The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-01-16
Teaching BY Objects
How the Story of the Mas
ter is Told in
Sand.
REALISM TO BE COMMENDED.
Children of the Tabernacle Sunday
School As They Are Instructed
By Mrs. Scudder.

"How shall we interest our infant
class2"
1t is sign of better days that Sunday
schools all over the country are asking
this question. Time was when Sunday
schools did not know or care whether the
infant class was interested or not. But
in these latter days bright minds have
awakened to the fact that just as the in
FAINT twig is bent tie church members
tree is inclined, and that it behooves the
church to make and keep the youngest
members interested in their Sundays
service.
1t Is the intention of THE NEWS to give
from time to time, in this column, brief
sketches of the methods employed by our
most successful primary Sunday school
teachers, believing that what has proved
of benefit to one may surely claim the at
tention of others. Mrs. John l.. Scud-
der, who conducts a fiourishing infant
class in the Tabernacle Sunday school,
mas kindly consented to give the readers
of The NEWS glimpse OF the methods
employed by her in class and junior en-
dea vor work.
In the first place. in Mrs. Scudder'e
opinion, object teaching is of the greatest
value. The child must learn first through
the eye. No lesson should be attempted
without some means of illustration. In
teaching the parable of the candle under
the bushel, for example, real candle aud
q real basket will do more to hX the meta
phor in the child's mind than thousand
words, for the child deals more with OBJ.
jects than with the names of objects, and
understands little more than he sees.
MUD AND SAND.
The sandtable is an indispensable aid.
The mudnia Instinct Ia strong in every
child, which probably led some student Of
child-nature to utilize 1t by turning it into
educational channels and setting it to
make mountains and caves and plateaus in
the clean white mounds on the sandtable,
instead of rows of brown pastry from the
fascinating wayside mudpuddle,
Upon this sand table the entire life or
Christ has been portrayed to the Taber-
nacle class. The sand is spread upon q
mirror, so that brooks, rivers or lakes
may be outlined by clearing away the
grains in the shape desired; papier-
mache castle stands for Jerusalem, toy
trees, the spoils Of pair of wooden viii
lagos, furnish forth groves and forests.
and by heaping sand In high or low
mounds hills and mountains are pro-
duced. In teaching the lesson or the
flight into Egypt, Jerusalem was erected
as usuai.and the Red Sea made in dis
tant corner with the land Of Egypt Just
beyoud. A fe-likepapiermache beast OF
burden, bearing tiny woman's ngure
holding baby in her arms aud led by ao-
other manikin in the garb of an ancient
Jew, went slowly over the sandy plain,
over hill and stream, sometimes stopping
to rest beneath five-inch wooden tree.
while the teacher in simple words and
with frequent questions told the story OF
Herod's netred of the baby-klng and now
his parents fed with him out of the reach
of danger.
Another lesson whose illustration was
Of particular interest was the finding OK
Christ in the temple, where the costumes
of doctors and scribe were historically ac-
carate, as indeed, the representations are
always intended as far as possible to be.
The visit OF the wise men was an inter-
esting scene, for the three grayoeards
came riding to the stable on three pap1er
mache camels, gorgeous in trapplnks OF
silver and gold.
REALISTIC TRIUMPH
But triumph of reallzm was the rep
reseutation of the betrayal in the Garien
of Gethsemane. just beyond Jerusalem
line of mirror marked the brook ked-
ron, and over this tiny ori ge was
thrown. Beyond, mound of sand
represented the Mount of Olives. and
grove of toy trees stood for the garden. In
this was placed kneeling figure wearing
crown of gold.
"Now children" said Mrs. Scudder.
"although nothing could really look like
our Lord, we will let this sta I'd for MIN
now. Watch, and see who is coming.
The three disciples left at the they
gate, fall asleep, and finally there APP
proaches crowd OF manikins dressed as
soldiers, and a number of jews, amoug
them Judas. A pretty effect was pro-
duced by tying to each soldiers tin hanos
lighted wax match, since the crowd
came with torches.
m OivaS tha kiss of BETRAYAL
and the teacher talks of the kiss that We
love to receive, but that may be Judas
kiss for all that, aud points personal
| moral to close the lessons. Golgotha, the
Place of the Skull, is represented oy
rounded sand mou nd, upon which the
three crosses stand. and at the next les
son, the Entombment, the central ngure
| is taken down, tenderly wrapped In linen,
| and laid in hewn sepulchre, closed Dy
| a real stone. Next time the sepulchre IS
shown as beiore-the Marys go to buy
spices, but find the stone ajar. A child
| is called to look into the TO no, anu sees
within two Parian marble angels.
ILLIMITABLE OPPORTUNITY.
And so on indefinitely. Examples
might be multiplied, but they merely
illustrate the same principle. That 1t may
| suit all classes is question TOT eacn
teacher to decide; that it does undouot-
edly suit the Tabernacle infant class IS
| beyond the shadow of doubt. The con-
| stautly increasing attendance, the eager
| questions and answers. aud. above alls
| tne absorbed interest displayed, will fur
nish sufficient PROOF.
| But there is one mistake which should
be severely let alone. so Mrs. Scudder
says. 1t is the fault oe over-symoolism;
When it comes to drawing bright RED
chalk marks on the blackboard 10 repre-
| sent salvation by blood, we feel that SYM
| bolism hls been over-worked. wohuer
that a famous Sunday scnool author aud
teacher should have suggested II, ana
sympathzs with the good taste OF the
eminent ministers and teachers VINO pro-