OCR Text |
Show t» The Necessity of a Consistent X,ife in a "' Sunday School Teaclier. "^3 ^ By MISS FLOBENCB FONDA. ^ Si«,^ t. When I firat read the subject aBsign- ^, d ' v ed me, "The Necessity of a Consistent f '^' ^ Life in a Sabbath School Teacher," the ^ ^ <* question arose in my mind, "consistent IK' \^ with what?" Does it n.ean that his*^ ' life shall be consistent with his teach- ^ ; ^' ing? Surely as much as that. The teacher whose everyday actions, or personal habits, belie his words to <' his class, cannot hope to see great re- h suits from his teaching. His class, ."^ whether primary or composed of adults, ^ is quite likely to find out that he-^^^ does not practice what he preaches, '^ and the result is disastrous. But even t if his class never come to know his inconsistencies, and his manner of living J ; ii kept secret, his teacbiog must lack 'j < vitality and the power which comes 'i-^'. from a pure life and honest endeavor. <S ' I think that as a rule, we Sabbath k School teachers shrink from that sort U of dishonesty. If i\^not an easy thing y to face ten or twenty clear eyed chil- \ dren and try to, teach them to live ^ better lives than we ourselves are trying to live. Is it not true that many of us have stood before our classes and tried to teach truths which we knew to be important, and yet feel the words die on our lips, cut short by the condemning consciousness that we !^_ had not been true to the knowledge we ; ISTor do we always take the right way to correct the evil. It is not enough that ot^r lives be consistent with our teaching if we make them so by narrowing the truths we teach. If we do so, we are only joining the already "innumerable caravan" of those whose religion consists in proclaiming on every cross-road that they make no |