Country Sabbath-Schools.
By Editor
THERE is no doubt that a large Sabbath-school has some advantages over a small one. It has more material from which to select officers and teachers; it has better opportunities for profitable teachers’ meetings; and it has the benefit of consultations of a greater number of experienced workers. But, in our visits to other schools, we have become strongly impressed that the smaller schools are not doing themselves justice; they are not generally doing as well as they might do. They should, 1. Select for superintendent one whose heart is in the Sabbath-school work. 2. It should be known that he will study the lessons, so that he may be familiar with the work of the classes. 3. The teachers should take some time to confer together, to talk over their lessons and their work, even if they cannot hold regular teachers’ meetings. If they would at first have meetings of the teachers and officers at the time of their quarterly meetings they would prove of great benefit, and lead to greater efforts in this direction. 4. The officers and teachers should all read, yes study, the Sabbath-School Worker. It will prove a great help to them. 5. If the school be arranged in "divisions," each division should have its review, or "general exercise." These are often of more real profit than the class exercises. We have suggested to our school in Oakland that we might do something to aid the weaker schools by visiting them, and helping them to raise the standard of their work. If any school desires such help, and will send a request, we will try to have an experienced worker visit them. And some of the brethren laboring in the field are Sabbath-school workers; they ought to consider it a material part of their mission to instruct the people in this branch of the work.