Facts recorded in Scripture may be given orally as gallery
lessons,
taking care to exhibit some picture representing the subject proposed
for the lesson--take, for example, the finding of Moses--which
represents the daughter of Pharaoh coming down to bathe with her
maidens, and also the infant Moses in the ark, cradle, or boat, which
was made for the purpose. The subject is then to be propounded to the
children as follows, and the teacher is to take care to repeat it
clearly and distinctly in short sentences, and to be careful that
all the pupils repeat it as distinctly after him; by thus means the
essence of the story is infused into the minds of the children, with
the addition of their being taught to repeat all the words distinctly
and properly, which will assist their pronunciation very much when
they begin to read the lesson described in another part of this work.
"And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the
river,
and her maidens walked along by the river's side, and when she saw the
ark among the flags she sent her maid to fetch it, and when she had
opened it she saw the child, and behold the babe wept. And she had
compassion on him; and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to
thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for
thee? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go; and the maid went and
called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take
this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages;
and the woman took the child and nursed it, and the child grew, and
she brought hum unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son, and
she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the
water."--Exodus ii.
Q. What does this picture represent?
A. The finding of Moses.
Q. Who came down to wash herself at the river?
A. Pharaoh's daughter.
Q. Who was Pharaoh?
A. The king of Egypt.
Q. What is Egypt?
A. A country in Africa.
Q. What is Africa?
A. A part of the earth on which we live.
Q. Where did her maidens walk?
A. They walked along by the river's side.
Q. When Pharaoh's daughter saw the ark amongst the flags, what did she
do?
A. She sent her maid to fetch it.
Q. And when she opened it, what did she see.
A. She saw the child.
Q. What was the ark?
A. A sort of boat made of rushes, such as grow in the river.
Q. Would not the water get into this?
A. No; it was kept dry inside by pitch and slime.
Q. What were the flags that the ark was among?
A. A sort of plant that grows in rivers.
Q. Did the child laugh?
A. No; it wept, and she had compassion on him.
Q. And what did she say?
A. This is one of the Hebrews' children.
Q. What did his sister say to Pharaoh's daughter?
A. Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women?
Q. What is meant by his sister?
A. The sister of Moses who stood to watch what would become of him.
Q. What did she ask to call a nurse for?
A. To nurse the child.
Q. What did Pharaoh's daughter say?
A. Go.
Q. Who did the maid fetch?
A. The child's mother.
Q. When she came what did Pharaoh's daughter say to her?
A. Take this child away and nurse it for me.
Q. And what did she say she would give her?
A. Her wages.
Q. Did the woman take the child?
A. Yes; and nursed it.
Q. What became of the child?
A. It grew, and she brought it unto Pharaoh's daughter, and it became
her son.
Q. What name did she give him?
A. She called his name Moses.
Q. What for?
A. Because she drew hum out of the water.
Q. Look at this picture, what is the girl holding over Pharaoh's
daughter's head? A. A sort of umbrella.
Q. What is she holding it up
for? A. To keep away the heat of the sun.
Q. Were there slaves in
those days? A. Yes.
Q. Is the little girl holding the umbrella meant
to represent a slave?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you know what a slave is?
A. A person who is taken from his home and made to work for nothing
and against his wills.
Christ with the doctors in the temple, forms, when given as explained,
a good gallery lesson--thus:
"And it came to pass that after those days she found him in the
temple
sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them
questions; and all that heard him were astonished at his understanding
and answers. And when they saw him they were amazed, and his mother
said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father
and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that
ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business.
And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he
went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them;
but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart: and Jesus increased
in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."--Luke
ii. 46-52.
Q. Where did they find him?
A. In the temple.
Q. Sitting in the midst of whom?
A. Of the doctors.
Q. What was he doing there?
A. Hearing and asking them questions.
Q. And they were astonished at his, what?
A. Understanding and answers.
Q. What did Jesus' mother say unto him?
A. Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us?
Q. What more did she say?
A. Thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
Q. What did Jesus say unto her?
A. He said, how is it that ye sought me?
Q. Did he say anything more?
A. Yes; wist ye not that I must be about my father's business.
Q. What is the meaning of wist ye not?
A. Know ye not.
Q. When Jesus went with them, where did they come to?
A. To Nazareth?
Q. What is Nazareth?
A. A town in Asia.
Q. His mother kept those sayings, where?
A. In her heart.
Q. In what did Jesus increase?
A. In wisdom and stature.
Q. What do you mean by increasing in stature?
A. Growing larger.
Many books of scripture stories have been written for children, but
it is far best to select simple and suitable passages from the sacred
volume, and have them properly illustrated by coloured plates. By
this method the children become acquainted with the very letter of
scripture. Written stories often leave very wrong impressions; and the
history of David and Goliah has been given in an infant school, so
that it would make an excellent counterpart to Jack, the giant
killer. Surely such things ought never to be! Abundance of historical
portions, full of moral and religious instruction, and such as are
calculated from their simplicity and beauty, to deeply impress the
minds of children, can be selected from both Testaments; but the
miracles and parables of our Saviour constitute the richest store.
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