Show SUNDAY S THOOL WORK ai adress dress delivered by chares caiar es england TO THE ERS AND of the loan 0 sunday schools at the I 1 regular Ife meeting eting on monday evening evenin brethren sisters and co laborers in appearing 0 before you this avelli evening ng I 1 do it with a I 1 degree of diffidence fid fi enco knowing that there aro are many here who are older better qualified and who have had much more experience in sunday school work one of the first principals I 1 had taught 0 me in these schools I 1 was obe obedience diance and through it I 1 have learned it to be my m y duty when called upon to do what I 1 can in the forwarding of the work of the lord hence I 1 am here to night dight and by his aid hope to do some good if perchance it be to no ono one but myself wo we have often heard that to be a sunday school teacher is to be engaged gag ed in one of the noblest and most responsible of callings in the church the qualifications for such a position are many arid and the preparation necessary for it of no small moment F for or a person to be successful in conducting 0 a sunday school class requires ires qualifications and preparations other than simply tho soon seon the lesson puch such as a love for the work a 1 natural aptitude for teach in ing 9 ability to eap exp aih ones views in an edifying and entertaining manone ii th anwa teaches i es daily advy by example zi m the e enjoying at all times of the spirit of the lord and many other things which I 1 shall not attempt to enumerate suffice it to say that if we are not in possession of all of the above named qualifications there is no need of us resigning 0 our positions for by persistent persi stant e effort on our part they can call be largely acquired when one is called to bea be a teacher his first effort as far as a preparation on lessons is concerned is to find out what lie is expected to teach this lie he can call learn from the Superintend oncy and the sunday school guide book A general understanding of the subject or subjects should then be acquired and a plan formulated to follow that will produce the desired results what I 1 mean by a plan is a pro 1 gramme rainee so arranged that by a series series of lessons the class will be guided in such a way that a thorough understanding of the subject will bo obtained the arranging 6 of this pro gramme is no lie tri feling matter the lessons should be so arra arranged ned that the subject and parts of subjects will follow in in their natural sequence the first lesson will then lay a foundation upon which the others can be built and such as will materially aid the student to understand what follows arid and see the relationship each bears to the other if such it course is pursued no lesson will bu be taught in vain wiio who of us can not recall either in our own teaching or that of some one else when no pro gramme was arranged or thought of the sunday morning when we went to the school very enthusiastic on the consideration of some subject that we had been studying 0 or that had in some way been brought to our attention possibly the cause caupe of the enthusiasm was the fact that it was the first time lime we had had our attention directed to the subject our understanding of the gospel was such at the time that we were prepared to receive and compre comprehend liend it in III this state of mind we lye appeared before our class and presented it to the members thinking it would be the best lesson we ever gave them we presented it showed up the beauties thereof and thought we lye had accomplished wonders for their advancement and left a deep and lasting impression upon them that they would long remember possibly we had but I 1 am of the tha opinion that a continuation of suck such a course would put our class in the passes gioi of a mass of information that would bo be similar to what a lit tilder would have figuratively 0 speaking who began ins 1 Is holl house by making the the roof first and thu the decorations thereof and then us using them a as lie foundation upon which to build adding other parts in ill turn is as they canic came handy finally every part had been added but not one where it belonged so with the teacher a mass of information may inay be gathered pa and given at random brandoin to tilt class and when mien it is done they chev will have no better an all under ta boling of the principles of the ouirl than the structure tile alie would have though liis his nia mil tpring OIL llie best obtainable when our program rno nio is well ari anit ini rd d each lays days lesson should bo be thil thoroughly roughly I 1 prepared and understood so much so that we need no liok lio k ot of reference whatever in presenting it to our class ever time a leae teacher has aas to look at his book before his C loss class to learn anything concerning concerning ning the lesson it lowers him in the estimation of the nien members ibers and gives them thein a good excuse for not being prepared they think if the teacher can call go to school knowing in it nothing about tile tho lesson and prepare himself there so can call they and consequently when they go 91 lome sunday mor morning marnina nina n tile text bookis laid aside until time for the next licit exercise and who can wonder that the advancement is not batis s factory rac tory beside while the teacher is is looking up the lesson in his class many of the students especially if his is a primary department will find oc cassion to play and create a a disturbance which will detract very much from the interest that they them would otherwise have had in the lesson we should not rest with this preparation pa ration but consider well the best nay of presenting the lesson to tile the class and that dav way n must depend lar largely cly upon ullon tile the advancement of tile the in members embers for what would make a subject very simple and easily understood by one might be entirely too ditri difficult cult for another if the class is a primary one probably th the e best method is to Ires present the subject is in the form of a narrative accompanied by eatable charts pictures or objects and the relating of short stories bearing J upon the lesson necessarily the teacher has hag to do tho the greater part of the talk talking ilig to such a department on tho the other hand if the class is an advanced one possibly the teacher need not say so much about the I 1 4 I 1 1 ila 8 been 47 I 1 V ii I 1 d a and the class clas requested to prepare it part of his preparation after thoroughly understanding the subject may then be the formulating of such questions as will draw from the members their understand understanding ing of the subject and the divi divisions sinns thereof in proper order some may think that a preparation on oil questions is not necess necessary aly of such I 1 would ask if they have never heard beard teachers ask I 1 k their students such questions that the answer was so str strongly only 0 implied that they could without ritho ut preparation correctly answer them all and yet know nothing about them for instance w when hen the subject of baptism is under consideration such questions as the following are put to tile the class Ws necessary for us to be bap t tided is e d it aud and the proper ade is by immersion i nt it we 0 do it by sprinkling should we ave it is for the for forgiveness 0 ive of sins it A second one may inay put the question thus Is it necessary for us to be baptised baptized sed Is the props proper r mode by immersion Is sprinkling 0 wrong Is baptism for the forgiveness of sins eins the mere yes or no though it may be a guess based upon the accent in which the question is put ia i accepted as a i satisfactory reply without ever asking for fora a reason for foi such an answer or upon what evidence the conclusion is based the apking of questions should be be encouraged by tho the teacher but lie he should be to fco thoroughly prepared on the lesson that he be knows at once whether the question is is a proper one or not and avoid the consideration of such as will lead to the discussion of subjects in no way bearing upon the one under consideration or such questions as are arc not well understood I 1 consider it better where the teacher has given a subject proper consideration and a question is asked aked concerning it that he cannot answer to liis his own satisfaction to prevent its being considered than to allow two or I 1 three or even one exercise to be devoted to its consideration when tile the class will be no nearer a becis sion concerning eon corning it at tile tho end than wl when A en the consideration began Thera pare plenty of principals and precepts that can call he be taug taugh tand litand the time occupied to better advantage the teacher should also bo be antly prep prepared tred on the lesson for tile following sunday that in in as dignin it lie can briefly outline it to ille arlins bethew understand ing of what they are expected to lo prepare will thus be given and a cotter better preparation aill ill lie be tile the result short reviews should not nol be list sight eight of in the preparation of lessons elou enough 11 at least should be reviewed ved to salow show tile the icia le lalion ion of the previous lesson to the one under consideration in III conclusion tile me to say I 1 think the day will soon be a thing of the past when a teacher will vill be able to keep himself and liis his class abrest with the progress of sunday school work when lie ho goes to liis his class without tiny any privous thought of what h he e i is is going to teach of g anything about it himself or of making in 0 any preparation ay aks to the way lie will presen tit many of us have relied too much in the past on oil the the assistance we expect the lord will give us at the time we are arc lacking formentin forgetting 0 C that lie ile will help those who help hell themselves and that we have been gi given ven an all agency which wo we are expected expect eil to use I 1 do not think any ot of us ui are endowed with euch natural abilities abi lites or are so well informed but that a preparation on lessons will aid us in successfully fully conducting a our el classes clas ases ses part of our object here this evening ii to listen to a model theological class exercise who if adiv any there are who thinks a preparation tio ll 11 on lessons is not necessary would expect the party preE presenting enting 6 it to appear before us not knowing what whai subject lie he will present anything it about it or of having given 0 an any v thought about how to top pre reent ent it A i model exercise should be for us to equal every sunday if possible and the idea that no preparation is necessary on our part to llo do it should be farther from our minds mind than that ho be party presenting the exercise to night will ill do so without preparation the person will p probably be one of more exper experience better D posted 0 sted and better qualified in ove every ry daythan way than the most of us may the spirit of the lord ever be with us to that extent and our preparation be such that each and every exercise that we present will be a model exercise is is my prayer in behalf of all S sunday unda y school workers |