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The Beginners'
Department
ANGELINA W. WRAY
The "Times" Handbooks
for Sunday-Schopl ^
Workers. Number /
GIFT or
Gladys Isaacson
^0/ ,
THE BEGINNERS' DEPARTMENT
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2008 with funding from
Microsoft Corporation
http://www.archive.org/details/beginnersdepartmOOwrayrich
THE BEGINNERS^
DEPARTMENT
By
Angfclina W» "V^fay
AUTHOR OF
"Jean Mitchell's School/'
" Glimpses of Child Nature," etc.
LIBRARY
Temple Mt. Sinai,
Sioux City, iowa
lio.J.^Z-
The Sunday School Times Company
Philadelphia
v^7
Copyright) 1907, '
BY
Thb Sunday School Timks Ca
GIFT OF
GLADYS ISAACSON
CONTENTS
PACK
CHAPTER I
The Need for the Beginners' Department . . i
CHAPTER n
The Superintendent 8
CHAPTER HI
Organizing the Department 13
CHAPTER IV
One Beginners' Department 21
CHAPTER V
Socials for the Tiny Ones 33
CHAPTER VI
Equipping the Department 56
CHAPTER VII
The Two-Year Course and How to Use It . . 66
CHAPTER VIII
The Weekly Program 76
CHAPTER IX
"Nothing TO Work With" 81
V
M27836
VI Contents
CHAPTER X
Special Days 90
CHAPTER XI
Songs for Little Children 96
CHAPTER I
THE NEED FOR THE BEGINNERS* DEPARTMENT
Why should we have a Beginners' Depart-
ment? Is it really necessary to teach the
youngest children in a separate class?
These are questions often asked with the ut-
most honesty by superintendents, pastors, and
teachers who are unfeignedly desirous of giving
the best help to the children under their care.
"Why," ask many primary teachers, "should
the department we have tried so hard to organ-
ize, to which we have given earnest thought and
affection, — why should this department be de-
creased in membership by the withdrawal of
some of the children?"
"Why," inquire other teachers, "should a
school that has many uses for its scanty funds
be asked to contribute supplies for another
class?"
"I plan my work carefully," says still another
teacher, "and try to help the oldest as well as
the youngest in my class. Of course, I some-
times fail, but as a rule I am conscious that no
child goes from my room without having been
helped by the lesson taught. This being true.
2 < ^' TheJBegXfirtej'^' Department
w'hiat iycis,sif)i^/g'4ip,pk^''po^^ through a separa-
tion?"
Let us consider the last speaker's words first.
Let us visit her department some Sunday after-
noon. The room is well-filled. At the front,
in tiny chairs, are several three-year-olds.
Farther back is a nine-year-old boy with his wee
sister. Here is a shy little lady of four, nestling
close to her eight-year-old protector. Three,
four, five, six, seven, eight, nine — children of all
these varying ages are present.
There are several assistants present also, help-
ing in maintaining order and in teaching the
supplementary work. The program is bright
and attractive. When the regular lesson for
the day is taught the children listen attentively.
We leave the room feeling admiration and re-
spect for the skilful teacher.
Perhaps there are good reasons why the plan
described is the best for that particular Sunday-
school. It may be that, under existing circum-
stances, the teacher is doing the right thing and
has no need to feel discouraged or conscience-
smitten over the matter. Nevertheless the fact
remains that the plan does not and cannot give
the best results for the children.
No teacher could give a lesson that would be
equally adapted to such varying ages. Three
years and nine view the world from standpoints
The Need for the Beginners' Department 3
as far apart as the east and west. If the teach-
ing is satisfying to the needs of the older pupils
it will be above the comprehension of the younger
ones. Again, hymns and exercises suitable for
the tiniest learners are too simple for the older
ones. In every department in which the ages
are so diverse, the teacher consciously or un-
consciously adapts the truth to either the
younger or older, and in almost every case the
latter is favored, because otherwise she finds
herself unable to hold their attention.
"But," says some one, "if the little ones listen
and seem interested they must be receiving bene-
fit."
This does not always follow. I remember
visiting a German church one Sunday. I under-
stood very little German. The hymns, prayers,
and sermon were almost unintelligible to me.
Vet I listened with real interest, attracted by the
earnestness of minister and congregation. In
so far as I was impressed by the reverential spirit
shown, I was helped in my own spiritual life. But
for real spiritual growth would I not, if I could
choose, go to some church where the preaching
was adapted to my needs and could be readily
understood ?
The little children cannot choose for them-
selves. They must go where their parents send
them. They must accept the kind of teaching
4 The Beginners^ Department
given them. But should we not see to it that
their needs are met in the most helpful way?
If a teacher must deal with these varied ages,
let her plan her session so that some part of it is
especially adapted to the youngest as well as the
oldest. Then, having done that, let her not be
content to rest satisfied, but keep a sharp out-
look for better conditions.
As for the question of finances, it is a very
serious one in many schools, and a thoroughly
equipped beginners' department, meeting in its
own well-furnished room, receiving cards, pa-
pers, etc., each Sunday, means a considerable
outlay of money. I have heard persons say
unhesitatingly when the plan was suggested, "It
would be impossible in our school. We have
hard work to pay our expenses as it is." But
if the superintendent and teachers become con-
vinced of the real value of the department they
will find a way to make it work. No true
worker despises the day of small things. If it
is possible to equip the department in accord-
ance with the best suggestions for the children's
comfort and mental advancement, the invest-
ment is unquestionably wise, even if considered
from a purely material standpoint. But all over
the land there are Sunday-schools that might
organize beginners' departments, yet are de-
terred by the fact that they cannot get all the
The Need for the Beginners' Department 5
paraphernalia they deem necessary. To have
a successful beginners' department, but three
things are absolutely indispensable — first, a
good teacher ; second, a place in which the teach-
ing may be done, and third, children to be
taught. The place may be but a corner sep-
arated from the rest of the room by a screen.
This does not mean that a good teacher can-
not do better teaching under better conditions.
The better the teacher, the more use she will be
able to make of all the helps that can be given
her. But it does mean that a good teacher will
do good teaching under any conditions, because
all around her keen eyes will see a wealth of
illustration and help that may be hers for the
taking.
Many Sunday-schools have discovered, upon
organizing the class, that the rest followed eas-
ily. Sometimes parents, seeing its value, have
helped out with the financial part. Very often
the church has aided the work by contributing
furniture or money. Sometimes a wealthy man or
woman in the congregation has assumed the
responsibility of supplying its needs. God has
promised to bless all earnest efforts put forth
in his name, and surely work for the little chil-
dren must meet with the approval of the great
Father.
In regard to the objection urged by some pri-
6 The Beginners' Department
mary teachers that their own department is de-
creased, the fact that better work can be done
for both younger and older children should be
sufficient answer.
The children removed from the primary
classes are not lost. They will return in a few
years, better able to understand and appreciate
the more advanced lessons.
And now we have come back to the question,
"Why should we have beginners' departments ?''
"Is it really necessary?" Emphatically, yes.
First, because the youngest children need
simpler teaching.
Second, because their interests are almost en-
tirely in the home-life, and illustrations con-
nected with that will mean more to them, while
the primary children are often far more deeply
impressed by an incident of school life or the
more active sports in which they engage.
Third, because repetition is even more essen-
tial at this age than a little later.
Fourth, because the two-year International
Beginners' Course deals with thoughts and emo-
tions common to all little children. The tiny
child desires to know many things, and the Be-
ginners' Lessons, starting as they do with the
thought of God the Creator, lead the childish
mind naturally to the emotion of gratitude to
God the Father.
The Need for the Beginners' Department 7
If the course is begun (as it is intended it
should be) the first of September, the lessons
on thankfulness will come at Thanksgiving time,
and then, as we talk about sharing our blessings
with others, will lead up to the Christmas
thought and the great gift of the little Christ-
Child.
Other lessons given are those on Reverence,
Obedience, Repentance, Forgiveness, etc. ; all
touching very closely on the experience of even
the youngest child, while the fact that several
lessons are devoted to each theme serves to
deepen the impressions made.
CHAPTER II
THE SUPERINTENDENT
The superintendent of the beginners' depart-
ment should be chosen with the utmost care.
There are some qualifications that are abso-
lutely essential, and any Sunday-school ignoring
them in its choice will make a grave mistake.
A woman is almost invariably selected for the
position, and this is wise, for little children, ac-
customed to constant association with the
mother in the home, feel less timidity in their
new surroundings when this is the case. Many
persons contend that only mothers should be
teachers of the youngest children, and conse-
crated mothers do, indeed, sometimes make ideal
teachers, but it is not always possible to secure
the right kind. The qualifications I shall men-
tion are just as essential for mother-teachers as
for any others, and without them the work done
in the most beautiful class-room will be a failure.
First — the superintendent must have a heart
full of love for God, her Father, and Christ, her
Saviour.
She may be ideal in every other way, but un-
less she realizes the brooding tenderness of the
8
The Superintendent 9
heavenly Father, feels the touch of the nail-
pierced hands and hears the gentle whisper of
the Redeemer, she cannot lead the child-heart
to the fullest joy and confidence.
Second — She must have a heart full of love
for little children.
It is not always the most effusive sentiment
that is the deepest. The teacher who constantly
refers to children as "sweet little darlings" may
not have as much genuine affection for them as
another who rarely uses pet names. Real love
shows itself in readiness to help the little ones
outside of the class-room and on other days be-
sides Sundays, in patience with their faults and
mistakes, and in earnest endeavor to link home
and school.
Third — She must be willing to learn.
A self-satisfied teacher is a poor teacher. No
matter how wise she is, no matter how good
the methods she uses, the moment she becomes
convinced that there is nothing more for her to
learn, that moment she begins to retrograde.
There is always something for the teacher to
learn. New, fresh ways of presenting old truths,
better ways of reaching the child-mind, new ways
of reaching the parents through the little ones —
these and countless other discoveries are con-
stantly being made by live, thoughtful teachers,
and those who would do the best work must
lo The Beginners' Department
keep abreast of the times. Beginners' teachers,
especially if they use the two-year International
Course (or any other in which the lessons are
repeated with great frequency), will find need
to guard against this danger. Repeating the
same lessons in the same way, using the same
objects, the same blackboard illustrations, the
same songs, the same pictures, and the same
prayers, will ultimately deaden all originality and
weaken their user, however perfect they may
be in themselves.
Fourth — She must have a winning manner.
To teach little children it is not enough that the
teacher be good. It is not enough that she have
love for the tiny listeners. She may be a veri-
table saint, she may feel deep and earnest affec-
tion for childhood, but unless she has power to
attract it toward herself she will not succeed as
a beginners' teacher. This is an indescribable
power, because, real and indisputable as it is, its
secret cannot be put into words. It belongs to
neither youth nor age, beauty nor ugliness. I
have seen very homely, awkward persons to
whom little children were drawn by some irre-
sistible fascination, while beautiful and graceful
women vainly tried to gain their favor, and I
have seen the cases exactly reversed. To some
extent, at least, it is possible of acquirement, but
happy is that teacher to whom God has freely
The Superintendent 1 1
given this wonderful gift, and happy is that
Sunday-school which numbers among its teach-
ing force some whom the wee children love with-
out knowing why.
Fifth — She must be able to use both patience
and firmness.
Order is necessary if good teaching is to be
done. If the teacher of the beginners' class
allows the little ones to wander around the room
at their own sweet will, lets them keep up a con-
stant chatter while she is talking, smiles indulg-
ently at Freddie as he thumps his chair on the
floor, simply shakes her head at Susie when that
white-robed cherub slaps Nelly for the third or
fourth time, — if she permits these things to con-
tinue unchecked, the children might far better
remain at home. The lesson she endeavors to
teach with her lips is nullified by the lesson she
teaches by her actions. The class is learning
irreverence, inattention, carelessness, rudeness
and disobedience; evil weeds that grow quickly
and bring forth abundant fruit in the primary
and junior departments.
Patience, that virtue needed by every teacher
in every grade, is needed in fourfold measure
by those who deal with beginners. With the best
intentions in the world, the little people often
do things exactly opposite to directions given
them. They forget and forget, and have to be
12 The Beginners' Department
reminded again and again. An impatient teacher
irritates and frets them. But she who is wise
remembers that patience and firmness go hand
in hand, and that they are not antagonistic, but
each is supplementary to the other.
Other quahfications might be mentioned: en-
thusiasm, originality, keen sense of responsibil-
ity, etc. All are helps. All have their value. Nev-
ertheless, I believe that the five qualifications
given are those that are really indispensable.
Leave even one out and the department, how-
ever well-equipped in other ways, will never do
its best work. Find a teacher or superintendent
who combines them all, and the department
however poorly furnished, will accomplish
results that will tell in time and in eternity. The
teachers make or mar the school. The begin-
ners' teacher makes or mars her class or
department.
CHAPTER III
ORGANIZING THE DEPARTMENT
In Sunday-schools in towns or cities it is an
easy matter to build up a large beginners' de-
partment, provided the superintendent who has
been chosen will devote a little time and energy
to the work.
Almost every primary department includes a
few children under six years of age, who have
accompanied their older brothers or sisters.
Many superintendents are content to put these
in a separate division and call it the beginners'
department, not realizing that the few may be
but the nucleus of a large class.
A certain school had come to the conclusion
that it ought to have a beginners' department.
A room was set apart for the purpose, a teacher
and assistant were provided, and seven little
children, taken from the primary class, met Sun-
day after Sunday for a year. From time to
time announcements of the new department
were made in church by the pastor and in the
main school by the superintendent, but the class
did not grow. At the end of the year the
teacher resigned. The primary teacher, realiz-
ing the better work she had done since the di-
13
14 The Beginners' Department
vision, was reluctant to go back to old condi-
tions, but many of the church officials felt that
the room which had been used by the beginners
was needed for other purposes, and suggested
keeping the little children apart from the others
in one corner of the primary room.
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At last a young lady volunteered to teach the
"tots," with the distinct understanding that if
the class outgrew its little corner it should be
given the use of the large room again.
She then spoke to every child in the primary
Organizing the Department 15
department, asking if any of them had smaller
brothers or sisters at home. To all who said
they had a Httle brother she gave a pretty card
cut from scarlet cardboard in the shape of a
shield. The card was decorated with a small
scrap-picture that made it very attractive. The
invitation was written in white ink.
To those who had little sisters she gave the
same kind of card, with a picture of a girl at
the top. The blanks were, of course, properly
filled out with name and age.
In a little blank book she kept a record of
every card sent out, with the addresses. Every
time a child entered Sunday-school in response
to the invitation she put a check opposite his
or her name, and then at the end of a month
called personally at the homes from which no
response had been received.
Many parents said they would be glad to send
their little ones, but had hesitated to do so, fear-
ing they might not be quiet during the session.
Miss Clifton assured them that she anticipated
no trouble, as the meetings were very interesting
and there was so much to do and see that there
was no time for disorder.
A few parents said their children were timid
and would not remain alone. She gave them a
cordial invitation to come with them and visit
the class.
1 6 The Beginners^ Department
Some thought the distance too great. In a
few cases this difficulty was met by older girls
from the Junior League, who volunteered to call
for the beginners and see that they returned
safely when school was out. If this plan was
not feasible under existing conditions, Miss
Clifton asked permission to enroll the child in
question as a home member of the class, and
took special care to send him an invitation on
Children's Day, Rally Day, Thanksgiving, Christ-
mas and Easter.
In two months the beginners' class increased
from seven to thirty-seven.
The same plan was then pursued with the
junior and main departments of the school, after
which Miss Clifton obtained from the pastor the
address of every member of the church. She
enlisted several other young ladies as helpers,
and they called on the entire list.
Many discoveries were made during this can-
vass, which, as the members were scattered, prac-
tically covered the whole city. In several in-
stances the workers found five or six children
whose parents belonged to the church, but who
had never sent their boys and girls to any
Sunday-school, and many times the excuse given
was, "No one ever asked about them or took
any interest in them."
Almost invariably, after a little pleasant ex-
Organizing the Department I7
planation, these parents consented to enroll
themselves as members of the Home Depart-
ment, or to join Bible Classes in the main school,
urged their older children to attend, let the little
ones become members of the beginners' or pri-
mary department, and proudly received certiifi-
cates of baby's membership on the Cradle Roll.
Sometimes the visitors discovered, by inquiry,
that new families had moved into the neighbor-
hood. If they were members of other religious
denominations, their names and addresses were
given to the pastor of the nearest church of
their choice. If, however, they belonged to no
church, they were heartily invited to attend the
one to which the visitor belonged, while their
children were secured for that Sunday-school.
In six months Miss Clifton's beginners' class
numbered ninety-two, with an average attend-
ance of sixty. The primary, junior and main
departments had doubled, two large Bible
classes had been formed, the Home Department
had increased from thirty to one hundred, and
the Cradle Roll, instead of twenty, proudly
recorded eighty-six names.
Better than all, the church itself felt the in-
fluence of the new enthusiasm. New faces were
seen in the pews and old faces long absent were
again noted.
Every beginner received an enrolment card,
i8
The Beginners' Department
and Miss Clifton, knowing full well the attrac-
tion pictures and gay colors possess for a little
child, made them as fascinating as possible, tying
them with ribbon and decorating them with pic-
tures of flowers.
Both invitation and enrolment cards may be
Organizing the Department 19
purchased from the various publishing houses,
but if a teacher has time to do so, or can get
other persons to help her, she will find that, at
a trifling expense, she can make cards that are
just as highly prized by the children.
Any kindergarten supply company will fur-
nish one hundred five-inch cardboard squares
in pretty colors, for thirty cents. For ten cents
the Milton Bradley Co. furnish an envelope of
assorted scrap pictures, containing numerous
small pictures suitable for pasting on these
cards. The majority of teachers will prefer the
envelopes containing flower or children's pic-
tures. Three spools of baby ribbon, at ten cents
a spool, will provide enough ribbon for more
than one hundred cards. For a class of fifty
the invitation and enrolment cards will cost
less than seventy-five cents, for there will be
enough ribbon and pictures left to use on other
occasions.
Of course the cards have to be cut into the
shapes suggested, and many teachers may pre-
fer to spare themselves this extra labor, but the
different forms appeal wonderfully to the child,
and the toiler will feel amply repaid by their
added delight if she can make the effort.
In many churches there are persons who are
"shut-in" by illness or other physical disability,
who would gladly do this pretty work if they
20 The Beginners' Department
were asked, and who would feel themselves
brought into new relationship with the Sunday-
school by so doing.
Organizing a beginners' department in town
or city Sunday-schools is not a difficult under-
taking, ordinarily. In country districts the case
is far different, and the teacher will find herself
confronted by many obstacles. Even after she
has succeeded in forming her class she must be
prepared to face the fact that stormy weather
or bad roads will often cause numerous ab-
sences. Nevertheless, perseverance and enthu-
siasm will bring rich results, and the country
teacher should remember for her own encour-
agement that the very best and most lasting im-
pressions are sometimes made when the class
is smallest.
CHAPTER IV
ONE beginners' DEPARTMENT
It was in a large Sunday-school in which chil-
dren and demands were many, but funds unfor-
tunately small. Miss Wheeler, the superin-
tendent of the department, had to get along
without many of the things she wished, for with
the best of good will on the part of the superin-
tendent of the school there was barely enough
money available for the necessities.
The room was neither large nor very light,
but it was very pretty and attractive. To the
forty-eight tiny children who called it "our
room" it was the loveliest place in the world,
first, because their own homes boasted little
beauty, but most of all, because everything in
it, they felt, belonged to them.
The seats were high. Miss Wheeler some-
times dreamed tantalizing dreams of a time
when comfortable little chairs would keep the
tiny weary legs from swinging, but as that item
alone would cost at least twenty dollars, it
seemed merely a bright vision. She could only
mitigate the discomfort by having frequent
marching or standing exercises that rested the
tired muscles.
31
22 The Beginners^ Department
A small organ stood in one corner of the
room. On its flat top was a large bronze-green
jardiniere that was always filled with flowers,
bright leaves, or evergreen. A pretty pink and
white cup stood there, too, utilized each Sunday
to hold the collection.
The old cracked walls, which had once been
green, were dim and faded, but all the worst
places were skilfully concealed, for Miss
Wheeler had pasted a frieze of wall-paper around
the room about three feet from the floor. It
was really border paper, and had cost two cents
a yard, but was so exquisitely dainty and pretty,
with its clusters of pink rosebuds on a dull white
background, that no one would have suspected
its cheapness. A two-inch border of gold at
the top of the frieze added immeasurably to its
effect.
Above the frieze hung nineteen of the pret-
tiest pictures in the Beginners' Supplementary
Lessons, the course outlined by Miss Marion
Thomas. They had been carefully mounted on
gray cardboard, and were hung by pink baby
ribbon, so that they might easily be taken down.
For the teacher's convenience they were ar-
ranged according to season, those in the front
and back representing summer and winter, while
the two sides represented spring and autumn.
The spring pictures included Easter Lilies,
One Beginners' Department 23
Feeding the Chickens, The Narcissus, and Jesus
and Mary; for summer, Helping Grandma,
Picking Berries, The Flag, The Boy with the
Loaf, and Gathering Daisies; for autumn. The
Boy and the Dog, The Squirrel, Children in the
Wheat Field, and Giving Thanks; while for
winter Miss Wheeler had selected. Making
Christmas Gifts, The Baby Jesus, The Shep-
herds, The Country Church, Christ Blessing
Children, and The Wise Men (one of the larger
pictures in the regular International Beginners'
Course).
On each wall hung three monthly calendars,
the foundation of each being an eighteen-inch
square of dark gray cardboard, with figures at
the lower right-hand corner in large, plain type.
Small gilt stars over several dates marked the
birthdays of various children. Each calendar
was tied with pink ribbon and lettered with
white paint.
The calendar for January bore a picture of
a little church among snow-covered hills, at the
side of which were the words :
When woods and hill are hushed and still,
The bells ring out their music sweet,
And young and old within God's house
Each Sabbath day are glad to meet.
February had an oval picture of George
24 The Beginners' Department
Washington, with a pretty silk flag draped
above it, and carried the inscription.
Our flag! our country's flag so dear!
Loved by each little learner here.
Brave, pure, and true each child should be
Who loves this banner of the free.
March had branches of real pussy-willows
thrust through two slits in the upper left-hand
corner, their fuzzy silken coats still retaining
their sheen. Underneath was written,
Every silver pussy on the willow tree,
Whispers, oh! so softly, of the days to be.
Though the sleet is falling, though the March winds
blow,
God will send the springtime soon, we know.
For April there was a slender locust twig,
holding a split chrysalis, beneath which a splen-
did painted butterfly had been mounted.
Oh, butterfly, butterfly, sleeping so long.
The robin and bluebird have sung you a song.
Fly out in the sunshine and carry with joy
The glad Easter message to each girl and boy.
The above words were printed at the side of
the April card.
A picture of a robin's nest on a blossoming
bough adorned the May calendar. Four wee
birds nestled close together in the tiny home,
One Beginners' Department 25
while the mother bird perched on the limb
above. The verse below read:
Only a little robin's nest,
Up in an apple tree,
But God can care for tiny birds.
Just as he cares for me.
An exquisite pink rose, so natural that it
seemed as if one could almost smell its fra-
grance, had been fastened to the June calendar
with the words,
Pink as the edge of a sunset cloud,
Or the heart of a crinkled shell.
Oh, fair little rose! oh, sweet little rose!
Our Father's love you tell.
Two children saluting the flag brightened
July's calendar. It had the familiar motto, '*I
give my head, my hands, and my heart to God
and my country."
For God, for home, for native land.
Each little child may bravely stand.
A spray of spotless lilies illustrated the
words,
In the August dust and heat
Snowy lilies blossom sweet.
Let us, like the lilies fair.
Scatter fragrance everywhere.
September was represented by an empty
26 The Beginners' Department
bird's nest, a real one, on a twisted branch, and
Miss Wheeler had written,
Frosty winds are blowing
In the elm trees high,
Merry birds are calling,
"We must say good-bye."
Guided by God's wisdom
Far away they'll fly.
To make the October calendar she had
pressed and mounted several gold and crimson
autumn leaves, bringing out the full meaning of
the lines below them.
Little falling leaves of red and gold and brown,
Breathing softest music as you flutter down,
Hide the sleepy flowers nodding everywhere,
Tell the happy children of your Father's care.
November had several stalks of ripened
wheat tied loosely and gracefully above two tiny
white bags of flour. The words on the card
were:
For ferns and flowers fair and sweet.
For shining fields of golden wheat,
For skies that arch and gleam above,
For home and friends, for life and love,
Accept our thanks, dear Father.
For December a golden star gleamed from
one corner of the card, while unden?^Hth a
One Beginners' Department 27
charming picture of the baby Jesus appeared the
stanza,
Sweetest of months is December;
Month when the merry bells chime,
Month when the stars shine the brightest.
Telling of glad Christmas time.
Dearest of months is December;
Ring out the carols so gay.
Jesus, the Bethlehem Baby,
Came on the first Christmas Day.
On the low window-sills, within easy reach
of the little fingers that might have meddled
but never did, were five pink geraniums. The
desk was covered with pink crepe paper, looped
up with clusters of pink and white buds.
Side by side at the front of the room hung
the Cradle Roll Birthday Card and the Begin-
ners' Roll. Both had been made by the teacher
in accordance with a suggestion in an old Sun-
day-school magazine. The former was pure
white, decorated with twelve golden bells (one
for each mouth), cut from heavy embossed
paper. Two little doors in the middle of each
bell folded back to disclose the names of the
babies whose birthdays came in the particular
month then passing. Around the bells in pretty
gilt lettering ran the words,
A joyful greeting, baby dear.
God keep you in His care,
And help you as each birthday comes
To grow more sweet and fair.
28 The Beginners' Department
The Beginners' Roll, of light gray cardboard
had a border of pink roses, and contained the full
Hst of names.
The very prettiest part of the room, how-
ever, was the ceiling. It had been Miss
Wheeler's despair. Spotted and dingy, it had
spoiled the whole effect, until she thought of
covering it with a canopy of chains of pink and
white paper. The children themselves had
made these at a happy social. Each link was
five inches long, and a half-inch wide. The
pink chosen was not the bright color that in-
variably reminds one of popcorn, but was much
paler and daintier. The chains, fastened at
regular intervals along the top of the walls,
were slightly drooped, and then fastened again
at the middle of the ceiling over an old, unused
gas chandelier that had been draped with pink.
The result was indescribably dainty and bowery,
effectually diverting attention from the marred
ceiling.
Dull brown carpet covered the floor, and
white shades hung at the windows.
At some of their socials the children had
helped to make scrap-books containing Bible
pictures mounted on paper muslin. Many of
them were the large Beginners' Lesson Cards,
of which one or two were left each Sunday,
while others had been given by class or teacher.
One Beginners' Department 29
Small, bright-colored pictures of flowers, birds,
etc., cut from advertising cards, were pasted
around the edges. These books were kept in a
drawer to which the children had free access,
and early-comers each week delighted to exam-
ine their contents, while the listening teacher
often marveled at their quaint comments con-
cerning Moses, Noah, Daniel, and other Bible
heroes.
In a locked drawer in tough manilla paper
envelopes she kept the supplies of birthday cards.
Cradle Roll certificates, etc.
Five dozen of the former had been made by
hand, to save expense, the total cost being but
five cents. They were cut in bell-shape from
light-weight crimson cardboard, large quantities
of which had been given away as "waste" at a
30 The Beginners' Department
publishing house, while smaller pieces of pink,
green, yellow, and blue, "left over" after print-
ing tickets, were willingly donated by a news-
paper firm. The bells were lightly edged with
gold paint, lettered in gilt, and had a pretty
scrap picture at the top. Large sheets of these
scrap-pictures, containing sixty or more pic-
tures, may be purchased at Wanamaker's Phila-
delphia store for five cents each.
One Beginners' Department 31
The Cradle Roll birthday cards, cut from
white cardboard, were shaped like a star, had
a tiny gold star in each point, and were tied with
blue ribbon. (For illustration see preceding
page.)
There, too, were the Cradle Roll enrolment
cards, of robin's ^g% blue, with ribbon a shade
brighter and the words:
O-tf. ahntc nA- JMAJthLu uru^
(mtuL at jIojJ: AAfkt^ IJL u^ 0\r<Jo,
In another envelope were little black um-
brellas, to be given on especially stormy Sun-
32
The Beginners' Department
days, while tiny pink parasols were distributed
when the weather was excessively hot. Of
course they were made of cardboard.
X
1
f^x^!'
JX^MtJUt-tZiA^ -/^^^^
IPu^U' (Vn^ fa»A//t^ du^ ^«tKiA> '*> ^<ui^ I
CHAPTER V
SOCIALS FOR THE TINY ONES
Miss Wheeler planned her Beginners' Socials
with several purposes in view. Remembering
that the little tots are all activity, she arranged
very simple programs, demanding much life
and animation. The mothers were always in-
vited, and an effort was made to have the
games and occupations suggestive in character,
such as might be used afterward in the home
without difficulty.
In all cases invitations were prepared, because
it was found that the parents appreciated them
even more than the children. Mary's or
Johnny's invitations were carefully treasured
and proudly displayed.
As Miss Wheeler had more time than money
at her disposal, she used pieces of cardboard
given at a paper-box factory. As these, of
course, are not uniform in shape or size, it took
considerably longer to cut and shape them than
if they had been alike. A friend of hers, in
charge of another beginners' department, saved
time by using the Blank Sewing Cards manu-
factured by Milton Bradley Co., at a cost of
33
34
The Beginners' Department
twenty cents a hundred. The cards may be
purchased in the following colors : Cherry, blue,
green, yellow, pink, buff, salmon, gray, and
white, and are four inches square. Often two
invitations can be cut from one card, so the
average cost of fifty invitations would be about
six cents.
The socials were held on Saturday afternoons,
once a month, and, while inexpensive, were
greatly enjoyed by both children and parents.
Sometimes they were held in the Sunday-school
room, sometimes at Miss Wheeler's home.
No. z. Building Social
cLitt^ inMJicUrui, unyxjJicL
^/^xriu
io'.
Zct JUb\ AXJU.
fm^
taJlL.
These invitations were cut from yellow card-
board. Almost every small child has a box
Socials for the Tiny Ones 35
of blocks. Miss Wheeler told her class to bring
theirs, but to make assurance doubly sure she
borrowed a quantity of cubes from a neighbor-
ing kindergarten. On the afternoon in ques-
tion twenty-five children and ten mothers ap-
peared, the former proudly clasping their
precious boxes. A happy half-hour followed.
Miss Wheeler let the little ones sit on the car-
pet to build, and with the help of the willing
mothers showed them how to make many
pretty forms. Among the ones they liked best
were the following well-known kindergarten
forms: grandpa's chair, mother's chair, church,
cross, house, locomotive, and well.
As this had been a quiet occupation, the next
ten minutes were spent in marching, while at
the same time they imitated the motions made
by builders, hammering, planing, sawing, etc.
Then came the most delightful part of the
afternoon. Miss Wheeler had made a tiny
house for each child, and as she gave them out,
the ''oh's*' and "ah's'' were numerous. The
children stood the bright little red, green, and
yellow cottages in rows and "visited" and "kept
house" to their hearts' content, until refresh-
ments, consisting of cubes of iced cake, were
passed, and the happy party came to an end.
The little houses looked like Figure I, when
finished.
36
The Beginners^ Department
Figure
They were made from four-inch squares of
cardboard, ruled and cut according to direc-
tions. Crease, but do not cut, the dotted lines.
Cut on heav^ lines. Fold the squares G and H
1
!.-.....-••>•••••.
3
G
I
\
Z
s
\
H
4
Figure z
on top of each other, and paste. Do the same
with I and J. Let comers i and 2 lap slightly
and paste. Repeat with corners 3 and 4. Cut
door and windows.
Socials for the Tiny Ones 37
No. 2. Animal Social
Little cats cut from gray cardboard formed
the invitations to this social. Each cat had a
tiny bright-colored cord tied in a bow around
its neck.
At the social the children played the familiar
Animal Game, in which one player, blindfolded,
stands in the middle of the ring, points to an-
other player, demands "Quack like a duck" or
"Bark like a dog,'' or "Mew Hke a cat,'' and then
tries to guess who answered.
Miss Wheeler had been busy for some time
collecting and cutting pictures of animals from
38
The Beginners' Department
the pages of old magazines, circus hand-bills,
etc. These she had mounted on squares of
tinted cardboard and had cut them in half. The
children took great delight in trying to match
the various halves, and each one who succeeded
in forming a complete animal was given a gin-
gerbread kitty. Searching for animal crackers
that had been hidden in an adjoining room com-
pleted this social.
No. 3. Ring Social
These invitations were made of pretty pink
cardboard.
Socials for the Tiny Ones
39
For use at the social the teacher purchased
one hundred four-inch colored circles from
Milton Bradley Co., for twenty cents. Fifty
of these were cut into three rings, a quarter of
an inch in width, and one one-inch circle. To in-
Figure i Figure 2
sure accuracy she folded the large circles in
quarters, like Fig. I. On top of each folded
quarter she placed a tissue paper pattern marked
like Fig. 2, traced the black lines, and after-
wards cut along them.
When the children arrived each one received
•a six-inch square of white paper (with a large
black dot in the center for a guide), a tooth-
40 The Beginners' Department
pick, a small dab of paste (a five-cent tube of
library paste is enough for fifty children), three
of the rings, of different color and size, and
one of the tiny circles. With the help of
teacher and mothers they pasted rings and cir-
cles on the squares. As Miss Wheeler had
been careful to choose colors that harmonized,
the result was really pretty. After all had
finished she scalloped the edges neatly and the
children had refreshments (cookies with a hole
in the middle) on their "ring plates," as they
proudly called them.
One of the mothers lent the game of Ring-
Toss for the occasion, but very few children
succeeded in "ringing'' the stake, as the little
hands were not very steady, so Miss Wheeler
devised an easier play — that of tossing the rings
into an empty waste-basket set in the middle
of the circle of players. At every successful
venture the children marched and sang,
"Hurrah for the child whose aim is so true!
Hurrah and hurrah we will sing.
May you be steady in all that you do,
As well as in throwing the ring."
All the Other games played at this social were
ring games, such as Blind-man's Buff, Here we
go 'round the Mulberry-bush, Drop the hand-
kerchief, etc.
Socials for the Tiny Ones 41
No. 4. Stick Social
STICK SOCIAL, SATURDAY, 2 P.M.
Five, six, pick up sticks,
Seven, eight, lay them straight.
For this social Miss Wheeler bought fifty
enlarged sticks, three-sixteenths of an inch
square and five inches in length, from the Brad-
ley Co., for eleven cents. They are smooth and
white and made very pretty and unique invita-
tions when tied with bright blue baby ribbon.
From the same Company she purchased looo
four-inch colored sticks, at a cost of thirty
cents. These may be kept and used for many
purposes besides the one described.
As the little guests came in, each was given
a handful of the bright sticks and was shown
how to make a large number of designs. The
following small illustrations are merely sugges-
tive. Innumerable others were made by the
children.
Tiny slender sticks of candy, wrapped in white
tissue paper (the kind that comes tied in bundles
of six, each bundle costing a cent) were then
scattered broadcast over the floor, and the
children delightedly "picked up sticks" and ate
them!
Ten sticks of kindling wood were then stood
in a row, at equal distances apart, and the play-
ers took turns in rolling a round stick over thl^
42
The Beginners' Department
floor toward them. Each time they were ar-
ranged so that if one fell it would knock the
others over, too, a fact which caused hilarious
and unfailing amusement.
Ladder
Fence
Star
^T^
Umbrella
Tree
Ms
Broom
Sticks of peppermint, birch, or lemon candy
were the appropriate refreshments.
No. 5. Cooky Social
This proved to be one of the most enjoyable
of all the socials. From the moment the chil-
dren received the "cunning little rolling-pin invi-
tations/' cut from light brown cardboard, they
Socials for the Tiny Ones 43
talked constantly of the good time to come.
Miss Wheeler had an old-fashioned kitchen,
roomy and pleasant, with an oilcloth-covered
floor. She borrowed rolling-boards from six
A4ftju CirvTvJu*^ caJu'i/ a/n/<^ /tft*««»v
mothers, set them on wooden boxes, so that
four children could stand at each board, and
when the guests, beaming with happiness, ar-
rived, had a big bowl of dough just ready to
be rolled and cut by the eager fingers.
Oh ! the happy afternoon that followed ! How
the wee bakers reveled in the fun! And how
their cup of joy ran over when Miss Wheeler
let each one use her five-cent cutter, shaped like
a chicken, and triumphantly press a black cur-
rant eye in each spicy bird!
No. 6. Fan Social
This social, as its name implies, was held in
warm weather. The invitations were written
on three-inch squares of delicate green card-
board, with a fan drawn on one corner of each.
The children made two fans apiece that after-
44
The Beginners' Department
to- f<Xr\j o/yuLlo/n/
SatuuUouu^iuL^ 10, 1.30 (Rni.
noon. Both were very dainty. For the first,
Miss Wheeler had cut pieces of silver paper into
the shape A, and pretty blue cardboard into
shape B. The children pasted A on top of B,
pasted a scrap-picture of a child's head on the
lower section and one of a spray of flowers on
the upper part, and Fig. i was the result. The
handle was strengthened by pasting another
strip of cardboard lengthwise across the entire
back of the fan.
To make the other fan, two four-inch squares
of pink cardboard were used. From each, thre<
Socials for the Tiny Ones 45
patterns like C were cut, with a hole punched
at the bottom. Tiny pictures of bright-colored
flowers were pasted on each by the willing little
Figure x
workers, and six of the pieces were tied to-
gether with baby ribbon of a brighter pink color,
forming a fan which when opened looked like
Fig. 2, only much larger.
In spite of the heat all enjoyed a merry chase
after a feather which was tossed up in the air
and fanned from one child to another.
46
The Beginners' Department
The children then formed a circle. One child
standing in the middle, chose another to come
in with her, and all sang,
Figure 2
Little partner so merry.
Little partner so gay,
Will you make a fine bow
And greet me to-day?
Holding their fans gracefully over their heads,
both bowed very slowly, then clasped hands and
marched twice around the ring, while all the
players fanned and sang,
She (or he) makes me a bow,
She greets me to-day,
And we both fan each other
As weVe marching away.
Socials for the Tiny Ones 47
The game was continued until all the children
had been in the ring. Iced lemonade and sugar
cookies shaped like fans were the refreshments.
The latter were simply small round cookies that
had straw handles which had been inserted be-
fore baking.
No. 7. Apple Social
*'They look like real apples, don't they?" one
little girl asked, hugging her precious red "Apple
invitation" that had been cut from heavy water-
color paper and tinted in the most realistic
manner.
One of the fathers kindly donated a large bas-
ket of apples for the occasion, and the children
had a fine time playing apple race (played in
the same way as potato race), trying to bite an
48 The Beginners' Department
apple which swung from a doorway by a long
string, guessing how many seeds the largest
and the smallest apple contained, hunting the
apple (same as Hunt the Thimble), and last, but
not least, eating the juicy fruit.
No. 8. Bubble Social
These invitations were exceedingly attractive.
They were cut from white cardboard, lettered
and edged with scarlet, and tied with scarlet
cord.
Small chocolate pipes were used for refresh-
ments.
No. 9. Boat Social
Miss Wheeler used halves of English walnuts
in making these invitations. The sails were cut
from white paper muslin. The pennant was of
bright orange, red, green, blue or yellow tissue
paper, and the masts were the four-inch sticks
she had used at the Stick Social, cut down to an
inch and a half in length. After sail and pen-
Socials for the Tiny Ones 49
nant had been pasted to the mast she dropped
several drops of melted wax into the bottom of
the walnut and inserted the mast before the wax
cooled.
This social, too, was held in the big kitchen.
The children sailed their boats in tubs, pails,
dishpans, basins, in fact, almost anything that
would hold water. Many were the exciting races
when the red fleet tried to beat the blue, etc.
They played "Row-Boat" afterwards, all sit-
ting in imaginary boats on the floor. Ten chil-
dren sat in each boat, five facing one way, five
the other. The two in the middle took hold
of each other's hands, while the other "rowers'*
clasped their arms around the waist of the child
50 The Beginners' Department
in front, and then all swayed back and forth in
perfect unison as they sang,
Rowing, rowing,
Over the rolling sea.
Ready, steady.
Sailors brave are we.
Here and there on the "waves'* Miss Wheeler
had scattered the fish that come with the
familiar game of '*Fish-Pond,'' and the ''sailors"
took turns in using the magnetic fish-lines.
Stories of light-houses and light-ships made
their bright eyes open wide, and as, still sitting
in the boats, they munched the saltines that had
been provided, they agreed that a Boat Social
was great fun.
No. 10. Doll and Drum Social.
No teacher who dislikes a noise should plan
to give this social, but if held out of doors it
will be a favorite one with both boys and girls.
Tell the boys to bring their drums, and the
girls their dolls, and let both march and sing to
their hearts' content. A pretty feature may be
the Grand Review. Let all the little "mothers"
sit in a long row, holding their babies, and then
let the drummer boys march and countermarch
before them. Give the boys triangular soldier
Socials for the Tiny Ones 51
caps to wear, with bows of red, white and blue
tissue paper.
Another pretty sight would be the lullaby
sung to the ''babies'' by the little girls, while the
boys beat a drum accompaniment very softly.
Refreshments of gingerbread dollies will be
enjoyed by both boys and girls.
No. II. Thimble Social
Mothers were rigorously excluded from this
social, and a delightful air of mystery was
thrown around it, for the next event was to be
the Christmas Tree Social, when the gifts made
by little hands would be presented with infinite
joy.
Even the thimble invitations made of silver
cardboard added to the mystery, for no thimbles
were required. Of course the gifts made were
52 The Beginners' Department
very simple, and the older children helped the
younger ones.
Sufficient material to supply a class of fifty
pupils cost Miss Wheeler a dollar and fifty-one
cents. This provided a blotter for each mother
and a match-scratcher for each father.
From the Milton Bradley Co. she purchased,
Fifty 4-inch Sewing Cards, the kind listed as
No. 178-1. These cost 25 cents. Fifty of the
Coles Punched Cards, No. 7, costing 50 cents.
One envelope Bradley's Scrap Pictures, Assort-
ment 3, costing 10 cents. Besides these she
bought from other sources, one spool crimson
silkateen, 5 cents ; two spools crimson baby rib-
bon, 16 cents; three sheets crimson blotting
paper, 15 cents; five sheets white sand paper,
10 cents; two skeins bright blue worsted, 20
cents.
Each child brought a coarse needle. The blot-
ters were made first. The crimson silkateen
was used in sewing the circle already outlined
and perforated on the four-inch squares, after
which one of the largest scrap-pictures was
pasted in the middle of each card.
The cards were white, and Miss Wheeler had
hollowed out each side, so that the blotting-
paper might be seen. The latter had been cut
into four-inch squares, and when a card was
laid on top of each blotter and both were tied
Socials for the Tiny Ones
53
together with ribbon, the effect was both gay
and pretty. Miss Wheeler tinted the edges of
some of the white cards a deHcate green, to give
Figure 1
a little variety. A reduced facsimile of the
blotters is seen in Fig. i.
In making the match-scratchers the square
and diamond on the Punched Cards were sewed
with blue worsted, tiny scrap pictures were
pasted on each corner, blue worsted was run
through the holes at the top for a hanger and
a diamond cut from sand-paper was fitted and
pasted in the center, so that Fig. 2 resulted.
(In this case also the illustration is much
54
The Beginners^ Department
smaller. The real scratchers were 5 by 6j4
inches in size.)
Figure 2
No. Z2. Christmas Tree Social
These invitations were cut from white card-
board, two by three inches in length, were edged
with delicate pink, and had a pretty green tree
painted on one side. The social was held in the
evening, so the busy parents could be present.
A large tree provided by the Sunday-school
Socials for the Tiny Ones 55
stood in the middle of the room, well laden with
cornucopias of nuts and candy, strings of pop-
corn, and inexpensive gifts for the little ones
themselves, but the bright eyes rested longest
C/Orn£/ JbtrdJu rrrvu^
VUAAXUV . '4\M^\AyoJriy
and most lovingly on the blotters and match-
scratchers, and from all sides came the exclama-
tions,
"Look ! father, I made that for you."
'^Mother, that blotter is for you !''
And then, after the sweet, simple carols had
been sung, a few games played, and the beautiful
Christ story told again, the happy children pre-
sented their tiny love tokens to as happy parents,
and the "very best social of the whole year"
soon came to an end.
CHAPTER VI
EQUIPPING THE DEPARTMENT
Let US consider first the fortunate Sunday-
school in which expense is no consideration.
If the room to be used for the beginners' de-
partment is new and unfurnished, or if it is to
be refitted for the purpose, the teacher who
wishes to please the children will have the walls
tinted rose color, or gray, or dull green bor-
dered with rose. She will contrive to use pink
somewhere, for numberless experiments have
shown that ninety-five out of every hundred
children of the beginners' age choose pink as
their favorite color.
The carpet should be green or oak color.
Bright red looks cheerful, but shows every par-
ticle of dust, and is hard to harmonize with
other furnishings. If the windows are of plain
glass (and stained glass windows should be used
only in church or in the main department of the
school), dainty white curtains will give a home-
like look to the room.
There should be plenty of little chairs of
slightly varying heights, and some larger ones
for visitors. A low table for the teacher's use
56
Equipping the Department 57
IS very desirable. The children's chairs should
be arranged in a circle, with the teacher's table
and chair (small chair like the scholars') form-
ing part of the same ring. This arrangement
is the best possible, as it gives more room for
marching, and the children can get a good view
of objects or pictures shown them, while the
teacher can see the face of every listener. If
the class is very large, a double circle may be
used. An ordinary-sized room will accommo-
date thirty-two small chairs in a single circle.
Folding chairs are sometimes most convenient,
as they may be placed against the wall in small
compass when not in use. Very pretty chairs
may be purchased for six or seven dollars a
dozen. The low table will cost about five dol-
lars. A small stand will answer the purpose
if the legs are made shorter.
The next requisite is a blackboard. One with
a surface 3^^ by 5 feet, slated on both sides
and mounted on a standard with hinges so that
it may be instantly reversed, will cost $9.50,
and will give perfect satisfaction. The same
size wnthout standard will cost $5.75. The lat-
ter has an ash frame and hooks for hanging.
It is to be preferred if the room is small, for it
can be hung on the wall.
A Philadelphia firm offers a blackboard
slated on one side in the usual way, while
58 The Beginners' Department
the other side has an indestructible pincushion
surface, upon which objects, scenery, etc., may
be pinned. The lap size, 15 by 18 inches, costs
$2.90. One with a board 2 1-2 by 2^ feet,
mounted on a standard five feet high, costs
$13.50. The boards may be used either hori-
zontally or in an upright position. An outfit
consisting of scenery, animals, letters, etc., is
furnished with both the larger and smaller
boards.
Good colored crayons may be purchased at
any large book-store for ten cents a dozen.
White crayon is much cheaper.
A pretty glass birthday-bank will cost from
thirty-five cents to a dollar. The children
exhibit more interest in the collection if another
pretty bank is provided for the regular weekly
oflfering.
A box, chest or cabinet that may be locked
will be very desirable, as supplies may be kept
there in safety. A piano or organ is almost
a necessity. Provision must also be made for
the children's wraps, for it will be found almost
impossible to hold their attention if they play
with bonnet strings, mittens, muflfs, etc. In
some cases a row of hooks is fastened along
one side of the wall, the wraps being concealed
by a cretonne curtain, but if possible they
should be left in another room or hall.
Equipping the Department 59
Picture-molding, costing from one to five
cents a foot will be a wise investment, and
should be placed low enough to allow the little
ones to see the pictures with ease. Beautiful
paintings and engravings add to the charm of
the room, as do dainty statuettes and flowers on
wide window-sills, but the wise teacher will
avoid overcrowding, and will not display all her
treasures at once.
A sand table is a valuable possession, as it
may be used in several ways that will be sug-
gested later. A large, zinc-lined one mounted
on castors will cost ten dollars, but will last
indefinitely and may be filled with water with-
out injury.
And now we have come to the cost of the
lesson course itself. All the Sunday-school
publishing companies publish lesson quarter-
lies for the teachers' use. These range in
price from twenty-five to fifty cents a year, and
contain much helpful material. Large pictures
are published to illustrate the lessons. Each
set of fifty-two pictures costs three dollars, and
smaller duplicates, printed on cardboard for
distribution to the children, cost twenty-four
cents a year for each child. These pictures are
far superior to the cheap, inartistic, colored
cards usually given as lesson cards.
The large pictures may be mounted on card-
6o The Beginners' Department
board to preserve them from injury. With
ordinary care they will then last for years.
As the cost of the smaller cards is consider-
able, the careful teacher will, perhaps, prefer
to retain them until all the lessons bearing on
one theme have been taught, then tie them
together with bright cord or baby ribbon and
distribute them. Experience proves that the
little ones treat them far more carefully then,
and it seems a shame to see the single cards
mutilated by heedless fingers almost the mo-
ment they are received.
If supplemental lessons are used, the West-
minster Company publishes a series of pictures
and lessons by Miss Marion Thomas that cannot
fail to charm and interest every child. The
full set of forty-two pictures costs $2.50, and an
illustrated book suggesting lessons to be given
with each picture may be obtained for 25 cents.
In addition to the above a class record book
in which children's names, ages, birthdays, ad-
dresses, attendance, etc., may be kept, will be
necessary. Very good ones cost thirty-five
cents. Of course, if the beginners' teacher has
charge of the Cradle Roll, as is the case in the
m.ajority of schools, Cradle Roll supplies must
be bought, but these will be described later.
Now let us consider an entirely opposite case,
that of the discouraged teacher who says, "Well,
Equipping the Department 6 r
we have a room and that is all. It is uncar-
peted, unpapered, uncurtained, and we have no
money to spend."
That outlook does seem discouraging, but
the first thing necessary will be enthusiasm on
the teacher's part, and the more children and
parents she can enlist as helpers the brighter
her prospects will become.
The first essential will be a carpet or matting
to relieve the noise made by little feet in march-
ing. Matting is not expensive, as it is thirty-
six inches wide. If bought by the roll a reduc-
tion is usually made. A roll contains forty
yards, and very good quality may be bought for
$8. The pieces left may be used at doors as
rugs to protect the lower layer from wear and
tear. Fifty cents' worth of kalsomine will tint
the walls and ceiling of a large room. Cartridge
paper, much wider than ordinary wall paper,
may be bought in a variety of pretty colors at
25 cents a double roll, and there is no waste in
matching, as the colors are solid. Borders will
cost from two to ten cents a yard, according
to width.
If walls and ceiling are painted, how^ever, the
result will be most satisfactory, as they can be
easily cleaned at any time, and will last for years.
Any painter will furnish enough mixed paint
for the purpose for four or five dollars — a quan-
62 The Beginners' Department
tity sufficient for two coats. Of course, the
labor of applying it will cost extra, unless the
teacher can enlist some capable person to do-
nate his services.
Curtains of cheesecloth or scrim cost but a
few cents a yard, and are easy to launder.
A musical instrument of some kind will be
almost indispensable. It is possible to buy a
satisfactory organ for thirty-five dollars. Some-
times a friend may be induced to loan one, or
one may be rented at a trifling cost. An auto-
harp or a triangle will be better than nothing,
and a violin has been used with success.
A few yards of narrow picture-molding at
two cents a foot will prevent defacing the
walls. Little chairs may be obtained at five
dollars a dozen, but if they cannot be afforded,
any carpenter will make long benches for two
dollars each. These may be placed around the
sides of the room, forming three sides of a
hollow square, and will be found very comfort-
able. If even these are out of the question,
because of the expense, large chairs already on
hand may be used, remembering, however, that
in such cases the children need more frequent
change of position. If the window-sills are
narrow and a broad effect is desired, empty
wooden boxes of the right height may be pad-
ded and covered, and if lids are attached by
Equipping the Departmejit 63
hinges, will make good receptacles for supplies
for the department.
A ten-cent rolling-board makes a good sub-
stitute for a sand-board if narrow strips of wood
are nailed around its edges to form a tray. A
ten-cent dripping-pan may be utilized in the
same way, but the wood is preferable, as the
moistened sand will not cause it to rust.
Three dollars will buy a set of fifty-two large
pictures for the teacher's use, but if she cannot
buy both these and the cards to be given to the
children, let her choose the latter and teach her
lesson with the aid of the blackboard, or with
objects or pictures taken from other sources.
A small blackboard 18 by 24 inches will cost but
fifty cents. One with a frame for hanging will
cost about two dollars, but will be much larger.
Of course the large pictures may be used
year after year. Economy will suggest mount-
ing them on cardboard, as they last much longer
in that way.
Five-cent blank books, with stiff covers, will
serve as attendance records. They may be used
most conveniently by cutting out half of every
second leaf lengthwise, then ruling lines for the
months and weeks. A list of birthdays, ad-
dresses, etc., may be kept in the same book.
The blank on the followmg page is a good form
of entry.
64
The Beginners^ Department
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Equipping the Department 65
For a class of forty beginners, with a Cradle
Roll of fifty names, the running expenses for
a year without either stint or waste will be about
as follows:
Expenses for One Year
I set Large Pictures (for permanent use) $3.00
40 sets Small Picture Cards at 24c a year 9.60
I set Large Pictures for Supplemental Lessons 2.50
I Illustrated Book of Supplemental Lessons.. .25
1 Blackboard 50
2 doz. colored crayons 20
4 doz. white crayons 14
I Teachers* Quarterly 50
I Tray for sand-board 10
40 Birthday Cards, for Beginners 40
40 Enrolment Cards, for Beginners 40
50 Cradle Roll Birthday Cards 50
50 Cradle Roll Enrolment Certificates 40
I Cradle Roll 35
Total $18.84
After the first two years the expenses will be
considerably less, as some of the equipment is
permanent. The larger the class the greater
the advantage, as collections will be correspond-
ingly increased.
CHAPTER VII
THE TWO-YEAR COURSE AND HOW TO USE IT
The Two- Year International Beginners'
Course is a course of one hundred and five les-
sons, differing from the uniform lessons because
they are arranged in groups centering around
various themes. Instead of having a Golden
Text to be memorized each Sunday the same
text is repeated for two, three, or more Sun-
days, until even the youngest child unconsciously
becomes familiar with it.
It IS intended that the course be commenced
in September, although that is optional with the
teacher. That arrangement is most convenient,
since the lessons lead up to Thanksgiving,
Christmas and Easter thoughts. If the teacher
decides to begin at any other time, she should
choose the lesson corresponding to the month.
The following is a list of themes and texts
for the two years.
First Year
Theme: God the Creator.
Golden Text. — All things were made by him.
John i: 3.
I. God Making Trees and Flowers. Gen. i: 9-13.
66
The Two- Year Course and How to Use It 67
2. God Making Animals. Gen. i: 20-25.
3. God Making All Things. Gen. i : 1-8, 14-19.
Them^: Home Life.
Golden Text. — Lord, thou art our father.
Isa. 64: 8.
4 The First Family. Gen. i: 26-31; 3: 20; 4: i, 2.
5. The First Home. Gen. 2: 4-10; 15-17.
Theme: God's Loving Care.
Golden Text. — He careth for you. i Peter 5: 7.
6. God Caring for Birds and Flowers. Matt. 6:
26-34.
7. God Caring for Baby Moses. Exod. 2: i-io.
8. God Caring for Elijah, i Kings 17: 1-6.
9. God Caring for Many People. Exod. 16: 11-18;
31-35.
Theme: Giving Thanks to God.
Golden Text. — O give thanks unto the Lord; for He
is good. Psa. 106: i.
10. Daniel Thanking God. Dan. 2: 17-24.
11. The Israelites Thanking God. Exod. 14: 9, 10,
21-31. Exod. 15: 1-21.
12. Thanking God for All Things. Psa. 103: 1-5;
104: 10-24.
13. Thanking God in Heaven. Rev. 7: 9-17.
Theme: Giving.
Golden Text. — God loveth a cheerful giver.
2 Cor. 9: 7.
14. A Poor Woman's Gift. Mark 12: 41-44.
15. Giving to the Needy. Neh. 8: 1-12.
16. The Israelites Giving to God. Exod. 35: 20-29.
Golden Text. — He loved us, and sent his Son.
I John 4: 10.
68 The Beginners' Department
17. God's Gift of His Son. Luke 2: 1-20.
18. The Wise Men's Gifts. Matt. 2: i-ii.
Theme;: The Boy Jesus.
Golden Text. — His name was called Jesus.
Luke 2: 21.
19. Jesus Being Named. Luke 2: 21-39.
20. Jesus in His Home. Luke 2: 39, 40, 51, 52.
Golden Text. — Let us go unto the house of the Lord
Psa. 122: I.
21. Jesus Going to the House of God. Luke 2: 41-49.
Theme: The Man Jesus.
Golden Text.— He took them up in His arms, and
blessed them. Mark 10: 16.
22. Jesus' Love for Children. Matt. 19: 13-15. Mark
10: 13-16.
Golden Text. — I will sing unto the Lord.
Exod. 15: I.
2Z. Children Praising Jesus. Matt. 21: 6-17.
Golden Text. — Who went about doing good.
Acts 10: 38.
24. Jesus Feeding the Hungry. Mark 6: 30-44. John
6: 1-14.
25. Jesus and the Storm. Mark 4: 35-41. Matt. 8:
23-27.
26. Jesus Curing a Sick Boy. John 4: 46-54-
27. Jesus and Jairus' Daughter. Mark 5: 21-24; 35-43,
Theme: Resurrection Less-dns.
Golden Text. — We shall all be changed, i Cor. 15: 51.
28. The Flowers Blooming Again. Song of Sol. 2:
11-13. Luke 12: 27.
Golden Text. — Christ died, and lived again.
Rom. 14: 9.
The Two- Year Course and How to Use It 69
29. Jesus Dying and Living Again. Matt. 28: i-io.
Golden Text. — I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14: 2.
30. Jesus Returns to Heaven. Acts i: 9-1 1.
31. Our Heavenly Home. John 14: 1-3. Rev. 22: 1-5.
Theme: RevEREnce.
Golden Text. — The Lord our God is Holy. Psa. 99: 9.
32. Reverence for God's Name. Exod. 20: 7; i Kings
8: 41-43; Psa. 113: 1-5.
2i2)- Reverence for God's House. Exod. 3: 1-6; 40:
34-38; Psa. 122; i: Eccl. 5: i, 2.
Golden Text. — Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep
it holy. Exod. 20: 8.
34. Reverence for God's Day. Neh. 13: 15-22; Gen.
2: 2, 3; Exod. 20: 8-11; Isa. 56: 2-y.
Golden Text— I will not forget Thy Word.
Psa. 119: 16.
35. Reverence for God's Word. 2 Chron. 34: 1-6;
14-18; 29-33.
Theme: Obedience.
Golden Text. — Children, obey your parents. Eph. 6: i.
36. Joseph Obeying His Father. Gen. ZT- ^Z-^'?-
Golden Text. — I will help thee. Isa. 41: 10.
2i'7. Fishermen Obeying Jesus. Luke 5: i-ii.
38. Noah Obeying God. Gen. 7: 12-24; Gen. 8: 1-22;
Gen. 9: 13.
39. God Will Help Us to Obey Him. Dan. i: 1-21.
Theme: Repentance.
Golden Text. — I will be sorry for my sin. Psa. 38: 18.
40. Peter's Sorrow for Sin. Luke 22\ S4-^2; John 21:
15-17.
41. Turning Away from Sin. Luke 19: i-io.
70 The Beginners' Department
Th^me: Forgiveness.
Golden Text. — Ready to Forgive. Psa. 86: 5.
42. Joseph Forgiving His Brothers. Gen. ^tT- 23-28;
43. A Father*s Forgiveness. Luke 15: 11-24.
Theme: Prayer.
Golden Text. — My God will hear me. Micah 7: 7.
44. Hezekiah's Prayer for Help Granted. 2 Kings
20: 1-7.
45. David's Prayer for His Child Denied. 2 Sam. 12:
15-23.
46. Elisha's Prayer for a Child Granted. 2 Kings 4:
8-37.
47. Jesus Praying. Luke 3: 21, 22; Mark i: 35; Mark
14: 26-42.
Theme: Kindness.
Golden Text. — Be ye kind one to another.
Eph. 4: z'2:
48. Rebekah's Kindness. Gen. 24: 10-20, 29-31.
49. The Boy and the Lamb, i Sam. 17: 32-38.
50. David's Kindness to a Lame Boy. 2 Sam. 9: 1-13.
51. Elisha's Kindness to a Poor Woman. 2 Kings 4:
1-7.
52. The Good Samaritan. Luke 10: 30-37.
Second Year
Theme: Happy Home Li^E.
Golden Text. — Honor thy father and thy mother.
Exod. 20: 12.
1. Respect for Parents. Jer. 35: i-io; Eph. 6: 1-4.
2. Miriam Ready to Help. Exod. 2: i-io.
Golden Text. — Blessed are the peacemakers.
Matt. 5: 9.
The Two- Year Course and How to Use It 71
3. Jonathan the Peacemaker, i Sam. 19: 1-7; i
Thess. 5: 13.
Golden Text. — Preferring one another. Rom. 12: 10.
4. Kindness to Guests. 2 Kings 4: 8-13; Heb. 13: 2.
Themk: UnseIv^ishness.
Golden Text. — Christ also pleased not himself.
Rom. 15: 3.
5. Abraham and Lot. Gen. 13: 1-9.
6. Ruth and Naomi. Ruth i: 1-22.
Thkme: God's Goodness.
Golden Text. — God shall supply all your need.
Phil. 4: 19.
7. God's Care for Ishmael. Gen. 21: 12-20.
8. God's Care for Elijah, i Kings 17: 8-16.
9. God's Care for Daniel. Dan. 6: 1-23.
10. God's Care for Peter. Acts 12: 1-17.
11. God's Care for Us. Psa. 2y. 1-6.
12. God's Care for All Things. Matt. 6: 25-30.
Theme: Gratitude.
Golden Text.— Be ye thankful. Col. 3: 15.
13. A Man Thanking Jesus. Luke 17: 11-19.
14. A Lame Man Thanking God. Acts 3: i-io.
Theme: Helpfulness.
Golden Text. — Let us do good unto all. Gal. 6: 10.
15. A Little Girl Helping Her Master. 2 Kings 5:
1-5; 9-II-
16. Samuel Helping in the House of God. i Sam.
3: i-io.
17. Friends Helping a Sick Man. Mark 2: 1-12.
18. A Little Boy Helping Jesus. John 6: 5-14.
Golden Text. — For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son. John 3: 16.
72 The Beginners' Department
19. God Helping Us by the Gift of His Son. Matt.
i: 21; Luke 2: 1-20; i Tim. i: 15.
The:me: Jesus Our Hei.per.
Golden Text. — Lord, be thou my helper. Psa. 30: 10.
20. Jesus Helping the Fishermen. John 21: 2-13.
21. Jesus Feeding Four Thousand Men. Matt. 15:
32-39; Mark 8: 1-9.
22. Jesus Healing a Leper. Matt. 8: 1-4; Mark i:
40-45.
Golden Text. — My help cometh from the Lord.
Psa. 121: 2.
2'>,. Jesus Healing a Blind Man. John 9: 1-41.
24. Jesus Raising the Widow's Son. Luke 7: 11-17.
Themk: Jesus Our Teacher.
Golden Text. — Teach me Thy way, O Lord.
Psa. 2']\ II.
25. Jesus' Example of Service. John 13: 1-15.
2(i. Jesus' Story of a Supper. Luke 14: 16-24.
2'j. Jesus' Story of the Lost Sheep. Luke 15: yj,
28. Jesus' Story of the Seed. Matt. 13: 3-8.
Theme: The Risen and Ascende:d Lord.
Golden Text. — Behold, I make all things new.
Rev. 21: 5.
29. New Life in Nature. Gen. i: 12; Song of Sol.
7: 11-13; Psa. 61: 9; Psa. 74: 16, 17; Psa. 104;
14-17; Psa. 147: 16-18.
Golden Text. — He is risen. Matt. 28: 6.
30. Jesus' New Life. Luke 24: 1-9.
Golden Text. — In my Father's house are many man-
sions. John 14: 2.
31. Jesus Going Back to Heaven. Luke 24: 36-53.
32. Our New Life. Rev. 21: 1-4; 21-27.
The Two-Year Course and How to Use It 73
Theme: Jesus' Nearness to Us.
Golden Text. — I am with you alway. Matt. 28: 20.
33. Jesus' Promise of Nearness. John 14: 18-23; 16:
16-22; Matt. 28: 20.
34. Jesus' Nearness to Paul. Acts 18: i-ii; 2 Tim.
4: 16-18.
Theme: Obedience.
Golden Text. — We must obey God. Acts 5: 29.
35. Gideon and the Three Hundred. Judges 7: 12-21.
36. Peter and John Obeying God. Acts 5: 17-32.
Theme: Honesty.
Golden Text. — Let us walk honestly. Rom. 13: 13.
Z7. The Honest Workmen. 2 Chron. 24: 4; 8-14; 2
Kings 12: 11-15.
38. The Dishonest Servant. 2 Kings 5: 20-27.
39. The Honest Treasurers. Ezra 8: 21-34.
Theme: Truthfulness.
Golden Text. — My mouth shall speak truth.
Prov. 8: 7.
40. Samuel Telling the Truth, i Sam. 3: 1-21.
41. Daniel Telling the Truth. Dan. 5: 13-30.
42. Truthful at All Times. John i: 43-51; Eph. 4: 25;
Psa. 15: i^ 2.
Theme: Self-Control.
Golden Text. — Be patient toward all. i Thess. 5: 14,
43. David's Self-Control. i Sam. 26: 1-25.
44. Jesus Bearing Wrong. Luke 9: 51-56.
Theme: Prayer.
Golden Text. — Lord, teach us to pray. Luke 11: i.
45. Praying for Help. Neh. i: i-ii.
74 The Beginners' Department
46. Praying for Others, i Sam. 12: 19-24; Matt. 5:
44; James 5: 13-16.
47. When and Where to Pray. Matt. 6: 6; Dan. 6:
10; Acts 3: i; Gen. 24: 10-14; Neh. 2: 4;
James 5: 13; Matt. 8: 23-46.
Themes: Forgivkness.
Golden Text. — Forgiving one another. Eph. 4: 32.
48. Stephen Forgiving His Enemies. Acts 7: 54-60.
49. Jesus Forgiving Peter. John 18: 15-18; 25-27;
John 21: 15-17.
Theme: IvOVE.
Golden Text. — Let us love another; for love is of
God. I John 4: 7.
50. Jonathan's Love for David, i Sam. 18: 1-4; 20:
1-42.
51. Mary's Love for Jesus. John 12: 1-8; Mark 14:
3-9.
52. Jesus' Love for His Friends. John 14: 1-31.
If desired, the lessons may be taught by sev-
eral teachers, each gathering a small group of
children around her. Whether taught in this
way or by one teacher to the class as a unit, the
time occupied in lesson presentation should not
exceed fifteen minutes, as little children find it
almost impossible to concentrate their atten-
tion for a longer period. After marching or
rest exercises of some kind, a supplemental les-
son may be given for ten minutes, or the supple-
mental lesson may be given before the regular
one.
The Two- Year Course and How to Use It 75
To criticize a course of lessons is compara-
tively easy. Probably few persons will claim
that the Two Years' Course is perfect. Its de-
fects may readily be seen by the careful student.
But, taken all in all, it is by far the best course
yet offered for little children.
In several instances the teacher will think of
stories that will illustrate the truth better than
those selected. If so^ let her not be deterred by
the fact that they are not on the list. Any
course slavishly followed is detrimental to the
teacher. She should use her own common sense
in the matter.
CHAPTER VIII
THE WEEKLY PROGRAM
In planning a program, the teacher must re-
member that variety is needful, and that little
children require change of position far more fre-
quently than older persons. They become rest-
less and inattentive when forced to remain in-
active. Disorder might often be avoided by the
use of some simple rest exercise.
The following program will give a good work-
ing basis :
Opening Exercises lo minutes
Offering Exercise 5 "
Supplemental Lesson lo "
Rest Exercise or March 5 "
Lesson 15 "
Birthday Exercise 5 "
Closing Exercise 10 **
Total 60 "
Before the session arrange the chairs in a cir-
cle, see that the picture or object to be used for
illustration is ready, and place papers and cards
where they may most easily be distributed.
If any child will celebrate his or her birthday
during the week tie a bow of pink or blue rib
1^
The Weekly Program yy
bon to a special chair and let the little one
occupy that during the session.
As the children come in, remove their hats
and wraps. Allow early comers the privilege of
examining scrap-books or pictures (not those
for the day), or talking together in quiet tones.
Promptly at the moment for opening the ses-
sion a chord of music should give the signal
for taking places on the ring. Insist on perfect
quiet after this signal. If you desire it, you
will have it, and can do much better work if the
children are in order before you begin.
Let the class stand and sing a greeting song,
accompanying it with pretty motions.
If a new scholar is present call him to the
center of the ring, introduce him by name to
the other children, and sing a welcome song.
Of course he should not be urged to come for-
ward if he is timid, but the welcome song
should always be sung.
If any child has been absent three or more
Sundays, because of illness or some other rea-
son, let his classmates welcome him during the
opening exercises by a special song.
A pleasant feature of the opening exercises
may be the greeting given to parents or other
visitors.
After the opening prayer, which should be
very brief and simple, the offering may be
yS The Beginners^ Department
received. Many teachers prefer to collect this
as the children enter, but in my own class I like
better to let them march and drop the money in
a glass bank held by one of their number. It is
true that once in a while some child loses a
penny before ''marching time/' as they call it,
but it happens so rarely that the annoyance is
but trifling, and their delight in the exercise
more than compensates for the trouble. When
the bank has been passed to visitors by its
proud monitor, a little slide at the bottom is re-
moved and the contents counted aloud. Then,
while the little heads are bowed, we thank our
Father for the gifts he has given us, and ask
his blessing on the offering we have brought.
Even if teachers find it desirable to omit the
marching, do not forget the little prayer, for
the children are greatly impressed by it, and it
helps them to feel that they have a part in sup-
plying the needs of others.
In almost all schools the offering, at least
once a month, is devoted to missionary work.
Even the tiniest child should be taught the im-
portance and meaning of missionary Sunday.
The supplemental lesson may be taught after
the offering has been received. It should be
followed by a complete change of position.
Marching, standing up and clapping, flying
around the ring, and dozens of other exercises
The Weekly Program 79
will suggest themselves for the purpose, but,
whenever possible, choice should be made of
some activity connected with the thought that
the teacher has endeavored to teach.
For instance, if the supplemental lesson has
dealt with God's care for birds or flowers, a
rest exercise might be used by asking the chil-
dren to imagine they are little birds flying home
when the day is done, or sleepy flowers nod-
ding in the night wind. If the supplemental les-
son concerned patriotism let the boys and girls
march, illustrating in pantomime the waving
of flags, or beating of drums.
As it is very desirable to have quiet atten-
tion during the second lesson, the exercises
which may be vigorous at first, should become
more thoughtful toward the close. To illus-
trate: if the children have been singing of the
chiming bells let them repeat the last stanza
very softly, imagining that the people are in
the silent church waiting for the service to
begin.
After the lesson is ended put on the little
ones' wraps and when all are ready sing a birth-
day song, ofifer a birthday prayer, and give a
birthday card to any child whose birthday will
come during the week to follow. Let the clos-
ing song come next and dismiss, distributing
papers and cards as the children march out.
8o The Beginners' Department
Some teachers prefer to send the birthday
card, or letter, by mail on the right date, but
in a large class the item of postage becomes an
important thing to consider, and in such cases
it is better to give the card or letter on the Sun-
day before, rather than the Sunday after, the
birthday, because the little ones enjoy exhibit-
ing it with their other birthday gifts.
CHAPTER IX
" NOTHING TO WORK WITH "
"Oh! It's all very easy to do beautiful work
and get fine results if you have plenty of money
and quantities of time at your command/' said
a discouraged teacher coming from a Sunday-
school Institute. "Fd love to try all those ex-
periments for my children and let them make
those pretty books, but, simple and inexpensive
as the lecturer said they were, they are way
beyond the reach of our little school. Think
of being able to buy a bulb, for instance, and a
beautiful lily, to illustrate the resurrection!
And then think of those pretty blackboard illus-
trations! How my children would be fasci-
nated by them ! But we have no blackboards, no
objects, no anything! Tm discouraged through
and through, for I have absolutely nothing to
work with. I get as blue as indigo whenever
I come to an Institute."
Now, discouraged teacher, you who are doing
your best with "nothing,'' if you will look
around you you will find a wealth of material
ready to be utilized.
You can illustrate your lesson each Sunday
8i
82 The Beginners' Department
with drawings and letters just as well as if a
large blackboard hung in the place of honor,
and yet have not a cent of expense. How?
One way is to get large empty pasteboard
boxes from a drygoods or general store, those
in which shirt-waists or woolen underwear have
been packed. Cut the boxes carefully apart,
leaving the lids untouched, and you will find
you have three large oblongs and two smaller
squares from each box. These pasteboard
pieces tacked on door or wall make very good
substitutes for blackboards, and if the work is
carefully erased, each may be used for three
or four weeks. A long, narrow, pointed piece
of wood, burnt to charcoal, may be used for
drawing and lettering. Burnt matches are not
to be scorned for this work, either.
If you wish to use color you can buy colored
crayons at ten cents a dozen, and will find they
give just as good results on pasteboard as on
anything else, only remembering that the best
effects are produced by bright, rich colors in-
stead of the paler ones.
Tea paper is another good substitute for a
blackboard. These sheets cost eight or ten
cents a dozen. Each sheet may be cut in the
middle, and if firmly tacked or pinned, give a
smooth white surface that is delightful to work
upon.
''Nothing to Work With'' 83
Common manilla wrapping-paper brought
into the house around bundles may be ironed
smooth and used in the same way. Indeed,
dozens of substitutes will give thorough satis-
faction. The sketches may be preserved from
week to week for review, or given to different
children at the close of the lesson.
The covers of the large boxes make splendid
sand-trays. They may be filled with sand,
gravel, salt, sawdust, or whatever the teacher
prefers. Small clothespins dressed in long,
brilliant robes, will represent oriental persons
and may be moved from place to place on the
tray. Pieces of looking-glass will simulate
lakes, and crinkled blue tissue paper makes a
satisfactory ocean.
The teacher may use the tray to illustrate her
opening story, connecting link, or application,
by cutting children's figures from the colored
plates in old fashion magazines, mounting
short, narrow strips of pasteboard on their
backs for standards, and arranging them pret-
tily. Trees and hills cut from cardboard and
colored add greatly to the effect of the scene.
The leaves and tiny flowers from old hats will
often prove useful in illustrating the flowery
fields of Palestine, if stuck close together in lit-
tle groups on the sand tray.
A square white box will give a good idea of
84 The Beginners' Department
an Oriental house. It is not necessary to use
the lid ; as the bottom of the box will serve for
the roof. Cut a square hole in the latter. Cut
two or three squares from the sides of the box
for windows, and paste narrow strips of white
paper in a lattice effect across them. Steps
leading to the roof may be readily folded from
white paper.
If you wish to have a balcony, take the cover
of a somewhat larger box and cut a square the
exact size of the smaller box, from the center.
Slip the large hollow square over the middle of
the box, letting the upturned edge represent the
railing. Of course, if stairs are used, a space
should be cut in the balcony for them.
If you cannot afford the large pictures pre-
pared to illustrate the lessons do not lose heart.
Look over your own and your friends' store of
old magazines, not disdaining even the adver-
tisements.
Here is a picture of a flock of sheep coming
homeward at twilight. It is not the same pic-
ture as the one published by the Sunday-school
companies, but what difference does that make ?
Cut it out neatly and put it away to use with
your lesson on The Good Shepherd. Here is
a dainty baby picture (only an advertisement
for some infant food), but charming in
its grace and winsomeness. That will illus-
''Nothing to Work With'' 85
trate the lesson on father or mother love.
Here is one of a dear old grandmother. Think
how many lessons on helpfulness may be
brought out by the picture. Here is a bright-
faced laddie, a veritable sunbeam. It will do
your boys and girls good just to look at his
smiling countenance. He teaches a lesson with-
out a word. And where could a better illustra-
tion of the results of kindness to animals be
found than in that familiar picture of the dog
at the phonograph? These are but a few of
the almost innumerable store to be found with-
out difficulty.
Do you want to illustrate the Easter lesson
beautifully, yet with little or no expense?
Get a penny sponge and a cent's worth of
flax or grass seed from a druggist. Put the
tiny seeds in every crevice of the sponge, tie a
cord around it, and hang it in a sunny window.
The sponge must be kept wet, so you will prob-
ably have to start the experiment at Sunday-
school, and continue it at home. In a week, or
two weeks at the utmost, you may take the ball
of living green to let the class admire and won-
der at the result.
On the Sunday preceding Easter show the
children a clump of hepatica plants dug from
the woods. There will be not the slightest sign
of life visible (unless Easter is unusually late).
86 The Beginners' Department
just an unattractive clump of dull, ragged leaves
and roots. While the little ones watch, put it
in a glass tumbler half-filled with water, invert
another tumbler over the first, and set the minia-
ture conservatory in a sunny window. By the
next Sunday the plant will be covered with ex-
quisite blue flowers.
Two Sundays before Easter break off several
long sprays from plum or cherry trees. The
leaf-buds may not have begun to swell, but if
you put the sprays in water and keep them in
the sunshine, you will have beautiful blossoms
to illustrate the story of wakening life. The
sprays should be dipped in water two or three
times a day, to prevent them from shriveling in
the dry air of the room.
Do you wish you had pretty mottoes to hang
on the walls? Get a five-cent sheet of dark
green or crimson blotting paper. Cut it into
four oblongs. Cut pretty letters from stiff white
paper and paste them gracefully on the blotting-
paper. Cut flower sprays or leaves from the
white paper and paste them on, too.
''Nothing to Work With'' 87
If neatly made, these mottoes are very pretty,
for the rich, heavy background throws the
snowy letters and decorations out in bold relief.
Some of the pictures cut from the magazines,
insurance monthlies, etc., may be mounted on
cardboard and used for decorating the walls.
As for object lessons, no teacher, however
poor or busy she may be, can fail to find a rich
abundance if she will look about her.
Take, for instance, the first lessons in the
Beginners' Course, with the Golden Text, "All
things were made by him." The lessons are sup-
posed to begin in September, when goldenrod
and asters riot in every field. Surely no country
teacher can fail to find some flower and leaf
to illustrate the lesson, God Making Trees and
Flowers, and very few city teachers will have
difficulty in getting at least a geranium to show
their classes.
A cluster of crimson or yellow autumn leaves
makes a pretty object lesson for this group.
The teacher may press the leaves, if she is keep-
ing her work for review, and attach them to one
side of blackboard or paper by tiny strips cut
from the gummed flaps of envelopes.
One of the most charming lessons may be
given just at this time. In almost every field
and meadow grow large quantities of the com-
mon pink milkweed. It does not require very
88 The Beginners' Department
sharp eyes to discover on many of these plants
a long caterpillar, ringed with green, yellow, and
white. Capture one of these and put it in a
glass jar, securing two or three small milkweed
leaves for its food. Cover the top of the jar
with mosquito netting. Almost immediately the
caterpillar will make his chrysalis, a dainty, deli-
cate little green case, studded with tiny golden
spots that look like nails. In seven days from
the time the chrysalis is made, the case will turn
dark, and the great, velvety, brown milkweed
butterfly will emerge. I know of no object les-
son more fascinating and impressive to little
children.
A toy sheep or other animal brought by some
childish owner at the teacher's request will
bring out in a most striking way the second
lesson, God Making Animals, for the skilful
teacher will call attention to the differences be-
tween the toy made by man and the living ani-
mals made by God.
To introduce the second series of lessons, on
Home Life, the children may be led to think of
the many homes on the earth, ant-hills for the
ants, hives for bees, nests for birds, and houses
for human beings. A bird's empty nest will
be a good object to be shown, and charming
stories of its former tenants may be told.
So I might go on and enumerate countless
''Nothing to Work With'' 89
objects that would make fine illustrations. They
are all around us, in our homes and in the out-
door world, asking us to take and use them.
CHAPTER X
SPECIAL DAYS
The teacher of little children soon finds that
one of the greatest links between the home-life
and the Sunday-school lies in the observance or
recognition of special days, and makes of them
a golden chain with which to reach the hearts
of the parents.
Somehow, the tiny children seem peculiarly
dear to father and mother. They love the older
ones, but feel a greater sense of responsibility
for the wee tots who are so dependent upon
them. Many a parent who has given no thought
to church or Sabbath-school for years, is aroused
to interest in both when John or Mary brings
home a special invitation to some service.
For this reason it is well to have simple but
frequent exercises to which parents are cordially
invited, or if the room is so small that this is
impossible, send some tiny souvenir home with
the injunction, "don't forget to tell papa and
mama all about it."
Many times the little messenger unconsciously
preaches a forceful sermon, and wins a new
disciple for Christ.
90
special Days 91
For the first Sunday in the new year a dainty
and appropriate souvenir is a wee blank book,
made perhaps from inexpensive white tea-paper,
tied with snowy baby ribbon with the words,
"A Happy New Year" on the cover in gilt let-
ters, and the Httle verse on the first page.
God gives the new year sweet and fair, —
A book with pages white,
And He will help us fill each leaf
With pictures pure and bright.
Even the tiniest child understands the simple
thought and can repeat it clearly.
If it can be arranged, let the beginners have
a valentine social and show them how to make
a pretty heart-shaped valentine with the words.
Mother dearest, kind and true,
Here's a valentine for you.
Let them carry these home with an air of
great mystery, suggesting that they may be hid-
den "under mother's plate." The little secret
delights the child-heart and brings it into close
and loving sympathy with the "teacher who plans
so many nice things," as one little boy ex-
pressed it.
For Easter give each child a package of
flower seeds. These can be obtained for one
cent a package from several Flower Missions,
and indeed, almost all florists furnish several
92 The Beginners' Department
varieties at this price, for the special use of
kindergartens and schools. The best results
will undoubtedly be obtained from dwarf nas-
turtiums. When the seeds are distributed give
simple directions for planting, and urge the
children to bring the flowers to Sunday-school.
If the teacher does not follow the matter up and
create a genuine and lasting interest the chances
are that the seeds will be taken home and put
away in some drawer or closet, but if "teacher'*
cares about their fate and makes careful inquiry
Sunday after Sunday, the seeds will receive
great attention, and the small florists will be
very proud of their gardens.
The five-cent packets contain more seed, and
sometimes teachers may prefer to give them
instead of the smaller packets. Cut flowers or
potted plants make pretty Easter gifts, but
the seeds are just as appropriate and often give
more lasting pleasure. Larkspur, bachelor's
button, petunia, and candytuft are other flowers
easily raised from seed.
For Children's Day each member of the Be-
ginners' Department may receive a banneret
made of dainty pink cardboard of light weight,
v/ith a cluster of daisies painted in one corner,
with the words.
Birds, and flowers, and music gay!
Happy, happy Children's Day!
special Days 93
If the teacher cannot paint the daisies she can
cut the pattern from white paper and paste them
on the banneret, using tiny yellow circles for
the centers.
For Rally Day, which is usually held in Sep-
tember, little baskets filled with small sprays of
goldenrod will be bright and attractive. To
make the baskets take five-inch squares of paper
and fold and cut according to diagram on page
94. Paste corners to form a square basket, and
add a handle.
When Thanksgiving Day comes, a wee sheaf
of wheat is a pretty souvenir, or a card in which
three or four heads of wheat have been inserted.
The cards may have the words written or
printed in quaint lettering,
Dear Father, by our daily living
We'll try to show our true thanksgiving.
Christmas suggestions are so plentiful that
it is needless to repeat them here. A very sim-
ple but exquisitely pretty gift for each member
of a large class may be made by even the busiest
teacher if she will mount the beautiful repro-
ductions of the Bodenhausen Madonna on
squares of gray cardboard. These pictures may
be obtained from the Perry or the Brown Pic-
ture Company in half-cent and one-cent sizes.
The latter are about six inches in length, while
94 The Beginners' Department
T
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(
\CUT
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CUT )
special Days 95
the former are about three and a half. Either
size mounted on heavy gray cardboard makes a
very attractive gift.
The love prompting the gift is what consti-
tutes its real value. Even a tiny child appreci-
ates the fact that his teacher has thought of
him when absent, and the veriest trifle becomes
a treasure, if real affection goes with it.
Some teachers have a hesitancy about "link-
ing secular and religious things." I have heard
conscientious persons say, ''I don't like to give
my children a flag on the Sunday before
Memorial Day, because they may think of that
more than of the lesson,'' or "Valentines for a
Sunday-school social! We ought to pay more
attention to religious truths and less to foolish-
ness."
These objections may be honest, but they are,
fortunately, growing rarer. The more we con-
nect religion with everyday life, the better, and
the wise teacher will make use of as many of
the child's interests as possible. Many beautiful
spiritual truths may be taught from the flag that
every child loves and honors, and even so trifling
a thing as a valentine may help to develop deepe*
love for parents, and, through them, for the
great Father.
CHAPTER XI
SONGS FOR LITTLE CHILDREN
In selecting songs for the beginners it should
be remembered that both words and music must
be simple and child-like. The thoughts ex-
pressed must be on a plane with their interest.
No five-year-old could possibly feel the truth
expressed in such lines as,
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it,
Seal it for thy courts above.
Pie may sing the words lustily, but they are,
and should be, Greek to him.
A child's feeling toward God should be the
same affectionate impulse which he feels toward
father and mother, with a deeper undercurrent
of reverence. He has not "wandered far away
from God," he has not "grieved Him o'er and
o'er." He should be led to think of his Pleav-
enly Father in an entirely natural and happy
w^ay, so the songs selected should avoid the
religious experiences of adults in so far as they
deal with remorse.
The words of every song should be most
96
Songs for Little Children 97
carefully taught, so that their meaning will be
plain to even the youngest ones. Never use
long songs, and now and then allow one of the
children to repeat the stanzas to you or the class.
I knew a kindergartner in a public school who
had carefully (so she thought) taught the words
of the beautiful cradle song beginning,
Sleep, baby, sleep!
Thy Father watches his sheep.
One day she asked one of the brightest boys
in the class to repeat the song, and was horrified
by the following version.
Sleep, baby, sleep,
Thy father washes his feet!
Sometimes children use very simple words
for a long time with absolutely no conception
of their meaning, because every one takes it for
granted that the familiar terms are understood.
A minister's boy, a little fellow of seven years,
once asked his mother, "Mother, what does
gobless mean?" "Fm sure I don't know," she
answered. "Oh! yes, you do. I say it every
day." "Well, there is no such word." The
boy looked unconvinced, and finally the mother
said, "When do you say it, Frankie?" "Why!
I say it twice a day, in the morning and at night.
You know I say, 'Gobless papa. Gobless
mamma.' " It was clearly evident that the
98 The Beginners' Department
familiar petition, God bless, needed explanation
before it could have any meaning for the peti-
tioner, and I believe that the same bewilder-
ment concerning other oft-reiterated expres-
sions exists in the mind of many children. So
let us see to it that the little singers understand
the thought in each line of the songs taught.
The little child loves birds, flowers, grass,
trees, and all the other beautiful things in na-
ture. Through them he gets his first dim con-
ception of divine power and love, and the
thoughtful teacher will make constant use of
this interest.
The music should not be too difficult and
should be kept within compass of the childish
voices. Do not let them shout while singing,
but lead them to sing softly and sweetly.
Some teachers have three or four songs that
are sung Sunday after Sunday. However sweet
and pretty a song may be, it should not be used
over and over until the children are tired of it.
Have variety in this as well as in other things.
Graceful motions are always enjoyed, and in
many of the following songs I have suggested
simple, easy gestures, to rest the children, while
illustrating the thought they are singing.
A WELCOME SONG.
99
Angelina W. Wray.
Rather slow.
Ethel V. Wilt.
1. On this day of rest and glad- ness, While the bells are
2. Now the earth is hush'd and qui - et, Si - lence lin - gers
3. Come and list - en to the sto - ry Of our heav'n-ly
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ring - ing clear,
far and near.
Fa - ther's love.
Lit - tie chil -
While the bells
And His Son,
dren,
are
who
r
come and list - en,
soft - ly ring - ing,
came to bring us
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Chorus. Faster.
"r r
To a sto - ry sweet and dear. ^
God in- vites His chil- dren here. >Wel -come! wel - come!
Joy and glad - ness from a - bove. )
wel - come! Lit - tie chil - dren, wel - come here!
lOO
Angelina W. Wray.
Bather fast.
WAKING TIME.
Ethel V. Wilt.
1. The wak - ing time has come a - gain. The winter days are past. Come
2. The leaves are bud-ding on the trees, The busy brown bees hum; New
^n
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lit - tie flow'rs.come birds and bees, 'Tis
life, new joy, fills all the world, For
wak -
wak -
ing time
ing time
-_
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at last,
has come.
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Chorus.
Time for the birds to build iheir nests.Time for the flow'rs to grow ,For
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God has sent the sun - shine warm To melt the win-ter's snow.
WHAT THE Rq$kSSAy^^.o., ; ; ; ,1,01
Angelina W. Wray.
Quietly.
> ErkfiL V. Wilt.
r 'r
1. What do the red, red ros - es say, By the sun-ny gar -den
2. What do the fair pink ros - es say, In the sun-shine and the
3. What do the pure white ros - es say, With their pet- als like the
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wall ? "Be brave and strong," each red rose says To ev - 'ry child so small,
heat? "Be kind and gen - tie, lit -tie ones," Each pink rose whispers sweeti
snow? "Be pure in word and tho't and deed," Each white rose murmurs low .
^§^^^
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Chorus.
Ros - es, ros - es, bloom- ing fair, Send-ing fra-grance on the air ;
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Like the ros - es, let us be Fair and sweet for God to see.
10^
SUNSHINE SONG.
Al:^t;ELiN> • W. WrXv.
Ethel V. Wilt.
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1. Af - ter the darkness scat- ters, Af-ter the long, long night, The
2. How can we scat-ter sun-shine Each in our own small place? We
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gold - en sun shines bright- ly Flood-ing the earth with light.
can be bright and hap - py, Show-ing a shin- ing face ;
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bird - ies, Wak-ing the sleep-ing flow'rs
round us, Sing-ing the songs we love,
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Rous-ing the drow-sy bird - ies, Wak-ing the sleep-ing
Help-ing the friends a - round us, Sing-ing the songs we
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Each lit - tie sun-beam has its part In mak- ing sun- ny hours.
Each lit - tie child may al - ways be A sunbeam from a - bove.
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Chorus.
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Sunbeams, sunbeamSjFilling the world with cheer, Je - sus will
f^feg-
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SUNSHINE SONC-Concluded.
103
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help the ti - ni - est child To
be
His sun-beam here.
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A GREETING SONG.
Angelina W. Wray.
=^
,
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Ethel V. Wilt. '
1. A greet - ing
2. A wel - come
J
to
to
you,
you,
a greet - ing to you, Each
a wel - come to you ! We're
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dear lit - tie friend so gay. With a smile and a bow we
glad you are with us here. Now our praise we will sing, to
I " a r T^
wel-come you now, This beau-ti - ful Sab - bath
Je - sus, our King, To Je - sus, our Friend so
Day.
dear.
I04 SONG FOR MOTHERS' DAY.
Angelina W. Wray. Ethkl V. Wilt.
i > I (^ I i^
1. O moth-er dear, a wel-come ^true We glad-ly, glad-ly
2. Each bird - ie ^in its ti - ny nest Thinks its own moth-er
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to you.
the best
We're al -
; So ev
ways glad to see
- 'ry child, how - ev
you here, In
- er small, Loves
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Chorus.
this our Sab - bath-school so dear. \
you, *dear moth-er, best of all. }
m
A welcome ^sweet, a
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wel - come true, The chil - dren gai - ly sing to you, And
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Motions :—i Kiss finger-tips 2 Heads bowed. 3 Hands brought together,
forming a nest. * Let each child point to his cr her own mother.
SONG FOR MOTHERS' DAY- Concluded. 105
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pray ^that God's most tender care May guide and bless you ev'rywhere.
?^i^
Angelina W. Wray,
Slow. ^ ^
EVENING.
Ethel V. Wilt
1. Sun- set on the wait - ing land, Sun - set on the sea. The
2. Twilight on the wait - ing land, Twi - light on the foam. A
3. Darkness on the wait - ing land, Dark-ness on the deep; But
I . . .
clo - ver folds its dew - y leaves, The wind blows cool and free,
white-wing'd ship goes sail- ing out A - way from love and home.
God's great love still broods a - bove While earth and o - cean sleep.
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Slow-ly fades the gold- en light ; Slow-ly, slow - ly comes the night.
Sail - ing in the gold- en light, Sail- ing out to meet the night.
Watching o'er the ripp-ling foam, Watching,too, o'er love and home.
io6
Angelina W. Wrav.
Lively.
THE RAINY DAY SOLDIERS.
Ethel V. Wilt.
5f*rf=-
1
IS IS IS IS"
— IS IS 1 —
1. Who's a
2. Who's a
- fraid of the
- {raid of the
— '- f ^-
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rain
rain
as it pat - ters
as it tin - kles
J J ^ J-,
all a - round ?
on the roof ?
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Who's a- fraid of the silv - 'ry rain? Not the flow' rs, nor the
Who's a - fraid of the silv - 'ry rain ? It's God who gives the
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trees. Not the birds, nor the bees, And nei - ther you nor I, 'tis plain,
show'rs For thirst-y trees and flow'rs; So wel - come, lit - tie drops of rain !
S^
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Chorus.
i
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We are Rain -y Day Sol - diers, don't you see, don't you see? And
^
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THE RAINY DAY SOLDIERS.— Concluded. 107
'r -^- r — i — 1^
not a-fraid of stormy days are we, are we. On a stormy Sabbath day
r -r
We will hurry onour way.Forwe're Rainy Day Soldiers.don't you see.don'tyousee?
^
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CLOSING PRAYER.
Angelina W. Wray.
Slow.
Ethel V. Wilt.
1. Dear Fa - ther, to - night, When dark - ness has come,
2. When cur • tains of night Hang heav - y and low,
3. Thy love kept us safe This long hap - py day;
m.
m i(y
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Watch o - ver each child
No child has a fear,
Be w^ith us to - night,
I
And
Thy
Dear
guard ev - 'ry home.
kind - ness wt know.
Fa - ther, wc pray.
io8
Angelina W. Wray.
Not too slow.
GOD'S CARE.
Ethel V. Wilt.
1. When the hap - py brown birds *flut-ter far, far a - way,
2. When the lit - tie brown birds ifiut - ter home to the nest,
When the east^ is a - glow with the com - ing of day, When the
When the sun - set is red in the beau - ti • ful west,* When the
^
^
=6=
^i-^^^^^
r
gold - en sun^ shines on the wide *rip - pling sea, My
ti - ny white moon* sails a - bove the deep sea, My
^^
Fa - ther in
Fa - ther in
heav
heav
en
en
IS
is
think - ing of
think - ing of
J- J
me.
me.
Motions :— ^Arms extended. Flying motion. 2 Point toward the east. ^ Arms
meeting in circle over head. * Rippling motion with extended arms. * point
toward the west. • Point upward.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY
BERKELEY
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