find that the seed has sprung up and is growing, but he knows not how it grows. The earth bears fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. Then when the fruit is ripe the man puts forth the sickle to gather it in, because the harvest time is come.

So it is that the kingdom of God grows. We can prepare the ground and sow the seed, but it grows of itself little by little.

Take one period to review the last two series of stories. At least one or two days should be taken at the end of the year's work to review all the stories of the First grade. It is better to leave some of the last stories of the series untouched, than to neglect the complete cumulative review. But it is better still to have some extra meetings of the class, if the work is not all finished.

After Abraham moved his tent to the oaks of Mamre, his wife Sarah died, for she was very old. Then Abraham went to his neighbors and said, I am a stranger among you. Let me buy a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. And they liked Abraham and said, Thou art a prince of God among us. Take thy choice of all our burying-places. And he said, If you please, I will buy the field in which is the cave of Machpelah. And they sold him the field and the cave for four hundred shekels of silver. And there he buried Sarah his wife. And when Abraham died they buried him beside Sarah. And after many years, their son Isaac and his wife, and their grandson Jacob, and many others were gathered to their people, and all were buried in the old family burying-place in the cave of Machpelah. And so the cave and the family grave helped to keep the old home by the oaks of Mamre long in the family.

THE CAVE OF ADULLAM

1 38. THE CAVE OF ADULLAM. 1 Samuel 22:1,

2.

David was a servant of King Saul, but the people loved him even more than they loved the king. This made the king so angry that he tried to kill David. But David ran away from King Saul; and hid in a cave among the rocks. The cave was called Adullam. And while he was there other men came to him. Some of them owed debts which they could not pay, and some had other troubles which made them hide in the wilderness. While they were in the cave of Adullam, David became the leader of about four hundred of these men, and this was the beginning of his army.

And so it was in the cave of Adullam that David began to form an army of his own followers.

1 39. THE CAVE OF EN-GEDI. 1 Samuel 24: 1-6.

Some one told King Saul that David was in the wilderness of En-gedi. Then Saul, thinking David was his enemy, took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. And Saul came to where there was a cave, and he went in, thinking there was no one else in the cave. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. And the men urged David to kill Saul, but he would not hurt him, because the Lord had made him king of Israel. Instead, he secretly cut off the corner of his robe in the darkness of the

cave.

David was in the cave of En-gedi when Saul came that way seeking his life.

1 40. DAVID SPARES THE KING. 1 Samuel 24:7-22.

When King Saul was in the cave with David and his men, David checked his men and would not let them rise against Saul. And Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way. Then David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, My lord, the king. When Saul looked

behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth, and said, Do not listen to those who say, David seeketh thy hurt. See how the Lord has delivered thee into my hand in the cave. And some bade me kill thee. But I spared thee. See the piece of thy robe that I cut off, instead of killing thee. So there is no evil in my hand, and I have not sinned against thee, though thou huntest after my life to take it. And Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul wept and said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast done me good, when I did evil to thee.

When David could have killed Saul in the cave, he only cut off a piece of his robe, to show the king that he was not an enemy.

Picture by Doré. Wilde, 480.

For permanent mastery of the stories, the system of cumulative reviews is essential. By this time the children of the First grade should all be able to tell all the stories of this grade, when the teacher or parent calls for them by the titles which they have chosen and used throughout the year. Occa sionally there is a slow child, who has not yet become expert in telling the stories. It is best to promote such a child with the rest; for generally such children, under a careful teacher, acquire the art during the second year.

SECOND GRADE

STORIES OF GOOD PEOPLE

2 1. ABRAHAM WAS KIND TO STRANGERS. Genesis 18: 1-8. Do people show kindness oftener to their friends or to strangers?

Once as Abraham was sitting in the door of his tent resting in the heat of the day, he looked up and saw three strange men standing in front of him. He went out quickly from his tent door and spoke to them, and said, Sirs, if now I have found favor in your sight, pass not away from me, I pray you. Let now a little water be brought that you may wash, and rest yourselves under the tree. I will bring some bread, and you may refresh yourselves, before you go any farther. And they said, Go, do as you have said. And Abraham hurried. into the tent to his wife, Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of meal, and make cakes. Then he fetched a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, and he dressed it and roasted it; and Abraham set before them the meat and cakes with butter and milk, and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. And before they left him, Abraham learned that he had been entertaining angels un

awares.

Tell the story as briefly and simply as it is here given. Explain any words which seem not to be understood. Let several of the children tell the story as well as they can with the teacher's help.

Make sure that they get the idea of being kind to strangers. But in all these stories the teacher's aim should be to help the children to learn the stories and be interested in them, rather than in any applications of them. The moral and religious lessons must lie on the surface so attractively that children will pick them up. They must not be preached into the children by the teacher.

Picture by Rembrandt. Wilde, 562; Tissot, O., 179.

22. REBEKAH WAS KIND TO A SERVANT.

Genesis 24.

Sometimes servants are treated unkindly, simply because they are servants.

the

Rebekah was a tall and handsome young woman, daughter of a good and wealthy family in the old country where Abraham used to live. Just outside the city where Rebekah lived there was a well, where many people went for water. One evening as the sun was setting, she took a pitcher and went out to the well for some water. After she had filled her pitcher she saw a servant taking care of some camels, and he looked as if he had came from a long journey. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Give me to drink, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher. And she quickly let down the pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. And she emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well and drew for all his camels. And when the servant asked, Is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge? she said, We have both straw and food enough, and room to lodge in. And the servant was glad for this kindness shown

to him.

Tell the story in a bright and dramatic way. Help some of the children to tell it again, making clear the maiden's kindness to the old servant. Do not enlarge upon the finding of a wife for Isaac, as that is another subject and comes in a later lesson. (31) Keep close to the simple story unit. Picture by Tissot, N., 17; Doré, Wilde, 360.

Throughout the second year the teacher will take every opportunity, when there is a little spare time, to review the class on the stories of the first year. Drill them on repeating the titles of all the groups in the right order, then upon the lessons in each group, by their titles and their contents.