The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-06-19

Bible it is different. The miracles on
children are recorded as carefully as
those upon adults. In ancient poets
like Homer and Virgil there is hardly
a reference to children, but the ele-
ment of childhood characterizes all
the Bible poetry Plato was interest
ed in children because they were go
ing to be men and women, but the
Bible is interested in them because
they are children. This insight into
and interest in child nature is one of
the ways not often noted, in which
the Bible proves its inspiration. In
the dark ages the teaching of child
hood was almost given up, but Froe-
bel discovered the possibilities OF the
child life and the child soul. He is
the Columbus of discoveries on child
hood. He found seven characteristics
belonging to each child, and by show
ing these he has made the work OF
other teachers lighter. -Four things
for a Sunday school teacher to know
are Christ, the Bible, human nature,
and how to teach. TO study plant
properly we must get it in It's wild
State. and it is somewhat the same
with human nature. Childhood is
like clear glass in window, while
adult life is more like smoked glass,
not so easy to see through. "a man
may smile and smile and be a villain
STILL" The way to get at human ma
ture is to thoroughly understand
childhood. The chemists have spent
years and years in studying the indi-
yidual characteristics of metals so as
to be able to separate them from ores
and impurities, would that we were as
diligent in trying to separate the soul
from sin. A healthy child is incess-
antly active and we must not suppress
but utilize this activity. Give the
ears, eyes and hands something to do.
One way to keep the hands busy is to
have them frequently turn to passages
of scripture. This will also familiar
ize them with the Bible. 1t is impos-
sible and not Gods intention 0for a
healthy child to keep still for half an
hour. 1t is better to initiate a good
example than try a dangerous exper-
iment. Children are wonderfully
sharp in their imitativeness. They
are ready toimitate anything whether
good. bad, or Indifferent. In singing or
concert reading or anything else the
teacher must do as he would have the
child do. The teacher must live the
lesson he would teach. What we are
and do; the way we treat the Sunday
afternoons, Sunday trains, etc., is far
more effective than what we say.
The very working in the soil seem
an instinct by which God binds ma
ture and human nature together. All
children like to play in the soil and in
the sand. We should utilize this in
stinct by the use of specimens and de
corations from the gardenand the field.
A child likes to see anything grow
and thus blackboard exercise is bet
ter to be developed before the class.
If the teacher cannot do this the work
may be done before hand and arranged
so that it may be uncovered a part
at time. This will set the children
eagerly watching each stage to see
what is coming next. There is about
one in hundred on an average who
is good artist. The artists could
do the work and have it ready for the
teacher. This plan is capable of many
variations.
All children have the social instinct
and this is the foundation of the
modern S. S. In England the s. 5. is
mainly for the Goddess and poor.
Christian parents have the whole re-
sponsibility for the training of their
own children. Here some parents are
tempted to let the matter rest with
half an hour a week under a s. s..
teacher, still our plan is better than
the English one; vastly better If the
&c, n 1nfr 6r1fxr "a oh rn-
member the social instinct and make
the class little home. This will re-
lieve the necessity for the teacher do
ing all the talking, and bring plenty
of questions. We must approach the
children in fatherly, motherly, kind
ly, familiar way.
GThe children have rhythmic in
stinct, and it is to be regretted that
to. Many time christian song will
shield from temptation. The truth is
vastly easier to remember in poetry,
like the rhyme about the days Of each
month.
New things should be taught by
comparison with old. This is very
important element in teaching. 1t
is by comparing the unknown to the
known that the child called snow,
"rain all popped out white" dust,
"mud with the juice squeezed out, !"
fan, something to brush the warm
off with"
The God trust too is an instinct Of
of childhood. Wordsworth says,
''Heaven is all about us in our in
fancy" because it is so much easier to
believe in heaven then. In England
and America child may be hung for
murder at eight, surely he is old en-
Ough to be converted then.