours were spent in prepara- 
 tion for this work in the homes. One visitor brought 
 four adults to the session of the church before the 
 regular communion service. It was a complete sur- 
 prise as well as a wonderful inspiration. Another 
 2 
 
18 Wf)t ?lome department 
 
 visitor purposed to lead at least one to Christ for 
 every quarterly communion service. Many homes can 
 testify to the wonderful influence of this department. 
 Surely no Sunday school can consider itself complete if 
 it fails to make use of the evangelizing opportunities of 
 the Home Department. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. Name six objects for which the Home Department 
 stands. 
 
 2. Who are admitted to membership in the Home 
 Department? 
 
 3. What is the first great need of the homes of the 
 nation? 
 
 4. What is a second great need? 
 
 5. Why is cooperation with the home so essential to 
 the success of the Sunday-school work? 
 
 6. How may this cooperation be brought about? 
 
 7. Who should teach the fundamental truths of life 
 and purity to children and youth? 
 
 8. Who should lead the child to a definite decision 
 for Christ? ^\Tiy? 
 
 9. What can the Church and the Sunday school do 
 to reach the people who either cannot or will not come 
 to them? 
 
II 
 
 ?|i£ftor|> antr (Organisation 
 
 The original idea of the Home Department was a 
 class in the out-of-the-way place, held in a kitchen, 
 parlor, porch, barn, or under a sheltering tree, for 
 children and with a teacher. Dr. W. A. Duncan, of 
 Syracuse, New York, was fathering this idea, and his 
 plan was to reach neglected boys and girls. The vision 
 of reaching neglected men and women had not yet 
 come. Dr. Duncan's effort dates back to 1881. 
 
 It is claimed that Dr. S. W. Dike, of Vermont, first 
 had a class of adults who studied the lessons by them- 
 selves, dispensing with the teacher and introducing the 
 visitor. 
 
 The Home Department as we know it to-day was 
 adopted at a meeting of the International Sunday 
 School Executive Committee, at Chautauqua, New 
 York, in August, 1892. State and provincial associa- 
 tions have appointed secretaries or superintendents to 
 further the work. County and district organizations 
 have done likewise. 
 
 The Home Department must be connected with a 
 Sunday school. Its members are members of the 
 Sunday school. Its officers and visitors are members 
 of the official board with the same standing as officers 
 and teachers of other departments. The department 
 
 19 
 
20 ^l)e l^ome department 
 
 reports to the Sunday school at least once a quarter. 
 Its members are always welcome at the school sessions, 
 and are invited on all special occasions. In brief, the 
 Home Department is an integral part of the Sunday 
 school. 
 
 There are many ways in which Home Departments 
 have been organized. Some schools have appointed a 
 committee to study the aims and methods of the de- 
 partment. Other schools have given some one person 
 authority to select the workers and secure some mem- 
 bers, later organizing these into a department. 
 
 Ordinarily the question of organization should be 
 taken, up at a regular meeting of the Sunday school 
 officers or at a special meeting called by the super- 
 intendent for that purpose. The aims and work of 
 the department should be presented in a forceful man- 
 ner. This might be done by the superintendent or the 
 pastor. It will also be found helpful to have para- 
 graphs read from some good Home Department book. 
 The best plan is to have a successful and enthusiastic 
 Home Department worker address the meeting. After 
 discussion, action should be taken authorizing the 
 organization of the department. Then a superintend- 
 ent should be elected. Much care should be taken in 
 the selection of a superintendent as the success of the 
 department will depend largely upon the leadership. 
 The selection should meet with the approval of the 
 pastor. 
 
 Sufficient time should be given the newly elected 
 superintendent for the careful selection of the visitors. 
 
J^iitoxp anb (l^rsani^ation 21 
 
 The superintendent and visitors should then meet for 
 organization. A secretary and a treasurer should be 
 elected from their own number, or, better still, from 
 without. 
 
 These officers and visitors constitute the Home De- 
 partment Council. The council should spend one or 
 two afternoons or evenings in studying the field and 
 the methods of carrying on the work, and in selecting 
 the printed material that is to be used. The territory 
 should be divided into districts, each worker given 
 definite instructions and a time set for the beginning 
 of the canvass. A limited time should be agreed upon 
 for enrolling charter members. (See following chap- 
 ters.) 
 
 On the Sunday preceding the canvass the pastor 
 should be asked to preach on ''The Place of the Bible 
 in the Home," or some other subject in connection 
 with the Home Department work, to explain the plan, 
 to urge every member of the church not connected 
 with the Sunday school to join this department, and 
 to call attention to the literature which has been placed 
 in the pews or which will be handed out at the close 
 of the service. 
 
 At the Sunday-school session on the same day the 
 superintendent should explain the Home Department 
 work to the whole school, appeal for the cooperation 
 of teachers and members, and explain the use of the 
 printed material distributed. The superintendent 
 should then call the officers and the visitors of the new 
 department to the platform and introduce them to 
 
22 ^fje J^omt department 
 
 the school, after which they are set apart by prayer for 
 the important task to which they are committed. 
 Such a plan adds dignity to the work and starts the 
 department in a business-like way. 
 
 There are some schools where both the pastor and 
 the superintendent are blind to the opportunities of 
 the Home Department. Shall such schools be without 
 a Home Department? There may be a man or a 
 woman who has had a vision of the work and who 
 would be willing to undertake the task. Such was the 
 case of Mrs. Edward. She had been greatly stirred by 
 an address on Home Department work at a state con- 
 vention. Immediately upon her return she called upon 
 the Sunday-school superintendent and brought the 
 matter to his attention. He, however, claimed that 
 he had enough to do as it was, and was not quite sure 
 that he approved of the plan. Nothing daunted, Mrs. 
 Edward went to the pastor, but he thought that such 
 a department would prove an excuse for many to stay 
 away from the school and so do more harm than good. 
 
 Mrs. Edward asked that she be permitted to do a 
 little experimental work. Her request was granted, 
 though she was told not to ask anyone to join the 
 Home Department who could possibly come to the 
 school. With a friend she began her visitation. The 
 first day only three persons were secured, one of these 
 a crippled girl. The next week this girl secured four 
 other members, two of them men who were employed 
 on Sunday. After ten days Mrs. Edward reported to 
 the Sunday school a Home Department of eleven mem- 
 
li^iitQVP anb (i^rgani^ation 23 
 
 bers. At once the pastor became interested, especially 
 because he had been trjdng to get hold of one of the 
 men secured by the crippled girl. 
 
 The next week Mrs. Edward and her friend again 
 went visiting. At the first place where they called, 
 the lady said: ''I am a member already. I could not 
 refuse my pastor." That day there were other evi- 
 dences of the pastor's interest. On Sunday he added 
 nine names to their five, and there were then twenty- 
 five members. That morning the pastor urged every- 
 one not already connected with the Sunday school to 
 join the Home Department. A meeting of the Sunday- 
 school association was called for the following week. 
 At this meeting the department was formally adopted 
 and Mrs. Edward was elected superintendent. To-day 
 that department is one of the best departments in New 
 Jersey. 
 
 In a large city church in South Jersey, the Sunday- 
 school superintendent was not at all interested in Home 
 Department work. The pastor, however, felt that 
 there was a need for this work in his parish. Quietly 
 he began to interest his members in the systematic 
 study of the Bible through the Home Department. 
 Later the writer, who was called upon to address a 
 meeting in that church, found a department of one 
 hundred and eight members, nearly all of whom had 
 been secured by the pastor. There were also present 
 nine women who were willing to become visitors. Yet 
 the state superintendent had been told that it was 
 
24 tICfje J^ome Bepartment 
 
 practically impossible to organize a Home Department 
 there. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. What was the original idea of the Home Class 
 Movement? 
 
 2. What are the mistakes that usually lead to failure 
 and when are they made? 
 
 3. Name three elements essential to a successful 
 department. 
 
 4. How should the visitors be appointed? 
 
 5. Should these workers organize? Why? How? 
 What should be the name of their organization? 
 
 6. What can the Sunday-school superintendent do 
 to start the department properly? 
 
 7. How can the pastor help? 
 
 8. Should the workers be installed? Why? How? 
 
 9. What is the relation of this department to the 
 Sunday school? 
 
Ill 
 
 In 1912 the Home Department adopted two grades 
 of membership: Grade A embraces those who study 
 the Sunday-school lesson at least a half hour each week, 
 and, so far as practicable, have daily worship with the 
 reading of the Bible and prayer with the members of 
 their families, and those without family ties, who have 
 daily devotions. (See Ch. II.) 
 
 Grade B embraces those who study the Sunday- 
 school lesson at least a half hour each week. 
 
 Duties of Members 
 
 1. To study the lesson at least a half hour each week. 
 If prevented at any time, to try to make up the lessons 
 before the end of the quarter. 
 
 2. To have the report envelope marked and ready 
 for the visitor at the end of each quarter. This is 
 very important and will enable the visitor to make a 
 complete report promptly. 
 
 3. To make a weekly contribution, if so inclined, 
 and place the same in the report envelope. This is 
 not required, and a member is in good standing with- 
 out making contributions, if the lessons have been 
 studied; but each member of the Home Department 
 
 25 
 
26 tlDfje i^ome Bepartment 
 
 is invited to share in the whole work of the school, 
 spiritual, social, and financial. 
 
 4. To take a general interest in the work of the 
 department, invite others to join as opportunities may 
 offer, attend, if possible, all special occasions arranged 
 in the interest of the work, and at all times and in all 
 places speak a good word for the Home Department. 
 
 5. To notify the visitor of any special need in the 
 member's own home or in the community, where the 
 department, the Sunday school, or the pastor may be 
 of service. 
 
 6. To pray daily for the members of the department, 
 and for the spreading of the knowledge of the Word of 
 
 God. 
 
 Privileges of Members 
 
 1. To become a member of the Sunday school. 
 
 2. To be assigned to a group or district with a visitor 
 in charge, and, together with other members, form a 
 section of the Home Department, just as the class is 
 a section of the Sunday school. 
 
 3. To be provided with a helpful plan for the regular 
 systematic study of God's Word. 
 
 4. To be provided with helps for family worship 
 and daily devotional Bible-reading. 
 
 5. To receive at least four calls from the visitor 
 during the year. 
 
 6. To be invited to all special functions of the Sun- 
 day school and church. 
 
 7. To have a share in the missionary and benevolent 
 work of the Sunday school. 
 
8. To receive the ministration of the pastor as a 
 member of the parish. 
 
 9. To have the use of the Sunday-school Ubrary. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. What are the two grades of membership in the 
 Home Department? State requirement in each grade. 
 
 2. Should a membership card be used? 
 
 3. Should the members be asked to contribute? 
 
 4. How may the visitor secure the marking of the 
 envelope? 
 
 5. How may the members help further the work of 
 the department? 
 
 6. What are some of the privileges enjoyed by the 
 members? 
 
IV 
 
 ©fficets?, Wt^tiv ©ualiticationsf anb ©utiesf 
 
 The Superintendent 
 
 A superintendent of a city school was asked if it 
 would not be possible to organize a Home Department 
 in his school. ''Yes, I think so," he replied. ''It is 
 the only point we need to make us a ten-point school. 
 There is Mrs. Blank; she is not of much account as a 
 worker, but she is a prominent Church member, and I 
 think she would feel honored if she were asked to act 
 as superintendent." Mrs. Blank was asked. The 
 Home Department was promptly started — and just as 
 promptly failed. 
 
 So much depends on finding the right person, and 
 so much harm may result from placing in charge a 
 person unfitted for the work, that great care should be 
 exercised in the selection of a superintendent. 
 
 His Qualifications 
 
 The superintendent should be (1) a man or a woman 
 of sterling Christian character, with a firm belief in the 
 power of the Word of God; (2) a firm believer in the 
 Home Department as an agency for spreading the 
 knowledge of God's Word; (3) the possessor of execu- 
 tive ability — the power to plan and the ability to carry 
 the plan into execution, to see clearly the way and to 
 lead his coworkers with him, to know the work as a 
 
 28 
 
0fiittt^, ^fjeir (©ualificationg anb Butiesi 29 
 
 whole and to be able to impart that knowledge to 
 others, and, in case of failure, to rise again with better 
 prepared plans, and lessons learned, more determined 
 to try and to succeed; (4) one who can see possibilities 
 in every home, and who will not fear indifference or 
 opposition; (5) one who has diplomacy or tact; (6) 
 one who is able to impart his own enthusiasm to others. 
 
 His Duties 
 
 1. To know his work: to know the aims of the de- 
 partment; the best methods adapted to the local needs; 
 the printed material furnished by his own denomina- 
 tion, and all such other material as may be of special 
 help in his field. 
 
 2. To know his field: the religious conditions; the 
 living conditions; the best way of dividing his field; 
 how to instruct the visitor with regard to each district. 
 
 3. To choose the visitors after consulting with the 
 pastor and the Sunday-school superintendent. 
 
 4. To know each visitor personally and supervise 
 the work of all. 
 
 5. To plan the work for each quarter, present the 
 plans at the council meetings, and see that these are 
 carried into effect. 
 
 6. To do occasional visiting (if it is not possible to 
 care for a regular district), so as to keep in touch with 
 the experiences and difficulties of visitors. 
 
 7. To give the pastor a summary of the quarter's 
 work, and to keep him informed weekly or monthly 
 of homes which need his special attention. 
 
30 Wi)t l^ome department 
 
 8. To plan for the social occasions and see that the 
 members are invited to all special functions of the 
 church and school, and to make use of every oppor- 
 tunity for promoting a close fellowship between the 
 department and the school. 
 
 9. To give quarterly statistical reports before the 
 Sunday-school session, with such incidents as will bring 
 the work definitely before the school. 
 
 10. To see that the department works in cooperation 
 with the other departments of the school in securing 
 members for the various departments as opportunity 
 may offer in the visitation of the homes. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. Name some of the qualifications of a successful 
 superintendent. 
 
 2. What is meant by executive ability? What is 
 diplomacy? 
 
 3. What is the first duty of the superintendent? 
 
 4. Who should be consulted in choosing the visitors? 
 
 5. Should the superintendent be a visitor? 
 
 6. How often should a summary of the work be 
 given to the pastor? 
 
 7. What should be included in the quarterly state- 
 ment presented to the Sunday school? 
 
 The Secretary and the Treasurer 
 
 A secretary can do much to make the work run 
 smoothly, to keep the department before the church 
 and the school, and to arouse and maintain interest. 
 
 The secretary should not be a visitor. 
 
0Uktt^, JB\)tiv €^na\iiitat\oni anb ButiesJ 31 
 
 Duties of the Secretary 
 
 1. To keep a perfect, up-to-date record of the mem- 
 bership, both alphabetically and by districts. 
 
 2. To keep a complete record of all transactions at 
 all council meetings. 
 
 3. To order the supplies. If material in more than 
 one language is needed, to see that the right kind is 
 ordered. If the material is ordered by the Sunday 
 school, to see that it is received on time. 
 
 4. To prepare the quarterlies for the visitors, to- 
 gether with report blanks and envelopes and such 
 special material as is to be placed in the homes. 
 
 5. To keep a perfect record of the work of each 
 visitor, and to prepare the report for the quarterly 
 council meeting. 
 
 6. To prepare a quarterly report to be given by the 
 superintendent at the Sunday-school session. 
 
 7. To fill out the county and state statistical reports 
 and see that they are returned on time. 
 
 8. To send out such notices and invitations as the 
 council may decide, to write notes of sympathy and 
 other communications. 
 
 9. To keep the Home Department Roll in the Sun- 
 day school corrected and up-to-date. 
 
 10. To prepare items of interest for the church bul- 
 letin or monthly paper, and to see that the Sunday- 
 school superintendent and the pastor advertise the 
 department in every possible way by desk and pulpit 
 notices. 
 
32 ^fte l^omt department 
 
 Duties of the Treasurer 
 
 1. To keep a perfect record of all funds received 
 from envelope contributions, collections, or personal 
 gifts. 
 
 2. To dispense the funds as the council shall direct 
 and in accordance with the regulations of the school. 
 
 3. To present a financial statement at every quarterly 
 council meeting. 
 
 4. To prepare an annual financial report. 
 
 The Home Department must conduct its finances in 
 accordance with the decisions of the school. Yet there 
 are some things essential for the success of the work. 
 
 1. The Home Department treasurer is a necessar}^ 
 official, whether the department buys its own supplies, 
 pays its own bills, and decides on its own benevolent 
 and missionary contributions, or whether the Sunday 
 school pays the bills and distributes the surplus. 
 
 2. No visitor should be permitted to turn the con- 
 tributions from the individual district or group over 
 to the Sunday-school treasurer. This money must be 
 turned over to the Home Department treasurer. 
 
 3. Where the department conducts its own finances, 
 the money should be banked in the name of the depart- 
 ment, and all bills paid by check. 
 
 4. A financial statement, showing just how the 
 money has been expended, should be issued yearly, 
 and a copy sent to each member of the department. 
 
 The Home Department is the least expensive depart- 
 ment in the Sunday school to operate and has usually 
 
C^ffkerg, ^fjeir (©ualificationg anb Butie£f 33 
 
 the largest surplus. Nearly all of its work is done out- 
 side the school session. Many large departments have 
 monthly business meetings, and all standard depart- 
 ments have quarterly council meetings. Many of the 
 needs of the department are known to the visitor only, 
 and there is a general feeling that many of these needs 
 may be more promptly met if the department conducts 
 its own finances. Many of the largest and most suc- 
 cessful departments now take entire charge of all their 
 work, including finances, with the full consent of their 
 Sunday school. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. What can the secretary do to further the interets 
 of the department? 
 
 2. State the duties of the secretary. 
 
 3. Should the secretar}^ be a visitor? WTiy? 
 
 4. What is the Home Department Roll? Where and 
 how is it kept? 
 
 5. What material must the secretary have ready for 
 the visitor before the close of the quarter? 
 
 6. Why is the Home Department treasurer a neces- 
 sary official? 
 
 7. What should be the deciding factor in the matter 
 of finance? 
 
 8. To whom does the visitor give the contributions 
 from her district? 
 
 9. How often should the members receive a state- 
 ment of the distribution of the funds of the depart- 
 ment? 
 
®!)e art of Visitation 
 
 Great care should be taken in the selection of the 
 visitor. The qualifications of the visitor should be 
 much the same as those of the superintendent. While 
 there are successful men visitors, it is generally con- 
 ceded that women are better adapted for this work. 
 As a rule they have more time at their command, can 
 visit the homes under many circumstances when it 
 would be out of the question to send a man, can meet 
 many needs of the home and be a confidential friend to 
 the family. Mature men or women should be chosen. 
 Very young people do not make good visitors; their 
 lack of experience makes it impossible for them to 
 understand the problems and share in the trials and 
 difficulties of the home. In the work among firemen, 
 street-car men, railroad men, policemen, in life-saving 
 stations, homes for men, men's hospital wards, and 
 similar places, the visitor should be a man. 
 
 Duties of Visitors 
 
 1. To attend the quarterly council meeting. 
 
 2. To accept every member of the homes committed 
 to their care as a definite responsibility. 
 
 34 
 
tlTfje ^rt of "^igitation 35 
 
 3. To secure a report from every member, once 
 every quarter, even if it requires more than one visit. 
 
 4. To make a complete written report at each quar- 
 terly council meeting. 
 
 5. To visit every new family in their districts and 
 report to the superintendent as soon as possible. 
 
 6. To see that in case of illness members are remem- 
 bered with flowers or delicacies, and in case of death, 
 with such floral tributes as the department may provide. 
 
 7. To be especially interested in the members of 
 their districts at the social functions or special occa- 
 sions and to see that they are made to feel at home 
 and introduced to the other members of the depart- 
 ment. 
 
 8. To report promptly any cases of illness or any 
 special need in their districts or anything that may be 
 of help to the pastor in his work in the parish. 
 
 9. To send birthday cards to the members and to 
 see that the shut-ins are especially cared for. 
 
 10. To give special attention to members in all cases 
 of illness, whether in the home or in the hospital. In 
 cases of quarantine, to write bright, cheery, sympathetic 
 notes, and to get other visitors to do the same. 
 
 A Message to Visitors 
 
 1. Pray before you leave your home on your day of 
 visitation, and again before entering each home. 
 
 2. Dress as you would for a church service or a social 
 call anywhere. Many visitors lose influence by being 
 careless in this respect. 
 
36 ^ije ^omt department 
 
 3. Try to place yourself in the position of the one 
 whom you are visiting. 
 
 4. Always remember that you are a representative 
 of the Church and an ambassador for God. 
 
 5. Do not patronize the poor or cringe before the 
 rich; if you do, the poor will hate you and the rich 
 will despise you. 
 
 6. Be friendly and natural. Be sympathetic and 
 interested in the things which concern each home. 
 
 7. Be always on the lookout for new members, and 
 for opportunities for service to all. 
 
 8. Be strictly confidential with all your members. 
 
 9. Be always prepared with extra report envelopes 
 in case any of your members should have mislaid theirs. 
 
 10. Always have plenty of membership cards with 
 you, so that should you find neighbors, friends, or rela- 
 tives visiting in the homes of your members, you may 
 be ready to take advantage of the opportunity. Have 
 also Cradle Roll cards and invitation cards to other 
 departments of the Sunday school and church with you 
 at all times. 
 
 11. Take an interest in the things in which your 
 members are interested, be it a new baby, a dress, a 
 plant, books, music, a garden, the children away from 
 home, farming, or chickens, and try to remember the 
 interests of each member from time to time. 
 
 12. Go over the quarter's lessons before you make 
 your call, that you may have them fresh in mind, but 
 do not unduly press your knowledge on your members. 
 
 13. Read books on the subject of self-knowledge and 
 
^fje ^rt of ^ijiitation 37 
 
 the fundamental truths of Hfe, so as to be able to meet 
 these subjects helpfull}'- in your conversation. 
 
 14. In the homes where there are children who belong 
 to the Sunday school, give such information as will make 
 the home interested in the work of the whole school. 
 
 15. Have confidence in yourself and in the work 
 which you are doing. 
 
 16. Be always on the lookout to speak a good word 
 for Jesus Christ. It may be that you are the one to 
 win that home for him. Don't miss your chance! 
 
 Some Don'ts 
 
 1. Don't leave your supplies with the maid or hang- 
 ing from the door knob. Make the extra call if neces- 
 sary. It pays. 
 
 2. Don't go to the home with the attitude, ''I have 
 come to do you good"; you would resent that yourself. 
 
 3. Don't inflict your cares and troubles on your 
 members. 
 
 4. Don t speak disparagingly of any church or church 
 official. 
 
 5. Don't be led into religious controversy. If an 
 invalid or any of your members should ask your opinion, 
 be ready to give it in a kindly Christian spirit, but 
 don't marshal your arguments in battle array. 
 
 6. Don't be inquisitive. Be interested in the family 
 and show your interest at all times. 
 
 7. Don't stay too long. 
 
 8. Don't talk too much. Shut-ins enjoy the oppor- 
 tunity of telling of the things which interest them. 
 
38 tlTije l^omt department 
 
 9. Don't forget that all your work and visits in the 
 home should have one object, that of winning the home 
 for Christ. 
 
 10. Don't miss your opportunity of helping the home 
 in the observance of family worship. 
 
 11. Don't think you cannot be a successful visitor. 
 While natural gifts and adaptability are of great value, 
 if you will apply yourself to the rules here laid down 
 and study your field and human nature, you will fit 
 yourself to be a successful visitor and make visitation 
 a delight to yourself as well as a blessing to others. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. Give some reasons why there are more women 
 visitors than men visitors. 
 
 2. Name some places where men are better fitted for 
 the work. 
 
 3. What is the first duty of a visitor? 
 
 4. Name nine other important duties. 
 
 5. How can the visitor help the other departments 
 in her visitation? 
 
 6. Name some of the important things in the art of 
 visitation. 
 
 7. What should be your point of contact with the 
 home? 
 
 8. How may you interest the home in the work of 
 the school? 
 
 9. What is the chief object of all your work? 
 
 10. Mention some of the important don'ts for Home 
 Department visitors. 
 
 1 1 . How may you become a successful visitor in the 
 face of obstacles? 
 
VI 
 
 Wbt ©uarterlp Council iHeeting 
 
 The quarterly meeting of the Home Department 
 Council should be the special care of the superintend- 
 ent. Some departments hold it before the close of the 
 quarter Ijut the second week after the close of the 
 quarter has proved the most satisfactory time for this 
 meeting. The visitors are then returning from their 
 touch with the homes; the problems are fresh in their 
 minds; new suggestions have come to them from their 
 experiences; and where especially successful work has 
 been done, they are eager to tell of it. It is also the 
 best time to plan for the new quarter's work. When 
 the meeting is held at this time, it will be necessary 
 for the secretary to have the material ready for the 
 visitors, and the superintendent may call them together 
 for a few moments at the close of a week-day or Sun- 
 day service to give any special instruction before they 
 go out. 
 
 The meeting should be made so interesting that no 
 visitor would willingly be absent from it. A visitor 
 should be appointed at the previous meeting to con- 
 duct the devotions. Occasionally this period should be 
 in charge of the pastor, the Sunday-school superintend- 
 ent, or the Home Department superintendent. After 
 the usual business, such as the reading of the minutes, 
 
 39 
 
40 Cije l^ome department 
 
 report of treasurer, and reports of special committees, 
 the program should include a survey of the quarter's 
 work, presentations of new plans for the coming quarter, 
 and a special subject for discussion. 
 
 The visitors' written reports should form the basis 
 for the survey. All visitors should be given a chance 
 to read their own reports, to call attention to special 
 problems in their districts, or to make mention of any 
 encouraging features. If a visitor is unable to attend, 
 a written report should be sent to the superintendent 
 in time for this meeting. After the reports are given, 
 the spiritual needs of the homes should be presented 
 and prayers offered for special cases. New plans for 
 the quarter's work should then be considered, arrange- 
 ments made for special occasions, and the necessary 
 committees appointed. The special topic for the day 
 should then be considered. It is a good plan to have a 
 subject assigned at least one month before the meeting, 
 and to assist the visitor with material for discussion. 
 This should be the visitors' training school. 
 
 Some of the following subjects should prove helpful: 
 ''The Art of Visitation," ''Personal Work in the 
 Home," "Family Worship," "How the Department 
 Can Assist the Church During an Evangelistic Cam- 
 paign," "How to Assist the Sunday School Before 
 Decision Day," "How to Secure New Members," 
 "How to Present the Work of the School to the 
 Home," "How to Present the Subject of Self -Knowl- 
 edge," "How to Provide a Loan Library on the Prin- 
 ciples of Truth and Morality," "How to Conduct a 
 
t!rt)e (©uarterlp Council jHeeting 41 
 
 Home Department Prayer Meeting," ''How to Con- 
 duct a Mothers' Meeting," ''How to Win an Entrance 
 into the Home," "How to Get Members to Mark 
 Their Reports." 
 
 At this meeting visitors should study together the 
 changing conditions of the parish. New phases of the 
 work shoukl be presented, various experiences may be 
 exchanged, and the diplomacy and tact necessary in 
 difficult cases may be discussed. 
 
 This meeting should be of special interest to the 
 pastor. He should bring to this council any special 
 plan in which the department can cooperate, such as 
 an evangelistic campaign, interest in the prayer meet- 
 ing, assistance in securing the attendance of parents 
 at the church services. He should also tell the coun- 
 cil of homes where the visitor may be of special 
 service. 
 
 The closing moments of the meeting should be spent 
 in social intercourse. The serving of light refreshments 
 will add much to a delightful fellowship. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. When should the quarterly council meeting be 
 held? 
 
 2. Who has charge of the plans for this meeting? 
 
 3. What should be the nature of the meeting and 
 the order of business? 
 
 4. Who should usually have charge of the devotions? 
 Why? 
 
 5. In what form should the visitors' reports be pre- 
 sented? Why? 
 
42 tKfje ?^ome department 
 
 6. How should the spiritual needs of the homes be 
 met? 
 
 7. Name some topics for special discussion. 
 
 8. How may the pastor and the Sunday-school 
 superintendent show their interest in this meeting? 
 
 9. How should the meeting close? 
 
VII 
 
 Wt^t J^ome department Canbas^s? 
 
 The object of the Home Department canvass should 
 be: 
 
 1. To gam a helpful knowledge of the whole parish. 
 
 2. To learn who may be secured for Church member- 
 ship. 
 
 3. To secure members for church organizations. 
 
 4. To discover talent available for the church and 
 school. 
 
 5. To secure members for the various departments 
 of the Sunday school. 
 
 6. To discover members for the Home Department. 
 The canvassers should spend at least one or two 
 
 afternoons or evenings in preparation for the work. 
 They should study the field as a whole; the district 
 to which each worker is assigned; the material they 
 are to carry with them; and the manner of approach- 
 ing the home. They should have before them a list of 
 the church members who are not in the school, the 
 names of the parents of all children in all departments 
 of the Sunday school who are not already connected 
 with the school, also the names of the members of all 
 church organizations who are not members of the 
 school. But the canvass should not be confined to 
 these names. In these days of frequent religious cen- 
 suses, there is no objection to visiting every home, 
 
 43 
 
44 ^1)t l^ome department 
 
 Protestant, Catholic, Jew, or nonchurch, whether in 
 country community, suburban town, or city parish. 
 
 A special service should be arranged for the Sunday 
 preceding the canvass. The pastor should be asked to 
 preach on some subject in connection with the work 
 of the department, to urge all members of the church 
 who are not already in the Sunday school to join this 
 department, and also to request them to speak to their 
 friends and their neighbors about the canvass. The 
 pastor can give further assistance by speaking of the 
 canvass in his own visitation and by distributing the 
 invitation leaflets in the homes. On the same day a 
 service of consecration should be held in the Sunday 
 school when the visitors should be installed and set 
 apart by prayer. (See Ch. II.) 
 
 Where the canvass is conducted for the first time, it 
 is better for two visitors to go together. Where the 
 canvass has become an established annual affair, one 
 visitor may go alone so that the field may be covered 
 in less time. 
 
 A card should be used in gathering information. 
 This should contain a space for name, address, Church 
 affiliation, number of adults, number of children, name 
 and address of the visitor making the call and giving 
 the information. Special remarks should be made on 
 the back of the card. 
 
 Words to the Canvasser 
 
 Never ask in any home if the members are Christians, 
 or if thpy read the Bible. No one likes to be classed as 
 
^fje ^omt department Canbagg 45 
 
 a ''heathen" in a Christian land. If you create antag- 
 onism you will get no farther than the door. Frankly 
 state the object of your call, that you are helping to 
 make a religious canvass of your community, and ask 
 what church the family attends. If they are Church 
 members, and the children are attending some Sun- 
 day school, your work there is done. If such is not 
 the case, fill in the information asked on your card and 
 then invite all the members of the family to the serv- 
 ices of the church and school. Where you find that 
 persons cannot or will not attend the sessions of the 
 Sunday school, you have an open field for the Home 
 Department. Be prepared to make full use of your 
 opportunity. Tell them that their inability to attend 
 class sessions need not keep them from the Sunday school. 
 Many will be glad to join the school in this simple, 
 helpful way; but where there is hesitation or objec- 
 tion, be ready to meet it so far as you are able. Explain 
 how the members become part of the world-wide Home 
 Department family; tell of the visitor's interest in her 
 members; the helpfulness of systematic Bible study; and 
 the blessing that it will be to the children of the home. 
 Never allow a person to answer ''No" immediately. 
 Leave the quarterly and such other material as you 
 have brought and promise to call again. Do not over- 
 look the invalids or shut-ins. Make special effort to 
 secure their membership. Where there are children or 
 young people who for any reason cannot attend the 
 Sunday school, enlist them also and promise to secure 
 the right material for them. 
 
46 ^Ije l^ome department 
 
 Where the canvass is conducted for the first time, a 
 month should be held open for charter members and a 
 report made each Sunday in the Sunday school. This 
 will stimulate the interest of the school. One depart- 
 ment in New Jersey made 700 calls in one month. The 
 effort added 28 members to adult classes, seven to 
 other departments, eleven babies to the Cradle Roll, 
 and 93 members to the Home Department. It also 
 discovered three young men who formed the beginning 
 of a Sunday-school orchestra. 
 
 Such a canvass should be made annually. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. What are the objects for which the canvass is 
 conducted? 
 
 2. How should the workers prepare for it, and what 
 material is needed? 
 
 3. Should one or two visitors make the calls? 
 
 4. W^hat should be your method of approach to the 
 home? 
 
 5. How can you overcome objections? 
 
 6. Should a definite refusal be accepted? Why? 
 
 7. How long should the canvass continue? 
 
 8. How frequently should the results be reported in 
 the Sunday school? 
 
 9. What members in the home should especially be 
 sought out? 
 
 10. What special service should be held before under- 
 taking the canvass? 
 
 11. How should the visitors be sent forth? 
 
 12. How frequently should a canvass be made? 
 
VIII 
 
 ^tanbing Committees; anb SCfjeir Mork 
 
 A well organized department should have four stand- 
 ing committees. Special committees should be ap- 
 pointed as occasion requires and discharged when their 
 tasks are accomplished. The standing committees 
 should be appointed at the annual meeting and should 
 serve for one year. The standing committees should 
 be: Membership, Social, Flower, and Welfare. 
 
 Membership Committee 
 
 It should be the duty of this committee to work 
 with the visitors and be constantly on the lookout for 
 new members. Where the department has adopted 
 the rule of visiting every new family in the parish 
 within ten days after its arrival, it should be the duty 
 of the Membership Committee to see that the visitor 
 makes the call. If it is impossible for the visitor to 
 do so, a member of this committee should make the 
 call. The names of new members should be presented 
 by this committee at the council meeting. The com- 
 mittee should also go over the membership roll each 
 quarter, seeking out such members as might be able 
 to attend the Sunday-school session and encouraging 
 them to do so. 
 
 All resignations should be handed to this committee, 
 
 47 
 
48 Wi)t J^omt department 
 
 which should investigate each case and see if it is not 
 possible to retain the member. .Sometimes misunder- 
 standings and difficulties arise which this committee 
 may help to clear away. No resignation should be 
 accepted by the council unless reconmiended by the 
 Membership Committee. 
 
 Social Committee 
 
 This committee should have charge of the social 
 part of each monthly or quarterly council meeting 
 and all special occasions where such services are needed. 
 
 Flower Committee 
 
 This committee is very important to the success of 
 the department, and a stated amount of money should 
 be appropriated for each quarter's work. Flowers and 
 delicacies should be provided for the members at the 
 discretion of the committee. Hospital cases should be 
 its special charge. In a case of quarantine, the com- 
 mittee should plan to have brief notes of comfort and 
 sympathy sent twice a week or, better still, every other 
 day, arranging for the members of the council to take 
 turns, and, where the quarantine is of long duration, 
 calling upon the members of the department to par- 
 ticipate. 
 
 One Home Department, for instance, helped a widow 
 over ten hard weeks when her children were ill with 
 scarlet fever. The first week the department sent 
 flowers and the visitor wrote her a note of sympathy. 
 The second week the department sent fruit. The com- 
 
^tanbing Committees^ anb ^\)tix Movh, 49 
 
 mittee then arranged with the members of the council 
 to send a cheery friendly letter three times each week. 
 Each member was given a specific date and the super- 
 intendent promised to write a special note each week. 
 
 Another Home Department constantly remembered 
 a member who was forced to spend several months in 
 a hospital. Toward the close of her staj^ in the hos- 
 pital, the Home Department superintendent was per- 
 mitted to see her. The head nurse met the superintend- 
 ent at the door and asked, ''Would you mind telling me 
 who Mrs. Deal is?" ''Why," answered the superin- 
 tendent, "she is a member of our church." "Oh, I 
 don't mean that," replied the nurse; "I would like to 
 know what makes her so prominent or why she receives 
 so much attention. Practically all the patients in this 
 ward are members of some church, but they are receiv- 
 ing little or no attention, while Mrs. Deal has had 
 post cards, letters, fruit, delicacies, flowers, telephone 
 calls, and visits. Throughout her stay of nearly three 
 months, it seems as though she has been remembered 
 every day. The other patients have been watching her 
 with interest." The superintendent then explained 
 that Mrs. Deal was a member of the Home Depart- 
 ment and that the plan was to make all members feel 
 that they belonged to a big family. 
 
 A happy way of remembering hospital patients, 
 especially children, is a "Sunshine Box" which con- 
 tains suitable packages to be opened each day. Such 
 a box often brings joy and interest to a whole ward. 
 
50 ^Jje J^ome department 
 
 Welfare Committee 
 
 At the International Sunday School Convention, 
 held in June, 1918, at Buffalo, N. Y., the Home De- 
 partment Conference adopted the following resolution: 
 ''Resolved, that a committee be appointed in each 
 Home Department to seek out needy cases and to 
 cooperate with such local organizations as may exist, 
 and also with organizations of a national character, in 
 meeting these needs." 
 
 The finding of the commission was as follows: The 
 Home Department, dealing directly with the individual 
 home, and knowing usually most intimately the con- 
 ditions in the home, should be a powerful factor in 
 cooperating with other organizations now working for 
 the betterment of the home. 
 
 The Welfare Committee of the department should 
 cooperate with any organization in the community of 
 a local or national character in seeking out and min- 
 istering to needy families. 
 
 During a recent hard winter, one department secured 
 the cooperation of the Needle Work Guild of America 
 to provide new underwear for several needy families. 
 In cooperation with a local organization, they secured 
 coal and food for families sadly in need. Several per- 
 sons were helped in securing employment by having 
 their names placed with the employment bureau of the 
 YMC A. 
 
 It should also be the duty of this committee to ar- 
 range for members to visit shut-ins and read for blind 
 
^tanbing Committees; anb tE^fteir Morfe 51 
 
 people, also to arrange for services in homes, institu- 
 tions, and prisons. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. Name the standing committees. 
 
 2. How are special committees appointed? 
 
 3. What are some of the important duties of the 
 Membership Committee? 
 
 4. How can this committee help the visitor with 
 special calls and new families in the parish? 
 
 5. What is the duty of this committee with reference 
 to securing Sunday-school attendance? 
 
 6. How should a resignation be treated? 
 
 7. What are the duties of the Social Committee? 
 
 8. What are the duties of the Flower Committee in 
 quarantine? In long illness? In hospital cases? 
 
 9. How can the whole membership be made to help 
 this committee? 
 
 10. What is a Sunshine Box and how is it used? 
 
 11. What are the duties of a Welfare Committee? 
 With what other committees should this committee 
 cooperate? 
 
IX 
 
 Social anb Special ©ccasiions; 
 
 No department derives greater benefit from social 
 gatherings than the Home Department. The objec- 
 tions so frequently made that the members of this 
 department cannot be brought together because they 
 are unable to attend Sunday school is not good reason- 
 ing. The members of this department need to come 
 together, perhaps more than those who have the oppor- 
 tunity of frequent attendance on the Sunday school and 
 church, and to be made to feel that they are not left 
 out but belong to a warm-hearted church family. It 
 will pay, even if special efforts have to be made to secure 
 their attendance. 
 
 One department, which had been unusually successful 
 in securing members, was planning for its first recep- 
 tion and social. A splendid program had been arranged 
 and plans made for refreshments. A Reception and a 
 Decorating Committee had been appointed and the 
 council now met to send out the invitations. The 
 superintendent asked the visitors what the outlook was 
 for the attendance of their members. One visitor said 
 she felt rather discouraged as there were little children 
 in every home in her district, and, as both husband and 
 wife were to be invited, there would be no one to care 
 for the children; and yet wherever she had spoken of 
 
 52 
 
Social anb Special 0tta^ioni 53 
 
 the reception, the members were all anxious to attend. 
 Nearly all the visitors agreed that the same conditions 
 prevailed in every district. How to make it possible 
 for both husband and wife to attend was the question. 
 It was finally decided to give, on the evening of the 
 reception, two simple parties for younger girls and boys, 
 in homes where there were no Home Department mem- 
 bers, and to secure the service of older girls to care for 
 children too small to attend these parties, two girls 
 going to each home. Then plans were made to secure 
 automobiles for those who would otherwise be unable 
 to come. 
 
 The Sunday-school room was fitted up as a home, 
 with rugs on the floor, pictures on the wal^s, lamps and 
 books on tables,' and easy chairs for the old folks. The 
 platform was arranged as part of a living room, and a 
 grandfather's clock ticked merrily away and chimed 
 the hour. 
 
 The program included a twenty-minute informal re- 
 ception. In the receiving line were the pastor, the 
 Sunday-school superintendent, the Home Department 
 superintendent, and a state worker. The Home De- 
 partment visitors, dressed in white with Home Depart- 
 ment badges and colored canes, were the ushers. Brief 
 devotions were followed by the reports of the secretary 
 and the treasurer. Then each visitor responded to the 
 roll call with the statement of the work in her district. 
 Instrumental and vocal solos, choir and orchestra selec- 
 tions, readings, and a short sketch followed one another 
 in quick succession. Then came the social hour and 
 
54 tirfje J^ome department 
 
 refreshments. An old lady of eighty, who had been a 
 Church member for seventy years, had not attended a 
 church or social function outside her own home for ten 
 years. She was carried from the automobile to a large, 
 comfortable armchair, where she held court all evening. 
 She laughed during the program until the tears rolled 
 down her face, and smiled as she said that she wished 
 that she were young enough to help this fine work 
 along. ''Why," she said, ''this is like a big, happy 
 family, and I'm so glad I belong." 
 
 Some departments are able to arrange for social 
 occasions every quarter, others twice a year. Local 
 conditions must be taken into consideration, but the 
 social side must not be neglected if the department is 
 to be a success. 
 
 Special Occasions 
 
 AS has already been stated, the department should 
 have some definite part in every special program in the 
 Sunday school. 
 
 1. At a Christmas celebration, one department 
 formed a tableau of the Holy Family in the stable, 
 with a canvas background showing the animals. A 
 real manger had been provided. The members took 
 the part of Mary and Joseph and the shepherds. A 
 real baby was in the manger, and by electric contri- 
 vance the star shone on them from above. The Home 
 Department was seated on one side of the platform and 
 sang softly "Silent Night, Holy Night." The climax 
 was reached when the little baby stretched out its 
 arms to the mother just as the curtain descended. 
 
Social anb Special 0tta^iom 55 
 
 2. At an Easter celebration, the dialogue between 
 Mary and the risen Saviour was used, while the de- 
 partment sang, ''See the Place Where Jesus Lay." 
 This must be done in a most reverential spirit if it is 
 to be effective. 
 
 3. At a Children's Day celebration, four Home De- 
 partment mothers, dressed in white and wearing Home 
 Department colors, formed an arch through which the 
 tiny Cradle Roll babies passed as they came to the 
 platform to be promoted to the Beginners Department. 
 While the children were coming to the platform, the 
 mothers recited together: 
 
 "We bring you to-day our treasures, 
 Each boy and each girl so fair; 
 We ask you to help us guide their feet 
 In life's true pathway and keep them sweet. 
 We love our little darlings so. 
 And ask that you will love them, too." 
 
 4. On Rally Day, the Home Department should be 
 prepared to give a report of work done and plans for the 
 coming fall and winter. One department had on the 
 Rally Day program this announcement: ''Those We 
 Are After." A mother with a little baby, an invalid in 
 a wheel chair, a nurse, a doctor, a railway clerk, a 
 grandmother with two little children, a policeman, a 
 fireman, a telegraph operator, and others dressed to 
 represent eighteen different characters, each carrying 
 an open Bible, came to the platform while the choir 
 sang, "Break Thou the Bread of Life, Dear Lord, to 
 
56 tJTJe J^omt department 
 
 Me." At the close of the hymn, a soldier and a sailor 
 came forward and sang ''Home, Sweet Home," while 
 the whole audience joined softly in the chorus. 
 
 5. Many departments now take charge of arrange- 
 ments for the observance of Mother's Day or Parents' 
 Day, and it seems that if any department in the church 
 or school should be responsible for this service more 
 than another, it is the Home Department. A good 
 Home Department Council should be able to plan a 
 service that would long be remembered. 
 
 1. Special effort must be made to get the mothers 
 to attend. 
 
 2. Where there are little children, plans must be 
 made to care for them during the service. 
 
 3. Conveyances must be provided for the invahd 
 and the aged and those living at a great distance. 
 
 4. Care must be taken that the service shall be a 
 cheerful, joyful tribute to mother love. 
 
 5. The decorations should be carefully planned and 
 a flower provided for each mother. 
 
 6. The visitors, dressed in white, should act as 
 ushers, seat the people, receive the offering, distribute 
 programs or other material used, welcome strangers, 
 and at the close of the service, each visitor should be 
 assigned to some section of the church to introduce the 
 members to one another. 
 
 One department prepared the following simple but 
 effective program, in which every department in the 
 Sunday school shared: After the invocation, the hj^mn, 
 ''Sweet Hour of Prayer," was sung. The Beginners 
 
Social anb Special 0aa$iioni 57 
 
 and Primary departments had twelve little boys and 
 girls, all dressed in white, march to the platform. One 
 little girl brought a basket filled with moss. Each 
 child had a carnation with a wired stem. The little 
 girl placed the basket on a stand in the center of the 
 platform. Then, placing her own carnation in the 
 basket, she recited: 
 
 "We come, our tributes bringing, 
 To one we love most dear, 
 And gladly do we render 
 Our happy homage here. 
 In every country, every clime, 
 In every tribe and nation, 
 Mother, that's the sweetest name 
 In all God's great creation." 
 
 While the children were still on the platform, the 
 Junior Department sang, "Mother, That Sweetest 
 Name " The congregation recited the Twenty-third 
 Psalm, after which the Young People's Department 
 sang, ''Faith of Our Mothers, Holy Faith," using the 
 word ''mothers" in place of "fathers." Then followed 
 the notices and offering and an anthem by the choir. 
 The Adult Department had six men and six women 
 come to the platform, who presented "The Testimony 
 of the Ages." Each recited a beautiful tribute, which 
 had been given by some prominent character in history. 
 A wonderful message on "God's Gift to the World of 
 Mother Love" followed. The service closed with 
 
58 tlTije J^omt department 
 
 ''Jerusalem the Golden" and a fifteen-minute informal 
 reception followed. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. Why are social activities essential to a successful 
 department? 
 
 2. What are some of the important things that must 
 be considered in planning for a Home Department 
 social? 
 
 3. How often should such functions be held? 
 
 4. Should the department be satisfied with attending 
 the special days in the Sunday school? 
 
 5. How may we increase the attendance of our mem- 
 bers on these special days? 
 
 6. ' Name some special occasions when the department 
 may share in the program with profit to both the de- 
 partment and the school. 
 
 7. Why should the department have charge of the 
 preparations for Mother's Day? 
 
 8. What should be the nature of the service? 
 
 9. Who should sliare in the program? 
 
 10. How should the fifteen minutes at the close of 
 the service be used? 
 
X 
 Cooperating toitf) tf)e ^unbap ^c!)ool 
 
 The Home Department should be brought into the 
 closest possible relationship with the Sunday school of 
 which it is such a vital part. A place should be found 
 for it as frequently as possible in the opening or closing 
 worship of the school, and its membership should be 
 included in the prayer every Sunday. The department 
 itself can do much to keep the relationship fresh and 
 interesting. 
 
 1. A name roll should be hung in a prominent place 
 in the main Sunday-school room, and the secretary of 
 the department should be present at least once a 
 quarter (once a month is better) to make such changes 
 and additions as are necessary to keep the roll up to 
 date. At such times she should be given a few moments 
 to speak to the school. She should ask those pupils 
 whose parents are not in the Sunday school or on the 
 roll which she has just corrected to raise their hands, 
 then urge them to secure these names for the Home 
 Department. She should announce that she would be 
 at the door with cards and literature. She should ask 
 those who are not sure whether or not their parents are 
 in the Home Department to see if they can find their 
 names on the roll. 
 
 In one school where such an invitation was given, a 
 
 59 
 
60 tIDfje H^omt Bepartment 
 
 crowd of children gathered around the roll, looking for 
 the names of their friends and relatives. All at once 
 a Junior exclaimed: '' Hurrah! I've got five of my 
 folks on. Can any of you beat that?" My grandmother 
 is on it, my two aunts, and my mother and father." 
 Then a little Primarj^ bo}^ who had tried hard to get 
 near the roll, asked this Junior to see if anyone in his 
 house was on the roll. Sinclair was the name. The 
 Junior pushed the other children to one side and called 
 out the names beginning with "S." There were Smiths 
 and Stouts and Stanleys, but there were no Sinclairs. 
 When the little boy was assured that no Sinclair was 
 on the roll, his eyes filled and his lips trembled as he 
 said: ''Gee, that ain't fair. You got five and I got 
 none. But I'll get them before next Sunday and I'll 
 ask Mrs. Best to put them on, so you can all see them 
 next Sunday." That roll had won four new meml)ers. 
 
 2. A quarterly report, carefully prepared, should be 
 given by the superintendent at the Sunday-school ses- 
 sion. The report should include transfers to main 
 school, removals, deaths, additions, and the present 
 membership. The financial report should also be pre- 
 sented, giving the amount per capita by district and 
 as a whole, also the number of visitors serving during 
 the quarter. Then such items of interest should be 
 given as will call the attention of the school to the 
 work of this department. 
 
 3. At all special occasions of the Sunday school, such 
 as Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day, Children's Day, 
 Rally Day, a place should be reserved for members of 
 
Cooperating toitf) tfje ^unbap ^cfjool 61 
 
 the Home Department. Some definite part in the pro- 
 gram should be assigned, not a report or a statement, 
 but some part that will awaken an interest and show 
 the importance of the work. (See Ch. IX.) More 
 Home Department members will attend if the depart- 
 ment is known to haVe a special part in the program. 
 
 4. Notices should be given from the Sunday-school 
 desk of all meetings of the Home Department Council 
 and of all the work planned. Items of interest should 
 be prepared for the Sunday-school bulletin, church 
 calendar, and monthlies, and also for pulpit notices. 
 
 5. The superintendent and pastor should be invited 
 to the Home Department Council meetings, and, at 
 intervals, invited to address the workers on ''How 
 Better to Serve the Church and the Sunday School." 
 
 6. An occasional contest should be encouraged be- 
 tween this department and some department in the 
 main school, each side to secure new members for all 
 departments of the school. 
 
 7. There should be the closest cooperation between 
 this department and the Cradle Roll. In a Baptist 
 church in Camden, New Jersey, the Cradle Roll hangs 
 on one side of a panel, the Home Department Roll on 
 the other side, and on the panel itself, the state cer- 
 tificate that the Home Department is a standard de- 
 partment. 
 
 Under the standard hangs a beautifully framed 
 motto reading, "Every baby's mother in the Home 
 Department and every mother's baby on the Cradle 
 Roll. We are coworkers together." 
 
62 ^fje l^ome department 
 
 The Home Department visitor should be on con- 
 stant lookout for Cradle Roll members, and the Cradle 
 Roll worker for Home Department members. The 
 Cradle Roll superintendent should be a member of the 
 Home Department Council. 
 
 8. In some of the social activil^ies of the Home De- 
 partment the Cradle Roll, Beginners, Primary, and their 
 mothers, should be included. 
 
 A Presbyterian church in New Jersey had planned 
 a lawn reception and social for the Home Department 
 including the Cradle Roll. Careful preparations were 
 made and the weather was all that could be desired; 
 yet many of those invited did not appear. The super- 
 intendent, in calling at one home, discovered the reason. 
 ''How could I attend?" said the mother. ''The baby 
 was the only one besides myself who was invited. I 
 have three other young children, and no one to leave 
 them with, so of course I had to stay home, although 
 I wanted to come." The next year the Cradle Roll, 
 Beginners, and Primary children were invited. The 
 Home Department visitors were assisted by the girls 
 of the Intermediate Department in caring for the little 
 ones. 
 
 9. At least one social function a year should be held 
 by the department, when the officers and the teachers 
 of the church and school should be the guests of the 
 Home Department members. This will encourage the 
 spirit of fellowship and cooperation. 
 
 10. There should be a Home Department Class in 
 the Sunday school, where the visitors and members 
 
Cooperating toitfj tlje ^unbap ^cfjool 63 
 
 may come when they are able to attend. Such a class 
 will stimulate the interest of the Home Department 
 members in the school and frequently be the means of 
 winning them to regular attendance. It is a good plan 
 to have a visitor in charge of this class and to have the 
 members of the department invited by the various visit- 
 ors to attend. In one Sunday school which organized 
 such a class the Home Department Class soon became 
 the largest adult class in the school. 
 
 11. Where there is a ''Messenger Service" in the 
 school, visitors may seek the cooperation of this organi- 
 zation in the distribution of library books, Sunday- 
 school papers, church bulletins, calendars, and month- 
 hes, on Sunday, and in the sending out of special mes- 
 sages through the week; but under no consideration 
 must this interfere with the regular work of the visitors. 
 It is the personal touch of an experienced Christian 
 worker which is the most powerful factor in Home De- 
 partment work and some of the departments have lost 
 out by delegating their work to inexperienced youths. 
 
 12. The greatest difficulty in our organized Sunday- 
 school work is the lack of cooperation in the home. 
 To this may be traced the reason for much of our failure. 
 
 The figures given at the International Sunday School 
 Convention at Buffalo in June, 1918, were to the effect 
 that seven out of ten pass from the Sunday school 
 without becoming Church members. If we consider 
 that from seventy to eighty per cent of all additions to 
 our Protestant churches come from the Sunday school, 
 we realize what a serious problem this is. After making 
 
64 Wi)t H^omt department 
 
 a survey in representative schools, in large cities, small 
 cities, suburbs, and country communities, and holding 
 conferences with superintendents and Sunday-school 
 field workers, we learned that large numbers of teach- 
 ers are so placed that they are never able to visit the 
 homes of their pupils. One superintendent was asked 
 why he did not require, as one of the conditions for 
 becoming a teacher in his school, that the teacher must 
 visit every pupil at least once a year. He replied that 
 if that were made a requirement, he would lose half of 
 his teaching force. Another replied that he would lose 
 nearly all of his, not for want of interest alone, but fre- 
 quently because of conditions which make it impossible 
 for the teacher to visit. Another superintendent was 
 asked if any of his teachers visited the homes more 
 than four times a year. His only answer was a shake 
 of the head and a smile. 
 
 Here is the Home Department's great opportunity. 
 It is a department whose chief duty is home visitation 
 and the school is suffering for lack of cooperation in 
 the home. The chief duty of the visitor is to make 
 four regular, personal calls each year in the homes com- 
 mitted to her care, and there are so many reasons why 
 extra calls are necessary that this number is frequently 
 doubled, so that the visitor comes in contact with a 
 home from four to eight times each year. 
 
 A teacher of girls had been working hard with her 
 class, praying and hoping that they would all be pre- 
 pared to take their stand for Christ on Decision Day. 
 Great was her disappointment when not one of her 
 
Cooperating tnift tje ^unbap ^cfjool 65 
 
 class signed the card or rose when the invitation was 
 given. 
 
 ''Have you ever visited these girls in their homes?" 
 asked a friend to whom the teacher mentioned her deci- 
 sion to give up the class. ''No, I cannot do so," she 
 answered. " I work till six o'clock every week day. My 
 mother is an invalid, and I must do all the housework 
 I can, mornings and evenings, to help her. On Sunday 
 mornings I take her to church in her wheel chair, Sun- 
 day afternoons I am in Sunday school, and I feel that 
 I owe my Sunday evenings to my mother. I simply 
 cannot find the time to visit the girls in their homes, 
 and much as I love them, I fear I must give them up." 
 
 At the friend's suggestion the teacher made inquiry 
 and learned that a Home Department had been or- 
 ganized in the school some six months before. It was 
 found that the homes represented in the class were 
 divided between four Home Department visitors. They 
 had already been calling several times in the homes, and 
 were just then preparing for their regular quarterly visit. 
 The teacher's difficulty was explained to the Home De- 
 partment visitors, who were asked to help interest the 
 parents in what the teacher was trying to do for the 
 girls. The story of the teacher, and of her disappoint- 
 ment, was told in every home of the class. In each case 
 the mother's attitude was definitely changed. In place 
 of the hfe-killing indifference which was found in nearly 
 every home, the visitor left behind a warm appreciation 
 and a better understanding of the aims of the Sunday 
 school. As a result, on Easter Sunday seven out of that 
 5 
 
66 tEte J^omt department 
 
 class of eleven joined the Church, also three mothers 
 and one father. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. Where and how should the Home Department 
 Roll be kept? 
 
 2. How often should the Home Department report 
 be given in the Sunday school and what should the 
 report include? 
 
 3. What arrangements should the school make for 
 the Home Department members on special days? 
 
 4. How can the Home Department cooperate with 
 the Cradle Roll? 
 
 5. How can the Home Department cooperate with 
 the other departments? 
 
 6. How can the visitor cooperate with the teacher 
 in the regular home visitation? 
 
 7. How can the department cooperate in the social 
 life of the school? 
 
 8. How can the department cooperate with the 
 school in the preparations for Decision Da^^? 
 
 9. How can the department cooperate with the Mes- 
 senger Service? 
 
 10. What can be accomplished by a Home Depart- 
 ment Class in the school? 
 
XI 
 
 Jfamilp ffliorsifjip anb 3^t9iponsiMt Cftri^tian 
 ^arentf)ODti 
 
 Family Worship 
 
 No part of our work is more essential or gives more 
 blessed results than that in the interest of family wor- 
 ship. It is hardly necessary to speak of the great need, 
 for it is universally recognized. The home with the 
 family altar is the foundation stone of a Christian 
 world. Let this fail, and no amount of organized 
 activities or secular education can stem the tide of 
 desolation that will follow. Give it an important place 
 in the life of the Church, in the pulpit, in the Sunday 
 school, in conferences, in printed material, in conse- 
 crated leadership, and the home will respond and do 
 its full share in bringing the Church gloriously through 
 the coming years. 
 
 The family altar is not only a benefit to the children 
 and youth in the home, and a guiding star through life, 
 but it is the greatest stimulant to consecrated living on 
 the part of the parent. One may bluff before friends 
 and business associates, but he cannot bluff before 
 the clear eyes of the children around him when he 
 opens the Bible or lifts his voice in prayer. He must 
 live as he prays, and be loving, kind, patient, and fair 
 in all his dealings. 
 
 67 
 
68 Wi)t J^omt department 
 
 The Great War has revealed the great comfort and 
 shield in temptation many a boy found in the knowledge 
 that his folks at home were praying for him daily. One 
 boy told how he nearly lost his foothold twice, but 
 each time the consciousness that they were praying 
 for him at home held him back. ''It certainly was 
 strange," he said, ''how near they seemed to me when 
 I needed them most." 
 
 1. No visitor must consider her work complete as 
 long as there are in her district homes without family 
 altars. If she feels that she cannot speak to her mem- 
 bers on the subject, she should bring with her some 
 of the small leaflets dealing with this subject and leave 
 them with the members. (These leaflets may be se- 
 cured from almost every denominational house at very 
 small cost.) When she makes her next call, she should 
 ask if the leaflets have been read and thus lead the 
 conversation to the subject. The visitor should also 
 be prepared with a knowledge of the best books and 
 the most helpful material on the subject, so that at 
 the slightest evidence of interest on the part of the 
 family she might be prepared to be of help. 
 
 2. At least once a year the Home Department Council 
 should issue a circular letter, setting forth the need 
 and the great blessing of family worship, to be sent 
 to all the homes in the church and parish. 
 
 3. Once every six months the department should 
 plan with the pastor for a special service, when such 
 subjects as "The Home Altar," "Religion in the 
 Home," "Foundation of a Christian Nation," "God's 
 
Jfamilp Mov^iip 69 
 
 Covenant with the Home," should be discussed. At 
 such times tlie visitor should use every effort to have 
 the members attend. Cards should be distributed at 
 the service and all present should be encouraged to 
 pledge themselves to observe family worship. 
 
 4. The visitors themselves should study the subject 
 at the quarterly meetings, so as to prepare themselves 
 in every possible way to help the home. The question 
 is often asked in conferences, ''If the visitor herself 
 does not observe family worship, how can she encourage 
 others to do so?" This is one of the reasons why the 
 department has not been more successful with Grade A, 
 but to such a visitor we would say: ''Pray earnestty 
 that God will give you wisdom and courage to do that 
 which you know Avill bring blessing on you and yours. 
 Under no circumstances, however, must you neglect to 
 distribute the material and invite your members to 
 such special occasions as are planned in the interests 
 of this important part of our work. Your members 
 must be helped; the homes in your district must be 
 reached; this is your duty; do not fail to do it." 
 
 Responsible Christian Parenthood 
 
 It is an amazing fact that few Christian parents 
 accept the responsibility of leading their own children 
 to a definite decision for Christ. They seem willing, 
 and even anxious, to place this sacred duty on some 
 outside person or organization, and yet by so doing 
 they are losing for themselves the tenderness and rever- 
 ence in which the child holds the person who leads 
 
70 K\}t Jlome department 
 
 him to make his first decision for Christ. This not 
 only injures the home in that it robs the parents of an 
 experience which binds father and son, mother and 
 daughter, closer than anything else can, but it also 
 robs them of the crown of joy which rightly belongs to 
 them and the consciousness that they can one day 
 answer, ''Behold, I and the children whom God hath 
 given me." 
 
 The Christian Church feels that this sacred duty 
 should be carefully considered and the parents brought 
 to see their responsibility. Yet little teaching or help 
 is given the j^arents either in pulpit or in the rehgious 
 press. The Home Department, therefore, has a won- 
 derful opportunity to give the parents valuable help, 
 and, because of its close contact with the home, it is in 
 a position to understand the need better than any other 
 department. 
 
 1. The Home Department Council should studj^ the 
 local conditions; material which would be helpful to 
 the home; free literature which the department could 
 provide for distribution; and how to approach the 
 home on this subject. 
 
 2. The visitor should call attention to special articles 
 in the Quarterly, distribute the free material, and when 
 opportunity offers, speak of the joy of leading one's 
 own children to Christ. The visitor should also use 
 special effort to secure the attendance of members at 
 such special services as are arranged in the interest of 
 this important subject. 
 
 3. The Home Department Council should offer to 
 
Jfamilp 5!lat£{})ip 71 
 
 help the Sunday school in preparations for Decision 
 Day. The Home Department workers should present 
 the plan of the school in the home and urge the coop- 
 eration of the parents and their attendance at the 
 Sunday-school session on Decision Day, so that they 
 may be present to give their consent and also to lend 
 their influence on this important occasion. 
 
 4. It is a wise plan for the Sunday-school superin- 
 tendent to call a joint meeting of the Home Depart- 
 ment visitors and the Sunday-school teachers for con- 
 ference. As a rule the visitor knows the parents inti- 
 mately and should therefore be of great assistance to 
 the teacher. The visitor has to make her quarterly 
 call after the last Sunday in March, and this fact 
 should be taken advantage of b}^ the school. Even 
 w^here the teacher is able to call in the home, the 
 teacher should seek the cooperation of the visitor, and 
 where the teacher is unable to visit in the home, the 
 visitor should make special effort on behalf of the 
 teacher and the school. 
 
 One pastor decided that never again would he call 
 on children to take a stand for Christ without the 
 presence of the parents. He planned to have all the 
 parents not already in the Sunday school come at a 
 certain hour, and he assigned the work of securing 
 their presence as the Home Department's part of the 
 day's work. The Beginners and Primary departments 
 were dismissed and the rest of the school marched into 
 the church auditorium. The parents took seats with 
 their own children, and it was a beautiful sight to see 
 
72 'Q^\)t l^ome department 
 
 parents, teachers, and Home Department visitors all 
 working together for the salvation of the children. 
 The results were beyond all expectation and far more 
 satisfactory than under any previous plan. 
 
 Four girls in New Jersey were apparently ready to 
 take a stand for Christ, but they seemed to lose inter- 
 est when they were urged to make their decision at 
 home. The teacher did not feel that she had the right 
 to rob the parents of the joy of leading these girls to 
 Christ, and while she believed that each girl would 
 gladly have taken the stand alone with her after the 
 class, she decided to visit each home and urge the parents 
 to help their own daughter. But the mothers confessed 
 that they did not know how to approach this subject 
 and would rather have the teacher deal with the girls 
 herself. 
 
 In one home the teacher urged that the girl be called 
 in so that together they might lead her to make her 
 decision, "for," she said, ''if God asks you, 'Where is 
 NeUie?' I want you to be able to answer, 'I led her 
 to make her decision in my own home.' You would not 
 want some one else to have your crown of rejoicing, 
 because you had not dealt fairly with your child." 
 When Nellie was called, and asked if she did not want 
 to take her stand for Jesus, she answered: "I have 
 been so unhappy about it. I could not speak to mother 
 because I did not think she cared, or would perhaps 
 think I was too young." "Go, tell your mother then," 
 said the teacher, and Nellie, walking over to where her 
 mother was sitting, looked up into her face and said, 
 
Jfamilp Morgfjip 73 
 
 ''I want to take my stand with Jesus, mother, if you 
 don't mind." The mother folded her in her arms, and 
 they knelt together in prayer. God had been exalted 
 in that home. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. Why is family worship considered the corner stone 
 of a Christian nation? 
 
 2. How does family worship benefit the home, the 
 Sunday school, the Church, the nation? 
 
 3. Where should family worship be emphasized and 
 given first place? 
 
 4. How may the Home Department Council best fit 
 itself to help the home? 
 
 5. How may the visitor overcome the difficulty of 
 leading the conversation to this subject? 
 
 6. What special service should the council plan for 
 in the interest of this important work? 
 
 7. What special material should reach the home 
 through the year? 
 
 8. With what special material should the visitor be 
 acquainted? 
 
 9. What can be done for a district whose visitor does 
 not observe family worship? 
 
 10. Why should Christian parents be urged to lead 
 their own children to Christ? 
 
 11. What does the home lose by giving this privilege 
 to some one outside the home? 
 
 12. How can the council help to awaken a responsible 
 Christian parenthood? 
 
 13. Name four things the Home Department can do. 
 
 14. How may the department help the home before 
 Decision Day? 
 
XII 
 
 Wi)t J^omt department anb tfje tleacfjing ot 
 ^eU=llnoti3lebge 
 
 If the Home Department is to figure largely in the 
 community life of the future, the moral question con- 
 cerning the home must find a large place in its program. 
 The Great War has brought to light some conditions 
 of which the nation cannot be proud. One of the most 
 important of these conditions was the ignorance on the 
 part of young men regarding personal purity and a 
 corresponding ignorance on the part of 3^oung women 
 of the fundamental truths of purity and parenthood. 
 
 The Home Department has a wonderful opportunity 
 for helping the home in this respect, but preparation is 
 necessary if the work is to be successfully undertaken. 
 
 1. The Home Department Council should study the 
 problem from every angle, moral, religious, and civic, 
 so as to grow familiar with the need, the method of 
 approach, and how to use the subject helpfully in 
 conversation. 
 
 2. A committee should be appointed to secure pam- 
 phlets and booklets, carefulh^ examine the same, and 
 recommend such as the council could use for free dis- 
 tribution. The superintendent with an appointed 
 committee should decide what material should be placed 
 in the individual home. 
 
 3. A small library of books, carefully selected, should 
 
 74 
 
tlTeacfjing of ^elf=llnotaletige 75 
 
 be the aim of each department. These books should be 
 lent to the members and kept in constant circulation. 
 
 4. When sufficient interest has been awakened, a 
 ''Mothers' Meeting" or a ''Parents' Class" should be 
 organized. 
 
 In one Home Department where this plan was used 
 a visitor lent a booklet on home-making to a young 
 married woman who had not been able to learn much 
 about housework or home-keeping. There were already 
 signs that her home was not a success. The book 
 aroused interest. As a result, the girl and her young 
 husband began taking long walks in the evenings. The 
 little garden in front of their tiny house began to re- 
 ceive attention. Where it had seemed that they were 
 about to make shipwreck of their married life, they 
 now began to study the wonder and beauty of parent- 
 hood and to prepare themselves to make and keep 
 their home sweet and beautiful. They were continually 
 asking for books and, after the baby was born, the 
 young mother suggested that a "Mothers' Circle" be 
 formed by the department, as she knew other young 
 mothers who needed just such help as she had received. 
 
 Every department should aim for a "Mothers' 
 Meeting" in connection with its organized work. Many 
 parents have little time to devote either to reading or 
 to attending lectures. By environment and education 
 they feel themselves unfitted for the task of teaching 
 the fundamental truths of life and purity, and yet it is 
 evident that many of them are anxious for help. This 
 is a distinct challenge to the department and no more 
 
76 tlDfje J^ome department 
 
 important work could be undertaken. Some depart- 
 ments have tried and failed because of the technical 
 courses adopted. The mothers have neither the time 
 nor the inclination for these things. The work should 
 be started in the simplest way possible. 
 
 One department which has had great success used 
 the following simple plan : The meeting was held on 
 a Thursday afternoon, once a month. There were no 
 dues. A box was placed on the table into which each 
 member was privileged to put questions without sig- 
 nature, also any contribution. A Prudential Commit- 
 tee of four members, guided largely by the questions 
 in the box, decided on the subject to be discussed at 
 each meeting. A Reception Committee greeted each 
 mother as she arrived, introduced her to others, and 
 gave her a clipping on ''Work of Women the World 
 Over." These clippings were read in response to names 
 at roll call and helped much in breaking up any stiff- 
 ness or formality. The mothers were also encouraged 
 to prepare papers, the Prudential Committee furnishing 
 helps on the subjects assigned. For nearly a year no 
 outside speaker was invited and the interest increased 
 continually. Some of the subjects ably handled by the 
 mothers and directly suggested by the questions in the 
 box were as follows: "Pubhc School Morals and My 
 Boy"; ''Who Is Responsible for the ReUgious Training 
 of My Child?"; "What Shall I Tell My Child?"; 
 "Confidence Between Mother and Daughter"; "From 
 Birth to Marriage"; "Prenatal Influences"; "Punish- 
 ment That Educates"; "How to Secure Obedience." 
 
tlTeacfjing of ^elf=Enotoletige 77 
 
 Once each quarter the meeting was held in the even- 
 ing and the fathers invited; on such occasions one or 
 two short talks were given by the men. Some of the 
 topics discussed by them were: ''Knowing My John"; 
 ''In My Footsteps"; "A Chip Off the Old Block"; 
 "The Moral and Religious Responsibility of the 
 Father"; ''Punishment, Good and Bad." 
 
 Such a meeting may be carried on by any Home 
 Department and will prove of inestimable value. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. Why is ignorance on moral subjects to be feared? 
 
 2. Who should teach the truths of life and purity? 
 
 3. How may the Home Department prepare itself to 
 be of help to the home on this subject? 
 
 4. How should the material for use by the depart- 
 ment be selected? 
 
 5. Who should decide what material is best fitted 
 for use in the individual home? 
 
 6. How may a "Mothers' Meeting" be conducted by 
 the department? 
 
 7. What should be the nature of this meeting? 
 
 8. How may the mothers be helped to express them- 
 selves at this meeting? 
 
 9. What is a good way of breaking up formality and 
 helping everyone to take some part? 
 
 10. Name some subjects for discussion by mothers. 
 
 11. When should the fathers be invited to attend? 
 
 12. Suggest some fitting subjects for discussion by 
 fathers. 
 
 13. Should there be membership dues? 
 
 14. How may a good attendance at this meeting be 
 secured? 
 
XIII 
 
 (group Morfe 
 
 Correspondence Group 
 
 A visitor should be appointed to have charge of all 
 those who move from the community. The materia) 
 is sent and reports are received by mail; letters take 
 the place of visits. 
 
 Workers' Group 
 
 The chief engineer in a pumping station had joined 
 the Home Department, and several months later joined 
 the Church. ''Now," said the Home Department 
 superintendent,^ "what about the other men at the 
 works? Can't you help get them interested?" 
 
 Some time later the superintendent visited the sta- 
 tion. The chief engineer opened a drawer and showed 
 five quarterlies, representing five men who studied their 
 lessons in spare time. The noise seemed deafening, but 
 the engineer said that the men were so used to it that 
 they could discuss their lessons without difficulty, and 
 also have prayer with their visitor. 
 
 Old Ladies' Home Group 
 
 A visitor who spent one afternoon each quarter with 
 
 a group of fifty-seven old ladies made the following 
 
 report: "The matron permits me to have them come 
 
 together for a little meeting. We read, have a word of 
 
 78 
 
i^toup Morfe 79 
 
 prayer, and then they are asked to call for their favorite 
 hj^mns. I wish you could hear those quivering voices 
 sing the old familiar tunes, and see the looks on their 
 faces as the singing brings back memories of other days. 
 Then we exchange experiences with reference to the 
 lesson study. I send them birthday cards, and an 
 occasional letter to be read to the whole class, and try 
 to keep in touch with them during the quarter." 
 
 A Penitentiary Group 
 
 The visitor of a group in the women's section of the 
 Eastern Penitentiary in Philadelphia reports: 
 
 "I telephoned the warden beforehand and asked 
 for the privilege of holding a meeting with the inmates. 
 Then I invited a prominent woman speaker, my own 
 superintendent, and another visitor. When we arrived, 
 the matron went along the corridor on one side, and I 
 on the other, inviting the women to the assembly room. 
 The cell doors were opened and they all came. 
 
 *'You should have heard them sing! Some of them 
 wiped their eyes as familiar hymns were sung. I then 
 told them of letters which I had received from those 
 who had left the prison and were now living useful 
 lives. I asked how many would be leaving before my 
 next visit, and told them to give me their addresses 
 so that I could correspond with them. Then we dis- 
 tributed the quarterhes and the reports for the lessons 
 studied were given. 
 
 "After the meeting, by special permission from the 
 matron, all four of us engaged in personal conversation 
 
80 tlTlje ?^ome department 
 
 with the prisoners. We visited every cell and examined 
 the handwork which they had made and were offering 
 for sale. The cells are all immaculately clean and the 
 inmates try to make them homelike. One Italian 
 mother was there with her little baby, and we secured 
 the baby's name for the Cradle Roll.". 
 
 Group Work with Foreigners 
 
 One of the greatest of America's tasks is the assimi- 
 lation of her vast foreign-speaking population. There 
 are millions of adults in America who can neither read 
 nor write the English language, who know little or 
 nothing of the law of the land or its history, who are 
 not in sympathy with the Government and its insti- 
 tutions, and who, therefore, fall an easy prey to the 
 enemies of law and order. The press is the most im- 
 portant medium for the dissemination of knowledge 
 both good and bad. The socialist, the anarchist, the 
 Bolshevist, and all enemies of organized government 
 are making ample use of the press, in papers, period- 
 icals, pamphlets, and even volumes, setting forth their 
 views. They have flooded the foreign population with 
 free literature on all subjects. 
 
 It is a mistaken idea that these people are not eager 
 to learn. If they cannot read, they frequently will 
 gather together to have a new tract or pamphlet, 
 which has been left at their door, read to them. 
 
 If we believe that the teaching of the Bible is the 
 solution of the problems confronting any nation, we 
 surely should be concerned that the Word of God be 
 
(^roup Hork 81 
 
 placed in the homes of these people in the language 
 which they can understand, and that weekly and 
 monthly publications containing material on moral 
 and social uplift be provided, so that they shall come 
 to love the land of their adoption, appreciate its heritage 
 and its institutions, understand its laws, and thus be- 
 come good American citizens. The Christian Church 
 must remember that these are the parents of millions 
 of coming Americans, that if this nation is to be a 
 Christian nation, these people must be reached. 
 
 The Home Department can help much in this work. 
 Ma.terial has been provided in many languages, and 
 gospels and tracts may be had in every tongue. With 
 organization and material at hand, there is no excuse 
 why these people should not be reached and linked up 
 with the Christian Church. 
 
 One Home Department visitor, who has a group 
 representing five different languages, reports: 
 
 ^'I do not always get a report, and yet I consider 
 the work well worth while. Recently I was invited to 
 the home of one of my Italian members, where they 
 were having a birthday party. Two of the little chil- 
 dren had been attending our vacation school. While 
 I could not speak to them in their own language, I 
 had seen the children at the school, and, knowing the 
 mother well, I managed somehow to get acquainted 
 with the rest of the party. Just before I was ready to 
 leave, the little girls asked me if I would sing one of 
 the school songs with them. We then sang several 
 evangelistic hymns and I taught them the chorus of 
 6 
 
82 ^i)e J^omt department 
 
 one of the songs. Just before I left, the mother (my 
 own member) asked me to bring several papers next 
 time as some of the women present wanted to join my 
 group. I also bring them papers in their own language, 
 which our church provides." 
 
 Review -Questions 
 
 1. Is the department work confined to the individual 
 home? 
 
 2. How is a correspondence group conducted? 
 
 3. Who may be members of such a group? 
 
 4. Name some other places where group work may 
 be carried on. 
 
 5. What can the Sunday school do for the foreign- 
 speaking peoples in our country? 
 
 6. What can the religious press do? 
 
 7. What materials are available for the Home De- 
 partment's use? 
 
XIV 
 
 3iis(trict, Countp, ^tate, anb Snternational 
 (©tgani^ation 
 
 The Home Department to do its most effective work 
 must have a complete field organization, beginning 
 with the district. The district superintendent, usually 
 elected at the district convention but in some of the 
 states appointed by the county superintendent, is an 
 indispensable part of a successful county organiza- 
 tion. The district superintendent should call together 
 the superintendents, officers, and visitors of all the 
 Home Departments in the district for organization. 
 A secretary and a treasurer should be elected and a 
 Devotional Committee, a Program Committee, and a 
 Social Committee appointed. The meetings should be 
 held at least semi-annually, and should be in the nature 
 of a conference or a demonstration. Each department 
 should be asked to contribute a stated sum for the 
 expense of speakers, postage, and stationery. 
 
 Duties 'of the .District Superintendent 
 
 1. To keep in close touch with the county superin- 
 tendent. 
 
 2. To distribute any material which the county is 
 sending to the schools in a district. 
 
 3. To visit every school where there is no Home 
 
 83 
 
84 '^f)t ?iome department 
 
 Department and try to secure time to speak at a school 
 session. If this fails, to try to find some key person in 
 that school and work through him. (It is a good plan 
 for the district superintendent to appoint several com- 
 mittees, consisting of two members each. Assign one 
 school to each committee for visitation, and have the 
 reports at the district meeting.) 
 
 4. To take special interest in all the departments 
 and encourage them to reach the state standard. 
 
 5. To plan with the Program Committee for the dis- 
 trict rally, and make special effort to secure representa- 
 tives from schools having no departments to attend the 
 rally. 
 
 6. To gather the statistical reports from every de- 
 partment in the district and see that they reach the 
 county superintendent on time. 
 
 7. To give a report at the annual meeting of dis- 
 trict superintendents. (This meeting should be held 
 in connection with the county convention.) 
 
 The county superintendent is elected by the county 
 convention and is a member of the county Executive 
 Committee. 
 
 Duties of the County Superintendent 
 
 1. To appoint the district superintendents, where 
 these are not elected by the district conventions. 
 
 2. To meet with the district superintendents as soon 
 as possible after the county convention and plan with 
 them the work for the coming year. 
 
 3. To hold an extra meeting with these workers to- 
 
Jfielb (i^rgani^ation 85 
 
 ward the close of the year to plan for the annual county 
 convention. 
 
 4. To see that the statistical report blanks reach the 
 district superintendents on time. 
 
 5. To plan especially for cooperation of the district 
 superintendents at spring conferences and county con- 
 ventions, and to assign some definite work, such as: 
 
 (a.) Securing delegates from indifferent schools. 
 (6.) Coming prepared to answer a definite difficult 
 
 question, 
 (c.) Coming prepared to tell of some especially suc- 
 cessful work. 
 (d.) Coming prepared to give an outline of a district 
 organization, and having several of the district 
 superintendents prepared to take part in dis- 
 cussion. 
 
 6. To address public meetings and Sunday-school 
 board meetings as opportunities may offer, and in 
 every way to further the interest of the department. 
 
 The state superintendent is usually elected by the 
 state Executive Committee and is chairman of the 
 state Home Department Committee. 
 
 Duties of the State Superintendent 
 
 1. To attend all state Executive Committee meetings. 
 
 2. To preside at the meetings of the state Home 
 Department Committee. In states where the super- 
 intendent is not chairman of this committee, the 
 superintendent should attend the meetings and pre- 
 sent plans for the work. 
 
86 ^f}t l^ome department 
 
 3. To keep in close touch with the county superin- 
 tendents, to furnish them with definite aims for the 
 year's work, to call attention to special opportunities, 
 to help plan the spring institutes, and to see that the 
 statistical blanks reach them on time. 
 
 4. To furnish material for the Home Department 
 column of the state paper. 
 
 5. To plan with the committee for the state con- 
 vention conferences, to secure speakers, and to see 
 that this department is given every opportunity to 
 have its work presented at this important yearly 
 gathering. 
 
 6. To plan for conferences in each county during the 
 year; to attend as many as possible or to see that the 
 Home Department Committee is represented. 
 
 7. To attend all county conventions or delegate some 
 member of the Home Department Committee to repre- 
 sent the state. 
 
 8. To pray, to plan, to work, for the interest of the 
 
 department. 
 
 Plan of Organization 
 
 The Home Department is now part of the Adult 
 Division. The following recommendations were adopted 
 at the Home Department conference of the Interna- 
 tional Convention in June, 1918, at Buffalo: 
 
 1. That the Home Department maintain its auton- 
 omy of organization, both in the Sunday-school associ- 
 ation and in the local Sunday school. 
 
 2. That there be an international, state, county, dis- 
 trict, and local superintendent. 
 
jFielti d^rgani^ation 87 
 
 The following plan of organization has been adopted 
 by the International Home Department Committee : 
 
 1. That a Home Department superintendent be 
 elected in every state and province. 
 
 2. That a Home Department Committee be ap- 
 pointed in each state and province, who, together with 
 the superintendent, shall plan for and help promote 
 the work. 
 
 3. That each state and province be districted, and a 
 member of said committee be assigned to each district 
 as a state or a provincial representative, to consult 
 with the workers and help promote the work in his 
 district. 
 
 4. That the state and provincial Home Department 
 Committee be represented through its members at 
 each county convention and as many institutes as pos- 
 sible, to help in the conferences and to present the 
 work if so requested. 
 
 5. That special effort be made by this committee 
 to secure time at the state and provincial conventions, 
 county conventions and institutes, for the presentation 
 of the Home Department work on the general conven- 
 tion program, and that at least one full-session separate 
 conference be held. 
 
 6. That a standard for Home Department work be 
 adopted in each state and province, to stimulate 
 definite activities, and to unify efforts for higher attain- 
 ments in the work. 
 
 The International Committee of Home Department 
 work is a committee of the Adult Division. The chair- 
 
88 ^Jje J^ome department 
 
 man of this committee is elected by the International 
 Executive Committee, and the members of the com- 
 mittee are appointed by the chairman, subject to the 
 approval of the Executive Committee. This committee 
 carries on the work of the department in the inter- 
 national field, in shaping its policies, presenting plans 
 of organization and work, cooperating with organiza- 
 tions similarly interested, and in unifying and stimulat- 
 ing the work throughout the entire field. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. How is the district superintendent secured? 
 
 2. Give an outline of a district organization. 
 
 3. How frequently should this organization meet and 
 what should be the nature of the meeting? 
 
 4. What are some of the important duties of a dis- 
 trict superintendent? 
 
 5. How is the county superintendent elected? 
 
 6. What special meetings should the county super- 
 intendent hold with the district superintendent? 
 
 7. How should plans be prepared for spring confer- 
 ences and county conventions? 
 
 8. Give some further duties of the county superm- 
 tendent. 
 
 9. How is the state supermtendent elected? 
 
 10. What recommendations were adopted at Buffalo 
 regarding the Home Department? 
 
 11. Give an outline of the plan of organization 
 adopted by the International Committee. 
 
 12. How is the International Committee constituted, 
 and what is its work? 
 
XV 
 
 The object of a standard is to produce special effort 
 to reach a higher place of achievement than that al- 
 ready attained. The chief object of having a stan- 
 dard for Home Department work is to stimulate 
 definite activities and to unify the effort for higher 
 attainment. All too often the work is done in a hap- 
 hazard way, and in many instances the department 
 receives little or no support from the school of which 
 it should be a vital part. Many departments, which 
 barely held their own before a standard was adopted, 
 were quickened by the effort to attain the requirements 
 of the standard. 
 
 The following are some of the standards adopted by 
 various states: 
 
 New Jersey 
 
 1. Regularly appointed or elected superintendent 
 and visitor. 
 
 2. A quarterly meeting of the workers for business 
 and conference. 
 
 3. Systematic effort for new members throughout 
 the year. 
 
 4. Ministration to members in illness or distress. 
 
 5. At least one social function a year for the mem- 
 bers. 
 
 89 
 
90 ®f)e ^ome Bepattment 
 
 6. An annual Home Department Day in Sunday 
 school or church. 
 
 7. Members invited to all special services of the 
 Sunday school and church. 
 
 8. Membership roll on the wall of the Sunday school. 
 
 Ohio 
 
 1. A Home Department superintendent (and visitors 
 if needed) . 
 
 2. Systematic effort for new members. 
 
 3. Home Department Roll on the wall (containing 
 names of the Home Department members) . 
 
 4. Home Department card index or book containing 
 names, residences, and other necessary information. 
 
 5. Members welcomed as visitors in Sunday school. 
 
 6. Removals registered. 
 
 7. Members remembered in sickness or in case of 
 trouble. 
 
 8. An annual Home Department Day. 
 
 9. An occasional social affair for members. 
 
 10. Members invited to Special Day services. 
 
 11. Helpful literature sent to members. 
 
 12. Effort made to establish family altar. 
 
 Ontario, Canada 
 1. Organization. 
 
 (a.) A superintendent, and visitors if needed. 
 (6.) An annual report to the township, county, or 
 city Sunday-school association. 
 
^tate ^tanbarbsJ 91 
 
 2. Records. 
 
 (a.) Card index or address book, with removals and 
 other ciianges registered. 
 
 (6.) Records kept of lessons studied and of contri- 
 butions. 
 
 3. Honor Roll. 
 
 An ''Honor Roll" for perfect work in keeping of 
 membership obligations, reported to the members quar- 
 terly. 
 
 4. Reports. 
 
 Home Department work reported to the main 
 school quarterly. 
 
 5. Members Visited. 
 
 (a.) Each member visited at least quarterly. 
 (b.) Lesson helps and other helpful literature sup- 
 plied to members, 
 (c.) Remembered in sickness or trouble. 
 
 6. Special Days. 
 
 (a.) A "Home Department Day "or similar recog- 
 nition in the school. 
 (b.) An occasional social effort. 
 
 7. Annual Canvass. 
 
 Systematic annual canvass for new members. 
 
 8. Church Membership. 
 
 At least forty per cent of the resident Church 
 members who are not in the Sunday school enrolled in 
 the Home Department, in addition to the non-Church 
 members- 
 
92 ^f)t H^omt department 
 
 9. Membership Gradation. 
 
 At least fifty per cent of the homes represented 
 registered under Grade A. 
 
 10. Family Worship Aim. 
 
 A Grade A member in each of at least twenty-five 
 per cent of the homes of the congregation, members 
 and adherents. 
 
 Illinois 
 
 1. Membership. 
 
 (a.) At least seventy-five per cent of the member- 
 ship studying and reporting study of some 
 lessons. 
 
 (b.) At least fifty per cent making some contribu- 
 tion of money. 
 
 (c.) At least twentj^-five per cent enrolling under 
 Grade A. 
 
 2. Service. 
 
 (a.) By school. 
 
 (1) Home Department membership roll on the 
 
 wall. 
 
 (2) Annual Home Department Day and Home 
 
 Department members invited to Special Daj^ 
 services. 
 (6.) By Home Department workers. 
 
 (1) Secretarial record (on card index or book) of 
 members. 
 
 (2) Home Department quarterly report read in 
 school session each quarter. 
 
^tate ^tanbarbsf 93 
 
 (3) Conference on work at least quarterly, by- 
 
 superintendent and visitors. 
 
 (4) Resident members visited at least quarterly 
 and new members sought for. 
 
 (5) Occasional socials for members. 
 
 Review Questions 
 
 1. What is the object of having a standard? 
 
 2. What difficulties will a Home Department stan- 
 dard help to overcome? 
 
 3. How does a standard help indifferent departments? 
 
 4. Name some things a standard should contain. 
 
 5. From your study of the standards in this chapter, 
 make your own outline of a model standard. 
 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 
 Books of Method 
 
 Home Classes and the Home Department of the Sunday 
 School. Hazard. 
 
 Home Department Blue Book. Meigs. 
 
 Home Department Workers. Fergusson. 
 
 The Home Department of To-Day. Stebbins. 
 
 The Home Department How Book. Meacham and DePew. 
 
 Books on Religious Training in the Home 
 
 An Old-Fashioned Home. Chapman. 
 
 Religious Education in the Family. Cope. 
 
 Bible Reading and Religious Training in the Home. Veach. 
 
 Pleasant Sunday Afternoons for the Children. Faris. 
 
 Religious Training in the School and Home. Sneath, Hodges, 
 and Tweedy. 
 
 Mothers and Children. Fisher. 
 
 Religion in the Home (pamphlet) . Presbyterian Board of Publi- 
 cation and Sabbath School Work. 
 
 The School in the Home. Hillis. 
 
 Mothers and Sons. Lyttleton. 
 
 The Making of Character. MacCunn. 
 
 Books on Parenthood 
 We and Our Children. Hutchinson. 
 The Kallikak Family. Goddard. 
 The Right of the Child to Be Well Born. Dawson. 
 The Mothercraft Manual. Read. 
 Self-Training for Motherhood. Lovejoy. 
 
 94 
 
Jdibliogtapfjp 95 
 
 Books on Family Worship 
 
 Day After Day. Chapman. 
 
 When Home Is Heaven. Chapman. 
 
 A Book of Family Worship. (Presbyterian Board of Pubhca- 
 tion and Sabbath School Work.) 
 
 Children's Devotions. Verkuyl. 
 
 Bits of Pasture. Miller. 
 
 Home Making. Miller. 
 
 Weekday Religion. Miller. 
 
 Family Prayer. Miller. 
 
 Leaflets published by the Presbyterian Board of Publication 
 and Sabbath School V/ork: 
 
 Religion in the Home. 
 
 Building the Family Altar. 
 
 The Use of Family Prayer. 
 
 Christ and the Homes of America. 
 
 Home Training and Christianity. 
 
 Books on Self-Knowledge 
 
 The American Child. McCracken. 
 
 Moral Instruction of Children. Adler. 
 
 As the Twig Is Bent. Chenery. 
 
 The Boy Problem in the Home. Forbush. 
 
 Child Nature and Child Nurture. St. John. 
 
 Boy and Girl Adolescent Period. Fiske. 
 
 Children's Rights. Wiggin and Smith. 
 
 The Stor}' of Life for Children. Lutes. 
 
 The Spark of Life. Morley. 
 
 How Shall I Tell My Child. Chapman. 
 
 When a Boy Becomes a Man. Bisseker. 
 
 Instead of ''WHd Oats." HaU. 
 
 The Changing Girl. Latimer. 
 
 Almost a Man. Allen. 
 
 Almost a Woman. Allen. 
 
 The Man Wonderful. Allen. 
 
 Teaching Truth. Allen. 
 
 Confidences: Talks with a Young Girl. Lowry. 
 
96 ^f)e ^ome department 
 
 Truths: Talks with a Boy. Lowry. 
 Booklets 
 
 Prenatal Influences. Caldwell. 
 The Story of Life for Little Children. Whitney. 
 The Right of the Child to Be Well Born. Arvin. 
 Talk with the King's Daughter. Caldwell. 
 
 Books on Personal Work 
 
 The Passion for Men. Hallenbeck. 
 The Method of the Master. Peck. 
 Rescue the Perishing. Seibert. 
 Soul Winning. Potter. 
 The Book of Personal Work. Paris. 
 
 Material for Work Among Foreigners 
 
 (Presb3rterian Board of PubUcation and Sabbath School Work) 
 L'Era Nuova. Italian Weekly. 
 
 Krestanske Listy. Czechoslovak Weekly. (Bohemian.) 
 Sojuz. Ruthenian Weekly. 
 
 Amerikai-Magyar-Reformatusok-Lapja. Hungarian Weekly. 
 Slowa Zywota. Polish Monthly. 
 
 (Other Publishers) 
 
 Swedish Quarte^l3^ Swedish Publishing Company, 180 N. 
 Dearborn Street, Chicago. 
 
 Norwegian Quarterly. Evangelisten Publishing Society, 3525 
 Fullerton Avenue, Chicago. 
 
 Greek Magazine, Truth. 307 Market Street, Lowell, Massa- 
 chusetts. 
 
 French Magazine. 23 Bleury Street, Montreal, Canada. 
 
 Tracts, gospels, and religious books, in all languages, may be 
 secured from the American Bible Society, Bible House, Astor 
 Place, New York City, or any of its branches; American Tract 
 Society, Park Place and Fortieth Street, New York City; Bible 
 Institute Colportage Association, 826 N. Lasalle Street, Chicago; 
 and also through the publishing houses of several of the larger 
 denominations. 
 
Date Due 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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