St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-09-03
The Pedagogics of Scripture Memoir.
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Lovejoy Of South RoyaIton:
> The Sunday school and the publi
school are own cousins, and the peda
gogical principles that subserve tn,
highest interests OF the one, conduc,
equally to the efficiency of the other. The
true science Of teaching has been, and is
about as great a arity in Sunday school
work as the presence Of men in the
: weekly prayer meeting. Read carefully
the columns regularly devoted to the
Sunday school in our RELIGIOUS papers.
Examine critically the different courses
of Bible study offered for Sunday school
teaching. How often will you find any
definite pedagogical basis tor the work
outlined and the suggestions made =?
Where is that relation to what has gone
before and to what is to come after, that
adaptation to the ultimate aim, which
obtains, theoretically, at least, in our
public school curriculums and school
journals?
We all feel and rejoice to believe, that
there has b Ell great Improvement in our
methods Of Sunday school teaching, since
the day when a halt hour was spent in
repeating whole chapters of the Bible
learned by heart. and ratified off with
| little or no explanation from the teacher,
where the chiet motive of each parrot
like leaner was to Guido his fellows in
the number Of verses commit ted The
pendulum for years has been swinging in
the direction OF helps, instead of study
of the Bible itself and the learning of
Scripture. Has it gone too far in this
direction?
In answering that question let US con-
slider what the place of memory is in edu-
cation. Is it not the key that locks up
and unlocks the treasures of the mind
II the banker left his safe continually
open, he would soon be without re-
sources for business. 1t is a foolish
druggist who is lax about replacing the
shoppers in his ether and chlorotorm
bottles. Just as blameworthy is any
teacher who makes no provision for
training and Strengthening the memory.
Memory OF itself is not creative, but it
furnishes the material for creative pur-
poses, as fire and water furnish what is
necessary for power. A sieve-like mind |
is OF little value. 1t is what is held fast |
that counts most. How can assimiIa-
ton and spiritua! growth proceed when
there is poverty OF material with which |
assimilation can take place? 1t NAV be |
said that one can feel Gods love and |
mercy without remembering the words |
which guarantee these gifts. Granting |
that, yet ones religious experience will |
be hazy, he will be like chevaler with
out his sword, whenever bis faith is at
tackled, lie will need his Bible constantly
by him. Memory, then, the key to
growth and power, holds no mean place
in education. 1t must be exercised like
any other faculty of the mind, and not
be coddled too much, if it is to remain in
a healthy condition.
In connection with Sunday school
teaching the question arises, whether or
not the learning by heart OF passages Of
Scripture furnishes the right kind OF
athletics. Never require a
child to learn what he does not under
stand" is a white haired pedagogical
maxim, that has long domiueered school
men and school a'ams, too timid or
trustful to question it. While | adhere
to this maxim in the main, do not hest
tate to violate it whenever think any
thing better is to be gained by such
GLORY to God in the highest, and on
earth peace, good will toward men," lisp
the little ones at Christmas time Do
they understand the full significance of
the angels song? If we could see the pic.
ture OF this glory which is stamped upon
their childish minds, we might be as
much surprised as the kindergartener
was, who had used drop of cochineal
dye in glass of water to illustrate to
her class the effect OF sin upon the indi-
vidual. The next day she found one of
her tots before the mirror, after the little
one had been unusually naughty,
gazing at herself, as if she ex-
pected something marvellous and dread
tul to appear. When her teacher spoke
to her, the skeptical little maid turned
around and cried out, /" 1t isn't true what
you told us yester6 ay. I'm not red one
bit" Was the kindergartener wrong?
Was the committing of the angels song
wrong think not. The time will come
when that object lesson will emphasize
the Nervousness of sin as no plain words
can do, and when the angels halIelujah
echoing in memory will awaken a vision
OF complete comprehension, vastly en-
rlched by union with the possession oil
the past. Let me give an incident of my
own life to illustrate my meaning. When
was a young school girl, | learned
Campbell's poem, Hohenlnden, which
begins,
On Linden when the sun was low,
All bloodlesS lay the untrodden snow,
And dark as winter was the flow
VI lser rolling rapidly.
do not suppose l had thought of the
poem Tor many years, and it is quite Ger.
tain that | had Only dim conception of
It's real significance at the time l learned
it. | may have known som ctime that
Munich is situated on the Iser river, butt
entered that city for the first time with.
out thinking otits location. About the
hrst thing tourist does on arriving In
new place is to invest in portfolio OF
views and some illustrated postcards
showing the most desirable spots to
visit That is what did when | reach
ed Munich, and noticed on one post
card the label The Iser QUAY" In.
'tantIy, the word Iser, began to awaken
associations in memory, and tantaIizinp
inatches OF the old poem came back to
me. could not rid myself of them, and
when | returned home | hunted I'D the
poem to refresh my memory. Then
became conscious, that my imagination
was stimulated to reader activity in
painting the scene, that hesonorous flow
81 the martial lines, the fiery struggle
between the Frank and the Austrian, the