GIRLS’ WORK Religious Education and the Younger Girl MAUD S. DAVIS bureau of ^Retigiduf 'Education ■ , ., ’■ ,.f '■; :.■.■'■■.■< .b'v.-- 1 ..; i,;- v v, ,i :! ". >. '■■ i/lb;-.. : y.*-'-; v ' -Ay j;'i A ■ . «;■ "'M'' - 5« i v'fy Uff , -y !. w;.S,y jjew ■ tiip® ■ ao; ;-. ' ■' ■ . ,< .i ■ ‘'n • / GIRLS’ WORK SERIES Religious Education and the Younger Girl A Pamphlet for Leaders Prepared by MAUD S. DAVIS Bureau of Religious Education Publication Department National Board, Young Womens Christian Associations 600 Lexington Avenue, New York City 1920 Complimentary Copy for Promotion Purposes only Order from THE WOMANS PRESS 600 Lexington Avenue Price .. New York Foreword T HIS material has been prepared by the Bureau of Re¬ ligious Education for use by all workers with younger girls who are working to make religious education an integral part of any program. The feeling that the term “activi¬ ties for girls" includes the whole cycle of a girl’s life is one which is accepted unquestioningly by all workers with adolescent groups, both in church and social work to-day. This pamphlet embodies all the points of emphasis which the Girls’ Work Bureau has always made regarding religious educa¬ tion; it has continually advocated that this part of a program should run through the entire program and that it should never be thought of as a separate element Into this pamphlet have gone the thought and constructive criticism of all persons on the staff of the Girls’ Work Bureau and many members of the Bureau of Religious Education. This pamphlet marks the beginning of an effort to meet'the long standing needs of workers with younger girls as they plan a well-rounded program of activities, and it is heartily recom¬ mended to all workers who have felt “The Charm of the Im¬ possible" and, like Fishin’ Jimmy, have started on a quest. Gertrude Gogin National Girls’ Work Secretary February, 1920. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Columbia University-Libraries https://archive.org/details/religiouseducatiOOdavi S' Religious Education and the Younger Girl “And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Health, Knowledge, Service, Spirit—these are the principles for which the Young Women’s Christian Association has always stood. They are fundamental to Girls’ Work. The purpose of this pamphlet is to suggest material and methods for working out the “Spirit” side of the younger girls’ program through assembling those resources which make possible “the more abundant life” The definite aim is to help leaders of girls in their supreme task of bringing girls into companionship with God. Leadership Every girl has within her certain instincts which can reach their finest expression only as her religious life is nurtured with that same care and guidance as is used for the other elements which go to make up her life. Margaret Slattery expresses it thus: “In the soil of young hearts are the elements which make a sane, full output of religious life possible, but cultivation is necessary and, if we are to raise the type of girlhood, imper¬ ative.”* The Spirit of God, which is seeking to be recognized in of the girl just as truly as the girl herself is seeking, consciously or unconsciously, to know God, must be allowed to find ex¬ pression. The important thing is for the leader to recognize that religion touches all of life, and is not confined merely to the Bible class or vesper service. These have their place, to be sure, and in interpreting the purpose of the Young Women’s Christian As¬ sociation—“to associate young women in personal loyalty to Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, and to become a social force for the extension of the Kingdom of God,”—the leader should be conscious of a desire to go farther than merely to provide the girl with entertainment or ethical training, or better social surroundings. Her interpretation of the essential things in life must be so understanding, however, as to make it possible for her to use even the commonest of everyday experiences to bring to the girl a clearer knowledge of her relation to God and to life as a whole. Beginning with the girl where she is, the leader should help her to live fully in her present experience; then as the girl grows, she can be led on into ever closer fellow- * Margaret Slattery: The Girl and Her Religion . 1 ship with God. The direction of the life Godward is the ultimate aim in all religious education. “Character is caught, not taught.” What a challenge to leader¬ ship that implies! Not so much what the leader says as what she really is —her tastes, her preferences, the things for which she stands, the breadth of her sympathy, the largeness and fulness of her life, it is this indirect influence of character and sympathy that counts most in molding the lives of teen-age girls. Friend¬ ship is the natural bond by which the leader can enter into the girl’s deepest experience and interpret to her the meaning of religion in terms of girl life. Only a loving, personal knowledge of the individual girl will make possible this relationship. The leader whose friendship with God is real and who thinks of religion not as something separate but as an integral part of life will talk realities to girls as easily and naturally as she plays with them. She will know how to teach them the real meaning of things without making it sound strange and distant by couching it in the conventional terms of religion. Girl Psychology In order to develop the religious life of the girl, one must understand the whole girl, for character depends not upon the development of the spiritual life alone but upon the working together of all the agencies which go to make up the life of the girl. The normal development of girlhood has to do with physi¬ cal, mental, social, and religious characteristics as interdependent factors. Why is the period of early adolescence the time for securing commitment of the girl’s life in personal loyalty to Jesus Christ? At what age will the girl respond most readily to community service, etc.? A careful study of the accompany¬ ing chart showing normal development of girlhood, issued by the Girls’ Work Bureau, will be of inestimable value in helping the leader to answer such questions and to understand how true religion touches all of life. Suggested Reference Reading: Girlhood and Character by Mary E. Moxcey, pp. 140-155; 234-272. Needs of Girls What are the religious needs of the growing girl? First, she must be given food for her growing self to feed upon—food which is able to sustain life and expand it, to generate power from within. Then there must be a way by which that power can be released, a way by which the girl may give individual expression to her feelings and emotions. Inspiration. Inspiration means “inhaling—taking into the life that which creates high and lofty emotions.” It is a necessary part of a 2 girl’s religion and the alert leader will find limitless opportunities for throwing around the girl those influences which shall mean an atmosphere of spiritual uplift and stimulate pure, healthful living Knowledge. The little girl of ten is keenly interested in everything about her and wants to know the why and wherefore of it all. As Mary Moxcey has said, “the collecting instinct and the avidity for stories, together with her undiminished power of dramatic imagination, make it possible for her to be at home in the wide world. Objects of other countries make her eager to know the life of the people who made them.”* Her questions are endless, and wise is the leader who sees in them an opportunity for revealing something of God’s love and greatness. As the girl grows older and begins to face questions which vitally affect her living she will be obliged to form judgments of her own. Knowledge is essential if she is to have a background for her thinking. Self-Expression. Inspiration and knowledge, however, are not an end in them¬ selves. Only as they serve to call out power and mental activity and sympathy on the part of the girl herself can they be con¬ sidered to have played an essential part in her religion. The expression of her own thinking and convictions through dis¬ cussion, the outlet of her emotional and sympathetic nature through service to others, the spontaneous turning to God in worship—in ways such as these the leader must see that the girl’s religion begins to function as a normal expression of her life. Methods of Religious Education The question is, how shall we work out a program of religious education that shall supply these needs? Following are some suggested methods by which the girl’s religious life may be developed: Bible Study How can Bible study be made vital to teen-age girls? They may respect the Bible and feel a certain reverence for what it says, but does it really play a part in their everyday lives? Do they find in it personal inspiration and help? Margaret Slattery in her book, The Girl in Her Teens, has written a chapter on the girl’s relation to the Bible, a part of which is here quoted : * Mary Moxcey: Girlhood and Character. 3 "How to bring the girl in her teens into touch with this Book of books so that it shall exert upon her individual life its won¬ derful power of transforming, purifying, and strengthening- character is a problem. "But those who have been trying hard to meet it have learned some things. They have found that the girl in her teens knows little of the history of the Book, and that when she is told the story of how we got our Bible she is intensely interested. Its wonderful history, from the time before it lay in parchment rolls on monastery shelves and on through the centuries until it reached the hands of ordinary men and women, and the period of their struggle to learn to read that they might know what it said, stirs the imagination and awakens a host of questions that lead to knowledge "When she begins to understand what it has cost to preserve the book, how not only men and women but boys and girls, have loved it and died rather than betray it or disobey its commands, it becomes to her a new book, worthy of her study. "But the study of the Bible under guidance and with every means used to make it interesting and helpful is not all that we want for our girl. She must be led to find in the Bible inspira¬ tion and help. Every one interested in the future development of the girl’s personal religious life is anxious to establish now, in her early teens, the habit of reading every day the words that brought new life and salvation to the world. "If, then, the girl in her teens can be taught something of the history of the Bible—the language in which it has been written, the methods by which it was compiled and translated, and finally printed—so that she will not half believe that in some mysterious way it dropped down from heaven, or else never even ask where it came from, if she can be taught that its men and women were real and lived under real conditions in a real world, if she can know something of their struggles, defeats and victories, and learn to love their psalms and poems, if she can be led to see something of their growth and development as they waited for Christ to come, then the Bible will be to her a real book, not a fetish to be worshipped afar off. "And if she can be led to seek in the Gospels and Letters of the New Testament help and inspiration to live honestly and sincerely, then the Bible will become a tremendous force for righteousness in her daily life.”* This challenge to make the Bible real to the girls of to-day is unescapable. Every leader will want to see that her girls are brought in touch with the right kind of Bible study for personal use as well as group study. Make the Bible class hour a time not only for giving the girls knowledge as a background for their thinking but also for helping each girl to discover for herself * Margaret Slattery: The Girl in Her Teens . 4 the. truth of the lesson, for ideas “are dynamic and result in action only when they become a part of one’s own thought and convictions.” Material Recommended The Girls' Year Book Daily Bible readings, with comment on “Work and Play,” “Being Friends,” etc. Section I of the Girls' Year Book —Grace Loucks. “To Know Him,” adaptable for Bible Study with teaching outline. Studies in Knowing Jesus Christ —Helen Thoburn. Seven Chapters on finding “The Way” to God as one is grow- up. Teaching outline included. The Golden Word—Some Adventures in the Bible —Katharine Richards. Eight lessons on how the Bible grew out of man’s experience with God. Adaptable for the older girls. Further suggestions will be found in the Bibliography. Dramatization of Bible Stories Because some form of dramatic expression almost inevitably appeals to a group of girls, the dramatization of Bible stories is a particularly valuable way of familiarizing teen-age girls with the Bible and making the stories vivid to them. The use of pantomime, where one reads the story while the others act it out, will lend itself especially well to a simple club program, and the younger girl takes great interest in representations that are purely pantomime and require no stage properties. The following excerpt from Clara Espey’s Leader of Girls is illustrative of what can be done through simple dramatization: “On half an hour’s notice one rainy evening at a girl’s camp where the prospect was very gloomy and forlorn, the girls from each of the different tents presented scenes from Bible history, ranging from ‘Moses in the Bulrushes’ to the ‘Wise and Foolish Virgins.’ From all reports, no single camp experience was more lasting in its impression, or more talked of than this. No girl who saw the delight and rapture of Moses’ mother when left alone with her baby after the princess had withdrawn, could fail to sympathize with the real mother in the story and all that it meant to her. The effect of the lighted bits of candle placed in small, hollow dishes for Oriental lamps, carried by the virgins through the summer dusk made the New Testament story strangely vivid.”* Dramatizing Bible Stories by Elizabeth Miller ($1.00) is a most * Clara Ewing Espey: Leader of Girls. 5 excellent presentation of this particular method of religious education. The partial table of contents here given will afford some idea of the resources made available through this one short volume. Chapter II—The Method of Dramatization Chapter III—The Dramatization of ‘‘Joseph'*’ Chapter V—The Dramatization of “Moses in the Bulrushes” Chapter VI—The Dramatization of “Ruth” Chapter VII—The Dramatization of “Queen Esther” Chapter X—The Dramatization of “New Testament Parables” Chapter XII—Bible Stories Suitable for Dramatization Chapter XIII—Stage Setting and Properties Chapter XIV—Costuming. Some twenty-five or thirty illustrations serve as a practical aid in the carrying out of the programs. Story-telling Story-telling is one of the most valuable methods of religious education, especially for younger girls, for in story-telling a unique opportunity is given to begin with the group just where it is and through carefully chosen stories to direct the thought of the girl gradually and naturally toward the ultimate goal of the purpose of the program. Stories appeal to the feelings rather than to the reason, they kindle the spirit of the imagination to appreciate the unseen, they reveal truth without offending. Stories may sometimes be used to illustrate a talk or open a discussion, but with adolescent girls, as with children, a story makes its best appeal when simply told without comment. The value of story-telling as a method of religious education depends upon the building of a program for a definite purpose. Not en¬ tertainment but the teaching of a truth must be the purpose of the story hour, and the story-teller must herself be possessed by the purpose. In building a program with a message, stories must be chosen which have the same underlying thought. The success of the program depends largely upon the first story, which should fit the mood of the girls and will, therefore, sometimes have humor as well as interest. The leader’s own appreciation and enjoy¬ ment of the story is necessary. Even the simplest fairy tale may be used with girls if the spirit of the tale is interpreted and the story not related as fact. This excerpt from the report of one of our secretaries gifted in the art of story-telling may be sug¬ gestive : “In using stories with the various groups of girls I tried in each case to adopt a plan which could be adapted. The general plan was to begin informally just where the girls were and to 6 lead through a natural sequence of stories to the message I planned to give. Grade school girls were often given a story- game in the beginning; then a story which they might tell to chil¬ dren ; following this, one or two purpose stories; and in closing, either a world-citizenship or Bible story. In high school girl groups, I frequently began with stories bringing out the thought of service, sometimes closing with a story from the life of Christ. An interesting experiment was the use of a simple but very lovely fairy tale with a group of older industrial girls. Their response to the message of the story was very beautiful to see. Suggestive Story Programs Giving Unselfishly (subject not announced to girls) The Gift of the Magi (in The Four Million —O Henry) The Happy Prince —Oscar Wilde The Gift of a King —II Sam. 23: 13-17 Loyalty The Golden Horse and His Rider (In The City That Never Was Reached —Jay Stocking) Damon and Pythias Story of Ruth Service The Patch of Blue —Alice Moore (obtainable from Girls’ Work Bureau) The Wheat Field (In Golden Windows —Laura Richards) The Persian and His Sons (In World Stories Retold —W. T. Sly) Legend of St. Christopher See Bibliography for further suggestions. World Citizenship World Citizenship is one of the most interesting phases of religious education and one which carries us into new avenues of opportunity, especially in these days of awakened interest in the peoples of the world. Some one has reported as her ob¬ servation that while the subjects for worship and discussion which touch the immediate problems of high school life catch and hold the girl’s attention, there is a vital interest in those programs which touch on the experiences of young life in other parts of the world to-day; in the case of some girls, the greatest incentives to finer, personal living have come from a vision of the accomplishments and the needs of people in other parts of the world. 7 Surely the period of adolescence, when the girl responds so readily to new impressions and is so really interested in people, is the natural time to bring into her consciousness the people of other parts of the world than that which she has known as her own. Our methods, however, must be such as to naturalize the missionary idea in her thinking, rather than to present mis¬ sions as a good cause demanding her charity. We have been too prone to use the latter method in the past, with the result that many girls have acquired a feeling of antipathy toward anything that is missionary. But if missionary education is presented in a natural, vital way and each girl taught to value her citizenship in a world made up of human beings who, despite race and color, are very much like herself after all, then her interest will be genuine and her outreach of friendship sincere. The most effective way of doing this is to bring the World Citizenship idea into the various club activities as an integral part of the program rather than to present it as something apart by itself. Introduce the games of other countries into the gym¬ nasium class and recreation hour; encourage the reading of books and stories of famous people and interesting lands (see Girl Reserve Book List) ; make use of pictures and posters to illustrate the life of people of different nationalities, and of the new moving picture films on China and Japan, recently prepared in the Publicity Department at national headquarters. Include some World Fellowship plays and pageants in the program of dramatic presentations. Be ready to challenge the thinking of the girls. Some thought of the non-Christian religions might fall very naturally into a discussion on Christian fundamentals; some simple facts of the factory system in Japan might easily be worked into a program on Child Labor and would appeal espe¬ cially to the younger girls in industry. There is always an op¬ portunity to let the girls express their friendship, through some act of service or through just being friends with the foreign- born girls in their own communities, or by making the foreign visitor in the Association feel at home. World Citizenship will not be a meaningless term to the girl whose club leader is her¬ self committed to serving a world brotherhood. Suggested Material Free, to be obtained from the Girls’ Work Bureau World Fellowship Bibliography Annotated List of World Fellowship Plays and Pageants Suggested Resources for Games and Stories of Other Lands World Fellowship Programs for Industrial Clubs These programs make available games, plays and stories acquainting girls with life in other lands. Publicity leaflets on life around the World, as follows: 8 The Land of the Flowing Realm Tea Cups and Crinkling Tea Leaves In the Twin Drink Land The Goddess of the Silk Worms Columbia Goes A-gypsying Salable, to be obtained from The Womans Press after April ist—nominal price Precious Flower and the Flies (a Chinese program)—Helen L. Willcox The Magic Carpet (Near East program)—Helen L. Willcox A Camel Trip to Cairo (program on Egypt)—Helen L. Willcox The Air-route to Buenos Aires (a South American program) —Helen L. Willcox These programs are semi-dramatic in character and have been prepared especially for industrial groups and clubs of younger girls. Special Material The Missionary Trunk—Foreign (One trunk at each of the eleven field offices) Contains stereopticon slides with and without lectures, costumes, flags, and educational charts. Moving Pictures A Trip Through Japan Seeing China as it is by the Y. W. C. A. Four-reel films, available through the Field offices. Further suggestions will be found in the Bibliography. Discussional Meetings Religious Education must be more than a “pouring-in” process. Every girl must be given the opportunity to think for herself and form her own judgment on questions of right living. The discussional meeting affords just such opportunity and is, there¬ fore, an essential part of the religious education program. Per¬ haps no other method will call forth more tact and understand¬ ing on the part of the leader than will this, for she must be full of resourcefulness and must have a clear view of the intimate concern of Christianity with every part of life. The girls should be given freedom to discuss any subject about which they wish to know. It is the leader’s responsibility to guide that discussion from apparently trivial matters, it may be, to a consideration of the ethical and religious principles involved. Some very helpful suggestions for preparing and conducting discussional meetings among younger girls have been worked out by Amanda C. Nelson, Secretary for Secondary Schools. These have been printed in mimeographed form and may be obtained from the Girls’ Work Bureau. 9 Discussion Courses Recommended Triangles for Girl Reserves —Alice G. Moore A series of discussions with concrete illustrations and poems based on the principles of the Girl Reserve Plan. Free, from Girls’ Work Bureau. A Girl at Her Best —Alice G. Moore Discussional questions for grade school girls. Salable. Christian Citizenship for Girls —Helen Thoburn. Salable. Ten Chapters on a girl’s relation to home, work, worship, friends, etc Teaching outline. The Ten Commandments in the Twentieth Century —Oolooah Burner. Salable. Suggested series of outlines for discussional meetings. Adaptable for the older girls. Use of Sunday Afternoons A rich field of opportunity is to be found in the use of Sunday afternoons. No one plan will fit all Associations, but the Sunday afternoon that will count most for the girls whom we so often fail to reach is the one planned, not as an extension of the services of the church, but from the point of view of the Christian home. A special effort should be made to reach the girl who is not touched by the churches. The Sunday afternoon program should originate with the girls and might well include indoor and outdoor features. It is im¬ portant that the program have variety, and whatever it be—a hike or a picnic in God’s out-of-doors, a story-hour by the fireside or a “sing” at the piano—the Sunday afternoon program should have some climax of an articulately spiritual nature. The leader will find that it is always possible to direct the trend of thought God- ward at some point of the program, and in so doing she will quicken in the girls a new appreciation of relative values. Sunday Afternoon in the City Association (io cents) is the title of a pamphlet published by The Womans Press which gives some concrete suggestions as to how the informal type of gathering may become more and more avowedly religious in character. Worship “All thought is accompanied by feeling which tends to express itself in action. The religious life comes to expression chiefly through two main avenues: worship and service.” It is perfectly natural for a girl to worship. Everybody wor¬ ships. In all countries of the world, among all peoples of the world, men turn toward that which they hold to be sacred. The 10 girl as a child has taken God for granted because she has been told about Him by those whom she trusts, but as she reaches the age of adolescence those instincts which made possible the growth of a religious life begin to unfold. Given the right kind of Chris¬ tian training in childhood, there comes at this time of expansion of the emotional nature, a religious awakening which, together with the girl's quickened social sense, makes natural a spontaneous turning to God as Friend and Father. The worship side of the girl’s nature is ready to assert itself and must be given chance for development. As a child, the girl has been praying with a child’s understand¬ ing, but prayer becomes to the adolescent girl one indispensable form of expression of her newly developed religious aspirations. Dr. Norman Richardson says : “Prayer is now both instinctive and indispensable. It meets a definite need. The impulse to prayer grows out of the social sensitiveness that appreciates confidences and fellowship. ‘Prayer is the supreme opportunity of friendship with God kept vital by regular, deliberate communion with Him.’ ”* The leader can help the girl enter into fellowship with God and speak to Him in language that is reverent and articulate by making available for her at this time some of the prayers which express the experiences which the girl herself knows. As her religious life deepens, it will then become easier for her to phrase her own thoughts and share her prayer-life with others. The girl in this period of adolescence, when feelings are easily aroused, responds with special readiness and appreciation to the beautiful in nature and music, art and poetry. These awaken in her a sense of wonder; they lift her out of herself and lead her to aspire to higher things. Thus, they become contributing factors in the development of the worship side of her nature and should be given a place in the program of religious education. The cere¬ monial, too, has for her a religious significance and helps to give fervency to her religious experience. It is recommended that not more than two or three formal vesper services be given in the course of a year, but that when it is possible, a leader plan to have a short service of worship as a part of the regular Girl Reserve program. Various innovations may be worked into this opening or closing service, but the atmos¬ phere can always be made one of worship. Material Recommended For Personal Worship: A Girls' Year Book. Previously listed under Bible Study. A Girls' Book of Prayers. Margaret Slattery. * Norman E. Richardson: The Religious Education of Adolescents. 11 For Group Worship: Free material to be obtained from Girls’ Work Bureau. Poems, Stories and Other Material for Use at the Opening Ceremonials of Girl Reserve Meetings. Series I and II. Services of Worship for Opening of Girl Reserve Meetings. Alice G. Moore. A Christmas Service. Mabel Stone. Suggested Recognition Service for High School Clubs. Music Music is a most important part of the service of worship, for it is the religious language of the heart most commonly known, especially to adolescent girlhood. Its appeal is universal. The at¬ mosphere of reverent meditation inspired by the thrill of solemn music, the aspirations aroused through appreciation of the divine in music, the opportunity afforded in singing for each girl to give individual expression to her emotions—herein lies the value of music in our program of religious education. The playing of quiet music on the piano, or the rendering of some special musical selection, such as a violin solo, if introduced at the right time, may often be the most effective means of turning the girls’ thoughts to God in quiet meditation. The use of chants and responses will also help to enrich their religious experience through communion with Him. Various methods may be employed for making the singing of hymns interesting and worshipful; for example, an orchestra accompaniment may add a certain spirit of fervency; having the girls occasionally hum the alto and tenor of hymns while a solo voice sings the air may give a new sense of appreciation; teaching them the tenor of the hymns and explaining harmonization will not only awaken interest but make an emotional appeal as well. It is assumed that unless a leader possesses some degree of musical talent she will not herself attempt to teach sacred music. In nearly every Association of any size some person can be found who will be glad to render service of this sort if the leader herself is not qualified to do so. Only good hymns that have dignity of words and music should be used. Sentimental words and light music contribute nothing to the spirit of worship and play falsely upon the girls’ emotions. Help the girls to love and appreciate the great hymns of the church ; let them be sung over and over again until the girls have learned them and made them their own. The girls will appreciate a hymn more if they know how it came to be written and under¬ stand what its meaning is for to-day. The choosing of a club hymn to express the spirit of the club will help to create interest and intelligent appreciation of music as the expression of one’s highest ideals. 12 Suggested Material Hymns for Girl Reserves Pamphlet containing words of hymns suggested for memorizing. (Free ) Girls’ Work Bureau. Chants ( P Come, Let Us Sing Unto the Lord.” Arrangement by Bryce. “The Magnificat.” Arrangement by W. Russell. God Be Merciful Unto Us and Bless Us.” Barnaby arrange¬ ment. “Gloria in Excelsis Deo.” Old Church Medley. Music for these chants is in almost all hymn books; all the arrangements may be found in “Hymns of the Church,” by the A. S. Barnes Compairy. Response to Prayer Hymn 12, 3rd stanza, in New Episcopal Hymnal. Anthems “Ye shall dwell in the_ land that I gave to your fathers” (Thanksgiving.) Obtainable from any music publishing house in quartet form at 5 cents a copy. “Sing, O Heavens,” by Tours. Also published for quartet use, but not too difficult, if slightly cut, for Christmas vesper music for girls. “As Christ Upon the Cross.” (Easter.) Service One of the most natural ways for the girl’s religious life to find expression is through service. The adolescent girl has a real desire to be of service in the world. Her emotional nature expands not only in love of God but in love of fellow man also. It is the leader’s responsibility to see that her altruistic feelings are con¬ served and directed in some worthy direction, that her religious life is allowed to express itself in definite, practical ways. The kind of service which develops character is that rendered from a purely Christian motive. Not pity, but genuine love, must be the impelling motive. The girls will enjoy planning their own group activities, and the leader should let as much of the initiative as possible come from them. She will be able, however, to exert a great deal of influence in directing their efforts in the right channels. Service which recognizes them as individuals dealing with other individuals or groups makes a special appeal to teen-age girls, and the leader can awaken a desire for such service by establishing personal con¬ tacts between the members of the club and those who might be 13 served. A visit to the day nursery or home for crippled children, the entertaining of a foreign secretary or Oriental student, the exchange of letters and pictures, the bringing in of the personal element in ways such as these will help to make the service a real joy to the girls rather than a mere mechanical function. The leader should provide also for the broadening of the girl’s interests through service. The church, the community, the world should each be given a share of the girl’s attention; through serv¬ ing them she will instinctively become loyal to them. Suggestions for Service Work The following suggestions are offered not in place of but as a supplement to those listed in the Handbook for Leaders of Younger Girls, The Girl Reserve Manual, Suggested Program for High School Club Work, etc.: Dramatize a Bible story to give in one of the Sunday-schools of your community. Knit washcloths for mission hospitals. This may be done in co¬ operation with the churches of your community. Exchange scrapbooks with Girl Reserve Clubs in other countries. Make these of pictures showing the kind of clothes you wear, the houses you live in, the recreation you enjoy, as tennis, skat¬ ing, etc. In exchange, ask the girls of other countries to do the same for you. Give a party for the foreign-born children reached by one of the settlement houses of your community. Write to the foreign secretary, or secretaries, supported by your Association. Show your interest and friendship by making Christmas gifts for her or for the girls in her Association. Earn money to buy a Victrola and Victrola records for refugee children overseas. Make World Citizenship scrapbooks to send to the children in some city hospital. The new Everyland Picture Sheet Series will provide excellent pictures for this purpose. The folders are 15 cents each. For further description, write to the Inter¬ church World Movement of North America, hi Fifth Avenue, New York City. Community Relationships No Association should feel that it must of itself work out the whole program of religious education for its various groups. There should be the closest cooperation between the Association and all other agencies in the community working in the field of religious education, that each may make available to the other the special resources at its command. The Association is a specialized agency with a constructive program for the normal girl; its func- 14 tion is to reinforce the religious and social work of the com¬ munity. Therefore it should, through study and conference, familiarize itself with the program of the religious and social agencies existent in the community and should make available its own program by sharing in the responsibility where any inter¬ church or other united movement is projected. With relation to the Church in particular, the work of the Association is to supplement that of the Church in discovering and educating young women for leadership in the Church, and to supply the particular needs of girls which are not met by the other agencies in the community. The Association has a special obligation to discover the non-church girl and reveal to her her own spiritual needs and nature. Because of its interdenomina¬ tional interests, the Association has a unique opportunity to reach the girls of the community and through wisely planned instruction in church history to bring them into an appreciation of the Church as the living expression of Christianity in the world to-day and the direct outgrowth of Christ’s service here upon earth. Though there is at the present time little available material on church history to put into the hands of younger girls themselves, Asso¬ ciation leaders will recognize it as their opportunity and responsi¬ bility to bring to the adolescent girl such knowledge of the Church as will serve to strengthen her desire for church membership, which most naturally arises in this period of her development. The leader who covets for her girls a church affiliation of vital significance in their lives will make the Church of first importance and will plan her club program so as in no way to hinder but rather help the girls observe the different seasons of the church year; she will encourage participation in the great festival services of the churches, as well as cooperate in the less formal celebra¬ tions, such as Mothers’ Day, Mother and Daughter Banquets, Annual Girls’ Day in the Churches, etc. Thus it is seen that the Association, through its own program and through cooperation with other agencies in the community, has rich opportunity for making religious education a determining factor in the life of growing girls. And why should we give thought and care to the planning of a program of religious educa¬ tion for younger girls? Is it only that we may supply the girl with that which shall bring about the fullest development of her individual life in its relationship to God, or is it, also, that looking into the future we seek so to mould her character as to make her womanhood a force for righteousness in the world? So long as the world needs women to interpret the human relationships of life, girls must be trained to assume their share of responsibility as women in helping to bring in the Kingdom of God upon earth. 15 Bibliography (For Girls under 18) 1. Personal Devotion The Girls’ Year Book 60 cents Daily Bible Readings and comment in a girl’s language. Can be begun at any time of year. A Girl’s Book of Prayer —Margaret Slattery 60 cents 2. Bible Study Studies in Knowing Jesus Christ —Helen Thoburn 40 and 85 cents Seven Chapters on finding “the Way to God as one is growing up.” Teaching outline included. The Golden Word —Katharine Richards 70 cents Eight lessons on how the Bible grew out of man’s experience with God. Adaptable for the older girls. 60 cents Section I of The Girls’ Year Book —Grace Loucks 15 cents “To Know Him,” is adaptable for Bible study, with teaching outline. The Story of Jesus as Mark Told it —Sara S. Kirk 15 cents An outline study of Mark, arranged for those who are just beginning a study of the Gospels. Twelve lessons, with questions for discussion. Jesus’ Teachings About Life —Sara S. Kirk Twelve lessons covering the teaching of Jesus as it is found in the Synoptic Gospels, with special emphasis on his hope of a new world order. A brief outline with questions for dis¬ cussion. Out of Doors in the Bible —Ethel Cutler Outdoor people of both Testaments. Especially adapted to Eight Week Clubs and other summer groups. Jesus the Friend of the People —Sara S. Kirk Outline only. Good for younger girls. Jesus the Man of Galilee —Elvira J. Slack Adapted for a long or short course. Studies in the Books of Ruth and James — Sidney A. Weston Students’ textbook 12V2 cents Teachers’ Manual 15 cents Three lessons on Ruth and nine on James ; could be used as separate courses. Questions for class discussion. (Part 4, Course XII, International Graded Sunday-school lessons.) 15 cents 15 cents 1 cent 35 cents 16 3- Christian Standards Christian Citizenship for Girls —Helen Thoburn 25 and 50 cents Ten chapters on a girl’s relation to home, work, worship, friends, etc. Teaching outline. 10 cents A Girl at Her Best —Alice G. Moore 10 cents Discussional questions for grade school girls. The Ten Commandments in the Twentieth Century — Oolooah Burner 25 cents Suggested series of outlines for discussional meetings. Adaptable for the older girls. 4. World Citizenship—Suggestions for Book Shelf. For girls 10 to 15—(See Girl Reserve Book List) Children of the Light House —Charles Lincoln White 25 and 40 cents African Adventurers —Jean Mackenzie (paper cover) 30 cents Third Inch of the Inch Library 75 cents Nine leaflets, boxed in an inch-wide case, on girls from other countries, “geographical ad¬ ventures in friendship.” Jack-of-all-Trades —Margaret Applegate 50 cents Hindu Tales —Teresa Pierce Willston 75 cents Japanese Fairy Tales —Teresa Pierce Willston First Series 75 cents Second Series 50 cents For girls 15 and over (See Girl Reserve Book List) How the Other Half Lives —Jacob Riis $1.25 Mary Slessor of Calabar —William P Livingston $1.50 Black Sheep —Jean Mackenzie $1.50 My Chinese Days —Gulielma F. Alsop 75 cents Letters to Betsy —J. L. Cody $2.00 The Lady of the Decoration —Frances Little $1.25 Additional Suggestions The Land of the Golden Man —Anita B. Ferris 50 cents ; paper 30 cents A South American story. Tama —The Diary of a Japanese School Girl— Florence Wells 75 cents A real diary, giving glimpses of the life of a Japanese boarding-school girl. Waxwing —Caroline Atwater Mason 30 cents A delightful missionary story for girls. Foreign Magic —Jean Carter Cochran $1.50 Stories of the people of China. India Beloved of Heaven $1 00 Interesting stories giving an idea of the changes 17 in life and thought that are coming over India. Japan To-day —Ruth Emerson 25 cents Six stories of the life of Japanese women. Shanghai Sketches —Jane Shaw Ward 30 cents Seven chapters making vivid the life of Chinese women, with discussion questions. The Least of These in Colombia —Maude Williams $1.25 Stories of Indian women in South America. Evcryland $1.50 a year A monthly magazine published by the Missionary Education Department of the Interchurch World Movement, 160 Fifth Avenue, New York City. Source Material for Leaders 1. Psychology Girlhood and Character —Mary E. Moxcey $1.50 The Girl and Her Religion —Margaret Slattery $1.00 The Girl in Her Teens —Margaret Slattery 50 cents The Religious Education of Adolescents — Norma E. Richardson $1.50 Leaders of Girls —Clara Ewing Espey 75 cents 2. Special Material Fellowship Prayers —Sarah E. Dickinson 75 cents Specially prepared by a board member for use in board and committee meetings. The Shorter Bible $1.00 For personal reading. The Story of Oier Bible —Harold B. Hunting $2.00 A11 interesting and popular study of the origin of the books of the Bible. Dramatising Bible Stories —Elizabeth Miller $1.00 A presentation of the methods of dramatization with concrete suggestions. 3. World Citizenship Material Merry-Go-Round the Orient 30 cents Entertainments with an Oriental Atmosphere. Children at Play in Many Lands —Katherine Stanley Hall 75 cents The games of different lands, with directions for costumes. Native Melodies 10 cents each Eight page pamphlets of songs in the native lan- 18 guages of Armenia, Bulgaria, China, Japan, North American Indian and Telugu. Their use introduces a unique feature into club programs. 4. Dramatic Material (Send to the Bureau of Pageantry and the Drama, 600 Lexington Avenue, New York City, for a List of Plays and Pageants which includes a carefully selected list of forty religious plays and pageants with brief description of each) 5. Technical Pamphlets Sunday Afternoon in the City Association 10 cents Concrete suggestions for the informal type of gathering. 6. Story-Telling Collections of short stories: The Golden Windows —Laura Richards $1.35 Story Tell Lib —Annie Trumbull Slossom 75 cents The Richer Life —Walter Dyer 75 cents World Stories Retold —W. T. Sly $1.00 All books referred to above may be ordered through The Womans Press, 600 Lexington Avenue, New York City. Suggested Story Programs Purpose: Story of Louisa Alcott Story of Helen Keller The Vision of Anton (The Richer Life —Walter Dyer) Work: The Cobbler's Son The Story of Ching Wong (In The Richer Life —Walter Dyer) Home: About Angels (In The Golden Windows —Laura Richards) The Story of the Bible: How It Was Made (Old Testament stories of men who helped) The Story of an Ancient Hymn Book Stories of the Prophets The Story of the Unity of the New Testament. 19 N, ' • * "t ■ ! . ■.'I *-K\ » . $ $##• fM'W llB§|s : v : I'lii -ii aM liii •< > .' M : f;--V * V /