The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-13
EXPERTS TELL
 EXPERIENCE Various Topics Held Institutes Attention. AFTERNOON SESSION WORK Practical Illustrations by Miss Edith B. Rice of Selma. Mrs. J. F. Thomton Told Audience There Is No short Cut in Reach-
 Ius the child, But APpiieation
 Is Necessary.

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 An afternoon devoted to practical ad. vice and suggestions from expert teach CTS and workers in the Primary and Junior Departments of the Sunday school was excellently carried out ac- cording to the program of the Satur- day afternoon session of the Montgom- cry County Sunday School Institute be- ing held at the Central Presbyterian Church.
 Not only were suggestions offered, but a practical illustration in teaching a class of children between the ages of 6 and 10 years was given by Miss Edith B. Rice, of Selma. There were perhaps, twenty children present of all denominations. and the lesson foreSun- day. the planning of the temple by King David, and its building and dedi- cation by Solomon, was taught them.
 There were but few teachers present at the exercises, but these teachers were given the opportunity to see how lesaOn could be brought within grasp of the child's mentality, they saw mod ern methods and the results brought about through actual practice In this practical instruction Miss Rice made the pupils before her learn to rise from their seats without the usual attendant confusion and noise. By il- illustration easily understandable to the child mind, she showed the children why David wished to build . house for God. and why solomon and all of his people were glad to come Into it.
 About twenty minutes was consumed In the teaching of the lesson. Accord ing to the program Miss Rice then turned her attention to Practical Pri- mary Methods"
 Stress en Practice.
 Special stress was laid on the word practice. The speaker declared that the theory was helpful and was needed. but like the old woman and her marked Bible there should be a mark after ev- cry theory tried and proved" Yet counsel was given that a single method .shouid not be followed year after year to the exclusion of all other methods. The teacher must be open minded, and must give each theory that appeals to her good Judgment a thorough iridium der the right conditions,
 ''The primary teacher" declared the speaker 'ehas to teach most impress sionabIe mind. and this fact makes the teaching of The primary department or class of such department a great re- sponslbfIity as well as opportunity" The problems of the Primary Depart meat were divided into attention and teaching. Under the first head it was declared that there were two essential | the mental condition. First of all the child must be comfortable physically. No child should be made to sit upon a chair or 3 bench in which it cannot be comfortable.
 Then, too, the Primary Department should be separated from the school in such . way that the attention of the l child may not be diverted by anything. | There should be blackboard in the l room and there should be pictures. The child mind is more easily appealed to 1 through the sense of sight more than through the sense of hearing. The les- son should be adapted to the minds of the children present the language l should be simple, and the characteris- tics should be studied.
 Teach in the concrete and never in the abstract; teach with as much illus. tration as possible. was the final advice l of Miss Rice.
 Following the address of Miss Rice the program announced six three min . ute guns'' on "One Thing That Helped Our Primary Class" In this list of speakers there were primary teachers l from the First Baptist Church, the 1 Genital Presbyterian Church. the Clay ton StreAt Methodist Church, the Court Street Methodist Church, and the First Presbyterian Church.
 l Mrs. J. T. Thornton told those pres ent her experience had been that there were no short cuts in the Sunday 1 School work of the Primary Depart | ment if the work is properly done. That there should be special prepara- ton of the lesson. and that this phase of the work should receive more atten- ton on the part of the teacher than all l of the rest of the Sunday School ma chinery. Particularly did Mrs ThoIn- ton lay stress upon the adaptation of 1 the lesson.
 Mrs. J. W. Jones thought the most helpful thing in her class was the in- terest of the child. and that the way to secure this interest was for the teacher to visit the child when it is absent from a meeting of the class on Sunday, to l send them a card of the lesson or of the church, to study them and show the child that the teacher possessed a spe- cial interest in it..
 Miss Rebecca Baney re-echoed the hints of the speaker previous. adding a | triie more detail.
 Mrs. Allen Speaks. 1 Mrs. Minnie Allen spoke upon the 1 physical conditions of the school room. She told of the primary department of the Court Street Methodist Church. of It's bright carpets. of its bright walls an dthe pictures on them of the flow 1 CTS in the windows every Sunday of l classes. She impressed those present ! with the supreme importance of a I bright, cheerful room.
 Miss Augusta Woodruff. the last l speaker. advised that the primary. de- partment be graded at once. That in so doing cuts could be made at both ends. l There should be a cradle department, there should be a junior department of those over 10 or Ii years of age By so doing the work would be more consist ent. and the child given more advant- ages.
 Following the Three Minute Guns" Miss Minnie Kennedy. Field Secretary of the Alabama Sunday School Associa- ton, and expert in the primary depart ment system and methods. together with Miss Edith Rice. undertook to an- swer all questions and solve all prob lems put to them by those present
 The best methods of teaching the junior department in the graded sys- tenn of the primary department was first asked and discussion followed. Many other questions of equal import 1 ance were asked and the live discus sion was continued for about an hour.
 There was no night session of the in- stitute last night, the speakers having been assigned to the various churches during the morning hours for lectures on the Sunday School. These addresses today will begin at 1925 and will also be held in the main auditoriums of the various churches at II o'clock. The