The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-05-20
THE ETHICS Of JESUS.
Discussion at the Uni
versalist Sunday School
Institute.
HOW TO TELL BIBLE STORIES
Old Testament Narratives
Which Are Against the
Laws of Nature.

| School Institute was held yesterday after
aeon and evening in the First Uni
versalist Church, Ivy place and Summit
avenue. The Institute is In charge OF the
Rev.. A. e. Wright. who presided at both
sessions. The proceedings in the after
noon began at 2:45 o'clock with singing
and prayer by the Rev. G. Il. McElivaine.
The Rev. Charles II. Vail. pastor of the
First Universalist Church, made an adj
dress of welcome which was responded to
by Mrs. Lowell Talbot. viee-president OF
the institute. The minutes of the previous
session were read and approved and then
Miss Kate L. Robbins read the principal
paper of the afternoon session. It was
on THE Use and Abuse of Stories IN
Teaching She said in part
Abstract principles alone may do for
the mature mind. but for children these
principles must be given living form.
That which we call history, experience,
and our future is only one great story
of human life, and our part as teachers
is to select from this book of life such
chapters as will be of the greatest bene-
fit TO those under our care. The one
great use and object in teaching is to
uplift. to bring all that is true and mo-
Bile to each life in such a manner that It
will implant a desire for these qualities
We are growing away from the idea that
Sunday-sehool teaching is simply to IN
struct in Bible history and are substitute
ing the spirit for the letter. ! know a
great many people think IT they tell a
good story, with a good moral attached,
they have done all that is necessary, but
| do not agree with them. AS great
care should be taken in the selection OF
stories as in the preparation of the les
son. To have simply a good story will
not serve the purpose and many times It
is best not even to have it good. The
story of q downfall or failure If judi
ciously told will often act as a warning
and the true, noble life will stand out IN
such pleasing contrast that it inspires
where it might fail to do 50 if presented
alone.
Il have heard the telling of Old Tesla
ment stories condemned utterly, but to
me they nave their use, if told as the
history of a nation and people struggling
after something better. They had no
Christ: no one to lead or guide them;
nothing but that inward God given de-
sire for something higher. They made
many mistakes and attributed to God
motives and acts we know to be false,
but I believe the story of these lives,
if rightly told, cannot fail to impress our
hearers with the truth that there is a
spark of Divinity within every soul, and
has been since the beginning of the
human race. 1t has been felt by the
lowest and most ignorant, and not being
understood as a part of themselves they
gave it the form of a God. The savage
has his Great Spirit; the heather his idol
and the people of Bible times a change
able, ~revengeful God, but the motive
power is all the same. Let us not fear
to tell these stories. for they, contain many
a valuable lesson. Let us not tell the
Old Testament stories, however, as right
and true, neither let us go to the other
extreme and describe the people as simply
an immoral, wicked race. they were all
of that viewed from one standpoint, but
they were that through ignorance. They
were living up to their highest under
standing and that is all we are doing
today. The lesson to draw is: are we as
much better than they, as we ought to be,
in view of all our enlightenment and
civilization and all that the Christ-life
has ION for us in pointing out the perfect
way
The reading of the paper was followed
by discussion of the subject. Mrs. lowell
Talbot said she could not tell the children
the Old Testament stories because many
of them did not accord with fact. Sh
would not tell her Sunday school class the
| story of Daniels adventures in the
lions den, for instance, because 1t would
be against the laws of nature for the lions
~ -. ! --s &c +1nxv ls1r1-A
cry. In the same manner Mrs Talbot
I picked other Old Testament stories to
pieces.
DIR. John Cone Adams of Brooklyn said
| ne would teach the children that the Old
| Testament was the history Of the devel-
| opment of the religious life of 4 people.
| The Rev. G. E.. Elivaine's advice was
tsTell the children exactly what you be-
lieve yourself. The impression left upon
| the mind of the child should be the cor.
| rect one, not one to be. revised a. some
later date. The Sunday school should
| ccme out and say that the story Of Moses
leading the children Of Israel out of the
land CT Egypt Is merely the Hebrew set
ting Of the great story Of the national
hero which is told in so many dilferen.
Languages and is the result Of 50 many
4 inherent CfViliZd ltOltp. 1 W0di0 Fa1 c.
the Ola Testament stories in the same
setting as Jack the Giant Killer"
Mrs. Ellen v. Beeoher, of Newark, read
a paper on 1.-THE Ethics of Jesus The
discussion which followed was animated
by a sharp tilt between the Rev. w. s.
Grove ard the Rev. James M. Pullman,
brother of the late George Pullman. Mr..
Grove said he did not believe the pre-
cepts Of Jesus could be ollowed literally
in this ungodly age He thought them
impractical IN this age and generation. In
an ideal age. which be hoped would come,
they might be practical, but at the pre-
sent tine he did~not think 1t would be
wise to practice them in their literal sense.
If d man should attempt to do so he would
be stripped of all his possessions and would
be trampled ON at every turn. He believed
THAT the ideal age, when the precepts of
Jesus would be practical and man would
no longer be compelled to resist evil was
coming but it was a long way off. He
said:-sJesus lived up to his teachings and
yet / don't see that he did such a great
amount OF good at that time. We can be
Ioxo-c of naaoa and sill we can't sit down