St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-09-03

store OF literary pearls from the classic
and especially from the Bible, tn
noblest classic of all, there will be littl
danger from the trashy literature whicl
feeds vacant minds.
Agreeing, then, that the memorizing o
passages OF Scripture should form som
part OF Sunday school instruction for tn
young, we have to consider what t.
assign for such learning, and how tt
prepare for it. The committing tC
memory Of the Golden Texts IN oul
regular lessons has not proved success
By dint OF bald drilling the verse Is
mastered for the day, perhaps, but II
rarely remains as part of the religious
equipment Of the child. There is no con
Meeting link, no recall of visual images
perhaps none to be recalled. There is
too great lapse of time between mental
! effort directed toward the same end
The athlete does not train his arm by a
stretch one day in the week or month;
the effort, the exercise are continuous.
There is system in his training. So, too,
there should be system in learning Bible
verses. The Bible lends itself just as
readily to rational classification tor such
purposes as any of the sciences do, and
memory will lay hold Of the Pisgahs,
and let the mole hills escape.
AS one suggestion, l will say that
the teacher might take for subject
Love. The Bible is full of it, and it
could be emphasized in almost any of
the regular lessons. The children could
be asked to find verses that they eS-
peclally like, which have the word, love,
IN them, and be ready at the next lesson
to give chapter and verse where they can
be found. These should be talked over,
and selections made for memorizing,
and IN order that the eye may aid the
ear, 1t is well to write them on the
blackboard, provided such a luxury is
not lacking. Some opportunity can be
found for grouping under special heads,
such as Love to God, Love to our
neighbors, Love to our enemies, etc.
Grouping aids the memory by tighten
lngits labor, and suggesting subordinate
topics, and makes it easy to review at
each lesson, until the chosen versts have
been well fixed in the mind.
1t the children ale to Young 10 find
passages for themselves, the teacher,
OF course must make selections, but in
either case she should be working under
the guidance OF a definite plan for the
year, in order that there may be unity in
the study. This plan might emanate
from the superintendent, or from a
committee which should include the
superintendent and The pastor, but the
details, think, are better in the hands
OF the teachers, as giving more scope to
individuality in instruction, and greater
efficiency to the personality of the in-
structors themselves.
With the plan ready, then comes the
adoption OF the method to be EMPLOYED
in linking it with the regular lesson and
with the experience OF the children.
Perhaps the teacher will avail herself of
a recent incident well known to most OF
her class or a nature lesson, or a story,
but whatever the method, there should
be definite aim, clear comprehension
OF essentials, and economy OF time.
1t the superintendent allows a half hour
or the study of the lesson, perhaps ten
minutes is all that can pro6tably be used
m memorlzing. Not how many verses
shall be learned in year, not competi-
live prizes, that falsely ilumine the value
Of such acquisition, but how thoroughly,
1ow intimately shall these Scripture
gems become part of the child's life,
ought to be the working incentive.
Every passage learned must have an
atmosphere OF its own, varying as does
he individual, if it is to have per
nanent potency.
No philosopher has given truer de-
milton of the end in education than
Milton, who says that the end in
earning is to know God Alright, and out
II that knowledge to love Him, to i'm |
tate Him, to be like Him. We have two
concrete ways of knowing God, one in
lis works, and the other in His Word.
Gut how is man to recognize God in His
works without His Word? Does the
1ottentot? Does any heather. 1t is
rue that one may love nature in a way
without loving God, but when one
stands In mute enjoyment beside a clus-
er OF those stately, angel.touched |
blooms which typlty Easter morn, he
Will love ten fold more, if he has ever
cad Christ's sermon on the mount. and
l hundred fold more, ii memory at the
moment recalls Consider the lilies of
he field, how they grow they toll not,
neither do they spin: and yet say unto
'ou, that even Solomon in all his glory
vas not arrayed like one of these :" if
he is heart weary, without friends or
ZONE, trust and peace still his repining
is memory goes on repeating: where.
ore, II God so clothe the grass of the
leld, which today is, and tomorrow is
asst into the oven, shall he not much
more clothe you, We of little faitb?"
II we initiate Christ, we shall know
ONE portions of our Bible thoroughly,
nd 1t is safe to assert, that if we do not
egln to do this when young, our store
ouse OF Bible truth will ever after re-
main wotully empty. When Jesus was
nstructlng his disciples and the multi
udes andwhen He was teaching in the
nipple, He was in the habit of quoting
-tquently from the Scriptures, and the
xactness of His quotations shows
hat lie had been well taught, and that
us memory was ready to respond at
he moments demand.
On the contrary, how helpless MANY
u us Christians are, when called on to
omfort, to advise, to admonish. We
eel, we would aid, but too often we are
umb, when soul convicted of sin, or
waiting in terror for the death angels
lgnal, plteously begs US to show it the
way to heaven. No Bible at hand, per
APPS, and II there were, we would not
now where to look for the right word.
This leads ME to speak of the desir.
blIity OF Scripture memorizing in a
Itterent way from the tnete cnnn1itt;nn