The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-11-01

der to know something of these things.
So many good books have been writ
ten on this subject that anyone who
has the desire and will take the
| time may become informed.
In learning what to teach there is
often a tendency to leave too much
on so-called "lesson helps" This, it
seems to me, tends to deaden ones or
iginality in method of presentation
and to dull ones powers of individual
research. Would it not be better for
even young teacher to try first to
gather from the lesson passage all that
he can of the story and its meaning;
to do his own thinking, resOrting af-
terward to the ''lesson helps" for light
on the more obscure points. There
seem to be three natural steps in the
preparation of Sunday school lesson,
investigation, Interpretation and appli-
cation.
The first includes all the necessary
research as to the time, place and
general setting of the incidents of
the lesson. In most cases it is not
so much more careful study of de-
tails that is needed but broader
more thoughtful study of the general
subject, that the teacher may have
clearly in mind the relation of the
lesson passage to other portions of
Scripture with a sense of proportion
and perspective in his view of Gods
plan and of His dealings with His
people as outlined in the Bible.
In the interpretation of Scrip
ture passage one needs all the light
that can be brought to bear upon it,
being careful always to hold to the
Scripture meaning and not to read in
to the lines what he thinks he ought
to find there. 1t is the Bible thought
and not the teachers opinion that the
children should receive.
Having by investigation and inter-
probation determined what facts the
lesson teaches and what truths it
holds, there remains the application.
Unless the teacher decides before hand
what special point he wishes to make
he is apt to become too diffuse in
class and to present so many truths
in one lesson that no one of them
makes a definite impression. 1t is
perhaps usually best to aim at but
one practical point. Sometimes the ap-
plication is sufficiently apparent in the
narrative itself, sometimes the schol-
ars may be led to suggest it and
point the way. The work of the les
son hour should be preparation for
and gradual leading up to the presen-
tation of the truth before determined
upon as the central thought of the
lesson.
In my own experience I found that
could do better work when I made
an outline lin writing) of the les
son as 1 wished to present it. | did
not always take this outline to class
but having written it helped me to
develop the lesson in more orderly
manner; to hold to the essential points
and to avoid taking up time with non
essentials Doubtless some teachers can
do without this but for some it may
be helpful.
A vital part of the preparation of
a lesson consists in prayer. Since the
teachers work is to be inspirational
as well as instructive, much depends
upon the spirit in which it is under
taken and carried out. If every schol-
ar is made the subject of earnest and
sincere prayer and every lesson I'M
dertaken in the spirit OF prayer, re-
suits must follow.
Having made as careful preparation
for the lesson as circumstances will
permit, the next problem lies in the
work of the class hour. There must
be interest in order to gain attention
for without attention there can be no
teaching. Some, to insure interest, re-
sort to story telling. This is doubt
less entertaining and sometimes profit
able but mere story telling is not
teaching and one must guard against
the abuse of this method.
A class is always interested in
something. A teachers part seems TO
be to furnish the connecting link
between present interests and the les
son story; to show a real relation
between the Bible narrative and every
day life; to lead, by means of things
already known and understood to new
fields of thought and experience To
do this successfully one must be
careful not to overestimate the pu-
Pills present knowledge and so talk
in terms not understood. The teacher
needs to put himself on a level with
the child in thought and to look at
the lesson from the child's point of
view so as to be able to present
the truth in way that shall be
clear to him.
The lesson is sometimes treated
purely as recitation in which the
teacher questions and the scholars
either recite or read the answers.
With care this may work out satis-
factorily, but if one uses the 'lnterna-
tional lesson helps in this way the
work is apt to become stereotyped
and lifeless even provided that the
scholars have studied the Quarterly,