,the ,abingdon ,religious ,education    
,texts ,david ,b4 ,downey1 ,general     
,editor ,community ,training ,school    
,series   ,norman ,e4 ,richardson1      
,editor    ,,how ,,to ,,teach ,,religion
  ,principles and ,methods  by  ,,george
 ,,herbert ,,betts  ,,the ,,abingdon    
,,press ,,new ,,york  ,,cincinnati      
#aibf        ,,dedicated ,,to ,,those   
,,who ,,have ,,in ,,their ,,keeping     
,,the ,,religious ,,destiny ,,of        
,,america--,,the ,,two ,,million        
,,teachers ,,in ,,our ,,church          
,,schools4     ,,contents  ,,chapter    
,,page  ,i4 ,,the ,,teacher ,,himself   
#ac  ,importance of the teacher--,three 
types of teachers--,the personal factor 
in teaching religion--,developing the   
power of personality--,the cultivatable 
factors in personality--,a scale for    
determining personality--,the teacher's 
mastery of subject-matter--,methods of  
growth--,fields of mastery              
demanded--,service and                  
rewards--,problems and questions4       

,,ii4 ,,the ,,great ,,objective         
#cj  ,two great objectives in           
teaching--,making sure of the greater   
objective--,teaching children versus    
teaching subject-matter--,subject-matter
 as a means instead of an end--,success 
in instruction to be measured in terms  
of modified life1 not of material       
covered--,the goal of a constantly      
developing ,christian character and     
experience--,problems for discussion4   
,,iii4 ,,the ,,fourfold ,,foundation    
#db  ,what the fourfold foundation      
consists of3 7#a7 right aims1 7#b7 right
 materials to reach these aims1 7#c7    
right organization of this material for 
instruction1 7#d7 right presentation in 
instruction--,the aim of teaching       
religion is 7#a7 fruitful knowledge1    
7#b7 right religious attitudes and      
growing consciousness of ,god1 7#c7     
power and will to live                  
righteously--,selecting subject-matter  
to meet these ends--,principles of      
organization of material--,the problem  

of effective presentation--,questions   
for discussion4   ,,iv4 ,,religious     
,,knowledge ,,of ,,most ,,worth         
#eh  ,not all religious knowledge of    
equal value--,what determines value of  
knowledge--,kind of knowledge needed by 
child--,developing the child's idea of  
,god--,harm from wrong concepts of      
,god--,giving the child the right       
concept of religion--,the qualities by  
which religion should be defined to the 
child--,the child's knowledge of the    
,bible2 of the church2 of religious     
forms of expression--,problems and      
questions4   ,v4 ,,religious ,,attitudes
 ,,to ,,be ,,cultivated                 
#gf  ,the meaning of religious          
attitudes--,these attitudes lie at the  
basis of both motives and               
character--,importance of the pupil's   
attitudes toward the church school and  
class--,enjoyment of the lesson hour and
 the growth of loyalty--,the sense of   
mastery necessary to mental and         
spiritual growth--,the grounding of a   

continuous interest in the ,bible and   
religion--,growth in spiritual warmth   
and responsiveness--,the cultivation of 
ideals--,the training of fine           
appreciations--,worthy loyalties and    
devotions--,clearness of                
,god-consciousness--,questions and      
problems4   ,,vi4 ,,connecting          
,,religious ,,instruction ,,with ,,life 
,,and ,,conduct           #ia           
,religious instruction must carry across
 to life and conduct--,hence necessity  
of finding practical outlet in          
expression for feelings1 ideals1        
emotions and attitudes resulting from   
instruction--,the setting up of certain 
religious habits--,expression in        
connection with the life of the         
church--,expression in the home         
life--,expression in the community and  
public school life--,expression in      
worship and the devotional              
life--,problems for discussion4   ,,vii4
 ,,the ,,subject ,,matter ,,of          
,,religious ,,education                 

#aji  ,the ,bible the great source-book 
of religious material--,yet much        
material other than biblical            
required--,principles for the selection 
of material from the ,bible--,biblical  
material for early childhood2 for later 
childhood2 for adolescence--,story      
material and its sources--,materials    
from nature--,materials from history and
 biography--,picture material for       
religious teaching--,religious music for
 children--,questions and problems4     
,,viii4 ,,the ,,organization ,,of       
,,material                              
#abi  ,four different types of          
organization--,organization applied 7#a7
 to the curriculum as a whole1 7#b7 to  
individual lessons--,haphazard          
organization--,logical                  
organization--,chronological            
organization--,psychological            
organization--,three types of curriculum
 organization3 7#a7 ,uniform lessons1   
7#b7 ,graded lessons1 7#c7 text books of
 religion--,organizing daily lesson     

material--,typical lesson               
plans--,problems for discussion4   ,,ix4
 ,,the ,,technique ,,of ,,teaching      
#adh  ,teaching that sticks--,attention 
the key--,types of appeal to            
attention--,the control of              
interest--,interest and action--,variety
 and change as related to               
interest--,social contagion of          
interest--,the prevention of            
distractions--,the control of           
conduct--,danger points in              
instruction--,establishing and          
maintaining standards--,questions and   
problems4   ,x4 ,,making ,,truth ,,vivid
                                        
#afe  ,vividness of impression necessary
 to lasting value--,the whole mind      
involved in religion--,learning to think
 in religion--,protecting children      
against intellectual difficulties--,the 
appeal of religion to the               
imagination--,guiding principles for the
 religious imagination--,the use of the 
memory in religion--,laws of            

memory--,how to memorize--,problems for 
discussion4   ,,xi4 ,,types ,,of        
,,teaching                              
#ahc  ,the several types of lessons for 
religious instruction--,the             
informational lesson--,the use of the   
inductive lesson--,the deductive lesson 
in religion--,the application of drill  
to religious teaching--,the lesson in   
appreciation--,conducting the review    
lesson--,how to make the lesson         
assignment--,questions and problems4    
,,xii4 ,,methods ,,used ,,in ,,the      
,,recitation                            
#bja  ,methods of procedure for the     
lesson hour--,the use of the topical    
method--,place and dangers of the       
lecture method--,securing participation 
from the class--,the question           
method--,principles of good             
questioning--,the treatment of          
answers--,the story method--,guiding    
principles in story teaching--,the      
teaching method of ,jesus--,jesus the   
embodiment of all scientific            

pedagogy--,questions and problems4      
,,editor',s ,,introduction  ,the teacher
 of religion needs to be very sure of   
himself at one point4 ,he ought to be   
able to answer affirmatively the        
question1 ,have ,i the prophetic impulse
 in my teaching8 ,sooner or later1      
practical difficulties will come not    
singly but by battalions1 and the spirit
 needs to be fortified against          
discouragement4 ,when driven back to the
 second or third line defense it is     
important that such a line really       
exists2 the consciousness of being the  
spokesman for ,god makes the teacher    
invulnerable and unconquerable4  ,but in
 order that this divine impulse may     
attain its greatest strength and find   
the most direct1 articulate1 and        
effective expression1 the teacher must  
know how as well as what to teach4 ,the 
most precious spiritual energy may be   
lost because improperly directed or     
controlled4 ,unhesitating insight into  
the solution of practical problems helps

 to open up a channel through which the 
prophetic impulse can find fullest      
expression4  ,there is no substitute for
 mastery of the technique of the        
teaching process4 ,prayerful            
consecration cannot take its place4     
,this ready command of the methods of   
teaching1 on the other hand1 is in no   
sense an equivalent of the consciousness
 of having been called or chosen to     
teach religion4 ,the two must go hand in
 hand4 ,no one who feels himself        
divinely appointed for this sacred task 
dares ignore the responsibility of      
becoming a workman not to be ashamed1   
rightly dividing the word of truth4     
,this volume by ,dr4 ,betts offers the  
earnest teacher of religion an          
exceptional opportunity to make more    
effective his ideal of instruction4 ,the
 treatment applies the best of modern   
educational science to the problems of  
the church school1 without1 however1 for
 a moment1 forgetting that a vital      
religious experience is the final goal  

of all our teaching4  ,besides setting  
forth the underlying principles of      
religious teaching in a clear and       
definite way1 the author has included in
 every chapter a rich fund of           
illustration and concrete application   
which cannot fail to prove immediately  
helpful in every church classroom4 ,it  
is also believed that students of       
religious education will find this      
treatment of method by ,professor ,betts
 the most fundamental and sane that has 
yet appeared in the field4  ,,norman ,e4
 ,,richardson4     ,,author',s ,,preface
  ,children can be brought to a         
religious character and experience      
through right nurture and training in   
religion4 ,this is the fundamental      
assumption on which the present volume  
rests1 and it makes the religious       
education of children the most strategic
 opportunity and greatest responsibility
 of the church1 standing out above all  
other obligations whatever4  ,further1  
the successful teaching of religion is  

based on the same laws that apply to    
other forms of teaching2 hence teachers 
in church schools need and have a right 
to all the help that a scientific       
pedagogy permeated by an evangelistic   
spirit can give them4 ,they also have   
the obligation to avail themselves of   
this help for the meeting of their great
 task4  ,this book undertakes to deal in
 a concrete and practical way with the  
underlying principles of religious      
instruction4 ,the plan of the text is   
simple4 ,first comes the part the       
teacher must play in training the child 
in religion4 ,then the spiritual changes
 and growth to be effected in the child 
are set forth as the chief objective of 
instruction4 ,next is a statement of the
 great aims1 or goals1 to be striven for
 in the child's expanding religious     
experience4 ,these goals are3 7#a7      
fruitful religious knowledge2 7#b7 right
 religious attitudes--interests1 ideals1
 feelings1 loyalties2 7#c7 the          
application of this knowledge and these 

attitudes to daily life and conduct4    
,following the discussion of aims is the
 question of just what subject matter to
 choose in order to accomplish these    
ends1 and how best to organize the      
chosen material for instruction4 ,and   
finally1 how most effectively to present
 the subject matter selected to make it 
serve its purpose in stimulating and    
guiding the spiritual growth and        
development of children4  ,the volume is
 intended as a textbook for             
teacher-training classes1 students of   
religious education1 and for private    
study by church-school teachers4 ,it is 
also hoped that ministers may find some 
help in its pages toward meeting their  
educational problems4  ,northwestern    
,university1 ,evanston1 ,illinois4      
,,chapter ,i  ,,the ,,teacher ,,himself 
,it is easy enough to secure buildings  
and classrooms for our schools4 ,the    
expenditure of so many dollars will     
bring us the equipment we require4      
,books and materials may be had almost  

for the asking4 ,the great problem is to
 secure teachers--real teachers1        
teachers of power and devotion who are  
able to leave their impress on young    
lives4 ,without such teachers all the   
rest is but as sounding brass or a      
tinkling cymbal4 ,and to be a real      
teacher is a very high achievement4     
,bishop ,vincent was giving a lecture on
 ,that ,boy4 ,he himself was that boy1  
and in the course of describing his     
school days he fell into meditation as  
follows3 ,that old school master of     
mine6--,he is dead now--and ,i have     
forgiven him6--,and ,i am afraid that   
was the chronology of the matter2 for ,i
 never was able to forgive him while he 
lived4 ,i1 as one of the listeners1     
smiled at the bitter wit of the speaker1
 but was oppressed4  ,this somber view  
of the impression sometimes left by     
teachers on their pupils received an    
antidote the following day1 however1    
when a venerable old man approached my  
desk bearing in his hands an ancient and

 dog-eared copy of a text in grammar4   
,he opened the book and proudly showed  
me written across the fly leaf ,grover  
,cleveland1 ,president4 ,then he told me
 this story3  ,i have been a teacher4   
,in one of my first schools ,i had      
,grover ,cleveland as a pupil4 ,he came 
without a textbook in grammar1 and ,i   
loaned him mine4 ,years passed1 and     
,grover ,cleveland was ,president of the
 ,united ,states4 ,one day ,i was one of
 many hundreds passing in line at a     
public reception to grasp the           
,president's hand4 ,i carried this book 
with me1 and when it came my turn to    
meet the ,president1 ,i presented the   
volume and said1 ',mr4 ,president1 do   
you recognize this book1 and do you     
remember me8' ,in an instant the light  
of recognition had flashed in ,mr4      
,cleveland's eyes4 ,calling me by name1 
he grasped my hand and held it while the
 crowd waited and while he recalled old 
times and thanked me for what ,i had    
meant to him when ,i was his teacher4   

,then he took the old book and          
autographed it for me4  ,three types of 
teachers4--,two types of teachers are   
remembered3 one to be forgiven after    
years have softened the antagonisms and 
resentments2 the other to be thought of 
with honor and gratitude as long as     
memory lasts4 ,between these two is a   
third and a larger group3 those who are 
forgotten1 because they failed to stamp 
a lasting impression on their pupils4   
,this group represents the mediocrity of
 the profession1 not bad enough to be   
actively forgiven1 not good enough to   
claim a place in gratitude and          
remembrance4  ,to which type would we   
belong8 ,to which type can we belong8   
,can we choose8 ,what are the factors   
that go to determine the place we shall 
occupy in the scale of teachers8   ,,the
 ,,personal ,,factor  ,when we revert to
 our own pupil days we find that the    
impressions which cling to our memories 
are not chiefly impressions of facts    
taught and of lessons learned1 but of   

the personality of the teacher4 ,we may 
have forgotten many of the truths       
presented and most of the conclusions   
drawn1 but the warmth and glow of the   
human touch still remains4  ,to be a    
teacher of religion requires a          
particularly exalted personality4 ,the  
teacher and the truth taught should     
always leave the impression of being of 
the same pattern4 ,for their sakes ,i   
sanctify myself1 said the ,great        
,teacher2 shall the teachers of his     
,word dare do less6  ,the teacher as an 
interpreter of truth4--,this is not to  
say that the subject matter taught is   
unimportant1 nor that the lessons       
presented are immaterial4 ,it is only to
 say that life responds first of all to 
life4 ,truth never comes to the child   
disembodied and detached1 but always    
with the slant and quality of the       
teacher's interpretation of it4 ,it is  
as if the teacher's mind and spirit were
 the stained glass through which the    
sunlight must fall2 all that passes     

through the medium of a living          
personality takes its tone and quality  
from this contact4 ,the pupils may or   
may not grasp the lessons of their      
books1 but their teachers are living    
epistles1 known and read by them all4   
,for it is the concrete that grips and  
molds4 ,our greatest interest and best  
attention center in persons4 ,the world 
is neither formed nor reformed by       
abstract truths nor by general theories4
 ,whatever ideals we would impress upon 
others we must first have realized in   
ourselves4 ,what we are often drowns out
 what we say4 ,words and maxims may be  
misunderstood2 character seldom is4     
,precepts may fail to impress2          
personality never does4 ,god tried      
through the ages to reveal his purposes 
to man by means of the law and the      
prophets1 but man refused to heed or    
understand4 ,it was only when ,god had  
made his thought and plan for man       
concrete in the person of ,jesus of     
,nazareth that man began to understand4 

,the first and most difficult           
requirement of the teacher1 therefore1  
is--himself1 his personality4 ,he must  
combine in himself the qualities of life
 and character he seeks to develop in   
his pupils4 ,he must look to his        
personality as the source of his        
influence and the measure of his power4 
,he must be the living embodiment of    
what he would lead his pupils to become4
 ,he must live the religion he would    
teach them4 ,he must possess the vital  
religious experience he would have them 
attain4  ,the building of               
personality4--,personality is not born1 
it is made4 ,a strong1 inspiring        
personality is not a gift of the gods1  
nor is a weak and ineffective           
personality a visitation of ,providence4
 ,things do not happen in the realm of  
the spiritual any more than in the realm
 of nature4 ,everything is caused4      
,personality grows4 ,it takes its form  
in the thick of the day's work and its  
play4 ,it is shaped in the crush and    

stress of life's problems and its       
duties4 ,it gains its quality from the  
character of the thoughts and acts that 
make up the common round of experience4 
,it bears the marks of whatever         
spiritual fellowship and communion we   
keep with the ,divine4  ,professor      
,dewey tells us that character is       
largely dependent on the mode of        
assembling its parts4 ,a teacher may    
have a splendid native inheritance1 a   
fine education1 and may move in the best
 social circles1 and yet not come to his
 best in personality4 ,it requires some 
high and exalted task in order to       
assemble the powers and organize them to
 their full efficiency4 ,the urge of a  
great work is needed to make potential  
ability actual4 ,paul did not become the
 giant of his latter years until he took
 upon himself the great task of carrying
 the gospel to the ,gentiles4  ,our own 
responsibility4--,it follows then that  
the building of our personalities is    
largely in our own hands4 ,true1 the    

influence of heredity is not to be      
overlooked4 ,it is easier for some to   
develop attractive1 compelling qualities
 than for others4 ,the raw material of  
our nature comes with us2 is what       
heredity decrees4 ,but the finished     
product bears the stamp of our training 
and development4 ,fate or destiny never 
takes the reins from our hands4 ,we are 
free to shape ourselves largely as we   
will4  ,our inner life will daily grow  
by what it feeds upon4 ,this is the     
great secret of personality-building4   
,what to-day we build into thought and  
action to-morrow becomes character and  
personality4 ,let us cultivate our      
interests1 think high thoughts1 and give
 ourselves to worthy deeds1 and these   
have soon become a life habit4 ,let our 
hearts go out in helpfulness to those   
about us1 and sympathy for human kind   
becomes a compelling motive in our lives
 before we are aware4 ,let us           
consciously listen to the still small   
voice speaking to the soul1 and we will 

find our souls expanding to meet the    
,infinite4  ,the secret4--,he who would 
develop his personality into the full   
measure of its strength and power must1 
then1 set his goal at living constantly 
in the presence of the ,,best4 ,this    
will include the best in thought and    
memory and anticipation4 ,it will permit
 none but cheerful moods1 nor allow us  
to dwell with bitterness upon petty     
wrongs and grievances4 ,it will control 
the tongue1 and check the unkind word or
 needless criticism4 ,it will cause us  
to seek for the strong and beautiful    
qualities in our friends and associates1
 and not allow us to point out their    
faults nor magnify their failings4 ,it  
will cure us of small jealousies and    
suppress all spirit of revenge4 ,it will
 save us from idle worry and fruitless  
rebellion against such ills as cannot be
 cured4 ,in short1 it will free our     
lives from the crippling influence of   
negative moods and critical attitudes4  
,it will teach us to be ruled by our    

admirations rather than by our          
aversions4  ,above all1 he who would    
build a personality fitted to serve as  
the teacher of the child in his religion
 must constantly live in the presence of
 the best he can attain in ,god4 ,there 
is no substitute for this4 ,no fullness 
of intellectual power and grasp1 no     
richness of knowledge gleaned1 and no   
degree of skill in instruction can take 
the place of a vibrant1 immediate1      
,spirit-filled consciousness of ,god in 
the heart4 ,for religion is life1 and   
the best definition of religion we can  
present to the child is the example and 
warmth of a life inspired and vivified  
by contact with the ,source of all      
spiritual being4 ,the authority of the  
teacher should rest on his own religious
 experience1 rather than on the         
spiritual experience of others4  ,a     
character chart4--,there is no          
possibility1 of course1 of making a list
 of all the qualities that enter into   
our personalities4 ,nor would it be     

possible to trace all the multiform ways
 in which these qualities may combine in
 our characters4 ,it is worth while1    
however1 to consider a few of the       
outstanding traits which take first     
place in determining our strength or    
weakness1 and especially such as will   
respond most readily to conscious       
training and cultivation4 ,such a list  
follows4 ,each quality may serve as a   
goal both for our own development and   
for the training of our pupils4         
,,positive ,,qualities                  
,,negative ,,qualities  #a ,open-minded1
 inquiring1 broad          ,narrow1     
dogmatic1 not hungry for truth  #b      
,accurate1 thorough1 discerning         
,indefinite1 superficial1 lazy  #c      
,judicious1 balanced1 fair              
,prejudiced1 led by likes and dislikes  
#d ,original1 independent1 resourceful  
,dependent1 imitative1 subservient  #e  
,decisive1 possessing convictions       
,uncertain1 wavering1 undecided  #f     
,cheerful1 joyous1 optimistic           

,gloomy1 morose1 pessimistic1 bitter  #g
 ,amiable1 friendly1 agreeable          
,repellent1 unsociable1 disagreeable  #h
 ,democratic1 broadly sympathetic       
,snobbish1 self-centered1 exclusive  #i 
,tolerant1 sense of humor1 generous     
,opinionated1 dogmatic1 intolerant  #aj 
,kind1 courteous1 tactful               
,cruel1 rude1 untactful  #aa ,tractable1
 cooperative1 teachable                 
,stubborn1 not able to work with others 
#ab ,loyal1 honorable1 dependable       
,disloyal1 uncertain dependability  #ac 
,executive1 forceful1 vigorous          
,uncertain1 weak1 not capable  #ad ,high
 ideals1 worthy1 exalted          ,low  
standards1 base1 contemptible  #ae      
,modest1 self-effacing                  
,egotistical1 vain1 autocratic  #af     
,courageous1 daring1 firm               
,overcautious1 weak1 vacillating  #ag   
,honest1 truthful1 frank1 sincere       
,low standards of honor and truth  #ah  
,patient1 calm1 equable                 
,irritable1 excitable1 moody  #ai       

,generous1 open-hearted1 forgiving      
,stingy1 selfish1 resentful  #bj        
,responsive1 congenial          ,cold1  
repulsive1 uninviting  #ba ,punctual1 on
 schedule1 capable          ,tardy1     
usually behindhand1 incapable  #bb      
,methodical1 consistent1 logical        
,haphazard1 desultory1 inconsistent  #bc
 ,altruistic1 given to service          
,indifferent1 not socially-minded  #bd  
,refined1 alive to beauty1 artistic     
,coarse1 lacking aesthetic quality  #be 
,self-controlled1 decision1 purpose     
,suggestible1 easily led1 uncertain  #bf
 ,good physical carriage1 dignity       
,lack of poise1 ill posture1 no grace   
#bg ,taste in attire1 cleanliness1 pride
          ,careless in dress1 frumpy1 no
 pride  #bh ,face smiling1 voice        
pleasing          ,somber expression1   
voice unpleasant  #bi ,physical         
endurance1 vigor1 strength              
,quickly tired1 weak1 sluggish  #cj     
,spiritual responsiveness strong        
,spiritually weak1 inconstant1 uncertain

  #ca ,prayer life warm1 satisfying     
,prayer cold1 formal1 little comfort    
#cb ,religious certainty1 peace1 quiet  
,conflict1 strain1 uncertainty  #cc     
,religious experience expanding         
,spiritual life static or losing force  
#cd ,god a near1 inspiring reality      
,god distant1 unreal1 hard of approach  
#ce ,power to win others to religion    
,influence little or negative  #cf      
,interest in ,bible and religion        
,little concern for religion and ,bible 
#cg ,religion makes life fuller and     
richer          ,religion felt as a     
limitation  #ch ,deeply believe great   
fundamentals          ,lacking in       
foundations for faith  #ci ,increasing  
triumph over sin          ,too frequent 
falling before temptation  #dj          
,religious future hopeful               
,religious growth uncertain   ,it is    
highly instructive for one to grade     
himself on this list of qualities2 or he
 may have his friends and associates    
grade him1 thus getting an estimate of  

the impression he is making on others4  
,teachers will find it well worth while 
to attempt to grade each of their       
pupils2 for this will give a clearer    
insight into their strengths and        
weaknesses1 and so indicate where to    
direct our teaching4 ,mark each separate
 set of qualities on the scale of #aj   
for the highest possible attainment4 ,if
 the strength of the positive qualities 
of a certain set 7as in ,no4 #aj7 can be
 marked but #f1 then the negative       
qualities of this set must carry a mark 
of #d4   ,,the ,,teacher',s ,,background
 ,,of ,,preparation  ,one can never     
teach all he knows4 ,dr4 ,john ,dewey   
tells us that the subject matter of our 
instruction should be so well mastered  
that it has become second nature to us2 
then when we come to the recitation we  
can give our best powers of thought and 
insight to the human element--seeking to
 understand the boys and girls as we    
teach them4  ,our knowledge and mastery 
must always be much broader than the    

material we actually present4 ,it must  
be deeper and our grasp more complete   
than can be reached by our pupils4 ,for 
only this will give us the mental       
perspective demanded of the teacher4    
,only this will enable our thought to   
move with certainty and assurance in the
 field of our instruction4 ,and only    
this will win the confidence and respect
 of our pupils who1 though their minds  
are yet unformed1 have nevertheless a   
quick sense for mastery or weakness as  
revealed in their teacher4  ,a danger   
confronted by teachers in church        
schools4--,teachers in our church       
schools are at a disadvantage at this   
point4 ,they constitute a larger body   
than those who teach in the day schools1
 yet the vast army who teach our        
children religion receive no salaries4  
,they are engaged in other occupations1 
and freely give their services as       
teachers of religion with no thought of 
compensation or reward4 ,the time and   
enthusiasm they give to the ,sunday     

school is a free-will offering to a     
cause in which they believe4 ,all this  
is inspiring and admirable1 but it also 
contains an element of danger4  ,for it 
is impossible to set up scholastic and  
professional standards for our teachers 
of religion as we do for the teachers in
 our day schools4 ,the day-school       
teacher1 employed by the state and      
receiving public funds1 must go through 
a certain period of training for his    
position4 ,he must pass examinations in 
the subject matter he is to teach1 and  
in his professional fitness for the work
 of the teacher4 ,he must have a        
certificate granted by responsible      
authorities before he can enter the     
schoolroom4 ,he must show professional  
growth while in service if he is to     
receive promotion or continue in the    
vocation4  ,greater personal            
responsibility on church school         
teacher4--,naturally1 all this is       
impossible with volunteer teachers who  
receive no pay for their services and   

are not employed under legal authority4 
,no compulsion can be brought to bear2  
all must rest on the sense of duty and  
of opportunity of the individual        
teacher4 ,yet the ,sunday school teacher
 needs even a more thorough background  
of preparation than the day-school      
teacher1 for the work of instruction in 
the ,sunday school is almost infinitely 
harder than in the day school4 ,religion
 and morals are more difficult to teach 
than arithmetic and geography4 ,the     
church building usually lacks adequate  
classroom facilities4 ,the lesson       
material is not as well graded and      
adapted to the children as the          
day-school texts4 ,the lessons come but 
once a week1 and the time for           
instruction is insufficient4 ,the       
children do not prepare their lessons1  
and so come to the ,sunday school       
lacking the mental readiness essential  
to receiving instruction4  ,this all    
means that the ,sunday school teacher   
must rise to a sense of his             

responsibilities4 ,he must realize that 
he holds a position of influence second 
to none in the spiritual development of 
his pupils4 ,he must remember that he is
 dealing with a seed-time whose harvest 
involves the fruits of character and    
destiny4 ,with these facts in mind he   
must ask himself whether he is justified
 in standing before his class as teacher
 without having given the time and      
effort necessary for complete           
preparation4  ,the teacher and his      
,bible4--,the teacher should know his   
,bible4 ,this means far more than to    
know its text and characters4 ,the      
,bible is history1 it is literature1 it 
is a treatise on morals1 it is          
philosophy1 it is a repository of       
spiritual wisdom1 it is a handbook of   
inspiration and guidance to the highest 
life man has in any age conceived4  ,to 
master the ,bible one must have a       
background of knowledge of the life and 
history of its times4 ,he must enter    
into the spirit and genius of the       

,hebrew nation1 know their aspirations1 
their political and economic problems1  
and understand their tragedies and      
sufferings4 ,he must know the historical
 and social setting of the ,jewish      
people1 the nations and civilizations   
that surrounded them1 and the customs1  
mode of life1 and trend of thought of   
contemporaneous peoples4  ,not all of   
these things can be learned from the    
,bible itself4 ,one must make use of the
 various helps and commentaries now     
available to ,bible students4 ,the      
religions of ancient ,egypt1 ,assyria1  
,babylonia1 ,greece1 and ,rome should be
 studied4 ,ancient literatures should be
 placed under tribute1 and every means  
employed to gain a working knowledge of 
the social medium out of which the      
,christian religion developed4  ,the    
teacher's knowledge of children4--,time 
was when we thought of the child as a   
miniature man1 differing from adults on 
the physical side only in size and      
strength1 and on the mental side only in

 power and grasp of thought4 ,now we    
know better4 ,we know that the child    
differs from the adult not only in the  
quantity but also in the quality of his 
being4  ,it is the business of the      
teacher to understand how the child     
thinks4 ,what is the child's concept of 
,god8 ,what is the character of the     
child's prayer8 ,how does the child feel
 when he takes part in the acts of      
worship8 ,we talk to the child about    
serving ,god2 what is the child's       
understanding of service to ,god8 ,we   
seek to train the child to loyalty to   
the church2 what does the church stand  
for to the child8 ,we teach the child   
about sin and forgiveness2 just what is 
the child's comprehension of sin1 and   
what does he understand by forgiveness8 
,we tell the child that he must love    
,god and the ,christ2 can a child       
control his affections as he will1 or do
 they follow the trend of his thoughts  
and experiences8 ,these are not idle    
questions4 ,they are questions that must

 be answered by every teacher who would 
be more than the blind leader of the    
blind4  ,coming to know the child4--,how
 shall the teacher come to know the     
child8 ,professor ,george ,herbert      
,palmer sets forth a great truth when he
 says that the first quality of a great 
teacher is the quality of vicariousness4
 ,by this he means the ability on the   
part of the teacher to step over in his 
imagination and take the place of the   
child4 ,to look at the task with the    
child's mind and understanding1 to feel 
the appeal of a lesson or story through 
the child's emotions1 to confront a     
temptation with the child's power of    
will and self-control--this ability is  
the beginning of wisdom for those who   
would understand childhood4 ,the teacher
 must first of all1 therefore1 be a     
sympathetic investigator in the         
laboratory of child life4 ,not only in  
the ,sunday school1 but daily1 he must  
observe1 study1 seek to interpret       
children4  ,nor should the teacher of   

religion neglect the books on the child 
and his religion4 ,many investigators   
are giving their time and abilities to  
studying child nature and child         
religion4 ,a mastery of their findings  
will save us many mistakes in the       
leadership and training of children4 ,a 
knowledge of their methods of study will
 show us how ourselves more             
intelligently to study childhood4       
,comprehension of the principles they   
represent1 coupled with the results of  
our own direct interpretation of        
children1 will convince us that1 while  
each child differs from every other1    
certain fundamental laws apply to all   
childhood4 ,it is the teacher's task and
 privilege to master these laws4        
,knowledge of technique4--,teaching is  
an art1 which must be learned the same  
as any other art4 ,true1 there are those
 who claim that anyone who knows a thing
 can teach it2 but often the teacher who
 makes such a claim is himself the best 
refutation of its validity when he comes

 before his class4 ,probably most of us 
have known eminent specialists in their 
field of learning who were but          
indifferent teachers4 ,it is not that   
they knew too much about their subjects1
 but that they had not mastered the art 
of its presentation to others4  ,the    
class hour is the teacher's great       
opportunity4 ,his final measure as a    
teacher is taken as he stands before his
 class in the recitation4 ,here he      
succeeds or fails4 ,in fact1 here the   
whole system of religious education     
succeeds or fails4 ,for it is in this   
hour1 where the teacher meets his pupils
 face to face and mind to mind1 that all
 else culminates4 ,it is for this hour  
that the ,sunday school is organized1   
the classrooms provided1 and the lesson 
material prepared4 ,it is in this hour  
that the teacher succeeds in kindling   
the interest1 stirring the thought and  
feeling1 and grounding the loyalty of   
his class4 ,or1 failing in this1 it is  
in the recitation hour that the teacher 

leaves the spiritual life of the child  
untouched by his contact with the       
,sunday school and so defeats its whole 
intent and purpose4  ,the teacher of    
religion should therefore ask himself3  
,what is my craftsmanship in            
instruction8 ,do ,i know how to present 
this material so that it will take hold 
upon my class8 ,do ,i know the technique
 of the recitation hour1 and the        
principles of good teaching8 ,have ,i   
read what the scholars have written and 
what the experience of others has to    
teach me4 ,have ,i definitely planned   
and sought for skill8 ,is my work in the
 classroom the best that ,i can make it8
  ,the teacher must continuously be a   
student4--,the successful teacher of    
religion must1 therefore1 be a student4 
,he must continually grow in knowledge  
and in teaching power4 ,there is no     
possibility of becoming prepared through
 the reading of certain books and the   
pursuit of certain courses of study and 
then having this preparation serve      

without further growth4 ,the famous ,dr4
 ,arnold1 an insatiable student until   
the day of his death1 when asked why he 
found it necessary to prepare for each  
day's lessons1 said he preferred that   
his pupils should drink from a running  
stream rather than from a stagnant pool4
 ,this1 then1 should be the teacher's   
standard3 ,a broad background of general
 preparation1 constant reading and study
 in the field of religion and religious 
teaching1 special preparation for each  
lesson taught4  ,the churches of each   
community should unite in providing a   
school for teacher training4 ,where the 
community training school cannot be     
organized1 individual churches should   
organize training classes for their     
teachers4 ,such schools and classes have
 been provided in hundreds of places1   
and the movement is rapidly spreading4  
,wherever such opportunities are        
available the best church school        
teachers are flocking to the classes and
 giving the time and effort necessary to

 prepare for better service4  ,even     
where no organized training classes are 
at present available1 the earnest       
teacher can gain much help from         
following an organized course of reading
 in such lines as those just given4     
,excellent texts are available in most  
of these fields4  ,the reward4--,one    
deep and abiding satisfaction may come  
to the teacher who feels the burden of  
reaching the standards set forth in this
 lesson4 ,it is all worth while4 ,some  
make the mistake of charging against    
their task all the time1 effort and     
devotion that go into preparing         
themselves as teachers of religion4 ,but
 this is a false philosophy4 ,for a     
great work greatly performed leaves the 
stamp of its greatness on the worker4   
,all that we do toward making out of    
ourselves better teachers of childhood  
adds to our own spiritual equipment4    
,all the study1 prayer1 and consecration
 we give to our work for the children   
returns a hundredfold to us in a richer 

experience and a larger capacity for    
service4       #a4 ,recall several      
teachers whom you remember best from    
your own      pupil days1 and see       
whether you can estimate the qualities  
in their      character or teaching     
which are responsible for the lasting   
impression4       #b4 ,are you able to  
determine from the character chart which
 are      your strongest qualities8     
,which are your weakest qualities8 ,just
      what methods are you planning to  
use to improve your personality8        
#c4 ,in thinking of your class1 are you 
able to judge in connection      with   
different ones on what qualities of     
character they most need      help8 ,are
 you definitely seeking to help on these
 points in your      teaching8       #d4
 ,do you think that church-school       
teachers could pass as good an          
examination on what they undertake to   
teach as day-school teachers8      ,are 
the standards too high for day-school   
teachers8 ,are they high      enough for

 church-school teachers8       #e4 ,have
 you seen ,sunday-school teachers at    
work who evidently did      not know    
their ,bibles8 ,have you seen others who
 seemed to know      their ,bibles but  
who were ignorant of childhood8 ,have   
you seen      others whose technique of 
teaching might have been improved by a  
little careful study and preparation8   
,are you willing to apply      these    
three tests to yourself8   ,,for        
,,further ,,reading  ,palmer1 ,the      
,ideal ,teacher4  ,hyde1 ,the ,teacher's
 ,philosophy4  ,slattery1 ,living       
,teachers4  ,horne1 ,the ,teacher as    
,artist4     ,,chapter ,,ii  ,,the      
,,great ,,objective   ,all teaching has 
two objectives--the subject taught and  
the person taught4 ,when we teach ,john 
grammar 7or the ,bible7 we teach grammar
 7or the ,bible71 of course2 but we also
 teach ,john4 ,and the greater of these 
two objectives is ,john4 ,it is easy    
enough to attain the lesser of the      
objectives4 ,anyone of fair intelligence

 can master a given amount of subject   
matter and present it to a class2 but it
 is a far more difficult thing to       
understand the child--to master the     
inner secrets of the mind1 the heart1   
and the springs of action of the        
learner4  ,who can measure the          
potentialities that lie hidden in the   
soul of a child6 ,just as the acorn     
contains the whole of the great oak tree
 enfolded in its heart1 so the          
child-life has hidden in it all the     
powers of heart and mind which later    
reach full fruition4 ,nothing is created
 through the process of growth and      
development4 ,education is but a process
 of unfolding and bringing into action  
the powers and capacities with which the
 life at the beginning was endowed by   
its ,creator4   ,,the ,,child ,,as ,,the
 ,,great ,,objective  ,the child comes  
into the world--indeed1 comes into the  
school--with much potential and very    
little actual capital4 ,nature has      
through heredity endowed him with       

infinite possibilities4 ,but these are  
but promises2 they are still in         
embryonic form4 ,the powers of mind and 
soul at first lie dormant1 waiting for  
the awakening that comes through the    
touch of the world about and for the    
enlightenment that comes through        
instruction4  ,given just the right     
touch at the opportune moment1 and these
 potential powers spring into dynamic   
abilities1 a blessing to their possessor
 and to the world they serve4 ,left     
without the right training1 or allowed  
to turn in wrong directions1 and these  
infinite capacities for good may become 
instruments for evil1 a curse to the one
 who owns them and a blight to those    
against whom they are directed4         
,children the bearers of spiritual      
culture4--,the greatest business of any 
generation or people is1 therefore1 the 
education of its children4 ,before this 
all other enterprises and obligations   
must give way1 no matter what their     
importance4 ,it is at this point that   

civilization succeeds or fails4 ,suppose
 that for a single generation our       
children should1 through some           
inconceivable stroke of fate1 refuse to 
open their minds to instruction--suppose
 they should refuse to learn our        
science1 our religion1 our literature1  
and all the rest of the culture which   
the human race has bought at so high a  
price of sacrifice and suffering4       
,suppose they should turn deaf ears to  
the appeal of art1 and reject the claims
 of morality1 and refuse the lessons of 
,christianity and the ,bible4 ,where    
then would all our boasted progress be8 
,where would our religion be8 ,where    
would modern civilization be8 ,all would
 revert to primitive barbarism1 through 
the failure of this one generation1 and 
the race would be obliged to start anew 
the long climb toward the mountain top  
of spiritual freedom4  ,each generation 
must therefore create anew in its own   
life and experience the spiritual       
culture of the race4 ,each child that   

comes to us for instruction1 weak1      
ignorant1 and helpless though he be1 is 
charged with his part in the great      
program ,god has marked out for man to  
achieve4 ,each of these little ones is  
the bearer of an immortal soul1 whose   
destiny it is to take its quality and   
form from the life it lives among its   
fellows4 ,and ours is the dread and     
fascinating responsibility for a time to
 be the mentor and guide of this        
celestial being4 ,ours it is to deal    
with the infinite possibilities of      
child-life1 and to have a hand in       
forming the character that this immortal
 soul will take4 ,ours it is to have the
 thrilling experience of experimenting  
in the making of a destiny6             
,childhood's capacity for growth4--,nor 
must we ever think that because the     
child is young1 his brain unripe1 and   
his experience and wisdom lacking1 our  
responsibility is the less4 ,for the    
child's earliest impressions are the    
most lasting1 and the earliest          

influences that act upon his life are   
the most powerful in determining its    
outcome4 ,remember that the babe1       
starting at birth with nothing1 has in a
 few years learned speech1 become       
acquainted with much of his immediate   
world1 formed many habits which will    
follow him through life1 and established
 the beginnings of permanent character  
and disposition4 ,remember the indelible
 impression of the bedside prayers of   
your mother1 of the earliest words of   
counsel of your father1 of the influence
 of a loved teacher1 and then know that 
other children are to-day receiving     
their impressions from us1 their parents
 and teachers4  ,consider for a moment  
the child as he comes to us for         
instruction4 ,we no longer insist with  
the older theologies that he is         
completely under the curse of original  
sin1 nor do we believe with certain     
sentimentalists that he comes trailing  
clouds of glory4 ,we believe that he has
 infinite capacities for good1 and      

equally infinite capacities for evil1   
either of which may be developed4 ,we   
know that at the beginning the child is 
sinless1 pure of heart1 his life        
undefiled4 ,to know this is enough to   
show us our part4 ,this is to lead the  
child aright until he is old enough to  
follow the right path of his own accord1
 to ground him in the motives and habits
 that tend to right living1 and so to   
turn his mind1 heart1 and will to ,god  
that his whole being seeks accord with  
the ,infinite4  ,religious              
conservation4--,if our leading of the   
child is wise1 and his response is      
ready1 there will be no falling away    
from a normal ,christian life and a     
growing consciousness of ,god4 ,this    
does not mean that the child will never 
do wrong1 nor commit sin4 ,it does not  
mean that the youth will not1 when the  
age of choice has come1 make a personal 
decision for ,christ and consecrate his 
life anew to ,christ's service4 ,it     
means1 rather1 that the whole attitude  

of mind1 and the complete trend of life 
of the child will be religious4 ,it     
means that the original purity of       
innocence will grow into a conscious and
 joyful acceptance of the               
,christ-standard4 ,it means that the    
child need never know a time when he is 
not within the ,kingdom1 and growing to 
fuller stature therein4 ,it means that  
we should set our aim at conservation   
instead of reclamation as the end of our
 religious training4  ,yet what a       
proportion of the energy of the church  
is to-day required for the reclaiming of
 those who should never have been       
allowed to go astray6 ,evangelistic     
campaigns1 much of the preaching1       
personal work1 ,salvation ,army         
programs1 and many other agencies are of
 necessity organized for the reclaiming 
of men and women who but yesterday were 
children in our homes and church        
schools1 and plastic to our training4   
,what a tragic waste of energy6--and    
then those who never return6 ,should we 

not be able more successfully to carry  
out the ,master's injunction1 ,feed my  
lambs8  ,the child-,christian4--,all of 
these considerations point to the       
inevitable conclusion that the child is 
the great objective of our teaching4    
,indeed1 the child ought to be the      
objective of the work of the whole      
church4 ,the saving of its children from
 wandering outside the fold is the      
supreme duty and the strategic          
opportunity of the church1 standing out 
above all other claims whatever4 ,we are
 in some danger of forgetting that when 
,jesus wanted to show his disciples the 
standard of an ideal ,christian he took 
a child and set him in the midst of     
them4 ,we do not always realize that to 
keep a child a ,christian is much more  
important than to reclaim him after he  
has been allowed to get outside the     
fold4  ,the recent report of a series of
 special religious meetings states that 
there were a certain number of          
conversions exclusive of children1 the  

implication being that the really       
important results were in the decisions 
of the adults4 ,the same point of view  
was revealed when a church official     
remarked after the reception of a large 
group of new members1 ,it was an        
inspiring sight1 except that there were 
so few adults6 ,when shall we learn that
 if we do our duty by the children there
 will be fewer adults left outside for  
the church to receive8   ,,no ,,subject 
,,matter ,,an ,,end ,,in ,,itself  ,the 
teacher must first of all take his stand
 with the child4 ,he must not allow his 
attention and enthusiasms to become     
centered on the matter he teaches4 ,he  
must not be satisfied when he has       
succeeded in getting a certain fact     
lodged in the minds of his pupils4 ,he  
must first1 last1 and all the time look 
upon subject matter1 no matter how      
beautiful and true it may be1 as a means
 to an end4 ,the end sought is certain  
desired changes in the life1 thought1   
and experience of the child4 ,there are 

hosts of teachers who can teach grammar 
7or the ,bible71 but comparatively few  
who can teach ,john4  ,this does not    
mean that the material we teach is      
unimportant1 nor that we can fulfill our
 duty as teachers without the use of    
interesting1 fruitful1 and inspiring    
subject matter4 ,it does not mean that  
we are not to love the subject we teach1
 and feel our heart thrill in response  
to its beauty and truth4  ,making       
subject matter a means instead of an    
end4--,one who is not filled with       
enthusiasm for a subject has no moral   
right to attempt to teach it1 for the   
process will be dead and lifeless1      
failing to kindle the fires of response 
in his pupils and lacking in vital      
results4 ,but the true teacher never    
loves a body of subject matter for its  
own sake2 he loves it for what through  
it he can accomplish in the lives of    
those he teaches4  ,as a student1       
searching for the hidden meanings and   
thrilling at the unfolding beauties of  

some field of truth which we are        
investigating1 we may love the thing we 
study for its own sake2 and who of us   
does not feel in that way toward        
sections of our ,bible1 a poem1 the     
record of noble lives1 or the perfection
 of some bit of scientific truth8 ,but  
when we face about and become the       
teacher1 when our purpose is not our own
 learning but the teaching of another1  
then our attitude must change4 ,we will 
then love our cherished body of material
 not less1 but differently4 ,we will now
 care for the thing we teach as an      
artisan cares for his familiar          
instruments or the artist cares for his 
brush--we will prize it as the means    
through which we shall attain a desired 
end4  ,subject matter always subordinate
 to life4--,it will help us to          
understand the significance of this     
fundamental principle if we pause to    
realize that all the matter we teach our
 children had its origin in human       
experience2 it was first a part of human

 life4 ,our scientific discoveries have 
come out of the pressure of necessities 
that nature has put upon us1 and what we
 now put into our textbooks first was   
lived by men and women in the midst of  
the day's activities4 ,the deep         
thoughts1 the beautiful sentiments1 and 
the high aspirations expressed in our   
literature first existed and found      
expression in the lives of people4 ,the 
cherished truths of our ,bible and its  
laws for our spiritual development      
appeal to our hearts just because they  
have arisen from the lives of countless 
thousands1 and so have the reality of   
living experience4  ,there is1          
therefore1 no abstract truth for truth's
 sake4 ,just as all our culture         
material--our science1 our literature1  
our body of religious truth--had its    
rise out of the experience of men       
engaged in the great business of living1
 so all this material must go back to   
life for its meaning and significance4  
,the science we teach in our schools    

attains its end1 not when it is learned 
as a group of facts1 but when it has    
been set at work by those who learn it  
to the end that they live better1       
happier1 and more fruitful lives4 ,the  
literature we offer our children has    
fulfilled its purpose1 not when they    
have studied the mechanism of its       
structure1 read its pages1 or committed 
to memory its lines1 but when its       
glowing ideals and high aspirations have
 been realized in the lives of those who
 learn it4  ,and so this also holds for 
the ,bible and its religious truth4 ,its
 rich lessons full of beautiful meaning 
may be recited and its choicest verses  
stored in the memory and still be barren
 of results1 except as they are put to  
the test and find expression in living  
experience4 ,the only true test of      
learning a thing is whether the learner 
lives it4 ,the only true test of the    
value of what one learns is the extent  
to which it affects his daily life4 ,the
 value of our teaching is therefore     

always to be measured by the degree to  
which it finds expression in the lives  
of our pupils4 ,john1 not grammar 7nor  
even the ,bible71 is the true objective 
of our teaching4   ,,effect ,,of ,,the  
,,objective ,,on ,,our ,,teaching  ,not 
only will this point of view vitalize   
our teaching for the pupils1 but it will
 also save it from becoming commonplace 
and routine for ourselves4 ,this truth  
is brought out in a conversation that   
occurred between an old schoolmaster and
 his friend1 a business man4  ,the true 
objective saves from the rut of         
routine4--,said the business man1 ,do   
you teach the same subjects year after  
year8  ,the schoolmaster replied that he
 did4  ,do you not finally come to know 
this material all by heart1 so that it  
is old to you8 asked the friend4  ,the  
schoolmaster answered that such was the 
case4  ,and yet you must keep going over
 the same ground1 class after class and 
year after year6 exclaimed the business 
man4  ,the schoolmaster admitted that it

 was so4  ,then1 said his friend1 ,i    
should think that you would tire beyond 
endurance of the old facts1 and grow    
weary beyond expression of repeating    
them after the charm of novelty and     
newness has gone4 ,how do you live      
through the sameness and grind8  ,you   
forget one thing6 exclaimed the old     
schoolmaster1 who had learned the secret
 of the great objective4 ,you forget    
that ,i am not really teaching that old 
subject matter at all2 ,i am teaching   
living boys and girls6 ,the matter ,i   
teach may become familiar4 ,it may have 
lost the first thrill of novelty4 ,but  
the boys and girls are always new2 their
 hearts and minds are always fresh and  
inviting2 their lives are always open to
 new impressions1 and their feet ready  
to be turned in new directions4 ,the old
 subject matter is but the means by     
which ,i work upon this living material 
that comes to my classroom from day to  
day4 ,i should no more think of growing 
tired of it than the musician would     

think of growing tired of his violin4   
,and so the schoolmaster's friend was   
well answered4  ,unsafe measures of     
success4--,it is possible to lodge much 
subject matter in the mind which1 once  
there1 does not function4 ,it is        
possible to teach many facts which play 
no part in shaping the ideals1          
quickening the enthusiasms1 or directing
 the conduct4 ,and all mental material  
which lies dead and unused is but so    
much rubbish and lumber of the mind4 ,it
 plays no part in the child's true      
education1 and it dulls the edge of the 
learner's interest and his enjoyment of 
the school and its instruction4  ,it is 
possible to have the younger children in
 our ,sunday schools from week to week  
and still fail to secure sufficient hold
 on them so that they continue to come  
after they have reached the age of      
deciding for themselves4 ,the proof of  
this is all too evident in the          
relatively small proportion of youth in 
our church-school classes between the   

ages of fifteen and twenty-five4  ,it is
 possible to offer the child lessons    
from the ,bible throughout all the years
 of childhood1 and yet fail to ground   
sufficient interest in the ,bible or    
religion so that in later years the man 
or woman naturally turns to the ,bible  
for guidance or comfort1 and fails to   
make religion the determining principle 
of the life4  ,the child the only true  
measure of success4--,let us therefore  
be sure of our objective4 ,let us never 
be proud nor satisfied that we have     
taught our class so much subject        
matter--so many facts1 maxims1 or       
lessons of whatever kind4 ,we shall need
 to teach them all these things1 and    
teach them well4 ,but we must inquire   
further4 ,we must ask1 ,what have these 
things done for the boys and girls of my
 class8 ,what has been the outcome of my
 teaching8 ,how much effect has it had  
in life1 character1 conduct8 ,in how far
 are my pupils different for having been
 in my class1 and for the lessons ,i    

have taught them8 ,in how far have ,i   
accomplished the true objective of my   
teaching8  ,let us never feel secure    
merely because the children are found in
 the ,sunday school1 and because the    
statistical reports show increase in    
numbers and in average attendance4      
,these things are all well2 without them
 we cannot do the work which the church 
should do for its children4 ,but these  
are but the externals1 the outward      
signs4 ,we must still inquire what real 
influence the school is having on the   
growing spiritual life of its children4 
,we must ask what part our instruction  
is having in the making of ,christians4 
,we must measure all our success in     
terms of the child's response to our    
efforts4 ,we must realize that we have  
failed except as we have caused the     
child's spiritual nature to unfold and  
his character to grow toward the ,christ
 ideal4       #a4 ,as you think of your 
own teaching1 are you able to decide    
whether you have been sufficiently clear

 in your objective8 ,have      you      
rather assumed that if you presented the
 lessons as they came      the results  
must of necessity follow1 or have you   
been alive to the      real effects on  
your pupils8       #b4 ,are you able to 
discover definite changes that are      
working out      in the lives of your   
pupils from month to month as you have  
them      under your instruction8 ,are  
they more reverent1 more truthful1 more 
sure against temptation1 increasingly   
conscious of ,god in their      lives8  
,what other effects might you look for8 
#c4 ,do you think that the church is in 
some degree overlooking its      most   
strategic opportunity in not providing  
more efficiently for      the religious 
education of its children8 ,if more     
attention were      given to religious  
nurture of children1 would the problems 
of      evangelism be less pressing1 and
 a larger proportion of adults          
found in the church8 ,what can the      
church school do to help8 ,what      can

 your class do8       #d4 ,do you love  
the matter that you seek to teach the   
children8 ,do      you love it for what 
it means to you1 or for what through it 
you      can do for them8 ,do you look  
upon the material you teach truly as a  
means and not as an end8 ,are you       
teaching subject matter or              
children8       #e4 ,do you feel the    
real worth and dignity of childhood8 ,do
 you      sometimes stop to remember    
that the ignorant child before you      
to-day may become the ,phillips ,brooks1
 the ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 the         
,livingstone1 the ,frances ,willard1 the
 ,luther of to-morrow8 ,do you          
realize the responsibility that one     
takes upon himself when he              
undertakes to guide the development of a
 life8       #f4 ,can you now make a    
statement of the measures that you will 
wish      to apply to determine your    
degree of success as a teacher8 ,it will
      be worth your while to try to make
 a list of the immediate      objectives

 you will seek for your class to attain 
in their personal      lives4 ,keep this
 list and see whether it is modified by 
the      chapters that lie ahead4       
,,for ,,further ,,reading  ,harrison1 ,a
 ,study of ,child ,nature4  ,moxcey1    
,girlhood and ,character4  ,dawson1 ,the
 ,child and ,his ,religion4  ,forbush1  
,the ,boy ,problem4  ,richardson        
7,editor71 ,the ,american ,home ,series4
  ,richardson1 ,religious ,education of 
,adolescents4     ,,chapter ,,iii  ,,the
 ,,fourfold ,,foundation#a  #a ,the     
point of view and in some degree the    
outlines of this and several following  
chapters have been adapted from the     
author's text ,class-,room ,method and  
,management1 by permission of the       
publishers1 ,the ,bobbs-,merrill ,co41  
,indianapolis4   ,all good teaching     
rests on a fourfold foundation of       
principles4 ,these principles are the   
same from the kindergarten to the       
university1 and they apply equally to   
the teaching of religion in the church  

school or subjects in the day school4   
,every teacher must answer four         
questions growing out of these          
principles1 or1 failing to answer them1 
classify himself with the unworthy and  
incompetent4 ,these are the four supreme
 questions3       #a4 ,what definite    
aims have ,i set as the goal of my      
teaching8 ,what      outcomes do ,i     
seek8       #b4 ,what material1 or      
subject matter1 will best accomplish    
these      aims8 ,what shall ,i stress  
and what shall ,i omit8       #c4 ,how  
can this material best be organized1 or 
arranged1 to adapt      it to the child 
in his learning8 ,how shall ,i plan my  
material8       #d4 ,what shall be my   
plan or method of presentation of this  
material to make it achieve its purpose8
 ,what of my technique of               
instruction8   ,,the ,,aim ,,in         
,,teaching ,,religion  ,first of all1   
the teacher of religion must have an    
aim2 he must know what ends he seeks to 
accomplish4 ,some statistically minded  

person has computed that1 with all the  
marvelous accuracy of aiming modern     
guns1 more than one thousand shots are  
fired for every man hit in battle4 ,one 
cannot but wonder how many shots would  
be required to hit a man if the guns    
were not aimed at anything6  ,is the    
analogy too strong8 ,is the teacher more
 likely than the gunner to reach his    
objective without consciously aiming at 
it8 ,and can the teacher set up for     
attainment as definite aims as are      
offered the gunner8 ,do we know just    
what ends we seek in the religious      
training of our children8  ,life itself 
sets the aim4--,this much at least is   
certain4 ,we know where to look for the 
aims that must guide us4 ,we shall not  
try to formulate an aim for our teaching
 out of our own thought or reasoning    
upon the subject4 ,we shall rather look 
out upon life1 the life the child is now
 living and the later life he is to     
live1 and ask3 ,what are the demands    
that life makes on the individual8 ,what

 is the equipment this child will need  
as he meets the problems and tests of   
experience in the daily round of living8
 ,what qualities and powers will he     
require that he may the most fully      
realize his own potentialities and at   
the same time most fruitfully serve his 
generation8 ,what abilities must he have
 trained in order that he may the most  
completely express ,god's plan for his  
life8 ,when we can answer such questions
 as these we shall have defined the aim 
of religious education and of our       
teaching4  ,the knowledge aim4--,first  
of all1 life demands knowledge4 ,there  
are things that we must know if we are  
to avoid dangers and pitfalls4          
,knowledge shows the way1 while         
ignorance shrouds the path in darkness4 
,to be without knowledge is to be as a  
ship without a rudder1 left to drift on 
the rocks and shoals4 ,the religious    
life is intelligent2 it must grasp1     
understand1 and know how to use many    
great truths4 ,to supply our children   

with religious knowledge is1 therefore1 
one of the chief aims of our teaching4  
,yet not all knowledge is of equal      
worth4 ,even religious knowledge is of  
all degrees of fruitfulness4 ,some      
knowledge1 once acquired1 fails to      
function4 ,it has no point of contact   
with our lives4 ,it does not deal with  
matters we are meeting in the day's     
round of experience4 ,it therefore lies 
in the mind unused1 or1 because it is   
not used1 it quickly passes from the    
memory and is gone4 ,such knowledge as  
this is of no real value4 ,it is not    
worth the time and effort put upon its  
mastery2 and it crowds out other and    
more fruitful knowledge that might take 
its place4  ,to be a true end of        
education1 knowledge must be of such    
nature that it can be put at work4 ,it  
must relate to actual needs and         
problems4 ,it must have immediate and   
vital points of contact with the child's
 common experiences4 ,the child must be 
able to see the relation of the truths  

he learns to his own interests and      
activities4 ,he must feel their value   
and see their use in his work and in his
 play4 ,this is as true of religious    
knowledge as of knowledge of other      
kinds4 ,the religious knowledge the     
child needs1 therefore1 is a knowledge  
that can at once be incorporated in his 
life4 ,to supply the child with         
knowledge of this vital1 fruitful sort  
becomes1 then1 one great aim in the     
teaching of religion4  ,but knowledge   
alone is not enough4 ,indeed1 knowledge 
is but the beginning of religious       
education1 whereas we have been in      
danger of considering it the end4 ,many 
there are who know the ways of life but 
do not follow them4 ,many know the paths
 of duty1 but choose an easier way4     
,many know the road to service and      
achievement1 but do not enter thereon4  
,if to do were as easy as to know what  
to do1 then all of us would mount to    
greater heights4  ,the attitudes        
aim4--,life demands goals set ahead for 

achievement4 ,it must have clearly      
defined the worth whiles which lead to  
endeavor4 ,along with the knowledge that
 guides our steps must be the impulses  
that drive to right action4 ,besides    
knowing what to do there must be inner  
compelling forces that get things done4 
,the chief source of our goals and of   
the driving power within us is what1 for
 want of a better term1 we may call our 
attitudes4  ,prominent among our        
attitudes are the interests1            
enthusiasms1 affections1 ambitions1     
ideals1 appreciations1 loyalties1       
standards1 and attachments which        
predominate4 ,these all have their roots
 set deep in our emotions2 they are the 
measure of life's values4 ,they are the 
worth whiles which give life its        
quality1 and which define the goal for  
effort4  ,chesterton tells us that the  
most important thing about any man is   
the kind of philosophy he keeps--that is
 to say1 his attitudes4 ,for it is out  
of one's attitudes that his philosophy  

of life develops1 and that he settles   
upon the great aims to which he devotes 
himself4 ,it is in one's attitudes that 
we find the springs of action and the   
incentives to endeavor4 ,it is in       
attitudes that we find the forces that  
direct conduct and lead to character4   
,to train the intellect and store the   
mind with knowledge without developing a
 fund of right attitudes to shape the   
course of action is therefore even      
fraught with danger4 ,the men in        
positions of political power who often  
misgovern cities or use public office as
 a means to private gain do not act from
 lack of knowledge or in ignorance of   
civic duty2 their failure is one of     
ideals and loyalties2 their attitude    
toward social trust and service to their
 fellow men is wrong4 ,the men who use  
their power of wealth to oppress the    
poor and helpless1 or unfairly exploit  
the labor of others to their own selfish
 advantage do not sin from lack of      
knowledge2 their weakness lies in false 

standards and unsocial attitudes4 ,men  
and women everywhere who depart from    
paths of honor and rectitude fall more  
often from the lack of high ideals than 
because they do not know the better way4
  ,the goal and the motive power in all 
such cases comes from a false philosophy
 of life2 it is grounded in wrong       
attitudes4 ,the education of those who  
thus misconceive life has failed of one 
of its chief aims--to develop right     
attitudes4 ,hence character is wanting4 
,the conduct1 or application1 aim4--,the
 third and ultimate aim of education has
 been implied in the first two2 it is   
conduct1 right living4 ,this is the     
final and sure test of the value of what
 we teach--how does it find expression  
in action8 ,do our pupils think         
differently1 speak differently1 act     
differently here and now because of what
 we teach them8 ,are they stronger when 
they meet temptation from day to day8   
,are they more sure to rise to the      
occasion when they confront duty or     

opportunity8 ,are their lives more pure 
and free from sin8 ,do the lessons we   
teach find expression in the home1 in   
the school1 and on the playground8 ,is  
there a real outcome in terms of daily  
living8  ,these are all fair questions1 
for knowledge is without meaning except 
as it becomes a guide to action4 ,high  
ideals and beautiful enthusiasms attain 
their end only when they have eventuated
 in worthy deeds4 ,what we do because of
 our training is the final test of its  
value4 ,conduct1 performance1           
achievement are the ultimate measures of
 what our education has been worth to   
us4 ,by this test we must measure the   
effects of our teaching4  ,summary of   
the threefold aim4--,the aim in teaching
 the child religion is therefore        
definite1 even if it is difficult to    
attain4 ,this aim may be stated in three
 great requirements which life itself   
puts upon the child and every           
individual3       #a4 ,fruitful         
knowledge2 knowledge of religious truths

 that can be      set at work in the    
daily life of the child now and in the  
years      that lie ahead4       #b4    
,right attitudes2 the religious warmth1 
responsiveness1      interests1 ideals1 
loyalties1 and enthusiasms which lead to
 action      and to a true sense of what
 is most worth while4       #c4 ,skill  
in living2 the power and will to use the
 religious      knowledge and           
enthusiasms supplied by education in    
shaping the acts      and conduct of the
 daily life4  ,true1 we may state our   
aim in religious teaching in more       
general terms than these1 but the       
meaning will be the same4 ,we may say   
that we would lead the child to a       
knowledge of ,god as ,friend and        
,father2 that we seek to bring him into 
a full1 rich experience of spiritual    
union with the divine2 that we desire to
 ground his life in personal purity and 
free it from sin2 that we would spur him
 to a life crowned with deeds of        
self-sacrifice and ,christlike service2 

that we would make out of him a true    
,christian4 ,this is well and is a high 
ideal1 but in the end it sums up the    
results of the religious knowledge1     
attitudes1 and acts we have already set 
forth as our aim4 ,these are the parts  
of which the other is the whole2 they   
are the immediate and specific ends     
which lead to the more distant and      
general4 ,let us1 therefore1 conceive   
our aim in both ways--the ideal         
,christian life as the final goal toward
 which we are leading1 and the          
knowledge1 attitudes1 and acts that make
 up to-day's life as so many steps taken
 toward the goal4   ,,selecting ,,the   
,,subject ,,matter  ,after the aim the  
subject matter4 ,when we would build    
some structure we first get plan and    
purpose in mind2 then we select the     
material that shall go into it4 ,it is  
so with education4 ,once we have set    
before us the aim we would reach1 our   
next question is1 ,what shall be the    
means of its attainment8 ,when we have  

fixed upon the fruitful knowledge1 the  
right attitudes1 and the lines of       
conduct and action which must result    
from our teaching1 we must then ask1    
,what means shall we select to achieve  
these ends8 ,what material or subject   
matter shall we teach in the church     
school8  ,the subject matter he presents
 is the instrumentality by which the    
teacher must accomplish his aims for his
 class4 ,through this material he must  
awaken thought1 store the mind with     
vital truths1 arouse new interests1     
create ideals and lead the life to ,god4
 ,as the artist works with brush and    
paint1 with tool and clay1 so the       
teacher must work with truths and lesson
 materials4  ,guiding principles4--,two 
great principles must guide in the      
selection of subject matter for         
religious instruction3       #a4 ,the   
material must be suited to the aims we  
seek4       #b4 ,the material must be   
adapted to the child4  ,the tools and   
instruments the workman uses must be    

adapted to the purpose sought4 ,ask the 
expert craftsman what kind of plane or  
chisel you should buy for a piece of    
work you have in mind1 and he will ask  
you just what ends you seek1 what uses  
you would put them to4 ,ask the         
architect what materials you should have
 for the structure you would build1 and 
he will tell you that depends on the    
plan and purpose of your building4  ,the
 material must fit the aim4--,what      
materials of religious truth should the 
teacher bring to his class8 ,the answer 
is that truths and lessons must be      
suited to the aim we seek4 ,would we    
lead our children to understand the     
,fatherhood of ,god and to love him for 
his tender care8 ,then the lessons must 
contain this thought1 and not be built  
on irrelevant material4 ,would we lead  
youth to catch the thrill and           
inspiration of noble lives1 to pattern  
conduct after worthy deeds8 ,then our   
lesson material must deal with the high 
and fine in character and action1 and   

not with trivial things of lesser value4
  ,so also1 if we would capture the     
interest of childhood for the church    
school and bind its loyalty to the      
church1 the subject matter we offer and 
the lessons we teach in the house of    
,god must contain the glow and throb of 
life1 and not be dry and barren4 ,if we 
would awaken religious feeling and link 
the emotions to ,god1 we must not teach 
empty lessons1 meaningless dates1 and   
musty facts that fail to reach the heart
 because they have no inner meaning4    
,small use to set high aims and then    
miss them for want of material suited   
for their attainment4 ,small use to     
catalogue the fine qualities of heart   
and mind we would train in our children 
and then fail of our aim because we     
choose wrong tools with which to work4  
,not all facts found in the ,bible are  
of equal worth to children1 nor are all 
religious truths of equal value4        
,nothing should be taught just because  
it is true1 nor even because it is found

 in the ,bible4 ,the final question is  
whether this lesson material is the best
 we can choose for the child himself2   
whether it will give him the knowledge  
he can use1 train the attitudes he      
requires1 and lead to the acts and      
conduct that should rule his life4  ,the
 material must fit the child4--,the     
subject matter we teach must also be    
fitted to the child4 ,it must be within 
his grasp and understanding4 ,we do not 
feed strong meat to babes4 ,what may be 
the grown person's meat may be to the   
child poison4 ,it does no good to load  
the mind with facts it cannot           
comprehend4 ,there is no virtue in      
truths1 however significant and         
profound1 if they are beyond the reach  
of the child's experience4 ,matter which
 is not assimilated to the understanding
 is soon forgotten2 or if retained1 but 
weighs upon the intellect and dulls its 
edge for further learning4  ,there can  
be little doubt that we have quite      
constantly in most of our ,sunday       

schools forced upon the child no small  
amount of matter that is beyond his     
mental grasp1 and so far outside his    
daily experience that it conveys little 
or no meaning4 ,we have                 
over-intellectualized the child's       
religion4 ,jesus was to the ,greeks     
foolishness because they had no basis of
 experience upon which to understand his
 pure and unselfish life4 ,may not many 
of the facts1 figures1 dates1 and events
 from an ancient religion which we give 
young children likewise be to them but  
foolishness6 ,may not the lessons upon  
some of the deepest1 finest and most    
precious concepts in our religion1 such 
as faith1 atonement1 regeneration1      
repentance1 the ,trinity1 be lost or    
worse than lost upon our children       
because we force them upon unripe minds 
and hearts at an age when they are not  
ready for them8  ,let us then1 not      
forget the child when we teach religion6
 ,let us not assume that truths and     
lessons are an end in themselves4 ,let  

us constantly ask1 as we prepare our    
lessons1 ,will this material work as a  
true leaven in the life8 ,will it take  
root and blossom into character1 fine   
thought1 and worthy conduct8 ,while our 
children dumbly ask for living bread let
 us not give them dead stones and dry   
husks1 which cannot feed their souls6   
,let us adapt our subject matter to the 
child4  ,the use of stress and          
neglect4--,that the lesson material     
printed in the ,sunday school booklets  
is not always well adapted to the       
children every teacher knows4 ,but there
 it is1 and what can we do but teach it1
 though it may sometimes miss the mark8 
,there is one remedy the wise and       
skillful teacher always has at his      
command4 ,by the use of stress and      
neglect the matter of the lesson may be 
made to take quite different forms4 ,the
 points that are too difficult may be   
omitted or but little emphasized4 ,the  
matter that best fits the child may be  
stressed and its application made4      

,illustrations1 stories1 and lessons    
from outside sources may be introduced  
to suit the aim4 ,great truths may be   
restated in terms within childhood's    
comprehension4 ,the true teacher1 like  
the craftsman1 will select now this     
tool1 now that to meet his purpose4     
,regardless of what the printed lesson  
offers1 he will reject or use1          
supplement or replace with new material 
as the needs of his class may demand4   
,the true teacher will be the master1   
and not the servant1 of the subject     
matter he uses4   ,,how ,,shall ,,we    
,,organize ,,and ,,plan ,,the ,,lessons8
  ,when the content of the subject      
matter has been decided upon then comes 
its organization4 ,how shall we arrange 
and plan the material we teach so as to 
give the children the easiest and most  
natural mode of approach to its         
learning8  ,the great law here is that  
the arrangement of subject matter must  
be psychological4 ,this only means that 
we must always ask ourselves how will   

the child most easily and naturally     
enter upon the learning of this         
material8 ,how can ,i organize it for   
the recitation so that it will most     
strongly appeal to his interest8 ,how   
can ,i arrange it so that it will be    
most easily grasped and understood8 ,how
 can ,i plan the lesson so that its     
relation to immediate life and conduct  
will be most clear and its application  
most surely made8  ,the psychological   
mode of approach4--,i recently happened 
into a junior ,sunday school class where
 the lesson was on faith4 ,the teacher  
evidently did not know how to plan for a
 psychological mode of approach to this 
difficult concept4 ,he began by defining
 faith in ,paul's phrase as the         
substance of things hoped for2 the      
evidence of things not seen4 ,he then   
went to the dictionary definition1 which
 shows the relation of faith to belief4 
,he discussed the relation of faith to  
works1 as presented in the writings of  
,james4 ,but all to no avail4 ,the class

 was uninterested and inattentive4 ,the 
lesson did not take hold4 ,the time was 
wasted and the opportunity lost4 ,i     
excused myself and went to another      
classroom4  ,here they had the same     
topic4 ,but the teacher had sought for  
and found a starting point from which to
 explain the meaning of faith in terms  
that the children could understand4 ,the
 teacher's eye rested for a moment on   
,john2 then3 ,john1 when does your next 
birthday come8  ,the sixteenth of next  
month1 replied ,john promptly4  ,going  
to get any presents1 do you think8 asked
 the teacher4  ,yes1 sir1 answered ,john
 with conviction4  ,what makes you think
 so8 inquired the teacher4 ,not         
everybody does receive birthday         
presents1 you know4  ,but ,i am sure ,i 
will1 persisted ,john4 ,you see1 ,i know
 my father and mother4 ,they have never 
yet let one of my birthdays pass without
 remembering me1 and ,i am sure they are
 not going to begin to forget me now4   
,they think too much of me4  ,you seem  

to have a good deal of faith in your    
father and mother1 remarked the teacher4
  ,well ,i guess ,i have6 was ,john's   
enthusiastic response4  ,and right at   
this point the way was wide open to show
 ,john and the class the meaning of     
faith in a heavenly ,father4 ,the wise  
teacher had found a point of contact in 
,john's faith in the love and care of   
his parents1 and it was but a step from 
this to the broader and deeper faith in 
,god4  ,it is a law of human nature that
 we are all interested first of all in  
what affects our own lives4 ,our        
attention turns most easily to what     
relates to or grows out of our own      
experience4 ,the immediate and the      
concrete are the natural and most       
effective starting points for our       
thought4 ,the distant and remote exert  
little appeal to our interest2 it is the
 near that counts4 ,especially do these 
rules hold for children4  ,making sure  
of a point of contact4--,all these facts
 point the way for the teacher in the   

planning and organization of material   
for his class4 ,the point of departure  
must always be sought in some immediate 
interest or activity in the life of the 
child1 and not in some abstract truth or
 far-away lesson1 however precious these
 may be to the adult ,christian4 ,and no
 lesson is ready for presentation until 
the way into the child's interest and   
comprehension has been found4 ,many a   
lesson that might have been full of rich
 spiritual meaning for the child has    
been lost to our pupils because it was  
presented out of season1 or because the 
vital connection between the truth and  
the child's experience was not          
discovered by the teacher4  ,this       
principle suggests that in the main     
children should not be taught religious 
truths in terms which they cannot grasp1
 nor in such a way that the application 
to their own lives is not clear4 ,for   
example1 the vital truths contained in  
the church catechisms are not for       
children2 the statement of them is too  

abstract and difficult1 and the meaning 
too remote from the child's experience4 
,many of the same truths can be         
presented to children in the form of    
stories or illustrations2 other of the  
truths may rest until the child becomes 
older before claiming his attention4    
,bible verses and sentiments completely 
outside the child's comprehension are   
not good material for memorizing4       
,lessons upon the more difficult        
concepts and deeper problems of religion
 belong to the adult age1 and should not
 be forced upon children4  ,our guiding 
principle1 therefore1 is to keep close  
to the mind1 heart1 and daily life of   
childhood4 ,then adapt the subject      
matter we teach to the mind1 interests1 
and needs of those we teach4            
,definitions1 rules1 abstract           
statements1 general truths have little  
or no value with children4 ,it is the   
story1 the concrete incident1 the direct
 application growing out of their own   
experiences that takes hold4            

,,presenting ,,the                      
,,lesson--,,instruction  ,after the aim 
has been clearly conceived1 and after   
the lesson material has been wisely     
chosen and properly organized1 there    
still remains the most important        
part--that of getting the lesson across 
to the class4 ,many a valuable lesson1  
full of helpfulness1 has been lost to   
the pupils because the teacher lacked   
the power to bring his class to the     
right pitch for receiving and retaining 
impressions4 ,many a class period has   
been wasted because the teacher failed  
to present the material of the lesson so
 that it gripped interest and compelled 
attention4  ,response a test of         
instruction4--,the first test of good   
instruction is the response of the      
class4 ,are the children alert8 ,are    
they keen for discussion1 or for        
listening to stories told or            
applications made8 ,do they think8 ,do  
they enjoy the lesson hour1 and give    
themselves happily and whole-heartedly  

to it8 ,is their conduct good1 and their
 attitude serious1 reverent1 and        
attentive8 ,are they all in the game1 or
 are there laggards1 inattentive ones1  
and mischief-makers8  ,these questions  
are all crucial4 ,for the first law of  
all learning is self-activity4 ,there is
 no possibility of teaching a child who 
is not mentally awake4 ,only the active 
mind grasps1 assimilates1 remembers1    
applies4 ,the birth of new ideas1 the   
reaching of convictions1 the arriving at
 decisions all come in moments of mental
 stress and tension4 ,lethargy of       
thought and feeling is fatal to all     
classroom achievement4 ,therefore1 no   
matter how keenly alert the teacher's   
mind may be1 no matter how skillful his 
analysis of an important truth may be if
 his class sit with flagging interest   
and lax attention4  ,results a test of  
instruction4--,the second test of good  
instruction is our skill in handling the
 material of the lesson1 and shaping the
 trend of thought and discussion4 ,are  

the children interested in the right    
things8 ,are the central truths of the  
lesson being brought out and applied8   
,is the discussion centered on topics   
set for our consideration1 or does it   
degenerate into aimless talk on matters 
of personal or local interest which have
 no relation to the lesson8 ,in short1  
does the recitation period yield the    
fruitful knowledge we had set as a goal 
for this lesson8 ,does it stimulate the 
attitudes and motives we had meant to   
reach8 ,does it lead to the applications
 in life and conduct which were         
intended8 ,does it get results8  ,the   
four points of this lesson are of       
supreme importance in teaching religion4
 ,the aim must be clear1 definite1 and  
possible of attainment4 ,the subject    
matter of instruction must be wisely    
selected as an instrument for reaching  
the aim set forth4 ,the organization of 
this material must adapt it to the mind 
and needs of the child4 ,the            
presentation of the lesson material in  

the recitation must be such that its    
full effect is brought to bear upon the 
mind and heart of those we teach4  ,each
 of these four points will be further   
elaborated in the chapters which follow4
 ,in fact1 the remainder of the text is 
chiefly a working out and applying of   
these fundamental principles to the     
teaching of religion4       #a4 ,to what
 extent would you say you have been     
directing your      teaching toward a   
definite aim8 ,just how does the problem
 of this      chapter relate itself to  
the preceding chapter on the ,great     
,objective8       #b4 ,do you think the 
majority of those who have come up      
through the      church school possess  
as full and definite a knowledge of the 
,bible      and the fundamentals of     
religion as we have a right to expect8  
,if      not1 where is the trouble and  
what the remedy8       #c4 ,have you    
been consciously emphasizing the        
creation of right      attitudes as one 
of the chief outcomes of your teaching8 

,do you      judge that you are as      
successful in the developing of         
religious      attitudes as in imparting
 information8 ,if not1 can you find a   
remedy8       #d4 ,to what extent do you
 think your instruction is actually     
carrying over into the immediate life   
and conduct of your class in      their 
home1 school1 etc48 ,if not to so great 
an extent as you could      wish1 are   
you willing to make this one of the     
great aims of your      teaching from   
this time on1 seeking earnestly         
throughout this text      and in other  
ways to learn how this may be done8     
#e4 ,do you on the whole feel that the  
subject matter you are      teaching    
your pupils is adapted to the aims you  
seek to reach in      their lives8 ,if  
not1 how can you supplement and change  
to make it      more effective8 ,have   
you a broad enough knowledge of such    
material      yourself so that you can  
select material from other sources for  
them8       #f4 ,to what extent do you  

definitely plan each lesson for the     
particular children you teach so as to  
make it most accessible to      their   
interest and grasp8 ,do you plan each   
lesson to secure a      psychological   
mode of approach8 ,how do you know when 
you have a      psychological approach8 
,,for ,,further ,,reading  ,betts1      
,class-,room ,method and ,management1   
,part ,i4  ,coe1 ,a ,social ,theory of  
,religious ,education1 ,part ,,ii4      
,du,bois1 ,the ,point of ,contact in    
,teaching4     ,,chapter ,,iv           
,,religious ,,knowledge ,,of ,,most     
,,worth   ,the child comes into the     
world devoid of all knowledge and       
understanding4 ,his mind1 though at the 
beginning a blank1 is a potential       
seedbed in which we may plant what      
teachings we will4 ,the babe born into  
our home to-day can with equal ease be  
made into a ,christian1 a ,buddhist1 or 
a ,mohammedan4 ,he brings with him the  
instinct to respond to the appeal       
religion makes to his life1 but the kind

 and quality of his religion will depend
 largely on the religious atmosphere he 
breathes and the religious ideas and    
concepts placed in his mind through     
instruction and training4  ,what1 then1 
shall we teach our children1 in         
religion8 ,if fruitful knowledge is to  
be one of the chief aims of our         
teaching1 what knowledge shall we call  
fruitful8 ,what are the great           
foundations on which a ,christian life  
must rest8 ,years ago ,spencer wrote a  
brilliant essay on knowledge of most    
worth in the field of general education4
 ,what knowledge is of most worth in the
 field of religious education8 ,for not 
all knowledge1 as we have seen1 is of   
equal value4 ,some religious knowledge  
is fruitful because it can be set at    
work to shape our attitudes and guide   
our acts2 other religious knowledge is  
relatively fruitless because it finds no
 point of contact with experience4  ,to 
answer our question we must therefore   
ask3 ,what knowledge will serve to guide

 the child's foot-steps aright from day 
to day as he passes through his         
childhood8 ,what truths will even now1  
while he is still a child1 awaken his   
spiritual appreciation and touch the    
springs of his emotional response to the
 heavenly ,father8 ,what religious      
concepts1 once developed1 will lead the 
youth into a rich fullness of personal  
experience and develop in him the will  
and capacity to serve others8 ,what     
religious knowledge will finally make   
most certain a life of loyalty to the   
church and the great cause for which it 
stands8 ,when we can answer these       
questions we shall then be able to say  
what knowledge is of most worth in the  
religious training of our children4     
,,the ,,child',s ,,concept ,,of ,,god   
,the child must come to know about ,god1
 even as a little child4 ,long before he
 can understand about religion1 he can  
learn about a heavenly ,father4 ,this   
does not imply that the child 7or that  
we ourselves67 can know ,god in any full

 or complete way4 ,indeed1 a ,god who   
could be known in his entirety by even  
the deepest and wisest finite mind would
 be no ,god at all4 ,yet everyone must  
give some meaning to ,god4 ,everyone    
does have some more or less definite    
idea1 image1 or mental picture of the   
,god he thinks about1 prays to1 and     
worships4  ,the child's idea of ,god    
develops gradually4--,we need not be    
concerned that ,god does not mean the   
same to the child with his mental       
limitations that he means to us4        
,meaning comes only out of experience1  
and this will grow4 ,the great thing is 
that the child's fundamental concept of 
,god shall start right1 that in so far  
as it goes it shall be essentially true1
 and that it shall be clear and definite
 enough to guide his actions4 ,more than
 this we cannot ask for2 less than this 
does not give the child a ,god real     
enough to be a vital factor and an      
active force in his life4  ,it is to be 
expected1 then1 that the child's        

earliest concepts of ,god will be faulty
 and incomplete1 and that in many points
 they will later need correction4       
,probably most children first think of  
,god as having human form and           
attributes2 the idea of spirit is beyond
 their grasp4 ,god is to them a kind of 
magnified and glorified ,father after   
the type of their earthly father4 ,this 
need not concern us if we make sure that
 the crude beginnings of the ,god-idea  
have no disturbing elements in them1 and
 that as the concept grows it moves in  
the right direction4  ,the harm from    
false concepts4--,mr4 ,h4,g4 ,wells#b   
bitterly complains against the wrong    
concept of ,god that was allowed to grow
 in his mind as a child4 ,these are his 
words3 ,he and his hell were the        
nightmare of my childhood4444 ,i thought
 of him as a fantastic monster          
perpetually waiting to condemn and to   
strike me dead6444 ,he was over me and  
about my silliness and forgetfulness as 
the sky and sea would be about a child  

drowning in mid-,atlantic4 ,it was only 
as the child grew into youth1 and was   
able to discard this false idea of ,god 
that he came to feel right toward him4  
#b ,god the ,invisible ,king1 p4 #dd4   
,the harm done a child by false and     
disturbing concepts of ,god is hard to  
estimate4 ,a small boy recently came    
home from ,sunday school and confided to
 his mother that he didn't think it was 
fair for ,god to spy on a fellow6 ,a    
sympathetic inquiry by the mother       
revealed the fact that the impression   
brought from the lesson hour was of ,god
 keeping a lookout for our wrongdoings  
and sins1 and constantly making a record
 of them against us1 as an unsympathetic
 teacher might in school4 ,the          
beneficent and watchful oversight and   
care of ,god had not entered into the   
concept4  ,it is clear that with this   
wrong understanding of ,god's relation  
to him the child's attitude and the     
response of his heart toward ,god could 
not be right4 ,the lesson hour which    

left so false an impression of ,god in  
the child's mind did him lasting injury 
instead of good4  ,how wrong concepts   
may arise4--,pierre ,loti tells in his  
reminiscences of his own child-life how 
he went out into the back yard and threw
 stones at ,god because it had rained   
and spoiled the picnic day4 ,in his     
teaching1 ,god had been made responsible
 for the weather1 and the boy had come  
to look upon prayer as a means of       
getting what he wanted from ,god4 ,it   
took many years of experience to rid the
 child's mind of the last vestiges of   
these false ideas4 ,the writer recalls a
 troublesome idea of ,god that          
inadvertently secured lodgment in his   
own mind through the medium of a picture
 in his first geography4 ,in the section
 on ,china was the representation of a  
horrid1 malignant looking idol          
underneath which was printed the words1 
,a ,god4 ,for many years the image of   
this picture was associated with the    
thought of ,god1 and made it hard to    

respond to the concept of ,god's beauty1
 goodness1 and kindness4  ,wrong        
concepts of ,god may leave positive     
antagonisms which require years to      
overcome4 ,a little girl of nearly four 
years had just lost her father4 ,she did
 not understand the funeral and the     
flowers and the burial4 ,she came to her
 mother in the evening and asked where  
her papa was4 ,the stricken mother      
replied that ,god had taken him4  ,but  
when is he coming back8 asked the child4
  ,the mother answered that he could not
 come back4  ,not ever8 persisted the   
child4  ,not ever1 whispered the mother4
  ,won't ,god let him8 asked the        
relentless questioner4  ,the            
heart-broken mother hesitated for a word
 of wisdom1 but finally answered1 ,no1  
,god will not let him come back to us4  
,care and wisdom needed4--,and in that  
moment the harm was done4 ,the child had
 formed a wrong concept of ,god as one  
who would willfully take away her father
 and not let him return4 ,she burst out 

in a fit of passion3 ,i don't like ,god6
 ,he takes my papa and keeps him away4  
,that night she refused to say her      
prayer1 and for weeks remained          
rebellious and unforgiving toward the   
,god whom she accused of having robbed  
her of her father4 ,how should the      
mother have answered her child's        
question8 ,i cannot tell in just what   
words1 but the words in which we answer 
the child's questions must be chosen    
with such infinite care and wisdom that 
bitterness shall not take the place     
which love toward ,god should occupy in 
the heart4  ,another typical difficulty 
is that children are often led to think 
of ,god as a distant ,god4 ,a favorite  
,sunday school hymn sings of ,god above 
the great blue sky4 ,to many children   
,god is in heaven1 and heaven is        
localized at an immeasurable distance4  
,hence the fact of ,god's nearness is   
wholly missed4 ,children come to think  
of ,god as seated on a great white      
throne1 an aged1 austere1 and severe    

,person1 more an object of fear than of 
love4 ,and then we tell the children    
that they must love ,god1 forgetting    
that love never comes from a sense of   
duty or compulsion1 but springs1 when it
 appears1 spontaneously from the heart  
because it is compelled by lovable      
traits and appealing qualities in the   
one to be loved6  ,the concept of ,god  
which the child needs4--,the concept of 
,god which the child first needs1       
therefore1 is ,god as loving ,father1   
expecting obedience and trust from his  
children2 ,god as inviting ,friend2 ,god
 as friendly ,protector2 ,god ever near 
at hand2 ,god who can understand and    
sympathize with children and enter into 
their joys and sorrows2 ,god as         
,creator1 in the sunshine and the       
flowers2 but above all1 ,god filling the
 heart with love and gladness4 ,the     
concept which the child needs of ,jesus 
is of his surpassing goodness1 his      
unselfish courage1 and his loving       
service4 ,all religious teaching which  

will lead to such concepts as these is  
grounding the child in knowledge that is
 rich and fruitful1 for it is making    
,god and ,christ real to him4 ,all      
teaching which leads to false concepts  
is an obstacle in the way of spiritual  
development4   ,,the ,,child',s         
,,concept ,,of ,,religion  ,gradually   
throughout his training the child should
 be forming a clear concept of religion 
and the part it is to play in the life4 
,this cannot come through any formal    
definition1 nor through any set of      
precepts4 ,it must be a growth1         
stimulated by instruction1 guided by    
wise counsel1 given depth of meaning    
through the lives of strong men and     
women who express the ,christian ideal  
in their daily living4  ,matthew ,arnold
 tells us that religion is morality lit 
up by emotion4 ,we turn to ,god for our 
inspiration1 for the quickening of our  
motives1 for fellowship1 communion and  
comfort2 but it is when we face the     
duties and relationships of the day's   

work and its play that we prove how     
close we have been to ,god and what we  
have received from him4 ,as there can be
 no religion without ,god1 neither can  
there be religion without morality2 that
 is1 without righteous living4          
,connecting religion with life4--,one of
 the chief aims in teaching the child   
religion should therefore be to ground  
him in the understanding that religion  
is life4 ,probably no greater defect    
exists in our religion to-day than our  
constant tendency to divorce it from    
life4 ,there are many persons who       
undertake to divide their lives up into 
compartments1 one for business1 one for 
the relations of the home1 one for      
social matters1 one for recreation and  
amusement1 and one for religion4 ,they  
make the mistake of assuming that they  
can keep these sections of the life     
separate and distinct from each other1  
forgetting that life is a unity and that
 the quality of each of its aspects     
inevitably colors and gives tone to all 

the rest4  ,the child should be saved   
the comfortable assumption so tragically
 prevalent that religion is chiefly a   
matter for ,sundays2 that it consists   
largely in belonging to the church and  
attending its services2 that it finds   
its complete and most effective         
expression in the observance of certain 
rites and ceremonials2 that we can serve
 ,god without serving our fellow men2   
that creeds are more important than     
deeds2 that saying ,lord1 ,lord1 can    
take the place of a ministry of service4
  ,religion defined in noble            
living4--,there is only one way to save 
the child from such crippling concepts  
as these3 that is to hold up to him the 
challenge of life at its best and       
noblest1 to show him the effects of     
religion at work4 ,what are the         
qualities we most admire in others8     
,what are the secrets of the influence1 
power1 and success of the great men and 
women whose names rule the pages of     
history8 ,what are the attributes that  

will draw people to us as friends and   
followers and give us power to lead them
 to better ways8 ,what are the things   
that will yield the most satisfaction1  
and that are most worth while to seek   
and achieve as the outcome of our own   
lives8 ,what is true success1 and how   
shall we know when we have achieved it8 
,why does the ,christ1 living his brief1
 modest1 and uneventful life and dying  
an obscure and tragic death1 stand out  
as the supreme model and example for men
 to pattern their lives by8  ,these are 
questions that the child needs to have  
answered1 not in formal statements1 of  
course1 but in terms that will reach his
 understanding and appreciation4 ,these 
are truths that he needs to have lodged 
in his mind1 so that they may stir his  
imagination1 fire his ambition1 and     
harden his will for endeavor4 ,these are
 the goals that the child needs to have 
set before him as the measure of success
 in life1 the pathways into which his   
feet should be directed4  ,the qualities

 religion puts into the life4--,what1   
then1 are the things men live by8 ,what 
are the great qualities which have ruled
 the finest lives the world has known8  
,how does religion express itself in the
 run of the day's experience8 ,what are 
some of the objective standards by which
 religion is to be measured in our own  
lives or in the lives of others1 in the 
lives of children or in the lives of    
adults8 ,what are the characterizing    
features in the life and personality of 
,jesus8 ,what did he put first in       
practice as well as in precept8         
,joyousness4 ,no word was oftener on the
 lips of ,jesus than the word joy1 and  
the world has never seen such another   
apostle of joyousness4 ,the life that   
lacks joy is flat for him who lives it1 
and exerts little appeal to others4     
,good will4 ,the good will of ,jesus    
embraces all manner and conditions of   
people4 ,his magnanimity and generosity 
under all conditions were one of the    
charms of his personality and one of the

 chief sources of his strength4         
,service4 ,jesus's life was1 if         
possible1 more wonderful than his death1
 and nothing in his life was more       
wonderful than his passion for serving  
others4 ,the men and women whom the     
world has remembered and honored in all 
generations and among all peoples are   
the men and women who found their       
greatness in service4  ,loyalty4        
,steadfastness to the cause he had      
espoused led ,jesus to the cross4 ,great
 characters do not ask what road is     
easy1 but what way is right4 ,where duty
 leads1 the strong do not falter nor    
fail1 cost what it may4 ,they see their 
task through to the end1 though it mean 
that they die4  ,sympathy4 ,jesus always
 understood4 ,his heart had eyes to see 
another's need4 ,his love was as broad  
as the hunger of the human heart for    
comradeship4 ,we are never so much our  
best selves as when self is forgotten1  
and we enter into the joys or the       
sorrows of one who needs us4  ,purity4  

,sin has its price for all it gives us4 
,we cannot stain our souls and find them
 white again4 ,we later reap whatever   
now we sow4 ,jesus's life of            
righteousness1 lived amid temptations   
such as we all meet1 is a challenge to  
every man who would be the captain of   
his own soul4  ,sincerity4 ,no man ever 
doubted that ,jesus meant what he said4 
,no man ever accused him of acting a    
part4 ,his enemies1 even1 never found   
him misrepresenting or speaking other   
than the truth4 ,all truly fine         
characters can be trusted for utter     
sincerity of word1 of purpose1 and of   
deed4  ,courage4 ,jesus was never more  
sublime than under conditions that test 
men's courage4 ,did he face hostile mob 
and servile judge8 did he find himself  
misunderstood and deserted by those who 
had been his friends8 must he bid his   
disciples a last farewell8 did he see   
the shadow of the cross over his        
pathway8--yet he never faltered4 ,his   
courage stood all tests4  ,vision4 ,a   

distinguishing quality of the great is  
their power to put first things first4  
,jesus possessed a fine sense of values4
 ,he willingly sold all he had that he  
might buy the pearl of great price4 ,his
 temptations to follow after lesser     
values left him unscathed1 and he       
refused to command the stones to be made
 bread1 or to do aught else that would  
turn him from his mission4              
,god-,consciousness4 ,those who have    
most left their impress upon the world  
and the hearts of men have not worked   
through their own power alone4 ,they    
have known how to link their lives to   
the infinite ,source of power2 the way  
has been open between their lives and   
,god4 ,jesus never for a moment doubted 
that all the resources of ,god were at  
his command1 hence he had but to reach  
out and they were his4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,it is   
evident1 as before stated1 that this    
functional definition of religion1 this 
great program of living1 cannot be      

thrust on the child all at once--cannot 
be thrust on him at all4 ,but day after 
day and year after year throughout the  
period of his training the conviction   
should be taking shape in the child's   
mind that these are the real things of  
life1 the truest measure of successful  
living1 the highest goals for which men 
can strive4 ,the definition of religion 
which he forms from his instruction     
should be broad enough to include these 
values and such others of similar kind  
as ,christianity at its best demands4   
,,knowledge ,,of ,,the ,,bible  ,a      
knowledge of the essential parts of the 
,bible is indispensable to ,christian   
culture4 ,the ,bible is the storehouse  
of spiritual wisdom of the ages1 the    
matchless textbook of religion4 ,great  
men and women of all generations testify
 to its power as a source of inspiration
 and guidance4 ,to be ignorant of its   
fundamental spiritual truths is to lack 
one of the chiefest instruments of      
religious growth and development4 ,not  

to know its teachings is to miss the    
strongest and best foundation that has  
ever been laid for fruitful and happy   
living4 ,to lose a knowledge of the     
,bible out of our lives is to deprive   
ourselves of the ethical and religious  
help needed to redeem society and bring 
the individual to his rightful destiny4 
,yet this generation is confronted by a 
widespread and universal ignorance of   
the ,bible1 even among the adherents of 
the churches4  ,making the ,bible useful
 to the child4 ,the child cannot be     
taught all of the ,bible as a child4    
,indeed1 parts of if dealing with the   
ideals and practices of peoples and     
times whose primitive standards were far
 below those of our own times are wholly
 unsuited to the mind of childhood1 and 
should be left until maturity has given 
the mental perspective by which to      
interpret them4 ,other parts of the     
,bible prove dry and uninteresting to   
children1 and are of no immediate       
spiritual significance to them4 ,still  

other parts1 which later will be full of
 precious meaning1 are beyond the grasp 
or need of the child in his early years 
and should be left for a later period4  
,but with all these subtractions there  
still remains a rich storehouse of      
biblical material suited for all ages   
from earliest childhood to maturity4    
,this material should be assembled and  
arranged in a children's ,bible4 ,this  
abridged ,bible should then be made a   
part of the mental and spiritual        
possession of every child4  ,the        
knowledge of the ,bible which will be of
 most worth to the child must be a      
functioning knowledge2 a knowledge that 
can and will be put at work in the      
child's thought1 helping him form his   
judgments of right and wrong and arrive 
at a true sense of moral values2 a      
knowledge that stirs the soul's response
 to the appeal ,god makes to the life2 a
 knowledge that daily serves as a guide 
to action amid the perplexities and     
temptations that are met2 a knowledge   

that lives and grows as the years pass  
by1 constantly revealing deeper meanings
 and more significant truths4  ,the test
 of useful knowledge4--,this is all to  
say that the knowledge of the ,bible    
given the child must in no sense be a   
merely formal knowledge1 a knowledge of 
so many curious or even interesting     
facts separated from their vital meaning
 and application4 ,it must not consist  
of truths which for the most part do not
 influence thought and action4 ,not how 
many facts are lodged in the mind1 nor  
how many have passed through the mind   
and been forgotten1 but how many truths 
are daily being built into              
character--this measures the value of   
the knowledge we teach the child from   
the ,bible4   ,,knowledge ,,about ,,the 
,,church  ,the church represents        
religion organized4 ,because of our     
social impulses we need to worship      
together in groups4 ,many religious     
activities1 such as education1          
evangelism1 missionary enterprises1 and 

reforms1 can be successfully carried out
 only by joint action2 hence we have the
 church1 a means of religious culture1  
and the instrument of religious service4
 ,few there are who1 outside the church1
 maintain their own religious experience
 or carry the ministry of religious     
service to others4 ,a knowledge of the  
church is therefore an essential part of
 the child's religious education4  ,what
 the child needs to know about the      
church4--,this does not mean that the   
child needs to know the technical and   
detailed history of the ,christian      
,church2 this may come later4 ,nor does 
it mean that the child needs to know the
 different theological controversies    
through which the church has passed and 
the creeds that have resulted2 this also
 may come later4 ,what the child needs  
first to know is that the church is the 
instrument of religion1 the home of     
religious people2 that the ,christian   
,church began with the followers of     
,jesus1 and that it has existed ever    

since2 that it has done and is doing    
much good in the world2 that the best   
and noblest men and women of each       
generation work with and through the    
church2 that the church is worthy of our
 deepest love and appreciation1 and that
 it should command our fullest loyalty  
and support4  ,besides this rather      
general knowledge of the church1 the    
child should know the organization and  
workings of the present-day church4 ,he 
should come to know as much of its      
program1 plans1 and ideals as his age   
and understanding will permit4  ,even   
the younger children are able to        
understand and sympathize with the      
missionary work of the church1 both in  
home and in foreign lands4 ,missionary  
instruction offers a valuable           
opportunity to quicken the religious    
imagination and broaden the social      
interests4 ,lessons showing the church  
at work in missionary fields should     
therefore be freely brought to the      
child4  ,knowledge of the church's      

achievements4--,the part the church has 
taken and is to-day taking in advancing 
the cause of education will appeal to   
the child's admiration and respect4 ,a  
knowledge of its philanthropies will    
make a good foundation for the later    
loyalties to be developed toward the    
church as an institution4 ,the important
 influence of the church in furthering  
moral reforms and social progress is    
well within the appreciation of         
adolescents1 and should be brought to   
their recognition4  ,especially should  
children know the activities of their   
own local church2 they should learn of  
its different organizations and of the  
work each is doing2 they should know its
 financial program--where the money     
comes from and the uses to which it is  
put2 they should know its plans ahead in
 so far as their participation can be   
used in carrying out its activities4    
,all these lines of information are     
necessary to the child in order that his
 interest and loyalty may have an       

intelligent and enduring basis4         
,knowledge of one's own church4--,the   
first knowledge of the church as an     
institution given the child should be of
 the church as a whole1 and should have 
no denominational bias4 ,we should first
 aim to make out of our children        
,christians1 and only later to make out 
of them ,methodists1 ,presbyterians1    
,baptists1 or ,congregationalists4      
,there comes a time1 however1 when the  
child should become informed concerning 
his own particular church or            
denomination4 ,he should learn of its   
history1 its achievements1 its creeds1  
its plan of organization and polity4    
,this is not with the purpose of        
cultivating a narrow sectarianism1 but  
in the interests of a self-respecting   
intelligence concerning the particular  
branch of the church which is one's     
spiritual home4 ,that the great mass of 
our people to-day possess any reasonable
 fund of knowledge about the ,christian 
,church or their own denomination may   

well be doubted4 ,this is a serious     
fault in religious education4           
,,knowledge ,,of ,,religious ,,music    
,,and ,,art  ,not all of the child's    
religious impressions come through      
direct instruction in the facts and     
precepts of religion4 ,religious feeling
 and comprehension of the deeper        
meanings and values often best spring   
from their expression in music and art4 
,music essential to religion4--,no other
 form of expression can take the place  
of music in creating a spirit of        
reverence and devotion1 or in inspiring 
religious feeling4 ,so closely is music 
interwoven with religion that no small  
part of the world's greatest musical    
masterpieces have a religious motive as 
their theme4 ,even among primitive      
peoples music is an important feature of
 religious ceremonials4 ,the ,christian 
,church has a large and growing body of 
inspiring hymnology4  ,the child needs  
to be led into a knowledge of religious 
music4 ,he needs this knowledge as a    

stimulus and a means of expression for  
his own spiritual life4 ,but he also    
needs it in order to take part in the   
exercises of his church and its         
organizations4 ,he needs it in order to 
enjoy music and do his part in producing
 it in the home and the school4 ,this   
means that children should come to know 
the hymnology of the church2 they should
 know the words and the music of such   
worthy and inspiring hymns as are       
adapted to their age and understanding4 
,they should finally1 during the course 
of their development to adulthood1 learn
 to know and enjoy the great religious  
oratorios and other forms of musical    
expression4  ,the place of art in       
religion4--,art1 like music1 owes much  
of its finest form and development to   
religion4 ,religious hope1 aspiration1  
and devotion have always sought         
expression in pictorial or plastic art  
and in noble architecture4 ,we owe it to
 our children to put them in possession 
of this rich spiritual heritage4 ,they  

should know and love the great          
masterpieces of painting dealing with   
religious themes4 ,they should not only 
have these as a part of their           
instruction in the church school        
classes1 but they should also have them 
in their homes and in their schools1 and
 see them in public art galleries and in
 other public buildings suitable for    
their display4  ,wherever possible the  
church building should in its           
architecture express in a worthy way the
 religious ideals of its members4 ,it   
should first of all be adapted to the   
uses expected of it4 ,it should be      
beautiful in conception and execution1  
and should allow no unlovely or unworthy
 elements to enter into its structure4  
,we should teach our children something 
of the wonder and beauty of religious   
architecture as represented in the great
 cathedrals and churches of all lands1  
and lead them to see in these creations 
the desire and attempt of great souls to
 express their appreciation for ,god's  

goodness to men4       #a4 ,it will help
 you to understand the child's idea of  
,god if you      will think back to your
 own childhood and answer the following 
questions3 ,just who and what was ,god  
to you8 ,was he near by or far      off8
 ,when you prayed1 to what kind of a    
,being was the prayer      addressed8   
,did ,jesus seem more near and friendly 
to you than ,god8      ,what were 7or   
are7 the most outstanding attributes of 
,god's nature      to you8 ,did you ever
 have any disturbing ideas about ,god8  
#b4 ,now1 suppose you attempt to answer 
these same questions about      the     
children in your class4 ,you will have  
to remember that the      child may not 
be able to explain just what ,god seems 
to      him--perhaps you can hardly do  
this yourself4 ,further1 a child may    
often have some notion that what he     
feels is queer or would not be      well
 received1 and hence he will not fully  
express it to others4       #c4 ,just   
what does religion seem to you to be8   

,is it largely a way      of living or a
 set of conventions and restraints8 ,how
 did religion      appeal to you in your
 childhood8 ,are you able to tell how   
the      children of your class         
understand religion8 ,what definite help
 are      you giving them toward        
broadening and enriching their concept  
of      religion8 ,are you leading them 
to see that religion is a way of        
living the day's life8       #d4 ,to    
what extent do you feel that you really 
know the ,bible8 ,could      you give a 
sketch of twenty of its leading         
characters1 describing      the         
strengths and weaknesses of character of
 each8 ,could you      describe the     
great biblical events1 and draw the     
lessons they      teach8 ,could you     
compare and characterize the ,hebrew    
religion and      the religion of       
,jesus8 ,are the pupils in your class   
going to be      able from the work of  
the church school to answer favorably   
these      and similar questions8       

#e4 ,we expect good citizens to know    
something of the history of      their  
country and their commonwealth4 ,is it  
too much to ask members      of the     
,christian ,church to have the same     
information about the      church8      
,could you pass a fair examination on   
the history and      achievements of the
 church8 ,of your own particular church8
 ,are the      children of your church  
school growing in this knowledge8 ,the  
children of your class8       #f4 ,to   
what extent do the children of your     
class know the hymns of      the church8
 ,is care taken to give them such hymns 
as are suited to      their age8 ,are   
worthy hymns taught them1 or the silly  
rimes found      in many church song    
books8 7,this does not mean that        
children should      be taught music    
beyond their comprehension2 there is    
much good      music suited to different
 ages47 ,are your children having an    
opportunity to know the great religious 
pictures8 ,religious      architecture8 

7,here also the work must be adapted to 
the age47   ,,for ,,further ,,reading   
,coe1 ,education in ,religion and       
,morals4  ,brown1 ,the ,modern ,man's   
,religion1 chapter on ,the ,use of the  
,bible4  ,fosdick1 ,the ,manhood of the 
,master4  ,weld and ,conant1 ,songs for 
,little ,people4  ,bailey1 ,the ,gospel 
in ,art4     ,,chapter ,v  ,,religious  
,,attitudes ,,to ,,be ,,cultivated      
,life never stands still2 especially    
does the life of the child never stand  
still4 ,it is always advancing1         
changing1 reconstructing4 ,starting with
 an unripe brain1 and with no fund of   
knowledge or expression1 the child in   
the first few years of his life makes   
astonishing progress4 ,by the time he is
 three years old he has learned to      
understand and speak a difficult        
language4 ,he knows the names and uses  
of hundreds of objects about him4 ,he   
has acquaintance with a considerable    
number of people1 and has learned to    
adapt himself to their ways4 ,he has    

gained much information about every     
phase of his environment which directly 
touches his life--his mastery of        
knowledge has grown apace1 without rest 
or pause4  ,nor does the development of 
what we have called attitudes lag       
behind4 ,parallel with growth in the    
child's knowledge1 his interests are    
taking root2 his ideals are shaping2 his
 standards are developing2 his          
enthusiasms are kindling2 his loyalties 
are being grounded4 ,these changes go on
 whether we will or not--just because   
life and growth can not be stopped4 ,the
 great question that confronts teacher  
and parent is whether through guidance1 
that is through education1 we shall be  
able to say what attitudes shall arise  
and what motives shall come to rule1    
rather than to leave this all-important 
matter to chance or to influence hostile
 to the child's welfare4  ,the teacher  
of religion1 like all other teachers1   
must meet two distinct though related   
problems in the cultivating of          

attitudes4 ,these are3       #a4 ,the   
creation of an immediate or direct set  
of attitudes toward      the school and 
its work4 ,this is needed to motivate   
effort and      insure right            
impressions4       #b4 ,the development 
of a far-reaching set of attitudes that 
will      carry out from the classroom  
into the present and future life of     
the pupil4 ,this is needed as a guide   
and stimulus to spiritual      growth1  
and as a foundation for character4      
,,attitudes ,,toward ,,the ,,school     
,,and ,,its ,,work  ,the older view of  
education sought to drive the child to  
effort and secure results through pain  
and compulsion4 ,it was believed that   
the pathway to learning must of         
necessity be dreary and strewn with     
hardships1 if1 indeed1 not freely       
watered with the tears of childhood4    
,now we know better4 ,a knowledge of    
child psychology and a more sympathetic 
insight into child nature have shown us 
that instead of external compulsion we  

must get hold of the inner springs of   
action4 ,no mind can exert its full     
power unless the driving force comes    
from within4 ,the capacities implanted  
in the child at his birth do not reach  
full fruition except when freely and    
gladly used because their use is a      
pleasure and satisfaction4 ,if worthy   
results are to be secured1 the whole    
self must be called into action under   
the stimulus of willingness1 desire1 and
 complete assent of the inner self to   
the tasks imposed4 ,there must be no    
lagging1 nor holding back1 nor partial  
use of powers4  ,religious education is1
 therefore1 not simply a question of    
getting our children into the church    
schools4 ,that is easy4 ,parents who    
themselves do not attend feel that they 
have more fully done their duty by their
 children if they send them to the      
,sunday school4 ,after securing the     
attendance of the children the great    
question still remains--that of the     
response1 their attitude toward the     

activities of the school1 the           
completeness with which they give       
themselves to its work4  ,a friend who  
is a ,state inspector of public schools 
tells me that the first thing he looks  
for when he visits a school is the      
school spirit1 the attitude of the      
pupils toward their teachers and the    
work of the school4 ,if this is good1   
there is a foundation upon which to     
build fruitful work2 if the spirit is   
bad1 there is no possibility that the   
work of the school can be up to         
standard4 ,for it is out of the         
schoolroom spirit1 the classroom        
attitudes1 that the effort necessary to 
growth and achievement must come4  ,the 
spirit of the classroom4--,do the       
children enjoy the lesson hour8 ,the    
first of the motivating conditions to   
seek for our classroom is a prevailing  
attitude of happiness1 good cheer1      
enjoyment4 ,these are the natural       
attributes and attitudes of childhood4  
,unhappiness is an abnormal state for   

the child4 ,the child's nature unfolds  
and his mind expands normally only when 
in an atmosphere of sympathy1 kindness1 
and good feeling4 ,our pupils must enjoy
 what they are doing1 if they are to    
give themselves whole-heartedly to it4  
,if loyalty to the school and the church
 is to result1 they must not feel that  
the ,sunday school hour is a drag and a 
bore4 ,if such is the case1 they cannot 
be expected to carry away lasting       
impressions for good4 ,they must not    
look upon attendance as an imposition1  
nor wait with eager impatience for the  
closing gong4  ,while loyalty should be 
permeated by a sense of duty and        
obligation1 and even of self-sacrifice1 
it cannot rest on this alone4 ,most     
children and youth are loyal to their   
homes2 but this loyalty rests chiefly on
 a sentiment formed from day to day and 
year to year out of the satisfying      
experiences connected with the love1    
care1 protection1 and associations of   
the home4 ,let these happy1 satisfying  

home experiences be lacking1 and loyalty
 to the home fails or loses its fine    
quality4  ,in similar way1 if the       
experiences in the ,sunday school and   
the church continuously yield           
satisfaction1 enjoyment1 and good       
feeling1 the child's loyalty and        
devotion are assured2 if1 on the other  
hand1 these experiences come to be      
associated with dislike1 reluctance1 and
 aversion1 loyalty is in danger of      
breaking under the strain4  ,the        
response of interest4--,are the children
 interested8 ,while1 as we have seen1   
the atmosphere or spirit of the         
classroom supplies the condition        
necessary to successful work1 interest  
supplies the motive force4 ,for interest
 is the mainspring of action4 ,a child  
may politely listen1 or from a sense of 
courtesy or good will sit quietly       
passive and not disturb others1 but this
 does not meet the requirement4 ,his    
thought1 interest1 and enthusiasm must  
be centered on the matter in hand4 ,he  

must withdraw his attention from all    
wandering thoughts1 passing fancies1    
distracting surroundings1 and           
concentrate upon the lesson itself4     
,there is no substitute for this4 ,there
 is no possibility of making lasting    
impressions on a mind with its energies 
dispersed through lack of attention4    
,and there is no possibility of securing
 fruitful attention without interest4   
,interest therefore becomes a primary   
consideration in our teaching of        
religion4 ,the teacher must constantly  
ask himself3 ,what is the state of my   
pupils' interest8 ,how completely am ,i 
commanding their enthusiasm8 ,suppose ,i
 were to grade them on a scale with     
complete-indifference as the interest   
zero1 and with the                      
'exploding-point'-of-enthusiasm as the  
highest interest mark1 where would the  
score mark of my class stand8 ,and if ,i
 cannot reasonably hope to keep my class
 at the high-water mark of interest at  
all times1 what shall ,i call an        

attainable standard8 ,if one hundred per
 cent is to represent the supreme       
achievement of interest1 shall ,i be    
satisfied with fifty per cent1 with     
twenty-five per cent1 or with complete  
indifference8 ,if the minds of my pupils
 can receive and retain lasting         
impressions only under the stimulus of  
the higher range of interest1 in how far
 am ,i now making lasting impressions on
 my class8 ,in short1 is the interest   
attitude of my class as good as ,i can  
make it8  ,the sense of victory4--,is   
there a feeling of confidence and       
mastery8 ,do the children understand    
what they are asked to learn8 ,without  
this the attitude toward the class hour 
cannot be good1 for the mind is always  
ill at ease when forced to work upon    
matter it cannot grasp nor assimilate4  
,nor is it possible to secure full      
effort without a reasonable degree of   
mastery4 ,the feeling of confidence and 
assurance that comes from successful    
achievement increases the amount of     

power available4 ,the victorious army or
 the winning football team is always    
more formidable than the same           
organization when oppressed and         
disheartened by continued defeat4  ,if  
the task is interesting1 children do not
 ask that it shall be easy4 ,once catch 
their enthusiasm and they will exert    
their powers to the full1 and take joy  
in the effort4 ,but the effort must be  
accompanied by a sense of victory and   
achievement4 ,there must always be      
immediately ahead the possibility of    
winning over the difficulties of their  
lessons4 ,except in rare moments of     
emotional exaltation the most heroic of 
us are not capable of hurling our best  
strength against obstacles upon whose   
resistance we make no impression4 ,and  
the child possesses almost none of this 
quality4 ,without a measurable degree of
 success in what he attempts to learn   
his morale suffers1 enthusiasm fails1   
and discouragement creeps in to sap his 
powers4  ,kept in the presence of mental

 tasks he cannot master nor understand1 
the child will soon lose interest and   
anticipation in his work4 ,without      
mastery intellectual defeat comes to be 
accepted and expected1 and the child    
forms the fatal habit of submission and 
giving up4 ,because he expects defeat   
from the lesson before him1 the learner 
is already defeated2 because he has not 
learned to look for victory in his      
study1 he will never find it4           
,preventing the habit of defeat4--,this 
is all to say that in teaching the child
 religion we must not constantly        
confront him with matter that is beyond 
his grasp and understanding4 ,that we   
are doing this in some of our lesson    
systems there can be no doubt4 ,the     
result is seen in the child's hazy and  
indefinite ideas about religion2 in a   
later astonishing lack of interest in   
the problems of religion on the part of 
adults2 in the child's unwillingness to 
undertake the study of his lessons for  
the ,sunday school2 in the fact that to 

many children the ,sunday school lesson 
hour is a task and a bore2 and in the   
fact that the ,sunday school does not in
 a large degree continue to hold the    
loyalty of its members after they have  
reached the age of deciding for         
themselves whether they will attend4    
,fundamental to all successful classroom
 results with children are enjoyment1   
interest1 and mastery4 ,how these are to
 be secured will be developed further as
 the text proceeds4   ,,attitudes ,,that
 ,,carry ,,into ,,life ,,beyond ,,the   
,,school  ,the great problem of every   
teacher is to make sure that the effects
 of his instruction reach beyond the    
classroom4 ,while the immediate         
attitudes of the classroom are the first
 great care1 they are but the beginning4
 ,growing out of the work of the church 
school must be a more permanent set of  
attitudes that underlie life itself1    
give foundation to character1 and in    
large degree determine the trend and    
outcome of achievement4 ,the cultivation

 of moral and religious attitudes is    
probably the most important aim for the 
,sunday school4 ,as already explained1  
the word attitudes is used to cover a   
considerable number of qualities and    
attributes4  ,a continuing interest in  
the ,bible and religion4--,on the whole1
 people do not concern themselves about 
what they are not interested in4 ,they  
do not read the books1 study the        
pictures1 go to hear the speakers1 or   
busy themselves with problems to which  
their interest does not directly and    
immediately lead them4 ,a fine sense of 
duty and obligation is all very well1   
but it never can take the place of      
interest as a dynamic force in life4    
,the number of ,bibles sold every year  
would lead one to suppose that our      
people are great students of the        
,scriptures4 ,yet the almost universal  
ignorance of the ,bible proves that it  
is one thing to own a ,bible1 and quite 
another thing to read it4 ,we may buy   
the ,bible because other people own     

,bibles1 because we believe in its      
principles1 and because it seems        
altogether desirable to have the ,bible 
among our collection of books4 ,but the 
extent to which we read the ,bible      
depends on our interest in it and the   
truths with which it deals4  ,nor should
 we forget that1 while the ,united      
,states is rightly counted as one of the
 great ,christian nations1 only about   
two out of five of our people are       
members of ,christian churches4 ,it is  
true that this proportion would be      
considerably increased if all churches  
admitted the younger children to        
membership2 but even making allowance   
for this fact1 it is evident that a     
great task still confronts the church in
 interesting our own millions in        
religion in such a way that they shall  
take part in its organized activities4  
,let each teacher of religion therefore 
ask himself3 ,to what extent am ,i      
grounding in my pupils a permanent and  
continuing interest in the ,bible and in

 the ,christian religion8 ,growing out  
of lessons ,i teach these children are  
they coming to like the ,bible8 will    
they want to know more about it8 will   
they turn to it naturally as a matter of
 course because they have found it      
interesting and helpful8 will they care 
enough for it through the years to      
search for its deeper meanings and for  
its hidden beauties8 and because of this
 will they build the strength and       
inspiration of the ,bible increasingly  
into their lives8  ,and1 further3 ,are  
my pupils developing a growing interest 
in religion8 ,do they increasingly find 
it attractive and inspiring1 or is      
religion to them chiefly a set of       
restraints and prohibitions8 ,do they   
look upon religion as a means to a      
happier and fuller life1 or as a        
limitation and check upon life4 ,is     
religion being revealed to them as the  
pearl of great price1 or does it possess
 but little value in their standard of  
what is worth while8 ,these questions   

are of supreme significance1 for in     
their right answers are the very issues 
of spiritual life for those we teach4   
,spiritual responsiveness4--,the teacher
 must accept responsibility for the     
spiritual growth as well as the         
intellectual training of his pupils4    
,there is no escape from this4 ,we must 
be satisfied with nothing less than a   
constantly increasing consciousness of  
,god's presence and reality in the lives
 of those we teach4  ,as the child's    
knowledge grows and his concept of ,god1
 develops1 this should naturally and    
inevitably lead to an increasing warmth 
of attitude toward ,god and a tendency  
to turn to him constantly for guidance1 
strength1 comradeship1 and forgiveness4 
,indeed1 the cultivation of this trend  
of the life toward ,god is the supreme  
aim in our religious leadership of      
children4 ,without this result1 whatever
 may have been the facts learned or the 
knowledge gleaned1 there has been no    
worthy progress made in spiritual growth

 and development4  ,the evolution of    
spiritual responsiveness4--,the         
realization of this new spiritual       
consciousness in the child's life may   
not involve any special nor abrupt      
upheaval4 ,if the child is wisely led1  
and if he develops normally in his      
religion1 it almost certainly will not4 
,countless thousands of those who are   
living lives very full of spiritual     
values have come into the rich          
consciousness of divine relationship so 
gradually that the separate steps cannot
 be distinguished4 ,first the blade1    
then the ear1 and then the full grain in
 the ear is the natural law of spiritual
 growth4  ,the bearing of this truth    
upon our teaching is that we must seek  
for the unfolding of the child's        
spiritual nature and for the turning of 
his thought and affections toward ,god  
from the first4 ,we must not point to   
some distant day ahead when the child   
will accept ,jesus or become a child of 
,god4 ,we must ourselves think of the   

child1 and lead the child to think of   
himself1 as a member of ,god's family4  
,this does not mean that the child1 as  
he grows from childhood into youth and  
adulthood1 will not need to make a      
personal and definite decision to give  
,god and the ,christ first place in his 
life2 he will need to do this not once1 
but many times4 ,it only means that from
 his earliest years the child is to be  
made to feel that he belongs to ,god1   
and should turn to him as ,father and   
,friend4 ,day by day and week by week   
the child should be growing more vitally
 conscious of ,god's place in his life1 
and more responsive to this             
relationship4 ,only by this steady and  
continuous process of growth will the   
spiritual nature take on the depth and  
quality which the ,christian ideal sets 
for its attainment4  ,ideals and        
ambitions4--,in order that religion may 
be a helpful reality to the child it    
must extend to his developing ideals and
 ambitions4 ,for even children have     

ideals and ambitions1 however crude they
 may be1 or however much they may lack  
the serious and practical nature they   
later take on4 ,probably no child       
reaches his teens without having many   
times secretly determined that he would 
do this or become that1 which he has    
admired in some hero of his own choosing
 from actual acquaintance or from books 
or stories4 ,there is no normal child   
but who has his own notions of greatness
 and importance1 of success and fame1   
and who wishes and longs for certain    
things ahead upon which he has set his  
heart1 and which he purposes to attain4 
,the things that he thus values are his 
ideals1 goals to be reached4 ,ideals    
are1 therefore1 guides to action and    
effort1 something to be striven after   
and sacrificed for4 ,they are the things
 most worth while1 for which we can     
afford to forego other things of lesser 
value4 ,it was the force of a great     
ideal which led ,paul to say1 ,this one 
thing ,i do2 and to the attainment of   

that ideal he gave all his purpose and  
effort4  ,to form true ideals requires a
 trained sense of values2 one must      
develop a power of spiritual            
perspective1 and be able to see things  
in their true proportions4 ,he must know
 what things rightly come first if he is
 to put first things first2 ,he must    
have some training in recognizing the   
value of pearls if he is to see that it 
is a good exchange to sell all that he  
has in order to buy the pearl of great  
price4  ,this all suggests that one of  
the responsibilities resting upon us as 
teachers of religion is to guide the    
child in the forming of his ideals4 ,we 
must help him form his notion of what is
 worthy and admirable in character4 ,we 
must see that he develops high standards
 of truth1 honesty1 obedience1 and the  
other moral virtues which lie at the    
foundation of all vital religion4 ,we   
must make certain that his ideals of    
success and achievement include a large 
measure of service to his fellows4 ,we  

must ground him in right personal ideals
 and standards of purity and clean      
living4 ,we must make him feel a deep   
sense of responsibility for the full    
development and fruitful use of his own 
powers and abilities4 ,in short1 we must
 with all the wisdom and devotion we    
possess bring him to accept the life of 
,jesus as the ideal and pattern for his 
own life4  ,fine appreciations4--,what  
one admires is an index to his          
character4 ,more than this1 the quality 
and tone of one's admirations finally   
build themselves into his nature and    
become a part of his very being4 ,life  
is infinitely enriched and refined by   
responding to the beauty1 the goodness1 
and the gladness to be found around us4 
,in ,hawthorne's story of ,the ,great   
,stone ,face1 the boy ,ernest dwelt upon
 and admired the character revealed in  
the benignant lines of the great face   
outlined by the hand of the ,creator on 
the mountainside until the fine         
qualities which the young boy daily     

idealized had grown into his own life1  
and ,ernest himself had become the wise 
man whose coming had long been awaited  
by his people4  ,it is not enough       
therefore to learn the facts about the  
lives of the great men and women of the 
,bible or of other times4 ,the story of 
their lives must be presented in such a 
way that admiration is compelled from   
the learner3 for only the qualities the 
child appreciates and admires are       
finally built into his own ideal4 ,it is
 not enough that the child shall be     
taught that ,god created the world and  
all that is therein2 he must also be    
brought to appreciate and admire the    
wonders and beauties of nature as an    
evidence of ,god's wisdom1 power1 and   
goodness4 ,it is not enough that our    
pupils shall come to know the chief     
events in the life of ,jesus and the    
outline of his teachings2 they must also
 find themselves lost in admiration of  
the matchless qualities of his great    
personality4  ,and so also with music1  

art1 architecture1 with the fine in     
human life and conduct1 or with great   
and noble deeds4 ,inherent in them all  
are spiritual stimulus and food for the 
young life1 manna upon which the growing
 soul should feed4 ,but here again the  
law holds3 in order to assimilate them  
to his life the child must appreciate1  
enjoy1 admire4 ,to bring this about is  
one part of our task as teacher4        
,worthy loyalties and devotions4--,every
 worthy character must have in it a     
certain power of resistance1 a quality  
that makes it able to withstand hardship
 for the sake of an ideal or a cause4   
,it is easy enough to be heroic when it 
costs nothing of effort or sacrifice4   
,there is no trouble in securing        
supporters for a cause that is popular1 
or workers when the work called for is  
interesting and attractive4 ,we are all 
willing to stand for the right if to    
stand is agreeable and exhilarating1 and
 does not bring us too much of          
unpleasantness1 pain1 or suffering4     

,but life at its best and noblest does  
involve some hardship4 ,much that is    
best in human experience has come to us 
through hardship1 toil1 and suffering   
cheerfully endured by heroic souls who  
counted their own lives as naught so    
that the cause to which they gave       
themselves might win4 ,the comforts1    
freedom1 and opportunities we enjoy some
 one paid for1 bought with endless      
effort and sacrifice4 ,our very         
religion1 the symbol of life1 gladness1 
and salvation1 has as its background    
tragedy1 suffering1 death1 the cross4   
,the quality that makes us willing to   
endure and resist for the sake of a     
cause or an ideal we call loyalty4 ,the 
high value set upon it is seen in the   
fact that loyalty is the first test of  
citizenship required2 it is a quality   
admired and praised among all peoples in
 all relations of life2 it is the       
quality we demand and prize in our      
friends and associates4 ,on the other   
hand1 disloyalty to country1 friends1 or

 trust is universally looked upon as    
despicable1 and punished with contempt1 
scorn1 and hatred4  ,the appeal to the  
heroic4--,one of the ends of religious  
teaching is to cultivate in our youth   
the spirit of loyalty to worthy ideals  
and causes4 ,loyalty rests on a stratum 
of heroism1 which is to be found deep   
down in every normal human being4 ,we   
must stimulate and appeal to the heroic 
in the child's nature4 ,we must make him
 see that the strong and fine men and   
women are willing to meet much that is  
hard and disagreeable1 so that they may 
be loyal to their task4 ,we must make   
him realize that the greatest and most  
worthy thing one can do is to endure    
hardship for a cause2 that to be willing
 to suffer for an ideal is a mark of    
strength and courage2 and that having   
done all to stand is often the best test
 of character4  ,nor must the thought of
 loyalty be presented to the child only 
in the abstract4 ,concrete examples are 
worth much general explanation and      

laudation4 ,the loyalties of the great  
characters of biblical and other times  
can be made the source of great         
inspiration2 the supreme loyalty of     
,jesus to his mission will exert a      
powerful appeal4 ,but loyalty must be   
made immediate1 definite and concrete to
 the child in his own life2 he must not 
simply admire it afar off4 ,loyalty must
 be to him not something to learn about 
and praise in others1 but something he  
can make use of himself each day without
 waiting to grow up or become famous4   
,so we will teach the child the         
loyalties due parents and the home2     
loyalties to friends and comrades2      
loyalties to school1 community1 and     
country2 loyalties to ,sunday school1   
church1 and the cause of religion2      
loyalties to self2 loyalties to duty    
wherever found2 and1 above all1         
loyalties to the ,christ and his ideals4
       #a4 ,do your pupils enjoy the    
church school1 and like to come8 ,do    
they enjoy the lesson hour8 ,by what    

means do you tell8 ,is the      spirit  
of the class good toward the school and 
toward the class8      ,how do you judge
 this8       #b4 ,do your pupils come to
 the lesson hour full of expectancy8 ,or
      is there an indifference and lack 
of interest with which you have      to 
contend8 ,if the class fails in some    
degree to manifest      expectancy and  
interest1 where do you judge the trouble
 to lie8      ,what is the remedy8      
#c4 ,to what degree do you think your   
pupils are comprehending and            
mastering what you are teaching them8   
,how does their mastery      compare    
with that secured in the public schools8
 ,have you plans for      making their  
mastery more complete8       #d4 ,do you
 judge that your pupils are developing  
such an attitude      toward the ,bible 
that their interest will carry on beyond
 the time      they are in your class8  
,do you think they have an increasing   
interest in religion8 ,are you making   
these questions one of the      problems

 of your teaching8       #e4 ,are your  
pupils developing through the work you  
are doing a      growing consciousness  
of ,god in their lives8 ,do they count  
themselves as children of ,god8 ,just   
what do you believe is the      status  
of your children spiritually8 ,do they  
need conservation or      conversion8   
,what difference will your answer make  
in your teaching8       #f4 ,to what    
degree are your pupils loyal to the     
church school8 ,to      their particular
 class8 ,to the church8 ,what are the   
tests of      loyalty8 ,do they come    
regularly8 ,do they seek to promote the 
interests of the class and the school8  
,do they do their part8 ,what      can  
be done to increase loyalty8   ,,for    
,,further ,,reading  ,wilber1 ,a        
,child's ,religion4  ,bushnell1         
,christian ,nurture 7,revised ,ed474    
,betts1 ,the ,mind and ,its ,education1 
chapter on ,interest4  ,fisk1 ,boy ,life
 and ,self-,government4     ,,chapter   
,,vi  ,,connecting ,,religious          

,,instruction ,,with ,,life ,,and       
,,conduct   ,we have now come to the    
third of the great trio of aims in      
religious education--right living4      
,this1 of course1 is the aim to which   
the gathering of religious knowledge and
 the setting up of religious attitudes  
are but secondary2 or1 rather1 fruitful 
religious knowledge1 and right religious
 attitudes are the means by which to    
lead to skill in right living as the    
end4  ,in the last analysis the child   
does not come to us that he may learn   
this or that set of facts1 nor that he  
may develop such and such a group of    
feelings1 but that through these he may 
live better4 ,the final test of our     
teaching1 therefore1 is just this3      
,because of our instruction1 does the   
child live differently here and now1 as 
a child1 in all his multiform relations 
in the home1 the school1 the church1 the
 community1 and in his own personal     
life8 ,are the lessons we teach         
translated continuously into better     

conduct1 finer acts1 and stronger       
character as shown in the daily run of  
the learner's experience8  ,it is true  
that the full fruits of our teaching and
 of the child's learning must wait for  
time and experience to bring the        
individual to fuller development4 ,but  
it is also true that it is impossible   
for the child to lay up a store of      
unused knowledge and have it remain     
against a later time of need in a       
distant future4 ,the only knowledge that
 forms a vital part of our equipment is 
knowledge that is in active service1    
guiding our thought and decisions from  
day to day4 ,unused knowledge quickly   
vanishes away1 leaving little more      
permanent impression on the life than   
that left on the wave when we plunge our
 hand into the water and take it out    
again4 ,in similar way the interests1   
ideals1 and emotions which are aroused  
without at the same time affording a    
natural outlet for expression in deeds  
and conduct soon fade away without      

having fulfilled the purpose for which  
they exist4 ,the great thing in         
religious education is to find immediate
 and natural outlet in expression1 a way
 for the child to use what he learns2 to
 get the child to do those things       
pointed out by the lessons we teach him4
  ,religion drawing closer to           
life4--,this is the only method of      
religious education that will meet the  
requirements of these times upon the    
,christian religion4 ,the unmistakable  
trend of modern ,christianity is to     
connect religion more closely and       
vitally with life itself--to make it a  
mode of living in a deeper sense than   
has obtained since the days of ,christ  
upon earth4 ,this is a very hopeful     
sign1 for it accords completely with the
 spirit and message of ,jesus4 ,when he 
said1 ,by their fruit ye shall know     
them1 what did he mean but that the     
quality and value of a man's religion is
 to be known by its outcome in1 deeds   
and action8 ,when he said1 ,not everyone

 that saith4 ,lord6 ,lord6 but he that  
doeth4442 and again1 ,he that heareth   
these sayings of mine and doeth them4441
 was he not again emphasizing the great2
 truth that one's religion is tested    
only by the extent to which it is tied  
up with his daily living8  ,the teacher 
will1 therefore1 say to himself1 ,the   
religious knowledge ,i am putting into  
the minds of my pupils is of supreme    
importance--if it makes them live better
 and act more nobly2 the religious      
attitudes and emotions ,i am cultivating
 in my class are full of value and      
significance--if they cause their       
possessors to live more broadly1        
sympathetically1 usefully1 and happily4 
,the true teacher will then add1 ,and it
 is my task to see that this result     
follows without fail6  ,,religious      
,,habits ,,as ,,an ,,aim  ,indirectly   
all this is to say that our first care  
in teaching the young child religion    
should be to lead him to form religious 
habits4 ,for our lives are controlled by

 a great network of habits which come to
 us as the result of acts often         
repeated1 until they have become as     
second nature4 ,there are many things   
about the child's religion that should  
become second nature2 that is1 should   
become habit--and which are not certain 
and secure until they have grown into   
habits4 ,for example1 it is wholly      
desirable to have the habit of attending
 church1 of personal devotions1 and of  
resisting temptation1 so well fixed that
 the acts required for each take care of
 themselves with a minimum of struggle  
and decision each time the occasion     
arises4 ,not only will this method      
require less strain and compulsion on   
our part1 but it will result in more    
uniform churchgoing1 attention to       
devotions1 and the overcoming of        
temptation4  ,the age for habit         
forming4--,the principle1 then1 is      
simple and clear4 ,at the beginning of  
the child's contact with the church     
school he cannot grasp the broader and  

deeper meanings of religion2 but he can 
during this period be led into the doing
 of right acts and deeds1 and thus have 
his religious habits started4 ,at a time
 when his brain is yet unripe1 and hence
 unready for the more difficult truths  
or the more exalted emotions of         
religion1 the child is at his best in   
the matter of habit-forming4 ,for habits
 grounded in early childhood are more   
easily formed and more deeply imbedded  
than those acquired at any later time1  
and they exert a stronger control over  
the life4  ,how habits grow4--,but      
habits do not come of their own accord2 
they must be gradually acquired4        
,immediately back of every habit lies a 
chain of acts out of which the habit    
grows4 ,given the acts1 and the habit is
 as sure to follow as night the day4    
,hence the great thing in religious     
instruction of the young is to afford   
opportunity for our teaching to be      
carried as immediately as may be over   
into deeds4  ,as we make the desired    

impressions upon the minds of our       
pupils1 we must see that the way is     
reasonably open for expression4 ,the    
lessons should be so direct1 simple1 and
 clear that there is no difficulty in   
connecting them immediately with the    
daily life1 and then we should do our   
best to see that the connection is made4
  ,as we teach we should have in mind   
the week that lies ahead in the child's 
life--in the home1 the school1 on the   
playground1 in the community1 and in    
whatever personal situations and        
problems we may know are being met4     
,then we should use every power as a    
teacher to make sure that we help the   
child meet the challenge of his daily   
life with the finest acts1 best deeds1  
and noblest conduct possible for him to 
command4   ,,application ,,of           
,,religious ,,instruction ,,to ,,the    
,,daily ,,life  ,one great purpose1     
then1 in religious instruction is to    
attach the stimulus and appeal of       
religion to the common round of daily   

life and experience of the child4 ,as   
,christ came that we might have life1   
not a future life alone1 but a full1    
happy1 and worthy life in the present as
 well1 so we come to the child as a     
teacher to help him in his life here and
 now4 ,our task at this point is to lead
 him to practice the great fundamental  
virtues whose value has been proved     
through ages of human experience1 to    
incorporate directly into his living the
 lessons learned slowly and with great  
sacrifice by generations which have     
preceded him4 ,our aim will be to lead  
our pupils1 out of their own choice and 
conviction1 to adopt and follow a code  
of action such as the following3  ,i    
will respect and care for my body4 ,i   
will keep my body clean and pure4 ,i    
will try to avoid sickness and disease4 
,i will breathe good air day and night1 
and live out of doors all ,i can4       
,because ,i shall need all my strength  
and endurance at their best1 ,i will pay
 no toll to the poisons of alcohol and  

nicotine4 ,i will be temperate in my    
food1 and eat such foods as will favor  
growth1 health1 and strength4 ,i will   
bathe often1 play and work hard1 and get
 plenty of sleep and rest4 ,my character
 will be judged by my poise and         
carriage2 therefore ,i will try to walk1
 stand1 and sit well1 and not allow my  
manner to show slouchiness and          
carelessness4 ,both because of my own   
self-respect and because ,i owe it to   
others1 ,i will strive to make myself   
neat and attractive in dress and person4
 ,i will treat my body right so far as  
,i can know what is best for it1 and    
will do nothing to defile or injure any 
part of it4 ,i will try to keep my body 
a fit dwelling place for my soul1 for   
,god gave them both to me4 ,and ,i will 
do all ,i can to make my home1 school1  
and community a beautiful and healthful 
place for others to live4  ,i will keep 
good-natured1 cheerful1 and responsive4 
,tasks grow easier and loads lighter    
when one is cheerful4 ,i will therefore 

guard against gloomy and sullen moods1  
which not only make me unhappy1 but     
cause unhappiness to those about me4 ,i 
will watch that ,i may not be cross and 
irritable at home1 and shall do my part 
to make home the bright and happy place 
,i wish it to be4 ,i will be careful not
 to grumble nor whine when things go    
wrong1 or when ,i cannot have my own    
way4 ,i will remember that troubles flee
 when we refuse to think about them4 ,i 
will refuse to give way to ill temper1  
for ,i would not become its slave2      
rather will ,i learn to laugh at small  
troubles and annoyances that cannot be  
cured4 ,if ,i am feeling sad or unhappy1
 ,i will stop to speak a kind word or do
 a fine deed1 and the gloom will        
disappear4  ,i will take pride in work  
and thrift4 ,the world has no place for 
the one who shirks4 ,some one toiled for
 every comfort ,i enjoy2 some one worked
 for the clothing1 shelter1 food1 and   
all the other good things that come to  
me4 ,i must do my part1 work1 help      

others1 and especially help in the home4
 ,i will not slight my tasks1 but say2  
,i can6 and go at my work with a will4  
,what though the task be hard--if it is 
mine1 ,i'll do it6 ,what though the     
lesson be long--if it is to be learned1 
,i'll master it6 ,if ,i can stand at the
 head of my class1 ,i will1 but only    
when ,i have earned the right by honest 
effort4 ,because the world contains so  
many who must go hungry for want of     
food1 and who lack other necessities and
 comforts1 ,i will not needlessly spend 
nor waste anything of value4 ,i will    
take pride in thrift and saving1 and do 
all ,i can to encourage this spirit in  
others4 ,i will respect and honor all   
worthy toil4 ,i will thank the good ,god
 every day that he allows me to take    
part in the work round about me1 and ask
 him to help me to do my share well in  
each seen or unseen part of every task4 
,i will be honest and speak the truth4  
,only one who is honest is worthy of    
trust1 and he who tells a lie confesses 

that he is a coward and afraid to let   
the truth be known4 ,i will be honest   
even in little things1 and will have no 
white lies4 ,though it may seem a trifle
 to cheat in school or not play fair in 
a game1 ,i will be above all trickery   
and deceit4 ,both in play and in work my
 fight must be clean and fair2 ,i shall 
ask but for an even chance4 ,i will give
 full value for whatever ,i receive2 if 
,i work for wages1 ,i must make sure to 
earn them2 if ,i secure honors or grades
 at school1 ,i must win them4 ,i will   
let alone all games of chance1 for      
gambling takes what one has not earned1 
and is therefore stealing4  ,i will be  
obedient to the rules of my home and    
school and to the laws of my country4   
,the rules of home and school and the   
laws of state and nation are made for   
the good of all2 and wherever freedom   
rules there laws must be obeyed4 ,i will
 not quibble nor seek to evade1 but give
 prompt and cheerful obedience wherever 
my duty is to obey4 ,i will honor the   

law and respect those in authority over 
me4 ,i will not be one of those who must
 needs be watched1 and narrowly held to 
right paths4 ,i will obey not because of
 fear or compulsion1 but gladly1 because
 ,i choose to do the right4 ,i will not 
tempt others to disobedience1 nor to the
 violation of the law4 ,i will be a     
loyal member of my home and school and a
 patriotic citizen of my country1 doing 
all in my power to advance their welfare
 and interests4  ,i will be courteous   
and kind4 ,the men and women whom people
 love and admire are courteous and kind4
 ,the strong and the brave are never    
cruel1 they do not willingly injure     
others nor hurt their feelings4 ,i will 
strive each day to be courteous at home1
 kind to those who are nearest to me1   
and helpful to my friends and           
companions4 ,i will not knowingly cause 
pain or suffering to any person4 ,i will
 extend my protection and kindness to   
all animals and every dumb and helpless 
thing1 remembering that pain is pain    

wherever felt1 in a worm as well as in a
 man4 ,especially will ,i show my best  
courtesy to aged and infirm persons1 and
 to all such as may need help4 ,it will 
be my high privilege to render service  
to any who are unfortunate1 crippled1 or
 in distress1 ,i will do unto others    
what ,i would have them do unto me4  ,i 
will show courage and self-control4 ,i  
should not want to be a coward1 for     
cowardice always brings pity and        
contempt4 ,i know that all must at times
 meet pain and suffering2 and when the  
time comes to me ,i must not lose my    
courage and self-control2 ,i will not   
shrink nor cringe1 but find strength in 
remembering that many have suffered and 
endured without complaint4 ,i will avoid
 danger and unnecessary risk whenever   
possible1 but if accident or duty puts  
me in a place of danger1 ,i must try to 
keep a cool head and to show my mettle  
by doing my full duty bravely4 ,when    
sometimes things go wrong1 and ,i cannot
 have my own way1 ,i shall show my      

courage and self-command by keeping my  
temper and tongue under control2 ,i will
 be a good sportsman and not complain1  
nag1 nor find fault4 ,i will make it a  
rule1 if ,i feel my anger rising1 to    
think twice before ,i speak or act4 ,if 
,i have wronged or offended anyone1 ,i  
will be strong enough to go and make it 
right1 confessing my fault4 ,when ,i am 
tempted to think or do or say what ,i   
know to be wrong1 ,i will ask my        
heavenly ,father for strength to        
overcome the temptation4 ,it will be my 
constant purpose and care to keep myself
 pure in thought1 word1 and deed4  ,i   
will be dependable and do my duty4 ,the 
world needs men and women on whom it can
 depend1 and who are not afraid to do   
their duty at whatever cost4 ,i must    
learn to face hardship and to meet the  
disagreeable without giving way before  
it4 ,i must not ask what road is easy1  
but what way is right--and then do my   
duty4 ,when ,i know ,i ought ,i must be 
able to say ,i will1 even if the choice 

brings me pain and trouble4 ,if ,i have 
undertaken any trust or task1 ,i must   
not lag nor weaken nor grow careless1   
but faithfully see it through to the    
end4 ,when my country calls1 or the     
world needs my services1 ,i must not    
consult my own wishes or convenience1   
but unfalteringly follow where duty     
leads4 ,whenever ,i can with justice and
 self-respect1 ,i will avoid a quarrel2 
but ,i will not sit idly by and see     
injustice and oppression brought on the 
weak and helpless if ,i can prevent4  ,i
 will love and enjoy nature4 ,the birds1
 the flowers1 the trees and the brooks  
make the best of friends4 ,i will study 
the great book of nature around me1 and 
seek to learn the secrets of its many   
forms4 ,i will live as much as ,i can in
 the great out-of-doors1 finding in its 
beauty and freshness new evidences of   
,god's wisdom and goodness4 ,i will     
never injure nor destroy1 but do all ,i 
can to protect the beautiful living and 
growing things about me4 ,i will find   

joy in the storm1 the rain1 and the     
snow1 and then no day will seem dreary  
or dull to me4 ,i will seek for some    
good purpose in all harmless created    
things1 making comrades of my animal    
playmates1 and taking an interest in all
 such things as creep or crawl or fly2  
and need then never be lonely nor lack  
good company4 ,i will look upon the     
glory of the sunset1 the wonder of a    
starlit night1 the sparkle of the dew1  
and then reverently thank ,god that he  
has made the great world so beautiful   
and good4  ,i will each day turn to my  
heavenly ,father for help1 strength1 and
 forgiveness4 ,i know ,i cannot live my 
life as ,i should live it without ,god's
 help and counsel4 ,i will therefore    
turn to him in prayer that he will guide
 me when ,i am puzzled or uncertain1    
that he will give me victory when ,i am 
tempted to do wrong1 that he will give  
me courage when ,i falter or am afraid1 
that he will forgive me when ,i have    
sinned or failed in my duty4 ,i will    

take for my standard of life and action 
the example of ,jesus1 and show my love 
and appreciation by living as fully as  
,i can the kind of life he lived4 ,i    
know that ,i cannot have ,god's presence
 in my life unless ,i keep my heart pure
 and my conduct right2 ,i will          
therefore1 with his help1 as nearly as  
,i can1 live from day to day as ,i think
 ,god would have me live1 ,i will take  
time morning and evening of each day for
 a few moments of prayer1 quiet thought1
 and for the study of the ,bible4 ,i    
will do my best to be a worthy          
,christian4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,the teacher1 of    
course1 will need to adapt the          
application of such principles as those 
we have been discussing to the age and  
the needs of his pupils4 ,such lessons  
cannot be presented as so much abstract 
truth4 ,the purpose1 as we have already 
seen1 is to lead the child to make such 
high ideals his habit of life and       
action1 so that at last they may govern 

his conduct and become an inseparable   
part of his character4 ,to do this1 such
 ideals must be made desirable and      
attainable4   ,,participation ,,in ,,the
 ,,work ,,of ,,the ,,church ,,and       
,,social ,,service  ,the forming of     
religious social habits is as important 
as the forming of religious personal    
habits4 ,from his earliest years the    
child should come to look on his church1
 his ,sunday school1 and the class to   
which he belongs as a responsibility in 
which he has a personal share4 ,his     
experience in connection with these     
organizations should be so interesting  
and satisfying that his attendance does 
not have to be compelled1 but so that   
his loyalty1 affection1 and pride       
naturally lead him to them4  ,when this 
is accomplished1 the basis of good      
attendance is secured1 and the          
foundation laid for later participation 
in all forms of church work4 ,once the  
right spirit is created and right habits
 developed1 unpleasant weather1 bad     

roads or streets1 getting up late on    
,sunday mornings1 nor any other         
obstacles will stand in the way of      
regular church and ,sunday school       
attendance any more than of day-school  
attendance4 ,and until the church has   
its children 7and their homes7 so       
trained that attendance on the church   
school is regular throughout the year1  
our instruction must of necessity fail  
to reach its full aim4  ,learning to    
take responsibility for others4--,one of
 the greatest lessons a child can learn 
from his lessons in religion is that he 
is his brother's keeper4 ,the instincts 
of childhood are naturally selfish and  
self-centered2 the sense of             
responsibility for others must be       
gradually trained and developed4 ,a     
double purpose can therefore be served  
by enlisting the children of our classes
 as recruiting officers to secure new   
members1 and to look up any who may have
 dropped out or whose attendance is     
irregular4 ,the sense of pride and      

emulation in such work1 and the feeling 
on the part of our pupils that they are 
actually accomplishing something        
definite for their class or school will 
do much to cement loyalty and train the 
children to assume responsibility for   
their comrades4  ,this pride of the     
group is a strong force during later    
childhood and adolescence1 and can be   
fruitfully used in religious training4  
,the boy or the girl ,scout takes great 
pride in doing acts of kindness and     
service without personal reward1 just   
because that is one of the things that  
scouting stands for4 ,scouts are        
expected to do this1 or ,scouts are not 
expected to do that1 has all the force  
of law to the loyal ,scout4  ,the       
,sunday school class can command the    
same spirit if the proper appeal is     
made4 ,in its neighborhood work and on  
many special occasions the church and   
the ,sunday school will have need of    
messenger service4 ,errands will have to
 be run1 articles will have to be       

gathered and distributed1 calls will    
have to be made1 funds will have to be  
collected1 and a hundred other things   
done which children can do as well or   
better than anyone else4 ,and it is     
precisely in these practical acts of    
homely service that the child gets his  
best training in the social side of     
religion4  ,laboratory work in          
religion4--,the wise teacher will       
therefore seize upon every opportunity  
to find something worth while for his   
pupils to do4 ,he will have them help   
with the distribution of supplies in the
 classroom2 he will see that they       
volunteer to help the super-intendent or
 other officials who may need           
assistance2 he will give them           
responsibility in decorating the church 
or classroom for special occasions2 he  
will leave to their cooperation as large
 a measure as possible of the work to be
 done in arranging and carrying out     
class or school picnics1 excursions1    
social gatherings1 and the like2 he will

 arrange for special groups to visit the
 aged1 sick1 or shut-in for the purpose 
of singing gospel songs1 and will open  
the way for those who are qualified to  
do so to read the ,bible or other matter
 to the blind or those whose sight is   
failing4 ,in short1 the devoted teacher 
who understands the laws of childhood   
will make his instruction as nearly as  
possible a laboratory course in         
religion1 finding the material and the  
occasion in the human needs and the     
opportunities for loving service which  
lie closest at hand4  ,assuming personal
 responsibility4--,the sense of the     
child's responsibility for his class and
 school must also carry into the        
exercise of the school itself4 ,the boy 
should be led to prepare his lesson     
because of the truth it contains2 but   
also because a recitation cannot be a   
success unless the pupils know their    
lesson and do their part4 ,he should pay
 his share toward the running of the    
school and church because it is our duty

 to give1 but also because he feels a   
personal responsibility for his church  
and his class4 ,he should take part in  
public prayer or the leadership of      
meetings1 when asked to do1 because it  
is right and proper to do these things1 
but also because he realizes that each  
member of the class and school owes it  
to the organization to do his share4    
,nothing can take the place of          
whole-hearted1 joyous participation in  
the real activities of the ,sunday      
school as a means of catching the       
interest of the members and securing    
their loyalty2 for interest and loyalty 
finally attach to those activities in   
which we have a share4 ,the school in   
which the child finds a chance to       
express the lessons and put into        
practice the maxims he is taught is the 
school which is building ,christian     
character and providing for future      
religious leadership4  ,participation in
 singing4--,especially should we develop
 in our children the ability and will to

 engage in religious singing4 ,almost   
every child can sing1 and all children  
respond to the appeal of music adapted  
to their understanding4 ,the most expert
 and inspiring leadership which the     
church can command should be placed in  
charge of the children's singing in the 
,sunday school4  ,if it comes to the    
question of selecting between a director
 for the adult choir and a soloist for  
the general congregation on the one     
hand1 or an efficient organizer and     
director of children's music on the     
other hand1 there should not be a       
moment's hesitation on the part of any  
church to supply the needs of the       
children first4 ,the aim should then be 
to have all the children sing1 and allow
 none to form the habit of depending on 
the older members or on a few leaders to
 supply the singing for the entire      
school4 ,those who possess special      
ability in music should be formed into  
choruses1 orchestras1 school bands1 or  
similar organizations4 ,not only will   

all this add to the interest and        
effectiveness of the school itself1 but1
 not less important1 will be helping to 
form the music habit in connection with 
sacred music4  ,training in             
giving4--,the missionary enterprises of 
the church afford one of the best       
opportunities for giving the child      
practical training in the social aspect 
of religion4 ,it is not enough that the 
children shall be told the stories of   
the missionary heroes and given the     
picture of the needs of the people in   
far-away lands4 ,once the imagination is
 stirred and the emotions wanned by this
 instruction1 an immediate and natural  
outlet in expression must be found if   
these lessons are to fulfill their end4 
,children should early be led into      
giving money for missionary purposes1   
and this as far as possible should be   
their own money which they themselves   
have earned4 ,for the child to go to his
 father on a ,sunday morning for money  
for the missionary collection does not  

answer the need on the educational side2
 it is the child's real sharing that    
leaves the impression and teaches the   
lesson4  ,there is also real educational
 value in leading children to give      
clothing1 food1 or other necessities for
 the use of the needy4 ,here1 again1 the
 giving should involve something of real
 sacrifice and sharing1 and not consist 
merely in giving away that for which the
 child himself no longer cares4 ,the    
joint giving by a class or the entire   
school for the support of a missionary  
worker whose name is known1 and a       
somewhat detailed report of whose work  
is received1 lends immediateness and    
reality to the participation of the     
pupils4 ,a strong appeal can be made to 
the spirit of giving by the adoption by 
the class of some needy boy or girl     
whose ,christian education is provided  
for by the efforts of the class1 and to 
whom personal letters can be written and
 from whom replies may be received4     
,social service4--,the children of our  

,sunday schools should be given an      
active and prominent part in all forms  
of community welfare service4 ,the      
successful enlistment of the ,boy       
,scouts and the ,girl ,scouts in many   
valuable forms of community enterprises 
contains a vital suggestion and lesson  
for the church school4 ,wherever good   
deeds need to be done1 wherever help    
needs to be rendered1 wherever kindness 
and service are necessary1 there the    
children should be called upon to do    
their part4 ,if the tasks and           
responsibilities are suited to the      
various ages1 there will be no trouble  
about securing response4 ,nor1 on the   
other hand1 will there be any doubt but 
that the lessons learned will be        
entirely vital and will serve to connect
 the religious motive with everyday life
 and its activities4  ,religion finding 
expression in the home4--,no system or  
method of religious instruction is      
effective the results of which do not   
find expression in the life of the home4

 ,it is here in the intimate relations  
of children with each other and with    
their parents that the moral and        
religious lessons of forbearance1 good  
will1 and mutual service find most      
frequent and vital opportunity for      
application4  ,children need early to be
 made to see their individual and joint 
responsibility for the happiness1       
cheerfulness1 good nature1 and general  
social tone of their home2 and to help  
at these points should become a part of 
their religion4 ,they should be         
stimulated to share in the care of the  
home1 and not to shirk their part of its
 work4 ,they should be interested in the
 home's finances1 and come to feel a    
personal responsibility for saving or   
earning as the situation may require4   
,they should have a definite part in the
 hospitality which the home extends to  
its friends and neighbors1 and come by  
experience to sense the true meaning of 
the word neighborliness4  ,the          
appearance and attractiveness of their  

home should be a matter of pride with   
children1 and this feeling should cause 
them to be careful in their own habits  
of neatness1 cleanliness1 and order     
about the home4 ,all these things have a
 bearing on the foundations of character
 and are therefore a legitimate concern 
in religious instruction4  ,the final   
tests of our instruction4--,in such     
things as we have been discussing1 then1
 we find one of the surest tests of the 
outcome of our teaching the child       
religion--,are the lessons carrying     
over8 ,is the child1 because of our     
contact with him1 growing in            
attractiveness and strength of          
personality and character8 ,is he       
developing a habit of prayer1 devotion1 
spiritual turning to ,god8 ,is he doing 
a reasonable amount of reading and study
 of the ,bible and the lesson material  
of the school8 ,is he taking such       
personal part in the various social and 
religious activities of the church and  
the community that he is getting his    

hand in1 and developing the attachments 
and loyalties which can come only       
through participation8 ,in short1 is the
 child given a chance to apply1 and does
 he daily put into practice and thus    
into character1 the content and spirit  
of what we teach him8  ,the answers we  
must return to these questions will     
measure our success as teachers and     
determine the value coming to the child 
from our instruction4       #a4 ,to what
 extent do you believe your pupils are  
living differently      in their daily  
lives for the instruction you are giving
 them8 ,do      you definitely plan your
 teaching to accomplish this aim8 ,for  
example1 what definite results are you  
seeking from the next      lesson8      
#b4 ,can you think your class over pupil
 by pupil and decide which of      these
 points in the code of action most needs
 be stressed in      individual cases8  
,do the topics in this code suggest     
points of      emphasis which might     
serve for many different lessons8 ,is   

there      danger of loss in efficiency 
if we try to stress too many of the     
points at one time8       #c4 ,are the  
children of your class interested in    
keeping up the      membership and      
attendance8 ,what specific part and     
responsibility do      you give the     
members in this matter8 ,is it possible 
that you could      plan to use their   
help more fully and effectively8        
#d4 ,suppose you try making a list of   
all the different lines of              
participation in religious activities   
directly opened up to the      pupils of
 your class by the church and the church
 school4 ,is the      list as long as it
 should be8 ,what further provision     
could be made      for the children to  
have definite responsibility and        
activity8       #e4 ,do you think that  
your pupils are becoming increasingly   
inclined      to look upon religion as a
 mode of living8 ,for example1 will your
      children be more agreeable1       
responsive1 obedient1 and helpful in    

the home next week for the lessons you  
have been teaching them8      ,will they
 have higher standards of conduct in the
 school and on the      playground8     
,,for ,,further ,,reading  ,dewey1      
,moral ,principles in ,education4       
,sharp1 ,education for ,character4      
,partridge1 ,genetic ,philosophy of     
,education1 chapters on ,moral and      
,religious ,education4  ,mumford1 ,the  
,dawn of ,character4  ,richardson1 ,the 
,religious ,education of ,adolescents4  
,alexander1 ,boy ,training4             
,,chapter ,,vii  ,,the ,,subject        
,,matter ,,of ,,religious ,,education   
,we have seen in an earlier chapter how 
the subject matter of religious         
education must be selected in accordance
 with the aims we would have it         
accomplish in the lives of our pupils4  
,we have also considered in separate    
chapters the religious knowledge        
required1 the religious attitudes       
demanded and the practical applications 
of religious instruction to be made or  

the expression to be sought in the      
everyday life4 ,let us now examine      
somewhat more completely the particular 
phases of subject matter which should be
 used to attain these ends--,to what    
sources shall we go for the material for
 the religious instruction of our       
children8 ,what subject matter shall we 
put into the curriculum of religious    
education8 ,this is a question of       
supreme importance to the individual1 to
 the church1 and to civilization4       
,,sources ,,of ,,material  ,first of all
 we must realize that the sources of    
religious material are almost infinitely
 broad and rich4 ,they are much broader 
than the ,bible4 ,i would not be        
misunderstood on this point4 ,i conceive
 the ,bible as the matchless textbook of
 religion1 the great repository of      
spiritual wisdom through the ages4 ,it  
is the primary source to which we must  
go for material for religious           
instruction1 not just because it is the 
,bible1 but because its truths are the  

surest guide ever formulated for        
spiritual development4  ,yet human      
experience and human problems are       
broader than the ,bible4 ,new ages bring
 new conditions and new needs4 ,eternal 
truths may take on new forms to meet new
 problems4 ,god inspired the writers of 
his ,word1 but he also inspires other   
writers1 whose works are not included in
 the canon4 ,he echoed in the voice of  
,isaiah and ,jeremiah1 but he also      
touches with the flame of eloquence     
other lips than those of the prophets4  
,he spoke to the child ,samuel1 but he  
also speaks to-day to every heart that  
will hear his voice4 ,he flamed from the
 burning bush for ,moses1 but in like   
manner he shines from every glowing     
sunset for those whose eyes can there   
behold his glory4  ,breadth and richness
 of religious material4--,the sources of
 material available for the religious   
education of childhood are therefore as 
broad as the multiform ways in which    
,god speaks to men1 and as rich as all  

the great experiences of men which have 
left their impress upon civilization4   
,besides the beautiful story of ,god    
creating the earth1 we have the         
wonderful miracle of constant           
re-creation going on before our eyes in 
the succession of generations of all    
living things4  ,besides the deathless  
accounts of the heroism of such men as  
,elijah1 ,daniel1 and ,paul1 we have the
 immortal deeds of ,livingstone1        
,taylor1 and ,luther4 ,besides the      
womanly courage and strength of ,esther 
and ,ruth1 we have the matchless        
devotion of ,florence ,nightingale1     
,frances ,willard1 ,alice ,freeman      
,palmer1 and ,jane ,addams4 ,besides the
 stirring poetry of the ,bible1 and its 
appealing stories1 myths and parables1  
we have the marvelous treasure house of 
religious literary wealth found in the  
writings of ,tennyson1 ,whittier1       
,bryant1 ,phillips ,brooks1 and many    
other writers4  ,material to be drawn   
from many sources4--,the material for   

religious teaching lying ready to our   
hand is measureless in amount1 and must 
be wisely chosen4 ,in addition to       
material from the ,bible1 which always  
must be the center and foundation of the
 religious curriculum1 should be taken  
other material from nature2 from        
biography1 history1 and life itself2    
from literature and story2 from science 
and the great world of objects about us2
 from music1 and from art4 ,all of this 
multiform subject matter must be welded 
together with a common purpose1 and so  
permeated with the religious motive and 
application that it will touch the      
child's spiritual thought and feeling at
 many points of his experience4  ,at no 
moment1 however1 must we forget that our
 primary purpose is not simply to teach 
the child stories1 literature1 history1 
or science1 but religion4 ,by the proper
 use of this broader field of material  
religion may be given a new and more    
practical significance1 and the ,bible  
itself take on a deeper meaning from    

finding its setting among realities     
closely related to the child's daily    
life4   ,,material ,,from ,,the ,,bible 
,the very nature of the ,bible requires 
that we make the most careful selections
 from it in choosing the material for   
religious instruction of children4 ,not 
all parts of the ,bible are of equal    
value as educational material1 and some 
parts of it have no place in the course 
of study before full mental development 
has been reached4  ,how we came by the  
,bible4--,it will help us to understand 
and apply these principles if we        
remember how we came by the ,bible4     
,first of all is the fact that the      
,bible grew out of religion and the life
 of the church1 and not religion and the
 church out of the ,bible4 ,the ,bible  
is not one book1 as many think of it1   
but a collection of sixty-six books1    
which happen to be bound together4 ,in  
fact1 all sixty-six of these books are  
now printed and bound separately by the 
,american ,bible ,society1 and sold at a

 penny each4 ,these sixty-six books were
 centuries in the making1 and they came 
from widely separated regions4          
,different ones of them were originally 
written in different tongues--,hebrew1  
,greek1 and ,aramaic4  ,the earlier     
,christians had1 of course1 only the    
scriptures of the ,old ,testament4 ,it  
was nearly four hundred years after     
,christ had lived on earth before we had
 a list of the ,new ,testament books    
such as our ,bible now contains4 ,in the
 middle of the second century only about
 half of the present ,new ,testament was
 in use as a part of the ,scriptures4   
,some of the books which we now include 
were at one time or another omitted by  
the ,christian scholars1 and several    
books were at one time accorded a place 
which are not now accepted as a part of 
the ,bible4 ,the authorship of a        
considerable number of the books of the 
,bible is unknown1 and even the exact   
period to which they belong is          
uncertain4  ,the different writers wrote

 with different purposes--one was a     
historian2 another a poet2 another1 as  
,paul1 a theologian2 another a preacher2
 another a teller of stories and myths1 
or a user of parables4 ,paul wrote his  
letters to local churches or to         
individuals1 to answer immediate        
questions or meet definite conditions   
and needs4 ,jesus left no written word1 
so far as we know1 and the first written
 accounts we have of his life and work  
were begun forty or fifty years after   
his death4  ,the problem of selecting   
,bible material adapted to              
children4--,the ,bible was therefore a  
slow growth4 ,it did not take its form  
in accordance with any particular or    
definite plan4 ,it never was meant as a 
connected1 organized textbook1 to be    
studied in the same serial and          
continuous order as other books4 ,it was
 not written originally for children1   
but for adults to read4  ,its enduring  
quality proves that the writers of the  
,bible lived close to the heart and     

thought of ,god1 and were therefore     
inspired of him4 ,but we can grant this 
and still feel free to select from its  
lessons and truths the ones that are    
most directly fitted to meet the needs  
of our children as we train them in     
religion4 ,we can love and prize the    
,bible for all that it means and has    
meant to the world1 and yet treat it as 
a means and not an end in itself4 ,we   
can believe in its truth and            
inspiration1 and still leave out of the 
lessons we give our children the        
sections which contain little of        
interest or significance for the child's
 life1 or matter which is beyond his    
grasp and understanding4  ,material     
which may be omitted4--,this point of   
view implies the omission1 at least from
 the earlier part of the child's        
religious education1 of much material   
from different parts of the ,bible2     
these irrelevant sections or material   
not suited to the understanding of      
childhood may remain for adult study4   

,for example1 we may leave out such     
matter as the following3 ,the detailed  
account of the old ,hebrew law as given 
in ,leviticus2 much of the ,hebrew      
history which has no direct bearing on  
the understanding of their religion2    
details of the institution of the       
passover1 and other ecclesiastical      
arrangements2 the philosophy of the book
 of ,job2 genealogies which have no     
especial significance nor interest2 the 
succession of judges and kings2 dates   
and chronological sequences of no       
particular importance2 any stories or   
matter clearly meant to be understood as
 allegory or myth1 but which the child  
would misunderstand1 or take as literal 
and so get a mistaken point of view     
which later would have to be corrected2 
the theology of ,paul as set forth in   
his letters2 matter which shows a lower 
state of morality than that on which we 
live2 and such other matter as does not 
have some direct and discoverable       
relation to the religious knowledge1    

attitudes1 and applications which should
 result from the study4  ,after all such
 material of doubtful value to the child
 has been omitted1 there still remains  
an abundance of rich1 inspiring1 and    
helpful subject matter4  ,the principle 
on which to select material from the    
,bible is clear3 ,know what the child is
 ready for in his grasp and             
understanding2 know what he needs to    
stimulate his religious imagination and 
feeling and further his moral and       
religious development4 ,then choose the 
material accordingly4  ,bible material  
for earlier childhood4--,for the period 
of earlier childhood 7ages three or four
 to eight or nine7 we shall need to omit
 all such material as deals with the    
broader and deeper theory of religion4  
,this is not the time to teach the child
 the significance of the atonement1 the 
mystery of regeneration1 the power of   
faith1 nor the doctrine of the ,trinity4
 ,those sections of the ,bible which    
deal with such far-reaching concepts as 

these must wait for later age and fuller
 development4  ,the child is now ready  
to understand about ,god as the ,creator
 of the earth and of man2 he is ready to
 comprehend ,god as ,father and ,friend1
 and ,jesus as ,brother and ,helper2 he 
is ready to learn lessons of obedience  
to ,god1 and of being sorry when he has 
done wrong2 he is therefore ready to    
understand forgiveness2 he is ready to  
learn all lessons of kindliness1        
truthfulness1 and honesty1 and of       
courage2 he is ready to learn to pray1  
and to thank ,god for his care and      
kindliness4 ,the ,bible material taught 
the child should therefore center upon  
these things4 ,the simple1 beautiful    
story of the creation2 stories of ,god's
 love1 provision1 and protection and of 
,christ's care for children2 incidents  
of heroic obedience and of ,god's       
punishment of disobedience2 stories of  
forgiveness following wrongdoing and    
repentance2 stories of courage and      
strength under temptation to do wrong2  

lessons upon prayer and praise and      
thanksgiving--this is the kind of       
material from the ,bible which we should
 give our children of this younger age4 
,the greater part of the material for   
this stage of instruction will come from
 the ,old ,testament1 and will make the 
child familiar with the childhood of    
,moses1 ,samuel1 ,joseph1 ,david1 and   
other such characters as possess an     
especial appeal to the child's sympathy 
and imagination4 ,the ,new ,testament   
must be drawn upon for the material     
bearing upon the birth and childhood of 
,jesus4  ,material for later            
childhood4--,in the period of later     
childhood 7ages eight or nine to twelve 
or thirteen7 the child is still unready 
for the more difficult and doctrinal    
parts of the ,scriptures4 ,most of the  
impulses of earlier childhood still     
continue1 even if in modified form4     
,types of ,bible material adapted to the
 earlier years1 therefore1 still can be 
used to advantage4  ,a marked           

characteristic of this period1 however1 
is the tendency to hero worship and to  
be influenced by the ideals found in    
those who are loved and admired4 ,this  
is the time1 therefore1 to bring to the 
child the splendid example and          
inspiration of the great ,bible         
characters4 ,the life and work of       
,moses1 the story of ,joseph and his    
triumph over discouragements and        
difficulties1 the stern integrity and   
courage of ,elijah and the other        
prophets1 the beautiful stories of      
,ruth1 ,esther1 ,miriam1 and ,rachel1   
but above all the story of ,jesus--the  
account of these lives will minister to 
the child's impulse to hero worship and 
at the same time teach him some of the  
most valuable lessons in religion4      
,during later childhood1 the sense of   
personal responsibility for conduct is  
developing1 and the comprehension of the
 meaning of wrongdoing and sin4 ,this is
 the time1 therefore1 to bring in       
lessons from the ,bible showing the     

results of sin and disobedience to ,god1
 and the necessity for repentance and   
prayer for forgiveness4 ,during this    
period also1 while the social interests 
are not yet at their highest1 the narrow
 selfishness of earlier childhood should
 be giving way to a more generous and   
social attitude1 and a sense of         
responsibility for the welfare and      
happiness of others4  ,to meet the needs
 of the growing nature at this point    
many lessons should be provided         
containing suggestions and inspiration  
from high examples of                   
self-forgetfulness1 sacrifice1 and      
service as found in the life of ,jesus1 
,paul1 and many others from the ,old and
 the ,new ,testament4 ,the child's      
growing acquaintance with the world     
about him and his study of nature in the
 day schools prepare him for still      
further deepening his realization of    
,god beneficently at work in the        
material universe4 ,abundant material   
may be found in the ,bible to deepen and

 strengthen the learner's love and      
appreciation of the beautiful and good  
in the physical world4  ,material for   
adolescence4--,the adolescent period    
7ages twelve or thirteen to twenty or   
twenty-two7 is the transition stage from
 childhood to maturity4 ,the broader1   
deeper1 and more permanent interests are
 now developing1 and character is taking
 its permanent trend4 ,conduct1 choice1 
and decision are becoming more personal 
and less dependent on others4 ,a new    
sense of self is developing1 and deeper 
recognition of individual responsibility
 is growing4  ,it is all-important that 
at this time the ,bible material should 
furnish the most of inspiration and     
guidance possible4 ,the life and service
 of ,jesus will now exert its fullest   
appeal1 and should be studied in detail4
 ,the work and service of ,paul and of  
the apostles in founding the early      
church will fire the imagination and    
quicken the sense of the world's need of
 great lives4 ,the ethical teachings of 

the ,bible should now be made prominent1
 and should be made effective in shaping
 the ideals of personal and of social   
conduct which are crystallizing4 ,the   
development of the ,hebrew religion1    
with its ethical teaching1 and the moral
 quality of the ,christian religion are 
now fruitful matter for study4  ,during 
the later part of adolescence the youth 
is ready to consider biblical matter    
that throws light on the deeper meaning 
of sin1 of redemption1 of repentance1 of
 forgiveness1 of regeneration1 and other
 such vital concepts from our religion4 
,the simplest and least controversial   
interpretations--that is1 the broader   
and more significant meanings--should be
 presented1 and not the overspeculative 
and disputed interpretations1 which are 
almost certain to lead to mental and    
perhaps spiritual disturbance and even  
doubt4  ,the guiding principle4--,for   
whatever age or stage of the child's    
development we are responsible1 we will 
follow the same principle4 ,because we  

want to cultivate in the child a deep   
and continuing interest in the ,bible   
and the things for which it stands1 we  
will seek always to bring to him such   
material as will appeal to his interest1
 stir his imagination1 and quicken his  
sense of spiritual values4 ,since we    
desire to influence the learner's deeds 
and shape his conduct through our       
teaching1 we will present to him those  
lessons from the ,bible which are most  
naturally and inevitably translated into
 daily living4 ,first we will know what 
impression we seek to make or what      
application we hope to secure1 and then 
wisely choose from the rich ,bible      
sources the material which will most    
surely accomplish this end4   ,,story   
,,material  ,the story is the chief and 
most effective means of teaching the    
younger child religion1 nor does the    
appeal of the story form of expressing  
truth lose its charm for those of older 
years4 ,lessons incomprehensible if put 
into formal precept can be readily      

understood by the child if made a part  
of life and action1 and the story does  
just this4 ,it shows virtue being lived2
 goodness proving itself2 strength1     
courage1 and gentleness expressing      
themselves in practice2 and selfishness1
 ugliness1 and wrong revealing their    
unlovely quality4 ,taught in the story  
way1 the lesson is so plain that even   
the child cannot miss it4  ,the story   
also appeals to the child's imagination1
 which is so ready for use and so vivid1
 and which it is so necessary to employ 
upon good material in order to safeguard
 its possessor from using it in harmful 
ways4 ,long before the child has come to
 the age of understanding reasoned      
truth1 therefore1 he may well have      
implanted in his mind many of the       
deepest and most beautiful religious    
truths which will ever come to him4     
,the ,old ,testament rich in story      
material4--,the wonderful religious and 
ethical teachings of the ,old ,testament
 belong to a child-nation1 and were     

written by men who were in freshness of 
heart and in picturesqueness and        
simplicity of thought essentially       
child-men2 hence these teachings are in 
large part written in the form of story1
 of legend1 of allegory1 of myth1 of    
vivid picture and of unrimed poetry4 ,it
 is this quality which makes the        
material so suitable to the child4 ,the 
deeper meanings of the story do not have
 to be explained1 even to the young     
child2 he grasps them1 not all at once1 
but slowly and surely as the story is   
told and retold to him4 ,if the story is
 properly told1 the child does not have 
to be taught that the ,bible myth or    
legend is myth or legend2 he accepts it 
as such1 not troubling to analyze or    
explain1 but unconsciously appropriating
 such inner meaning as his experience   
makes possible1 and building the lesson 
into the structure of his growing       
nature4  ,if full advantage is taken of 
the story as a means of religious       
teaching1 the grounding of the child in 

the fundamental concepts and attitudes  
of religion can be accomplished with    
certainty and effectiveness almost      
before the age for really formal        
instruction has come4  ,the ethical     
quality alone not enough in             
stories4--,many stories of highest      
religious value are available from other
 sources than the ,bible1 yet no other  
stories can ever wholly take the place  
of the ,bible stories4 ,for the ,bible  
stories possess one essential quality   
lacking in stories from other sources2  
the ,bible stories are saturated with   
,god4 ,and this is an element wholly    
vital to the child's instruction in     
religion4  ,we cannot teach the child   
religion on the basis of ethics alone1  
necessary as morality is to life4 ,we   
cannot help the child to spiritual      
growth and the consciousness of ,god in 
his life without having the matter we   
teach him permeated and made alive with 
the spirit and presence of ,god in it4  
,nor is there the least difficulty for  

the child to understand ,god in the     
stories4 ,the child1 like the ,hebrews  
themselves1 does not feel any necessity 
of explaining or accounting for ,god1   
but readily and naturally accepts him   
and the part he plays in our affairs as 
a matter of course4  ,stories from other
 than ,bible sources4--,but once a      
sufficient proportion of ,bible stories 
is provided for1 stories should be      
freely drawn from other fields4 ,an     
abundance of rich material possessing   
true religious worth can be found in the
 myths1 legends1 folk lore1 and heroic  
tales of many literatures4 ,these are a 
treasure house with which every teacher 
of children should be familiar2 nor is  
the task a burdensome one1 for much of  
this material holds a value and charm   
even for the older ones of us4  ,later  
writers have enriched the fund of       
material available for children by      
treating many of the aspects of nature  
in story form1 thereby opening up to the
 mind and heart of the child something  

of the meaning and beauty of the        
physical world1 and showing ,god as the 
giver of many good gifts in this realm  
of our lives4 ,there are also available 
the stories of history1 and of the real 
men and women whose lives have blessed  
our own or other times1 and whose deeds 
and achievements will appeal to the     
imagination and stir the ideals of      
youth4  ,the teacher as a story         
teller4--,the successful teacher of     
religion must therefore possess the art 
which will enable him to use the story  
as one of the chief forms of material in
 his instruction4 ,he must know the     
stories4 ,he must be able to tell them  
interestingly4 ,the story loses half of 
its effectiveness if it must be read to 
the child1 but it may lose in similar   
proportion if it is haltingly or        
ineffectively told4 ,it is not          
necessary1 at least for the younger     
children1 to use a large number of      
stories4 ,in fact1 there is positive    
disadvantage in attempting to employ so 

many stories that the child does not    
become wholly familiar with each        
separate one4 ,children do not tire of  
the stories they like2 indeed1 their    
love for a story increases as they come 
to know it well1 and they will demand to
 have the same story told over and over 
in preference to a new one4  ,the use of
 the story with older children4--,a     
mistake has been made in not a few of   
the ,sunday school lesson series in     
sharply reducing the story material for 
all ages above the primary grades4 ,it  
must be remembered that while the older 
child has more power to grasp and       
understand abstract lessons than the    
younger child1 there is no age or stage 
of development at which the story and   
the concrete illustration are not an    
attractive and effective mode of        
teaching4 ,surely1 all through the      
junior and intermediate grades the story
 should be one of the chief forms of    
material for religious instruction1     
while for adolescents stories will still

 be far from negligible4  ,the          
principles of story-using1 then1 are    
clear in the teaching of religion3 ,make
 the story one of the chief instruments 
of instruction2 see that it is charged  
with religious and moral value2 make    
sure it is adapted to the age of the    
learner1 and that it is well told2 for  
younger children use few stories        
frequently repeated until they are well 
known2 do not insist that the child     
shall at first grasp the deeper meanings
 of the story1 make sure of interest and
 enjoyment1 and the meaning will come   
later4   ,,material ,,from ,,nature     
,the child's spontaneous love of nature 
and ready response to the world of      
objects about him open up rich sources  
of material for religious instruction4  
,god who creates the beautiful flowers1 
who causes the breezes to blow1 who     
carpets the earth with green1 who paints
 the autumn hillside with glowing color1
 who directs the coming and going of the
 seasons1 who tells the buds when to    

swell and the leaves to unfold1 who     
directs the sparrow in its flight and   
the bee in its search1 who is in the    
song of the birds and the whisper of the
 leaves1 who sends his rain and makes   
the thunder roll--this ,god can be      
brought1 through the medium of nature's 
forms1 very near to the child4 ,and the 
love and appreciation which the child   
lavishes on the dear and beautiful      
things about him will extend naturally  
and without trouble of comprehension to 
their ,creator4  ,nature material useful
 for all ages4--,most of the lesson     
material now supplied for our ,sunday   
schools use a considerable amount of    
nature material in the earlier grades1  
but some important lesson series omit   
most or all nature material from the    
junior department on4 ,this is a serious
 mistake4 ,all through childhood and    
youth the pupil is continuing in the    
public school his study of nature and   
its laws4 ,along with this broadening of
 knowledge of the natural world should  

be the deepening of appreciation of its 
spiritual meaning1 and the inspiration  
to praise and worship which comes from  
it4 ,one does not1 or at least should   
not1 at any age outgrow his response to 
the wonders and beauties which nature   
unfolds before him who has eyes to see  
its inner meaning4 ,none can afford to  
lose the simple1 untutored awe with     
which children and primitive men look   
out upon the world4  ,carlyle1          
recognizing this truth1 exclaims3 ,this 
green1 flowery1 rock-built earth1 the   
trees1 the mountains1 rivers1           
many-sounding seas2 that great deep sea 
of azure that swims overhead2 the winds 
sweeping through it2 the black cloud    
fashioning itself together1 now pouring 
out fire1 now hail and rain2 what is it8
 ,aye1 what8444 ,an unspeakable1 godlike
 thing1 toward which the best attitude  
for us1 after never so much science1 is 
awe1 devout prostration1 and humility of
 soul2 worship1 if not in words1 then in
 silence4  ,in the same spirit ,max     

,mueller exhorts us3 ,look at the dawn1 
and forget for a moment your astronomy2 
and ,i ask you whether1 when the dark   
veil of night is slowly lifted1 and the 
air becomes transparent and alive1 and  
light streams forth you know not whence1
 you would not feel that your eye were  
looking into the very eye of the        
,infinite8 ,and ,emerson reminds us3 ,if
 the stars should appear one night in a 
thousand years1 how would men believe   
and adore2 and preserve for many        
generations the remembrance of the city 
of ,god which had been shown6 ,but every
 night come out these envoys of beauty1 
and light the universe with their       
admonishing smile4  ,when1 then1 shall  
we have become too far removed from     
childhood to be beyond the appeal of    
nature to our souls8 ,when shall we     
cease to hold communion with her visible
 forms1 and to find in them one of the  
many avenues which ,god has left open   
for us to use in approaching him6 ,what 
teacher of us will dare to leave out of 

his instruction at any stage of the     
child's development the beneficent and  
wonder-working ,god of nature as he     
smiles his benediction upon us from the 
myriad common things around us6         
,,material ,,from ,,history ,,and       
,,biography  ,god is to be found in the 
lives of nations and of men not less    
than in nature1 and the evidences and   
effects of his presence there should be 
taught our children4 ,the spirit which  
,jesus revealed in his life upon earth  
is exemplified in the lives of many of  
his followers who joyously spend        
themselves in the service of others4    
,men who set the standard for manliness1
 and women whose character and lives are
 the best definition of womanliness1 are
 as much a revelation of ,god's work and
 power as a constellation of stars or   
the bloom of the rose4  ,the example of 
great lives4--,so1 along with the great 
,bible characters we will bring to the  
child the men1 and women of other       
generations4 ,we will bring to him the  

great souls who1 as missionaries1 have  
carried the ,light to those who sit in  
darkness2 those who in honesty and      
integrity of purpose have served as     
leaders of nations or armies or         
movements to the blessing of humanity2  
those who1 with the love of ,god in     
their hearts1 have gone out as          
ministers1 teachers1 writers of books1  
singers of songs1 makers of pictures1   
healers of sickness2 or those who1 in   
any field1 of toil or service1 have     
given the cup of cold water in the name 
of the ,master4  ,and we will bring to  
the child the story of the nations1     
showing him one people growing in       
strength1 power1 and happiness while    
following ,god's plan of human justice1 
mercy1 and kindness2 and another going  
down to destruction1 its very name and  
speech forgotten1 because it became     
arrogant and perverse and forgot the    
ways of righteousness4 ,at the proper   
time in their development we will bring 
to our pupils the life and problems of  

the present--the wrongs that need to be 
righted1 the causes that need to be     
defended and carried through to victory1
 the evil that needs to be suppressed1  
the work of ,christ and the church which
 is1 awaiting workers4 ,thus shall we   
seek to bring the challenge of life     
itself to those we teach4   ,,picture   
,,material  ,no discussion of the       
curriculum can ignore the use of        
pictures as teaching material4 ,teachers
 of religion have long recognized the   
value of visual instruction1 and every  
lesson series now has its full quota of 
picture cards and other forms of        
pictorial material4  ,in this picture   
material may roughly be distinguished   
three great types3 7#a7 the symbolical  
picture2 7#b7 the rather formal picture1
 often badly conceived and executed1    
always dealing with biblical characters 
or incidents2 and 7#c7 the more         
universalized type drawn from every     
field of pictorial art1 representing not
 only biblical personages and events1   

but also typifying aesthetic and moral  
values of every range adapted to the    
understanding and appreciation of the   
child4  ,types of                       
pictures4--,representative of the first1
 or symbolical1 pictorial type are found
 the more or less crude pen drawings of 
such things as the heart with a key1 an 
open ,bible with a torch beside it1     
tombstone-like drawings representing the
 ,tables of the ,law or three           
interlocking circles representing the   
,trinity1 etc4  ,not only are all these 
abstract concepts beyond the grasp or   
need of the child at the age when the   
pictures are represented1 but the       
symbols are in no degree suggestive to  
the child of the lesson intended2 they  
are devoid of meaning1 without interest1
 possess no artistic value1 and lack all
 teaching significance4 ,such material  
should be discarded1 and better pictures
 provided4  ,the second type of         
pictures1 or those dealing with ,bible  
topics1 contain teaching power1 but     

should be merged with the third1 or true
 art1 type4 ,that is to say1 biblical   
subjects1 moral lessons1 and inspiring  
ideals should be treated by true artists
 and made a part of the religious       
curriculum for childhood4 ,wherever     
suitable masterpieces executed by great 
artists can be found1 copies should be  
made available for teaching religion4   
,hundreds of such pictures hang in our  
art galleries1 and not a few of them    
have already been incorporated into     
several excellent series for the ,sunday
 school4  ,further1 the pictures offered
 children should be as carefully        
selected with reference to what they are
 to teach1 and should be as carefully   
graded to meet the age1 interests1 and  
appreciations of the child as are other 
forms of curriculum material4 ,some     
otherwise excellent picture sets of     
recent publication lose the greater part
 of their usefulness as teaching helps  
through the lack of this adaptation4    
,,music ,,in ,,the ,,curriculum  ,music 

as a part of the curriculum of religious
 education offers a peculiarly difficult
 problem4 ,no other form of expression  
can take the place of music in creating 
a spirit of reverence and devotion1 or  
in inducing an attitude of worship and  
inspiring religious feeling and emotion4
 ,children ought to sing much both in   
the church school and in their worship  
at home4  ,yet most of our hymns have   
been written for adults1 and most of the
 music is better adapted to adult       
singing than to the singing of children4
 ,the ragtime hymns which find a place  
in many ,sunday school exercises need   
only to be mentioned to be condemned4   
,on the other hand1 many of the finest  
hymns of the church are beyond the grasp
 of the child in sentiment and beyond   
his ability in music4 ,the church       
seriously needs a revival of religious  
hymnology for children4 ,in the meantime
 the greatest care should be used to    
select hymns for children's singing     
which possess as fully as may be three  

requisites3 7#a7 music adapted to the   
child's capacity1 7#b7 music that is    
worthy1 interesting and devotional1 and 
7#c7 words within the child's           
understanding and interest1 and suitable
 in sentiment4       #a4 ,many persons  
think that teaching the child religion  
and teaching      him the ,bible are    
precisely the same thing4 ,do you think 
it is      possible to teach the child  
parts of the ,bible without securing for
      him spiritual development from the
 process8 ,is it possible to make       
the ,bible itself mean more to the child
 by supplementing it with      material 
from other sources8       #b4 ,do you   
ever find lessons provided for your     
class which are not      adapted to     
their age and understanding8 ,if so1 do 
you feel free to      supplement or     
substitute with material which meets    
their needs8 ,do      you have          
sufficient command of the material of   
the ,bible and other      sources so    
that you can do this successfully8      

#c4 ,do you know a considerable number  
of stories adapted to the age      of   
your pupils8 ,are you constantly adding 
to your list8 ,are you a      good story
 teller8 ,are you studying to improve in
 this line8 ,even      if your lesson   
material does not provide stories1 do   
you bring such      material in for your
 class8       #d4 ,what use do you make 
of nature in the teaching of religion8  
,president ,hall thinks that nature     
material is one of the best      sources
 of religious instruction4 ,do you agree
 with him8 ,are you      sufficiently in
 love with nature yourself1 and         
sufficiently      acquainted with nature
 so that you can successfully use the   
nature      motive in your teaching8    
#e4 ,do you constantly make use of      
stories and illustrations from the      
lives of great men and women in your    
teaching8 ,do you take a      reasonable
 proportion of these from contemporary  
life8 ,do you bring      in stories of  
fine actions by boys and girls8 ,what   

use have you      been making of events 
in the lives of nations in your         
teaching8 ,are      you reading and     
studying to become more fully prepared  
to use this      type of material8      
,,for ,,further ,,reading  ,houghton1   
,telling ,bible ,stories4  ,raymont1    
,the ,use of the ,bible in the          
,education of the ,young4  ,brace1 ,the 
,training of the ,twelve4  ,drake1      
,problems of ,religion1 chapter ,,ix4   
,athearn1 ,the ,church ,school4         
,,chapter ,,viii  ,,the ,,organization  
,,of ,,material   ,the organization of  
material to adapt it to the learner's   
mind and arrange it for the teacher's   
use in instruction is hardly less       
important than choosing the subject     
matter itself4 ,by organization is meant
 the plan1 order1 or arrangement by     
which the different sections of material
 are made ready for presentation to the 
child4 ,the problems of organization may
 apply either 7#a7 to the curriculum as 
a whole1 or 7#b7 to any particular      

section of it used for a day's lesson4  
,it is possible to distinguish four     
different types of organization commonly
 used in preparing material for         
religious instruction3  #a4 ,the        
haphazard1 in which there is no definite
 plan or order1 no thread of purpose or 
relationship uniting the parts1 no      
guiding principle determining the order 
and sequence4  #b4 ,the logical1 in     
which the nature and relationships of   
the material itself determine the plan  
and order1 the question of ease and     
effectiveness in learning being         
secondary or not considered4  #c4 ,the  
chronological1 applicable especially to 
historical material1 in which the       
events1 characters1 and facts are taken 
up in the order of the time of their    
appearance and their sequence in the    
entire situation or account4  #d4 ,the  
psychological1 in which the first and   
most important question is the most     
natural and favorable mode of approach  
for the learner--how the material shall 

be planned and arranged to suit his     
power and grasp1 appeal to his interest1
 and relate itself to his actual needs  
and experience4   ,,types ,,of          
,,organization  ,haphazard              
organization4--,the haphazard plan1     
which is really no plan at all1 is1 of  
course1 wholly indefensible4 ,no teacher
 has a right to go before his class with
 his material in so nebulous a state    
that it lacks coordination and purpose4 
,it is this that results in chance and  
unrelated questions1 irrelevant         
discussions1 and fruitless wanderings   
without definite purpose over the field 
of the lesson1 such as may sometimes be 
seen in church classes4  ,the outcome of
 such instruction hardly can be more    
than occasional1 disconnected scraps of 
information1 or fragmentary impressions 
which are never gathered up and bound   
together into completed ideals and      
convictions4 ,the haphazard type of     
organization may result from            
incompetence1 indifference1 and failure 

to prepare1 or from taking a ready-made 
and poorly prepared plan from the lesson
 helps which is not adapted to our      
class4 ,pity the child assigned to a    
class presided over by a teacher who    
esteems his privilege so lightly as not 
to make ready for his task by careful   
planning4  ,logical organization4--,in  
the logical arrangement of material1 the
 first care is not given to planning it 
in the most favorable way for the one   
who studies and learns it1 but1 rather1 
to fit together the different parts of  
the subject matter in the way best      
suited to its logical relationships4    
,the child is pedagogically ignored2 the
 material receives primary              
consideration4 ,the logical order of    
material fits the mind of the adult1 the
 scholar1 the expert1 the master in his 
field of knowledge2 it begins with the  
most general and abstract truths4 ,but  
the child naturally starts with the     
particular and the concrete4 ,it gives  
rules1 principles1 definitions1 while   

the child asks for illustrations1       
applications1 real instances1 and actual
 cases4  ,the logical method is adapted 
to the trained explorer in the fields of
 learning1 to one who has been over the 
ground and knows all of its details1 and
 not to the young novice just starting  
his discoveries in regions that are     
strange to him4 ,the logical plan will  
teach the young child the general plan  
of salvation1 man's fall and need of    
redemption1 the wonder and significance 
of the atonement1 and gracious effects  
of divine regeneration working in the   
heart--all of which he needs finally to 
know--but not as a child just beginning 
the study of religion4 ,the child must  
arrive at the general plan of salvation 
through realizing the saving power at   
work in his own life2 he must come to   
understand the fall of man and his need 
of redemption through meeting his own   
childhood temptations and through seeing
 the effects of sin at work around him2 
he must understand the atonement and    

regeneration through the present and    
growing consciousness of a living       
,christ daily strengthening and         
redeeming his life4  ,chronological     
organization4--,the chronological order 
of material is desirable at the later   
stages of the child's growth and        
development4 ,but in earlier years the  
time sequence is not the chief          
consideration4 ,this is because the     
child's historical sense is not yet     
ready for the concept of cause and      
effect at work to produce certain       
inevitable results in the lives of men  
or nations4  ,the sequence in which     
certain kings reigned1 or the order in  
which certain events took place1 or in  
which certain books of the ,bible were  
written is not the important thing for  
early childhood4 ,at this time the great
 object is to seize upon the event1 the 
character or the incident1 and make it  
real and vital2 it is to bring the      
meaning of the lesson out of its past   
setting and attach it to the child's    

immediate present4  ,psychological      
organization4--,it is the psychological 
organization of material that should    
obtain both in the curriculum as a whole
 and in the planning of the individual  
lessons4 ,we must not think1 however1   
that a psychological order of material  
necessarily makes it illogical4 ,on the 
other hand1 the arrangement of material 
that takes into account the child's     
needs is certain to make it more logical
 to him than any adult scheme or plan   
could do4 ,that is most logical to any  
person which most completely fits into  
his particular system of thought and    
understanding4 ,if we succeed in making 
our plan of presenting material to the  
child wholly psychological1 therefore1  
we need not be concerned2 all other     
questions of organization will take care
 of themselves1 and the psychological   
will constantly tend to become logical4 
,what is meant by a psychological method
 of arranging material for presentation 
has already been discussed 7,chapter    

,,iii74 ,suffice it to say here that it 
is simply planning the subject matter to
 fit the mind and needs of the          
child--arranging for the easiest and    
most natural mode of approach1 securing 
the most immediate points of contact for
 interest and application1 remembering  
all the time that the child speaks as a 
child1 thinks as a child1 understands as
 a child4  ,jesus' use of the           
psychological plan4--,the teacher who   
seeks to master the spirit of the       
psychological presentation of religious 
material should study the               
teaching-method of ,jesus4 ,always he   
came close to the life and experience of
 those he would impress2 always he      
proceeds from the plane of the learner's
 experiences1 understanding1 and        
interests4 ,did he want to teach a great
 lesson about the different ways in     
which men receive truth into their      
lives8--,behold a sower went forth to   
sow4 ,did he seek to explain the        
stupendous meaning and significance of  

the new kingdom of the spirit which he  
came to reveal8--,the kingdom of heaven 
is like to a grain of mustard seed1 or1 
,the kingdom of heaven is like unto     
leaven1 which a woman took and hid in   
three measures of meal1 or1 ,the kingdom
 of heaven is likened unto a man which  
sowed good seed in his field4  ,and with
 this simple1 direct1 psychological1    
homely mode of approach to great themes 
,jesus made his hearers understand vital
 lessons1 and at the same time showed   
them how to apply the lessons to their  
own lives4 ,so throughout all his       
teaching and preaching2 the lesson of   
the talents1 the prodigal son1 the      
workers in the vineyard1 the wedding    
feast1 placing a little child in the    
midst of them--all these and many other 
concrete points of departure illustrate 
the highest degree of skill in the      
psychological use of material4          
,,organization ,,of ,,the ,,curriculum  
,,as ,a ,,whole  ,the material offered  
in the curriculum of our church schools 

is not1 taking it in all its parts1 as  
well organized as that in our public day
 schools4 ,this is in part because the  
material of religion is somewhat more   
difficult to grade and arrange for the  
child than the material of arithmetic1  
geography1 and other school subjects4   
,but it is also because the church      
school has not fully kept pace with the 
progress in education of recent times4  
,a century or two ago the day-school    
texts were not well graded and adapted  
to children2 now1 we have carefully     
graded systems of texts in all school   
subjects4 ,while the logical and the    
chronological method of organization    
still holds a place in many of the      
public school texts1 the psychological  
point of view1 which considers the needs
 of the child first1 is characteristic  
of all the better schoolbooks of the    
present4 ,just because religion is more 
difficult to teach than grammar or      
history or arithmetic1 we should plan   
with all the insight and skill at our   

command to prepare the religious        
material for our children so that its   
arrangement will not suffer by          
comparison with day-school material4    
,three types of lesson                  
material4--,material representing three 
different types of organization and     
content of curriculum material is now   
available and being used in our church  
schools3  #a4 ,the ,uniform ,lessons1   
which are ungraded1 and which give 7with
 few minor exceptions7 the same topics  
and material to all ages of pupils from 
the youngest children to adults4  #b4   
,the ,graded ,lessons1 which seek to    
adapt the topics and subject matter to  
the age and needs of the child1 and     
which therefore present different       
material for the various grades or      
divisions of the school4 ,these are     
usually printed in leaflet or pamphlet  
form4  #c4 ,real textbooks of religion  
which are based on the principles used  
in making day-school texts4 ,the        
material is divided into chapters1 each 

dealing with some theme or topic adapted
 to the age of the child1 the lessons   
not being dated nor arranged to cover a 
certain cycle of subject matter as in   
the case of the regular lesson series4  
,the books are printed and bound much   
the same as day-school texts4  ,the     
uniform lessons4--,although many        
churches still employ the ,uniform      
,lessons1 we shall not hesitate to say  
that no church school is justified in   
this day of educational enlightenment in
 using a system of ungraded lessons4    
,such lessons are planned for adults4   
,they ignore the needs of the child1 and
 force upon him material for which he is
 in no sense ready1 while at the same   
time omitting matter that he needs and  
is capable of understanding and using4  
,for example1 some of the topics which  
primary children1 juniors1 and all alike
 find in their ungraded lessons of      
current date are1 man's fall1 the       
atonement1 regeneration1 the city of    
,god1 faith--splendid topics all1 but   

too strong meat for babes4  ,why should 
we thus ignore the educational progress 
of the age1 starve our children         
spiritually1 and hamper them in their   
religious development by this obsolete  
system of education which has been long 
since outgrown in the public schools8   
,why should we not ignore tradition1    
prejudice1 and personal preference1     
where these are in the way1 and let the 
needs of the child decide8 ,why should  
thousands of church schools to-day be   
using the ,uniform ,lessons8  ,some use 
them because they are cheaper2 others   
because they always have used them and  
do not like the trouble and             
disarrangement of a change2 others      
because of the doubtful theory of the   
inspiration that comes from having all  
the members of the family studying the  
same lesson at the same time 7we do not 
expect all the family to read or study  
the same material in other lines72 and  
perhaps others because they have not    
been accustomed to thinking of religious

 education following the same principles
 and laws as other education4 ,but      
whatever the explanation of the use of  
the ,uniform ,lessons in our church     
schools in the past1 let us now see to  
it that they give way to better         
material4 ,let us not be satisfied1     
even1 when the ungraded uniform lessons 
are improved2 they should not be        
improved1 but discarded4  ,graded       
lessons4--,a large and increasing number
 of our best church schools are now     
using some form of graded lesson        
material based on the topics supplied by
 the ,international ,lesson ,committee4 
,each great denomination has its own    
lesson writers1 who take these topics   
and elaborate them into the graded      
lessons such as we know in the ,berean  
,series1 the ,keystone ,series1 the     
,pilgrim ,series1 the ,westminster      
,series1 etc4 ,all such lesson material1
 which seeks to adapt the material to   
the needs of the child as he progresses 
year by year from infancy to adulthood1 

is infinitely superior to any form of   
ungraded material4 ,it is easier and    
more interesting for the child to learn1
 less difficult for the teacher to      
present2 and its value in guiding       
spiritual development immeasurably      
greater4  ,some form of closely graded  
lessons is the only kind of material    
which should be used in our church      
schools2 the children have the same need
 and the same right to material graded  
and prepared to meet their understanding
 in religion as in language or in       
science4 ,but when we employ graded     
lessons we must make sure that the      
child1 and not the subject matter2 is   
the basis of the grading4 ,we must make 
certain that the writer of the lessons  
knows the mental grasp1 the type of     
interests1 the characteristic attitudes1
 and the social activities of the child 
at the different stages1 and then       
arranges the material to meet these     
needs4 ,we must not simply aim to cover 
so much biblical material1 even if we   

select it as well as we may to come     
within the child's grasp2 we must have  
his real religious needs1 his religious 
growth1 and his spiritual development in
 mind1 and provide for these4  ,adapting
 graded lessons to young children4--,in 
the graded series of lessons now most   
commonly used in the church schools the 
material is1 on the whole1 fairly well  
selected to meet the needs of the       
beginners and the primary section4      
,interesting stories are told1 and much 
nature material presented4 ,the work is1
 of course1 all presented to the pupils 
by the teacher1 as the children cannot  
yet read4 ,in some cases the stories    
used are undoubtedly too difficult1 and 
not a few of them lack the elements of  
good story-telling4  ,yet the           
instruction usually centers about the   
topics most needed by the child at this 
time--the love and care of ,god both for
 our lives and in the world of nature   
about us2 the ,christ-child and his care
 for children2 lessons of kindness1     

obedience and love in the home1 etc4    
,because of this directness of appeal   
the child responds to the material and  
the teacher finds her task much easier  
and more fruitful than with the         
difficult topics of the ungraded        
lessons4  ,graded lessons not all well  
adapted to ages4--,as the graded lessons
 pass on into the junior age1 the       
adaptation of material is generally less
 successful than for the primary grades4
 ,the topics are based less on the      
interests and spiritual needs of the    
child1 and more on the material4 ,the   
lessons for the greater part consist of 
biblical material only1 and are often   
too difficult for the child to be       
interested in them or to understand     
them4 ,no coordinating principle relates
 the topics to each other1 and the      
material consequently comes to the child
 in rather disconnected scraps4 ,too    
frequently this material1 because it    
belongs to a later stage of development1
 is without any particular or direct    

bearing on the learner's experience1 and
 hence not assimilated into his life4   
,the remedy here is to use a larger     
proportion of story material1 of        
biography1 of lessons from nature1 and  
of such gems of literature as carry a   
spiritual message suited to the child4  
,the caution is to avoid                
over-intellectualizing the child's      
religious instruction1 and to make sure 
that we do not outrun his rate of       
development in the material we give him4
 ,the same principles should carry over 
into the intermediate1 or               
preadolescence1 age4 ,the hero-worship  
stage is then1 at hand1 and the lesson  
material should be arranged to meet the 
natural demand of the child for action  
and adventure4  ,in planning a graded   
series of lessons it is not less        
important to meet the needs of the      
seniors1 or adolescents1 than of the    
younger pupils4 ,this has not always    
been accomplished4 ,here again1 as in   
the earlier years1 the immediate        

interests and needs of the learner are  
to be the key to the planning of        
material4 ,a series of unrelated topics 
dealing with a distant time and         
civilization1 with little or no         
application to the problems and         
interests that are now thronging upon   
the youth1 will make small appeal to    
him4 ,the youth's growing consciousness 
of social problems1 his interest in a   
vocation1 his increasing feeling of     
personal responsibility as a member of  
the family1 the community1 the church   
and the brotherhood of men are          
suggestions of the nature of the topics 
that should now form the foundation of  
religious study and instruction4  ,it is
 possible that the forgetting of this   
simple fact in the planning of material 
for adolescent pupils is one chief      
reason for the tragic loss of interest  
in the ,sunday school which so often    
occurs at the adolescent stage4  ,text  
books of religious material4--,the text 
book type of religious material differs 

more in the organization and arrangement
 of material than in the subject matter 
itself4 ,the lessons are not based on a 
set cycle of biblical material1 though1 
of course1 such material is freely used4
 ,usually one topic or theme is followed
 throughout the text1 the number of     
lessons or chapters provided being      
intended for one year's work4 ,the      
following titles of texts now in use    
suggest the nature of the subject       
matter3 ,god's ,wonder ,world1 ,heroes  
of ,israel1 ,heroic ,lives1 ,the ,story 
of ,jesus1 ,the ,making of a ,nation1   
,our ,part in the ,world1 ,the ,story of
 a ,book1 ,the ,manhood of the ,master1 
,problems of ,boyhood1 ,social ,duties1 
,the ,testing of a ,nation's ,ideals4   
,beyond question1 the material we teach 
our children in religion should be      
organized and published as real books   
and not as paper-covered or unbound     
serial pamphlets4 ,there is really no   
more reason why we should divide        
religious material up into lessons to be

 dated1 and issued month by month1 than 
why we should thus divide and issue     
material in geography1 history1 reading1
 or any other school subject4 ,children 
who are accustomed in day schools to    
well-made1 well-bound books1 with good  
paper and clear1 readable print1 cannot 
be expected to respond favorably to the 
ordinary lesson pamphlet4 ,the child    
should be encouraged and helped in the  
building of his own library of religious
 books1 but this can hardly be done as  
long as his church-school material comes
 to him in temporary form1 much of it   
less attractive on the mechanical side  
than the average advertising leaflet    
which so freely finds its unread way to 
the waste basket4  ,many of the ,sunday 
school leaflets carry at the top 7or the
 bottom7 of the page an advertisement of
 the denominational lesson              
series--matter in which the child is not
 concerned1 which injures the appearance
 of the page1 and which lowers the      
dignity and value of the publication4   

,and some lesson pamphlets are even     
disfigured with commercial              
advertisements1 sometimes of articles of
 doubtful value1 and always with the    
effect of lowering the tone of the      
subject matter to which it is attached4 
,religious material printed in worthy   
book form escapes these indignities4    
,that textbooks in religion will cost   
more than the present cheap form of     
material is possible4 ,but what matter6 
,we are willing to supply our children  
with the texts needed in their          
day-school work2 shall we not supply    
them with the books required for their  
training in religion8 ,if the texts     
prove too much of a financial burden for
 the children or their parents1 there is
 no reason why the church should not    
follow the example of the public school 
district and itself own the books1      
lending them for free use to the pupils4
  ,guiding principles4--,the principles 
for the organization of the             
church-school curriculum1 are1 then1    

clear4 ,its lessons should start with   
matter adapted to the youngest child4   
,it should present a continuous series  
of steps providing material of          
broadening scope adapted to each age or 
stage from childhood to full maturity4  
,its order and arrangement should at all
 times be decided by the needs and      
development of the learner1 and should  
make constant point of contact with his 
life and experience4 ,it should be      
printed in attractive textbook form1 the
 paper1 type1 illustrations1 and binding
 being equal to the best standards      
prevailing in public-school texts4 ,in  
short1 we should apply the same         
scientific and educational knowledge1   
and the same business ability in        
preparing and issuing our religious     
material that we devote to this phase of
 general education4   ,,organizing ,,the
 ,,daily ,,lesson ,,material  ,the      
teacher's plan or organization of each  
lesson for presentation to the class in 
the recitation is a matter of supreme   

importance4 ,even the best and most     
experienced teachers never reach the    
point where they do not need to prepare 
specifically for each recitation4 ,no   
matter how complete the knowledge of the
 subject1 nor how often one has taught  
it1 there is always the necessity of    
fitting it directly to the needs and    
interests of the particular class before
 us4 ,this preparation should result in 
a definitely worked out lesson plan     
which1 though it may finally be modified
 to fit situations as they arise in the 
class discussion1 will nevertheless     
serve as an outline of procedure for the
 recitation4 ,even the teachers' manual 
supplied with most of the lesson series 
cannot take the place of this definite1 
individual plan prepared by the teacher 
himself for his immediate class4  ,the  
lesson plan4--,the first step in        
arranging a lesson plan is to determine 
the range and amount of material which  
is to be presented to accomplish the aim
 of the class hour4 ,this will include  

the lesson or story from the ,bible1    
nature material1 memory work1 music1    
pictures or any other subject matter to 
be considered4 ,in determining this     
point the age of the children1 the time 
available1 and the nature of the subject
 must all be taken into account4 ,it is 
a mistake to attempt more than can be   
done well1 or to try to do so many      
things that the recitation is too much  
hurried to be interesting or profitable4
  ,the lesson plan should provide for a 
few chief points or topics1 with the    
smaller points and the illustrations    
grouped under these4 ,to have many      
topics receiving the same amount of     
emphasis in a lesson indicates poor     
organization4 ,for example1 in teaching 
the lesson of obedience from the ,garden
 of ,eden story the material may well be
 grouped under the following topics3 #a4
 ,the many good and beautiful things    
,god had given ,adam and ,eve1 #b4      
,there was one thing only which they    
might not have4 #c4 ,their disobedience 

in desiring and taking this one thing1  
#d4 ,their feeling of guilt and         
unhappiness which made them hide from   
,god4 ,under these four general heads   
will come all the stories1              
illustrations1 and applications         
necessary to make the lesson very real  
to children4  ,small matters of large   
import4--,of course the particular      
questions to be asked and the more      
immediate applications to be made must  
await the unfolding of the lesson       
discussion with the class4 ,good        
planning requires1 however1 that we have
 a set of pivotal questions thought out 
and set down for our guidance2 and also 
suggestions for illustrations and       
applications under the various topics4  
,if expression work is to be used1 this 
should be noted in its proper place1 and
 provision made for carrying it out4 ,in
 planning for older classes1 reference  
should be made in the plan to special   
assignments to be made in books1        
magazines or any other material4        

,provision should be made in the plan   
for a summary at the end of the lesson  
period1 and for the making of the final 
impression which the class are to carry 
away with them4 ,nor must the assignment
 of the next lesson be forgotten4       
,probably no small proportion of the    
characteristic failure of pupils to     
prepare their lessons comes from lack of
 definite assignments showing the child 
just what he is expected to do1 and how 
to do it4  ,details of a typical lesson 
plan4--,let us suppose that we are to   
teach the lesson of obedience from the  
story of ,adam and ,eve to children of  
early primary age4 ,our ,lesson ,plan   
might be something as follows3  ,i4 ,the
 ,aim or ,purpose of the                
,lesson--,,obedience4    #a4 ,knowledge 
or information to be given the class--  
a4 ,of the ,bible story itself4     b4  
,of the fact that ,god requires         
obedience4     c4 ,that disobedience    
brings sorrow and punishment4     d4    
,that children owe obedience to parents 

and teachers4    #b4 ,attitudes1 and    
feeling response to be sought4     a4   
,interest in and liking for the ,bible  
story4     b4 ,appreciation of ,god's   
many gifts to his children4     c4      
,desire to please ,god with obedience4  
d4 ,sorrow for acts of disobedience4    
e4 ,respect for authority of home1      
school and law4    #c4 ,applications to 
the child's life and conduct4     a4    
,acts of obedience to ,god in being     
kind1 cheerful1 and helpful to          
others4     b4 ,cheerful obedience in   
home and school with no lagging nor ill 
nature4     c4 ,prayer for forgiveness  
for any act of disobedience4  ,,ii4     
,material or ,subject ,matter to be     
,presented4    #a4 ,the story of ,adam  
and ,eve in the ,garden4      ,the      
version of the story is important4 ,the 
original from the ,bible      is too    
difficult4 ,if the lesson material does 
not offer the story      in satisfactory
 form1 go to one of the many books of   
,bible stories      and find a rendering

 suited to your class4 ,be able to tell 
the      story well4    #b4 ,pictures of
 ,adam and ,eve in the ,garden4      ,be
 sure the picture is interesting1 well  
executed1 and that it      shows        
attractive and beautiful things4    #c4 
,prayer on obedience4      ,the prayer  
to be brief and simple1 asking ,god to  
help each one to      obey him and to   
obey father and mother1 and to forgive  
us when we      do not obey4    #d4     
,music4      ,if possible1 the music may
 correlate with the thought of the      
lesson4 ,if not1 let it be devotional   
and adapted to the children      in     
words and melody4    #e4 ,handwork or   
other form of expression material4      
,cutting and pasting pictures in        
notebooks2 coloring1 or other such      
work1 to be done either in the classroom
 or at home4  ,,iii4 ,mode of           
,procedure--the ,presentation1 or       
,instruction4    #a4 ,greetings to the  
class--opening prayer and   song4    #b4
 ,introduction of the lesson and telling

 of the   story4    #c4 ,discussion1    
questions and illustrations to reveal3  
a4 ,the many beautiful gifts which ,god 
had given ,adam and ,eve1 and     which 
he gives us4     b4 ,how ,adam and ,eve 
were allowed to have everything except  
just     one thing among many4          
,application of this thought to child's 
life     at home1 etc4     c4 ,how ,adam
 and ,eve yielded to temptation and     
disobeyed4 ,practical     application to
 child's life4     d4 ,how ,adam and    
,eve felt ashamed and guilty after they 
had disobeyed     ,god1 and how they    
tried to hide from him4 ,this can be    
made very real     to children4     e4  
,how punishment follows disobedience4   
f4 ,why we must ask for forgiveness when
 we have been disobedient4    #d4       
,summary1 or brief restatement of chief 
impressions to carry away1   and of     
applications to be made in the week     
ahead by the children   themselves4     
#e4 ,closing prayer and song4  ,adapting
 the lesson plan to its uses4--,it is1  

of course1 evident that lesson plans can
 be made of all degrees of complexity   
and completeness4 ,with a little        
practice the teacher can easily decide  
the kind of plan that best suits himself
 and his particular grade of work4 ,on  
the one hand1 the plan should not be so 
detailed as to become burdensome to     
follow in the lesson hour4 ,on the other
 hand1 it should not be so brief and    
sketchy as not to bring out the         
significant elements of the lesson4     
,different grades of pupils and         
different subjects will require         
different lesson plans4 ,it is probable1
 however1 that the three major heads of 
,aims1 ,material1 and ,mode of          
,procedure will prove serviceable in all
 plan making4 ,while the teacher should 
have his plan book at hand in the       
recitation1 he must not become its      
slave1 nor allow its use to kill        
spontaneity and responsiveness in his   
teaching4 ,both the subject matter and  
the day's plan should be so well        

mastered that no more than an occasional
 glance at the details in the plan book 
will be required4 ,nothing must be      
allowed to come between the teacher's   
best personality and his class4         
#a4 ,have you heard lectures1 sermons1  
or lessons which were      constructed  
after the haphazard plan8 ,were they    
easy to follow and      to remember8    
,did they develop a line of thought in a
 successful      way8 ,do you think that
 the haphazard type of organization     
indicates      either lack of           
preparation or lack of ability8         
#b4 ,do you definitely try to organize  
your daily lesson material on      a    
psychological plan8 ,how can you tell   
whether you have succeeded8      ,are   
you close enough to the minds and hearts
 of your pupils so that      you are    
able to judge quite accurately the best 
mode of approach in      planning a     
lesson8       #c4 ,do you study the     
lesson helps provided with your lesson  
material8 ,do you find them helpful8 ,if

 you find that they are not      well   
adapted to your particular class1 have  
you the ability to make      the        
suggestions over to fit your class8     
#d4 ,do you make a reasonably complete  
and wholly definite lesson      plan for
 each lesson8 ,do you keep a plan book1 
so that you may be      able to look    
back at any time and see just what      
devices you have      used8 ,if you have
 not done this1 will you not start the  
practice      now8       #e4 ,what type 
of lesson material do you use1 uniform1 
graded1 or      textbook8 ,are you      
acquainted with other series or material
 for the      same grades8 ,would it not
 be worth your while to secure          
supplemental material of such kinds8    
#f4 ,do you read a journal of ,sunday   
school method dealing with      problems
 of your grade of teaching8 ,if         
day-school teachers find it      worth  
while to read professional journals1 do 
not church-school      teachers need    
their help as much8 ,if you do not know 

what journals      to secure1 your      
pastor can advise you4   ,,for ,,further
 ,,reading  ,strayer1 ,a ,brief ,course 
in the ,teaching ,process1 chapter      
,,xvi4  ,betts1 ,class ,room ,method and
 ,management1 chapter ,,viii4  ,earhart1
 ,types of ,teaching4     ,,chapter ,,ix
  ,,the ,,technique ,,of ,,teaching     
,our teaching must be made to stick4    
,none but lasting impressions possess   
permanent value4 ,the sermons1 the      
lectures1 the lessons that we remember  
and later dwell upon are the ones that  
finally are built into our lives and    
that shape our thinking and acting4     
,impressions that touch only the outer  
surfaces of the mind are no more lasting
 than writing traced on the sand4       
,truths that are but dimly felt or but  
partially grasped soon fade away1       
leaving little more effect than the     
shadows which are thrown on the picture 
screen4  ,especially do these facts hold
 for the teacher in the church-school   
class4 ,for the impressions made in the 

church-school lesson hour bear a larger 
proportion to the entire result than in 
the public school4 ,this is because of  
the nature of the subject we teach1 and 
also because of the fact that most of   
our pupils come to the class with little
 or no previous study on the lesson     
material4 ,this leaves them almost      
completely dependent on the recitation  
itself for the actual results of their  
church-school attendance4 ,the          
responsibility thus placed upon the     
teacher is correspondingly great1 and   
requires unusual devotion and skill4    
,,attention ,,to ,,key  ,the things that
 impress us1 the things that we remember
 and apply1 are the things to which we  
have attended wholly and completely4    
,the mind may be thought of as a stream 
of energy4 ,there is only so much       
volume1 so much force that can be       
brought to bear upon the work in hand4  
,in attention the mind's energy is piled
 up in a wave on the problem occupying  
our thought1 and results follow as they 

cannot if the stream of mental energy   
flows at a dead level from lack of      
concentration4  ,or1 again1 the mind's  
energy may be likened to the energy of  
sunlight as it falls in a flood through 
the window upon our desk4 ,this diffuse 
sunlight will brighten the desk top and 
slightly increase its temperature1 but  
no striking effects are seen4 ,but now  
take this same amount of sun energy and1
 passing it through a lens1 focus it on 
a small spot on the desk top--and the   
wood bursts almost at once into flame4  
,what diffuse energy coming from the sun
 could never do1 concentrated energy    
easily and quickly accomplished4        
,attention is to the mind's energy what 
the lens is to the sun's energy4 ,it    
gathers the mental power into a focus on
 the lesson to be learned or the truth  
to be mastered1 and the concentrated    
energy of the mind readily accomplishes 
results that would be impossible with   
the mental energy scattered or not      
directed to the one thing under         

consideration4 ,the teacher's first and 
most persistent problem in the          
recitation is1 therefore1 to gain and   
hold the highest possible degree of     
attention4  ,three types of appeal to   
attention4--,we are told that there are 
three kinds of attention1 though this is
 not strictly true4 ,there is really    
only one kind of attention1 for         
attention is but the concentration of   
the mind's energy on one object or      
thought4 ,what is meant is that there   
are three different ways of securing or 
appealing to attention4 ,each type of   
attention is named in accordance with   
the kind of compulsion or appeal        
necessary to command it1 as follows3    
#a4 ,involuntary attention1 or attention
 that is demanded of us by some sudden  
or startling stimulus1 as the stroke of 
a bell1 the whistle of a train1 an      
aching tooth1 the teacher rapping on the
 desk with a ruler4  #b4 ,nonvoluntary1 
or spontaneous1 attention that we give  
easily and naturally1 with no effort of 

self-compulsion4 ,this kind of attention
 is compelled by interest1 and1 when    
left unhindered1 will be guided by the  
nature of our interest4  #c4 ,voluntary 
attention1 or attention that is         
compelled by effort and power of will1  
and thereby required to concern itself  
with some particular object of thought  
when the mind's pull or desire is in    
another direction4  ,how each type of   
attention works4--,the first of these   
types of attention1 the involuntary1 has
 so little place in education that we   
shall not need to discuss it here4 ,the 
teacher who raps the desk1 or taps the  
bell to secure attention which should   
come from interest must remember that in
 such case the attention is given to the
 stimulus1 that is1 to the signal1 and  
not to the lesson1 and this very fact   
makes all such efforts to secure        
attention a distraction in themselves4  
,the spontaneous1 or nonvoluntary1      
attention that arises from interest is  
the basis on which all true education   

and training must be founded4 ,the mind1
 and especially the child's mind1 is so 
constituted that its full power is not  
brought to bear except under the        
stimulus and compulsion of interest4 ,it
 is the story which is so entrancing    
that we cannot tear ourself away from   
it1 the game which is so exciting as to 
cause us to forget all else in watching 
it1 the lecture or sermon which is so   
interesting that we are absorbed in     
listening to it1 that claims our best   
thought and comprehension4 ,it is when  
our mind's powers are thus driven by a  
tidal wave of interest that we are at   
our best1 and that we receive and       
register the lasting impressions which  
become a part of our mental equipment   
and character4  ,this does not mean1    
however1 that there is no place for     
voluntary attention in the child's      
training4 ,for not everything can be    
made so inviting that the appeal will at
 all times bring about the concentration
 necessary4 ,and in any case a part of  

the child's education is to learn       
self-direction1 self-compulsion1 and    
self-control4 ,there are many occasions 
when the interest is not sufficient to  
hold attention steady to the task in    
hand2 it is at this point that voluntary
 attention should come in to add its    
help to provide the required effort and 
concentration4 ,there are many          
circumstances under which interest will 
secure a moderate amount of application 
of mental energy to the task1 but where 
the will should step in and command an  
additional supply of effort1 and so     
attain full instead of partial results4 
,children should1 therefore1 be trained 
to give attention4 ,they should be      
taught to take and maintain the attitude
 of attention throughout the lesson     
period1 and not be allowed to become    
listless or troublesome the moment their
 interest is not held to the highest    
pitch4   ,,the ,,appeal ,,to ,,interest 
,sometimes we speak of arousing the     
child's interest1 or of creating an     

interest in a topic we are teaching4    
,strictly speaking1 this is incorrect4  
,the child's interest1 when rightly     
appealed to1 does not have to be        
aroused1 nor does interest have to be   
created4  ,every normal child is        
naturally alert1 curious1 interested in 
what concerns him4 ,who has not taken a 
child for a walk or gone with a group of
 children on an excursion1 and been     
amazed at their capacity for interest in
 every object about them and for        
attention to an endless chain of        
impressions from their varied           
environment8 ,who has not observed      
children in a game1 and noted their     
complete absorption in its changing     
aspects8 ,who has not called a child    
from an interesting tale in a book he   
was reading1 and found that it required 
the combined force of our authority and 
the child's will to break the spell of  
his interest and separate him from his  
book8 ,interest is always ready to flow 
in resistless current if we can but find

 the right channel and a way to set it  
free4 ,when we find our class           
uninterested1 therefore1 we must first  
of all seek the explanation not in the  
children1 but in ourselves1 our methods1
 or the matter we teach4  ,interest     
depends on comprehension4--,first of all
 we must remember that interest never   
attaches to what the mind does not      
grasp4 ,go yourself and listen to the   
technical lecture you do not understand1
 or try to read the book that deals with
 matters concerning which you have no   
information2 then apply the results of  
your experience to the case of the      
child4 ,the matter we teach the child   
must have sufficient connection with his
 own experience1 be sufficiently close  
to the things he knows and cares about1 
so that he has a basis on which to      
comprehend them4 ,the new must be       
related to something old and familiar in
 the mind to meet a warm welcome4  ,if  
we would secure the child's interest1 we
 must make certain of a point of contact

 in his own life and meet him on the    
plane of his own experience4 ,god       
smiling in the sunshine1 making the     
flowers grow or whispering in the breeze
 is closer to the child than ,god as    
,creator4 ,god protecting and watching  
over the child timid and afraid in the  
dark is more real than ,god in his      
heaven as protector4 ,we must remember  
that not what we feel is of value1 but  
what the child feels is of value is what
 will appeal to his interest and        
attention4 ,and no exertion or agonizing
 on our part will create interest in the
 child in matters for which his own     
understanding and experience have not   
fitted him4 ,for example1 probably no   
child is ever interested in learning the
 church catechism or ,bible verses which
 we prize so highly1 but which he can   
not understand nor apply2 he may be     
interested in a prize to be had at the  
end of the learning1 but in this case   
the interest is in the reward and not in
 the matter learned4 ,empty words devoid

 of meaning never fire interest nor     
kindle enthusiasm4  ,interest attaches  
to action4--,children are interested    
more in action1 deeds1 and events than  
in motives1 reasons1 and explanations4  
,they care more for the uses to which   
objects are to be put than for the      
objects themselves4  ,no boy is         
interested in a bicycle chiefly as an   
example of mechanical skill1 but1       
rather1 as a means of locomotion4 ,no   
girl is interested in dolls just as     
dolls1 nor as a product of the toy      
maker's skill1 but to play with4 ,it is 
this quality that makes children respond
 to the story1 for the story deals with 
action instead of with explanation and  
description4 ,in the story there is life
 and movement1 and not reasoning and    
mere assertion4 ,the story presents the 
lesson in terms of deeds and events1    
instead of by means of abstract         
statement and formal conclusion4  ,this 
principle carries over to the child's   
own participation4 ,everyone is most    

interested in that in which he has an   
active part4 ,the meeting in which we   
presided or made a speech or presented a
 report is to us a more interesting     
meeting than one in which we were a     
silent auditor4 ,to the child1 personal 
response is even more necessary4 ,no    
small part of the reason why the child  
learns by doing is that he is interested
 in doing as he is not interested in    
mere listening4 ,all good teaching will 
therefore appeal to interest through    
providing the fullest possible          
opportunity for the child to have an    
important share in the lesson4 ,and this
 part must be something which to the    
child is worth doing1 and not1 for      
example1 an oral memory drill on words  
meaningless to the pupil1 nor expression
 work of a kind that lacks purpose and  
action4 ,there are always real things to
 be done if the lesson is               
vital--personal experiences to be       
recounted1 special assignments to be    
reported upon1 maps to be drawn or      

remodeled1 specimens of flowers or      
plants to be secured1 character parts to
 be represented in the story1 a bit of  
history to be looked up1 prayers to be  
said1 songs to be sung1 or a hundred    
other things done which will appeal to  
the interest and at the same time fix   
the points of the lesson4  ,interest    
requires variety and change4--,interest 
attaches to the new1 provided the new is
 sufficiently related to the fund of    
experience already on hand so that it is
 fully grasped and understood4 ,while   
there are certain matters1 such as      
marching1 handling supplies1 etc41 in   
the recitation which should be done the 
same way each time so that they may     
become habit and routine1 yet there is a
 wide range of variety possible in much 
of the procedure4  ,the lessons should  
not be conducted always in the same way4
 ,one recitation may consist chiefly of 
discussion1 with question and answer    
between teacher and class4 ,another may 
be given largely to reports on special  

assignments1 with the teacher's comments
 to broaden and apply the points4       
,another may take the form of stories   
told and illustrations given by the     
teacher1 or of stories retold by the    
class from former lessons4 ,the great   
thing is to secure change and variety   
without losing sight of the real aims of
 the lesson1 and to plan for a pleasant 
surprise now and then without lowering  
the value of the instruction4  ,interest
 is contagious4--,every observing       
teacher has learned that interest is    
contagious4 ,an interested and          
enthusiastic teacher is seldom troubled 
by lack of interest and attention on the
 part of the class4 ,nor1 on the other  
hand1 will interest and attention       
continue on the part of the class if    
confronted by a mechanical and lifeless 
teacher4 ,the teacher is the model      
unconsciously accepted and responded to 
by his class4 ,he leads the way in      
interest and enthusiasm4 ,nor will any  
sham or pretense serve4 ,the interest   

must be real and deep4 ,even young      
children quickly sense any make-believe 
enthusiasm or vivacity on the part of   
the teacher1 and their ardor immediately
 cools4  ,children's typical interests  
have their birth1 ripen to full         
strength1 and fade away by certain broad
 stages4 ,what will appeal to the child 
of five will not appeal to the child of 
ten1 and will secure no response from   
the youth of fifteen4 ,space will not   
permit even an outline of these         
interest-stages here1 but genetic       
psychology has carefully mapped them out
 and their nature and order of          
development should be studied by every  
teacher4   ,,freedom ,,from             
,,distractions  ,there is no possibility
 of securing good results from a lesson 
period constantly broken in upon by     
distractions4 ,the mind cannot do its   
best work if the attention is diverted  
every few moments from the train of     
thought1 requiring a new start every now
 and then4 ,every teacher has had the   

experience of the sudden drop in        
interest and concentration that has come
 from some interruption1 and the        
impossibility of bringing the class back
 to the former level after the break4   
,the loss in a recitation disturbed by  
distractions is comparable to the loss  
of power and efficiency in stopping a   
train of cars every half mile throughout
 its run instead of allowing it an      
unbroken trip4 ,careful planning and    
good management can eliminate many of   
the distractions common to the church   
school lesson hour4  ,distractions from 
classes reciting together4--,the class  
should have a room or space for its own 
sole use1 and not be compelled to recite
 in a large room occupied by several    
other classes4 ,the older ,chinese      
method of education was to have each    
pupil study his lesson aloud1 each      
seeking to drown out the confusion by   
the force of his voice4 ,many of our    
church schools of the present day remind
 one of this ancient method4 ,the church

 building being planned primarily for   
adults1 not enough classrooms are       
provided for the children1 and it is a  
common thing to find half a dozen       
classes grouped in the one room1 each   
constantly distracted by the sights and 
sounds that so insistently appeal to the
 senses4 ,it is wholly impossible to do 
really good teaching under such         
conditions4  ,every church building     
should provide classrooms for teaching  
its children4 ,if these cannot be had in
 the original edifice1 an addition      
should be made of a special school      
building4 ,as a last resort1 a system of
 curtains or movable partitions should  
be provided which will isolate each     
class from every other class1 and       
thereby save at least the visual        
distractions and perhaps a part of the  
auditory distractions4 ,to fail to do   
this is to cultivate in the child a     
habit of inattention to the lesson1 and 
to kill his interest in the church      
school and its work because of its      

failure to impress him or attract his   
loyalty4  ,planning routine to prevent  
distractions4--,not infrequently a      
wholly unnecessary distraction is caused
 by a poorly planned method of handling 
certain routine matters4 ,the writer    
recently observed a junior class get    
under way in what promised to be a very 
interesting and profitable lesson4 ,they
 had an attractive lesson theme1 a good 
teacher1 a separate classroom1 and      
seemed to be mentally alert4 ,soon after
 the lesson had got well started an     
officer appeared at the door with an    
envelope for the collection1 and the    
story was stopped to pass the envelope  
around the class4 ,it was not possible  
after this interruption to pick up the  
thread of the lesson without some loss  
of interest1 but the teacher was        
skillful and did her best4 ,she soon had
 the attention of the class again and   
the lesson was moving along toward its  
most interesting part and the practical 
application4 ,but just at the most      

critical moment another interruption    
occurred2 the secretary came in with the
 papers for the class and counted out   
the necessary supply while the class    
looked on4 ,it was impossible now to    
catch up the current of interest again1 
but the teacher tried4 ,once more she   
was interrupted1 however1 this time by a
 note containing some announcement that 
had been overlooked in the opening      
exercises6  ,all such interruptions as  
these indicate mismanagement and a      
serious lack of foresight4 ,the fault is
 not wholly with the teacher1 but also  
with the policy and organization of the 
school as a whole4 ,the remedy is for   
both officers and teachers to use the   
same business sense and ability in      
running the church school that they     
would apply to any other concern4 ,the  
collection can be taken at the beginning
 of the lesson period4 ,the papers and  
lesson material can be in the classroom 
or in the teacher's hands before the    
class assembles1 and not require        

distribution during the lesson period4  
,in short1 all matters of routine can be
 so carefully foreseen and provided for 
that the class will be wholly free from 
all unnecessary distractions from such  
sources4  ,mischief and disorder4--,an  
especially difficult kind of distraction
 to control is the tendency to          
restlessness1 mischief1 and misbehavior 
which prevails in certain classes or on 
the part of an occasional pupil4 ,pupils
 sometimes feel that the teacher in the 
church school does not possess the same 
authority as that exercised by the      
public-school teacher1 and so take      
advantage of this fact4 ,the first      
safeguard against disorder in the class 
is1 of course1 to secure the interest   
and loyalty of the members4 ,the ideal  
is for the children to be attentive1    
respectful1 and well behaved1 not       
because they are required to1 but       
because their sense of duty and pride   
and their interest in the work leads    
them to this kind of conduct4 ,it is not

 possible1 however1 continuously to     
reach this ideal with all children4     
,there will be occasional cases of      
tendency to disorder1 and the spirit of 
mischief will sometimes take possession 
of a class whose conduct is otherwise   
good4  ,whenever it becomes necessary1  
the teacher should not hesitate to take 
a positive stand for order and quiet in 
the class4 ,all inattention is          
contagious4 ,a small center of          
disturbance can easily spread until it  
results in a whole storm of disorder4   
,mischief grows through the power of    
suggestion1 and a small beginning may   
soon involve a whole class4 ,there is no
 place for a spirit of irreverence and  
boisterousness in the church school1 and
 the teacher must have for one of his   
first principles the maintenance of good
 conduct in his classroom4 ,no one can  
tell any teacher just how this is to be 
achieved in individual cases1 but it    
must be done4 ,and the teacher who      
cannot win control over his class would 

better surrender it to another who has  
more of the quality of leadership or    
mastery in his make-up1 for no worthy1  
lasting religious impressions can be    
given to noisy1 boisterous1 and         
inattentive children4  ,distractions by 
the teacher4--,strange as it may seem1  
the teacher may himself be a distraction
 in the classroom4 ,any striking        
mannerism1 any peculiarity of manner or 
carriage1 extreme types of dress1 or any
 personal quality that attracts         
attention to itself is a distraction to 
the class4 ,one teacher may have a very 
loud or ill-modulated voice2 another may
 speak too low to be heard without too  
much effort2 another may fail to        
articulate clearly4 ,whatever attracts  
attention to the speech itself draws    
attention away from the thought back of 
the speech and hinders the listener from
 giving his full powers to the lesson4  
,a distracting habit on the part of some
 teachers is to walk back and forth     
before the class1 or to assume awkward  

postures in standing or sitting before  
the class1 or nervously to finger a book
 or some object held in the hands4 ,all 
these may seem like small things1 but   
success or failure often depends upon a 
conjunction of many small things1 each  
of which in itself may seem unimportant4
 ,it is often the little foxes that     
spoil the vines4  ,avoiding physical    
distractions4--,in the church school1 as
 in the public school1 the physical     
conditions surrounding the recitation   
should be made as favorable as possible4
 ,not infrequently the children are     
placed for their lesson hour in seats   
that were intended for adults1 and which
 are extremely uncomfortable for smaller
 persons4 ,the children's feet do not   
touch the floor1 and their backs can not
 secure a support2 weariness1 wriggling 
and unrest are sure to follow4          
,sometimes the ventilation of the       
classroom is bad1 and the foul air      
breathed on one ,sunday is carefully    
shut in for use the next4 ,basement     

rooms are not seldom damp1 or they have 
a bad odor1 or the lighting is          
unsatisfactory1 or the walls are        
streaked1 dim and uninviting4 ,if such  
things seem relatively unimportant1 we  
must remember that the child's spiritual
 life is closely tied up with the whole 
range of his experiences1 and that such 
things as lack of oxygen in the         
classroom1 tired legs whose feet can not
 touch the floor1 eyes offended by      
unloveliness1 or nostrils assailed by   
unpleasant odors may get in the way of  
the soul's development4 ,our churches   
should not rest satisfied until children
 in the church schools work under as    
hygienic and as pleasant conditions as  
obtain in the best of our public        
schools4   ,,danger ,,points ,,in       
,,instruction  ,it is a well-known law  
in pedagogy that negatives are not often
 inspiring1 and that to hold before one 
his mistakes is not always the best way 
of helping him avoid them4 ,along with  
the positive principles which show what 

we should do1 however1 it is well       
occasionally to note a few of the danger
 points most commonly met in the        
classroom4  ,lack of                    
definiteness4--,this may take the form  
of lack of definiteness of aim or       
purpose4 ,we may merely hear the        
recitation1 or ask the stock questions  
furnished in the lesson helps1 or allow 
the discussion to wander where it will1 
or permit aimless arguing or disputing  
on questions that cannot be decided and 
that in any case possess no real        
significance4  ,indefiniteness may take 
the direction of failure to carry the   
thoughts of the lesson through to their 
final meaning and application1 so that  
there is no vital connection made       
between the lesson truths and the lives 
of those we teach4 ,or we may be        
indefinite in our interpretation of the 
moral and religious values inherent in  
the lesson1 and so fail to make a sharp 
and definite impression of understanding
 and conviction on our pupils4 ,our     

teaching must be clear-cut and positive 
without being narrowly dogmatic or      
opinionated4 ,the truth we present must 
have an edge1 so that it may cleave its 
way into the heart and mind of the      
learner4  ,dead levels4--,we need to    
avoid dead levels in our teaching4 ,this
 danger arises from lack of mental      
perspective4 ,it comes from presenting  
all the points of a lesson on the same  
plane of emphasis1 with a failure to    
distinguish between the important and   
the unimportant4 ,minor details and     
incidental aspects of the topic often   
receive the same degree of stress that  
is given to more important points4 ,this
 results in a state of monotonous       
plodding through so much material       
without responding to its varying shades
 of meaning and value4 ,not only does   
this type of teaching fail to lodge in  
the mind of the pupil the larger and    
more important truths which ought to    
become a permanent part of his mental   
equipment1 but it also fails to train   

pupils how themselves to pick out and   
appropriate the significant parts of the
 lesson material4 ,it does not develop  
the sense of value for lesson truths    
which should be trained through the work
 of the lesson hour4 ,each lesson should
 seek to impress and apply a few        
important truths1 and everything else   
should be made to work to this end4 ,the
 points we would have our pupils        
remember1 think about and act upon we   
must be able to make stand out above all
 other aspects of the lesson2 they must 
not1 for want of emphasis1 be lost in a 
mass of irrelevant or monotonous        
material of little value4  ,lack of     
movement in recitation4--,some          
recitations suffer from slowness of     
movement of the thought and plan of the 
lesson4 ,we sometimes say of a book or a
 play or a sermon that it was slow4     
,this is equivalent to saying that the  
book or play or sermon lacks movement2  
it dallies by the way1 and has          
unnecessary breaks in its continuity1 or

 is slow in its action4 ,the same       
principle applies in the recitation4    
,pauses that are occupied with thought  
or meditation are not1 of course1       
wasted2 they may even be the very best  
part of the lesson period4 ,but the     
rather empty lapses which occur for no  
reason except that the teacher lacks    
readiness and preparation1 and does not 
quite know at every moment just what he 
is to do next1 or what topic should at  
this moment come in--it is such awkward 
and meaningless breaks as these that    
spoil the continuity of thought and     
interest and result in boredom4 ,we must
 remember that every pause or interval  
of mere empty waiting without           
expectancy1 or without some worthy      
thought occupying the mind1 is a waste  
of energy1 time1 and opportunity1 and   
also a training in inattention4  ,low   
standards4--,the acceptance of low      
standards of preparation and response in
 the recitation is fatal to high-grade  
work and results4 ,if it comes to be    

expected and taken as a matter of course
 both by teacher and pupils that        
children shall come to the class from   
week to week with no previous study on  
the lesson1 then this is precisely what 
they will do4 ,the standards of the     
class should make it impossible that    
continual failure to prepare or recite  
shall be accepted as the natural and    
expected thing1 or treated with a spirit
 of levity4 ,the lesson hour is the very
 heart and center of the school work1   
and failure here means a breakdown of   
the whole system4 ,the standards of     
teacher and class should be such that   
probable failure to do one's part in the
 recitation shall be looked forward to  
by the child with some apprehension and 
looked back upon with some regret if not
 humiliation4 ,in order to maintain high
 standards of preparation the           
cooperation of the home must be secured1
 at least for the younger children1 and 
parents must help the child wisely and  
sympathetically in the study of the     

lesson4       #a4 ,to what extent are   
you able to hold the attention of your  
pupils      in the recitation8 ,is their
 attention ready1 or do you have to work
      hard to get it8 ,are there any    
particular ones who are less            
attentive than the rest8 ,if so1 can you
 discover the reason8 ,the      remedy8 
#b4 ,to what extent do you find it      
necessary to appeal to involuntary      
attention8 ,if you have to make such an 
appeal do you seek at once      to make 
interest take hold to retain the        
attention8       #c4 ,what measures are 
you using to train your pupils in the   
giving      of voluntary attention when 
this type is required8 ,when is         
voluntary attention required8       #d4 
,how completely are your pupils usually 
interested in the      lessons8 ,as the 
interest varies from time to time1 are  
you studying      the matter to discover
 the secret of interest on their part4  
,in so      far as interest fails1 which
 of the factors discussed in the        

section on interest in this chapter are 
related to the failure8 ,are      there 
still other causes not mentioned in this
 chapter8       #e4 ,what distractions  
are most common in your class8 ,can you 
discover      the cause8 ,the remedy8   
,do you have any unruly pupils8 ,if so1 
have      you done your best to win to  
attention and interest8 ,have you the   
force and decision necessary to bring   
the class well under control8       #f4 
,what do you consider your chief danger 
points in teaching8 ,would      it be   
worth while for you to have some        
sympathetic teacher friend      visit   
your class while you teach1 and then    
later talk over with you      the points
 in which you could improve8   ,,for    
,,further ,,reading  ,bagley1 ,class    
,room ,management4  ,betts1 ,the        
,recitation4  ,maxwell1 ,the            
,observation of ,teaching4  ,strayer and
 ,norsworthy1 ,how to ,teach4  ,weigle1 
,the ,pupil and the ,teacher4           
,,chapter ,x  ,,making ,,truth ,,vivid  

,life is a great unbreakable unity4     
,thought1 feeling1 and action belong    
together1 and to leave out one destroys 
the quality and significance of all4    
,religious growth and development       
involve the same mental powers that are 
used in the other affairs of life4 ,the 
child's training in religion can advance
 no faster than the expansion of his    
grasp of thought and comprehension1 the 
deepening of his emotions1 and the      
strengthening of his will4  ,it follows 
from this that religious instruction    
must call for and use the same          
activities of mind that are called for  
in other phases of education4 ,not only 
must the feelings be reached and the    
emotions stirred1 but the child must be 
taught to think in his religion4 ,not   
only must trust and faith be grounded1  
but these must be made intelligent4 ,not
 only must the spirit of worship be     
cultivated1 but the child must know     
,whom and why he worships4 ,not only    
must loyalties be secured1 but these    

must grow out of a realization of the   
cost and worth of the cause or object to
 which loyalty attaches4 ,religious     
teaching must therefore appeal to the   
whole mind4 ,besides appealing to the   
emotions and will it must make use of   
and train the power of thought1 of      
imagination1 of memory2 it must through 
their agency make truth vivid1 real1 and
 lasting1 and so lay the foundation for 
spiritual feeling and devotion4         
,,learning ,,to ,,think ,,in ,,religion 
,much has been gained in teaching       
religion when we have brought the child 
to see that understanding1 reason1 and  
common sense are as necessary and as    
possible here as in other fields of     
learning4 ,this does not mean that there
 are not many things in religion that   
are beyond the grasp and comprehension  
of even the greatest minds1 to say      
nothing of the undeveloped mind of the  
child4 ,it means1 rather1 that where we 
fail to grasp or understand it is       
because of the bigness of the problem1  

or because of its unknowableness1 and   
not because its solution violates the   
laws of thought and reason4  ,the reign 
of law1 the inexorable working of cause 
and effect1 and the application of      
reason to religious matters should be   
conveyed to the child in his earliest   
impressions of religion4 ,for example1  
the child has learned a valuable lesson 
when he has comprehended that ,god asks 
obedience of his children1 not just for 
the sake of compelling obedience1 but   
because obedience to ,god's law is the  
only way to happy and successful living4
 ,the youth has grasped a great truth   
when it becomes clear to his            
understanding that ,jesus said1 ,to him 
that hath shall be given1 not from any  
failure to sympathize with the one who  
might be short in his share1 but because
 this is the great and fundamental law  
of being to which even ,jesus himself   
was subject2 and that when ,paul said1  
,whatsoever a man soweth1 that shall he 
also reap1 he was not exacting an       

arbitrary penalty1 but expressing the   
inevitable working of a great law4 ,the 
boy who defined faith as believing      
something you know can't be true had    
been badly taught concerning faith4     
,religious truth does not contradict    
reason4--,to begin with1 while all of us
 come to believe many things that we    
cannot fully understand1 not even the   
child should be asked to believe what   
plainly contradicts common sense and so 
puts too great a strain on credulity4   
,in a certain ,sunday school class the  
lesson was about ,peter going up on the 
housetop to pray1 and the vision that   
befell him there4 ,this class of boys1  
living in a small village1 had had no   
experience with any kind of housetop    
except that formed of a sharply sloping 
roof4 ,therefore the story looked       
improbable to them1 and one boy asked   
how ,peter could sleep up on the roof   
and keep from falling off4 ,the teacher1
 also uninformed concerning the flat    
roofs of ,oriental houses1 answered1    

,john1 you must remember that with ,god 
all things are possible4 ,and ,john had 
that day had the seeds of skepticism    
planted in his inquiring mind4 ,another 
teacher1 thinking to allay any tendency 
on the part of his class to question the
 literal accuracy of the story of ,jonah
 and the whale1 said1 ,this story is in 
the ,bible1 and we must believe it1 for 
whatever is in the ,bible is true2 and  
if the ,bible were to say that ,jonah   
swallowed the whale that would be true1 
and we would have to believe that also4 
,but who can doubt that1 with boys and  
girls trained in the schools and by     
their contact with life itself to think1
 such an invitation to lay aside all    
reason and common sense can do other in 
the long run than to weaken confidence  
in the ,bible1 and so lessen the        
significance of many of its beautiful   
lessons8  ,true thinking about ,bible   
truths4--,what1 then1 shall we teach the
 child about the literalness of the     
,bible8 ,nothing4 ,this is not a        

question for childhood4 ,the ,bible     
should be brought to the child in the   
same spirit as any other book1 except   
with a deep spirit of reverence and     
appreciation not due other books4 ,parts
 of the ,bible are plainly history1 and 
as accurate as history of other kinds   
is4 ,other parts are accounts of the    
lives of people1 and the descriptions   
are wonderfully vivid and true to life4 
,other parts are plainly poetry1 and    
should be read and interpreted as       
poetry4 ,other parts are clearly the    
stories and legends current in the days 
when the accounts were written1 and     
should be read as other stories and     
legends are read4 ,the great question is
 not the problem of the literal or the  
figurative nature of the truth1 but the 
problem of discovering for the child the
 rich nugget of spiritual wisdom which  
is always there4  ,when the young child 
first hears the entrancing ,bible       
stories he does not think anything about
 their literalness2 he only enjoys1 and 

perhaps dimly senses the hidden lesson  
or truth they contain4 ,this is as it   
should be4 ,later1 when thought1        
judgment1 and discrimination are        
developing and beginning to play their  
part in the expanding mind1 questions   
are sure to arise at certain points4    
,this is also as it should be4  ,when   
such questions arise let us meet them   
frankly and wisely4 ,let us have the    
spiritual vision and the reverence for  
truth that will enable us1 for example1 
to show the child how the servants of   
,god in those ancient times used the    
bold1 picturesque figure of feathers and
 wings to express the brooding love and 
care of ,god2 how they told the         
wonderful story of ,god's creation of   
the world in the most beautiful account 
they could conceive2 how they showed    
forth ,god's care for his children1 his 
companionship with them1 and man's      
tendency to sin and disobedience by one 
of the most beautiful stories ever      
written1 this story having its scene    

laid in the garden of ,eden2 how these  
writers always set down what they       
believed to be true1 and how1 though    
they might sometimes have been mistaken 
as to the actual facts1 they never      
missed presenting the great lesson or   
deep spiritual truth that ,god would    
have us know4  ,protecting the child    
against intellectual                    
difficulties4--,children taught the     
,bible in this reasonable but reverent  
way will be saved many intellectual     
difficulties as they grow older4 ,their 
reverence and respect for the ,bible    
will never suffer from the necessity of 
attempting to force their faith to      
accept what their intellect contradicts4
 ,they will not be troubled by the grave
 doubts and misgivings which attack so  
many adolescents during the time when   
they are working out their mental and   
spiritual adjustment to the new world of
 individual responsibility which they   
have discovered4 ,they will1 without    
strain or questioning1 come to accept   

the ,bible for what it is--the great    
,source ,book of spiritual wisdom1 its  
pages bearing the imprint of divine     
inspiration and guidance1 and also of   
human imperfections and greatness4  ,the
 developing child should1 therefore1 be 
encouraged to use his reason1 his       
thought1 his judgment and discrimination
 in his study of religion precisely as  
in other things4 ,his questions should  
never be ignored1 nor suppressed1 nor   
treated as something unworthy and       
sinful4 ,the doubts1 even1 which are    
somewhat characteristic of a stage of   
adolescent reconstruction1 may be made  
the stepping-stone to higher reaches of 
faith and understanding4  ,the youth who
 went to his pastor with certain        
questionings and doubts1 and who was    
told that these were the promptings of  
,satan1 and that they must not be dwelt 
upon1 but resolutely be put out of the  
mind1 was not fairly nor honestly       
treated by one from whom he had a right 
to expect wiser guidance4 ,he returned  

from the interview rebellious and       
bitter1 and it was with much spiritual  
agony and sweating of blood that he     
fought his own way through to a solution
 which ought to have been made easy for 
him by wise enlightenment and           
sympathetic counsel4  ,reverent seekers 
after truth4--,religion requires the    
mind at its best4 ,there is nothing     
about religion that will not bear full  
thought and investigation4 ,we are not  
asked to lay aside any part of our      
powers1 can not lay any part of them    
aside1 if we would attain to full       
religious growth and stature4 ,let us   
therefore train our children to think as
 they study religion4 ,let us lead them 
to ask and inquire4 ,let us train them  
to investigate and test4 ,let us teach  
them that they never need be afraid of  
truth1 since no bit of truth ever       
conflicts with1 or contradicts any other
 truth2 let us rather encourage them    
reverently and with open hearts and     
minds diligently to seek the truth1 and 

then dare to follow where it leads4     
,,the ,,appeal ,,to ,,imagination       
,imagination1 the power of the mind that
 pictures and makes real1 is a key to   
vivid and lasting impressions4 ,unless  
the imagination recreates the scenes    
described in the story1 or vivifies the 
events of the lesson1 they will have    
little meaning to the child and appeal  
but little to his interest4  ,it is     
imagination that enables its possessor  
to take the images suggested in the     
account of a battle and build them      
together into the mass of struggling    
soldiers1 roaring cannon1 whistling     
bullets1 and bursting shells4 ,it is    
imagination that makes it possible while
 reading the words of the poem to       
construct the picture which was in the  
mind of the author as he wrote ,the     
,village ,blacksmith1 the twenty-third  
psalm1 or ,snowbound1 and thereby       
enables the reader himself to take part 
in the throbbing scenes of life and     
action4 ,without imagination one may    

repeat the words which describe an act  
or an event1 may even commit them to    
memory or pass an examination upon them1
 but the living reality will forever    
escape him4 ,it is imagination that will
 save the beautiful stories and         
narratives of the ,bible from being so  
many dead words1 without appeal to the  
child4  ,imagination required in the    
study of religion4--,in the teaching of 
religion we are especially dependent on 
the child's use of his imagination4     
,with younger children the instruction  
largely takes the form of stories1 which
 must be appropriated and understood    
through the imagination or not at all4  
,the whole ,bible account deals with    
people1 places1 and events distant in   
time and strange to the child in manner 
of life and customs4 ,the ,bible itself 
abounds in pictorial descriptions4 ,the 
missionary enterprises of the church    
lead into strange lands and introduce   
strange people4 ,the study of the lives 
and characters of great men and women   

and their deeds of service in our own   
land takes the child out of the range of
 his own immediate observation and      
experience4 ,the understanding of ,god  
and of ,jesus--all of these things lose 
in significance or are in large degree  
incomprehensible unless approached with 
a vivid and glowing imagination4  ,many 
older persons confess that the ,bible   
times1 places1 and people were all very 
unreal to them while in the ,sunday     
school1 and that it hardly occurred to  
them that these descriptions and        
narratives were truly about men and     
women like ourselves4 ,hence the most   
valuable part of their instruction was  
lost4  ,limitations of                  
imagination4--,since childhood is the   
age of imagination1 we might naturally  
expect that it would be no trouble to   
secure ready response from the child's  
imagination4 ,but we must not assume too
 much about the early power of          
imagination4 ,it is true that the       
child's imagination is ready and active2

 but it is not yet ready for the more   
difficult and complex picturing we      
sometimes require of it1 for imagination
 depends for its material on the store  
of images accumulated from former       
experience2 and images are the result of
 past observation1 of percepts1 and     
sensory experiences4 ,the imagination   
can build no mental structures without  
the stuff with which to build2 it is    
limited to the material on hand4 ,the   
,indians never dreamed of a heaven with 
streets of gold and a great white       
throne2 for their experiences had given 
them no knowledge of such things4 ,they 
therefore made their heaven out of the  
,happy ,hunting ,grounds1 of which they 
had many images4  ,many ,chicago school 
children who were asked to compare the  
height of a mountain with that of a tall
 factory chimney said that the chimney  
was higher1 because the mountain does   
not go straight up like the chimney4    
,these children had learned and recited 
that a mountain is an elevation of land 

a thousand or more than a thousand feet 
in height1 but their imagination failed 
to picture the mountain1 since not even 
the smallest mountain nor a high hill   
had ever been actually present to their 
observation4 ,small wonder1 then1 that  
,sunday school children have some       
trouble1 living as they do in these     
modern times1 to picture ancient times  
and peoples who were so different from  
any with which their experience has had 
to deal6  ,guiding principles4--,the    
skillful teacher knows how to help the  
child use his imagination4 ,the         
following laws or principles will aid in
 such training3  #a4 ,relate the new    
scene or picture with something similar 
in the child's experience4 ,the desert  
is like the sandy waste or the barren   
and stony hillside with which the       
children are acquainted4 ,the square1   
flat-topped houses of eastern lands have
 their approximate counterpart in       
occasional buildings to be found in     
almost any modern community4 ,the rivers

 and lakes of ,bible lands may be       
compared with rivers and lakes near at  
hand4 ,the manner of cooking and serving
 food under primitive conditions was not
 so different from our own method on    
picnics and excursion days4 ,while the  
life and work of the shepherd have      
changed1 we still have the sheep4 ,the  
walls of the ancient city can be seen in
 miniature in stone and concrete        
embankments1 or even the stone fences   
common in some sections4  ,the main     
thing is to get some starting point in  
actual observation from which the child 
can proceed4 ,the teacher must then help
 the child to modify from the actual in 
such a way as to picture the object or  
place described as nearly true to       
reality as possible4 ,the child who     
said1 ,a mountain is a mound of earth   
with brush growing on it had been shown 
a hillock covered with growing brush and
 had been told that the mountain was    
like this1 only bigger4 ,the imagination
 had not been sufficiently stimulated to

 realize the significant differences and
 to picture the real mountain from the  
miniature suggestion4  #b4 ,articles and
 objects from ancient times or from     
other lands may occasionally be secured 
to show the children4 ,even if such     
objects may not date back to ,bible     
times1 they are still useful as a       
vantage point for the imagination4 ,a   
modern copy of the old-time ,oriental   
lamp1 a candelabrum1 a pair of sandals1 
a turban1 a robe1 or garment such as the
 ancients wore--these accompanied by    
intelligent description of the times and
 places to which they belonged are all a
 stimulus to the child's imagination    
which should not be overlooked4 ,the    
very fact that they suggest other       
peoples and other modes of living than  
our own is an invitation and incentive  
to the mind to reach out beyond the     
immediate and the familiar to the new   
and the strange4  #c4 ,pictures can be  
made a great help to the imagination4   
,in the better type of our church       

schools we are now making free use of   
pictures as teaching material4 ,it is   
not always enough1 however1 merely to   
place the picture before the child4 ,it 
requires a certain fund of information  
and interest in order to see in a       
picture what it is intended to convey4  
,the child cannot get from the picture  
more than he brings to it4 ,the teacher 
may therefore need to give the picture  
its proper setting by describing the    
kind of life or the type of action or   
event with which it deals4 ,he may need 
to ask questions1 and make suggestions  
in order to be sure that the child sees 
in the picture the interesting and      
important things1 and that his          
imagination carries out beyond what is  
actually presented in the picture itself
 to what it suggests4 ,while the first  
response of the child to a picture1 as  
to a story1 should be that of enjoyment 
and interest1 this does not mean that   
the picture1 like the story1 may not    
reach much deeper than the immediate    

interest and enjoyment4 ,the picture    
which has failed to stimulate the       
child's imagination to see much more    
than the picture contains has failed of 
one of its chief objects4  #d4          
,stimulate the imagination by use of    
vivid descriptions and thought-provoking
 questions4 ,every teacher1 whether of  
young children or of older ones1 should 
strive to be a good teller of stories   
and a good user of illustrations4 ,this 
requires study and practice1 but it is  
worth the cost--even outside of the     
classroom4 ,the good story-teller must  
be able to speak freely1 easily1 and    
naturally4 ,he must have a sense of the 
important and significant in a story or 
illustration1 and be able to work to a  
climax4 ,he must know just how much of  
detail to use to appeal to the          
imagination to supply the remainder1 and
 not employ so great an amount of detail
 as to leave nothing to the imagination 
of the listener4 ,he must himself enter 
fully into the spirit and enthusiasm of 

the story1 and must have his own        
imagination filled with the pictures he 
would create in his pupils' minds4 ,he  
must himself enjoy the story or the     
illustration1 and thus be able in his   
expression and manner to suggest the    
response he desires from the children4  
,well told stories that have in them the
 dramatic quality can hardly fail to    
stir the most sluggish imagination and  
prepare it for the important part it    
must play in the child's religious      
development4  ,skillfully used questions
 and suggestions can be made an         
important means of stimulating the      
imagination4 ,such helps as3 ,do you    
think the sea of ,galilee looked like   
the lake 7here name one near at hand7   
which you know8 ,how did it differ8     
,what tree have you in mind which is    
about the same size as the fig tree in  
the lesson8 ,how does it differ in      
appearance8 ,close your eyes and try to 
see in your mind just how the river     
looked where the baby ,moses was found4 

,have you ever seen a man who you think 
looks much as ,elijah must have looked8 
,describe him4 ,if you were going to    
make a coat like the one ,joseph wore1  
what colors would you select8 ,what kind
 of cloth8 ,what would be the cut or    
shape of it8--,hardly a lesson period   
will pass without many opportunities for
 wise questions whose chief purpose is  
to make real and vivid to the child the 
persons or places described1 and so add 
to their significance to him4  #e4      
,dramatic representation can be used as 
an incentive to the imagination4        
,children easily and naturally imagine  
themselves to be some other person1 and 
often play at being nurse or school     
teacher or doctor or preacher4 ,nearly  
every child possesses a large measure of
 the dramatic impulse1 and is something 
of an actor4 ,it is great fun for       
children to tog up and to show off in   
their play4 ,and not only is all this an
 expression of imagination actively at  
work1 but such activities are themselves

 a great stimulus to the imagination4   
,the child who has dressed up as ,george
 ,washington and impersonated him in    
some ceremonial or on a public occasion 
will ever after feel a closer reality in
 the life and work of ,washington than  
would come from mere reading about him4 
,a group of children who have acted out 
the story of the good ,samaritan will   
get a little closer to its inner meaning
 than merely to hear the story told4    
,the girl who has taken the part of     
,esther appearing before the king in    
behalf of her people will realize a     
little more fully from that experience  
what devotion and courage were required 
from the real ,esther4 ,a class who have
 participated in a pageant of the       
,nativity will always be a little nearer
 to the original event than if their    
imaginations had not been called upon to
 make real the characters and incidents4
   ,,using ,,the ,,memory  ,the memory  
should play an important part in        
religion4 ,gems from the ,bible1        

stories1 characters1 and events1        
inspiring thoughts and maxims1 and many 
other such things should become a       
permanent part of the furnishing of the 
mind1 recorded and faithfully preserved 
by the memory4  ,laws of use of         
memory4--,the laws by which the memory  
works have been thoroughly studied and  
carefully described1 and should be fully
 understood by every teacher4 ,further  
than this1 they should be faithfully    
observed in all memory work4 ,these laws
 may be stated as follows3  #a4 ,the law
 of complete registration4 ,the first   
act in the memory process is fully and  
completely to register1 or learn1 the   
matter to be retained4 ,the retention   
can never be better than the            
registration of the facts given into the
 memory's keeping4 ,half-learned matter 
easily slips away1 never having been    
completely impressed on the mind4 ,it is
 possible to lose both effort and       
efficiency by committing a verse of a   
poem barely up to the point where it can

 doubtfully be repeated instead of      
giving it the relatively small amount of
 additional study and practice which    
would register it firmly and completely4
 ,whatever is worth committing to memory
 should therefore be carried past the   
barely known stage and committed fully  
and completely4  #b4 ,the law of        
multiple association4 ,this only means  
that the new facts learned shall be     
related as closely as may be to matter  
already in the mind4 ,and this is       
equivalent to saying that the material  
learned shall be understood1 its meaning
 grasped and its significance           
comprehended4 ,to understand for        
yourself the value of association1 make 
this experiment3 ,have some one write   
down a list of ten unrelated words in a 
column1 and hold the list before you    
while you have time to read it over just
 once slowly and carefully4 ,now try    
repeating the words in order from       
memory4 ,next1 have your friend write   
ten other words which this time form a  

connected sentence4 ,after reading these
 words over once as you did the first   
list1 try repeating them in order4 ,you 
find that you have much trouble to      
memorize the first list1 while the      
second presents no difficulty at all4   
,the difference lies in the fact that   
the words of the first list were        
unrelated1 lacking all associative      
connections with each other1 while those
 of the second list formed a connected  
chain of associations4  ,it is possible 
to give the child biblical or other     
matter to memorize that has little more 
meaning to him than the list of         
unrelated words have to us4 ,for        
example1 this text is required of       
primary and junior children in a lesson 
series3 ,ye shall know the truth1 and   
the truth shall make you free4 ,and     
this3 ,let us therefore draw near with  
boldness unto the throne of grace1 that 
we may receive mercy1 and may find grace
 to help us in time of need4 ,it is     
evident that younger children could by  

no possibility understand either of     
these beautiful passages1 and hence in  
committing them will only be learning so
 many unrelated words4  ,the same is    
true of church catechisms4 ,the         
memorizing of such material will be     
difficult and unpleasant1 and no value  
will come from it4 ,the most likely     
outcome of such ill-advised requirements
 is to discourage the child and make him
 dislike the church school and all its  
work4 ,it is not to be expected that the
 child will understand the full meaning 
of every bit of matter suitable for him 
to memorize2 this will have to await    
broader experience and fuller           
development4 ,the material should1      
however1 be sufficiently comprehended   
that its general meaning is clear and   
its significance understood4  #c4 ,the  
law of vividness of impression4 ,the    
relation of vividness of impression to  
learning has already been discussed in  
another chapter4 ,in no one of the      
mind's activities is vividness a more   

important factor than in memorizing4    
,matter committed under the stimulus of 
high interest and keen attention is     
relatively secure1 while matter         
committed under slack concentration is  
sure to fade quickly from the memory4   
,songs can therefore best be committed  
under the elation of the interesting    
singing of the words2 a verse of poetry1
 when the mind is alert and the feelings
 aroused by a story in which the        
sentiment of the verse fits2 a prayer   
when the spirit of devotion has been    
quickened by worship4 ,to insure full   
vividness the imagination must also be  
called upon to picture and make real    
such parts of memory material as contain
 imagery4  #d4 ,the law of repetition4  
,for most minds memory depends on       
repetition4 ,the impressions must be    
deepened and made lasting by being      
stamped again and again on the mind4    
,the neurons of the brain which do the  
work of retaining and recalling must be 
made to repeat the process over and over

 until their action is secure4 ,it is   
therefore not enough to make sure that  
the child has his memory material       
committed for this particular ,sunday4  
,if the matter was worth committing in  
the first place1 it is worth keeping    
permanently4 ,if it is to be kept       
permanently1 it must be frequently      
reviewed2 for otherwise it will surely  
be forgotten4 ,it is to be feared that  
much1 if not most1 of the matter        
memorized by the pupils in many church  
schools lasts only long enough to show  
the teacher that it has once been       
learned1 and that not many children know
 in any permanent sense the ,bible      
passages they have committed4 ,in so far
 as this is true it would be much better
 to select a smaller amount of the      
choicest and best adapted material to be
 found1 and then so thoroughly teach    
this that it is permanently retained4   
#e4 ,the law of wholes instead of parts4
 ,many persons in setting at work to    
commit a poem1 a ,bible passage1 a psalm

 have a tendency to learn it first by   
verses or sections and then1 put the    
parts together to form the whole4 ,tests
 upon the memory have shown1 that this  
is a less economical and efficient      
method than from the first to commit the
 material as a whole4 ,this method      
requires that we go over all of it      
completely from beginning to end1 then  
over it again1 and so on until we can   
repeat much of it without reference to  
the text4 ,we then refer to the text for
 what the memory has not yet grasped1   
requiring the memory to repeat all that 
has been committed1 until the whole is  
in this manner fully learned4 ,the      
method of learning by wholes not only   
requires less time and effort1 but gives
 a better sense of unity in the matter  
committed4  #f4 ,the law of divided     
practice4 ,if to learn a certain piece  
of material the child must go over it1  
say1 fifteen times1 the results are much
 better if the whole number of          
repetitions are not carried out at one  

time4 ,time seems necessary to give the 
associations an opportunity to set up   
their relationships2 also1 the interval 
between repetitions allows the parts    
that are hardest to commit to begin     
fading out1 and thereby reveal where    
further practice is demanded4 ,where    
songs1 ,bible verses1 or other material 
are committed in the lesson hour1       
provision ought to be made for the      
children to continue study and practice 
on the material at home during the week4
 ,the so-called cramming process of     
learning will not work any better in the
 church school than in the day-school   
lessons4  #g4 ,the law of motivation4   
,like other activities of the mind1     
memory works best under the stimulus of 
some appealing motive4 ,the very best   
possible motive is1 of course1 an       
interest in and love for the matter     
committed4 ,this kind of response can   
hardly be expected1 however1 in all of  
the material children are asked to      
commit4 ,it is necessary to use         

additional motives to secure full       
effort4 ,the approval of the teacher and
 parents1 the child's standing in the   
class1 and his own sense of achievement 
are some of the motives that should be  
employed4  ,a very powerful motive not  
always sufficiently made use of is the  
wider social motive that comes from     
working in groups for a particular end4 
,for example1 a school or class pageant 
based on some biblical story or         
religious event has the effect of       
centralizing effort and stimulating     
endeavor to a degree impossible in      
individual work4 ,hymns and songs are   
committed1 ,bible passages or other     
religious material learned1 stories     
mastered1 characters studied and their  
words committed under the stress of an  
immediate need for them in order to take
 one's part in a social group and prove 
one's mastery before an audience of     
interested listeners4 ,the church school
 can with great advantage centralize    
more of its religious memory work in    

preparation for such special occasions  
as ,easter1 ,christmas1 ,thanksgiving1  
or other church celebrations or         
pageants4       #a4 ,what reasons can   
you give why children should be taught  
to think      in their study of religion
 just as in the study of any other      
subject8 ,do you find a thoughtful      
attitude on the part of your      class8
 ,what methods do you use to encourage  
reverent thinking in      religion8     
#b4 ,one thinks best in connection with 
some question or problem      which he  
wishes to have answered4 ,do you plan in
 connection with      your preparation  
of the lesson to bring out some definite
 problem      suited to the age of your 
class and help your pupils think it     
through to a solution8       #c4 ,what  
evidences can you suggest from your     
class work which show      that children
 readily think upon any problem that    
interests them8      ,have your pupils  
asked questions showing that they are   
thinking8      ,when such questions are 

asked1 how do you treat them8       #d4 
,what lessons of recent date in your    
work have you in mind which             
especially required the use of          
imagination8 ,can you judge the         
degree to which the descriptive parts of
 the lessons appeal to your      pupils 
as real8       #e4 ,how successfully do 
you feel that you are applying the      
principles for the use of the           
imagination8 ,do you definitely seek    
to apply these principles in your       
lessons8 ,which of these is             
probably the hardest to apply8 ,what is 
your method of seeking its              
application8       #f4 ,are your pupils 
good in memory work8 ,do you ever give  
them      material to memorize the      
meaning of which is not wholly clear to 
them8 ,what help do you give the        
children when you assign them           
memory work8 ,do you instruct them how  
to memorize what you assign8      ,to   
what extent are you following the laws  
of memory as stated in      the chapter8

   ,,for ,,further ,,reading  ,betts1   
,the ,mind and ,its ,education4  ,dewey1
 ,how ,we ,think4  ,coe1 ,education in  
,religion and ,morals4     ,,chapter    
,,xi  ,,types ,,of ,,teaching   ,one of 
the surest tests of the skillful teacher
 is his ability to adapt his instruction
 to the child1 to the subject matter1   
and to the occasion--that is1 to the    
aim4 ,teaching must differ in its type  
with the age2 the primary child and the 
older youth require different methods4  
,it must differ with the kind of        
material to be presented2 a lesson whose
 chief aim is to give information must  
be differently presented from a lesson  
whose aim is to enforce some moral or   
religious truth4 ,it must differ with   
the occasion2 a lesson taught a group of
 children who have had no previous study
 or preparation on it will demand       
different treatment from a lesson which 
has had careful study4  ,types of       
lessons4--,several clearly recognized   
types of lessons are commonly employed  

by teachers in both school and          
church-school classes4 ,no one of these 
lesson types can be said to be best in  
the sense that it should be used to the 
exclusion of the others4 ,all are       
required4 ,several may even be employed 
in the same recitation period4 ,the     
teacher should1 however1 know which type
 he is employing at any given stage of  
his instruction1 and why he is using    
this type in preference to another type 
of teaching4 ,the following are the     
chief lesson types that will be found   
serviceable in most church school       
classes3  #a4 ,the informational lesson2
 in which the immediate aim is to supply
 the mind with new knowledge or facts   
needed as a part of the equipment of    
thought and understanding4  #b4 ,the    
developmental 7or inductive7 lesson2 in 
which the aim is to lead the child      
through his own investigation and       
thinking to use the information already 
in his possession as a basis for        
discovering new truth or meaning4  #c4  

,the application 7or deductive7 lesson2 
in which the aim is to make application 
of some general truth or lesson already 
known to particular problems or cases4  
#d4 ,the drill lesson2 in which the aim 
is to give readiness and skill in       
fundamental facts or material that      
should be so well known as to be        
practically automatic in thought or     
memory4  #e4 ,the appreciation lesson2  
in which the aim is to create a response
 of warmth and interest toward1 or      
appreciation of1 a person1 object1      
situation1 or the material studied4  #f4
 ,the review lesson2 in1 which the aim  
is to gather up1 relate1 and fix more   
permanently in the mind the lessons or  
facts that have been studied4  #g4 ,the 
assignment lesson2 in which help is     
rendered and interest inspired1 for     
study of the next lesson4   ,,the       
,,informational ,,lesson  ,the child at 
the beginning is devoid of all knowledge
 of and information about the many      
objects1 activities1 and relationships  

that fill his world4 ,he must come to   
know these4 ,his mind can develop no    
faster than it has the materials for    
thoughts1 memories1 ideas1 and whatever 
else is to occupy his stream of thought4
 ,he must therefore be supplied with    
information4 ,he must be given a fund of
 impressions1 of facts1 of knowledge to 
use in his thinking1 feeling1 and       
understanding4  ,to undertake to teach  
the child the deeper meanings and       
relationships of ,god to our lives      
without this necessary background of    
information is to confuse him and to    
fail ourselves as teachers4 ,for        
example1 a certain primary lesson       
leaflet tells the children that the     
,egyptians made slaves out of the       
,israelites and that ,god led the       
,israelites out of this slavery4 ,but   
there had previously been no adequate   
preparation of the learners' minds to   
understand who the ,israelites or the   
,egyptians were1 nor what slavery is4   
,the children lacked all basis of       

information to understand the situation 
described1 and it could by no           
possibility possess meaning for them4   
,the use of the information lesson4--,it
 is not meant1 of course1 that when the 
chief purpose of a lesson is to give    
information no applications should be   
made or no interpretations given of the 
matter presented4 ,yet the fact is that 
often the chief emphasis must be placed 
on information1 and that for the moment 
other aims are secondary4 ,to           
illustrate3 ,when young children are    
first told the story of ,god creating   
the world the main purpose of the lesson
 is just to give them the story1 and not
 to attempt instruction as to the power 
and wonder of creative wisdom1 nor even 
at this time to stress the seventh day  
as a day of rest4 ,when the story of    
,moses bringing his people out of ,egypt
 is told young children1 the providence 
of ,god will be made evident1 but the   
facts of the story itself and its       
enjoyment just as a story should not in 

early childhood be overshadowed by      
attempting to force the moral and       
religious applications too closely4  ,it
 even happens that the indirect lesson1 
in which the child is left to see for   
himself the application and meaning1 is 
often the most effective to teaching4   
,the same principle holds when1 later in
 the course1 the youth is first studying
 in its entirety the life of ,jesus4    
,the main thing is to get a sympathetic1
 reverent1 connected view of ,jesus's   
life as a whole4 ,there will1 of course1
 be a thousand lessons to be learned and
 applications to be made from his       
teachings1 but these should rest on a   
fund of accurate information about      
,jesus himself and what he taught4      
,danger of neglecting information4--,it 
should be clear1 then1 that in          
advocating the informational lesson     
there is no thought of asking that we   
should teach our children mere facts1 or
 fill their heads with mere information4
 ,the intention is1 rather1 to stress   

the important truth often seemingly     
forgotten1 that to be intelligent in    
one's religion there are certain1       
fundamental things which must be known2 
that to be a worthy ,christian there are
 certain facts1 stories1 personages1 and
 events with a knowledge of which the   
mind must be well furnished4 ,there can 
be little doubt that the common run of  
teaching in our church schools has      
failed to give our children a sufficient
 basis of information upon which to     
build their religious experience4       
,informational instruction may be       
combined with other types of lessons1 or
 may be given as separate lessons which 
stress almost entirely the informational
 aspect of the material4 ,in the younger
 classes the information will come to   
the children chiefly in the form of     
stories1 and the accounts of lives of   
great men and women4 ,later in the      
course1 ,bible narrative1 history1 and  
biography will supply the chief sources 
of informational material4   ,,the      

,,developmental ,,lesson  ,it is a safe 
principle in teaching not to give       
ready-made to children a fact or        
conclusion which they can easily be led 
by questions and suggestions to discover
 for themselves4 ,truths which one has  
found out for himself always mean more  
than matter that is dogmatically forced 
upon him4 ,the pupil who has watched the
 bees sucking honey from clover blossoms
 and then going with pollen-laden feet  
to another blossom1 or one who has      
observed the drifting pollen from       
orchard or corn field1 is better able to
 understand the fertilization of plants 
than he would be from any mere          
description of the process4  ,on the    
same principle1 the child will get a    
deeper and more lasting impression of   
the effects of disobedience if led to   
see the effect of the disobedience of   
,adam and ,eve in the shame and sorrow  
and feeling of guilt that came to them1 
than he will through listening to ever  
so many impressive assertions on the sin

 of disobedience4 ,if the concrete      
lesson is carried over to his own       
personal experience and his observation 
of the results of disobedience1 and the 
unhappiness it has brought1 the effect  
is all the greater4  ,purpose of the    
inductive lesson4--,the developmental1  
or inductive1 lesson1 therefore1 seeks  
to lead the child to observe1 discover1 
think1 find out for himself4 ,it begins 
with concrete and particular instances1 
but it does not stop with them4 ,it does
 not at the start force upon the child  
any rules or general conclusions1 but it
 does seek to arrive at conclusions and 
rules in the end4 ,for example1 the     
purpose in having the child watch       
particular bees carrying pollen to      
blossoms1 and in having him observe     
particular pollen drifting in the wind1 
is to teach in the end the general truth
 that certain plants are dependent on   
insects and others on currents of air   
for their pollenization4  ,in similar   
fashion1 the purpose in having the child

 understand the effects of disobedience 
in the case of ,adam and ,eve and in any
 particular instance in his own         
experience is to teach the general      
conclusion that disobedience commonly   
brings sorrow and trouble4 ,the aim1    
then1 is to arrive at a universal truth 
of wide application1 but to reach it    
through appealing to the child's own    
knowledge1 experience1 and observation4 
,in this way the lesson learned will    
have more vital meaning and it will be  
more readily accepted because not forced
 upon the learner4  ,two                
principles4--,two important principles  
must be kept in mind in teaching an     
inductive lesson3  #a4 ,a basis or      
starting point must be found in         
knowledge or experience already in the  
learner's possession4  #b4 ,the child   
must have in his mind the question or   
problem which demands solution4  ,the   
first of these principles means that in 
order for the child to observe1 think1  
discover for himself1 he must have a    

sufficient basis of information from    
which to proceed4 ,the inductive lesson1
 therefore1 rests upon and starts from  
the informational lesson4 ,to           
illustrate1 in order to understand and  
be interested in the work of the bees as
 pollen-bearers1 the child must first   
know the fact that the blossoming and   
fruiting of the common plants depend on 
pollen4 ,the ear of corn which did not  
properly fill with grains because       
something happened to prevent pollen    
grains from reaching the tips of the    
silks at the right time1 or the apple   
tree barren because it failed from some 
adverse cause to receive a supply of    
pollen for its blossoms may properly be 
the starting point4 ,the problem or     
question then arising is how pollen     
grains are carried4 ,with this basis of 
fact and of question1 the child is ready
 to begin the interesting task of       
observation and discovery under the     
direction of the teacher2 he is then    
ready for the inductive lesson1 in which

 he will discover new knowledge by using
 the information already in his mind4   
,conducting the inductive lesson4--,in  
conducting the inductive lesson the     
teacher must from the beginning have a  
very clear idea of the goal or          
conclusion to be reached by the         
learners4 ,suppose the purpose is to    
impress on the children the fact of     
,jesus's love and care for children4    
,the lesson might start with questions  
and illustrations dealing with the      
father's and mother's care and love for 
each child in the home1 and the way     
these are shown4  ,following this would 
come the story of ,jesus rebuking his   
disciples for trying to send the        
children away1 and his own kindness to  
the children4 ,then such questions as   
these3 ,how did the disciples feel about
 having the children around ,jesus8 ,why
 did they tell the children to keep     
away8 ,perhaps they were afraid the     
children would annoy or trouble ,jesus4 
,have you ever known anyone who did not 

seem to like to have children around    
him8 ,does your mother like to have you 
come and be beside her8 ,what did ,jesus
 say about letting the children come to 
him8 ,why do you think ,jesus liked to  
have the children around him8 ,how did  
,jesus show his love for children8 ,why 
do you think the children liked to be   
with ,jesus8 ,do you think that ,jesus  
loves children as much to-day as when he
 was upon earth8 ,do you think he wants 
children to be good and happy now as he 
did then8 ,in what ways does ,jesus show
 his love and kindness to children8 ,the
 impression or conclusion to grow out of
 these questions and the story is that  
,jesus loved and cared for children when
 he was upon earth1 and that he loves   
and cares for them now just as he did   
then4 ,this will be the goal in the     
teacher's mind from the beginning of the
 lesson4   ,,the ,,deductive1 ,,or      
,,application1 ,,lesson  ,not all       
teaching can be of the inductive1 or    
discovery1 type4 ,it is necessary now   

and then to start with general truths1  
rules1 or principles and apply them to  
concrete individual cases4 ,rules and   
maxims once understood are often        
serviceable in working out new problems4
 ,the conclusions reached from a study  
of one set of circumstances can         
frequently be used in meeting similar   
situations another time4  ,for example1 
the child learns by a study of          
particular instances the results of     
disobedience1 and finally arrives at the
 great general truth that disobedience  
to the laws of nature or of ,god is     
followed by punishment and suffering4   
,this fact becomes to him a rule1 a     
principle1 a maxim1 which has universal 
application4 ,once this is understood   
and accepted1 the child is armed with a 
weapon against disobedience4 ,with this 
equipment he can say when he confronts  
temptation3 ,this means disobedience to 
,god's law and the laws of nature2 but  
disobedience to the laws of ,god and of 
nature brings punishment and suffering2 

therefore if ,i do this thing1 ,i shall 
be punished1 and shall suffer--,i will  
refrain from doing it4  ,making the     
application4--,a large part of our      
instruction in religion must be of the  
deductive kind4 ,it is impossible1 even 
if it were desirable1 to rediscover and 
develop inductively out of observation  
and experience all the great moral and  
religious laws which should govern the  
life4 ,many of these come to us         
ready-made1 the result of the aggregate 
experience of generations of religious  
living1 or the product of ,god's        
revelation to men4 ,consider1 for       
example1 such great generalizations as3 
,where your treasure is1 there will your
 heart be also2 ,blessed are the        
merciful1 for they shall obtain mercy2  
,no man can serve two masters2 ,with    
what measure ye mete it shall be        
measured unto you2 ,the wages of sin is 
death4  ,these are illustrations of the 
concentrated wisdom of the finest hearts
 and minds the world has seen1 words    

spoken by ,inspiration1 but true to the 
experience of every person4 ,it is our  
part as teachers to make the great      
fundamental moral and religious laws    
which underlie our lives living truths  
to our pupils4 ,to do this we must not  
teach such truths as mere abstractions1 
but show them at work in the lives of   
men and women and of boys and girls4 ,we
 must find illustrations1 we must make  
applications1 and discover examples of  
proof and verification4  ,teaching that 
fails from lack of applying truth4--,the
 object1 then1 of the inductive lesson  
is to lead the learner to discover      
truth2 the object of the deductive      
lesson is to lead him to apply truth4   
,there can be little doubt that much of 
our teaching of religion suffers from   
failure to make immediate and vital     
application of the truths we teach4     
,when we teach the youth that no man can
 serve two masters1 we should not be    
satisfied until we have shown him the   
proof of this truth at work in the      

everyday experience of men4 ,when we    
teach him that the wages of sin is      
death1 we must not stop with the mere   
statement of fact1 but lead him to      
recognize the effects of sin's work in  
broken lives and ruined careers4  ,nor  
should we confine our proofs and        
illustrations to examples taken from the
 ,bible1 valuable as these are4 ,too    
many1 perhaps half unconsciously to     
themselves1 carry the impression that   
religion belongs rather more to ,bible  
times and peoples than to ourselves4    
,too many assent to the general truth of
 religion and the demands it puts on our
 lives1 but fail to make a sufficiently 
immediate and definite application of   
its requirements to their own round of  
daily living4 ,too many think of the    
divine law as revealed in the           
,scriptures as having a historical      
significance rather than a present      
application4 ,one of the tasks of       
deductive teaching is to cure this fatal
 weakness in the study of religion4     

,,the ,,drill ,,lesson  ,teaching       
religion does not require as large a    
proportion of drill as many other       
subjects4 ,this is because the purpose  
of drill is to make certain matter      
automatic in the mind1 or to train      
definite acts to a high degree of skill4
 ,for example1 the child must come to   
know his multiplication table readily1  
without thinking2 he must come to be    
able to write or spell or count or      
manipulate the keys of a typewriter     
without directing his attention to the  
acts required4 ,wherever automatic      
action or ready skill is required1 there
 drill is demanded4 ,drill provides for 
the repetition of the mental or physical
 act until habit has made it second     
nature and it goes on practically doing 
itself4 ,there is no way to get a high  
degree of skill without drill1 for the  
simple reason that the brain requires a 
certain amount of repeated action before
 it can carry out the necessary         
operations without error and without the

 application of conscious thought4      
,drill lessons in the church            
school4--,while the church-school       
teacher will not require so much use of 
drill as the day-school teacher1 it is  
highly essential that drill shall not be
 omitted at points where it is needed4  
,there are some things which the child  
should learn very thoroughly and        
completely in his study of religion4 ,he
 should know a few prayers by heart1 so 
that their words come to him naturally  
and easily when he desires to use them4 
,he should know the words and music of  
certain songs and hymns suited to his   
age4 ,he should learn certain ,bible    
passages of rare beauty1 and other      
sentiments1 verses1 and poems found     
outside the ,bible4 ,he should come1 as 
a matter of convenience and skill1 to   
know the names and order of the books of
 the ,bible4 ,in some churches he is    
required to know the catechism4         
,whatever of such material is to be     
mastered fully and completely must      

receive careful drill4  ,principles for 
conducting the drill4--,the first step  
in a successful drill lesson is to      
supply a motive for the drill4 ,this is 
necessary in order to secure alertness  
and effort4 ,mere repetition is not     
drill4 ,monotonous going over the words 
of a poem or the list of books of the   
,bible with wandering or slack attention
 will fail of results4 ,the learner must
 be keyed up1 and give himself          
whole-heartedly to the work4 ,let the   
child come to feel a real need of       
mastery1 and one great motive is        
supplied4 ,let him desire the words of  
the song because he is to sing in the   
chorus1 or desire the words of the poem 
because he is to take part in a pageant1
 and there will be little trouble about 
willingness to drill4  ,again1 the      
competitive impulse can often be used to
 motivate drill4 ,the child is ambitious
 to stand at the head of his class1 or  
to beat his own record of performance1  
or to win the appreciation or praise of 

teacher or parents1 or he has a pride in
 personal achievement--these are all    
worthy motives1 and can be made of great
 service in conducting classroom or     
individual drills4 ,the posting of a    
piece of good work done by a pupil1 or  
calling attention to the good           
performance of a member of the class can
 often be made an incentive to the whole
 number4  ,drill1 in order to be        
effective1 must not stop short of       
thorough mastery4 ,the matter which is  
barely learned1 or the verse which can  
be but doubtfully repeated is sure to   
escape if not fixed by further drill4   
,it is probable1 as suggested in an     
earlier chapter1 that we attempt to have
 our children memorize too much ,bible  
material which is beyond their          
understanding and too difficult for     
them4 ,on the other hand1 there can be  
no doubt that we fail to teach them     
sufficiently well the smaller amount of 
beautiful sentiments1 verses1 poems1    
songs1 and prayers which should be a    

part of the mental and spiritual        
possession of every child4 ,our weekly  
lessons provide for the memorizing of   
,bible matter week by week1 yet         
surprisingly few children can repeat any
 sensible amount of such material4      
,better results would follow if we      
should require less material1 select it 
more wisely1 and then drill upon it     
until it is firmly fixed in the mind as 
a permanent and familiar possession4    
,,the ,,appreciation ,,lesson  ,it is   
quite as essential that the child shall 
come to enjoy and admire right things as
 that he shall know right things4 ,to   
cultivate appreciation for the          
beautiful1 the good1 the fine1 and the  
true is one of the great aims of our    
teaching4 ,one who is able to analyze a 
flower and technically describe its     
botanical parts1 but who fails to       
respond to its beauty has still much to 
learn about flowers4 ,one who learns the
 facts about the life of ,paul1 ,elijah1
 or ,jesus but who does not feel and    

admire the strength1 gentleness1 and    
goodness of their characters has missed 
one of the essential points in his      
study4 ,one who masters the details     
about a poem or a picture but who misses
 the thrill of enjoyment and            
appreciation which it holds for him has 
gathered but the husks and misses the   
right kernel of meaning4  ,how to teach 
appreciation4--,appreciation can never  
be taught directly4 ,the best we can do 
is to bring to the child the thing of   
beauty or goodness which we desire him  
to enjoy and admire1 making sure that he
 comprehends its meaning as fully as may
 be1 and then leave it to exert its own 
appeal4 ,we may by ill-advised comment  
or insistence even hinder appreciation4 
,the teacher who constantly asks the    
children1 ,do you not think the poem is 
beautiful8 or1 ,is not this a lovely    
song8 not only fails to help toward     
appreciation1 but is in danger of       
creating a false attitude in the child  
by causing him to express admiration    

where none is felt4  ,there is also     
grave doubt whether it is not a mistake 
to urge too much on the child that he   
ought to love ,god1 or that it is his   
duty to love the church4 ,the fact is   
that love1 admiration and appreciation  
cannot be compelled by any act of the   
will or sense of duty4 ,they must arise 
spontaneously from a realization of some
 lovable or beautiful quality which     
exerts an appeal that will not be       
denied4  ,the part of the teacher at    
this point1 therefore1 is to act as     
interpreter1 to help the learner to     
grasp the meaning of the poem1 the      
picture1 the song1 or the character he  
is studying4 ,the admirable qualities   
are to be brought out1 the beautiful    
aspects set forth1 and the lovable      
traits placed in high light4 ,the       
teacher may even express his own        
admiration and appreciation1 though     
without sentimentality or effusiveness4 
,nor is it likely that a teacher will be
 able to excite admiration in his class 

for any object of study which he does   
not himself admire4 ,if his own soul    
does not rise to the beauty of the      
twenty-third psalm or to the inimitable 
grandeur and strength of the            
,christ-life1 he is hardly the one to   
hold these subjects of study before     
children4   ,,the ,,review ,,lesson     
,reviews and tests fulfill a double     
purpose for the learner3 they help to   
organize and make more usable the matter
 that has been learned1 and they reveal 
success or failure in mastery4 ,they    
also serve the teacher as a measure of  
his success in teaching4 ,the review    
lesson should not be1 as it often is1 a 
mere repetition of as many facts from1  
previous lessons as time will permit to 
be covered4 ,it should present a new    
view of the subject4 ,it should deal    
with the great essential points1 and so 
relate and organize them that the       
threefold aim of fruitful knowledge1    
right attitudes1 and practical          
applications shall be stressed and made 

secure4  ,guiding principles4--,if the  
section of matter under review deals    
with a series of events1 such as the    
story of the migration of the           
,israelites from ,egypt or the account  
of the ministry of ,jesus1 then the     
review lesson must pick out and         
emphasize those incidents and           
applications which should become a part 
of the permanent possession of the      
child's mind from the study of this     
material4 ,these related points should  
be so linked together and so reimpressed
 that they will form a continuous view  
of the period or topic studied4 ,there  
is no place for the incidental nor for  
minute and unrelated detail in the      
review4  ,the teacher will need most    
careful preparation and planning to     
conduct a review4 ,he must have the     
entire field to be reviewed fully       
mastered and in his own mind as a unit1 
else he cannot lead the child back over 
it successfully4 ,he must work out a    
lesson plan which will secure interest  

and response on the part of his pupils4 
,many review lessons drag1 and are but  
endured by the class4 ,this may be      
accounted for by the fact that the      
review recitation often fails to do more
 than repeat old material4 ,it may also 
come from the fact that the children are
 asked details which they have forgotten
 or never knew1 so that they are unable 
to take their part4 ,it may in some     
cases arise from the fact that the      
teacher is himself not ready for the    
review1 and does not like review days4  
,whatever may be the cause1 the review  
that fails to catch interest or call    
forth enthusiasm has in so far failed of
 its purpose4 ,the minds of teacher and 
pupils should be at their best and      
concentration at its keenest for the    
review lesson4   ,,assignment ,,of      
,,lesson  ,no small part of the success 
of instruction depends on faithfulness  
and skill in assigning lessons4 ,too    
often this is left for the very last    
moment of the class hour1 when there is 

no time left for proper assignment and  
the teacher can give only the most      
hurried and incomplete directions4 ,or1 
it may be that the only direction that  
is given is the exhortation to be sure  
to prepare the lesson for next week4    
,but this will not suffice4 ,we must not
 forget that children1 especially the   
younger children1 may not know just how 
to go to work upon the lesson1 nor what 
to do in getting it4 ,it is hard for any
 young child to gather thought from the 
printed page1 even after he has attained
 fair skill in reading2 and it is doubly
 hard if the matter is difficult or     
unfamiliar1 as is much of the material  
found in the church-school lessons4     
,how to make the assignment4--,in order 
to assign the lesson properly the       
teacher must1 of course1 be perfectly   
familiar with the coming lesson4 ,this  
means that he must keep a week ahead in 
his preparation1 which is in the end no 
loss1 but even a gain4 ,the teacher must
 also have the plan of the lesson       

sufficiently in mind that he knows just 
what points are to be stressed1 what    
will present the most difficulty to the 
class1 what will most appeal to their   
interest1 and what will need to be      
especially assigned for study or        
investigation4 ,in lessons which        
children are to prepare at home it is   
usually well to go over the material    
briefly with the class in making the    
assignment1 giving hints for study1     
calling attention to interesting points1
 and stating very definitely just what  
the class is expected to do4  ,if there 
is to be written work1 this should be   
fully understood3 if handwork or drawing
 or coloring1 it should be made         
perfectly clear what is required2 if    
memory material is asked for1 it should 
be gone over1 the meaning made clear to 
every child1 and directions given as to 
how best to commit the matter4 ,if      
outside references are assigned in books
 or magazines1 the reference should be  
written down in the notebook or given   

the child on a slip of paper so that no 
mistake may be made4 ,the purpose and   
requirement in all these matters is to  
be as definite and clear as would be    
required in any business concern1       
leaving no chance for failure or mistake
 because of lack of understanding4 ,less
 than this is an evidence of            
carelessness or incompetence in the     
teacher4       #a4 ,in order better to  
understand and to review the several    
types of      lessons listed in the     
chapter it will be well for you to look 
through the lessons for the current     
quarter or year and determine      to   
which type each separate lesson belongs4
 ,how many do you find      of each     
type8 ,are there many lessons that will 
involve several of      the types8      
#b4 ,which type of these lessons do you 
best like to teach8 ,is there      any  
particular type that you have been      
neglecting8 ,any in which you      feel 
that you are not very successful8 ,what 
will you need to do to      increase    

your efficiency on this type of lesson8 
#c4 ,do you feel that you are reasonably
 skillful in leading children      to   
discover truths for themselves through  
the use of questions8 ,if      you find 
when questioning that the children lack 
the information      necessary to       
arriving at the truth desired1 what must
 you then do8      ,what do you consider
 your greatest weakness in conducting   
the      developmental lesson8       #d4
 ,does your class like review lessons8  
,if not1 can you discover      the      
reason8 ,have your reviews been largely 
repetitions of matter      already      
covered1 or have they used such devices 
as to bring the      matter up in new   
guise8 ,do you believe that review day  
can be made      the most interesting of
 the lessons8 ,some teachers say it can1
 ,how      will you go at it to make it 
so8       #e4 ,what application1 or     
deductive1 lesson have you taught your  
class recently8 ,was it a success8 ,have
 you ever discovered a      tendency in 

your teaching to have your class commit 
to memory some      great truth1 but    
fail in its application to real problems
 in their      own lives8 ,what         
applications of religious truths have   
you recently      made successfully in  
your class8       #f4 ,what is your     
method or plan of assigning lessons8 ,do
 you think      that any part of the    
children's failure to prepare their     
lessons      may be due to imperfect    
assignments8 ,will you make the         
assignment      of the lessons that lie 
ahead one of your chief problems8       
,,for ,,further ,,reading  ,earhart1    
,types of ,teaching4  ,strayer1 ,a      
,brief ,course in the ,teaching         
,process4  ,hayward1 ,the ,lesson in    
,appreciation4  ,knight1 ,some          
,principles of ,teaching as ,applied to 
the ,sunday ,school4  ,maxwell1 ,the    
,observation of ,teaching4     ,,chapter
 ,,xii  ,,methods ,,used ,,in ,,the     
,,recitation   ,the particular mode of  
procedure used in recitation will depend

 on the nature of the material1 the age 
of the pupils1 and the aim of the       
lesson4 ,for the church-school          
recitation period four different methods
 are chiefly used4 ,these are3  #a4 ,the
 topical method1 in which the teacher   
suggests a topic of the lesson or asks a
 question and requires the pupil to go  
on in his own way and tell what he can  
about the point under discussion4  #b4  
,the lecture method1 in which the       
teacher himself discusses the topic of  
the lesson1 presenting the facts1       
offering explanations or making         
applications as he judges the case may  
require4  #c4 ,the question-and-answer1 
or discussion1 method1 in which the     
teacher leads in a half-formal          
conversation1 asking questions and      
receiving answers either to test the    
pupil's preparation or to develop the   
facts and meanings of the lesson4  #d4  
,the story method1 in which the teacher 
uses a story1 told either in the words  
of the writer or in his own words1 to   

convey the lesson4 ,the story method    
differs from the lecture method in that 
the story recounts some real or fancied 
situation or occurrence to convey the   
lesson1 while the lecture depends more  
on explanation and analysis4  ,it may   
sometimes happen that an entire         
recitation will employ but one of these 
methods1 the whole time being given     
either to reciting upon topics1 to a    
lecture or discussion by the teacher1 or
 to a series of questions and answers4  
,more commonly1 however1 the three      
methods are best when combined to       
supplement each other or to give variety
 to the instruction4   ,,the ,,topical  
,,method  ,there is really no absolute  
line of demarkation between the topical 
and the question-and-answer method4 ,the
 chief difference lies in the fact that 
the question deals with some one        
specific fact or point1 while the topic 
requires the pupil to decide on what    
facts or points should come into the    
discussion1 and1 so make his own plan   

for the discussion4  ,the plan of the   
topical method4--,it is evident that the
 topical method of reciting will require
 more independence of thought than the  
question-and-answer method4 ,to ask the 
child to give the account of ,noah's    
building of the ,ark1 or to tell about  
,joseph being sold by his brothers is to
 demand more of him than to answer a    
series of questions on1 these events4   
,the topical method will1 therefore1    
find its greatest usefulness in the     
higher grades rather than with the      
younger children4 ,this does not mean1  
however1 that children in the earlier   
grades are to be given no opportunity to
 formulate their thought for themselves 
and to express their thought without the
 help of direct questions4  ,this power1
 like all others1 is developed through  
its use1 and is not acquired at a       
certain age without practice4 ,even     
young children may be encouraged to     
retell stories in their own words1 or to
 tell what they think about any problem 

that interests them2 and all such       
exercises are the best of preliminary   
training in the use of the topical      
method4  ,narrative topics4--,the       
easiest form of the topical method is   
that dealing with narration4 ,children  
are much more adept at telling what     
happened--recounting a series of events 
in a game1 a trip1 an incident1 or an   
accident--than in giving a description  
of persons1 places1 or objects4 ,the    
,bible narratives will therefore afford 
good starting places for topical        
recitations in the younger grades4      
,older pupils may be called upon to     
discuss problems of conduct1 or to make 
applications of lessons to concrete     
conditions1 or carry on any other form  
of analysis that calls for individual   
thought and ability in expression4      
,report topics4--,a modified form of the
 topical method is sometimes called the 
report method1 or the research method4  
,in this use of the topical method some 
special and definite topic or problem is

 assigned a pupil to be prepared by     
special study1 and reported upon before 
the class4 ,this plan1 at least above   
the elementary grades1 has great        
possibilities if wisely used4 ,the      
topics1 if interesting1 and if adapted  
to the children1 will usually receive   
careful preparation4 ,especially is this
 true if well-prepared pupils are       
allowed in the recitation to make a     
brief report to an interested audience  
of classmates4  ,care must be taken in  
the use of this method not to permit the
 time of the class to be taken with     
uninteresting and poorly prepared       
reports by pupils1 for this will kill   
the interest of the class1 set a low    
standard of preparation and mastery1 and
 render the method useless4 ,when a     
topic of special study is assigned to a 
pupil1 care must be taken to see that   
the exact references for study are known
 and that the necessary material is     
available4 ,the devoted teacher will    
also try to find time and opportunity to

 help his pupil organize the material of
 his report to insure its interest and  
value to the class4  ,avoiding a        
danger4--,a danger to be avoided in the 
use of the topical method is that of    
accepting incomplete and unenlightening 
discussions from pupils who are poorly  
prepared4 ,to say to a child1 ,tell what
 you can about ,david and ,goliath1 and 
then to pass on to something else after 
a poorly given account of the           
interesting story is to fail in the best
 use of the topical method4 ,after the  
child has finished his recitation the   
teacher should then supplement with     
facts or suggestions1 or ask questions  
to bring out further information1 or do 
whatever else is necessary to enrich and
 make more vivid the impression gained4 
,this must all be done1 however1 without
 making an earnest child feel that his  
effort has been useless1 or that what he
 has given1 was unimportant4   ,,the    
,,lecture ,,method  ,the lecture method1
 if followed continuously1 is a poor way

 of teaching4 ,even in telling stories  
to the younger children1 the skillful   
teacher leads the pupils to tell the    
stories back to her and the class4 ,mere
 listening gets to be dull work1 and the
 teacher who does all the reciting      
himself must expect lack of interest and
 inattention4  ,there can be no doubt   
that many teachers talk too much        
themselves compared with the part taken 
by their pupils4 ,it is much easier for 
the teacher to go over the lesson       
himself1 bringing out its incidents1    
explaining its meanings1 and applying   
its lessons1 than to lead the class1 by 
means of well-directed questions1 to    
accomplish these things by their own    
answers and discussions4 ,yet it is a   
common experience1 especially with      
children1 that we like best any program1
 recitation1 or exercise1 in which we   
ourselves have had an active part4 ,and 
it is also from the lesson in which we  
have really participated that we carry  
away the most vivid and lasting         

impressions4  ,the lecture method not   
for general use4--,every teacher should 
therefore consider1 when making his     
lesson plan1 just what his own part is  
to be in the presentation of material4  
,some latitude must be allowed1 of      
course1 for circumstances which may     
arise in the recitation bringing up     
points which may need elaboration or    
explanation4 ,but he should know in a   
general way what material he is to bring
 in1 what applications he will          
emphasize1 and what illustrations he    
will use4 ,he should not trust to the   
inspiration of the moment1 nor allow    
himself to be led off into a discussion 
that monopolizes all the time and       
deprives the class of participation4    
,more than one church-school class has  
failed to hold the interest1 if not the 
attendance1 of its members because the  
teacher mistook his function and formed 
the habit of turning expositor or       
preacher before his class4 ,the         
overtalkative teacher should learn to   

curb this tendency1 or else give way to 
one who brings less of himself and more 
of his pupils to bear upon the lesson4  
,this does not mean that the teacher    
shall never lecture or talk to his      
class4 ,indeed1 the teacher who does not
 have a message now and then for his    
pupils is not qualified to guide their  
spiritual development4 ,it means1       
rather1 that lecturing must not become a
 habit1 and that on the whole it should 
be used sparingly with all classes of   
children4 ,it means also that all matter
 presented to the class by the teacher  
himself should be well prepared2 that it
 should be carefully organized and      
planned1 so that its meaning will be    
clear and its lesson plain1 and so that 
time will not be wasted in its          
presentation4 ,it will be a safe rule   
for the teacher to set for himself not  
to come before his class with a talk    
that is not as well prepared as he      
expects his minister to have his sermon4
 ,and why not6 ,the recitation hour     

should mean at least as much to the     
church class as the sermon hour means to
 the congregation4   ,,the              
,,question-,,and-,,answer ,,method      
,skill in questioning lies at the basis 
of most good teaching of children4 ,good
 questioning stimulates thought1 brings 
out new meanings1 and leads the mind to 
right conclusions4 ,poor questioning    
leaves the thought unawakened1 fails to 
arouse interest and attention1 and      
results in poor mastery and faulty      
understanding4 ,to the uninitiated it   
appears easy to ask questions for others
 to answer4 ,but when we become teachers
 and undertake to use the question as an
 instrument of instruction we find that 
it is much harder to ask questions than 
to answer them1 for not only must the   
questioner know the subject and the     
answer to each question better than his 
pupils1 but he must be able constantly  
to interpret the minds of his pupils in 
order to discover their understanding of
 the problem and to know what questions 

next to ask4  ,questions slavishly      
dependent on the text4--,not            
infrequently one finds a teacher who    
uses questioning solely to test the     
knowledge of the pupils on the lesson   
text4 ,probably the worst form of this  
kind of questioning is that of following
 the printed questions of the lesson    
quarterly1 the pupils having their      
lesson sheets open before them and      
looking up the answer to each question  
as it is asked4  ,the following         
questions are taken from a widely used  
junior quarterly1 the ,bible text being 
,luke #aj4 #be-cg3 ,who wanted to try   
,jesus8 ,what did he ask8 ,what did     
,jesus say8 ,what reply was made8 ,what 
questions did the lawyer ask8 ,how did  
,jesus answer him8 ,what is such a story
 called8 ,what is the name of this      
parable8 ,where was the man going8 ,who 
met him8 ,how did they treat him8 ,what 
did they take from him8 ,where did they 
leave him8 ,no one of these questions   
appeals to thought or imagination4 ,all 

are questions of sheer fact1 with none  
of the deeper and more interesting      
meanings brought4 ,all of them may be   
answered correctly1 and the child be    
little the wiser religiously4 ,such a   
method of teaching cannot do other than 
deaden the child's interest in the      
,bible1 create in him an aversion to the
 lesson hour of the church school1 and  
fail of the whole purpose of religious  
education4 ,the teacher must be able to 
use living questions1 and not be        
dependent on a dead list of faulty      
questions embalmed in print4  ,questions
 arising spontaneously from the         
topic4--,one who does not know his      
lesson well enough so that he can ask   
the necessary questions practically     
without reference even to the text1 let 
alone referring to the printed          
questions1 or asking questions in the   
words of the text1 is not yet ready to  
teach the lesson4 ,in order to          
successful teaching there must be a     
constant interchange of response between

 teacher and class at every moment      
throughout the recitation4 ,this is     
impossible if the teacher must stop to  
read the text of the lesson1 or take her
 eyes and attention away from the class 
to look up the question which is to come
 next4 ,all such breaks of thought are  
fatal to interest and attention on the  
part of the class4  ,as suggested in an 
earlier chapter1 the teacher should have
 prepared a list of pivotal questions as
 a part of her lesson plan4 ,with these 
at hand there should be no necessity for
 reference to the printed lesson to find
 questions during the recitation period4
 ,let the teacher who is accustomed to  
slavish dependence on the lesson text   
for his questions really master his     
lesson1 and then declare his            
independence of tread-mill questioning2 
he will be surprised at the added       
satisfaction and efficiency that come to
 his teaching4  ,the principle of       
unity4--,questions that really teach    
must follow some plan of unity or       

continuity4 ,each succeeding question   
must grow out of the preceding question 
and its answer1 and all put together    
must lead in a definite direction toward
 a clear aim or goal which the teacher  
has in mind4 ,one of the serious faults 
of the questions quoted above from the  
lesson quarterly is that they lack unity
 and purpose4 ,each question is separate
 from all the others4 ,no question leads
 to the ones which follow1 nor does the 
whole list point to any lesson or       
conclusion at the end4 ,such questioning
 can result only in isolated scraps of  
information4 ,a series of questions     
lacking unity and purpose resembles a   
broom ending in many straws1 instead of 
being like a bayonet ending in a point3 
and who would not prefer a bayonet to a 
broom as a weapon of offense6  ,the     
principle of clearness4--,the good      
questioner makes his questions clear and
 definite so that they can not be       
misunderstood4 ,that this is not always 
accomplished is proved by the fact that 

a child who is unable to answer a       
question when it is put in one form may 
answer it perfectly when it is asked in 
different phrasing4 ,the teacher always 
needs to make certain that the question 
is fully comprehended1 for it is evident
 that an answer cannot exceed the       
understanding of the question in        
clearness4  ,to be clear1 a question    
must be free from obscure wording4 ,one 
primary teacher1 seeking to show how    
each animal is adapted to the life it   
must live1 asked the class1 ,why has a  
cat fur and a duck feathers8 ,just what 
did she mean for the child to answer8   
,did she mean to inquire why a cat has  
fur instead of feathers1 and a duck     
feathers instead of fur1 or did she mean
 to ask why each has its own particular 
coating regardless of the other8        
,another teacher asked1 ,why did        
,jesus's parents go up to ,jerusalem    
when ,jesus was twelve years old8 ,did  
he mean to ask why they went when ,jesus
 was just at this age1 or did he mean to

 ask why they went at all1 the age of   
,jesus being incidental8 ,one can only  
guess at his meaning1 hence the answer  
could at best be but a guess4           
,questions to be within the learner's   
grasp4--,if questions are to be clear to
 the child they must deal with matter   
within his grasp4 ,these questions are  
taken from an intermediate quarterly3   
,why was the ,new ,testament written8   
,what was the purpose of the book of    
,revelation8 ,fit the epistle of ,paul  
into the story of his life4 ,what is    
meant by inspiration8 ,what are the     
reasons for calling the ,bible the most 
wonderful book in the world8 ,these     
questions are all clear enough so far as
 their wording is concerned1 but they   
belong to the college or theological    
seminary age instead of to the          
intermediate age4 ,while our questions  
should make our pupils think1 they must 
not go over their heads1 for one does   
not commonly think on a question whose  
very meaning is beyond his grasp6  ,some

 questions lack definiteness because    
several correct answers could be given  
to the question4 ,here are a few such3  
,what did ,paul claim concerning one of 
his epistles8 ,what did ,moses do when  
he came down from the mountain8 ,what   
were the priests of the temple required 
to have8 ,what happened when ,jesus was 
crucified8 ,what of ,john the ,baptist8 
,what about ,ruth and ,naomi8 ,what did 
,judas become8 ,no one of these         
questions asks any definite thing4 ,to  
answer any of them the pupil must guess 
at the particular thing the teacher has 
in mind4 ,many answers may be given to  
each question which are as correct and  
which answer the question as well as the
 answer the teacher seeks from the      
pupil4 ,such questioning comes either   
from lack of clearness and definiteness 
in the teacher's thinking1 with a       
consequent uncertainty as what he really
 does mean to ask1 or else from a mental
 laziness which shrinks from the effort 
necessary to formulate the question     

definitely4  ,questions should stimulate
 thought4--,questions should be         
thought-provoking4 ,usually it is a     
mistake to ask questions that can be    
answered1 by a simple ,yes or ,no1      
though there are occasions when this may
 be done4 ,for example1 children will   
not be required to think when asked such
 questions as1 ,was ,moses leader of the
 ,israelites8 or ,did ,jesus want his   
disciples to keep children away from    
him8 ,but they will require thought to  
answer ,yes or ,no to such questions as1
 ,should ,esther have asked that ,haman 
be hanged8 or1 ,can ,god forgive us for 
a wrong act if we are not penitent8     
,leading questions1 or questions that   
suggest the answer1 do not encourage    
thought4 ,to ask1 ,do you not think that
 ,god is pained when we do wrong8 or    
,what ought you to say in return when   
some one has done you a favor8 is to    
leave the child himself too little to do
 in answering4 ,the alternative         
question1 or the question that simply   

allows the choice between two suggested 
possibilities is also fruitless so far  
as demanding thought is concerned4 ,in a
 question like1 ,was ,paul a ,gentile or
 was he a ,jew8 the bright child can    
usually tell from the teacher's         
inflection how to answer4 ,in any case  
he will run an even chance of giving the
 right answer from sheer guessing4  ,the
 order of questioning4--,it is a mistake
 to ask questions in serial order1 so   
that each child knows just when he is to
 be called upon4 ,this method invites   
carelessness and inattention4 ,there    
should be no set order1 nor should a    
child who has just been called upon feel
 that he is now safe from further       
questioning4 ,the element of uncertainty
 as to when the next question will come 
is a good incentive to alertness4 ,the  
pupil who shows signs of mischief or    
inattention may well become the         
immediate mark for a question1 and      
thereby be tided past the danger point4 
,usually the question should be         

addressed to the entire class1 and then 
a pause of a few seconds ensue before   
the one who is to answer is designated4 
,care must be taken1 however1 not to    
wait too long between asking the        
question and calling the name of the one
 expected to answer1 for attention and  
curiosity quickly fall away1 and time   
and interest are lost and the recitation
 becomes slow4  ,the reception of       
answers4--,the teacher's reception of   
the child's answer is almost as         
important as the manner of asking the   
question4 ,first of all1 the teacher    
must be interested in the answer4 ,this 
interest must be real1 and must show in 
the manner4 ,not to look into the eyes  
of the child who is answering is to fail
 to pay the courtesy due one who is     
conversing with us2 it is not only bad  
manners but worse pedagogy4 ,the        
interested1 sympathetic eye of the      
teacher has a wonderful power of        
encouragement and stimulus to the child1
 while an attitude of indifference on   

the part of the teacher is at once fatal
 to his enthusiasm4 ,one of the         
besetting sins of many teachers is to   
repeat the pupils' answers after them4  
,this habit probably has its rise in    
mental unreadiness on the part of the   
teacher1 who repeats what the child has 
just said while getting ready to ask the
 next question4 ,besides being a great  
waste of time1 the repeating of answers 
is discourteous1 and is a source of     
distraction1 and annoyance to pupils4   
,finally1 we may say that good          
questioning on the part of the teacher  
leads to questions on the part of the   
pupils4 ,the relations between teacher  
and class always should be such1 that   
the children1 feel free to ask questions
 on any points of the lesson1 and they  
should be encouraged to do so4 ,the     
teacher must have the tact and skill1   
however1 not to be led away from the    
topic by irrelevant questions nor to be 
required to waste time by discussing    
unimportant points which may be brought 

in4 ,it is to be feared that valuable   
time is sometimes lost in adult classes 
in discussing controversial questions   
that ought not to have been asked4      
,,the ,,story ,,method  ,the use of the 
story method of instruction has been    
mentioned many times in the course of   
our discussion4 ,it will still be worth 
while1 however1 to note a few of the    
principles upon which the successful    
telling of stories depends4  ,first of  
all1 a story is--just a story6 ,it is   
not an argument1 nor an explanation1 not
 a description1 nor a lecture in        
disguise4 ,a story is a narrative of a  
series of events1 which may be either   
real or imaginary4 ,these events are so 
related as to form a closely connected  
unity from beginning to end1 and they   
are of such nature as to appeal to      
imagination1 interest1 and emotion more 
than to the intellect4 ,the successful  
handling of the story depends on two    
chief factors3 7#a7 the plan or         
arrangement of the story itself1 and    

7#b7 skill in telling the story4  ,the  
story itself4--,the story must not be   
too long1 or interest will weaken and   
attention will flag4 ,it must have an   
interesting beginning1 so that attention
 and anticipation are aroused from the  
very first sentence4 ,once upon a       
time444 ,a long time ago when the       
fairies444 ,there once lived a king     
who444--these all contain a hint of     
mystery or of interesting possibilities 
certain to invite response from         
children4 ,the commonplace beginning is 
illustrated in a story in a primary     
leaflet which starts1 ,there was once a 
mother1 who loved her child as all      
mothers do4 ,there is no invitation here
 to imagination or anticipation1 and the
 evident attempt to enforce a moral     
truth in the opening sentence detracts  
from its effectiveness4  ,the major     
characters of the story should be       
introduced in the opening sentences4    
,the story should possess a close-knit  
unity1 and not admit incidental or      

supplemental characters or events that  
play no direct part in the sequel4 ,it  
must be so planned as to proceed to a   
climax1 and this climax should be       
reached without unnecessary deviations  
and wanderings4 ,we all know that type  
of story in which the main point is all 
but lost in a multiplicity of           
unnecessary details4 ,on the other hand1
 points necessary to the climax must not
 be omitted4 ,the climax may be the end 
of the story1 or an ending may be       
provided following the climax4 ,in      
either case the ending should leave the 
mind of the listener at rest as to the  
outcome4 ,that is to say1 there should  
remain no mystery or uncertainty or     
unpleasant feeling of incompleteness4   
,the ending of a story should be as     
carefully phrased as its beginning4     
,even if the story has a sad ending1    
which is usually not best in children's 
stories1 it should have some element in 
it which makes such a conclusion        
inevitable1 and so leaves the mind in a 

sense satisfied4  ,guiding              
principles4--,the rules to guide in     
planning the story itself may1 then1 be 
stated as follows3  #a4 ,decide on the  
truth to be conveyed1 and make the story
 lead up to this4  #b4 ,use great care  
to compel interest and anticipation     
through an effective beginning4  #c4    
,plan to have the body of the story     
reasonably brief1 and to make the main  
truth stand out in a climax4 ,eliminate 
all complications or irrelevant matter  
that does not aid in leading up to the  
climax4 ,elaborate and stress all       
features that help in making the        
impression to be attained in the climax4
  #d4 ,make the ending such as to leave 
in the mind a feeling that the story was
 satisfactory and complete4  ,telling   
the story4--,the effective story must be
 told4 ,it cannot be read without losing
 something of spontaneity and           
attractiveness4 ,it cannot even be      
committed to memory and repeated2 for   
here also is lacking something of the   

living glow and appeal that come from   
having the words spring fresh and warm  
from the mind that is actually thinking 
and feeling them4 ,most story-tellers   
find that it pays to work out carefully 
and commit to memory the opening and    
closing sentences of a story2 the       
phrasing is so important here that it   
should not be left to chance4 ,but the  
body of the story is better given       
extemporaneously even if the wording is 
not as perfect as it could be made by   
reading or reciting the matter4  ,before
 trying to tell a story before his      
class1 the teacher should rehearse it   
several times4 ,nothing but practice    
will give the ease1 certainty1 and      
spontaneity necessary to good           
story-telling4 ,even professional       
story-tellers realize that they do not  
tell a new story well until they have   
told it a number of times4 ,perhaps this
 is in part because one never enjoys    
telling a story until he is sure he can 
tell it well1 and so get a response from

 his listeners4 ,and one never tells a  
story really well unless he himself     
enjoys both the story and its telling4  
,one never brings the full effectiveness
 of a story to bear on his hearers      
unless he himself enters fully into its 
appreciation1 and moves himself while   
stirring the emotions of those who      
listen4  ,the right atmosphere          
required4--,second in importance only to
 preparing himself for the telling of   
the story is the preparing of the class 
to listen4 ,the right atmosphere of     
thought1 attitude and feeling should be 
created for the story before it is      
begun4 ,a primary teacher was about to  
begin a story whose purpose was to show 
how ,god cares for the birds by giving  
them feathers to keep them warm1 wings  
for swift flying1 and cozy nests for    
their homes1 when suddenly a little bird
 flew in through the classroom window   
and was killed before the class by      
dashing against the wall4 ,of course the
 right atmosphere for her story was then

 impossible1 and she wisely left it for 
another time4  ,the approach to the     
story can be made by some question or   
suggestion relating to the pupils' own  
experience1 by a sentence or two of     
explanation1 or by an illustration      
dealing with matters familiar to the    
class4 ,but whatever device is used1 the
 introduction should prepare the minds  
of the class to receive the story by    
turning their thought in the direction  
which the story is to take4 ,it is also 
important that any new terms or         
unfamiliar situations which are to be   
used in the story1 and which might not  
be understood by the class1 shall be    
cleared up before the story is begun4   
,arts and devices of the                
story-teller4--,the skillful            
story-teller will soon learn to use     
certain arts and devices to make the    
telling more effective4 ,one such device
 is the use of direct discourse2 that   
is1 instead of telling about the giants1
 the fairies1 the animals1 give them    

human speech and let them speak for     
themselves1 like the bear in ,little    
,red ,riding ,hood4 ,another effective  
device is that of repeating in the      
course of the story certain important   
words or phrases until from this        
repetition they stand out and become    
emphasized4 ,some of the best           
story-tellers make effective use of     
pauses1 thus creating a situation of    
curiosity and suspense in the minds of  
the listeners4 ,the pause must be       
neither too long nor too short1 nor can 
any tell just how long it ought to be   
except from the response of the children
 themselves1 which the teacher must be  
able to sense accurately and            
unfailingly4 ,much may be added to the  
effect of stories by skillful use of the
 various arts of expression1 such as    
facial expression1 voice tone1 quality1 
and inflection1 and gesture4 ,the use of
 mimicry1 imitation1 and impersonation  
is also very effective if this ability  
comes naturally to the one who attempts 

to use it1 but these would better be    
omitted than poorly done4  ,good stories
 sometimes lose much of their           
effectiveness by having the moral stated
 at the end1 or by having an attempt at 
moralizing too evident in the telling of
 the story4 ,a story which has a lesson 
inherent in the story itself will teach 
its own moral if it is well told4 ,if   
the truth to be conveyed is not clear to
 the child from the story1 it will      
hardly appeal to him by having it tacked
 on at the end4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,we have1 then1   
come to the end of our brief study of   
the teaching of religion4 ,we have seen 
some of its principles and methods1 and 
have discovered these at work in various
 illustrations and applications4 ,it now
 remains to realize that these are all  
to be found in brief epitome in the work
 of the ,great ,teacher4 ,for ,jesus was
 first of all a teacher1 rather than a  
preacher4 ,and as a teacher he supplied 
the model which anticipated all modern  

psychology and scientific pedagogy1 and 
gave us in his concrete example and     
method a standard which the most        
skillful among us never wholly attain4  
,while we may love ,jesus as a friend1  
come to him as a comforter and helper1  
seek to follow him as a guide1 and      
worship him as a ,saviour1 it will be   
well for us now and then momentarily to 
place these relations in the background 
and study him just as a teacher4  ,jesus
 possessed an attractive1 inspiring1    
compelling personality4 ,people         
naturally came to him with their        
questions and problems4 ,his quick      
sympathy1 ready understanding1 and      
unerring insight invited friendship1    
confidence1 and devotion4 ,he was ever  
sure of his great objective1 and whether
 he was teaching his disciples          
stupendous truths about the kingdom of  
,god1 or whether he was pointing the    
wayward woman the way to a reconstructed
 life1 the welfare of the living soul   
before him was his controlling thought4 

,jesus had a true sense of the value of 
a life1 and no life was too humble or   
too unpromising for him to lavish upon  
it all the wealth of his interest and   
all the power of his sympathy and       
helpfulness4 ,he did not feel that his  
time was poorly spent when he was       
teaching small groups1 and many of the  
choicest gems of his teaching were given
 to a mere handful of earnest listeners 
seated at his feet4  ,in all his        
teaching ,jesus manifested a deep       
reverence for vital truth4 ,he told his 
disciples1 ,the truth shall make you    
free4 ,he was never afraid of truth1 but
 accepted it reverently1 even when it   
ran counter to accepted authority4 ,nor 
did ,jesus ever lose time or opportunity
 in teaching trivial and unessential    
matters to his hearers2 the knowledge he
 gave them was always of such fruitful  
nature that they could at once apply it 
to their living1 ,jesus's teaching      
carried over2 it showed its effect in   
changed attitudes of life1 in new       

purposes1 compelling ideals1 and great  
loyalties and devotions4 ,out of a band 
of commonplace fishermen and ordinary   
men he made a company of evangelists and
 reformers whose work and influence     
changed the course of civilization4     
,every person who responded to his      
instruction felt the glow of a new      
ambition and the desire to have a part  
in the great mission4 ,thus the teaching
 of ,jesus entered into the actual life 
and conduct of his pupils4 ,the truths  
he taught did not lie dormant as so much
 mere attainment of knowledge4 ,they    
took root and blossomed into action1    
into transformed lives1 and into heroic 
deeds of kindly service4 ,the constant  
keynote and demand of ,jesus's teaching 
was shown forth in his1 ,he that heareth
 these sayings of mine and doeth them2  
he was never satisfied without the      
doing4  ,much is to be learned from the 
technique of ,jesus's teaching1         
imperfect though the account is of his  
instruction4 ,he always met his hearers 

on the plane of their own lives4 ,he    
would begin his instruction with some   
common and familiar experience1 and lead
 by questions or illustrations to the   
truth he wished to present4 ,in this    
way1 without the use of technical words 
or long phrases1 he was able to teach   
deep and significant truths even to     
relatively uninformed minds4 ,jesus     
appealed to the imagination through     
picturesque illustrations and parables4 
,he made his hearers think for the truth
 they reached1 and so presented each    
truth that its application to some      
immediate problem or need could not be  
escaped4 ,he was always interesting in  
his lessons1 for they did not deal with 
unimportant matters nor with tiresome   
platitudes4 ,he never failed to have    
definite aim or conclusion toward which 
his teaching was directed1 and the words
 or questions he used in his instruction
 moved without deviation toward the     
accomplishment of this aim4 ,he was too 
clear1 too deeply in earnest1 and too   

completely the master of what he was    
teaching ever to wander1 or be uncertain
 or to waste time and opportunity4 ,he  
felt too compelling a love for those he 
taught ever to fail at his task4        
,finally1 ,jesus was himself the        
embodiment of the truths and ideals he  
offered others4 ,he lived the lessons he
 desired his pupils to learn4 ,he       
rendered concrete in himself the        
religion he would have his followers    
adopt4 ,his life was a lesson which all 
could learn and follow4       #a4 ,which
 type of recitation method do you most  
commonly employ8      ,which do you like
 best8 ,do you combine the several      
methods      occasionally in the same   
recitation8 ,do you plan which is best  
for      each particular occasion8      
#b4 ,to what extent do you use the      
topical method8 ,do your pupils         
succeed in discussing the topics with   
fair completeness8 ,do you      always  
supplement with matter of your own1 or  
expand the topics by      asking        

questions when the discussion has been  
incomplete8       #c4 ,stenographic     
reports of various recitations have     
shown that      teachers often          
themselves use from two to three or four
 times as      many words in the lesson 
hour as all the pupils combined4 ,do you
      believe that for young pupils this
 is good teaching8 ,have you any        
accurate notion of the time you yourself
 take8 ,do you talk too      much8      
#d4 ,study your questioning in the      
recitation and determine as well      as
 you can which of the principles of good
 questioning you are most               
successful in applying2 which you are   
least successful in applying4       #e4 
,to what extent do you use the story as 
a method of instruction8      ,how do   
you judge you would rank as a           
story-teller8 ,to what extent      have 
you studied the art of story-telling8   
,are you constantly      improving8     
,what difference have you noted in the  
interest of a      class when a story is

 told and when it is read8   ,,for      
,,further ,,reading  ,betts1 ,the       
,recitation4  ,hamilton1 ,the           
,recitation4  ,home1 ,story-,telling1   
,questioning and ,studying4  ,st4 ,john1
 ,stories and ,story-,telling4          
,houghton1 ,telling ,bible ,stories4    
,,index  ,,adolescence1 subject matter  
for1 #aag ,,aim1 the   the child        
determining1 #cj   of religious         
instruction1 #db   religious habits as1 
#aic ,,appreciation   as an aim of      
instruction1 #hf   cultivating          
religious1 #aid ,,approach1             
psychological mode of1 #eb ,,art   in   
religious teaching1 #gb   types of in   
curriculum1 #abe ,,assignment of lesson1
 #aig ,,attitudes   religious as aim1   
#de   to be cultivated1 #gf   toward the
 school1 #gg   the child's spiritual1   
#hd  ,,bible1 the   the teacher's       
knowledge of1 #bc   the child's         
knowledge of1 #fh   continuing interest 
in1 #hb   as a source of material1 #aaa 
and reason1 #afg  ,,conservation1       

religious1 #cc ,,child1 the   as a      
,christian1 #cd   his concept of ,god1  
#ei   his concept of religion1 #fc   the
 teacher's knowledge of1 #be   as the   
great objective1 #cj   and his spiritual
 growth1 #ca ,,christian1 the child1 #cd
 ,,church1 the   the child's knowledge  
of1 #fi   participation in activities   
of1 #aja   loyalty to1 #hh  ,,danger    
,,points   in instruction1 #afa   how   
avoided1 #afb ,,deduction1 in religion1 
#aij ,,distractions   freedom from in   
recitation1 #aee   avoiding unnecessary1
 #aef ,,dramatic1 the   children and1   
#agf   use of in teaching1 #agf ,,drill1
 place of1 #aib ,,duty1 as a virtue1 #ii
  ,,expression   religious in the home1 
#ajf   as a mode of learning1 #dd   in  
social service1 #aja  ,,giving1 training
 in1 #ajd ,,god   the child's concept   
of1 #ei   harm from wrong concepts of1  
#fj   made the daily counselor1 #ajj    
,,habit   preventing the1 of defeat1 #ha
   religious1 as aim1 #ic   the growth  
of1 #id ,,heroes1 appeal of to child1   

#hi ,,home1 religious expression in1    
#ajf  ,,ideals1 #he ,,imagination   use 
of in religion1 #agj   how to appeal to1
 #agb ,,induction1 use of in religion1  
#ahg ,,instruction   response as a test 
of1 #ec   various tests of1 #ef1 #ajg   
,,interest   as a test of attitude1 #gi 
in the ,bible1 #hb   how to appeal to1  
#aea  ,,jesus1 an ideal teacher1 #bag   
,,knowledge   religious as an aim1 #dd  
of most worth1 #eh   of the ,bible1 #fg 
of the church1 #fi  ,,laboratory1 work  
in religion1 #ajb ,,lessons   ,uniform1 
the1 #acd   ,graded1 the1 #acd   in text
 book form1 #acd   different types of1  
#ahc ,,life   requirements of for       
religion1 #dc   religious teaching and1 
#ia   a code for1 #ie ,,loti1 ,,pierre1 
quoted1 #fa ,,loyalty1 cultivation of1  
#hh  ,,material1 for instruction   means
 instead of end1 #ce   adapting to      
child1 #ej   chapter on1 #aji   sources 
of1 in   in story form1 #aah            
organization of1 #abf ,,measures   of   
success1 #ch   of child's progress1 #ci 

,,memory1 the   laws of1 #agg   training
 of1 #agi ,,method   of the recitation1 
#bja   the topical1 #bjb   the lecture1 
#bjd   the question-and-answer1 #bjf    
the story1 #bab ,,music   in worship1   
#gb   in the curriculum1 #abf  ,,nature1
 as a source of material1 #abb          
,,neglect1 and stress of subject matter1
 #ea  ,,obedience1 as a virtue1 #ig     
,,objective1 the   chapter on1 #cj   for
 the teacher1 #cj   effect of on        
teaching1 #cg ,,organization1 of        
material   chapter on1 #abi   different 
types of1 #acj  ,,personality   building
 of1 #af   chart for1 #ah ,,pictures    
types of in use1 #abe   appeal of to    
child1 #agd ,,plan1 the lesson1 #ada    
,,presentation1 and response1 #ee       
,,principles1 foundation in teaching1   
#db  ,,question1 the1 method1 #bjf      
,,questioning1 principles of1 #bjg      
,,recitation1 the1 #bja ,,religion   the
 child's concept of1 #fc   related to   
living1 #fd1 #ib   and art1 #gb         
influence of music in1 #gb   laboratory 

work in1 #ajb ,,review1 the1 #aif       
,,school1 the church   pupils' attitude 
toward1 #gg   the spirit of1 #gh ,,score
 ,,card1 for personality1 #ai ,,service 
social as expression1 #aja   training in
 social1 #aje ,,singing1 in worship1    
#ajd ,,story1 the   as lesson material1 
#aah   other than ,bible1 #abj   method 
of1 #bab   principles of telling1 #bad  
,,stress1 and neglect of material1 #ea  
,,subject ,,matter   as means to end1   
#ce   selecting right1 #dh   chapter on1
 #aji   sources of1 #aaa  ,,teacher1 the
   chapter on1 #ac   types of1 #ad      
preparation of1 #ba   as a student1 #bg 
,,teaching   technique of1 #adh         
measures of effective1 #afe   types of1 
#ahc ,,text ,,books1 of religion1 #aci  
,,thinking   required in religion1 #afe 
and ,bible study1 #afg  ,,uniform       
,,lessons1 #acd1 #ace  ,,wells1 ,h4,g41 
quoted1 #fj ,,worship1 in church school1
 #ajd