Article January 25, 1936 Issue

"According to the pattern"

ETHEL SMITH BAILEY

Teachers of the young have a very sacred trust—one not to be undertaken lightly. There is probably no work that calls for more self-effacement, more love and compassion, greater consecration to good, than is needed in the teaching of "these little ones."

With what joy and gladness do loyal teachers set aside personal desires and preferences, material duties and pleasures, to serve wherever they may be placed in these "nurseries of character," as Mrs. Eddy terms them in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 235), endeavoring to mold and fashion the thoughts of the children "according to the pattern shewed ... in the mount." To them is given, in the Christian Science Sunday School, the opportunity to lay a lasting foundation of Truth, a foundation that will not be disturbed by the allurements of material sense or the false attraction of evil under any guise. It is their aim so to firmly root and ground these children in a love for and understanding of spiritual realities, that there will be no slipping away in later years from this early training, no hesitancy of the pupils in distinguishing the wrong from the right course of action, and taking the right one.

A faithful teacher goes to his class with vision uplifted, and equipped with "the pattern." With self left far behind, he is ready to let divine Mind reveal whatever the little ones need at the moment. His teaching is by inspiration. His class becomes a place of awakening, constant interest, enlightenment, and healing for one and all. He is ever on guard that no careless statements about Christian Science, no expressions of personal opinion, are made by him, for then were his teaching other than pure and unadulterated, and no more effective spiritually than "sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." Let us be watchful that no wrong concepts not yet corrected in ourselves shall be planted in the thoughts of the children, which should be guarded, protected, and directed Godward. Let us be able to say with Jesus, "As my Father hath taught me, I speak these things."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

"The gifts of our benevolence"