| Show SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION the officers and teachers of the sunday schools of this stake met on oil tuesday evening july 2 in the fourteenth ward assembly rooms A very good representation was present from nearly all of the schools of this stake supt bupt J C cutler presided tile the excellent singing exercises rendered on the occasion were given by the fourth ward school led by brother wm foster opening prayer was offered by elder J J M fisher sister amelia weller weiler conducted a very pleasing exercise with lier her class on the catechism of the book of mormon the children were well traine dand promptly answered their teacher A duet was sung by sisters minnie sperry and mira weight supt bupt willard done or of the eleventh ward school conducted an impromptu class exercise on the sunday school leaflets lesson second and showed his manner of conducting a class with these new lessons the leaflets were distributed and the class read in consecutive order the verses of the lesson luke 2 40 52 the subject of the lesson being the boyhood of jesus the teacher to save time quoted the references given at ai the foot of the lesson although it is intended that these shall be read by the members of the class the lesson statement was then read by the class clam followed by what may be learned from the lesson and the ll notes on persons places and circumstances mentioned in the text of the lesson if the class clam using the leaflets are fairly good readers it is suggested that the members of the class shall read the notes botev etc otherwise it will be better for the teacher to read them after the reading of the lesson the teacher catechised catechi sed the class thoroughly on the same the teacher preferring that the answers should not be given in in concert but by members individually As time permitted the illustrative passages could then be read either by the teacher or the class the lesson of each leaflet if gone through with in this manner would last about twenty minutes at the conclusion of the lesson elder joseph H parry made a short address on the subject of the S S leaflets the lessons had been spec specially Jally prepared by the general boari of the sunday school union to aid the teacher and were not intended to lo replace individual preparation and study on the part of the I 1 te teacher achet if the lessons were taken I 1 hold of in in earnest spirit by theo logical as well as by the intermediate classes in our sabbath schools they would prove the means of making the exercises of all these classes more interesting than they had ever been and the principles of the gospel would become better understood by their use than by any other course of study that the speaker was acquainted quain ted with the speaker stated that if time permitted during the school session the teacher would find much in the lessons of contemporaneous history geography and other incidents which could be enlarged upon with profit crofit and much information could ee be imparted which was but hinted at in the lesson the illustrative passages relating to the life and ministry of the savior could be read and expatiated upon almost in le finitely and the lesson made all the more attractive ai A comp comparison arlson between the life of the savior and of his doctrines as written by his apostles and that written by the prophets of the book of mormon and bible centuries before his advent could be made a very interesting study as showing the beauty aw an 1 harmony of the plan of salvation general superintendent geo Q cannon was the next speaker he took a great deal of interest in these meetings and said that they should be specially interesting to those en in teaching the children of the saints there was great responsibility lity resting upon those who labored in our sabbath schools there were now upwards of children enrolled in our sabbath schools and as a missionary field there was not a greater offered to the elders of israel elders who go abroad reap but a little harvest as compared with what might be done with the same earnest efforts at home referring to the leaflets he was convinced that they could be made of great help to the teacher but reminded teachers that they were an aid and were not intended to do away with the individuality of the teachers or to curtail their individual methods of teaching they should be used as it was intended they should be as auxiliaries and should not be followed so rigidly and formally as to quench the individuality vi of the teacher he was averse to the methods adopted by some teachers of requiring the children to commit to memory long passages of scripture such a course often proved an injury to the memory the matter memorized often taking the place of something more important he would suggest as a better system the teaching of principle ani sustain the same by quoting appropriate texts till they were thoroughly understood der stood by the children the speaker was waa gratified with the progress made by the children of the saints in the doctrines of the gospel much more remained to be done and he trusted all who were laboring in this direction would continually strive to thoroughly indoctrinate the principles of the gospel in the hearts of the children regarding the use made of the leaflets the speaker thought it best i that hat they should be gathered at the close of the class exercises and the number containing the next lesson be distributed to the teachers and also to these perils pupils who would study aoudy them during the he week and who would return them on the fol following lowin sabbath so that there would be suf sufficient copies for the use of the school each sunday superintendent cutler announced that the fifth ward school would furnish part of the pro gramme and singing exercises at the next meeting choir sang 0 praise the lord all ye nations and elder frank Y taylor faylor pronounced the benediction JOS JOB H PARRY secretary |
