Robert Raikes and How We Got Sunday School
 The
Raikes School, St. Catherine Street, Gloucester, England. The building
is no longer standing. It was demolished in the 1950s.
Sunday Schools Stop Crime
It didn't take long until Robert Raikes and Reverend Thomas Stock had
100 children ages 6 to 14 attending their Sunday schools. Even though
the children were taught only one day a week, their behavior began to
improve. Now they had something to look forward to after working so hard
every day. The policemen of the city told Robert that the children weren't
stealing and fighting like before.
Robert waited three years to see if his Sunday schools were a success.
Then he printed a story about the new Sunday schools. Soon, about 4,000
new Sunday schools were started in towns all over England. Robert even
used his printing press to publish reading books, spelling books, Bible
study books, and copies of the Scriptures for the Sunday schools.
 The
World Marches On
One Sunday, Thomas and Robert walked up the street to the Sunday school
building. Thomas said, "Robert, your father would be proud of what
you've done with his newspaper. He'd be proud of your Sunday schools,
too, although you know--everyone is calling you 'Bobby Wild Goose and
his ragged regiment.'"
Robert laughed. "I've been called worse names than 'Wild Goose,'
I think," he answered.
Robert looked around at the hundreds of children now attending his Sunday
school and his face grew quite serious. "Thomas, my father died and
his father before him died. One day we will grow old and die, too. But
the world won't die with us. The world marches forth on the feet of little
children."
Thomas patted his friend on the back. "So it does, Robert. So it
does."
Make It Real! Questions to help
you dig a little deeper and think a little harder.
- Can you imagine working 6 days a week, up to 12 hours each day?
Why would these overworked, poverty-stricken children spend their
one free day going to school?
- Why were the children hesitant to come to Sunday school at first?
What are some things that keep children from coming to Sunday school
today?
- The new Sunday schools taught two kinds of lessons. They taught
reading and writing part of the day and Bible lessons the rest of
the day. Which do you think was more important for helping the children
and why?
- What difference has attending Sunday school made in your life? Have
you ever invited a friend to Sunday school?
- Many other adults were aware of the white slaves of England, but
did nothing to help. Why do you think Robert Raikes chose to do something
to help the children? What resources did Robert have that he could
use to further this cause?
Back to part one of this Robert Raikes "Glimpses
for Kids" children's worship bulletin insert.
EXPIRED contest.
©2005 by Christian History Institute, Box 540, Worcester, PA19490.
Tel.: 610-584-3500, Fax: 610-584-6643, E-mail: glimpses@chinstitute.org,
Web: www.chinstitute.org or www.glimpsesforkids.org. Prepared by C. Hope
Flinchbaugh with Ken Curtis, PhD, Dawn Moore, Ann T. Snyder and Beth Jacobson.
Photo credits: p. 1 – CHI Archives.
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