Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-12-14


great amount of time is given to help
them.
expect that if the mother of Moses
and of Samuel and the grandmother of
Timothy had lived in this modern day
they would have found time, even with
old fashioned families on their hands, to
get the children off to Sunday school and
that punctually and well prepared in the
lesson.
Thus parents and guardians and friends
of the young can be-and should be
Sunday school workers. They can insist
that their children go. They can insist
that they be there punctually. They can
insist that they go prepared.
will speak little further of the move
public workers. The day has gone by
when ministers look askance at the Sunday
school, as if it were nursery of wicked
ness They are all now favorable to rightly
conducted Sunday schools, if they are men
Of piety and genuinely interested in the
young They can render most efficient
aid in Sunday school work. | would not
have them superintendents of the schools
in their churches unless in cases of
extreme necessity. But they should be
leaders in the work by all the brain and
enthusiasm and general helpfulness which
they can possibly contribute. They should
see to it that teachers meetings be held
regularly. taking the lead of them when
no better prepared leader appears. They
should be there prepared to the best of
their ability, and able to talk of the under
Ling principles of the lesson. Never
allow controversy in the teachers meeting
or end unnecessary time in unessentials.
Here is one of the best opportunities of
usefulness open to the minister. He may
here he indirectly the Instructor of all the
school. The minister who is not "a Sunday
school man ~ in the best sense oil that term
fails to fill the full measure of his useful
ness. He should frequently preach upon
some phase of the lesson. He may not
pick it up in Just the style and order of
the ordinary teacher. He need not descend
to small talk and in common place man
ner about it, but present some less obvi-
Gus truth or doctrinal or practical lesson.
This will holp the more thoughtful and
encourage the enterprising to look deeply
into the subject.
The minister should always give notice
| g bo Of tha nInu
the pulpit. This should neUer be omitted.
1t gives dignity to the institution and lifts
it before the people so that they are
always notified of the fact that there is
Sunday school whether they attend or not,
and is thus rebuke to the negligent and
an invitation to the stranger and the nom
attendant.
1t is no lowering of the preachers
dignity to preach to the children. He
should do this frequently. There need not
be great variation from what should be
the ordinary manner of preaching to do
this either. Have something to say, and
say it simply and with enthusiasm. and
the children will listen and carry it off
Much preaching is out of the reach
of hearers of all fges, not because of
profundity, but because it has not the ele-
ments just mentioned.
An;excellent customis now quite general
of devoting one Sunday in the year ex-
clusivey to the children. when all the
exercises are adapted to their capacities
and wants, and are brief and varied.
If ministers will give attention to these
things they mty be most efficient Sunday
school workers.
! would have the superintendent a clean
man-no smoker. or chewer, or drnker.
1t is wholly out Of place 70 set man of
, such habits up before the young. | wonld
, much rather have u good clean moral man
, who makes no pretensions to reli ious ex
perence than such. His influence would
| be better
The superintendent should be q good
reader of human nature-a prompt man,
in his place, and at the time. He should
be pious. whole-souled man with enthu-
siasm, adaptibility, and he will succeed
, even in difficult place. say he, l mean
the Superintendent, male or female.
, The teacher needs all the qualities of a
t good superintendent and others added
( The ideal teacher has amost every valua-
e BILE quality-well balanced mind d-sym
5 metrical character, intelligence and piety,
t together with affability, love of the work
3 and of the young and enthusiasm for
Christ We may not expect to get the
=, ideal always, but seek the best possible and
= welcome to the ranks willing workers
= everywhere.
will not attempt to enlarge upon all
$ the qualifications of Sunday school teach
= ers, but | will for little upon the import.
e ance of mental discipline as one. We are
y in a day and age ofprogress. The church
II catches the affiatus At the beginning OF
the decade now closing, there was an up
It rising and throwing off of old methods.
Il I apprehend that rs much real advance has
a been made in all Sunday school matters in
D the last ten years as in any two score ol
c years before.
During that time the old two-sermon
!. day system with Sunday school compressed
J. between the SCI vices, has become obsolete,
= The In ternational lessons bringing uni
y formity of Bible study, teachers meetings
r as an institution, and assemblies by lake
q and in grove, have been introduced. There
y has been progress. The teacher must be
g well qualified. 1t will not now answer to
VI pick up anybody fora teacher, for such
!. teachers would be very likely to get "pick-
: ed up" unceremoniousy.
= The spirit of the age, which has given
y us the new revision and which puts into
y the mouth of unbelief innumerable ques-
e tionings, demands well qualified teachers.