Chapter I · "THE TEN DEMANDMENTS"

A Chapter to be often read as we study the art of object teaching. Follow these 10 Rules—they are Ten Steps to the Palace of Success

THE TEN DEMANDMENTS

IN teaching children and others how to visualize God's truth, we must remember the Ten Demandments and keep them.

First Demandment: You must love the child. Preaching to children is an affair of the heart. You must love them before you can reach them with the truth. A teacher seeking to win and teach little hearts must first have the degree of L. L. C. which being interpreted means "Love Little Children." God will confer on you this degree. Don't begin until God marks you with it.

Second Demandment: You must remember that the eye is the child's open door to the heart. It is eighteen times larger than the ear gate. They receive eighteen times more truth by their eyes than they do through their ears. They are always seeing things. You must remember this—sayeth the Second Demandment.

Third Demandment: You must believe in the large opportunity and high privileges of working with children. It is the mountain top of importance. It is dealing with the largest soul value of the world. It yields quickly its reward. Be first on the ground. It is the richest ground in the Kingdom of Heaven. It brings early harvest—a harvest of Gold.

Fourth Demandment: You must learn to know the child, study him like you would a book, or as carefully as you do your lessons. Study him at close range, and by loving contact. Chum with him. The best text book on the child question is the child himself. Master your object as well as your subject. This is the highest teaching of the highest order. Read Chapter III of this book.

Fifth Demandment: You must use short words. Little folks like to catch your meaning at first hearing. Listen to them as they talk one with another. They use but few words, and they are short and to the point. Use common words, because they use them. Don't use silly words or baby talk, or speak in an unnatural tone of voice. They don't like affected tones. They don't talk that way when they address each other. They don't want you to talk to them in that fashion. They call it "silly" and "sissy." It takes an educated man to use their language, but go to the University of Childhood and learn there to be an uncommon talker—which means—talk the talk of childhood.

Sixth Demandment: You must be brief. Much of our work with children is useless, because it is over done in the matter of time. Cut it short so it will cut in—always just when they want more, and the next time, they will be glad to listen to you. Clothe your ideas in short sentences. Seldom use words over two syllables, and even then make them the words they use when they are doing their own talking. In using the objects always hold them up in full view of the children, and keep them there. In a short sentence name the object you are thus about to use. It will keep them from spending the time wondering what the object might be. Let the object talk and it will. Make your talk short, and stop when you are through. Be brief, but full of ideas.

Seventh Demandment: You must be sure to preach the Bible. To get the Bible into their hearts is your task. Stick to your task. All truth is good, but Bible truth is best. Use the best with little hearts. The Bible is the greatest story book in the world. That is the reason little folks like it when you tell them the wonder stories out of it. Show them a story. Clothe a lad in oriental garb, and call him Joseph, and while they are looking at him, tell them the much loved story of Joseph and his brethren. Give the boy a lunch basket, and tell the story of the boy that supplied five thousand with his lunch one day when he passed the basket and its contents, over to the Master. This is putting the story over by objects, and it puts it in and under and it sticks for all time.

Eighth Demandment: You must begin with the known, and work up to the unknown in the handling of objects. Jesus asked for a drink of water from the Samaritan woman and from that water from Jacob's well from which she had drawn the water for her home since childhood, He began to reveal to her the water of Life, and she drank from that fountain, and her home town in Samaria had a Billy Sunday awakening from the well of Jacob. Jesus began with water from the Well of Jacob. He ended with a talk about the water which cometh down from above.

It will help you and greatly vary your program if you ask the children to bring their own objects with them some times which they have found by the wayside, and then you may give them a spiritual lesson. They will never forget the lesson, and often, in other days, when they see those objects again, they will remember your lesson.

Ninth Demandment: You must not be afraid of object lessons which may have a little slant in them toward a happy little surprise.

Sometimes the effect we were not looking for makes the most lasting impression. It is this quality that makes a fairy tale so fascinating to children. Wonder objects can make truth as charming as the ways of fairies. Wonder objects provoke curiosity, and curiosity is the mother of attention. This is the best type of attention. Look over the wonder lessons of this book and work them. Children never forget a thing as long as they continue to wonder about it.

Tenth Demandment: You must pray over and about your objects. Just as the minister prays over the elements of the Lord's Supper, so pray over your objects. God can bless things as well as words, and this He will do if both things and words are used for His glory. These Ten Demandments are like ten guiding stars throbbing in the night. All of them are Pilot Stars seeking to guide the wise lovers of children as did their Father's star long ago to the place "where the young child lay."