The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1903-09-25

even be a cadet or a substitute for 9
day" All the SITS teachers Of Chicago
who faced the 26S, 1872 scholars of Cook
county last year were prepared for an
instructors life in this way.
ask the professor of geology In
some great university what right he
has to occupy a teachers chair. Il
have been appointed" he answers, "by
the heads of the university with the
approval of the faculty. have demon
strated my fitness to teach by the text
books l have written. l have studied
the strata of the rocks. l have sat at
the feet of the greatest masters of the
science. l hold diplomas from domes-
tic and foreign universities. These are
my credentials" So Christ enters the
gospel classroom as teacher, clothed
with authority. The wisdom of the
godhead was given to him. In the
counsels of eternity he learned the
mysteries of the divine government.
He became man, and by a career that
is the wonder of the ages he has taught
his people how to live. These are his
credentials.
An Authoritative Teacher.
Now, my friends, as gospel students,
are you ready to accept Jesus Christ as
an authoritative teacher? Are you
ready to accept him as the Son of God?
A few weeks ago q gentleman wrote to
a friend of mine pathetic letter, which
went something like this: ooh, why do
the ministers keep on preaching upon
useless and impractical subjects? Why
do they not preach upon some of the
vital questions of the soul? A short
time ago the doctors told me that with
in six months l must die. What l
want to know is how l can straighten
out wasted life so as to meet my
God" Well, my brother, if these words
should ever be seen by your eye or re-
peated to your ear, the first step for
you to take is to accept Jesus as the
Divine Teacher. You are not to ac-
cept him as did Joseph Ernest Renan,
''as good man." You must not accept
him as do many, as religious leader
like MOhammed or Buddha or ZoroaS-
vi 1Ou are hOl W dGCCpL
him as a seer or prophet, a John the
Baptist, an Elias or jeremiah. You
are to accept him as did Simon Peter
when he turned and said, Thou art
Christ, the Son of the Living Cod"
Are you ready to accept the authorita-
tive Jesus as divine?
Oh, the credentials of the teacher,
Christ! In the prophecies of Scripture
we can read them. In the miracles
which he performed we can verify
them. In the testimony of John the
Baptist and in the Heavenly Fathers
locks of the Son of God when Christ
was baptized, we can prove them.
Christ's credentials are of the highest
authority. They must be accepted
Napoleon was one day riding along
the lines Of the French army, when his
1ier leaped forth from the ranks and
saved his commander from being
thrown. Napoleon smiled at his res
cuer and said, "Thank you, captain"
Quick as q flash the soldier saluted and
asked his chief, "Of what regiment,
sireY The delighted emperor replied,
"Of my own guards" He then rode on.
With that the soldier threw away his
gun and stepped over to where the
staff officers of the guards were collect
ed. Indignantly those officers ordered
him back to the ranks. With that the
new made captain raised his head as he
81 am no longer a private
soldier am a captain of the emper-
or's guards" by what authority do
you make such statement" asked the
colonel Then the soldier pointed to-
ward the retreatfng form of his ruler
IS he answered, Napoleon said it!'
Alb, after that there was no further
criticism. Napoleon was the authority.
Napoleon was to give him his creden-
-ials. So Christ, as the authoritative
teacher, comes to us with his creden-
ials. The Father, the Heavenly Father,
hath spoken it. Witness the Jordanic
revelation: Behold a light cloud over
Swallowed them, and behold voice
out of the cloud which said, "This is
my Son in whom I am well pleased.
Hear We him" Authoritatively Christ
always speaks authoritatively.
The gospel classroom, in the next
place, has a self sacrificing teacher.
The word "self sacrificing" can well be
applied to all true men and women
who follow the noble profession of
teaching. l care not whether those men
and women are filling conspicuous pro-
fessional chairs, as did William Ora
ham Sumner, and John Russell Bart
lett, and julius H. Seeley, and Joseph
Storey, and Theodore w. Dwight, and
Mrs. Mary Somerville, and Elizabeth
Stewart Phelps, and Alice Freeman
Palmer and Mary Lyon, or whether
they are teaching in humble district
schools; they are all people who sacri-
flee themselves for the good Of others.
There is no business or profession on
earth in which there is more wear and
tear upon the nervous system than up
on those conscientious men and wOm-
en- who. week in and week out, spend
their lives eXpOunding and explaining
and catechising behind a teachers
desk.
Just think Of the fractions human
colts the average public school teacher
has to train. A great many parents
send their children to school in order to
get rid of them as well as to have their
brains developed. They cannot stand
the boys racket at home, so they ex-
pect the public teacher to supply the
neglected maternal discipline. God pity
the young graduate of the normal
school, who herself is hardly old enough
TO be mother, and yet has to keep in
line every day thirty or forty boys
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