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

be called for and any written work
looked over and corrected else the
scholar soon feels that the work of
preparation is useless and so ceases
to attend to it.
Perhaps a little time and thought
given to the assigning of the les
son would not be lost. The mere
announcement of a Scripture passage
for study is not definite enough and
arouses no interest. If the lesson to
be studied could be explained some
what in advance perhaps better re-
suits might be expected.
Sunday school teaching at best is
rather discouraging work. The teach
er, handicapped by lack of time, au-
thority and training often feels that
his teaching is a failure if it is to be
Judged by the amount of Biblical
knowledge actually impaired. As stat
ed before, we realize that as an
educational institution the Sunday
school is far from satisfactory. We
must realize too that the work should
be educational and that every teacher
should strive to make it so as far
as lies in his power. But there is
also the inspiration side of Sunday
school teaching and this is quite as
important as the other.
The fellowship of class relations
is in itself helpful. The very fact
of being associated with others in
study makes that study the more in
teresting and impressive. The cult
walton there of esprit de corps in class
is one of the things to be striven for.
The closer the friendship between
teacher and scholar the greater the
opportunities for helpfulness. Some one
has said that "the sermons in shoes
are the sermons most easily read and
understood by the world" So in the
teachers work the inspiration of his
life counts for even more than the
inspiration of his teaching. 1t is quite
possible that although the Bible facts
may have been poorly taught and cas-
lily forgotten the work may still have
been such as to create an interest in
and a love for the Bible itself and
surely this is more important than an
accumulation of mere facts.
To show the reality of the power
of God in the life and to furnish
stimulus to right living is one of the
teachers privileges and this is an art
not learned in any training school.
If every teacher will 90 into the
work with the supreme motive of help
fulness to others and will carry it on
with earnest and intelligent effort and
with much prayer the Sunday school
will be making great forward strides
toward the realization of its ideal.
Nor is this work without it's re-
wards to the worker. This coming in
to close touch with children and young
people adds something to ones life
not to be had in any other way. Many
of the friendships formed in the Sun
day school class have been quite as
helpful to the teacher as to the schol-
ar. Inc attempt TO Ueacn VIII uelnoH-
strate to an individual his own ignor-
ance and show up all his weak points
as nothing else will 1t makes the
teacher at once a willing learner
The Bible study involved in prepar-
ing for Sunday school class is sure
to broaden the teachers knowledge and
to deepen his sense of personal COM
munion and cooperation with the
Great Teacher. Let every earnest Sun
day school worker take courage from
the thought that Gods word cannot
return unto Him void. The labor is
surely not in vain even though the
visible results are not all that could
be hoped for.