It has been said that a very learned man once remarked. "Give me the training of a child till he is eight, and I will let you place him where you will afterwards."
A great work is being wrought for the world at this period through the teaching of little children in our Sunday schools under the Christian Science thought.
When, at the dear Mother's bidding, we took up this work two years ago, I recalled with a new sense her words in the dedicatory sermon (Pulpit and Press, page 14),—"Ah children you are the bulwarks of freedom, the cement of society, the hope of our race!"— and asked the superintendent for the privilege of feeding the tender lambs, that is, of taking the youngest class in our school.
It had in it about a dozen little ones, boys and girls of ages ranging from four to eight years.
I could not but feel the importance of the work, as well as the urgent need of a clear understanding of our Leader's aim and purpose in this movement, laying in the child's consciousness such foundation thoughts as the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and the Lord's Prayer with its spiritual interpretation.
The teacher soon began to see that it is to the first of these we owe what sense of safety and security there is in human society, and from the right understanding of the last two that we must expect the establishment of the Kingdom of God—Good
The children were mostly from Christian Science families but there were two exceptions, both from the Orthodox church.
In one of the early lessons,—that on the Lord's Prayer —the question was asked, "Where is heaven?" '
Two little girls, Orthodox, about eight years old, answered promptly, "Up in the sky." Then a little Christian Scientist said, Everywhere, for God is everywhere." Another said, In our minds—another, "In the hearts,"—still another, "Everywhere that Love is;" and this from a very young child.
After a little while it became at times somewhat perplexing to know how to present some of the lessons to such young children, as, for instance, that on Drunkenness; but the teacher soon learned how infinite, in its adaptability to every stage of human development, is Science.
In this lesson, after all had said the golden text, the children were asked if they had ever seen anyone drunk. A dear little girl replied with a tale of a man staggering out of a saloon. That was quickly dealt with, and the question followed, "Have you ever seen any children drunk?" There was a long pause, then all answered gravely, "Yes."
It seemed proper here to ask how they got drunk, and a little pupil promptly replied, "Drunk with bad."
It was then shown how anger, hate, jealousy, and selfishness are all forms of drunkenness, and how self-indulgence of every sort needs to be guarded against, and the pure joys of soul understood and sought after diligently.
We have a bright little fellow who is narrator for the class. He tells the Bible stories, and one day when we were studying the life of David, he stood up and told of the shepherd-boy, and his combats with the bear and the lion; then with the giant; of his being a great musician called to the court of the king, then how he became a great warrior and a king. A pause came here, and then he went on: "After that he became one of Jesus' disciples and went about healing the sick."
The climax was so startling and unexpected that the teacher burst out laughing, and the other little folks of course followed her example. But it was evident at once that this would never do, as the little historian was sadly embarrassed. So the teacher rallied and told them that the answer was a very good one after all, for King David prays in the 67th Psalm, "That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations," and Christ said to his disciples that, "Many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them" (Luke, 10: 24).
One Sunday the golden text suggested the walled cities of olden time, especially Jerusalem, and the children were asked if such walls could keep out the worst foes,—sin, sickness, and death. The ready response was "No;" but one pupil said, "Mind can build walls strong enough to do that;" and another said, "Love can keep them out."
The children were all so glad to be enrolled as "Busy Bees," and one day we had a special treat, as many of them are too young to read. We had the pictures in "Christ and Christmas" after the regular lesson, and there were bright eyes shining through tears as the story was told of the dear Mother in her lonely little room, years ago, studying scriptures, seeking for herself and for us the way to health and holiness.
Then the teacher and a little girl who had visited it told of the beautiful "Mother's Room" in the Mother Church, where the wise children of Christian Science send their offerings of love and gratitude to the one who has taught them to know aright one Father and Mother God.
Let no one think here that all this work is done without much watchfulness and prayer, for we have, even in the infant class, the same beliefs of error to meet and overcome that we find in the older thought.
There is the tendency to say clever things rather than to have a well-prepared lesson; in brief, to talk Truth, rather than demonstrate it. Then at times a very discordant sense may creep in, possibly from the home, for children reflect thought very readily, which shows the solemn responsibility resting upon parents as well as teachers. But one thing is quite wonderful, and it is this,—the great results obtained in the expansion and unfoldment of the child consciousness when faithful work is done in teaching them statements from Science and Health.
A young child can declare and demonstrate God's law. Jesus said so, and dare we doubt it in view of the world's great need, and of overwhelming facts?
One Sunday the class was asked how each one knew personally that Christ-Truth heals as of old, and every little hand went up, and every childish voice gave, in turn testimony of healing, and the teacher's eyes rested on two little ones,—the one whose picture was given in the Journal, and another one whose story she will now briefly tell.
To sense she was a very delicate child, dearly beloved of her father, her only surviving parent, who had recently come into Christian Science.
The child had been quite ill, and the father, who had been compelled to go out for an hour, returned to his home to find that she had seemingly passed on.
What was to be done in this hour of anguish? but let results tell. At that hour Divine Principle, "the First and the Last," came nearer to the uplifted sense, and after a vehement declaration of God's law, and some patient waiting on "Love, the Lord and giver of Life" (Pulpit and Press, page 8), the spell was broken and the great Master's words fulfilled, "If a man keep my sayings, he shall never see death."
The writer did not know of this demonstration at the time it occurred, but in the next service she marvelled at the look on the father's face, which would almost have lit a dark room.
Such is Christian Science, and can those doubt who see these signs? And who shall doubt what these children will do some day as the world opens its cold heart to this new-born idea of God, and says like John in Patmos,—"Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
