Today In History: Religious Exhibition On View at TC's Educational Museum

Grant us to love our human kind

Grant us to love the life of mind;

To honor work of hand or brain

Keep faith intact, a purpose plain

That speaks in deeds; the torch we bear

With those in greater darkness share.

-- Prayer for the University, May 16, 1909.

From October 28th through November 12th, 1904 an exhibit on religious education was on view at the Educational Museum of Teachers College, Columbia University.  It comprised a "systematic display of textbooks for religious instruction, teaching equipment for Sunday school classes, samples of children's work illustrating the results of manual work and the adoption of modern pedagogical methods in Sunday school, reference books for teachers, etc."  Complimenting the exhibit was a public conference on religious education,  coordinated by Frank M. McMurry , Professor of Elementary Education, who began a Sunday school with paid tuition and instructors. 

In its early days, Milbank Chapel, an addition to Main (now Zankel) Hall, held daily services with hymns, prayers, and readings from the Scriptures. Due to waning attendances and less frequent services, the chapel was re-purposed over time to host many new activities of the College, including musical performances, convocations, faculty meetings, and guest speakers, from the religious to the intellectual. 

Religion and education as a program of study began after early classes in Bible Study, though in 1923 starting becoming more secular, anthropological, and historical in approach. It expanded to explore religions around the world. The Institute for Social and Religious Research was established in 1926 as an extension of the curriculum on character education.  Until the early 2000s and under the direction of Douglas Sloan, Professor Emeritus of History and Education, Teachers College partnered with nearby affiliates, Union Theological Seminary and Jewish Theological Seminary, to offer joint programs in the study of religion and education.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• Religious Education Exhibition.. (1904, Oct 24). New - York Tribune (1900-1910)
• Discuss Interchurch Plan: Religious Education Department Holds First Meeting.  (1920, Mar 09). New York Times (1857-1922) 
• Columbia to Teacher Religious Workers: Many Courses in Their Problems to Be Taught in Summer Session.  (1924, Jun 29). New York Times (1923-) 
• Classes in Religion Grow at Columbia : 42 Courses for This Year Make Most Extensive Program Ever Offered There. (1927, Oct 09). New York Times (1923-) 
• Julius, B.M.  (1928, May 17). Effect of Jewish Education on Character Development: The Jewish School Must Enter Into and Become Part of the Child's Life. The American Israelite (1874-2000) 
• Religion Is Vital to Democracy, Leaders of Three Faiths Agree: Spiritual Ideals Always Prevail Over Materialism, They Declare. (1939, Aug 17). New York Times (1923-) 
• Neglect of Religion in Schools Deplored.  (1945, Jul 17). New York Times (1923-) 
• Religion in Schools Tied to Other Study.  (1953, Jul 11). New York Times (1923-) 
• F., B. (1953, Nov 08). Education Notes: Varied Activities on the Campus and in the Classroom. New York Times (1923-) 
• Educators Weigh Study on Religion: Whether It Should Be Taught in Public Schools Debated at Teachers College.  (1954, Jul 09). New York Times (1923-) 

Tips:

• Berglund, Jenny, et al. Religious Education in a Global-Local World.  1st ed. 2016 edition., vol. 4, Springer, 2016.  e-book.
• Cremin, Lawrence A., et al. A History of Teachers College, Columbia University. 1954.  Stacks ; LB2193.C62 C7 1954.
• Franck, Olof, and Sally Windsor. Intersections of Religion, Education, and a Sustainable World. Springer Nature, 2025. e-book.
• Religious Education: An Exhibition Of Text-Books, Equipment, Children’s Work Reference Books Illustrating Sunday School and Other Religious Instruction.  Educational Museum, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1904.
• MacMullen, Ian. Faith in Schools?: Autonomy, Citizenship, and Religious Education in the Liberal State. 1st ed., Princeton Univ. Press, 2007. e-book.
• Vieth, Paul H., and International Council of Religious Education. The Development of a Curriculum of Religious Education. International Council of Religious Education, 1930. Closed Stacks Research ; BV1559 .V54 1930.

Images:

• 9 University Place. Chapel, Sketch.  Teachers College. (Date Not Known). Historical Photographs of Teachers College. 
• Poster Image: Educational Museum. Exhibit On Religious Education.  Teachers College, 1904. Historical Photographs of Teachers College.
• Stained Glass Window, Milbank Chapel, Teachers College, Columbia University. Photo by Don Hamerman, 2017.

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