The Sabbath-School Index: Pointing out the history and progress of Sunday-schools, with approved modes of instruction.Pardee, R. G. (Richard Gay)
Religion
The Sabbath-School Index: Pointing out the history and progress of Sunday-schools, with approved modes of instruction.
Pardee, R. G. (Richard Gay)
Sunday schools
It of course depends entirely upon the correct knowledge and grasp of
the persons who essay to answer; for either truth or error are alike
rapidly propagated in this way. Therefore the greatest care should be
taken that no one be allowed to answer questions in this way, who
cannot, as the result of mature and deliberate observation or
experience, comprehensively look on all sides of the question, and be
careful to do justice to all its points. No "snap" judgment should be
taken, no witticism indulged in, and no dogmatic answers allowed. On
the contrary, the utmost fairness and candor is indispensable.
For illustration of this subject, the following examples of questions
and answers will suffice:
1. How can we obtain good teachers? _Answer._ Train them up in your
Bible-classes and teachers' meetings. Be on the lookout for suitable
persons and excite their interest by conversations on the value, the
details, and working of the Sabbath-school.
2. Would you recommend the grading of Sabbath-schools? _Answer._ We
like the word _adaptation_ better, for there must be _that_ in all
good teaching; there must be, also, advancement and thorough Bible
instruction. But we fear that an attempt to grade Sunday-schools would
stiffen and injure them, for we have but one hour in a week, while the
public schools have six hours per day and five days in a week, with a
dozen grades of text-books, and paid, disciplined teachers. Besides,
we have never found a successful Sabbath-school with more than the
three regular gradations; viz., the infant-classes, the intermediate
classes, and the young men and women's classes.
3. Would you ever employ unconverted teachers? _Answer._ Get the
_best_ teachers you can; the most pious, the best skilled and regular.
When you have taken the _best_ you can get, you have done all your
duty, and God does not require any more, for he accepts according to
what we have. In some remote sections it is simply a question between
accepting moral and upright young people or no teachers. They can
teach the elemental truths of religion, and God has repeatedly
employed the most unworthy persons to deliver his most solemn
messages. Therefore get the _best_ teachers you can. It is the
message, not the messenger.
4. Do you approve of one uniform lesson for the whole school?
_Answer._ Yes, by all means; and then concentrate all the exercises,
the prayers, the hymns, the addresses, as well as all the teaching,
directly upon that one portion, so that it will be impressed upon all,
as it was upon a little boy who walked up to the blackboard and
pointed to the drawing of an altar and the bleeding lamb upon it,
saying, "It was _that_ all day, wasn't it, Jimmy?" Let the
infant-class have the central verse for their lesson.
5. Would you expel a bad boy? _Answer._ I never did, and never would
do so, except as a last resort, after trying every available resource.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account