Article August 24, 1918 Issue

Sunday School Experiences

EILA FOSTER

It has been the joy and privilege of the writer to teach for several years in a Christian Science Sunday school. During that time she has had many helpful and uplifting experiences, but among them stand out very clearly the following incidents as showing what possibilities may be attained in the near future as the outcome of this work established by our dear Leader.

I was one day teaching the infant class, in which were little ones four and five years of age. One little girl throughout the lesson had been very restless and inattentive, and when gently remonstrated with she replied defiantly: "Oh, but I am not a Christian Scientist! Mummy is, but I am not." "Don't you want to be?" she was asked. "No," was the decided answer. In striving to deal with this error there and then, I was led to ask the other children individually whether they wished to be Christian Scientists, and each in turn answered "Yes." "Now, then," I said, "perhaps you will each tell this little girl why you wish to be Christian Scientists," and turning to a small girl of five, I asked why she wanted to be a Christian Scientist. Quick and clear, without a moment's hesitation, came the response, "Because I want to heal." The other answers were also illuminating, one being because Christian Science makes one happy; another, because it took away one's pain, and so on; but the selflessness and purity of the first answer seemed to point to the fact that the time is not far distant when the prophetic words of Isaiah will be fulfilled, "And a little child shall lead them." On page 9 of "Pulpit and Press" Mrs. Eddy says, "Ah, children, you are the bulwarks of freedom, the cement of society, the hope of our race!"

Another realization which has always been very encouraging to me is that the work done in this connection is never lost, even though one may not see visible results. One day when I was teaching a class of older children, a new pupil was brought into the class by one of the others. This girl knew nothing of Christian Science, and during the time allotted to the lesson for the day I tried to give her some helpful thought of this vast subject; but apparently she took no interest whatever, and as she did not come again I felt that in some way I had failed.

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