Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-07-08


The preparation of the teacher 70
the class is the subject of the presen
paper. 1t might be thought that thu
amount and quality of that prepare
ton should depend upon the kind O.
class to be taught. But that is no
so manifestly. How and how mucf
the teacher should impart after reach.
ing the class may be question. Blu
the preparation of any teacher FOL
any class can not be too broad anC
thorough. The teacher of an infant
class may properly know as much
about the lesson as the teacher OF
the most advanced Bible class. In
treating of this matter of the prepara-
ton of the teacher for the class we
have in mind then any and every
teacher. All teachers old and young
in all schools ought to make prepare
ton for their classes. The prepare
ton should be careful and prayerful.
1t should not be put off till the last
moment. The Importance of the
work of preparation for teaching in
the school should be recognized and
the attention given to it that is de-
served. Every teacher wherever or
whatever his class is ought to be post
ed in the lesson. Careless ignorance,
willful neglect, are culpable and
ought to make any one ashamed of
whom they are true. Art thou a mas
ter or mistress in Israel and knowest
not these things? may rightly be ask
ed of any teacher who is not fully ac-
quainted with the lesson of any given
Sabbath.
The books and papers which a
teacher should use in preparation for
the class may be considered to begin
with. OF these some are useful, but
there should not be too many. Of
papers, the Sunday School Times and
the Bible Correspondence School
Pamphlets are probably the best, al
though any good religious paper is
nowadays a profitable help if one
can not afford a special paper for his
class use. Borrow the Times if you
can not afford to subscribe for it in
connection with your own religious
weekly. If you use it at all study it
over and over. l will not mention
any extended list of books as neces-
sary in order to good preparation
for the class, but simply refer to
few that might be useful. Every
teacher should be provided with a
good Concordance, as separate and
needful book. / still think that Cru
den is as good as any, for after hear
ing the merits of many others urged,
and after having tried various writers,
l find for myself, that l get as much
or more benefit from Cruden than
from any other. Let your edition be
large sized, strongly bound in leather,
and then use it constantly. A small
concordance in connection with some
other book is usually a disappoint-
ment and vexation of spirit. Such a
book arranged under only one alpha
bet is a great time waster. For ready
reference large Cruden in the COM
moR s9itiSon is the best With aRg rfssSeDDt
inson's English Harmony of the Cos
pels, at least, and the Greek also, if
he can use it, and the Greek Testa-
ment of some approved editor.
As to Bible, of which / should
have spoken. first, perhaps, either
Bagster, Oxford, or Frye and Spot
tiswoode will do excellently well. But
would urge one thing in regard to a
Bible. Let your copy be good one
and of convenient size. Do not be
stingy in the matter of your Bible.
Pay good price for one, and you
will then for many years enjoy the
benefit of it. | have seen people
straining their eyes over their Bible
and reading it in a very bungling
fashion because it was such fine print
that they could not see it plainly. A
magnifying glass was almost neces-
esary. A Bible of that sort is not
likely to be we'll bound either. And
indeed in this matter as in regard to
all other books, the less you pay, the
less you get for your money. Pay a
good price and then you will have
something satisfactory. A good
price does not mean au extravaganza
one. A Bible such as l mean can be
bought at the present time for S. or
81. L have Bagster, costing me
$14, which / have had for dozen |
years, more or less, and which has
been in constant use and hard wear
all that time, and is good Tor years
yet. Mine has a concordance and |
other helps, but | will say, after
years of consideration of the matter,
that l do not find the concordance
of very much use because, although
Cruden, it is too much condensed. |
And as to the other helps, l rarely
use them. 1t is better l think to
have your Bible by itself and the 9TH
er helps by themselves. Thus you
can have Bible with large fair type
and not too bulky. Buy the revised
version, or better still, the common
and revised together. A somewhat |
extended list of Commentaries can be
found in the S. S. Times, June Is,
1889. AS to other books there is no
use in being overloaded. There is a
vast mass of commentaries and other |