Teaching in the Christian Science Sunday School is more, much more, than teaching the letter of the Lesson-Sermon, telling Bible stories, or memorizing the Commandments. These are important, and Mary Baker Eddy tells us that the letter of Science should be studied thoroughly. But she says also in our textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 201), "The best sermon ever preached is Truth practised and demonstrated by the destruction of sin, sickness, and death."

Therefore, the consecrated Sunday School teacher makes practice the keynote of teaching. By accepting the truth of God's allness, and rejecting all claims of a mind, power, or presence unlike God, the teacher follows Mrs. Eddy's instructions in practicing love for and faith in God. In this way one heals erring sense-testimony and teaches as Jesus taught, by demonstration. This is the sure way to find receptivity in the child-consciousness, and it also ensures the progress and growth of the teacher.

The newly appointed teacher begins this practice by turning to the one Mind, God, to know the truth about his place in the Sunday School. He realizes that God's law of love is placing and supporting him, and that no malign evil influence is present. He prays for humility—to know that he expresses and accepts only those thoughts and desires that come to him from God; that all sense of personal attraction or repulsion is ruled out of his consciousness by impartial divine Love. He strives to demonstrate regular and prompt attendance.

In Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy gives the following definition of "children" (pp. 582, 583): "The spiritual thoughts and representatives of Life, Truth, and Love. Sensual and mortal beliefs; counterfeits of creation, whose better originals are God's thoughts, not in embryo, but in maturity; material suppositions of life, substance, and intelligence, opposed to the Science of being." The understanding of this definition gives a scientific foundation for metaphysical work for Sunday School teaching.

The teacher knows that God's children must express the attributes of God, such as justice, mercy, loving co-operation, intelligence, and that any quality or characteristic unlike God, Truth, Life, and Love, is as unreal as a counterfeit bill. Relying on this understanding, he discards the counterfeit "sensual and mortal beliefs"—leaves materially personal concepts of Johnny, Mary, and Sue out of his consciousness—and holds to the truth that God's ideas alone are present. Each and every idea of God expresses only the qualities and characteristics of divine Mind, and therefore God has absolute control over the activity and consciousness of the class. The belief of evil has no power to wedge its way into the hour allotted for teaching, or to cause the teacher or students to accept a counterfeit as there having presence or person.

A new little girl in a class I taught was constantly provoking me to say, "You must not do that!" After three or four corrections, I recognized the error as an attention getter, intended to gain the attention of the other children, and knew this was a call for putting Christian Science into practice. I first told the child that good only was present and got all the attention. However, she tried again to attract attention by disobedience, causing the children to say in unison, "She's doing it again." I then told them that it was error, not God's child, which was being expressed, and that we do not give error place or recognition in the Christian Science Sunday School, because we know God fills all space. I did not look in the direction of the disobedient one, but went on with the questions. After a few moments she was quiet, and before the period came to a close, in answer to a question I asked, she said, "I know the answer!" and gave a correct, satisfactory answer. She left Sunday School very happy.

Another Sunday, after I had returned home, I found I was being tempted with a counterfeit sense of one of God's ideas or "representatives." Here again was the demand for practice, rejecting the counterfeit for the perfect original. I prayed that this erring thought might be completely removed from my consciousness, and argued for God's allness. I knew that God's thoughts are unchanging expressions of Truth and Love, never under a law of distortion from environment, inheritance, or indulgence. The next Sunday I was greeted with loving obedience from all the children.

Work and experiences similar to these here given unite teachers in the Christian Science Sunday Schools in declaring that practice is the keynote of teaching. One who has learned that his teaching is not only to expound the letter, but to practice in his every thought and act the truth which Christian Science teaches, is released from all false sense of responsibility and, with humility and love for God, good, he prays, as Jesus did (John 17:5), "O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self."