CHRISTMAS IN THE BATTLE CREEK CHURCH SCHOOL.
CHRIST said that those who believed on him should do the same works that he did, and even greater works, because he went to the Father. We have also been told by the Spirit of Prophecy that God would use the children to carry the message in these last days. The children of the Battle Creek church school have been taught these things, and I feel sure that Christ and the angels have been made to rejoice by the eagerness that most of the children show in getting a preparation for this work. When the subject of our Christmas exercises came up, and the children were shown that even in these they could be doing good by showing others what Jesus had been teaching them, and by teaching others some of the differences between Jesus’ school and other schools, they entered into the plans with a joyful spirit. They took up things which they were unaccustomed to, and were led to forget themselves in the thought of helping others; and they also learned that when we could go to Jesus, and pray for assistance. The program for Christmas exercises consisted of three parts, the more prominent features of which may be mentioned. The first part took up Christ’s early life; and after several exercises bearing on his childhood, a number of the older boys gave a dialogue while working at the carpenter’s bench, which showed how we may work for and with Him there. The second part was on Christ’s ministry; in this the primary grades displayed some of the things they had learned about caring for the sick or some poor soul in need of help. Our motto for the third part was, “As He was, so are we in this world,” and the message of the recitations and other parts rendered was that of Christlikeness in all our daily relations. Music, both vocal and instrumental, was made a prominent part of the program, as befitted a school which is training children to stand upon the sea of glass. Teachers and pupils worked together in endeavoring to make the occasion pleasing to both the22instance, from Re to lower Ti (usually called Si) as in No. 34; from Fa to Mi, as in No. 41; Ti, Sol, Re, as illustrated in No. 92. This tune furnishes a good example of skips. The interval from Fa to Ti you will find in No. 17, and from Sol to upper Fa in 158, etc. Teachers can readily find examples of the various skips in common use by reference to any of our hymn books. It is interesting to notice the fitness of words with music. A verse from several different hymns may be written on the black-board, a tune sung, then let the class decide which would be the best setting for the music. Sing or play a few notes of a simple melody, then ask the pupils to tell you the names of the sounds they heard. This, of course, would be rather difficult at first, but a little at a time, persevered in, will give surprising results. Do, Mi, Sol, Do, are neutral sounds, so to speak, that is, they do not require you to move up or down from them; but Fa, as the hand sign suggests, has a strong tendency downward to Mi; also La to Sol; while Ti has an equal desire to be followed by Do. This will be a help to pupils in recognizing the sounds they hear. An interesting illustration of this would be for the teacher to sing by syllable some familiar tunes, as “Rock of Ages,” in which the pupil can see the application: Sol La Sol Mi Do La Sol Do Re Mi Re Do Te Do. Numerous means of illustration of the above principles will suggest themselves to the teacher. Thus the study of music can occupy quite a period of time before a word need be said in reference to its representation; viz., the staff, bars, notes, etc., and the pupil is made to realize that music is not signs, but an expression of feeling. Signs and symbols, the representation of music, are entirely of secondary importance.