IN the Manual of The Mother Church (Art. XX, Sects. 1-3) there have been laid down certain foundational rules intended to govern the organization and method of teaching in the Sunday schools of the Christian Science denomination throughout the world. Mrs. Eddy naturally foresaw the necessity of establishing a rule that should govern the method and character of instruction given to the children, otherwise there might be as many methods of instruction as there were Sunday schools, and as many interpretations of Christian Science as there were teachers.
Any one who makes a thorough study of these provisions of the Manual, and their spirit and intent when followed to the only possible and logical conclusion, namely, a standard system of teaching Christian Science which is absolutely scientific and of necessity universal, will certainly partake with the writer of a feeling of admiration and gratitude for the high spiritual understanding, blended with extraordinary foresight, that dictated a few simple but all-embracing rules intended to shape the spiritual instruction of multitudes of children.
In addressing herself to the problem of teaching, our Leader seems to have divided the question into two parts, the first dealing with the method of instruction, the second with its character. On the subject of method, the Manual provides that the children "shall be instructed according to their understanding or ability to grasp the simpler meanings;" and as they progress, the instruction shall consist of "such questions and answers as are adapted to a juvenile class." On the subject of the character of instruction, the Manual provides that "the Sabbath school children shall be taught the Scriptures," and certain vital sections are specifically mentioned as a working arrangement for the primary or first lessons; and thus it follows, as it should, that the Bible is the foundation for all instruction in the Christian Science Sunday schools.
