always give practical and clear illustrations of the lessons drawn from every-day life. 5. Let him cultivate the power of drawing out what the children know. 6. Let him always make a close, practical, personal application of the truth. Rev. JAS. INGLIS, in replying to the various remarks made, said he ought, first of all, to explain that the words expel and expulsion were used in his address only in this form :-that if the low standard of qualification which he had set up were rigidly adhered to, many teachers now in our Sunday schools would be expelled. In reference to success, and the remarks made upon it, let it be remembered that breaking stones was a very different thing to breaking hearts. One could see the breaking of a stone; one could not see the breaking of the heart. The breaking of a stone began from without; the breaking of a heart from within. On the question of converted teachers, he was exceedingly glad that he had spoken so strongly. He was quite aware before doing so that his remarks would meet with some opposition, and the nature of the observations since made showed the vehemence of the current. He specially guarded himself in his address from exacting any particular mark or rule by which their conversion should be known or discovered, but he had strenuously insisted that all Sunday school teachers should themselves be converted. The tone of the discussion showed that this opinion was gaining ground; and ten years hence, should another convention be held, a very decided utterance would be given on this point. But the question might be asked, "What would you do if you cannot get converted teachers?" The fact was, that it was owing to the employment of unconverted teachers they did not get converted teachers in the Sunday school. If the demand were made upon the Church, they would find that there was an ample supply of converted men and women to teach the whole world. The CHAIRMAN, in bringing the proceedings of the morning to a close, said the word "work" and the word " success "had been used with an ambiguous meaning in the discussion, so that what one had called work and success, another would not thus designate. If our schools were institutions for teaching the pupils to read, then the teacher who enabled them to read was a successful teacher; but if these schools were institutions for communicating spiritual instruction, and instrumentalities for communicating spiritual life, then nothing short of imparting the knowledge, and of awakening the spiritual life can be called full success. He quite subscribed to the statement that the qualified teacher was the person who could do the work, but he would certainly add to that, the person who will do the work in his own way. Some time ago it was fashionable for religious writers and speakers to talk and write about preaching and preachers. And some took a piece from Howe, and a piece from Baxter,. and a piece from other divines, and in that way they made up such a monster, that no pulpit out of heaven would hold him. It struck him (the Chairman) that the same sort of thing was being done now in reference to Sunday school teachers. People looked at what was good in every teacher, and wanted to see it all in each one, and this they would never see. One never found a man who had the best nose on his face, and the most expressive eyes, and the most comely cheeks, and the sweetest mouth, and the prettiest chin, and the broadest forehead, and the most magnificent head, and the broadest shoulders, and the finest body, and the best shaped legs and arms ever seen in human beings! And yet that was exactly what some christian friends were looking for in ministers and in Sunday school teachers. Now he (the Chairman) would say to John Robinson, "Don't try to be anybody else, no matter how good somebody else may be; but just be John Robinson, and if you are a Sunday school teacher, do John Robinson's work in John Robinson's own way. Learn from everybody, but don't try to imitate any one, or you will assuredly be spoilt." It was one of his constant prayers that God would enable him to do his own work in his own way, with the faculties God had given him and the resources which God had placed within his reach, all being sanctified and made meet for the Master's use. While he honoured what he saw good in everybody else, he did not want to be any one else. And if young teachers were prompted to imitate, and to try to be what they were not, the effort must end in failure. Then, again, it was absurd for some persons to teach the calvinistic doctrine that the Spirit only can convert, and that all who are converted are the elect of God, and then to make teachers responsible for the salvation of the children. They all knew that they could not save a soul, but what was the use of having that truth embodied in the creed if they did not recognize it in their teaching? They could not command success, there was no doubt of that-but they could certainly do with all their might the work committed to them, and that work was teaching, and persuading, and consoling, and directing. He would just venture one suggestion, lest some of his young friends should be discouraged. None of us had too much encouragement. Many persons seemed to think there was too much sunshine in the world. His impression was, there was too much hail, and snow, and pelting rain. What they needed was to encourage each other. There were fashions in everything; and every ten years or so, it becomes the fashion to pull everything in the church to pieces, and to blame everybody. Then comes another cycle, in which all is compliment and flattery. Certainly, it was a long time since there was a cordial and gracious recognition of the grace of God in each other. They must all do what they could to hasten on the day when every worker should say to his fellow, "We wish you success;" when, instead of each having a good nose to scent the dead fly in the apothecary's ointment, and a tongue always ready to reveal what the nose detected, every one would have olfactory nerves which would scent the sweet unguent of spikenard, very costly, and lips prepared to give to that spikenard its own good name. The proceedings closed with prayer. AFTERNOON SITTING. At the Conference this afternoon, H. MANTON, Esq., Mayor of Birmingham, occupied the chair. The proceedings were commenced with singing the following hymn : "To sow the seed of heavenly truth, Thy servants, Lord, prepare; "Grant us the clear and thoughtful mind, The wise and prudent tongue, With heart of glowing love combined, "Upon our youthful charge distil After which, the Rev. J. T. FEASTON, of Birmingham, engaged in prayer. The CHAIRMAN said, he could not but thank the Committee of the Sunday School Union for having done him the honour of asking him to preside at one of these meetings. At the same time he regretted to comply with their request, because there were so many more worthy than himself to preside over their deliberations. However, without wasting time with any further apology, he would proceed at once to business by stating, that no one could have attended the present series of Sunday school meetings, and listened to the various able papers which had been read, without being convinced of the great instrumentality which the Union wielded. While the grand purpose in view was the conversion of the soul, yet all who took part in the instruction of youth, and the fitting and preparing the rising generation for usefulness in the world, could not fail to perceive the important changes which had taken place in the matter of Sunday school instruction within the last quarter of a century. The classes met thirty years ago under very different circumstances to what was the case at present. Many of the children were well taught in the day schools, and, therefore, they were much more intelligent now than they had been in former times. This fact brought along with it a great deal of responsibility, so far as teachers were concerned, and it opened up a very important question, namely-How these pupils were to be retained in the Sunday schools? He had been taking a review of the past thirty years of his own experience; and he confessed that the time passed in training and preparing for the Sunday school, before he had been immersed in worldly cares, seemed to him to have been far more blessed than he had since enjoyed in that respect. He had always felt it his duty to be in the sanctuary when the sanctuary was open, but a difficulty in the way of public enjoyment and usefulness presented itself, because there was not a sufficient number of evenings in the week to attend prayer meetings, training meetings, and other meetings of a like kind. Under such circumstances, it was a question with him whether they ought not to arrange for one service in the week, or for the holding of two upon one evening, in order that they might devote the necessary time in preparing for the sabbath school instruction. It was necessary, of course, in any arrangements of this nature, that they should not do anything which might have the effect of discouraging their minister. At the same time, he could not forget their deep responsibility to the children in the Sunday schools. He looked with feelings of regret upon those who had not gone through a course of training, and upon those who knew not how to teach; and he sincerely hoped that one of the beneficial results of this Conference would be the adoption of some plan which would improve the system of training. J. G. FITCH, Esq., M.A., Principal of the Normal College, Borough Road, London, then read the following paper, on "THE TRAINING OF SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS FOR THEIR WORK." I CONSIDER that it is my part to-day rather to initiate the discussion, than to lay down any definite proposals. I am very conscious that this meeting is composed of those who have had far more recent and varied experience in Sunday school teaching than I have, and who will be able to bring any theories I may offer to the corrective test of their own personal knowledge. But in the solution of a great and grave problem, like that which we are to discuss to-day, we must seek help from all quarters, however foreign they may seem to be to our own. I may say to you, frankly, that my own stand-point, the position from which I view the whole question, is that of one engaged in training schoolmasters for their special work. With young men who have already undergone a five years' apprenticeship in elementary schools, whose studies have been systematically directed, during the whole of that period, to their future duties, and who enter the Training College to devote themselves exclusively, for two years, to a regular course of discipline in the art and mystery of the teacher's craft, I need not tell you that we are obliged to hold a theory of professional preparation, which is utterly inapplicable to Sunday schools. It would be in the highest degreee pedantic and absurd to put forth that theory here. But there are certain general principles, which, in their application, are common to all forms of teaching alike; and, if we can get hold of these, and then seek to adapt them to the special necessities of our own case, they will be, I hope, none the less clear to you as Sunday school teachers, because they have been brought before my own mind chiefly in connection with the organization and needs of week-day schools and their teachers. It will not, I think, be unfitting to ask ourselves, "What are the various elements that go to make up training for the ideal and perfect teacher?" and then inquire, "How far is it possible to secure any or all of them in the case of the voluntary teacher in a Sunday school?" It is, I hope, assumed, by the very fact of our presence here to-day, as no longer needing proof, that our teachers in Sunday schools will be the better for training; that this work is, in one respect at least, like all other work-that skilled labour in it is more effective than unskilled, and that its efficiency is proportioned to the amount of forethought and experience and preparation which are employed upon it. If our present organization does much, it is certain that it might do more: if the body of Sunday school teachers who now work with zeal and energy, without hope of reward, and with christian love in their hearts, is able to obtain, by these means, great influence over children, that influence might be largely increased and improved, if they added other qualifications to those indispensable ones which they already possess. Of two men, whose love for their work and interest in the spiritual welfare of children are equal; the one who possesses, besides these, an insight into the process by which knowledge enters the mind, and some skill in the use of methods, will have a great advantage over the other. He will succeed best, and do the most valuable work. We are all, I hope, agreed upon that, and need no longer dwell on a preliminary which should be taken for granted. I. The first thing necessary for the man who is to teach, is, that he thoroughly understand the matter which he undertakes to explain. This is a truism. A man must have before he can give. Nay, he must have much more than he can ever give. For much is inevitably lost and wasted in the very act of giving. Much that a person knows, for practical purposes, well enough for his own use, he does not know well enough to make clear to others. How often we find this, when, after clearly understanding and thoroughly following what another says, we try to re-produce it, and to communicate it to a third person, and find, to our vexation, that there are flaws and deficiencies in our knowledge which we never suspected. Hence the first element, in training or preparation, is the knowledge of the subject taught. The knowledge required by a teacher ought to be deeper and more systematic than that of another man, simply because he is a teacher. It may suffice to an ordinary christian hearer to listen with earnestness, to read with care, and open his heart to the influences which the divine word is meant to furnish; but the christian teacher must do He must study the words he has to use. He must look more closely into them, read them oftener, know more about their meaning, have at command a greater multiplicity of detail, a larger number of illustrative facts. This is one of the absolute conditions of success in teaching geography or mathematics. It is so none the less in teaching Scripture truth. There must be study first. General impressions will not do. Cursory and superficial knowledge is not enough. The sort of knowledge which alone can answer a teacher's purpose, which alone can more. |
