The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-06-20
The Primary Class.

W .
Cowan before the sunday School convention at
Carlyle. last week. and is published at the re-
quest of that convention.
Though my experience in primary class work
il very limited. will try to offer few thoughts
upon Whist seems to me to be an especially ut
tractive subject.
The teacher of the primary class has the most
hopeful ofall sabbath school work, for the young
minds and hearts under her care are unwarpcd by
prejudice and ready to believe the truth because
contact with f:,Isehood has not yet taught them
to doubt.
There is much encouragement in the fact that
early impressions are deep and lasting, but it
carries with it weight of responsibility To any
one who attempts to assist in the religious train
ing of onr future men and women and We ought
to use every help within our reach To Ii. our
selves for the work Of teaching.
In or,ler 10 accomplish much good we must of
course teach with ;iie right object in view, and
the first object should not he to amuSe, or 10
have the largest or most orderly class, but to lay
the foundation in Our scholars, of sound Christ
ian characters. O:her things may be of value a
means hut ought to he made second to this end.
Perhaps primary teacher is more tempted
than any other to neglect thorough preparation
of the lessOn-at any rate we often hear people
speak rs il any one knows enough to teach the
little ones More than once I have been told
when asked to be excused from teaching class
because had not studied the lesson, tina; it was
only class of little girls Only class of little
girls! Should not that rather have been given rs
, reason why the teacher should have Il thorough
understanding of the lesson? If the scholars had
been larger they might have been able to detect
any false idea that was advanced, so but little
harm would have been done, but the little ones
would most likely have received it without qucs-
ton ana then bent the next idea to make If
harmonic with it. l remember asking, when
was very small, in what direction South Amer
lea was from us and was told that il was south:
my informant no doubt thinking her answer was
near enough the truth because was too little to
understand ~ remember much about it, bat to
this day carry in my mind Il map made accord
ing 10 her direction though ] have never been
able to find corresponding one in any geosra-
ply. Does not this show the need Of tine great
est care lest false impressions be given no differ
ence how young the scholars may be? We may
not be able to Zach the whole school truth. but
we can be careful to avoid teaching what is false.
The hest sabbath School workers give repeated
caution against attempting to teach too much at
one time. Almost any O.e of our lessons con-
tains a number OF thoughts and if We attempt to
teach all we will certainly fail strongly to i'm
press any. After choosing the point best suited
to class, it should he often repeated to them,
in different forms. DIR. Vincent says: ''Give
it to the eye, to the Imagination, to the heart"
The more variety we cln give to our teaching the
better, and tine study Of the methods of the best
will no If great Assistance This
thought. five try to follow any plan too close |
ly our manner of teaching may be only poor |
of good model and it is better fnreach
Dne TO teach in his own way. We can make the /
thoughts of others our own but must Use them |
in our own way, because the natural qualities Of
each teacher and the wants of each class diff !
ferent. and the the lesson is associated with
the daily lives Of the children the stronger will be
he impressions made upon their minds. Christ,
he only perfect teacher, drew lessons from his
from the most familiar objects and /
events of lfe-the air, the water the fig tree, the
lilies of the field. and even piece of money was
lsed by him to enforce a lesson The careless
remark of another sometimes drew from Him
yreat TRUTH SO, in the class, the ideas of the chill
lren may be used to illustrate and make the les
ION attractive. Some one has said that We should
lever tcti Tue Cidss ANY ing tuAt We Cth HiaAe
hem tell to us. Before leaving the subject will
peak Of one of the wants Of my own class-that
# a pleasant and convenient class room. So
much depends upon the physical comfort of the
hildren that it ought not to be overlooked. They
re more easily affected than older people by out
yard influences, and q dark, badly ventilated,
seated room is enough to throw a
Hill over the spirits ola class and take much
rom the interest of the lesson. When il is pos
ible the room ough, to be light, airy and at
raetive. with benches or chairs low enough for
he feet Of e:.smaliest child to touch:fhe floor,
nd so arranged that every scholar will be under
he eye Of the teacher. or course every school
annot have this but each ought TO come as near
s its means will allow, and when we have made
faithful Use of all the means that God has given
:, we have His own promise that the work shall
'rosper.