The Duty of American Women to Their CountryBeecher, Catharine Esther
History
The Duty of American Women to Their Country
Beecher, Catharine Esther
Education; Education -- United States; Women teachers -- United States
When reading the historical parts of the Old or New Testament, a large
map of Palestine and the other countries spoken of in the Bible,
should be suspended before the school, and all the places mentioned be
pointed out. There are large maps of this kind to be obtained of the
Sunday-school Union.
There is also a cheap chart of history prepared by a Mr. Lyman, which
is most excellent for aiding in the study both of sacred and profane
history. It is so made that it can be hung conveniently around the wall
of a schoolroom, and is so large, that children can read the names and
events while sitting in their seats.
Besides these articles, there are large drawings to be obtained of
the tabernacle and all the articles spoken of in the Pentateuch, and
others, also, that illustrate the manners and customs, dress, furniture,
and dwellings of the Israelites, and the scenery of Palestine. These
pictures, employed to illustrate the history of the Bible, would give
wonderful interest to the exercise of reading it. It is hoped that, ere
long, gentlemen of wealth will begin to endow _common schools_ with such
useful apparatus, instead of confining their benefactions exclusively to
higher seminaries.
In reading the Bible in schools, the following method will be found to be
both useful and interesting: Let the teacher, by the aid of Townsend’s
Bible, arrange a regular course of Bible history chronologically,
selecting only such chapters as will carry on a connected and complete
history. This can be read aloud by the children in portions each morning;
and by the aid of the maps, pictures, and charts, a vivid interest can be
imparted to the exercise, while, at the same time, opportunities will be
given to the teacher to notice incidents that convey moral instruction.
After this course is completed, then the teacher can prepare a course of
_biographical_ reading, arranged in chronological order, and use this
opportunity also to point out the moral instruction to be found in these
histories of individuals. Next, he might arrange a course embracing the
didactic portions of the Bible, combining in one course of reading all
the moral precepts; and while this is going on, he can collect anecdotes
to relate to the school illustrating these precepts. Lastly, he might
make a selection of the poetry and other rhetorical beauties of the
Bible, and, while this is being read, point out the inimitable sublimity
and beauty of the ideas and the style. The Introduction to the Study of
the Bible by Horne, the larger edition, and Lowth on Hebrew poetry, are
works which would greatly aid a teacher in such a course of Biblical
instruction.[2]
In this course of moral training, it will be seen that there is nothing
sectarian, and nothing which would be objected to by any but those
opposed to the use of the Bible in schools, and to all religious and
moral training. In such cases, it would be proper to adopt the following
course:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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